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KYPRIANOS T313

Manuscript: M166
Sigla:

PCM 1 26
PCM I 26
P. Heid. Inv. Kopt. 686
Text no. question mark icon Position of the text within the manuscript.11
Coptic Scriptorium:
Date: 951 – 1000

Text position:

p. 15, ll. 29-31 (252)
Type of text:

Freeing from imprisonment (magical, formulary)

Original title:

ⲟⲩⲣⲱⲙⲉ : ⲉⲃϩⲛ ⲡⲉϣϯⲕⲁ
Original title (translated):

A man in prison
Conventional title: Instructions for a person who is in prison (to free prisoner)

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. 15

29. [preceding text] ⲟⲩⲣⲱⲙⲉ : ⲉⲃϩⲛ ⲡⲉϣϯⲕⲁ : ⲥϩⲁⲓ ϯⲇⲉⲛⲁⲙ⧹ⲓ⧸ⲥ
30. ⲉⲅ̅ ⲛⲃⲏⲗϫⲓ ⲛⲕⲗⲱⲗ · ⲃⲏⲣⲓ ϩⲁⲗⲟⲩ ϣ̇ⲁⲣⲁⲃ ⸗ ϣⲁⲩⲕⲟⲟⲃ ⸗
31. ⲉⲫⲓⲗ· ϩⲉ ⲡⲟⲩⲱϣ ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ : ⲑ̅ⲩ̅ ⲙ̅ⲁ̅ⲥ̅ϯ̅ⲭ̅ · ⲁ̅ⲗ̅ⲟ̅ⲩ̅ⲑ̅ ⲕ̅ⲟ̅ⲩ̅ϣ̅ ⸗

[29] A man in prison. Draw the power [30] on three new pottery ostraca. Bring (?) it to him. He will be set free [31] on the street, God willing. Offering: mastic, agarwood, costus.

Tableau:
Tracing by:

Apparatus:

29. ϣϯⲕⲁ i.e. Sahidic ϣⲧⲉⲕⲟ | ⲇⲉⲛⲁⲙⲓⲥ/ i.e. Greek δύναμις
30. ⲕⲗⲱⲗ i.e. Sahidic ⲕⲉⲗⲱⲗ | ⲃⲏⲣⲓ i.e. Sahidic ⲛ̅-ⲃⲏⲣⲉ | ϣⲁⲩⲕⲟⲟⲃ i.e. Sahidic ϣⲁ-ⲩ-ⲕⲁⲁ⸗ϥ : “Sie zwingen ihn auf die Straße” (“They force him onto the street”) Kropp, Meyer/Smith : “he shall be expelled to the street” Gardner
31. ϩⲉ i.e. Sahidic ϩⲙ̅ | ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ i.e. Sahidic ⲙ̅-ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ : translate “by the will of God” (“nach dem Willen Gottes”) Kropp, Meyer/Smith, Gardner | ⲑ̅ⲩ̅(ⲥⲓⲁ) i.e. Greek θυσία | ⲙ̅ⲁ̅ⲥ̅ϯ̅ⲭ̅ i.e. Greek μαστίχη | ⲁ̅ⲗ̅ⲟ̅ⲩ̅ⲑ̅ i.e. Arabic العود al-ꜥūd | ⲕ̅ⲟ̅ⲩ̅ϣ̅ i.e. Sahidic ⲕⲟⲩϣⲧ : translate “koush” Meyer/Smith

Notes:

This text is numbered 252 in Kropp.
27. The first three recipes are not numbered in the manuscript, but Kropp numbers them ⲁ (1), ⲃ (2), and ⲅ (3) in his edition.

Bibliography:

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), 128.

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 (23/6/16; 30/1/20); team (20/12/2022)

How to cite:
Korshi Dosoo & Markéta Preininger (principal editors). "KYP T313: Instructions for a person who is in prison (to free prisoner)," Kyprianos Database of Ancient Ritual Texts and Objects, www.coptic-magic.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de/index.php/text/kyp-t-313. Accessed on 27/10/2025

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