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E00668: Fragment of a Coptic Miracle of *Kollouthos (physician and martyr of Antinoopolis, S00641), presumably associated with the shrine at Peneueit in the district of Achmim/Panopolis (Upper Egypt), describing the healing of a Greek woman in the martyr shrine and the reaction of her enraged Greek husband who tries to destroy that shrine afterwards; written perhaps in the 6th c.

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posted on 2015-08-19, 00:00 authored by gschenke
In this story, a Greek husband on the lookout for his missing wife and servants finds out that his wife had been healed in the saint’s martyr shrine. He become very angry and swears by Apollo to destroy that shrine. He gathers manpower in the area to attack the shrine, but ends up punished, and most likely a convert to Christianity once personally confronted by the saint.

British Library Or. 3581 B(38)r col. I,7–II,26:

ⲕⲁⲧⲁ ⲟⲩⲟⲓⲕⲟⲛⲟⲙⲓⲁ ⲇⲉ ⲛⲧⲉ ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲉⲓⲥ ⲟⲩⲣⲱⲙⲉ ⲛⲭⲣⲓⲥⲧⲓⲁⲛⲟⲥ ⲁϥⲉⲓ ⲉϥⲡⲁⲣⲁⲅⲉ · ⲁϥⲥⲱⲧⲙ ⲉⲕⲩⲡⲣⲓⲁⲛⲟⲥ ⲡϩⲗⲗⲏⲛ ⲉϥϣⲁϫⲉ ⲙⲛ
ϩⲉⲛⲕⲉϩⲗⲗⲏⲛ ⲛⲧⲉϥϩⲉ ⲉϥϫⲱ ⲙⲙⲟⲥ ϫⲉ ⲙⲡⲉⲓϩⲉ ⲉⲧⲁⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ ⲟⲩⲇⲉ ⲛⲁϩⲙϩⲁⲗ ϩⲙ ⲡⲁⲏⲓ ⲡⲣⲱⲙⲉ ⲛⲭⲣⲓⲥ[ⲧⲓⲁ]ⲛⲟⲥ · ⲁϥ[ⲟⲩⲱ]ϣⲃ ⲡⲉϫⲁϥ
[ⲛⲁ]ϥ ϫⲉ ϣⲉ ⲛ[ six lines missing ⲁϥⲧ]ⲁⲗϭ[ⲟⲥ ⲅⲁⲣ] ϩⲙ ⲡⲉⲥϣ[ⲱ]ⲛⲉ · ⲕⲩⲡⲣⲓ[ⲁ]ⲛⲟⲥ ⲇⲉ ⲛⲧⲉⲣⲉϥⲥⲱⲧⲙ ⲉⲛⲁⲓ ⲉϥϣⲓⲡⲉ ⲉⲙⲁⲧⲉ ϩⲛ
ⲧⲙⲏⲧⲉ ⲛⲛⲉϥϣⲃⲏⲣ ϩⲗⲗⲏⲛ · ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲡⲣⲁⲛ ⲙⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲕⲟⲗⲗⲟⲩⲑⲟⲥ · ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁϥϩⲟϫϩϫ ϩⲙ ⲡⲉϥⲡⲛⲁ · ⲁⲩⲱ ⲡⲉϫⲁϥ ϫⲉ ϣⲉ ⲡⲁⲡⲟⲗⲗⲱⲛ
ⲡⲛⲟϭ ⲛⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ϯⲛⲁϣⲟⲣϣⲣ ⲙⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲉⲧⲙⲙⲁⲩ

‘According to God’s plan, behold, a Christian came walking by. He heard Kyprianos, the Greek, speaking with other Greeks in his manner saying: “I neither found my wife nor my servants at my house.” The Christian man answered and said to him: “Go to [six lines missing most likely directing the Greek to the martyr shrine of saint Kollouthos] [For he has] healed [her] from her illness. Kyprianos, however, when he heard these things, was very embarrassed in the midst of his Greek friends because of the name of saint Kollouthos. He was distressed in his spirit and said: “By Apollo, the great God, I will destroy that shrine.”’

British Library Or. 3581 B(38)v col. I,6–II,25:

[ ϩ]ⲙ ⲡϯ[ⲙⲉ ·] ⲛⲧⲉⲣⲟⲩ[ⲥ]ⲱⲟⲩϩ ⲇⲉ ⲁϥϫⲓ ⲏⲡⲉ ⲙⲙⲟⲟⲩ · ⲁϥϩⲉ ⲉⲣⲟⲟⲩ ⲉⲩⲉⲓⲣⲉ ⲛⲥⲁϣϥ ⲛϣⲉ ⲙⲯⲩⲭⲏ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁϥⲧⲣⲉⲡⲟⲩⲁ ⲡⲟⲩⲁ
ⲁⲙⲁϩⲧⲉ ⲛⲟⲩⲛⲕⲁ ⲛϭⲱϫⲉ ⲉϥϫⲱ ⲙⲙⲟⲥ ϫⲉ ⲁⲗⲏⲑⲱⲥ ϯⲛⲁϣⲟⲣϣⲣ ⲙⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲉⲧⲙⲙⲁⲩ ⲧⲁⲧⲟⲧϥ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲙⲛ ⲡⲕⲁϩ ϩⲁⲡⲗⲱⲥ ⲁⲩϯ
ⲡⲉⲩⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓ ⲁⲩ[ ⲧⲛ]ⲏⲥⲉ [ⲉⲧϩⲁ]ϩⲧⲙ ⲡϣⲏⲓ [ⲁⲩ]ⲱ ϩⲛ ⲧⲉⲩⲛ[ⲟ]ⲩ ⲉⲧⲙⲙⲁⲩ ⲉⲓⲥ ⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲕⲟⲗⲗⲟⲩⲑⲟⲥ ⲁϥⲉⲓ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲙ ⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ
ⲉⲣⲉ ⲟⲩⲟⲛ ⲛⲓⲙ ⲑⲉⲱⲣⲉⲓ ⲙⲙⲟϥ ⲛϩⲟ ϩⲓ ϩⲟ · ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁϥⲛⲓϥⲉ ⲉϩⲟⲩ(ⲛ) ϩⲙ ⲡⲉⲩϩⲟ ⲁⲩⲣⲃⲗⲗⲉ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ϫⲓⲛ ⲡⲉⲩⲛⲟϭ ϣⲁ ⲡⲉⲩⲕⲟⲩⲓ · ⲁⲩⲱ
ⲁⲩⲣϣⲟⲙⲛⲧ ⲛϩⲟⲟⲩ ⲙⲛ ϣⲟⲙⲧⲉ ⲛⲟⲩϣⲏ ⲉⲩⲛⲏϫ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲁϩ[ⲧⲛ] ⲧⲛⲏⲥⲉ [ⲙⲡⲧⲟ]ⲡⲟⲥ ⲉⲩⲟ ⲛ[ⲃⲗⲗⲉ]

‘ […] in the village. When they had gathered, he counted them and found that they were seven hundred souls. He let each one grab a cutting tool saying: “Truly, I will destroy that shrine and I will level it with the ground.”
At once they made their way […] the step [which is] by the cistern. And at that moment, behold saint Kollouthos came forth from the shrine, while everyone was seeing him face to face. He blew into their face and they all went blind from the oldest to the youngest. They spent three days and three nights lying about by the step of the shrine being [blind].’

(Text and trans. G. Schenke)

History

Evidence ID

E00668

Saint Name

Kollouthos, physician and martyr of Antinoopolis (Middle Egypt), ob. early 4th cent. : S00641

Saint Name in Source

ⲕⲟⲗⲗⲟⲩⲑⲟⲥ

Type of Evidence

Literary - Hagiographical - Collections of miracles Late antique original manuscripts - Parchment codex

Language

  • Coptic

Evidence not before

500

Evidence not after

900

Activity not before

500

Activity not after

900

Place of Evidence - Region

Egypt and Cyrenaica

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Panopolis

Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)

Panopolis Hermopolis ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ Ashmunein Hermopolis

Cult activities - Places

Martyr shrine (martyrion, bet sāhedwātā, etc.)

Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs

Composing and translating saint-related texts

Cult Activities - Miracles

Miracle after death Punishing miracle Miracles causing conversion Healing diseases and disabilities

Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Women Pagans

Source

Fragment of a parchment leave said to come from Achmim/Panopolis, British Library Or. 3581 B(38), palaeographically datable to the 9th century.

Discussion

The fact that the story takes place in a village and not in a city, suggests that this miracle story is associated with the saint’s shrine at Pneueit (see E00667) rather than at Antinoopolis (see $00666). In addition the cistern mentioned by the step of the shrine suggests that this is the cistern mentioned to contain the martyr’s blood at the shrine in Pneueit. If so, this miracle could be part of the encomion on Kollouthos, by Phoibamon, bishop of Panopolis, which would give a date of composition in the 6th century.

Bibliography

Text, Translation and Commentary: G. Schenke, Das koptisch hagiographische Dossier des Heiligen Kolluthos – Arzt, Märtyrer und Wunderheiler, eingeleitet, neu ediert, übersetzt und kommentiert, CSCO 650 Subsidia 132, Louvain: Peeters 2013, 193–211.

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    Evidence -  The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

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