A deed of surety in which Zacharias, steward of the church of the Holy Resurrection at Oxyrhynchus, guarantees to the great landowner Flavius Apion that Aurelius Pambechis, a registered orchardman on Apion's Athlitou estate, will stay on and tend the estate orchard, pay its rent and perform his customary services. If Pambechis cannot be produced when required, Zacharias will pay the orchard rents himself; dated 27 November 595 at Oxyrhynchus.
In English machine translation
[recto]
In the reign of our most divine and most pious master, greatest benefactor, Flavius Maurice New Tiberius, the eternal Augustus and Emperor, year 14, in the consulship of the same our most pious master year 13, Hathyr 30, indiction 14.
To Flavius Apion, the all-renowned and most magnificent former consul, landowner here also in the splendid city of the Oxyrhynchites, through Menas, servant, who makes the stipulation and secures for his own master, the same all-renowned man, the right of action and liability, Zacharias, steward of the church of the Holy Resurrection, son of Anastasios of admirable memory, originating from this city of the Oxyrhynchites, who signs below with his own hand, greetings. I acknowledge of my own free will and by my own choice, swearing the divine and venerable oath, that I stand surety and take responsibility before your magnificence, through those who belong to it, for Aurelius Pambechis, son of Paulos, his mother being Thekla, originating from the settlement of the Athlitou estate belonging to your magnificence in the Oxyrhynchite nome, its registered orchardman, on condition that he will remain continuously and dwell in your (?) estate orchard [...] and show all care and good cultivation in it blamelessly, tirelessly and irreproachably, and pay faithfully the rent for it each year and all the estate services customarily given by him; and if he is sought from me by your magnificence through those who belong to it, on whatever day and for whatever reason, I will produce him and hand him over in a public place, outside any place of refuge and plea, where I also received him, in the custody of your glorious house; or if I do not do this, I agree to pay from my own resources on his behalf the rents of the same estate orchard, at my own risk and that of all my property. The surety, written in a single copy, is valid, and having been asked I gave my assent. †
† I, Zacharias, son of the blessed Anastasios, the aforementioned. This surety is satisfactory to me as set out above.
[verso]
Surety of Zacharias, the … from the city of the Oxyrhynchites, taking responsibility for P[ambechis] from the settlement of the Athlitou estate [...]
An enapographos was a worker registered on the estate's books and bound to it; such sureties are typical of the Apion family archive. A few letters describing the orchard are illegible.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Deed of Surety). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.