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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 31473

Letter from Besas to his mother Maria asking for a cloak for Easter TM 31473unbekanntAnfang IV (?)

The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 2 records across 2 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →

A Christian private letter from Besas to his mother Maria, opening with a prayer to God the Father and the Paraclete Spirit for her health of body, spirit and soul. He asks her to write about her health, to send him a cloak for the Easter feast and to send his brother, and greets his father and brothers.

In English machine translation

[recto] To my most honoured mother Maria, Besas, very many greetings in God. Before all else I pray to the Father, God of truth, and to the Paraclete Spirit, that they may preserve you in soul and body and spirit: health for your body, cheerfulness for your spirit, and eternal life for your soul. And you, whenever you find someone coming to me, do not hesitate to write to me about your health, so that I may rejoice on hearing of it. Do not neglect, then, to send me the cloak for the feast of Easter (Pascha), and send my brother to me. I greet my father and my brothers. I pray for your health for many years. [verso] From Besas.

The trinitarian prayer formula and the mention of Pascha (Easter) mark the writer as Christian. The word translated 'cloak' (himation) denotes an outer garment or mantle.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Letter of Besas). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.

DDbDP-text Full record →

p.harr.1.107

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · Anfang IV (?)

[r] τιμιωτάτῃ μου μητρὶ Μαρίᾳ Βησᾶς ἐν θεῶι πλεῖστα χαίρειν. πρὸ μὲν πάντων εὔχομαι τῷ πατρὶ θεῶι τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τῷ παρακλήτῳ πνεύματι ὡς σὲ διαφυλάξωσιν κατά τε ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα καὶ πνεῦμα, τῷ μὲν σώματι ὑγιείαν, τῷ δὲ πνεύματι εὐθυμίαν, τῇ δὲ ψυχῇ ζωὴν αἰώνιον. καὶ σὺ, ὃν ἐὰν ε…