Coptic letter from Jeme (Upper Egypt) concerning a donation made to *Michael the Archangel (S00181); datable to the 7th century.
Evidence ID
E05706
Type of Evidence
Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet
Documentary texts - Letter
O.CrumST 177
The document is addressed to a bishop whose name is lost, but who was presumably in charge of the shrine dedicated to the Archangel Michael. It is written by two men, Georgios and Enoch, who report on the details of the donation made by a craftsman named Souai on his deathbed. A list of the items donated to the shrine seems to have once been attached to the letter.
Lines 2–4 of the document read as follows:
ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲫⲱⲃ ⲛⲥⲟⲩⲁⲓ ⲫⲁⲙ ⲡⲣⲟⲥ ⲧⲉ[ⲇⲱⲣⲉⲁ ⲉ]ϩⲟⲩⲛ ⲉⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲙⲓⲭⲁⲏⲗ ⲡⲁⲣⲓⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ [ⲧⲁⲓ ⲛⲧ]ⲁϥⲥⲙⲛⲧⲥ ⲉϥⲥⲏⲕ ⲉⲡⲙⲟⲩ
‘Concerning the matter of Souai, the craftsman, with respect to the [donation] to saint Michael the Archangel [which] he made as he was approaching death.’
(Text: W. E. Crum/W. C. Till; trans.: G. Schenke)
Cult Places
Cult building - unspecified
Non Liturgical ActivityBequests, donations, gifts and offerings
Source
The fragmentary papyrus document is kept at Cheltenham Phillipps Library.Bibliography
Text:Crum, W.E., Short Texts from Coptic Ostraca and Papyri (Oxford, 1921), 45.
German translation:
Till, W.C., Erbrechtliche Untersuchungen auf Grund der koptischen Urkunden (Vienna, 1954), 223–224.
Record Created By
Gesa Schenke
Date of Entry
18/6/2018
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00181 | Michael, the Archangel | ⲙⲓⲭⲁⲏⲗ ⲡⲁⲣⲓⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ | 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, E05706 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E05706