Psoi

References

Sources

1. 1.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 828)

   PSOÏ, the Coptic name of the town that was known in Greek as Ptolemais Hermiou (so named by the pharaoh Ptolemy I) and called al-Minshah today. The town is located on the west bank of the Nile in Upper Egypt some 7 miles (11 km) south of Akhmim.

2. 2.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 424)

   Among the latter, Ptolemais (modern al-Minshah; see PSOI), a foundation of Ptolemy I, stands out as the only Greek city in Upper Egypt provided with the full set of polis institutions.

3. 3.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 828)

   In the Roman and the Byzantine periods, this town grew rapidly, and its bishop seems to have played an important role, if we may judge from the story of the martyrdom, preserved in Latin and in Coptic, of one of its bishops named PSOTE. He died under the emperor DIOCLETIAN. His tomb, included in a monastery on the bank opposite the town, is still an important pilgrimage site; this is DAYR ANBA BISADAH. The writings of Saint ATHANASIUS in the fourth century testify to the importance of Ptolemais/Psoï as an episcopal seat. Ptolemais was the most populous town after Alexandria and after 450 becam

4. 4.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 176)

   He was bishop of the town of Psoi/Ptolemais, which at least in the Byzantine era was the place of residence, along with Antinoë (ANTINOOPOLIS), of the dux, the military and also civil chief of the province of the Thebaid, whose powers extended as far as Aswan.

5. 5.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 830)

   PSOTE OF PSOI, SAINT, or Psate or Bisadah, martyr under DIOCLETIAN, about 305 (feast day: 27 Kiyahk). Information about him can be gleaned only from the account of his Passion, for which the Greek text, written perhaps near the end of the fourth century, is now lost. However, there is a Coptic translation, in a Sahidic codex from Hamuli, dating from the tenth century (Pierpont Morgan Library M583, fols. 17-23, ed. Orlandi, 1978), as well as a Latin (Delehaye, 1922) and an Ethiopic translation (Budge, 1915).

6. 6.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 176)

   This monastery, on the right bank of the Nile in the village of al-Ahaywah Sharq, about 11 miles (18 km) south of Akhmim, preserves the memory and the relics of a martyr bishop in the fourth century, PSOTE. ... The life of this bishop has come down to us in Latin, a rare thing, and this text, which does not present the embellishments of too many saints' lives, says that he was buried to the east of the town of Psoi. There is every reason to believe that the present monastery was built over the tomb of this bishop, for the monastery, which still exists and is frequented as a place of pilgrimage

7. 7.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 176)

   If the manuscripts that have handed down this text are of the ninth century, the tradition that they transmit is certainly older, but the date of the foundation of this monastery cannot be fixed with certainty (Godron, PO 35, p. 500).

8. 8.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 828)

   It should be noted that Pachomius' disciple and successor Theodorus (c. 307-368) is said to have founded a monastery there, according to the famous "Letter of Ammon" (Halkin and Festugière, 1982, pp. 110, 160). The text specifies "near the town," but does not give the name of the monastery.

9. 9.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 520)

   On the right bank of the Nile, about 6 miles (10 km) south of DAYR ANBA BISADAH, and hence of the town of al-Minshah (the ancient Psoi/Ptolemais Hermiou), are the ruins of a village, a necropolis, and a Coptic monastery named for Saint John. A little farther to the south, in the quarries at the foot of the Jabal Tukh, some Coptic inscriptions indicate that hermits lived there.

10. 10.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 828)

    Unfortunately it is difficult to trace the history of the Christian community in Pso because of a lack of documents. ... At the consecration of the chrism in 1320 we do indeed read that a bishop of "Absay" (Psoï) was present (Munier, 1943, p. 39) ... It does seem that on the ecclesiastical level, which follows the civil evolution with some delay, the town gradually lost its importance, and hence at an uncertain date its bishopric was suppressed to the benefit of Jirja, which became the metropolis of the province. ... In fact, the traveler J. VANSLEB, who sojourned in Egypt in 1672 and 1673, ma

11. 11.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 829)

    although he does mention it in his register of ancient episcopal sees. He names "Girgah" as the present bishopric (1677, pp. 22 and 27; he calls it "Ibsai"). The Jesuit C. SICARD, who stayed in Egypt from 1712 to 1726, speaks of it as a small Christian community, but not as the seat of a bishop (1982, Vol. 3, p. 232). S. CLARKE, reproducing the official patriarchate list of the churches attaching to this or that bishopric, links the churches of "al-Minshaat" with the bishopric of Jirja (1912, pp. 213-14).