ἀδελ]φ̣[ῷ]
Π[αιηοῦτι Ἑριηοῦς ἐν] κ(υρί)ῳ χαίρειν.
το̣ῖ̣[ς ἐν
]η̣φ̣θ̣ονει σ̣υμφορᾷ παραπεσοῦσιν
βοη[θεῖ]ν̣ π̣[α]ρ̣[α]γγέλεται
ἡμ̣ῖν ὁ θεῖος λόγος πᾶσι, μάλιστα
τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἡμῶν. ἐπειδὴ οὖν ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν
Παμώνθεις περιστάσεσι <οὐ> τε͂ς
{ς} τυχούσαις παρα-
πεσὼν ἔσχιστα
πέπονθεν ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἀνε-
λεημόνων καὶ ἀθέων ὥσ[τ]ε̣ ὡς ἔπως
εἰπεῖν ἀναγ- ’
κασθῆναι τῆς μακαρίας
ἐλπίδος ἡμῶν ἀποστερη-
θῆναι, ὅθεν ἐδέησεν ἡμᾶς ἐπιθεῖνε
διʼ αὐτὰ
ταῦτ̣α̣
τὰ γράμματα πρὸ̣ς̣ τ̣ὴ̣ν ἀδελφώτητα
ὑμῶν
, δηλωσας
τὴν τούτου πασιν
πρᾶξιν,
ἱ
ν
καὶ ὑμῖς
γνωντες
συμ̣βάλλεσθε αὐτῷ μεμνη-
μένοι [το]ῦ̣ μ̣α̣κ̣α̣ρ̣ίο̣υ̣ ἀ̣ποστό̣[λ]ου̣ λέγοντες
τοὺς
ἀσθενο̣ῦ̣ν̣τ̣α̣ς̣ μὴ παρορᾶν̣ [ο]ὐ̣ μό̣ν̣ο̣ν̣ [ἐ]ν̣ τῇ πίστι
ἀλλα κ̣α̣[ὶ ἐ]ν̣ ταῖς κομικαῖς
π̣[ρ]άξεσι. οὗτο̣ς
\γὰρ ὁ/ ἀδελφὸς
ἡμῶν ἔτυχέν ποτε οἰνοπράτης καὶ ἐπὶ πολλὺ
ἐνοχληθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ πατρίδι ἀρχωντω
⟦παρα⟧ παρὰ τὴν δύναμιν αὐ[το]ῦ εἰσπράτ̣ε̣σθαι
καὶ ἐκ
τούτου ὄγ’κον ἀργυρίου δαν[ει]σάμενος καὶ ταῦτα
ἀπετηθεὶς
καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος ἀπαντᾶν πρὸς τὰ
χρεωστούμενα ἠναγκάσθη
ὑπὸ τῶν δανιστω
πάντα τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ἄχρι καὶ τῶν ἱ
ματίων τῶν
τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτοῦ
περισκεπασμένων
πολῆσαι
· καὶ τούτων πραθέντων μόγις τὴν ἡμίσιαν̣
τῶν ἀργυρίων τεδύνηται
περινοῆσαι
τοῖς δανισταῖς
,
οἵτινες οἱ ἀνελεήμονες ἐκεῖνοι καὶ ἄθεοι ἀπέσπα-
σαν τὰ
πάν̣τ̣α τὰ ἑαυτοῦ τέκνα νήπια κομιδῇ.
ὅθεν ἐπιτίνωμεν
πρὸς ὑμᾶς ταυτηνὶ τὴν ἐπιστο-
λήν, ἀξιοῦν̣τες ὑμ̣[ᾶς σ]υμβαλέσθαι αὐτῷ εἰς ὃ ἐ̣ὰ̣[ν]
δ̣ύ̣νασ̣θ̣ε̣ [δοῦν]ε̣
ἵν[α] π̣α̣ρ̣ʼ αὐτῶ̣[ν αὐ]τ̣ὰ̣ [ἀπολάβῃ]
υἱ
οὶ τοῦ οὐρανίου πατρὸς ἡμῶ̣ν.
ἡ̣ ἐ̣μὴ̣ ατ̣1
ρ̣ο̣υ̣χε
ρ̣α̣ν̣ σ̣ο̣υ̣
ὡν πάνυ αὐτῷ̣ βοήθησον ἐπιδὴ
μ̣άλ̣ι̣σ̣τα
ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὅτι ἥρπασαν τὰ τέκν̣[α]
[αὐτοῦ εἰ]ς̣ δου[λ]ίαν
. μὴ ο̣ὖ̣ν̣ ἀ̣μ̣[έ]λ̣η̣σ̣[ο]ν̣ τ̣ὸ̣
κ̣α̣ὶ̣ παντὶ τρόπῳ.
ἀπόδ(ος) Παι
ηοῦτι πρεσβ(υτέρῳ) π(αρὰ) Ἑριηους
ἀδελφός.
None found in the document.
To the brother,
Greetings in the Lord from Paeontius of Herius.
To those who are in distress and are about to fall into misfortune, it is commanded to help them.
The divine word is for all of us, especially for our brothers. Therefore, since our brother Pamonthes has fallen into very difficult circumstances, he has suffered greatly at the hands of merciless and godless men, so that it is necessary to say that he has been deprived of our blessed hope, from which he has asked us to send these letters to your brotherhood, declaring his situation to all.
And you, knowing this, should assist him, remembering the blessed apostle, saying to the sick not to be discouraged, not only in faith but also in their worldly affairs. For this brother of ours once was a wine merchant and was greatly troubled by those in his own homeland, being forced beyond his means to collect debts and having borrowed a large sum of silver, and having been unable to repay it, he was compelled by the lenders to sell all his possessions, even to the shame of his garments.
And after these things were sold, he could hardly manage to pay half of the debts to the lenders, who are those merciless and godless men who have taken all his children into slavery.
Therefore, we send you this letter, asking you to assist him in whatever way you can, so that he may receive from them.
Sons of our heavenly Father.
My prayer is that you may help him greatly, especially since the brother has been seized and his children taken into slavery. Therefore, do not neglect this and assist in every way.
ἀδελφῷ Παιηοῦτι Ἑριηοῦς ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν.
τοῖς ἐν [...]ηφθονει συμφορᾷ παραπεσοῦσιν βοηθεῖν παραγγέλλεται ἡμῖν ὁ θεῖος λόγος πᾶσι, μάλιστα τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἡμῶν. ἐπειδὴ οὖν ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν Παμώνθεις περιστάσεσι οὐ ταῖς τυχούσαις παραπεσὼν αἴσχιστα πέπονθεν ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἀνελεημόνων καὶ ἀθέων ὥστε ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν ἀναγκασθῆναι τῆς μακαρίας ἐλπίδος ἡμῶν ἀποστερηθῆναι, ὅθεν ἐδέησεν ἡμᾶς ἐπιθεῖναι διʼ αὐτὰ ταῦτα τὰ γράμματα πρὸς τὴν ἀδελφότητα ὑμῶν, δηλώσαντας τὴν τούτου πᾶσαν πρᾶξιν, ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς γνόντες συμβάλλεσθε αὐτῷ μεμνημένοι τοῦ μακαρίου ἀποστόλου λέγοντος τοὺς ἀσθενοῦντας μὴ παρορᾶν οὐ μόνον ἐν τῇ πίστει ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ταῖς κοσμικαῖς πράξεσι. οὗτος γὰρ ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν ἔτυχέν ποτε οἰνοπράτης καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ ἐνοχληθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ πατρίδι ἀρχόντων παρὰ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ εἰσπράττεσθαι καὶ ἐκ τούτου ὄγκον ἀργυρίου δανεισάμενος καὶ ταῦτα ἀπαιτηθεὶς καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος ἀπαντᾶν πρὸς τὰ χρεωστούμενα ἠναγκάσθη ὑπὸ τῶν δανειστῶν πάντα τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ἄχρι καὶ τῶν ἱματίων τῶν τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτοῦ περισκεπασμένων πωλῆσαι· καὶ τούτων πραθέντων μόγις τὴν ἡμίσειαν τῶν ἀργυρίων δεδύνηται περιποιῆσαι τοῖς δανεισταῖς, οἵτινες οἱ ἀνελεήμονες ἐκεῖνοι καὶ ἄθεοι ἀπέσπασαν πάντα τὰ ἑαυτοῦ τέκνα νήπια κομιδῇ. ὅθεν ἐπιτείνομεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ταυτηνὶ τὴν ἐπιστολήν, ἀξιοῦντες ὑμᾶς συμβαλέσθαι αὐτῷ εἰς ὃ ἐὰν δύνασθε δοῦναι ἵνα παρʼ αὐτῶν αὐτὰ ἀπολάβῃ.
(No Latin text clearly identifiable in the provided document.)
To brother Paieous from Herieous, greetings in the Lord.
The divine word commands us all to help those who have fallen into unfortunate circumstances, especially our brothers. Since, therefore, our brother Pamonthes has fallen into extraordinary difficulties and has suffered terribly at the hands of merciless and godless men, so much so that, so to speak, he has been forced to lose our blessed hope, we found it necessary to send this letter to your brotherhood, making known his entire situation, so that you too, knowing this, may assist him, remembering the blessed apostle who says not to overlook those who are weak, not only in faith but also in worldly matters. For this brother of ours was once a wine-seller and, having been greatly troubled by the authorities in his homeland beyond his means, borrowed a large sum of money. When this was demanded back and he was unable to repay his debts, he was compelled by his creditors to sell all his possessions, even the clothes covering his nakedness. Even after these were sold, he barely managed to repay half the money to the creditors, who, being merciless and godless, took away all his very young children. Therefore, we urgently send this letter to you, asking you to help him in whatever way you can, so that he may recover them from these people.
ⲉⲣⲟ ⲡⲟⲩⲁϩ ⲛⲉⲡⲧⲱⲟⲩ
(The Coptic fragment is incomplete and unclear; possibly a greeting or blessing: "O king of heaven" or similar.)