OPES – Oslo Papyri Electronic System

Background and Physical Properties

Material:

Papyrus

Connections:

–

Size:

9 x 10.5 cm.

Lines:

Recto: 14;Verso: 1

Publication side:

Recto; address on Verso

Palaeographic description:

–

State of preservation:

The papyrus was bought with the date beneath the text cut off. L Amundsen's remark: ""Of this letter I saw the lower half, containing the valediction and date (by emperor's year, month, days) on the recto, and prob. end of address on the verso, in the hands of Ali Mahmud; the price he asked for the box of fragments in which this was placed, was too high.

Content

Date:

IInd or IIIrd century A.D.

Origin:

Unknown place, province of Egypt

Language:

Greek

Genre:

Documentary

Author:

Diogenes

Title / Type of text:

Recommendation letter

Content:

Letter from Diogenes to his brother Pythagoras, recommending Theon, a close friend.

Subjects:

Letter Recommendation

Named people:

Diogenes Pythagoras, bouleutes Theon

Named places:

–

English translation:

Diogenes to his brother Pythagoras greeting. Know that Theon, the extraordinary person who is handing you this letter, is a close friend of mine and has a brotherly relation to me. You would do well, dear brother, to receive him as you would me. Prepare a room as well as you can and let him have it, so that he can bear witness to me about your disposition. Verso:To Pythagoras, councillor.

Provenance:

Probably Oxyrhynchos, Oxyrhynchite nome, province of Egypt

Acquisition:

Purchased April 5 1928 by Leiv Amundsen from Ali Mahmud, Behnasa

Acquisition year:

–

Editions

• Eitrem S-Amundsen L, P.Oslo II, 1931, 55

Further Literature

Discussions

• Arzt-Grabner, P. (2023). Letters and Letter Writing. Brill Schöningh. Compares the phrase καλῶς οὖν ποιήσεις [...] τοῦτον ὑποδεξάμενος ὡς ἂν ἐμέ ll. 7-9 to Paul's Epistle to Philemon 17.

Schmidt KFW, Göttingische gelehrte Anzeigen 194 (1932) p. 285 (comments on the meaning of l.10f.)