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.
Creators: name: Gschenke
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2015
Subjects: History

description: 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.<br><br>British Library Or. 3581 B(38)r col. I,7–II,26:<br><br>ⲕⲁⲧⲁ ⲟⲩⲟⲓⲕⲟⲛⲟⲙⲓⲁ ⲇⲉ ⲛⲧⲉ ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ⲉⲓⲥ ⲟⲩⲣⲱⲙⲉ ⲛⲭⲣⲓⲥⲧⲓⲁⲛⲟⲥ ⲁϥⲉⲓ ⲉϥⲡⲁⲣⲁⲅⲉ · ⲁϥⲥⲱⲧⲙ ⲉⲕⲩⲡⲣⲓⲁⲛⲟⲥ ⲡϩⲗⲗⲏⲛ ⲉϥϣⲁϫⲉ ⲙⲛ <br>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 <br>[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 <br>ⲧⲙⲏⲧⲉ ⲛⲛⲉϥϣⲃⲏⲣ ϩⲗⲗⲏⲛ · ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲡⲣⲁⲛ ⲙⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲕⲟⲗⲗⲟⲩⲑⲟⲥ · ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁϥϩⲟϫϩϫ ϩⲙ ⲡⲉϥⲡⲛⲁ · ⲁⲩⲱ ⲡⲉϫⲁϥ ϫⲉ ϣⲉ ⲡⲁⲡⲟⲗⲗⲱⲛ <br>ⲡⲛⲟϭ ⲛⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ ϯⲛⲁϣⲟⲣϣⲣ ⲙⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲉⲧⲙⲙⲁⲩ<br> <br>‘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.”’<br><br>British Library Or. 3581 B(38)v col. I,6–II,25:<br><br>[ ϩ]ⲙ ⲡϯ[ⲙⲉ ·] ⲛⲧⲉⲣⲟⲩ[ⲥ]ⲱⲟⲩϩ ⲇⲉ ⲁϥϫⲓ ⲏⲡⲉ ⲙⲙⲟⲟⲩ · ⲁϥϩⲉ ⲉⲣⲟⲟⲩ ⲉⲩⲉⲓⲣⲉ ⲛⲥⲁϣϥ ⲛϣⲉ ⲙⲯⲩⲭⲏ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁϥⲧⲣⲉⲡⲟⲩⲁ ⲡⲟⲩⲁ <br>ⲁⲙⲁϩⲧⲉ ⲛⲟⲩⲛⲕⲁ ⲛϭⲱϫⲉ ⲉϥϫⲱ ⲙⲙⲟⲥ ϫⲉ ⲁⲗⲏⲑⲱⲥ ϯⲛⲁϣⲟⲣϣⲣ ⲙⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲉⲧⲙⲙⲁⲩ ⲧⲁⲧⲟⲧϥ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲙⲛ ⲡⲕⲁϩ ϩⲁⲡⲗⲱⲥ ⲁⲩϯ<br> ⲡⲉⲩⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓ ⲁⲩ[ ⲧⲛ]ⲏⲥⲉ [ⲉⲧϩⲁ]ϩⲧⲙ ⲡϣⲏⲓ [ⲁⲩ]ⲱ ϩⲛ ⲧⲉⲩⲛ[ⲟ]ⲩ ⲉⲧⲙⲙⲁⲩ ⲉⲓⲥ ⲡϩⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲕⲟⲗⲗⲟⲩⲑⲟⲥ ⲁϥⲉⲓ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲙ ⲡⲧⲟⲡⲟⲥ <br>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 <br>ⲁⲩⲣϣⲟⲙⲛⲧ ⲛϩⲟⲟⲩ ⲙⲛ ϣⲟⲙⲧⲉ ⲛⲟⲩϣⲏ ⲉⲩⲛⲏϫ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲁϩ[ⲧⲛ] ⲧⲛⲏⲥⲉ [ⲙⲡⲧⲟ]ⲡⲟⲥ ⲉⲩⲟ ⲛ[ⲃⲗⲗⲉ]<br><br>‘ […] 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.” <br>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].’<br><br>(Text and trans. G. Schenke)