OPES – Oslo Papyri Electronic System

Background and Physical Properties

Material:

Papyrus

Connections:

–

Size:

10 x 16 cm.

Lines:

11

Publication side:

Recto

Palaeographic description:

One hand (ll. 1-10), three letters added in the upper margin (by another hand?), bookhand with some documentary letter forms and ligatures, thin pen used

State of preservation:

Holes and preserved but frayed right edge. 3 folds, damaged. 2 horizontal folds, with a 3 cm. distance. 1 vertical fold at 4.5 cm. from the right edge. No other clear folding marks. Repairs on the back on the left-hand side. Black ink, faded at places.

Content

Date:

IVth- Vth century CE (editio princeps), IVth century CE (De Bruyn and Dijkstra, 2011)

Origin:

Unknown place, Egypt

Language:

Greek

Genre:

Paraliterary

Author:

Unknown

Title / Type of text:

Amulet / Magical

Content:

An amulet, containing a binding spell, using magical words and tokens to invoke various powers, among which Christ the Lord, to protect the house with all its inhabitants. Protection is asked in particular against spirits of the air, evil eye, pain and sting of scorpion and snake. Chi, Mu, Gamma in the upper margin, Alpha, Cross, Omega (twice), staurogram, acronym ICHTHYS at the end of the text.

Subjects:

Amulet Paraliterature Scorpions Magic Binding spell Christianity

Named people:

David Virgin Mary

Named places:

–

English translation:

"Hor Hor Phor Phor, Yao Sabaoth Adonai, Eloe, Salaman, Tarchei, I bind you, artemisian scorpion, 315 times. Preserve this house with its occupants from all evil, from all be­witchment of spirits of the air and human (evil) eye and terri­ble pain [and] sting of scorpion and snake, through the name of the highest god, Naias Meli, 7 (times) (?), XUROURO AAAAAA BAINCHOOOCH MARIIIIIIL ENAG KORE. Be on guard, O lord, son of David according to the flesh, the one born of the holy virgin Mary, O holy one, highest god, from the holy spirit. Glory to you, O heavenly king, Amen." (Meyer, M. W. translation in Meyer, M. W. and Smith, R. (Eds.) 1999, p. 50)

Provenance:

Cairo or Fayûm, Egypt

Acquisition:

Purchased by Samson Eitrem

Acquisition year:

1920

Editions

• Preisendanz, K., Pap.Graec.Mag. II, 1974, (pp. 210-211, Christliches no. 3)
• Eitrem, S., P.Oslo I, 1925, p. 21 (no. 5)
• Eitrem, S., Aegyptus, 3, 1922, 66-67
• Eitrem, S. and Fridrichsen, A, Videnskapsselskapets Forhandlinger i Kristiania, 1, 1921, 1-31
• Bilabel, F., SB III 6584, 1926, 69

Further Literature

Catalogues

TM 64592 / LDAB 5822 / KYP M417

• De Bruyn, T. and Dijkstra, J. H. F. (2011). Greek Amulets and Formularies from Egypt Containing Christian Elements: A Checklist of Papyri, Parchments, Ostraka, and Tablets. The Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists, 48, pp. 163-216. (no. 18, p. 186).
• Van Haelst, J. (1976). Catalogue des Papyrus Littéraires Juifs et Chrétiens (no. 951, p. 306). Paris.

Translations

• Preisendanz, K. (Ed). (1974). Papyri Graecae Magicae: Die Griechischen Zauberpapyri, vol. II (pp. 210-211, Christliches no. 3). Leipzig-Berlin. (German)
• Meyer, M. W. and Smith, R. (Eds.). (1999). Ancient Christian Magic: Coptic Texts of Ritual Power (no. 26, p. 49-50). San Francisco. (English)

Discussions

• De Bruyn, T. (2017). Making Amulets Christian: Artifacts, Scribes, and Contexts (pp. 94-98 et passim). Oxford.
• Korsvoll, N. H. (2017). Same, Same, but Different? A Cognitive Analysis of an Early Christian Apotropaic Amulet . Journal of Cognitive Historiography. 4.1 (pp. 79-99).
• Daniel, R. W. (1977). “P. Palau Rib. Inv. 126 and P. Oslo I, 5 (= PGM 3)” (pp. 150-153). In Daniel, R. W., Some φυλακτήρια. ZPE, 25, pp. 145-154. (revised reading of lines 7-8). (cf. also Vandoni, M., Rendiconti d. Istituto Lombardo 1968, 532-534).
• Tod, M. N. (1939). The Scorpion in Graeco-Roman Egypt. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 25, pp. 55-61.
• P. Oxy. vol. 16 introduction to 2061-3, p. 274 (reading at the end of line 2). See also BL, vols. II (p. 124) and VII (p. 190).