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Six Oracular Texts from Ancient Christian Magic(Marvin Meyer and Richard Smith, editors)Text 30: Oracular text 1Text: Oxyrhynchus 925Oxyrhynchus 925 is a text that seeks from god an oracular response to a question about a proposed journey. TEXT † O god almighty, holy true, lover of humanity and creator, father of our lord and savior Jesus Christ, show me your truth: Do you wish me to go to Chiout, and shall I find that you are of help to me and gracious? May it be so, Amen. Text 31: Oracular text 2Text: Oxyrhynchus 1150Oxyrhynchus 1150 is a text that seeks an oracular response about whether Anoup should be brought to a hospital. TEXT † O god of our patron St. Philoxenos, if you command us to bring Anoup to your hospital, show your power, and let the message come forth. Text 32: Oracular text 3Text: Oxyrhynchus 1926Oxyrhynchus 1926 is a text that seeks from god an oracular re-sponse to a question about whether or not one should make an offer for a business establishment. Here the text is worded negatively; the next text, Harris 54, has been prepared from the same sheet of papyrus and addresses the same concern, but is worded positively. These two texts thus embody the two options for the reponse. See herbert C. Youtie, "Questions to a Christian Oracle." TEXT † My lord god almighty and St. Philoxenos my patron, I beseech you through the great name of the lord god, if it is not your will for me to speak about the bank or about the weighing office, direct me to find out that I may not speak. † (verso) † CH M G † CH M G † CH M G † Text 33: Oracular text 4Text: Harris 54Harris 54, like Oxyrhynchus 1926, is a text that seeks an oracular response to a question about whether one ought to make an offer for a bank. Harris 54 is worded positively. Oxyrhynchus 1926 has been cut from the same sheet of papyrus and raises the same question, but does so with a negative formulation. See Herbert C. Youtie, "Questions to a Christian Oracle." TEXT † My lord god almighty and St. Philoxenos my patron, I beseech you through the great name of the lord god, if it is your will and you help me get the banking business, I invoke you to direct me to find out and to speak. † (verso) † CH M G † CH M G † CH M G Text 34: Oracular text 5Text: Berlin 21269Berlin 21269 is another text that seeks an oracular response to a question. In this case the issue is the proposed marriage of two people, Theodora and Joseph, and the answer is provided ("yes"). TEXT God of the Christians: Is it your will that we give your handmaid Theodora to Joseph? Yes. Text 35: Oracular text 6Text: Berlin 13232Berlin 13232 is yet another text with oracular interests. This text provides the oracular response to a question asked of god, but the answer is so general as to preclude the possibility of recovering the original question. TEXT † Do not harm your soul, for what has come to pass is from god. Content © 2003 - 2005, Michael J Dangler |