E02277: Greek amulet from Oxyrhynchos (Middle Egypt) mentions *Phokas (martyr of Antioch, S00413) as protecting a house against reptiles; datable to the 6th century.

P.Oxy. 7 1060:

This amulet is written to protect a house from reptiles and other evils, with the typical features of magical texts, before a new sentence introduces the saint and his feast day. The text following line 10 is lost.

Lines 9–10 read as follows:

ὁ ἅγιος Φωκᾶς ὧδέ ἐστιν
Φ[α]μενὼθ ιγ ἰνδ(ικτίωνος) τρίτης

'Saint Phokas is here, Phamenoth 13 of the third indiction, …'

The full text of the amulet, complete with the visual effect formula showing letters gradually disappearing as the evils should, as well as invoking various names, reads as follows:

+ Τὴν θύραν τὴν Ἀφροδίτην
φροδιτην ροδιτην οδιτην
διτην ιτην την {τ}ην {η}ν ωρωρ
φωρφωρ Ἰαὼ σαβαὼθ ἀδονὲ
δενοσε σκορπίε αρτερησιε,
ἀπάλλαξον τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον
ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ ἑρπετοῦ
<καὶ> πράγματος ταχὺ ταχύ.
ὁ ἅγιος Φωκᾶς ὧδέ ἐστιν
Φ[α]μενὼθ ιγ ἰνδ(ικτίωνος) τρίτης
τ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


'The door, Aphrodite, phrodite, rodite, odite, dite, ite, te, e, -, Hor, Hor Phor Phor, Iaoh Sabaoth Adonai, I bind you, artemisian scorpion. Free this house of every evil reptile annoyance, at once, at once! Saint Phokas is here, Phamenoth 13 of the third indiction. …'

(Text: A.S. Hunt, trans.: M. Meyer, slightly modified)