Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 3035
Encyclopedia
Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 3035 (or P. Oxy. XLII 3035) is a warrant
for the arrest of a Christian
, issued on 28 February 256 AD, by the authorities of the Roman Empire
. This is one of the earliest uses of the word Christian attested on papyrus
.
The order was issued by the head of the Oxyrhynchus ruling council, to the police in a country village, to arrest a man described as a Christian (note χρισιανόν, the papyrus has the early spelling, χρησιανόν). The charge which makes the Christian liable for arrest is not given, unless this is Christianity itself. Persecution could explain this document, but Christians were generally tolerated by the authorities, periods of systematic persecution stand out as distinctive and exceptional in other documentation. One such period, however, was "instituted under the emperor Valerian I in AD 257 and 258." Within seventy years of the Valerian persecution, Christianity would become a religio licita
(legal religion) under Roman law
.
The manuscript is dated precisely in its closing lines to the third year of the co-regency of Valerian
and Gallienus
his son. We know this year to be 256 AD. The day and month are also provided in the last line. Phamenoth is the name of a month in the Egyptian calendar
. It is called Paremhat
in the Coptic calendar
. The warrant was issued on the third day of this month. The equivalent date in our Gregorian calendar
is 28 February 256 AD.
Warrant (law)
Most often, the term warrant refers to a specific type of authorization; a writ issued by a competent officer, usually a judge or magistrate, which permits an otherwise illegal act that would violate individual rights and affords the person executing the writ protection from damages if the act is...
for the arrest of a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, issued on 28 February 256 AD, by the authorities of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. This is one of the earliest uses of the word Christian attested on papyrus
Papyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
.
- Image: P. Oxy. XLII 3035 (© Copyright the Egypt Exploration SocietyEgypt Exploration SocietyThe Egypt Exploration Society is the foremost learned society in the United Kingdom promoting the field of Egyptology....
).
The order was issued by the head of the Oxyrhynchus ruling council, to the police in a country village, to arrest a man described as a Christian (note χρισιανόν, the papyrus has the early spelling, χρησιανόν). The charge which makes the Christian liable for arrest is not given, unless this is Christianity itself. Persecution could explain this document, but Christians were generally tolerated by the authorities, periods of systematic persecution stand out as distinctive and exceptional in other documentation. One such period, however, was "instituted under the emperor Valerian I in AD 257 and 258." Within seventy years of the Valerian persecution, Christianity would become a religio licita
Religio licita
Religio licita is a phrase used in the Apologeticum of Tertullian to describe the special status of Judaism under Roman Imperial rule...
(legal religion) under Roman law
Roman law
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...
.
The manuscript is dated precisely in its closing lines to the third year of the co-regency of Valerian
Valerian (emperor)
Valerian , also known as Valerian the Elder, was Roman Emperor from 253 to 260. He was taken captive by Persian king Shapur I after the Battle of Edessa, becoming the only Roman Emperor who was captured as a prisoner of war, resulting in wide-ranging instability across the Empire.-Origins and rise...
and Gallienus
Gallienus
Gallienus was Roman Emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260, and alone from 260 to 268. He took control of the Empire at a time when it was undergoing great crisis...
his son. We know this year to be 256 AD. The day and month are also provided in the last line. Phamenoth is the name of a month in the Egyptian calendar
Egyptian calendar
The ancient civil Egyptian calendar had a year that was 360 days long and was divided into 12 months of 30 days each, plus five extra days at the end of the year. The months were divided into three weeks of ten days each...
. It is called Paremhat
Paremhat
Paremhat , also known as Baramhat, is the seventh month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between March 10 and April 8 of the Gregorian calendar....
in the Coptic calendar
Coptic calendar
The Coptic calendar, also called the Alexandrian calendar, is used by the Coptic Orthodox Church and still used in Egypt. This calendar is based on the ancient Egyptian calendar...
. The warrant was issued on the third day of this month. The equivalent date in our Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
is 28 February 256 AD.
Text
| 1 | From the governor | |
| 2 | to village rulers and officers of peace | |
| 3 | of the village of Mermerthon. At once | |
| 4 | send up Petosarapin of Horus a Christian, | |
| 5 | or you yourselves come up. | |
| 6 | During the third year of Valerian and Gallienus the August [pl.] | |
| 7 | Phamenoth 3. | |
External links
- 'P.Oxy. XLII 3035'. Oxyrhynchus Papyri Project. Oxford University.