From NovaRoma
A Mystery Oath
This third century Oxyrhynchus papyrus was published by Bartoletti as n. 1162 in Papiri, Greci e Latini (= PSI) X. While the text is quite fragmentary, it clearly records an oath taken in the context of some astral mystery cult (l. 21, ἀστέρων). The καυτοπαυ (= Καυτοπάτου?) in l. 14 suggests that this may be a Mithraic text. Although, much better attested in other parts of the Roman empire, Roman Mithraism did have a (minimal) presence in Egypt (c.f. CIMRM 91-105). Then in 1937 Bartoletti published another papyrus fragment with substantially the same oath formula in "Frammenti di un rituale d'iniziazione ai misteri" in Annali della R. Scuoli Normale Superiore de Pisa (Pisa: 1937) 143-152.
This new fragment allowed him to make some fairly certain restoration for the beginning of PSI 1162. Lines 1-6 can be restored with certainty (indicated in bold green), the others a bit more speculatively (indicated in bold light green). Lines in blue in the new fragment indicate those lines used for the restoration. Lines 14-17a in the new fragment are pluses and suggest that the new fragment is secondary to PSI 1162. Bartoletti also made some minor adjustments (in red) to other parts of the text.
| Reconstructed PSI 1162 |
New Fragment |
PSI 1162
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[Ὀμνύω κατὰ τοῦ διχάσ]αντος γῆν ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ
[καὶ σκότος ἀπὸ φωτὸς κ]αὶ ἡμέραν ἐγ νυκτὸς
[καὶ ἀνατολὴν ἀπὸ δύσ]εως καὶ ζωὴν ἀπὸ θα-
[νάτου καὶ γένεσιν ἀπὸ] φθορᾶς ἐπόμνυμαι
[δὲ καὶ οὓς προσκυνῶ θ]οὺς συντηρήσειν
[καὶ φυλάξει τὰ παραδ]εδομένα μοι μυστή-
[ρια καὶ τιμήσειν ? τὸν] πατέρα Σαραπίωνα
[ῷ τὸ μυεῖν ὑπάρχει, καὶ] τον ἱεροκήρυκα Κα-
[....., ῷ τὸ ὁρκίζειν ὑ]ράρχει, καὶ τοὺς συν-
[αὐτοῖς ὄντας λοιπο]ὺς ἀδελφούς. Εὐορκοῦ(ν)-
[τι μέν μοι εὖ εἴη, ἐπιορ]κοῦν[τι δὲ τ]ὰ ἐναν-
[τία, ἐάν τι τούτων ἐκλαλ]ήσω.
........................τ]ὸν π[ατέρα ?..]ι ὁμοι-
...................................]καυτοπαυ
...................................]τ̣οῖς ὀξέσιν
...................................]σ̣φραγεῖδες
...................................]σημειῶσ̣ι̣
...................................τῷ μ]ύστῃ ὁ πα-
τὴρ................................]σερ.ι
...................................]
...................................]μ' ἀστέρων
................................]λ̣ε διαστητε
................................]ν ἤμειβεν ον-
................................]η̣τε καὶ ενον
................................]τ̣ροματηρ
..................................]ηκωσιν
...................................]ητων.ν
....................................].σ̣ο̣[
.....................................].[
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[...]φ̣[.]η̣χ̣ε[
[...]μ̣εγάλῃ φων̣[ῃ ..]...[.... ὁ πα-]
[τὴρ τ]ὸ̣ν̣ μ̣έ̣στην π̣[ροσ]αγα̣γ̣έτω̣ [....]
[...].α̣τ̣ω̣ντα ἐν̣ φ̣[.].μ̣ω τεσσα[....]
[....]ε δ̣αῇ̣ περ̣ὶ τὸν λ̣είποντα[.....]
[....] α̣ὐ̣τεῖν, καὶ στησάτω μέσ[ον ἐπὶ?]
[τοῦ] δ̣ιαθέματος̣ καὶ ἐξορκούτω̣ [διὰ]
[τοῦ] κήρυκος 'Ασ̣τ̣υ̣δά[μα]ντος.
Ὅρκος ὑπ̣[ὸ κήρ]υ̣κος
[Ὀ̣μν]ύω κατὰ τοῦ διχά̣σαντος̣ κ[αὶ κρί-]
[ναν]τ̣ος τὴν γῆν ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ κα[ὶ σκότος]
[ἀπὸ] φ̣ωτὸς κ̣α̣ὶ̣ ἡμέραν ἐκ νυ̣[κτὸς]
[καὶ ἀ]νατολὴ̣ν ἀπὸ δύσεως κ̣α̣ὶ̣ [ζωὴν]
[ἀπὸ] θ̣ανάτ̣ο̣υ̣ καὶ γένεσιν ἀπ[ὸ φθορᾶς]
[καὶ μ]έλαν̣ [ἀ]π̣ὸ λευκοῦ καὶ ξηρὸ[ν ἀπὸ]
[ὑγρ]ο̣ῦ καὶ ε.[..].ον̣ ἀ̣π̣ὸ̣ ....[.. καὶ]
[πικ]ρὸν ἀπὸ γ̣λ̣υκέως κ̣α̣ὶ̣ σ̣άρκ̣[α ἀπὸ]
[ψυχ]ῆς: ἐπόμνυμαι δὲ καὶ οὓς π̣[ροσκυνῶ]
[θεο]ὺς συντηρήσειν καὶ φυλά[ξει
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]α̣ντος γῆν ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ
]αι ἡμέραν ἐγ νυκτὸς
]εως καὶ ζωὴν ἀπὸ θα-
] φ̣θορᾶς ἐπόμνυμαι
]ους συντηρήσειν
]εδομένα μοι μυστή-
] πατέρα Σαραπίωνα
.]τον ἱεροκήρυκα Κα-
.]παρχει, καὶ τοὺς συν-
.]υς ἀδελφούς. εὐορκοῦ(ν)-
.]κοῦν[τι δὲ τ]ὰ ἐναν-
.]ήσω.
.]ον π̣[.......]ι ὁμοι-
........]καυτοπαυ
........]τ̣οῖς ὀξέσιν
........]σ̣φραγεῖδες
........]σημειῶσ̣ι̣
........]υστηοπα
........]σερ.ι
........]
........]μ' ἀστέρων
....]λ̣ε διαστητε
....]ν ἤμειβεν ον-
....]η̣τε καὶ ενον
....]τ̣ροματηρ
....]ηκωσιν
....]ητων.ν
......].σ̣ο̣[
.......].[
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[I swear by him who separates] earth from heaven,
[and darkness from light, a]nd day from night,
[and rising from set]ting life from de-
[and generation from] corruption, I swear
[to the gods which I beseech] to observe
[and guard the] myst[eries] [transm]itted to me
[and to honor the] father Sarapis
[for whom there is closure (?), and] the herald of sacrifice Ka-
[for whom it is to adjure, and
[and the rest] of the brothers [who are with them].
[May it go well for me who is] faithful and who swe]ars in
[the presence (?) if any of these things] I should divulge.
...Cautopates
...with the sharp
...seals
...
...to the initiate [the fa-
er...
...
...of stars
...you separate
...he changed
...and...
...
...
...
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...
...great voice...
.................may
[the father] draw together...
.................four...
...he teaches concerning the remaining...
..to cry out, and may he stand...
[of the] prize, and may he swear [through]
[the] herald Astuda(mas?).
An oath under a herald
I swear by him who divides a[nd separates]
the earth from heaven an[d darkness]
[from] light and day from ni[ght]
[and r]ising from setting and [life]
[from] death and generation fro[m corruption]
[and b]lack [f]rom light and drynes[s]
[from wet]ness and ... from ... [and]
bitter[ness] from sweatness and fles[h from]
sou[l]: I swear to the [god]s which I b[eseech]
to observe and gua[rd
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...earth from heaven,
...day from night,
...life from de(ath?)
...corruption, I swear.
...to observe
...to me myst-
...father Sarapis
...herald of sacrifice
...is the
...brothers. Faithful to one's oath
...
...
...Cautopates
...with the sharp
...seals
...
...
...
...
...of stars
...you separate
...he changed
...and...
...
...
...
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