E03944: The donatio mortis causa of Flavios Obodianos, son of Obodianos, written on papyrus in Greek (and partially in Latin) records, in case of his imminent death, the donation of all his property to the monastery (hagios oikos/domus) of *Aaron (the first High Priest, and brother of Moses, S01427) on Jabal Hārūn near Petra, and to a hostel (xeneon) of *Kyrikos (child martyr of Tarsus, S00007). The Church of Petra dedicated to *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033) is also mentioned as the church of the clerics witnessing the donation. Found in Petra (Roman province of Palaestina III). Dated 573.

Column I

The beginning of the document is almost entirely lost.

Lines 3-5 contain a damaged dating formula. The date can be plausibly restored as the eighth year of the reign of the emperor Justin II, the 468th year of the province of Arabia, 6th indiction. The formula says that the document was written in Petra.

Lines 6-9 contain a fragmentary Latin description of the donation, for example in line 6 we read: F̣̣l(auius) Ọḅ[o]ḍiạṇus Obodiạn[i donation]ẹ[m f]ẹci /'I, Flavius Obodianus, made the donation', and in line 7: pro dom(o) Aaron/'for the house of Aaron'.

Lines 8-13 contain a Greek text, beginning with a date (an indiction year), probably followed by the names of witnesses.

Column IV, lines 49-65 (the text was restored based on parallels in other columns)

49 [θεοφιλέϲτα(τοϲ) Θεόδω]ροϲ ̣Ὀ̣β[οδιανοῦ ἀρχιδιάκονοϲ τῆϲ] ̣ἁ̣γ̣ίαϲ Μαρία̣ϲ ̣τ[.....................]̣τ[............]̣λ[....]τουϲ πρ[εϲ]β(υτερ )
50 [...............] ̣προϲκλ[ηθε..............]. ̣ν[ο]υ τοῦ ̣τ..[...............Cα]̣β̣ε[ῖ]̣ννοϲ Ἀ̣λ̣φ[είου ἐγώ τε Λεόν]τιοϲ Ὀβοδι[ανοῦ]
51 [πρεϲβ(ύτεροϲ) καὶ ἡγούμε(νοϲ) τῆϲ ἐκκ]λεϲί̣α[ϲ ταύτηϲ καὶ Οὐα]̣λ̣εντῖνο[ϲ Cαμιαβίωνοϲ ἡγούμενοϲ καὶ Γ]έϲιοϲ Εὐθην[ίου..........καὶ Γέϲιοϲ]
52 [Ὀ]̣β̣ο[διανοῦ πρεϲβύτεροϲ αὐ]̣τ[ῆϲ τῆϲ εὐλογημένηϲ καὶ ἁγίαϲ] ̣δ[εϲ]̣ποί[ν]η̣ϲ ̣ἡ[μῶν τῆϲ ἐνδοξοτ(άτηϲ) Θεοτό]κ[ου] καὶ [ἀ]̣ε̣ι[πα]̣ρ[θένου Μαρίαϲ. κα]̣ὶ [παρουϲίᾳ ἡμῶν]
53 [ε]̣ἴπεν οὕτω̣ϲ· [ἦ εἰϲ τὸν δ]̣ε̣ϲπό(την) κ̣α̣ὶ φιλάν[θρω]πον θεὸν ̣ἔ[χοντ]̣α ἐξουϲίαν ζ̣ώ̣ντων τε ̣κ̣α̣ὶ [νεκρῶν ἡγ]είϲθω μοι πρότερον ̣ἐλ[πίϲ. ἐπεὶ] ̣τ[οί]νυ̣ν [ὡϲ ὁ]̣ρ[ᾶ]ται
54 ̣ἀ̣νάκειμαι ̣κ[α]̣ὶ ̣τ̣ῇ κελεύϲει τοῦ θεοῦ τ̣ῶ̣ν πάντων οὐδεὶϲ ἐναντιωθῆναι δύναται, διὸ ̣τ[ὸ ἀν]θρ̣ώ̣πιν[ον] ἐννοῶν βούλο̣μ[αι] ̣κ̣α̣ὶ ̣κ̣ελεύω παρουϲίᾳ
55 ̣ὑ̣μ[ῶ]̣ν, εἴγε ̣δ̣ι̣ὰ ταύτηϲ μου τῆϲ νόϲου τοῦ παρόντοϲ βίου ὑπεξέλθω, πάντα τὰ παρ’ ἐμοῦ καταλι̣μπαν[νό]μενα οἱαδήποτε πρά̣γ̣ματα διοικεῖϲθαι
56 [ὑ]πὸ Κηρυκοῦ Πέτρου το[ῦ ὁ]ϲιωτ(άτου) πρεϲβ(υτέρου) καὶ ἡγουμένου τοῦ ἁγίου ἀρχιιερέωϲ Ἀαρὼν καὶ Θεο̣δ[ώ]̣ρο̣υ Ὀβοδιανοῦ τοῦ προγεγραμμέ(νου) θεοφιλε̣ϲ̣τ̣άτου,
57 [ὀ]ρθοῦ καὶ φιλοχρίϲτου ϲκο̣π[οῦ τυγ]χ̣άννοντ̣α̣ϲ καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ̣τ̣ρ [έφεϲ]θαι καὶ ἐνδύεϲθαι Θααι̣ο[ῦ]̣ν τὴν ἐμ[ὴν μ]ητέρα τὸν πάντα χ[ρ]̣όνον ̣τ̣ῆϲ
58 [αὐ]̣τ̣ῆ[ϲ] ζ̣ω̣ῆ̣ϲ, μετ̣ὰ ̣δ̣ὲ θάν̣α[τον αὐτῆϲ] ̣τ̣ὰ ὑπολιμπαννόμεν̣α [ἐκ τῶν το]̣ιού̣τ[ω]ν παρ' ἐμοῦ κατ̣α[λιμπανομ]ένων οἱωνδήπ[οτε πραγ]μάτων
59 ἔρχεϲθαι τὸ ἥμιϲυ [μέροϲ εἰϲ τὸν μ]νη̣μονευθέντ̣α ̣ἅ̣γ̣ι[ ̣ ον οἶκον τοῦ δεϲπότου ἡμ]ῶν τοῦ ἁγίου ἀρ[χιιερέ]̣ω̣ϲ [Ἀα]̣ρ[ὼ]̣ν καὶ τὸ ἄλλο ἥμιϲυ ̣μ[έ]̣ρ[οϲ ε]̣ἰ[ϲ] ̣τὸν
60 [εὐαγέ(ϲτατον)] ξεν[εῶνα τοῦ ἁγίου μάρτυροϲ Κηρυ]κ[οῦ, ἐπειδὴ παρέχω .....]̣ω δι[ὰ .. ἐγγύηϲ Λ]εο[ν]τίου Ὀβοδια̣ν[οῦ τοῦ θεοφ]̣ιλ[εϲτά]του
61 [πρεϲ]β(υτέρου) ̣Κ[η]̣ρ[υκῷ Πέ]̣τ[ρου τῷ ὁϲιωτάτῳ π]ρεϲβ(υτέρῳ) ̣κ[α]̣ὶ [ἡγουμένῳ νομίϲμα]̣τ[α] ̣δ[έ]̣κ[α <π(αρὰ) κερ(άτια)> πέντε ἥμιϲυ τέταρτ]̣ο[ν] ̣κ[αὶ Οὐάλεντι Cαμιαβίωνο]ϲ
62 [ἡγουμ]ένῳ νομίϲματα [τρία π(αρὰ) κεράτια π]έντε ἥμιϲυ τέτα̣ρ̣τ[ον καὶ Βαθύλλ]ῳ Θεοδώρ[ου διακόνῳ νόμιϲμα ἓν παρὰ κεράτια πέντε ἥ]μ̣ι̣ϲ̣υ
63 [τέ]̣ταρ̣τον. (γίνονται) ̣τ̣ο[ῦ ϲύμπαντοϲ χρυϲίο]υ μου φόλλ̣ε̣ι[ϲ...........δύο] ἐ̣π̣ιτρέπω ..̣τ[.........πα]ροῦϲϲιν [............]̣υ
64 [.....]̣ε[..........................ἀπ]̣οδοῦν̣α̣ι [τοῖϲ μνημονευθεῖϲι τὸ] παρ’ ἐμο[ῦ τοιοῦτο χρυϲίον] καὶ καλει[.............]
65 [...........................................................]
ἡγο̣υ[μεν................]ν πρα̣γ[ματ..........]

'[- - - the most beloved of God Theodo]ros, son of Ob[odianos, the archdeacon] of the Holy Mary - - - presbyter - - -] summoned [- - - (a name of a person and his title in the genitive) - - -] Sabeinnos, son of Alpheios [and I,] Leontios, son of Obodianos, [the presbyter and abbot (higoumenos) of this] church [and] Valentinos, [son of Samiabion, the abbot (higoumenos), and] Gesios, son of Euthenios [- - - and Gesios son of Obodianos the presbyter of the same church (ekklesia) of our blessed and holy] Lady, [the most glorious God-bearer (Theotokos)] and ever-virgin [Mary. And in our presence] he said as follows: "[Indeed] in the first place my hope has to be led in the Lord and benevolent God who has the power over living people and [dead bodies]. However, [because] as one can see I am lying in bed, and no one among all can be set against the command of God, therefore having the human destiny in my thoughts, I will and direct in your presence that, if really I do withdraw from this present life through the illness I am suffering from, all the belongings whatsoever which I leave behind should be administrated by Kyrikos, son of Petros, the most reverend presbyter and abbot (higoumenos) of the Saint High Priest (archiiereus) Aaron, and by the aforementioned Theodoros, son of Obodianos the most beloved of God, who has proven to have been an honest and Christ-loving steward. And from those (belongings) is to be nourished and clothed Thaaious, my mother, during the whole time of her life, and that after her death what will be left of those belongings whatsoever which I leave behind, one half (of it) passes to the mentioned Holy [House (hagios oikos) of our Lord] the Saint High Priest Aaron and the other half to the [most reverend] hostel (euagestatos xeneon) [of the holy martyr Kyrikos, because I give - - - through the security of] Leontios, son of Obodianos, the presbyter, the most beloved of God, to Kyrikos, [son of Petros, the most holy] presbyter and [abbot] ten [solidi (minus) five one half and one fourth (carats each)] and [to Valens, son of Samiabion, the abbot, three] solidi minus five one half and one fourth [carats (each) and to Bathyllos], son of Theodoros, [the deacon, one solidus minus five] one half and one fourth carats (each), it makes [the total of my property in gold - - - two] folles which I entrust to (them?) [- - -] being present [- - -] (in order to?) deliver [to the aforementioned] my [property in gold] and to call [- - -]."'

Text and translation: Frösén 2016, lightly modified.