DOI Artikel:
Crum, Walter E.: Progress of Egyptology: christian Egypt
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12583#0087
Christian Egypt.
71
identity of the story is proved by the other proper names (Pambo, Paul,*
Isaac) and the main features (the author's name, P. a disciple of Pambo,
his conversion of a heretic,-f miraculous comprehension of Syrian visitor's
speech,% monk perverted by a Jewess,§ Christ's visit and disobedient
disciple, P.'s corpse immovable till Paul's accompanies it). "Whether the
absence of most place-names in the Greek text indicates the original or a
version could only be decided by minuter examination ; certain features
(Pisidia for Ansina-Antinoe) point to the latter. How the name Paisios
(=" Belonging to Isis") came to represent Pshoi (="The Tall") remains
to be explained. As regards the second of M. Pomialovski's texts, the
Miracles were hitherto accessible only in a Latin version in Surius
(November 10th) and there incompletely. The Greek text|| is in many
ways instructive and has several noteworthy geographical details.
We spoke last year of M. Clugnet's publication of the Greek text
of the Acts of Daniel, hegumenus of Scete. That publication is now
completed,39 and has been enriched by the full text of the Bohairic
fragment (excerpted by Zoega), with Italian translation by Prof. Guidi,
who adds some notes on the Ethiopic of M. Pereira, and also by a
Syriac version from a Paris MS. by Prof. Nau. M. Clugnet himself
furnishes an excellent general introduction, dealing with the date &c.
of the work. The publication is probably unique among hagiographical
literature in the fulness with which, not merely the original text, but also
the various versions have been dealt with. It is an invaluable source for
the history of Egyptian Christianity in the generation preceding the Arab
conquest, and we are happy to see that M. Clugnet is continuing the
series by a similar study of the history of S. Marina (v. Patrol. Gr. cxv.
347), the Syriac version, by Prof. Nau, having already appeared.80
It is some thirty years since M. Eevillout made a summary general
statement (Acad, des Inscr., Comptes Rend. 1870. 322) as to the remarkable
series of papyrus documents relating to Pesynthius (Pisente), bishop of
Ivoptos, and then recently (?) acquired by the Louvre. Since that time he has
published but one of the texts {Aeg. Zeitschr., 1879. 36); but now at length
he has given us a number of them, forty-six in all, and will, it is much to be
hoped, by degrees complete the series.31 The texts are, so far as published,
* Paul of Tamilian, according to the Arabic version and to Synax., 7th Babeh, 8th
A bib.
+ The Syr. (as Mr. Brooks kindly informs me) lias Arka, i.e. presumably Hierakas.
t This was Ephraem Syrus (v. Bill. Orient, i. 40).
§ Cf. Sachau's Verzeichn. d. Syr. Hss. ii. 665.
|| ? From the Coptic (of which the Brit. Mus. possesses a fragment); cf. forms like
Uavr)(j>aLar.
71
identity of the story is proved by the other proper names (Pambo, Paul,*
Isaac) and the main features (the author's name, P. a disciple of Pambo,
his conversion of a heretic,-f miraculous comprehension of Syrian visitor's
speech,% monk perverted by a Jewess,§ Christ's visit and disobedient
disciple, P.'s corpse immovable till Paul's accompanies it). "Whether the
absence of most place-names in the Greek text indicates the original or a
version could only be decided by minuter examination ; certain features
(Pisidia for Ansina-Antinoe) point to the latter. How the name Paisios
(=" Belonging to Isis") came to represent Pshoi (="The Tall") remains
to be explained. As regards the second of M. Pomialovski's texts, the
Miracles were hitherto accessible only in a Latin version in Surius
(November 10th) and there incompletely. The Greek text|| is in many
ways instructive and has several noteworthy geographical details.
We spoke last year of M. Clugnet's publication of the Greek text
of the Acts of Daniel, hegumenus of Scete. That publication is now
completed,39 and has been enriched by the full text of the Bohairic
fragment (excerpted by Zoega), with Italian translation by Prof. Guidi,
who adds some notes on the Ethiopic of M. Pereira, and also by a
Syriac version from a Paris MS. by Prof. Nau. M. Clugnet himself
furnishes an excellent general introduction, dealing with the date &c.
of the work. The publication is probably unique among hagiographical
literature in the fulness with which, not merely the original text, but also
the various versions have been dealt with. It is an invaluable source for
the history of Egyptian Christianity in the generation preceding the Arab
conquest, and we are happy to see that M. Clugnet is continuing the
series by a similar study of the history of S. Marina (v. Patrol. Gr. cxv.
347), the Syriac version, by Prof. Nau, having already appeared.80
It is some thirty years since M. Eevillout made a summary general
statement (Acad, des Inscr., Comptes Rend. 1870. 322) as to the remarkable
series of papyrus documents relating to Pesynthius (Pisente), bishop of
Ivoptos, and then recently (?) acquired by the Louvre. Since that time he has
published but one of the texts {Aeg. Zeitschr., 1879. 36); but now at length
he has given us a number of them, forty-six in all, and will, it is much to be
hoped, by degrees complete the series.31 The texts are, so far as published,
* Paul of Tamilian, according to the Arabic version and to Synax., 7th Babeh, 8th
A bib.
+ The Syr. (as Mr. Brooks kindly informs me) lias Arka, i.e. presumably Hierakas.
t This was Ephraem Syrus (v. Bill. Orient, i. 40).
§ Cf. Sachau's Verzeichn. d. Syr. Hss. ii. 665.
|| ? From the Coptic (of which the Brit. Mus. possesses a fragment); cf. forms like
Uavr)(j>aLar.