www.facebook.com/groups/med.history Salah Zyada Lettered Christians www.facebook.com/groups/med.history Salah Zyada New Testament Tools, Studies and Documents NewTestamentTools,Studies,andDocuments(NTTSD)combinestwoseries,New TestamentToolsandStudies(NTTS)andStudiesandDocuments(SD).Theformerwas foundedbyBruceM.Metzgerin1965andeditedbyhimuntil1993,whenBartD. Ehrmanjoinedhimasco-editor.ThelatterserieswasfoundedbyKirsoppandSilvaLake in1935,editedbythemuntilthedeathofKirsoppLakein1946,thenbrieflybySilva LakeandCarstenHøeg(1955),followedbyJacobGeerlings(until1969),byIrvingAlan Sparks(until1993),andfinallybyEldonJayEpp(until2007). Thenewserieswillpromotethepublicationofprimarysources,referencetools,and criticalstudiesthatadvancetheunderstandingoftheNewTestamentandotherearly Christianwritingsandwritersintothefourthcentury.Emphasesofthetwopredecessor serieswillberetained,includingthetextualhistoryandtransmissionoftheNew Testamentandrelatedliterature,relevantmanuscriptsinvariouslanguages, methodologiesforresearchinearlyChristianity.Theserieswillalsopublishabroader rangeofstudiespertinenttoearlyChristianityanditswritings. Editors BartD.Ehrman,Ph.D., JamesA.GrayDistinguishedProfessorofReligiousStudies UniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHill EldonJ.Epp,Ph.D., HarknessProfessorofBiblicalLiteratureEmeritusand DeanofHumanitiesandSocialSciencesEmeritus, CaseWesternReserveUniversity,Cleveland,Ohio VOLUME39 Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.nl/ntts www.facebook.com/groups/med.history Salah Zyada Lettered Christians Christians, Letters, and Late Antique Oxyrhynchus By LincolnH.Blumell LEIDEN•BOSTON 2012 www.facebook.com/groups/med.history LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Blumell,LincolnH.(LincolnHarris),1975- LetteredChristians:Christians,letters,andlateantiqueOxyrhynchus/byLincolnH.Blumell. p.cm.–(NewTestamenttools,studies,anddocuments,ISSN0077-8842;v.39) Revisionoftheauthor'sthesis(doctoral)–UniversityofToronto,2009. Includesbibliographicalreferences(p. )andindexes. ISBN978-90-04-18095-6(hardback:alk.paper) 1.Christianliterature,Early.2.Oxyrhynchuspapyri.I.Title. BR67.B582012 276.2'201–dc23 2011045891 Thispublicationhasbeentypesetinthemultilingual“Brill”typeface.Withover5,100 characterscoveringLatin,IPA,Greek,andCyrillic,thistypefaceisespeciallysuitablefor useinthehumanities.Formoreinformation,pleaseseewww.brill.nl/brill-typeface. ISSN0077-8842 ISBN9789004180956(hardback) ISBN9789004180987(e-book) Copyright2012byKoninklijkeBrillNV,Leiden,TheNetherlands. KoninklijkeBrillNVincorporatestheimprintsBrill,GlobalOriental,HoteiPublishing, IDCPublishers,MartinusNijhoffPublishersandVSP. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,translated,storedin aretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical, photocopying,recordingorotherwise,withoutpriorwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher. AuthorizationtophotocopyitemsforinternalorpersonaluseisgrantedbyKoninklijkeBrillNV providedthattheappropriatefeesarepaiddirectlytoTheCopyrightClearanceCenter, 222RosewoodDrive,Suite910,Danvers,MA01923,USA. Feesaresubjecttochange. Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaper. www.facebook.com/groups/med.history uxorietfiliismeis www.facebook.com/groups/med.history www.facebook.com/groups/med.history CONTENTS Acknowledgements..................................................... ix Abbreviations........................................................... xi EditingSigla ............................................................ xv ColourPlates ...................................................followingxv 1. Introduction ......................................................... 1 I. ScholarshipandtheChristianRemainsfromOxyrhynchus ..... 8 II. TheStudy:ArgumentandStructure ............................. 12 III. Caveats .......................................................... 16 2. WritingChristian .................................................... 27 I. ScholarshipandPapyrusLettersWrittenbyChristians.......... 32 II. MarkersofChristianIdentitywithinLetters..................... 36 i. TheNomenChristianumandSelf-Identification............. 37 ii. CrossesandMonograms..................................... 43 iii. IsopsephismsandAcrostics ................................. 46 iv. NominaSacra................................................ 49 v. MonotheisticTerminologyandPhraseology ................ 52 a. InvocationsandObeisances.............................. 53 b. GreetingsandFarewells .................................. 55 c. MonotheisticEpithets .................................... 57 d. MonotheisticPhrases..................................... 61 vi. FamilialLanguageandtheUseofἀγαπητός ................. 68 vii. MiscellaneousMarkers ...................................... 70 viii.Conclusions ................................................. 78 ix. Postscript.................................................... 85 3. MappingChristians:TravelandEpistolaryNetworksinChristian LettersfromOxyrhynchus........................................... 89 I. TravelandCommunicationinRomanandByzantineEgypt .... 90 II. DetectableTravelMotivesintheLetters ........................ 103 III. PatternsofTravelandEpistolaryNetworks...................... 120 IV. Conclusions...................................................... 154 www.facebook.com/groups/med.history viii contents 4. ChristiansoftheBook? .............................................. 163 I. ChristiansandTheirTexts....................................... 166 II. LearnedChristians?.............................................. 183 III. TheUseof“Scripture”intheLetters ............................. 208 i. ScripturalCitations.......................................... 210 ii. ScripturalQuotations........................................ 218 iii. ScripturalEchoesandReminiscences ....................... 220 IV. Conclusions...................................................... 232 5. What’sinaName? ................................................... 237 I. OnomasticDataandReligiousAdherenceinAntiquity ......... 240 II. NominaChristiana............................................... 249 i. BiblicalNames............................................... 249 ii. NamesofMartyrsandSaints ................................ 250 iii. NamesCarryingChristianConnotations .................... 260 III. NominaChristianainEpistulae .................................. 262 i. BiblicalNames............................................... 263 ii. NamesofMartyrsandSaints ................................ 265 iii. NamesCarryingChristianConnotations .................... 267 iv. FemaleNames............................................... 269 IV. NominaPagana.................................................. 272 V. Conclusions...................................................... 275 6. ReadingSomeoneElse’sMail........................................ 281 Epilogue.TheDemiseofChristianOxyrhynchus....................... 295 Appendix ............................................................... 301 Bibliography............................................................ 371 IndexofAncientAuthors............................................... 399 IndexofBiblicalReferences ............................................ 401 IndexofSelectGreekTermsandPhrases............................... 406 IndexofModernAuthors............................................... 408 IndexofPapyriandInscriptions........................................ 415 IndexofSubjects ....................................................... 426 www.facebook.com/groups/med.history ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thepresentstudyisarevisedversionofmydoctoraldissertation,whichwas submitted to the Department and Centre for the Study of Religion at the UniversityofTorontoinJuly2009.First,Iowemanythankstomysupervi- sor,Prof.JohnS.Kloppenborg,whoseconstantencouragement,advice,and directionwasindispensabletothisproject.Similarly,Ialsoowethanksto theothermembersofmycommittee,Dr.NickEverettandProf.PaulSwar- ney,aswellastomytwoexternalexaminers,Dr.MichelCottierandProf. EldonJ.Epp,forprovidingmewithmanyvaluableinsightsanddirectives. IalsooweadebtofgratitudetoDr.PetervanMinnen,whowasnotoffi- ciallyinvolvedwithmydissertationbutwhohasbeenprofoundlyhelpful andextremelygenerouswithofferingadviceanddirectionwhensolicited. I also want to thank Stephen Brown, Alex MacDonnell, and Prof. Wayne O.McCreadyfortheconstantsupportandencouragementtheyprovided during the writing of this dissertation and to Joseph Antley and Erik Yin- glingforreadingoverdraftsandcheckingfootnotes. IwanttothankProf.BartD.EhrmanandProf.EldonJ.Eppforaccepting thisstudyaspartoftheNewTestamentTools,Studies,andDocumentsseries. Ifeelitagenuinehonourtohavemyworkassociatedwiththisexcellent series. Likewise, I want to thank Mattie Kuiper and the editorial board at Brill for their patience as I was revising my dissertation and for their exemplaryworkonthisvolume. Lastly, I owe a profound debt of gratitude to my family. To my par- ents,BruceandJeanBlumell,wordscannotadequatelyexpresshowmuch I thank you for your overwhelming support and encouragement at every step in this process. Likewise, to my wife, Melissa, and to my four chil- dren, Luke, Grace, Charlotte, and Claire, I sincerely thank you for your sustained patience, support, encouragement, and love, without such this projectwouldhavebeenimpossible.