4care-artefacts – 4care

4CARE-ARTEFACTS

ARTEFACT IDENTIFIERS

Artefact ID	1666
TM ID	TM 35623
Findspot (DEChriM ID)	28 (al-Bahnasā)
Class	Textual
Material	Papyrus
Writing medium	Sheet/roll
Text content	Documentary
Language	Greek, Latin
Archive/Dossier	Dossier
Description	P.Oxy. XVIII 2193, P.Oxy. 18 2193: Letter from Theon to Pascentius with Biblical quotations This bilingual letter (9.4 x 26.5 cm) in 25 lines contains quotations from the Old Testament. The author Theon was most probably a priest, writing to a servus Pascentius with a request to help a third party, an old woman. The quotations used are reminiscent of Wisdom 2:23–24 (l. 1–3; this has been disputed by Blumell/Wayment 2018, seeing it as more general statement), Iob 36:19 (l. 11–12) and Ecclesiasticus 32:17 (l. 12–15). In terms of structure, the letter begins with a quotation in Latin, continuing with a greeting followed by another Biblical quotation on charity, then coming to the central topic of the letter. The address on the verso is written in Latin.
Selection criteria	Literary genre (Biblical), Christian terms/formulas/concepts
Date from	375
Date to	425
Dating criteria	Palaeography; the ed.pr. dated it to the 5th/6th c. Blumell 2008 jointly considers the three letters by Theon (P. Oxy. 18 2193 and 2194, P. Köln 4 200) to be late 4th/early 5th c.
Absolute/relative date	Relative date
Archaeological context	Found in al-Bahnasā (Oxyrhynchos) during the excavations of Bernard Grenfell and Arthur S. Hunt between 1896 and 1907. Both P. Oxy. 18 2193 and 2194 are Graeco-Latin letters from Theon to Pascentius.
Accession number	Oxford, Sackler Library, Papyrology Rooms P. Oxy. 2193

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Editio princeps
• Lobel, Edgar, Colin H. Roberts and E. P. Wegener. 1941. The Oxyrhynchus Papyri. Part XVIII (P. Oxy. XVIII). London: Egypt Exploration Society. 153-154, No. 2193.

Additional bibliography
• Blumell, Lincoln. 2008. “Reconsidering the Dates of Three Christian Letters: P.Oxy. XVIII 2193, 2194, P.Köln IV 200 and a Reference in the ‘Historia monachorum in Aegypto’.” Archiv für Papyrusforschung (AfP) 54(2): 219-223.
• Blumell, Lincoln H. and Thomas A. Wayment. 2015. Christian Oxyrhynchus: Texts, Documents and Sources. Waco TX: Baylor University Press. 585-589, No. 156.
• Cavenaile, Robert. 1958. Corpus Papyrorum Latinarum. Lieferung 1. (CPL). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. 376, No. 270.
• Cugusi, Paolo. 1992. Corpus Epistularum Latinarum. Papyris Tabulis Ostracis servatarum (CEL) I. Textus. Papyrologica Florentina. Volume XXIII. 260, No. 243.
• Dorandi, Tiziano and Pierre Gasnault. 1997. Chartae Latinae Antiquiores. Facsimile-Edition of the Latin Charters Prior to the Ninth Century. Part XLVII. Addenda. (ChLA 47). Dietikon-Zurich: Urs Graf. 23, No. 1410.
• Marichal, Robert. 1950. “Paléographie précaroline et Papyrologie (1). II. L'Écriture latine du Ier au VIIe siècle: les Sources." Scriptorium 4 (1950). 116-142: 128, No. 185.
• Sijpesteijn, Pieter Johannes. 1994. “Apphus and Pascentius: servi dei tempore.” Archiv für Papyrusforschung (AfP) 40: 69-70.
• van Minnen, Peter. 1993. “Notes on Texts from Graeco-Roman Egypt.” Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik (ZPE) 96. 117–122: 120.

Authors

Victoria G. D. Landau, 2023

Suggested citation

Victoria G. D. Landau, 2023, "Artefact ID 1666", 4CARE database - Fourth-Century Christian Archaeological Record of Egypt, https://4care-skos.mf.no/artefacts/1666

Json data

External links

TM 35623 DDbDP (PN) HGV Oxyrhynchus Papyri (University of Oxford – Online Resource)

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