Pesynthios of Coptos/Qift (ca. 568–632) and the Rise of the Egyptian Miaphysite Church

Abstract

The so-called archive of Pesynthios of Coptos consists of over seventy papyri that offer a unique glimpse of the activities of a Late Antique bishop. These documents can simply be read as a collection of individual “cases” brought to the attention of Bishop Pesynthios. However, as the current project for a new edition of the archive, undertaken in collaboration between the Musee du Louvre and Leiden University, nears completion, it becomes increasingly clear that they can also be used to address broader historical issues. This article shows how the Pesynthios archive, together with the numerous contemporary documents from the Theban region, offers ideal material for a study along the lines of social network analysis. Such a study promises to shed new light on the debated question of the social roots of Egypt’s nascent miaphysite Church that took shape under Patriarch Damian (578–607), the patriarch who ordained Pesynthios bishop of Coptos in or around 599.