Fun with Papyri

[Barry Hofstetter]

While researching something else, I came across this:

[1]κυρίῳ μου ἀδελφῷ Ἀμμινέῳ
[2]Σαμβᾶς.
[3]ἐπειδὴ ὁ κύριός μου ὁ δεσποτικὸς
[4]νοτάριος εὐτυχῶς σήμερον
[5]ἐπιδημεῖν ἡμῖν μέλλει τῆς
[6]τῶν τιρώνων συλλογῆς
[7]ἕνεκεν καλῶς ποιήσεις κύρι[έ]
[8][μο]υ ἄδελφε̣, ἐκδέξασθαι τὰς

P.Abinn.: The Abinnaeus Archive: Papers of a Roman Officer in the Reign of Constantius II. (n.d.). Perseus Digital Library.

We'll never know what Ammineus was supposed to receive, but does this remind anyone of any particular biblical story (hint: think gospels and think parables).

[jeidsath]

"κυρίῳ μου ἀδελφῷ" -- Just "my dear sir" or maybe "my brother officer? Are κύριος and ἀδελφός just courtesy here?

ὁ κύριός μου ὁ δεσποτικὸς νοτάριος -- "chief notary." I had to look up νοτάριος in Lampe (not knowing Latin). There appear to be a number of state positions associated with it, some high ranking. However I can't tell whether "ὁ κύριός μου" is "my master" or a courtesy title as above.

"εὐτυχῶς σήμερον ἐπιδημεῖν ἡμῖν μέλλει τῆς τῶν τιρώνων συλλογῆς" -- "happily plans to visit us today during the collection of the recruits"

My guess for the parable (I could be wrong): "μακάριος ὁ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος ὃν ἐλθὼν ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ εὑρήσει οὕτως ποιοῦντα." But again, I'm not sure whether ὁ δεσποτικὸς νοτάριος is literally his master.

[Barry Hofstetter]

"κυρίῳ μου ἀδελφῷ" -- Just "my dear sir" or maybe "my brother officer? Are κύριος and ἀδελφός just courtesy here?

ὁ κύριός μου ὁ δεσποτικὸς νοτάριος -- "chief notary." I had to look up νοτάριος in Lampe (not knowing Latin). There appear to be a number of state positions associated with it, some high ranking. However I can't tell whether "ὁ κύριός μου" is "my master" or a courtesy title as above.

"εὐτυχῶς σήμερον ἐπιδημεῖν ἡμῖν μέλλει τῆς τῶν τιρώνων συλλογῆς" -- "happily plans to visit us today during the collection of the recruits"

My guess for the parable (I could be wrong): "μακάριος ὁ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος ὃν ἐλθὼν ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ εὑρήσει οὕτως ποιοῦντα." But again, I'm not sure whether ὁ δεσποτικὸς νοτάριος is literally his master.

One of the reasons that the papyri are fun is that they remind us that people were using the language for real communication on a daily basis. I think the term δεσπότικος indicates that the individual about to visit is a person of some authority, particularly considering the later antiquity provenance of the manuscript. LSJ has:

2. Imperial, ἐπιτροπος χωρίων δεσποτικῶν IG10(2).1.351.3 (Thessalonica, iv A.D.).

Liddell, H. G., Scott, R., Jones, H. S., & McKenzie, R. (1996). A Greek-English lexicon (p. 381). Oxford: Clarendon Press.

If you have access to the LSJ, νοτάριος is listed.

On your translation, and I think this is significant, you left off ἕνεκεν from the next line, which makes sense out of the genitive συλλογῆς, "for the sake of." The way I read this, we have a figure of some authority coming to take a particular action, and therefore Ammineus is supposed to prepare by doing something. And yes, that's the parallel that occurred to me.

[jeidsath]

Yes, I see νοτάριος in the LSJ Supplement, now that I look for it. When I don't see a word in the main text, I usually jump to Lampe first, which may be a mistake.

On your translation, and I think this is significant, you left off ἕνεκεν from the next line, which makes sense out of the genitive συλλογῆς, "for the sake of." The way I read this, we have a figure of some authority coming to take a particular action, and therefore Ammineus is supposed to prepare by doing something. And yes, that's the parallel that occurred to me.

That makes sense. I had thought that ἕνεκεν was being used as a conjunction on the next line, and so interpreted συλλογῆς as a genitive of time. But it makes more sense that ἕνεκεν is simply following its case (which it does from time to time, according to the LSJ).