One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 34796
Christian letter of encouragement to Apphous TM 34796Oxyrhynchites (?)spätes IV - frühes V
The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 4 records across 2 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →
Fragment of a Christian letter in Greek, with a Latin farewell and address, in which the writer encourages his 'true child' Apphous to trust in God, quoting the biblical phrase about the angel who rescued him from all evils. It dates to the late 4th or early 5th century AD and probably comes from the Oxyrhynchite nome.
In English machine translation
[recto]
[...]
[...] [...]
[...] with these words the angel of my God spoke, he who rescued me from all my evils. Therefore, my true child Apphous, take courage in the Lord God, who rescued you then from infancy and now again. May the almighty God protect [you.]
Farewell in God.
[verso]
Deliver to the servant of God, in [good time (?), to Apphous].
The phrase about the angel who rescued the writer from all evils echoes Genesis 48:16 (Jacob's blessing). The closing greeting and the address on the back are in Latin, and the addressee's name in the address is restored.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Christlicher Brief). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.
chla.47.1455
p.koeln.4.200
[r] [… ? lines lost …] α[…]ατερα[…] α[…]ω… ταύταις ταῖς φωναῖς ἐχρήσατο ὁ ἄγγελος τοῦ θεοῦ μου ὁ ῥυσάμενός με ἐκ πάντων τῶν κακῶν μου. διό, γνήσιε τέκνον μου Ἀπφοῦς, θάρσει κυρίῳ θεῷ τῷ ῥύσαντί σε τότε ἀπὸ βρέφους καὶ νῦν πάλιν. ὁ παντοδύναμος θεὸς φυλάξαι σε. vale apud deum [v] …