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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 31942

Letter from Isaios to Herakleios on his hasty departure TM 31942unbekanntIII - 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 letter from Isaios to his 'brother' Herakleios, regretting that Herakleios left in haste without a proper farewell or consultation, and urging him to manage his affairs without exposing himself to danger, as befits their religious profession. It dates to the 3rd or 4th century AD.

In English machine translation

[recto] Greetings, my lord brother Herakleios, in the Lord, from Isaios. The haste of your departure, brother, and especially at such a time, grieved me. For neither was I at leisure then to follow close on your heels and learn your intention, nor did you, as was fitting, come to meet us at the hour of departure, so that we might share conversation or even advice with you about your affairs. But as it happened, God be with you. Try, however, brother, to arrange your affairs without doing anything that involves danger or [...] of some [...]; for so it befits our outward profession (?) which we have put on [...] [...] write to us [...] [...] third (?) [...] The brothers greet you. Farewell, brother, in the Lord. [verso] To Herakleios from Isaios.

The word translated 'outward profession' (proschema) may refer to a monastic or ascetic status, so 'brothers' may denote fellow Christians or monks. The passage about danger is partly illegible, so its exact sense is uncertain.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Brief des Isaios). 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.gron.17

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · III - IV

[r] χαῖρε, κύριέ μου ἄδελφε Ἡράκλειε ἐν Κυρίωι παρὰ Ἰσαίου. τὸ τάχος σου τῆς ἀποδημίας σου, ἄδελφε, καὶ μάλιστα ἐν τοιούτωι, ἐλύπησέ με· οὔτε γὰρ ἐγὼ ἐσχόλαζον τότε ἵνα σοι κατὰ πόδας ἀκολουθήσω καὶ εἰδῶ σου τὴν πρόθεσιν, οὔτε σὺ ὡς προσῆκεν ἀπήντησας ἡμῖν πρὸς τὴν ὥραν τῆς ἀποδη…