Martyrdom of John of Phanijoit MS Vat - Copt. 69, fols 40r-55v

Abstract

This is the first translation into Russian of the “Martyrdom of John of Phanijoit”. The text is written in Coptic and originates from the beginning of the 13th cent. AD. The translation is preceded by an introduction, which comprises the history of the research as well as lists all the modern editions and translations of the “Martyrdom”. It is pointed out that there are some doubts about the original language of the text: some scholars argue that it could have been Arabic. There are also different speculations regarding the motives, which prompted the author to use Coptic, although at that time the Egyptian Christians almost completely switched to Arabic in everyday life. The composition of the “Martyrdom” follows the hagiographic canon, however, some expected topoi are missing. Among those are the torture of the Saint, the intervention of Heavenly Forces to strengthen the martyr. The main character in the “Martyrdom” is John, the flax seller. Having married a Muslim woman, he converted from Christianity to Islam. The narrative deals with what happened to John, when he decided to return to Christianity openly. The author of “Martyrdom” was a contemporary of the martyr and likely witnessed the events he described. Some of the characters mentioned in the “Martyrdom” are not fictitious but did exist indeed. All this makes the text a valuable source for the history of the Eastern Christianity in the Middle Ages.