KYP T-1323

KYPRIANOS DATABASE OF ANCIENT RITUAL TEXTS

KYPRIANOS T1323

Manuscript:	M166
Sigla:	PCM 1 26 PCM I 26 P. Heid. Inv. Kopt. 686
Text no. Position of the text within the manuscript.	25
Coptic Scriptorium:
Date:	951 – 1000

Text position:	p. 16, ll. 33-36 (266)
Type of text:	Curse against workshop (magical, formulary)

Original title:	ⲓ̅ⲋ̅ ⸗ ⲟⲩⲙⲁ ⲛⲉⲣϩⲱⲃ ⸗ ⲉⲃϣⲁϥ
Original title (translated):	16. A workshop, to destroy it (?)
Conventional title:	A workshop, to destroy it

Language:	Egyptian (Coptic)
Dialect:	Sahidic with Middle Egyptian features
Script:	Coptic
Image:	https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/p_kopt_686/0001/thumbs

Text:

Translation:

p. 16

33. ⲓ̅ⲋ̅ ⸗ ⲟⲩⲙⲁ ⲛⲉⲣϩⲱⲃ ⸗ ⲉⲃϣⲁϥ : ⲟⲩϭⲁϩⲉⲗ ⧹ⲉ⧸ⲙⲁⲩ : ⲉⲧⲥ-
34. ⲱⲕ · ⲧⲁⲟⲩⲁ ϯⲟⲩⲭⲏ : ϫⲱⲥ ⲛⲍ̅ ⲥⲟⲡ : ⲣⲉϩⲁⲓϯ ⲡⲏ-
35. ϩ : ϩⲓⲱⲱⲕ · ⲉⲕⲥⲱⲕ · ⲉⲥ̅ⲁ̅ⲡ̅ⲉ̅ϩⲟⲩ ϣⲁⲛⲡⲉϩⲧⲥ ⸗
36. ⲉⲡⲉⲣⲟ · ⲡⲏⲓ ⲑ̅ⲩ̅ ⲭ̅ⲁ̅ⲃ̅ⲁ̅ⲛ̅ⲓ̅ ⸗

[33] 16. A workshop, to destroy it (?). A pot of flowing water. [34] Pronounce the prayer over it 7 times, wearing torn clothes, [35] and walk backwards (?) until ⟨you⟩ pour it out at the door of [36] the house. Offering: charcoal (?).

Tableau:
Tracing by:

Apparatus:

33. ⲉⲃϣⲁϥ i.e. Sahidic ⲉ-ϣⲟϥ⸗ϥ ? : ⲉⲃϣⲏϥ Kropp | ϭⲁϩⲉⲗ i.e. Sahidic ϭⲁⲗⲁϩⲧ, cf. ϭⲁⲗⲉϩ (col. 15 l. 24) with metathesis : l. ϫⲱⲗϩ Kropp | ⲉⲙⲁⲩ i.e. Sahidic ⲛ̅ⲙⲟⲟⲩ
34. ⲟⲩⲭⲏ i.e. Greek εὐχή | ⲣⲉϩⲏ̣ϯ i.e. Sahidic ⲉⲣⲉ-ϩⲟⲉⲓⲧⲉ, cf. Fayumic ϩⲁⲓⲧⲓ : ⲣⲉϩϯ l. ⲉⲣⲉ-ⲟⲩ-ⲣⲁϩⲧⲉ Kropp
35. ⲉⲕⲥⲱⲕ i.e. Sahidic ⲛ̅⸗ⲅ-ⲥⲱⲕ | ⲉⲥ̅ⲁ̅ⲡ̅ⲉ̅ϩⲟⲩ i.e. Sahidic ⲛ̅-ⲥⲁ-ⲡⲁϩⲟⲩ | ϣⲁⲛⲡⲉϩⲧⲥ i.e. Sahidic ϣⲁⲛⲧ⸗ⲕ-ⲡⲁϩⲧ⸗ⲥ
36. ⲉⲡⲉⲣⲟ i.e. Sahidic ⲉ-ⲡ-ⲣⲟ | ⲡⲏⲓ i.e. Sahidic ⲙ̅-ⲡⲏⲓ | ⲑ̅ⲩ̅(ⲥⲓⲁ) i.e. Greek θυσία | ⲭ̅ⲁ̅ⲃ̅ⲁ̅ⲛ̅ⲓ̅ i.e. Greek κάρβων or χαλβάνη ? : “Ebenholz ? i.e. from Egyptian hbny ? Kropp : translate “chabani” Meyer/Smith : translate “coal” Gardner

Notes:

This text is numbered 266 in Kropp.
33. ⲟⲩⲙⲁ ⲛⲉⲣϩⲱⲃ : ⲉⲃϣⲁϥ Here we interpret this ritual as a curse, since this is usually the purpose of rituals that consist of pouring liquids at doors; previous translations have rather understood this as a practice to aid a workplace which is suffering from some kind of problem, either deserted or flooded by water. Kropp and Meyer/Smith translate “a workplace that is deserted when a flow of water streams in” (“ein Arbeitsplatz, der wüst liegt, da eine Wasserflut herzieht”), while Gardner translates “a barren workplace (i.e. small-holding)”.
34-35. ⲣⲉϩⲁⲓϯ ⲡⲏϩ : ϩⲓⲱⲱⲕ Kropp and Meyer/Smith understand this as referring to a “broken basin” (“einen zersprungenen Kessel”).
35. ⲉⲕⲥⲱⲕ · ⲉⲥ̅ⲁ̅ⲡ̅ⲉ̅ϩⲟⲩ For the sense translated here, cf. John 18.6 “they went backwards” (ⲁⲩⲉⲓ ⲛⲥⲁⲡⲁϩⲟⲩ), translating ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω. Previous translators have understood this as a transitive verb with the water as the object, with the individual pouring or drawing the liquid towards them; Kropp translates “drag behind you” (“du hinter dir herziehst)”; Meyer/Smith translates “let it stream out behind you” Gardner translates ”while you draw (the water) back”. It is possible that there is an omitted direct object, perhaps ⲉⲕⲥⲱⲕⲥ, with the sigma omitted by haplography with the following -ⲉⲥ, where the pronoun refers to the pot (ϭⲁⲗⲁϩⲧ); cf. “I drew it back with the bridle of my faculties of reason” (ⲁⲓⲥⲟⲕⲥ ⲛⲥⲁ ⲡⲁϩⲟⲩ ϩⲓⲧⲛ ⲡⲉⲭⲁⲗⲓⲛⲟⲥ ⲛⲛⲁⲗⲟⲕⲓⲥⲙⲟⲥ; Amélineau 1911, p. 432 l. 13).

Bibliography:

Amélineau, Émile. Œuvres de Schenoudi. Texte copte et traduction française. Vol. II. Paris: Ernest Leroux, 1911.

Dosoo, Korshi, Edward O.D. Love, and Markéta Preininger. “The Coptic Magical Papyri Project: Progress Report.” Journal of Coptic Studies 24 (2022): 43–100.

Gardner, Iain. “An Archive of Coptic Handbooks and Exemplars for the Making of Amulets and the Enacting of Ritual Power from the Tenth Century (P. Heid. Inv. Kopt. 680–683 and 685–686)”, in Drawing Spirit: The Role of Images and Design in the Magical Practice of Late Antiquity, edited by Jay Johnston and Iain Gardner (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2022), 129.

Kropp, Angelicus. Der Lobpreis des Erzengels Michael (vormals P. Heidelberg Inv. Nr. 1686). Brussels : Fondation égyptologique reine Elisabeth, 1966.

Meyer, Marvin W., and Richard Smith. Ancient Christian Magic: Coptic Texts of Ritual Power. Princeton (New Jersey): Princeton University Press, 1999, p. 326-341, no. 135.

Editor:

EL’s edition from the original (23/6/2016) (6/2/2020); edits by KD (22/10/2020); accepted with updated apparatus by EL (27/10/2020); team (20/12/2022)

How to cite:

Korshi Dosoo & Markéta Preininger (principal editors). "KYP T1323: A workshop, to destroy it," Kyprianos Database of Ancient Ritual Texts and Objects, www.coptic-magic.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de/index.php/text/kyp-t-1323. Accessed on 21/11/2025

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