Monastic Communities in Context: Monasteries, Economy, and Society in Late Antique Egypt (Journal of Juristic Papyrology Supplements, 41) 9789042948402, 9789042948419, 904294840X

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MONASTERIES, ECONOMY, AND SOCIETY IN LATE ANTIQUE EGYPT JOANNA WEGNER

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MONASTIC COMMUNITIES IN CONTEXT

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T H E J O U R N A L Supplement XLI

MONASTIC COMMUNITIES IN CONTEXT MONASTERIES, ECONOMY, AND SOCIETY IN LATE ANTIQUE EGYPT

UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW FACULTY OF LAW AND ADMINISTRATION CHAIR OF ROMAN AND ANTIQUE LAW UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW FACULTY OF ARCHAEOLOGY CHAIR OF EPIGRAPHY AND PAPYROLOGY THE RAPHAEL TAUBENSCHLAG FOUNDATION

THE JOURNAL OF JURISTIC PAPYROLOGY Supplements SERIES EDITORS

TOMASZ DERDA ADAM ŁAJTAR JAKUB URBANIK VOLUME XLI

MONASTERIES, ECONOMY, AND SOCIETY IN LATE ANTIQUE EGYPT JOANNA WEGNER

T H E J O U R N A L Supplement XLI

O F

J

U R I S T I C

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A P Y R O L O G Y

MONASTIC COMMUNITIES IN CONTEXT

PEETERS

LEUVEN – PARIS – BRISTOL, CT 2021

Supplements to The Journal of Juristic Papyrology are jointly published by the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw, the Faculty of Archaeology of the University of Warsaw, and the Raphael Taubenschlag Foundation, .UDNRZVNLH3U]HGPLHɠFLHĥ:DUV]DZD WHOĪīDQGĪī HĥPDLOVWGHUGD#XZHGXSONXED#DGPXZHGXSO DODMWDU#XZHGXSOJRFKDOD#XZHGXSO ZHEĥSDJHVKWWSZZZWDXEHQVFKODJIRXQGDWLRQSO KWWSVZZZSHHWHUVĥOHXYHQEH &RYHUGHVLJQE\0DU\QD:LɠQLHZVND 6FLHQWL¿FHGLWLQJE\7RPDV]'HUGD 0DSGUDZQE\6]\PRQ0DɠODN (GLWLQJDQGSURRIUHDGLQJE\7RPDV]3ɗyFLHQQLN Computer design and ǏǟǛ by Piotr Berezowski

The present book was published thanks to a grant from the National Science Centre of the Republic of Poland (grant agreement ǘnjǐǞǟǝǚnjǓǞī

Cover photo: Portrait of a donor from the Red Monastery Church in Sohag; photo: A. Vescovo. Reproduced by permission of the American Research Center LQ(J\SW,QFĪ$5&(ī7KLVSURMHFWZDVIXQGHGE\WKH8QLWHG6WDWHV$JHQF\ IRU,QWHUQDWLRQDO'HYHORSPHQWĪ86$,'ī Back cover: Letter to Apa Epiphanios from Shenoute the lashane (P. Mon. Epiph. 00$ī7KHEHVWKFHQWXU\7KH0HWURSROLWDQ0XVHXPRI$UW1HZ zm]jŵu[lāĪ"ī]lƆ ß~rͱĪµIURPPHĬ«ĭSURYLGHIRULWWZHOYHVROLGL Ĭ«ĭWRWKHSRRUĬ"ĭDQGP\Foenobium¶ī 139 'ǐǗ &ǚǝǞǚ µ/H VFULWWXUH¶ ĪFLW Q ī S  IRU WKH GRFXPHQW VHH *njǞǎǚǠ µ/HV 3DFK{PLHQV¶ĪFLWQī 140 3&DLU0DVSYĦ*njǞǎǚǠµ/HV3DFK{PLHQV¶ĪFLWQīS 141 3&DLU0DVSDQGIRUGDWLQJVHH)5ǐǔǟǐǝ, ‘Datierungen nach dem PostNRQVXODWGHV%DVLOLXVLQ3DS\UXVGRNXPHQWHQ¶=HLWVFKULɸIU3DS\URORJLHXQG(SLJUDSKLN

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CHAPTER TWO: DIOSKOROS OF APHRODITO AND MONASTERIES

The connection between the family of Dioskoros and the monastery RI 6PLQH FDQ EH WUDFHG EDFN WR ODQG WUDQVDFWLRQV LQ $SKURGLWR LQ WKH V ĪVHH DERYH SS Ħī142 6PLQH PRUHRYHU LV QRW WKH RQO\ 3DFKRmian institution featured in the archive. Dioskoros drew up an acknowlHGJHPHQWGDWHGWR143RIWKHUHFHLSWRINQLGLD of wine purchased by the bishop of Pentapolis Theodore, from the ‘holy Tabennesiote (i.e. 3DFKRPLDQIURP7DEHQQHVHZKHUH3DFKRPLXVHVWDEOLVKHGKLV¿UVWPRQDVWHU\īPRQDVWHU\RI3RXLQNRUHXV¶LQWKH+HUPRSROLWHQRPH1445XɷQLKDV suggested that Dioskoros’ involvement in a transaction to which he was not a party could have had a practical reason: the notary could manage the PRQDVWHU\¶VYLQH\DUGVRUOHQGWKHZLQHWRHQDEOHWKHPRQNVWRIXO¿OWKHLU obligations toward the bishop.145 7KH3DFKRPLDQFRQQHFWLRQRIWKHIDPLO\RI'LRVNRURVLV¿UVWDWWHVWHG DVDVWUDLJKWIRUZDUGEXVLQHVVOLQN'LRVNRURVPDLQWDLQHGLWDQGH[WHQGHG the relationship to new areas of activity in accord with his professional training. The content of the supplication written in Antinoopolis on behalf of the monastery suggests that his activity had an added depth to it. The main villain of the story in this text is the nemesis of Dioskoros and his circle—the pagarch Menas. Menas’ targeting of the monastery was part of his larger campaign against the village,146 but whether it was delibHUDWHO\XQGHUWDNHQZLWKWKHLQWHQWLRQRIXQGHUPLQLQJQRWRQO\6PLQHEXW DOVRLWVSDUWQHUVLQ$SKURGLWRLVRSHQWRGLVFXVVLRQ:HFDQQRWH[FOXGH however, that Dioskoros’ endgame in assisting the monastery as petition ZULWHUZDVWRGUDZWKHDWWHQWLRQRIDQH[WHUQDOSRZHUWRDORFDOFRQÀLFW ĪīSSĦDWSQDQG7KH3DQRSROLWHFRQQHFWLRQLVFHUWDLQLQ3&DLU 0DVSDOHDVHRIDQRUFKDUGLQWKHYLOODJHRI6PLQHRI3&DLU0DVSRQO\ WKH KHDGLQJ VXUYLYHV 6LPLODULWLHV EHWZHHQ WKH WZR WH[WV VXJJHVW WKDW RQH FRQWUDFW ZDV a renewal of the other (H. &ǚǘǑǚǝǟµ3UROHJRPHQDWRDVWXG\RIODWH%\]DQWLQHODQGOHDVHV¶ $HJ\SWXVĬĭSSĦDWSFRQWUD 0njǞǛǐǝǚ in the HGLWLRSULQFHSVī 142 *njǞǎǚǠµ/HV3DFK{PLHQV¶ĪFLWQīSSĦ 143 Date proposed in )ǚǠǝǙǐǟµ/LVWH¶ĪFLWQīS 144 3&DLU0DVSĦĪī 145 5ǠǑǑǔǙǔ, LifeĪFLWQīS 146 The raid of the people of the pagarch on the village in which the house of the monastic GLRLNHWHV was destroyed could be part of the various outrages committed by Menas’ henchmen mentioned in 3&DLU0DVS

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