Private Letter
Letter written to a certain Peteuris, acknowledging that the writer has imposed on his past generosity (philanthropia)
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 29032
Letter to Peteuris acknowledging his kindness TM 29032UnknownIInd century-IIIrd century A.D.
The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 3 records across 3 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →
A private letter to a man named Peteuris, whom the writer calls brother and lord, thanking him for his kindness and admitting to having burdened him. The writer mentions something kept under seal until Peteuris replies. It dates to the 2nd or 3rd century AD; its provenance is unknown.
In English machine translation
[recto]
Greetings, brother Peteuris.
Your excellence […] kindness […] I have, and I can never [repay] it. [My lord] brother, I know very well that I burdened you […] I held back from applying to anyone else […] because about this I reproached (?) another […] So it is enough for me to have as much as you may decline (?) […] not to be burdened by this. If then […] I am persuaded that you gladly provide […] to the one coming, what I should give, so that also concerning the things […] I may call. It lies under seals [until] I obtain your reply [about everything]. [Greet] all your people, with whom I pray that you are well […] my lord.
[verso]
To Peteuris, brother.
The right side of the letter is lost, so many lines are incomplete. "Brother" may be a polite form of address rather than a sign of actual kinship.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as A Letter Acknowledging φιλανθρωπία). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.
p.mich.18.790
[r] χαίροις ἄδελφε Πετεῦρις τὴν ἐξωχην σου […] φιλανθρωπίαν[…] ἔχω καὶ οὐ δύναμαι πώποτε τούτου ἀμείψασθαι. κύριέ μου ἄδελφε, λείαν οἶδ́α ὅτι ἐβάρησά σε[…] ὑπέμεινα μὴ ἄλλῳ ἐπιθέσθαι μη[…] ὅτι περὶ τούτου ἄλλῳ ἐπιτιμησα[…] ἀρκεῖ μοι οὖν ὅσου ἐὰν παραιτήσῃ ἔχειν[…] μὴ πρὸς τοῦτό σ…