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4CARE-ARTEFACTS

ARTEFACT IDENTIFIERS

Artefact ID1582
TM IDTM 30693
Findspot (DEChriM ID)-   ()
ClassTextual
MaterialPapyrus
Writing mediumSheet/roll
Text contentDocumentary
LanguageGreek
Description

P. Got. 11: Letter 
The first two lines of this letter (9 x 9 cm), presumably the greeting, are illegible; 9 lines of text follow. The repeated use of ἐν κ(υρί)ῳ (lines 2, 4, 9) and the invocation of ἀγαπή (line 7) confirms that the writer (and the recipient) is a Christian, and from Schubart 1930 onward scholars have agreed that the topic of the letter is that of a Christian persecution, possibly the Diocletianic Persecution. Some women are to be ἀγομεναις in front of an ἐπίτροπος (line 6); both of these terms are known from the context of martyrs. The recipient is therefore asked for his help with this matter. It is also considered likely that the letter contained no names, should the document fall into wrong hands. Nomen sacrum: κω

Selection criteriaChristian terms/formulas/concepts, Nomina sacra
Date from250
Date to325
Dating criteria

Content; thought to refer to the Diocletianic Persecution.

Absolute/relative dateRelative date
Archaeological context

Unknown provenance; the collection website notes that one part of the Göteborg collection is stated to have been bought by Wilhelm Schubart from a German collector in the 1920s, the other part directly in Egypt in 1925.

Accession number

Göteborg, Universitetsbibliotek 105

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Editio princeps
• Frisk, Hjalmar. 1929. Papyrus grecs de la Bibliothèque Municipale de Gothembourg. (P. Got.) Göteborg: Elanders Boktryckeri Aktiebolag. 23, No. 11.

Additional bibliography
• Bilabel, Friedrich. 1933. Berichtigungsliste der griechischen Papyrusurkunden aus Ägypten II.2. Heidelberg. 69.
• Boswinkel, Ernst, Pieter W. Pestman, and Hans-Albert Rupprecht. 1976. Berichtigungsliste der griechischen Papyrusurkunden aus Ägypten VI. Leiden: Brill. 44.
• Ghedini, Giuseppe. 1933. “Due presunti documenti della persecuzione di Diocleziano." La Scuola Cattolica. Rivista di Scienze Religiose (ScCatt) 61, Fasc. 4: 382-385.
• Naldini, Mario. 1968. Il Cristianesimo in Egitto. Lettere private nei papiri dei secoli II-IV. Firenze: Le Monnier. 139-140, No. 23.
• Schmidt, Carl. 1930. “Ein neues Originaldokument aus der Diokletianischen Christenverfolgung.” Theologische Literaturzeitung (ThLZ) 55: 227-229.

Authors
Victoria G. D. Landau, 2023
Suggested citation
Victoria G. D. Landau, 2023, "Artefact ID 1582", 4CARE database - Fourth-Century Christian Archaeological Record of Egypt, https://4care-skos.mf.no/artefacts/1582
External links
Gallery