Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Archaeology - Department of Egyptology

This thesis is presenting the transcription, translation, and commentary of four unpublished Coptic papyri that were preserved in the Coptic Museum papyri storage. The first papyrus, chapter one, is a monastic letter with a homily's context.This text was written by two hands, the sloppy spelling of the text which was written by hand B as a result of the nearly illiterate person who seldom had occasion to write as its obvious from his handwriting which was drawn not just written, this text provides a lot of biblical quotations that some of them are firstly found in Sahidic dialect.These all quotations were derived from the Old Testament; I compared them with the available Coptic versions of the Old Testament and with the Septuaginta.The second papyrus, chapter two, is a private letter as a response to a previous received letter, this kind of documentary texts provides us with some aspects about the daily life of Copts in this time moreover the current situation of the writer.The third papyrus, chapter three, maybe a complaint that was written to be delivered to Pesenthius (?), the Bishop of Coptus and one of the famous Coptic bishops, who lived in the seventh century. Moreover, the unique text that was written on this manuscript, I identified the name of the mysterious monastery called "the monastery of Zwile", and according to Timm this place, located in Coptus, has not yet been determined.The fourth papyrus, chapter four, is a short receipt that was written in two paragraphs with the same handwriting; the first paragraph documented the receiving of loan, whereas the second paragraph documented another financial matter.

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