E02285: Greek amulet from Oxyrhynchos (Middle Egypt), invoking the help of *Mary (Μother of Christ, S00033), *John (the Εvangelist, S00042), *Serenos/Sirenos (probably a martyr of Oxyrhynchos, S00134), *Philoxenos (saint with cult at Oxyrhynchos, S00443), *Viktor (presumably the Egyptian martyr, son of Romanos, S00749), *Ioustos/Justus (presumably the soldier and martyr of Antinoopolis, S01172), and all saints (S01151), datable to the 5th century.

P.Oxy. 8 1151

This text was created for a woman named Ioannia to ward off fever and all other illnesses and evils. It cites the beginning of the Gospel of John and alludes to other New Testament passages, before invoking the power of a selection of saints.

Lines 38–52 read as follows:

εὐχς
κ̣α̣ὶ πρεσβίαις τῆς
40
δεσποίνης ἡμῶν τῆς
θεοτόκου καὶ τῶν
ἐνδόξων ἀρχαγγέ-
λων κ(αὶ) τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ ἐν-
δόξου ἀποστόλου κ(αὶ)
45
εὐαγγελιστοῦ κ(αὶ) θεο-
λόγου Ἰωάννου κ(αὶ) τοῦ
ἁγίου Σερήνου κ(αὶ) τοῦ
ἁγίου Φιλοξένου κ(αὶ) τοῦ
ἁγίου βήκτωρος κ(αὶ) τοῦ
50
ἁγίου Ἰούστου κ(αὶ) πάντων
[τῶ]ν ἁγίων.

'Pray through the intercession of our lady the mother of God (Theotokos) and the glorious archangels and Saint John, the glorious apostle and evangelist and divine, and saint Serenos and saint Philoxenos and saint Viktor and saint Justos and all the saints.'


(Text and trans: A. S. Hunt)

A complete record of the text can be found at:

http://papyri.info/ddbdp/p.oxy;8;1151