(2 9 x 9 ,5cm)
68 6 .2 5 /F (3 )b S ix th c e n tu ry
O xyrh yn ch o s
In tro d u c tio n .
It is a complete small document, r e c ta n g u la r in fo rm a t. T h e u p p e r m a rg in is 1,5cm wide and th e bottom 3cm. T h e te x t is w ritte n in a p ro fe s s io n a l c u r s iv e hand w ith a tendency to slope to th e r i g h t com parable to CPR X IV 47. On th e back is a docket in two lin e s along th e f ib r e s in a d i f f e r e n t hand.
T h is document is a re q u e s t f o r s u p p ly o f wheat subm itted by th e G re a t m onastery to th e landow ner o f th e a rea, who, a cc o rd in g to th e custom (x a x à xo s8oq 1.2), used to s u p p ly th e m onastery w ith wheat; about th e custom o f o f f e r i n g s e v e ra l d onations to ch u rc h e s and m onasteries by landow ners, see E .H ardy, T h e L a rg e Estates o f B y za n tin e E g y p t, New Y o r k , 1931, p p .l4 0 f f . T h e m onastery has a lre a d y re c e iv e d 300 a rta b a e o f wheat and r e q u ir e s 200 a rta b a e o f wheat more. From th e co n text i t is n o t c le a r w h e th e r th e y e a rly am ount o f wheat which th e m onastery re c e iv e d was fix e d o r n o t. I t seems th a t th e m onastery re c e iv e d th e amount, 300 a rta b a e , to w hich i t was e n title d f o r th e c u r r e n t in d ic tio n (th e 6 th ), b u t on th e 6th o f J u ly , at th e v e r y end o f th e 6 th in d ic tio n , th e m onastery re q u ir e s 200 a rta b a e o f wheat more f o r th e com ing 7 th in d ic tio n (xax èitx xfjç èpSopnq xvSixxiovoq).
It seems th a t th e m onastery was r e g u la r ly s u p p o rte d by th e donations o f th e landow ner o f th e a re a , p o s s ib ly by A p io n , and i t was fin a n c ia lly in a way dependent on him, who m ig h t t r y to e x p lo it th a t.
Th e te x t is w r itte n on th e 6 th o f J u ly o f th e 6th in d ic tio n . So th e document should be dated on p a la e o g ra p h ic a l g rounds; com parable documents in th is case would be P.Lond.
99 9 (AD 538), P.Oxy. X V I 1842 (AD V I), W .Schubart, PG R, te x t 45 (AD 525); th e r e f o r e th e te x t could be assigned to th e 6 th c e n tu ry . T e x t. l . t
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. x o f x e i c i x q q E p S o p q q i v5
( i x x i o v o q ) y i ( v o v x o f i ) [ a i l x C o l u ( a p x a P a i ) a ^ o y ( o f i ) E t x e k p i P i v5
( i x x i o v o q ) tBack, alo n g th e fib r e s :
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a t ) p ' o ( ' ( a i û > x o c x < o ) [ M ] r | v < x n p o v ( o q x r | ) N c i v q o u5. n Q (itofpof) xwv ypofppo((xEwv)
I. 0ofup; 2. ocX \/ 3. iv5/; JtT '• ^ : M-cr//: 4. 0ax>pT itpov$; 5. / V ; Ypofpp^
T ra n s la tio n .
t W ill Y o u r exellen cy s u p p ly to th e G re a t m onastery, in a d d itio n to th e o th e r th r e e h u n d re d a rta b a e o f wheat, two h u n d re d more a c c o rd in g to th e custom and f o r th e 7 th in d ic tio n . T o ta l two h u n d re d arta b a e o f wheat o nly. On th e 12th o f th e month E p e ip h o f th e 6 th in d ic tio n .
Back: t D e liv e r to th e most adm irable Mena, p ro n o etes o f N ein eo n , fro m th e s e c re ta rie s .
Commentary.
1. BeXfyTQ: th e ju s s iv e s u b je c tiv e is used p a r t ic u la r ly in la te p a p y r i w ith a b s tra c t p e rip h ra s e s (e.g. f| crf| 5 ià 0 e a tç , S saito xeia, eù-yéveiof, psyaXoTcpéitsia, xxpiôxriQt ôf5s\<pôxnç, aiSeCTxjiôxnQ, àpexf)) as sub ject, see B. M a n d ila ra s , T h e v e r b in th e G re e k non - l i t e r a r y P a p y r i, A th en s, 1973, 558. T h e s u b je c tiv e s , GeXqen, xaxa^xojan, Ttapax^n^p» in these fo rm u la tio n s make a p o lite fo rm u la o f req u est; th e substance o f th e re q u e s t is expressed by an i n f i n i t i v e d ep en d in g on th e s u b je c tiv e s , as in o u r case ita p a a x e îv , o r v e r y r a r e ly by an im p e ra tiv e .
0Ofijp ' a ' (axôxqç): th e t it le 0<xupaax6xr|<; is used to address laymen o f d is tin c tio n , see, L .D inneen, T itle s o f address in C h r is tia n G re e k e p is to lo g ra p h y to 527 AD, W ash in g to n , 1929, p.43.
Méyof "'Opoq: in E g y p t th e term ôpoç means, d e s e rt (P.T eb t. 383 .6 1 ) o r place o f b u r ia l (P.O xy. 274; P .R yl. 153; P .G r e n f.
2.77). I t can also mean a m onastery o r a com m unity o f
m onastic cells, see H.Cadell e t R.Rémondon, Sens e t em plois de xô "Opoç dans les documents P a p y ro lo g iq u e s , REG, 80 (1 9 6 7 ),p p .3 4 6 ff. In th is document i t seems e v id e n t th a t ôpoç means e it h e r a m onastery and in p a r t ic u la r ly g re a t one as i t is d eclared by th e t i t l e M é y a ’'Opoç o r a g ro u p o f m onastic cells.
2. xocxdc X Ô êOoç: th e p h ra s e because o f it s p o s itio n in th e
te x t ra is e s two in te r p r e ta tio n s : 1. It could r e f e r to th e