KYP T-889

KYPRIANOS DATABASE OF ANCIENT RITUAL TEXTS

KYPRIANOS T889

Manuscript:	M9
Sigla:	P. Mich. Inv. 593
Text no. Position of the text within the manuscript.	29
Coptic Scriptorium:
Date:	401 – 700

Text position:	p. 10 ll. 4-8
Type of text:	Divination, dream oracle (magical, formulary)

Original title:	ⲉⲧⲃⲉ, ⲉⲧⲣⲉⲩⲧⲟⲩⲛ ⲉⲓ̈ⲁⲧⲕ̅ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩ̅ⲛ̅ ⲟⲩⲣⲁⲥⲟⲩ
Original title (translated):	So that you will be instructed in a dream
Conventional title:	For dream oracle

Language:	Egyptian (Coptic)
Dialect:	Sahidic (non-standard)
Script:	Coptic
Image:	https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?id=S-APIS-X-2601%5D593_1R.TIF

Text:	Translation:
p. 10 (→) 4. ⲉⲧⲃⲉ, ⲉⲧⲣⲉⲩⲧⲟⲩⲛ ⲉⲓ̈ⲁⲧⲕ̅ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ 5. ϩ̅ⲛ̅ ⲟⲩⲣⲁⲥⲟⲩ ϫⲓ ⲛⲁⲕ ⲛ̅ⲟⲩϩⲙⲟⲩ 6. ⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲁ ⲛ̅ⲅ̅ⲕⲁⲁϥ ϩⲁϫⲱⲕ 7. ⲉⲕⲛⲁⲉⲛⲕⲟⲧⲕ̅ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲥⲉⲛⲁⲧⲁ- 8. ⲙⲟⲕ︦ ⲉϩⲱⲃ ⲛⲓⲙ︦ [following text]	[4] So that you will be instructed [5] in a dream. Take some rock salt [6] and place it under your head [7] when you go to sleep and you will be told [8] everything.

Tableau:
Tracing by:

Apparatus:

6. ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲁ i.e. Greek πέτρα
7. ⲉⲕⲛⲁⲉⲛⲕⲟⲧ̅ⲕ̅ : ⲉⲕⲛⲁⲛ̅ⲕⲟⲧ̅ⲕ̅ Worrell

Notes:

Parallel text: P. Mich. inv. 594 vo l. 12-14 (KYP M15; KYP T931)

4. ⲉⲧⲣⲉⲩⲧⲟⲩⲛ ⲉⲓ̈ⲁⲧⲕ̅ For ⲧⲟⲩⲛ ⲉⲓ̈ⲁⲧ⸗ with the sense of “dream revelation”, compare Matthew 2.22: ⲁⲩⲧⲟⲩⲛ ⲉⲓⲁⲧϥ ⲇⲉ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲛ ⲟⲩⲣⲁⲥⲟⲩ ⲁϥⲁⲛⲁⲭⲱⲣⲉⲓ ⲉϩⲣⲁⲓ ⲉⲙⲙⲟⲟϣⲧⲉ ⲛⲧⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲁⲓⲁ. (“he (Joseph) was instructed in a dream and he withdrew to the region of Galilee”), 2.11: ⲁⲩⲧⲟⲩⲛⲉⲓⲁⲧⲟⲩ ⲇⲉ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ϩⲛ ⲟⲩⲣⲁⲥⲟⲩ ⲉⲧⲙⲕⲟⲧⲟⲩ ϣⲁ ϩⲏⲣⲱⲇⲏⲥ (“they (the Magi) were instructed in a dream not to return to Herod”); Hebrews 11.7: ⲉⲁⲩⲧⲟⲩⲛⲟⲩ ⲉⲓⲁⲧϥ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲛⲛⲱϩⲉ ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲛⲉⲧϥⲛⲁⲩ ⲉⲣⲟⲟⲩ ⲁⲛ (“Noah, having been instructed of things which he had not seen…”). The same phrase is used in some older Demotic formulae for dream oracles: GEMF 16/PDM xiv.138–139 (KYP M162): “Instruct me tonight concerning the NN thing about which I am asking” (my wn ἰr.ṱ r-bnr n pꜣy grḥ ẖr tꜣ mn tꜣ mt.t nt ἰw⸗y šn ẖr-r⸗s); GEMF 18/PDM lxi.20 (KYP M183): “[Instruct] me! Tell [me!]” ([ⲧⲟⲩⲛ] ⲉⲓⲁⲧ´ ⲧⲁⲙⲉ[ⲓ]).
5-6. ⲛ̅ⲟⲩϩⲙⲟⲩ ⲙ̅ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲁ This term is not attested in Coptic outside of this text to the best of our knowledge, but a translation “rock salt” seems reasonable. This would refer to salt mined from the earth rather than produced from the evaporation of seawater. Interestingly, rock salt is referred to in Greek as ὀρυκτός (“excavated”) rather than using a cognate of πέτρα; see Grons 2025, 172, and see C. Pharm. Copt. (KYP M945) 7 ro l.18 (ⲟ̣ⲣⲩⲕⲧⲓ̣.?), C. Pharm. Copt. 28 (KYP M643) p. 241 ll. 1-2 (ⲱⲗⲩⲕⲧⲟⲥ) for the use of the loanword in Coptic medical texts. Cf. the use of rock salt later in this codex (p. 12 ll. 4-5; KYP T895).

Bibliography:

Grons, Anne. Medizinische Rezepttexte in koptischer Sprache (C.Pharm.Copt.). Archiv für Papyrusforschung und verwandte Gebiete – Beiheft 56. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2025.

Meyer, Marvin W., and Richard Smith. Ancient Christian Magic: Coptic Texts of Ritual Power. Princeton (New Jersey): Princeton University Press, 1999, p. 304–310, no. 133.

Mirecki, Paul. “The Coptic Wizard’s Hoard.” The Harvard Theological Review vol. 87 no. 4 (1994): 435–460.

Worrell, W. H. “A Coptic Wizard’s Hoard.” The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures 46 no. 4 (1930): 239–262.

Editor:

EL’s transcript from Worrell (29/1/20); preliminary translation by KD (31/1/2020); KD, MPS, RBS (23/7/2026)

How to cite:

[Editor names]. "KYP T889: For dream oracle," Kyprianos Database of Ancient Ritual Texts and Objects, Korshi Dosoo, Markéta Preininger, & Roxanne Bélanger Sarrazin (principal editors), www.coptic-magic.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de/index.php/text/kyp-t-889. Accessed on 11/10/2026
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