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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


from its origins to circa AD 700, across the entire Christian world


Coptic document from the Theban area (Upper Egypt) mentioning all the *saints (S01151) as well as Apa *Epiphanios (S00093) the anchorite and abbot of the Theban monastery; datable to the 6th/7th century.

Evidence ID

E05708

Type of Evidence

Late antique original manuscripts - Papyrus sheet

Documentary texts - Other private document

O.CrumST 405

The document seems to be a writing exercise as it contains various phrases, one of them (line 2) being:

ⲛⲛⲁⲕⲁⲡⲏ <ⲛ>ⲛⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ⲛⲡⲛⲟⲩ̣ⲧ̣[ⲉ

‘For the meals dedicated to all the saints of God.’

Another (lines 5–6) reads:

ⲙⲡⲁ̣ⲅ̣ⲓ̣ⲟⲥ ⲁⲡⲁ ⲉ[ⲡ]ⲉ̣ⲫⲁⲛⲓⲟⲥ ⲡⲁⲛⲁⲭⲱ[ⲣⲓⲧⲏⲥ

‘… to saint Apa Epiphanios, the anchorite.’


(Text: W. E. Crum, modified; trans.: G. Schenke)

Activities accompanying Cult

Feasting (eating, drinking, dancing, singing, bathing)

Places Named after Saint

Monastery

Non Liturgical Activity

Prayer/supplication/invocation

Source

The fragmentary papyrus document is a palimpsest, the original a Greek document dated to the year 508. The item belongs to a private collection.


Bibliography

Text:
Crum, W.E., Short Texts from Coptic Ostraca and Papyri (Oxford, 1921), 106.


Record Created By

Gesa Schenke

Date of Entry

18/6/2018

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00093Epiphanios, anchorite, monk and abbot of the Theban monasteryⲁⲡⲁ ⲉ[ⲡ]ⲉ̣ⲫⲁⲛⲓⲟⲥCertain
S01151All Saintsⲛⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩCertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Gesa Schenke , Cult of Saints, E05708 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E05708