Journal of Coptic Studies 17 (2015) 153–164

doi: 10.2143/JCS.17.0.3132125

A New Sahidic Coptic fragment:

Sortes Sanctorum or Apophthegmata
Patrum?*
B y S ofía T orall a s T o va r

A recent publication by AnneMarie Luijendijk1 brought new light upon

a leaf of a miniature codex in the collection of the Abbey of Montserrat
that had puzzled me for a long time.2 The text, while monastic in nature,
did not look exactly like anything I could identify. But the comparison
to the pages of the Sackler Museum codex studied by Luijendijk (GLM
from now on) was of great assistance in identifying this codex page. The
most helpful comparison was material. The paleographical hand, the size
of the codex, page set-up, and the use of paragraphoi and coronides are
so similar, that one is tempted to propose a close date and provenance to
both codices (first half of the sixth century CE).3
With regard to the text itself, one must proceed with some prudence.
While there are clear parallels with the tone of the Lots of Mary and the
Vatican Sortes Sanctorum,4 there is only superficial textual coincidence,
although as I will discuss in detail below, there are enough arguments to
consider these texts as in some way parallel and belonging to the same
genre. Generally speaking, among the coincidental features, one may cite

*  This article is part of the research performed at Montserrat, funded by Spanish Min-
istry of Science and Innovation (FFI2012-39567-C02-02). I am very grateful to the Bene-
dictine community of Montserrat, especially Father Pius Tragan, for allowing me to publish
this piece. I am also very grateful to AnneMarie Luijendijk, Anne Boud’hors, Alain Delattre
and David Nirenberg who were so kind as to read the first draft and provided very useful
comments and corrections.
1
  Forbidden Oracles? I refer to this wonderful work for explanations on the genre of the
“sortes”, pp. 2‑10; on miniature codices, pp. 40‑43; paleography and page setup, pp. 44‑47.
2
 On the papyrus collection at the Abbey of Montserrat, see Gil & Torallas Tovar,
Hadrianus, 17‑18, 24‑31 and Ortega Monasterio, “El instituto”. Recently see La mano del
escriba.
3
  For a wider explanation, see Luijendijk, Forbidden 44‑47. She analyses the handwriting,
strikingly similar to the one in this codex, including the use of paragraphoi. She compares
other codices, such as the Chester Beatty Acts of the Apostles and John (Thompson, The
Coptic version); or a miniature codex from Antinoe containing 4 Maccabees, edited by
Delattre, “Textes coptes”, to provide parallels to the date.
4
  More Coptic texts of this genre: Papini, “Fragments”, Van Lantschoot, “Une col-
lection”, Kocar, “Sortilege”.

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Canard and Pintaudi, when they identify PSI XVII Congr. 5 as a Christian
oracular text: “rédaction à la deuxième personne, description de l’état
d’esprit de celui qui s’interroge, attente ou promesse d’événements heu-
reux ou malheureux.”5 Other textual features may be added: the use of
imperatives and exhortatives, of the conditionals, and the use of the cita-
tions of sacred texts.
But in contrast with these parallels, the Montserrat leaf is clearly
monastic and less “secular”: for example it recommends suffering
instead of offering relief (see GLM oracles 10, 11), and it admonishes
continence rather than promising joy (GLM oracles 19, 20, 21). Apart
from the general “monastic” tone, the use of certain expressions, such as
ⲡⲁϣⲏⲣⲉ, line 7 on the recto; or the mention of a cell, ⲧⲉⲕⲣⲓ, in line
9 of the verso, are undoubtedly related to a monastic environment.
Finally, there is a certain parallelism with typically monastic texts such
as the Apophthegmata Patrum6 (or even, acrostic hymns, on which see
below). These share some textual features with the oracles: address in
the second person, warnings and promises of events in the future, the use
imperatives, exhortatives and conditionals. We might therefore want to
interpret this folio as part of a codex containing Sayings of the Desert
Fathers.7 But if these are indeed the Sayings, they are presented in a quite
unusual way, with the sayings listed baldly, without any of the context
that the Apophthegmata traditionally provide. Under this interpretation,
the final lines 16-18 on the recto would perhaps open or close a section
with sayings (ⲛⲉⲛⲧⲟⲗⲏ, see below) of Anoup.
Comparison with yet another miniature codex may be useful here, both
for reasons of codicology and paleography, and for reasons of content.
P.Cotsen-Princeton 1, published (but unfortunately not edited) by Buck-
ing8, a miniature codex (11.5 × 9.5 cm) in parchment, is some kind of
school handbook. Both in size and in hand it is very similar to the GLM
codex and the Montserrat leaf. It is preserved partly complete (90 leaves).

5
  Canart & Pintaudi, “PSI XVII Congr.5”.
6
 The Desert fathers as prophets give similar responses as the oracles: see for example
John of Lycopolis, Palladius H.L. 17. Frankfurter, “Christianity” 181.
7
 If this is the case, it is not less important, since there are few surviving Sahidic manu-
scripts of the Apophthegmata Patrum: a White Monastery codex (Chaîne, Le manuscrit,
with further fragments edited by Elanskaya, The Literary, 11‑40 and Lucchesi, “Un petit
complément”); fragments from Bala’izah (Kahle, Bala’izah 1: 416‑423) and a fragment
from the University of Pennsylvania (E 16395), recently identified by Alin Suciu (http://
alinsuciu.com).
8
 Bucking, Practice, and Bucking, “A Sahidic Coptic”.

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 A New Sahidic Coptic fragment 155

The contents are very varied: exercises of syllabification, lists of words,

an alphabet with the names of the letters, a list of nomina sacra, a list of
words difficult to pronounce, a list of the virtues of the Holy spirit, three
lists of biblical place names, ethnics and proper names, the genealogy of
Christ, a passage of the Gospel of Luke (3,23-4,1), Romans (8, 28-32)9,
Philippians (4,8), Psalm 1, 3-6, followed by a colophon. This colophon on
page 155 (fol. 78) mentions Apa Apollo and Apa Anoup, an argument
that supports the suggestion by Delattre (review) and Boud’hors (review)
that the codex comes from Bawit.10 The texts that follow have been iden-
tified by Bucking as apophthegmata, but Delattre has identified pp. 157-
166 of the codex as Basilius’ sermon De ascetica disciplina, followed
by an apophthegma (pp. 170-176), perhaps from the collectio anonyma
(see below).
With the help of the Cotsen-Princeton codex one may then revise the
provenance of the other two codices. While the text of the GLM codex did
not provide any reference to a place of production (or use),11 the Mont-
serrat folium provides the name of the Father of a congregation, Apa
Anoup of Nerte (?).12 This could help narrow the provenance, were not
Anoup a common name in Egypt. Moreover, it cannot be excluded that
this is just an invocation, unrelated to the place of provenance of the codex.
In that case our Anoup could be identified as Apa Anoup of Scetis13 or
Apa Anoup the confessor.14 As a parallel, one may bring up the invoca-
tion of a certain Apa Anoup in a magical text (Berlin 11347, verso l. 20,
Kropp II, pp. 113‑117; Meyer-Smith 63, pp. 117‑119), where a widow
performs a ritual spell for protection, with the invocation of Apa Anoup.
But the parallel found in the Cotsen- Princeton codex may be an argu-
ment to suppose that our Apa Anoup is instead the actual Father of a
congregation, and to be more precise, the Apa Anoup related to Apa

9
  For the contents, see Bucking, “A Sahidic Coptic”, and corrections and identifica-
tions by Delattre, review and Boud’hors, review.
10
  See also Delattre, Intellectual life, for the context in which this codex could have
contributed to the intellectual life of the monks of Bawit.
11
 On the provenance, see Luijendijk, Forbidden 47‑51: on the shrine of St Colluthos
and the criteria to suggest this place as a provenance for the codex.
12
 The toponym Nerte or Norte is yet to be identified. It can refer to Inerty, a variant
name for Pathyris TM/Geo ID 1628, or the village of Neret( ) TM/Geo ID 5933, perhaps
Nerebis (5932), in the Lykopolite nome.
13
 Perhaps this ⲛⲉⲣⲧⲏ (l. 17r) stands for Nitria? There is an “ⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲛⲟⲩⲡ ⲛⲥⲓⲏⲧⲣ”
in an inscription from Bawit (MIFAO 111 140). It can be a misspelling for ϣⲓⲏⲧ.
14
  I thank María Jesús Albarrán for her help. See Synaxaire Arabe Jacobite (ed. R. Basset).
PatrOr XVII, Paris 1923, pp. 1131‑1133.

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 156 Sofía Torallas Tovar

Apollo in Bawit.15 But this is indeed very difficult to decide. In any

case, the material parallelisms in the three codices might point to a shared
provenance, perhaps even a common scriptorium, somewhere close or
related to the monastery of Apa Apollo in Bawit.
We can also attempt to narrow down the place of use (which is not nec-
essarily the same, of course, as place of production). From the six places
identified as Christian oracular sites16, Luijendijk (Forbidden 47‑51)
invokes the possibility of Antinoe and the shrine of St. Colluthos as a
likely provenance for the GLM codex.17 The client or consulter of the
other Sortes texts is a wider public, clearly Christian, but not necessarily
clerical (see Luijendijk, Forbidden 69‑74): travelers away from home,
merchants, sick people, even women (see p.  72). In the case of the Mont-
serrat leaf, the client or reader was most probably a monk.18 However, if
the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, as I suggest below, acquired the oracu-
lar value that Homer or the Biblical text had, then it might as well have
been used by secular Christians.

P.Monts.Roca inv. no. 735 H 5 × W 5.8 cm 6th cent. CE

Fig. 1-2

This piece is a complete parchment folio from a miniature codex. It

features page numbers (35 and 36 resp.) in the upper external corner of
the page and yet one more number (5 or 15) on the verso, opposing the
page number in the internal margin. It is quite a mystery if this is a quire
number, since it makes no sense to have 15 quires of 3 pages. If it is read
as 5, the pretended iota being just decoration, then it could be the last
page of the fifth binion of the codex, considering that perhaps the first

15
  A monastery of Apa Anoup is mentioned in some documents and inscriptions, as
detailed by S. Clackson, P.Mon.Apoll. p.  32. Although it has not been identified topographi-
cally, it was in the area of Bawit. However, there is no known toponym in the Hermoupolite
nome similar to Nerte (see Drew-Bear, Le nome hermoopolite) nor anywhere else (Amé-
lineau, La Géographie). The Roca-Puig collection at Montserrat owns a significant number
of documents from the monastery of Apa Apollo at Bawit, so it would not be surprising
if this parchment fragment also had the same provenance. Unfortunately this cannot be
confirmed.
16
 Papaconstantinou, “Oracles chrétiens”.
17
  While Antinoe as a place of provenance is undoubtedly likely, since the site has been
plundered widely the latest years (cf. Pintaudi et al., “Latrones”), the coinciding features
of the GLM codex with Montserrat and Cotsen-Princeton point rather at Bawit. There was
indeed a very important oracular center in Antinoe, but there was probably also one in
Bawit (cf. P.Louvre Bawit 66).
18
 Recommendations about the care of the body and the purity of all actions addressed
to a monastic audience, like e.g. P.Mon.Epiph. 592, an acrostic hymn.

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 A New Sahidic Coptic fragment 157

two pages were left blank, the following two contained the title, and
the numbering started on page 4. A similar phenomenon is found in the
GLM codex. The numbering of the pages starts after the title double
page (see Luijendijk, Forbidden 43). The GLM codex and the Cotsen-
Princeton feature page and quire numbers too. Although the GLM codex
is mostly made up of quires of 8 leaves, quaternions, the codex to which
the Montserrat leaf belongs must have been composed with binions
instead. The flesh side is in good shape, while the hair side features some
damage. The surface has shrunk and features a stain due to some damage,
making the last lines quite difficult to read.

Recto (hair)
 1 ⲗⲉ 35
 2 ⲉⲡⲟⲩⲱϣ ⲉⲧⲉϩⲛⲁⲥ · to a wish that is pleasing to her,
 3 ϫⲉ ⲛⲉⲛⲉⲡⲛⲁ ⲛⲧⲉⲡⲗⲁ- lest the spirits of deceit
 4 ⲛⲏ ⲕⲁⲧⲉⲩϩⲓⲏ ϣⲁⲣⲟⲕ· lead their path towards you.
 5 ⲁⲩⲱ ⲟⲛ ϥⲥⲏϩ ϫⲉ ⲙⲡⲣ- And again it is written, Do not
 6 ⲟⲩⲁϩⲕ ⲛⲥⲁ ⲛⲉⲕⲟⲩⲱϣ follow your wishes,
 7 ⲁⲙⲁϩⲧⲉ ⲙⲙⲟⲕ ⲉⲛⲉⲧⲕ- retain yourself from what you
 8 ⲟⲩⲁϣⲟⲩ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲟⲛ ⲡⲁϣⲏⲣⲉ wish. And again, my son,
 9 􀚶ⲙⲡⲣⲕⲁ ⲛⲉⲕⲙⲁϩⲧ ⲉⲣ Do not let your bowels
10 ϫⲟⲉⲓⲥ ⲉⲣⲟⲕ · ⲧⲁⲣⲉⲕϣⲱ- master you and you will become
11 ⲡⲉ ⲛϣⲏⲣⲉ ⲙⲡⲉⲧϫⲟⲥⲉ son of the Most High
12 vac. ⲛⲅⲕⲗⲏⲣⲟⲛⲟⲙⲓ ⲛⲛⲁ- and inherit the goods
13 ⲅⲁⲑⲟⲛ ⲛⲧⲙⲛⲧⲉⲣⲟ ⲙⲡⲉ- of the kingdom of
14 ⲭⲥ ⲉⲧⲙⲏⲛⲉ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϣⲁ ⲉⲛⲉϩ Christ, the one who remains forever
15 ⲛⲉⲛⲉϩ ϩⲁⲙⲏⲛ and ever Amen.
···············----------////---------
16 ⲛⲉⲛⲧⲟⲗⲏ ⲛⲡⲉⲛⲙⲉⲣⲓⲧ ⲛ- The commandments of our beloved
17 ⲉⲓⲱⲧ ⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲛⲟⲩⲡ ⲛⲛⲉⲣⲧⲏ Father Apa Anoup of Nerte
18 ϩⲛ ⲟⲩⲉⲓⲣⲏⲛⲏ ϩⲁⲙⲏⲛ: In peace Amen
--------/------/------/--------

The text is the continuation of the one on the previous lost page. The fact
that there is a zeta-shaped paragraphos indicating the beginning of a new
unit in line 9 is a clear difference with the GLM codex, which presents
each “oracle” in a set of two pages facing each other, starting anew,
with such a sign and a new oracle on the verso of every codex leaf, so
it is unclear if it could be used as a divinatory device, as described by
Luijendijk (Forbidden 62‑65). It is also remarkable that the number of
lines diverges from one side to the other (18 vs 13), while the GLM
codex has almost invariably 10 (perhaps one or two less on the recto
sides) and the distribution of oracles is very regular.

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Commentary

3-4.  ⲡⲉⲡⲛⲁ ⲛⲧⲉⲡⲗⲁⲛⲏ cf. 1 John 4:6: ἐκ τούτου γινώσκομεν τὸ

πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς πλάνης. In this context John talks
about the testing of the spirits: 1 John 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits to see whether they are from God”. This is very useful in a
monastic environment, where our text probably belongs. For warnings of mis-
trusting the deceitful, one may compare the GLM oracle 13.
5-6.  ⲙⲡⲣⲟⲩⲁϩⲕ ⲛⲥⲁ ⲛⲉⲕⲟⲩⲱϣ, “Do not follow your wishes”, can be
compared to GLM oracle 33: ⲙⲡⲣⲟⲩⲁϩⲕ ⲛⲥⲁ ⲛⲟⲩⲱϣ. This is a biblical
allusion to Sir 5:2.
8.  ⲡⲁϣⲏⲣⲉ is a vocative. For vocatives in the oracles, see GLM oracle 1.1
ⲱ ⲣⲱⲙⲉ and note. This makes clear that the “user” is a member of a monastic
community, contrary to the case of the GLM Oracles, addressed to the public
and including even women. This vocative, however, could be an argument in
favor of this text being an Apophthegma Patrum.
9. It is uncertain if the paragraphos sign opening the line indicates a new
“oracle”, or if it is just a continuation. In that case, the use of the codex as divi-
natory device as understood from GLM becomes less effective.
With regards to the content and the message, the closest text is P.Mon.
Epiph. 592 A10, an acrostic hymn in Greek and Coptic preserved in a small papy-
rus codex. The text includes, among other admonitions addressed to a monastic
audience, the exhortation “master the belly and you shall conquer the passions”:
ϫⲟⲉⲓⲥ ⲉⲛⲉⲕⲙⲁϩⲧ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲕⲛⲁϫⲣⲟ ⲉⲛⲡⲁⲑⲟⲥ / κράτει τῆς γαστρὸς καὶ
νικήσεις τὰ πάθη. This is a general admonition, not strictly monastic, but which
goes back centuries. See for example, the Sayings of the Seven Wise Men, Septem
sap. Apophth. 10.4 Γλώσσης, γαστρός, αἰδοίων κράτει. As noted above, the
relationship with the Apophthegmata Patrum is clear. See for this Apophth. Coll.
Syst. 118: μὴ ἐάσῃς ἡδόνην ἕλκυσαί σε.
11. The reading ⲙⲡⲉⲧϫⲟⲥⲉ is all but certain. The damage in this part of
the leaf is extensive. This is an allusion to Mt 5:45: ϫⲉⲕⲁⲥ ⲉⲧⲉⲧⲛⲉϣⲱⲡⲉ
ⲛϣⲏⲣⲉ ⲙⲡⲉⲧⲛⲉⲓⲱⲧ ⲉⲧϩⲛⲙⲡⲏⲩⲉ, “in order that you become sons of our
Father who is in Heaven”, also in a context of endurance and patience.
12. The promise of the Kingdom of God is widespread in the Bible. The
Kingdom of Christ, however, is less frequent: see e. g. Eph. 5:5: “No immoral,
impure or greedy person--such a person is an idolater--has any inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and of God.” Or 2 Pet 1:11 “and you will receive a rich
welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (cf. also
Rev. 1.9).
16.  A new section begins separated clearly by dotted lines on top and at the
bottom of the page. While ⲉⲛⲧⲟⲗⲏ is normally used for monastic regulations
(Layton, The Canons, 20), here it is used to refer to the wisdom sayings of the
Desert Fathers. The style of the texts here are not the type of text that one normally
finds in monastic regulations (for the language, see Layton, The Canons, 45-47).
The term is commonly used in the Greek Apophthegmata, especially for the
commandments of God, but also for the wisdom sayings of the Fathers, see e.g.
Daniel 2, Sopatros 1 (with the expression Δός μοι ἐντολὴν, ἀββᾶ, καὶ φυλάξω
αὐτήν), or Moyses 9 (τὰς ἐντολὰς τῶν Πατέρων ἡμῶν), meaning that these

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wisdom words of the Fathers were faithfully followed by their disciples as com-
mandments. This title is also interesting since it connects our leaf to the Cotsen-
Princeton codex. In page 170 it presents the title of the following apophthegma,
still to be identified (see above), of a/the old man from Scetis: ⲟⲩⲉⲛⲧⲟⲗⲏ
ⲛⲧⲉ [1/2] | ϩⲗⲗⲟ ⲛϣⲓⲏⲧ. By comparison, one might also think that the Mont-
serrat leaf could have belonged to a miscellaneous codex.

Verso (flesh)
 1 ⲗϛ ⲉ 36 5
􀚶ⲉϣϫⲉ ⲙⲛ ⲁⲙⲁϩ- If there is no power
ⲧⲉ ⲛⲧⲟⲟⲧⲕ· ⲁⲩⲱ in your hand and
ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲛϫⲱϩⲙ ⲙ- on the matter of the impurity
 5 ⲡⲉⲕϩⲏⲧ ⲙⲛ ⲡⲉⲕ- of your heart and your
ⲗⲁⲥ · ϯⲉϩⲟⲩⲛ ⲉϩ- tongue, fight against your-
ⲣⲁⲕ ⲛⲟⲩ- self. For a
ⲕⲟⲩⲓ ϩⲙⲟⲟⲥ ϩⲛ short time sit in
ⲧⲉⲕⲣⲓ · ϥⲥⲏϩ ⲅⲁⲣ your cell. Since it is written
10 ϫⲉ ⲉⲕϣⲁⲛⲣ ϣⲃⲏⲣ that if you become friends
ⲉⲡϩⲟϫϫ ⲕⲛⲁ- with suffering you will
ϣⲱⲡⲉ ϩⲙ ⲡⲉⲙ- be in peace.
ⲧⲟⲛ · ⲁⲩⲱ ⲙⲡⲣ And do not …

Commentary
2. The use of conditionals in the opening of an oracle can be compared to
GLM oracle 7: ⲉⲕϣⲁⲛϩⲣⲟϣ ⲛⲟⲩⲕⲟⲩⲓ ⲫⲱⲃ ⲛⲁⲣϣⲁⲩ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ “If you are
patient a little, the matter will prosper” (cf. also 11 and 31).
4.  ⲉⲧⲃⲉ: In the Vatican Sortes Sanctorum (P.Vat.Copt.) one finds rubrics with
this construction: e.g. fol. 8 recto, n. 153: ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲟⲩϫⲓ ϩⲁⲡ ⲙⲛ ⲟⲩⲙⲛⲧⲙⲛⲧⲣⲉ,
“on trial and declaration”, or fol. 11 verso, n. 202: ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲟⲩⲱⲛϩ ⲙⲛ ⲟⲩⲟⲩϫⲁⲓ,
“on life and health”. These rubrics appear as headings for short oracles of hardly
more than one line.
5-6.  On the connection of heart and tongue, Mt 12:34, 35: “For the mouth
speaks what the heart is full of.” Ps. 16:9; 45:1; Prov. 16:1, 17:20. On the taming
of the tongue, see James 1:26. “Those who consider themselves religious and yet
do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion
is worthless.” See also James 3.
6.  ϯⲉϩⲟⲩⲛ ⲉϩⲣⲁⲕ, “fight against yourself”, “oppose your instincts.” The
vocabulary of fight appears in GLM oracles 8, 18, 30 and 31, but always with
the meaning of fighting the enemies, not opposing oneself. This struggle against
the body and the desires of the body is a very monastic topic (cf. e.g. in the
Apophth. coll. alphab.: Joseph of Panephysis 3, on fighting passions, Cyrus 1, on
fighting sin; Macarius 1a, fighting thoughts, Poemen 154, on fighting slander and
fornication).
7-9.  ⲛⲟⲩⲕⲟⲩⲓ ϩⲙⲟⲟⲥ ϩⲛⲧⲉⲕⲣⲓ, “Sit in your cell for a while”, reminds
much of an apophthegma of Abba Moses ( Moses 6): Ὕπαγε, κάθισον εἰς τὸ
κελλίον σου· καὶ τὸ κελλίον σου διδάσκει σε πάντα, “Go, sit in your cell,

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and your cell will teach you everything”. Cf. John the Dwarf 27: “Watching
means to sit in the cell and be always mindful of God”.
ⲟⲩⲕⲟⲩⲓ “a short time”, “a little”. This reference of time is common in the sortes,
cf. Luijendijk, Forbidden, pp. 104-105, GLM oracle 4, cf. P.Oxy.Coptic inv. 67 a;
P.Vat.Copt. fol. 6 verso, n. 64 ⲉⲧⲓ ⲕⲉⲕⲟⲩⲓ, fol. 8 recto, n. 156 ⲛⲟⲩⲕⲟⲩⲓ
ⲛⲟⲩⲉⲓϣ, fol. 12 recto, n. 215. See also GLM oracles 2, 29. Cf. Sortes Astram-
psychi (Naether, Die Sortes, 171) ὀλίγον, πρὸς ὀλίγον.
9-13.  ϥⲥⲏϩ ⲅⲁⲣ ϫⲉ ⲉⲕϣⲁⲛⲣ ϣⲃⲏⲣ ⲉⲡϩⲟϫϫ ⲕⲛⲁϣⲱⲡⲉ ϩⲙ ⲡⲉⲙⲧⲟⲛ:
This might be an allusion to 1 Peter 4:13: “But rejoice inasmuch as you par-
ticipate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory
is revealed”.
11-13.  ⲕⲛⲁϣⲱⲡⲉ ϩⲙⲡⲉⲙⲧⲟⲛ, “you will be in peace”. Cf. GLM oracle 21.
ⲉⲓⲥ ⲧⲉⲩⲛⲟⲩ ⲙⲡⲉⲙⲧⲟⲛ ⲁⲥⲧⲁϩⲟⲕ. Cf. Isa 25:10, “God will give you rest”;
Mt 11:29, 12:43, Lk 11:24, Rev 4:8, 14:11. P.Vat.Copt. fol. 10 verso, n. 190
ⲟⲩⲛ ⲟⲩⲙⲧⲟⲛ ⲛⲁⲧⲁϩⲟⲕ; fol. 3 recto, n. 32 ⲕⲛⲁϫⲓ ⲛⲟⲩⲙⲧ[ⲟⲛ] ⲛϩⲏⲧϥ.
For the whole oracle, on obtaining peace through fighting against oneself and
passions, cf. Poemen 154: “Abba Poemen said, ‘Fornication and slander are two
thoughts that should never be talked about or pondered in the heart; for if you
want to understand them in the heart, it does no good: but if you fight shy of
them, you will obtain peace.”
13. A new admonition starts and continues on the following page.

Conclusion

With the help of two other miniature codices, better preserved and plausi-
bly from the same scriptorium, the Montserrat codex leaf can be inter-
preted in different ways. If compared to the GLM codex, the Montserrat
fragment becomes an example of the fluidity and adaptability of centuries’
old genres and divinatory techniques to the needs of the Christian com-
munity.19 Here a shift to the numinous power of saints seems to skirt new
regulation and interdiction of oracular practice.20 Disguising the oracles
with a Christian garb allowed the Christian and, as shown by this frag-
ment, even the monk, to access to a forbidden pagan practice: divina-
tion. The rhetorical strategies of the pagan Sortes21 are here adapted to the
monastic life and needs. But there is unfortunately not enough evidence,
due to its fragmentary state, to be completely sure about the nature of this
text. The obvious connections to the Sortes genre are quite convincing, as
is the material and textual parallelism found with the codex of the GLM.

19
  Husson, “Les questions”; Frankfurter, Religion 193‑195; Naether, Die Sortes 401‑
402.
20
 Luijendijk, Forbidden 79‑92.
21
 Naether, Die Sortes 160‑191.

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 A New Sahidic Coptic fragment 161

However, the comparison to the Apophthegmata Patrum and the Cotsen-

Princeton codex is also quite compelling. The Montserrat parchment page
could have belonged to a small book containing stripped-down sayings of
the Fathers, their bare words, without the often elaborate context that we
find in the transmitted text.22 But it also might have belonged to a miscel-
laneous codex, including a section with Apophthegmata Patrum.
It is difficult to reach a conclusion, but one might see this text as a
crossover. The Sayings of the Desert Fathers acquired the same oracular
value as Homer or Virgil had had in pagan practice, the sacred texts in
the Christian. The saints substituted the pagan gods in providing the
answers. As we mentioned above, the Desert fathers acted as some kind
of prophets. Even if no decision can be taken on the basis of the material
and textual evidence we have, there seems to be clear interconnections
between two genres otherwise distant in nature and purpose: the edifying
Sayings of the Desert Fathers, and the forbidden oracles and the practice
of divination.

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Sofía Torallas Tovar

University of Chicago,
Dept of Classics/ Dept of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
sofiatorallas@gmail.com

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 164 Sofía Torallas Tovar

Fig. 1. P.Monts.Roca inv. no. 735 recto

Fig. 2. P.Monts.Roca inv. no. 735 verso

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