Home › Spine › TM 32693
One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 32693

Letter of recommendation from Agathos to Herakleios for Theodora TM 32693Oxyrhynchitesfrühes 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 short letter of recommendation in which Agathos asks Herakleios to help Theodora, the wife of a fellow 'brother', with whatever she requests. He also sends greetings to Herakleios' sons and their mother. It dates to the early 4th century AD and comes from the Oxyrhynchite nome.

In English machine translation

[recto] To my lord brother Herakleios, Agathos, greetings. Please, my lord brother, help our sister Theodora in whatever she may ask of you. For you yourself know too, lord brother, that she is the wife of our brother. So help her in whatever she may ask of you, for I know your zeal. Rather, let her have the benefits of your good disposition. I greet for my part my lords your sons and their lady mother. I pray for your health for many years, my lord brother. [verso] To my lord brother Herakleios, Agathos.

'Brother' and 'sister' here may mean fellow Christians rather than blood relatives, as is common in letters of recommendation of this period.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Letter from Agathus). 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.oxy.31.2602

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · frühes IV · Oxyrhynchites

[r] κυρίῳ μου ἀδελφῷ Ἡρακλείῳ Ἄγαθος χαίρειν. ἀξιωθείς, κύριέ μου ἄδελφε, συνβαλέσθαι τῇ ἀδελφῇ ἡμῶν Θεοδώρᾳ εἴ τι ἐάν σοι ἀξίωσε. οἶδας γὰρ καὶ σὺ αὐτός, κύριε ἄδελφε, ὅτι γυνή τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν ἐστιν. συνβαλοῦ οὖν αὐτῇ εἴ τι ἐάν σοι ἀξίωσε. οἶδα γάρ σου τὸ σπουδαῖον. μᾶλλον ὑπαρ…