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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 37872

Christian letter of condolence on the death of children TM 37872OxyrhynchosVI - VII

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 of condolence to a man of standing who has lost children and perhaps other family members, mentioning the ladies Eua and Maria. The writer consoles him with biblical language about paradise and the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and urges him not to let grief ruin his affairs. It comes from Oxyrhynchus, 6th to 7th century AD.

In English machine translation

[recto] [… 3 lines lost …] […] the one who has your […] I rejoiced to learn from them the […] the thirty-five loads in full […] and again I read of the darkness […] children, and I grieved greatly and […] hope to bring in to you, for the rest […] […] of the same, for whom shall I weep […] […] what you have suffered, likewise lady Eua, likewise Maria. And as God lives, my master, neither the righteous nor sinners have ever suffered what you have suffered. Yet it is not because of your sins. But let us glorify God, for He gave and He has taken away. But pray that the Lord may give them rest and deem you worthy to sing among them in paradise, when the souls of men are judged. For they have departed into the bosom of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. But I beg you, my lord, do not put grief into your soul and ruin your affairs, but pray that the Lord may send His blessing upon you. For the Lord has many good things, and He makes cheerful those who are disheartened, who desire blessing from Him; and we hope in God that through this grief the Lord will send you joy, and the lord your brother […] [… 3 lines lost …] [verso] […] [… 2 lines lost …]

The phrase 'He gave and He has taken away' echoes Job 1:21; the letter also mentions a business matter of thirty-five loads before turning to consolation. The 'darkness' read about is likely a figure for the deaths.

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 Condolence). 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.16.1874

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · VI - VII · Oxyrhynchos

[r] [… 3 lines lost …] κ…[…] ὁ ἔχων σου[…] ἐχάρην γνώσας ἐξ αὐτῶν τὰ πε…[…] τὰ τριάντα πέντε φορτία εἰς πλῆρες […] καὶ πάλιν ἀνέγνωσα τὸ σκότος τὸ εκ[…] παιδία καὶ πολὺ ἐλυπήθην καὶ οσε[…] ἐλπίδα σοι εἰσεμφέρειν, λοιπὰ γὰρ[…] να τῶν αὐτῶν διὰ τίνα κλαύσω δι[…] τι ἔπαθες ὁμοίως ἄμ…