Introduction
The piece consists of twenty-five lines, each (with the exception of the last) consisting of three parts, which are metrically equivalent. The first twenty-four lines represent the twenty-four letters of the alphabet, with each of the three parts of a line beginning with the same letter. Thus the three parts of line 1 begin with A, those of line 2 with B and so on. The hymn is in fact a metrical acrostic. In some cases the third part of a line is so damaged that the third acrostic letter, which surely can be assumed, is missing.
DCLP transcription: 64476 [xml]
βαρὺν θεσμὸν ἔφυ̣γ̣ε̣ς ἀνό̣μ̣ο̣υ̣ [∶] β̣α[- ca.20 -]ι̣νικ α̣ὐ̣τὸν πρὸς ἀγάπην.
γάμον ἤλυθες βασιλῆος∶, γά̣μον κ ̣ν̣ ̣[ ̣ ̣]λ̣ ̣[- ca.14 -] ̣ ἵ(*)να μή σ’ἀφεν̣ί̣σῃς(*).
δυσὶ ῥήμασι μηκέτι λάλει∶, δίχα τῶν ἐπισε̣ι̣[- ca.15 -] ̣[ ̣ ̣ ̣] ̣ ̣ ̣ολ̣ας
5ἔρχονταί τινε\ς/ προβατίνοις ∶ ἐν σχήμασιν̣ ἔ̣σ̣ω̣θεν̣ λ̣[ύκοι - ca.9 -] ̣τ̣ε μακρόθεν.
ζήτι(*) ζῆσαι μεθ’ ἁγίων∶, ζ[ή]τι(*) ζωὴν ἵ(*)να λάβῃ<ς>∶, ζή̣[τει τ ὸ πῦρ ἵνα] φ̣ύγῃ<ς>.
ἣν ἔμαθες ἐλπίδα κράτι(*)∶, ἣν ὥρι[σ]έ{ν} σε(*) ὁ δεσπότ̣η̣[ς - ca.13 -] ̣λον̣.
θ(εὸ)ς ἤλυθε{ν} πολλὰ κομίσας∶, θανάτο[υ] τριτόπ̣η̣μα̣ τελέσα[ς, θ- ca.9 -]ετ̣ι ̣ ̣ ̣α̣δ̣ο̣υς.
Ἰ(ησοῦ)ς ὁ παθὼν ἐπὶ τ̣ο̣ύτοις(*)∶, ἰ(*)πὼν(*) ὅτι ν̣ῶτα παρέχω∶ ἵ(*)να [μὴ] θαν[άτ]ου(*) περιπέσῃ<ς>.
10κάλα εἰσὶν(*) τὰ θεσμὰ τοῦ θ(εο)ῦ∶· κατὰ πάντα τύποις ὑπομέν̣[ει] ∶ καλὴν ζωὴν ἵ(*)να λάβῃς.
λουσάμενος ἐν Ἰορδάνῃ∶, λουσάμενος ἐνὶ τύποις∶ λ̣ο̣υ̣τ̣ρ̣ὸ̣ν̣ [τ]ὸ̣ καθάρσιον ἔχε̣ι.
μείνας ἐπιράζετο(*) ἐν ὄρι(*)∶, μεγάλως δ’ ὑπὸ π̣α\θ̣/ο̣υν̣ο̣μου ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣νη̣ς αὐτὸς εἴη<ς>.
νῦν ἔιργασαι(*) κληρονομίας∶, νῦν κερὸν(*) ἔχ[ει]ς ὅτι [δίδως] ν̣ῦ̣ν̣ τοῖς πινῶσι{ν}(*) μεγάλος(*).
ξένους εἶπε{ν} θ(εὸ)ς διατρέφιν(*)∶, ξένους κα<ὶ> μὴ δυν<α>μένους∶ [ξένιζ]ε̣ τὸ πῦρ ἵνα φύγῃ<ς>.
15ὃν ἔπεμψε{ν} πατὴρ ἵ(*)να πάθῃ∶, ὁ λαβὼν ζωὴν αἰ[ω]νί̣α̣[ν, ὁ λαβὼν κ]ρ̣άτος ἀθανασίας.
παισὶν δ’ [ε]ὐη̣γ’γέλιζε λέγων∶, πτωχοὶ βασιλίαν(*) ε̣ ̣ ̣ ̣[ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣] εἶναι κληρονομί\ας/.
ῥαπιζ[μένος](*) ἐ̣νὶ τύποις∶ ῥοπὴν ἵνα πάντα(*) παρέχῃ, [ῥ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ θ]άνατον ἵν’ ὀλέσῃ.
σὺ θα[νὼν ἵ]ν̣’ ἀνάστασιν ἴδῃς∶, σὺ τὸ φῶς ἵν’ αἰώνι[ο]ν̣ ἴ̣[δῃς, σὺ θ(εὸ)]ν̣ φώτων ἵνα λάβῃς.
τὰ [δ]ὲ ἀ[νάπ]αυλα(*) λυπομένων(*)∶, τὰ δὲ σκιρτήματα ̣ ̣[ ̣ ̣ ̣ τὸ δὲ πῦ]ρ φοβερὸν παρανόμοις.
20ὑπὸ τὴ̣[ν] χάριν ἦλθες ἀκόπως∶· ὑπάκουε πένησιν [αἰτοῦσιν, ὑπερηφά]νος(*) μηκέτι λάλει.
[φοβερὸν ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ἐσ]τ̣ι̣ τ̣ὸ̣ πῦρ, φοβερὸν εἰς ἀ̣ι̣(*) χρόν[ον, φοβερόν γε τ]ὸ πῦρ παρανόμοις.
[χ- ca.21 -] Χ(ριστὸ)ς καὶ στέμ<μ>αθ’ ἁγίω[ν χ- ca.11 -] πῦρ παρανόμοις.
[ψ- ca.18 - ψάλλ]ων ψαλμοὺς μεθ’ ἁγίων∶. ψυχὴν ̣[ ̣]τ̣ε πάντοτε τρέφειν.
[ω- ca.21 -]∶ ὧν ἔλαθες(*) μηκέτι λάθῃ{ς}∶, ὧν εἶπέν σοι ἵ(*)να λάβῃς.
25[- ca.22 - θ]άνατον οὐκέτι δύνῃ.
Apparatus
^ 3. ϊνα papyrus
^ 3. l. ἀφανίσῃς
^ 6. l. ζήτει
^ 6. l. ζ[ή]τει
^ 6. ϊνα papyrus
^ 7. l. κράτει
^ 7. l. σοι
^ 9. l. ἐνὶ τύποις
^ 9. l. εἰπὼν : ϊπων papyrus
^ 9. ϊνα papyrus
^ 9. l. θαν[άτ]ῳ
^ 10. l. κάλ’ εἰσι
^ 10. ϊνα papyrus
^ 12. l. ἐπειράζετ’
^ 12. l. ὄρει
^ 13. l. ἔργασαι
^ 13. l. καιρὸν
^ 13. l. πεινῶσι
^ 13. l. μεγάλως
^ 14. l. διατρέφειν
^ 15. ϊνα papyrus
^ 16. [ε]υη̣γ’γελιζε papyrus
^ 16. l. βασιλείαν
^ 17. l. ῥαπισ[μένος]
^ 17. l. παντὶ
^ 19. l. τὸ [δ]’ ἀ[νάπ]αυμα
^ 19. l. λυπουμένων
^ 20. l. [ὑπερηφά]νως
^ 21. l. ἀεὶ
^ 24. l. ἔμαθες
^ 24. ϊνα papyrus
Editorial History; All History; (detailed)
© Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Notes
- 1.
There are traces of a diagonal stroke above the sigma of οσ, which may indicate a division, cf. note on line 21
- 21.
The colon which should have been placed between πῦρ and φοβερόν has been omitted and is replaced by the diagonal stroke above the line
- 23.
There is a diagonal stroke after ]ων, which may be accounted for by supposing that the colon should have preceded ψάλλ]ων was omitted as in 21, and that the stroke was mistakenly inserted before ψαλμούς, owing to the fact that this word also began with ψ. The horizontal stroke above τρέφειν seems meaningless unless it was intended to represent the final nu, which was itself subsequently written.