Coptic document from Deir el-Bahari (Upper Egypt) recording an oath sworn to saint Apa *Phoibammon (soldier and martyr of Assiut, S00080) to settle a dispute concerning financial matters; datable to the 7th/8th century.
E05703
Late antique original manuscripts - Ostracon/Pot-sherd
Documentary texts - Other private document
O.CrumST 111
The documented oath is written on an ostracon and concerns the payment of two coins and an explanation on how they were spent. This oath is sworn to a man named Samuel presumably to settle a financial dispute and most likely was uttered at the shrine dedicated to Apa Phoibammon on the mountain of Jeme.
The beginning of the document reads as follows:
⳨ ϣⲉ ⲧⲇⲩⲛⲁⲙⲓⲥ ⲙⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲡⲁ ⲫⲟⲓⲃⲁⲙⲙⲱ̣ⲛ ⲛϥⲡⲁⲣⲁⲇⲓⲅⲙⲁⲧⲓⲍⲉ ⲙⲙⲟϥ ϩⲣⲁⲓ ϩⲙ ⲡⲁⲓⲥⲛⲁⲩ ⲛϩⲟⲗⲟⲕ(ⲟ)ⲧ(ⲧⲓⲛⲟⲥ) ⲛⲧⲁ ⲡⲙⲁⲕⲁⲣ(ⲓⲟⲥ) ⲁⲡⲁ ⲃⲓ̣ⲕ̣ⲧ̣ⲱ̣ⲣ ⲧⲁⲁⲩ ⲛⲁ ⲁⲓϯ ⲡⲟⲩⲁ ⲉⲡⲇⲏⲙⲟⲥⲓⲟⲛ
‘By the power of saint Apa Phoibammon and he makes an example of it.
With these two coins which the blessed Apa Biktor has given me, I have paid one for the demosion tax …’
Lines 11–12 at the end of the document read as follows:
ⲡⲁⲓ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲁⲛⲁϣ ⲛⲧⲁⲛ̣ …… ⲟ̣ⲣⲕϥ ⲛⲥⲁⲙⲟⲩⲏⲗ
‘This is the oath which … (personal name) has sworn for Samuel.’
(Text: W. E. Crum; trans.: G. Schenke)
Cult building - monastic
Places Named after SaintMonastery
Non Liturgical ActivityOath
Source
The ostracon R 1780–10546 is kept at the Musée du Louvre in Paris.Bibliography
Text:Crum, W.E., Short Texts from Coptic Ostraca and Papyri (Oxford, 1921), 31.
German Translation:
Till, W.C., Die Koptischen Rechtsurkunden aus Theben (Vienna, 1964), 225.
Gesa Schenke
18/6/2018
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00080 | Phoibammon, soldier and martyr of Assiut | ⲁⲡⲁ ⲫⲟⲓⲃⲁⲙⲙⲱ̣ⲛ | Certain |
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Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Gesa Schenke, Cult of Saints, E05703 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E05703