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KYPRIANOS T930

Manuscript: M15
Sigla:

P. Mich. Inv. 599 + 594 + 603 + 596 + 598 + 597 + 595
Text no. question mark icon Position of the text within the manuscript.28
Coptic Scriptorium:
Date: 501 – 700

Text position:

p. 4 (P. Mich. Inv. 594, vo) ll. 9-12
Type of text:

Favour before authority (magical, formulary)

Original title:

ⲉⲧⲣⲉⲟⲩⲇⲩⲛⲁⲥⲧⲏⲧⲏⲥ ⲧⲁⲛ̅ϩⲟⲩⲧⲕ ⲏ ⲧⲙⲧⲣⲉϥⲥⲧⲟⲕ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ
Original title (translated):

So that a powerful man will trust you and will not send you away
Conventional title: For favour before a powerful man

Language:

Egyptian (Coptic)
Dialect:

Sahidic (non-standard)
Script:

Coptic
Image: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/a/apis/x-2616/599r.tif & http://quod.lib.umich.edu/a/apis/x-2616/599v.tif

Text: Translation:

p. 4 (P. Mich. Inv. 594, vo)
↓
9. [preceding text] ⲉⲧⲣⲉⲟⲩⲇⲩⲛⲁⲥⲧⲏ-
10. ⲧⲏⲥ ⲧⲁⲛ̅ϩⲟⲩⲧⲕ ⲏ ⲧⲙⲧⲣⲉϥⲥⲧⲟⲕ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲥϩⲁⲉⲓ̈ϥ ⲉⲩⲭⲁⲣⲧⲏⲥ ⲛ̅ⲅⲁⲁϥ
11. ⲛ︦ⲟⲩⲫⲩⲗⲁⲕⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ ⲛ̅ⲅⲙⲟⲣϥ ⲉⲡⲉⲕϫⲛ̅ⲁϩ ⲛⲟⲩⲛⲁⲙ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲥⲉⲛ̅ⲁ-
12. ⲧⲁⲛ̅ϩⲟⲩⲧⲕ̅ [following text]

[p. 4, l. 9] So that a powerful man [10] will trust you and will not send you away. Write it [11] on papyrus and make a phylactery and bind it to your right arm and you will [12] be trusted.

Tableau:
Tracing by:

Apparatus:

9-10. ⲇⲩⲛⲁⲥⲧⲏⲧⲏⲥ i.e. Greek δυνάστης : ⲇⲩⲛⲁⲥⲧⲏⲥ Worrell
10. ⲧⲙⲧⲣⲉϥⲥⲧⲟⲕ second ⲧ corrected from ⲣ by overwriting | ⲏ i.e. Greek ἤ | ⲥϩⲁⲉⲓϥ ⲥ corrected from ϩ by overwriting | ⲭⲁⲣⲧⲏⲥ i.e. Greek χάρτης
11. ⲫⲩⲗⲁⲕⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ i.e. Greek φυλακτήριον | ⲉⲡⲉⲕϫⲛⲁϩ : ⲉⲡⲉⲕⲇⲛⲁϩ Worrell | ⲛⲟⲩⲛⲁⲙ ⲛ corrected from ⲟ by overwriting | ⲥⲉⲛ̅ⲁ- ⲉ corrected from ⲁ by overwriting

Notes:

Parallel text: P. Mich. inv. 593, p. 9 ll. 15-17, p. 10 ll. 1-3 (KYP M9, T888)

9-12. This prescription is an example of a procedure for restraining anger and gaining favor from kings, rulers, judges, and other powerful figures, attested in the older Graeco-Egyptian magical papyri. These often use knotted cords in the garment (GEMF 60/PGM XIII.251-252 (KYP M161)) or rings (GEMF 15.250-57/PGM XII 201-202 (KYP M160), GEMF 15.319-329/PGM XII.270-80), while here a papyrus amulet is bound to the arm; cf. also GEMF 16/PDM xiv.451-458 (KYP M162); GMA 58 (KYP M3682); PCM I 26 (KYP M166) p. 16 ll. 28-30. The formulation is close to GEMF 15.327-328/PGM XII.277-79: “And even more, it stops the angry outbursts (ὀργὰϲ) of kings (βασιλέων) and masters (δεσποτῶν). When you wear it (i.e., the ring), you will be trusted (πιϲτευθήϲῃ)”. Cf. Preininger 2026, 34-41.

Bibliography:

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.

Preininger, M. The Magical Body: Embodiment in Coptic Magical Papyri. Religions in the Graeco-Roman World 202. Leiden: Brill, 2026.

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

Editor:

KD, MPS, RBS (23/7/2026)

How to cite:
[Editor names]. "KYP T930: For favour before a powerful man," 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-930. Accessed on 10/10/2026
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