Christian bishops and their subordinates in the Egyptian Greek papyri 264 - 451CE

What level of authority and power did an Egyptian Christian bishop have and in what areas, in the mid-third to mid-fifth centuries? What roles did his key subordinates play, especially deacons and presbyters? In the past much research on the Church in the East has focused on four key areas: the extent of imperial sanctions, support and interventions in the Church starting with Constantine; theological controversies; the power wielded by the Alexandrian popes; and the development of the phenomenon of monasticism through monks and holy men who wielded unofficial but considerable power. As important as the literary sources are, each author was motivated by his own purpose. The Greek documentary papyri provide an “over the shoulder” glimpse of bishops, deacons and presbyters at work. Over ninety such papyri are examined to answer this question. Claudia Rapp calls for a fresh approach to the historical enquiry into the development of the Christian Church and this thesis aims to contribute to this enquiry. She argues for an approach that: “deemphasizes the reign of Constantine.” Further: “It is more fruitful to conceive of secular and religious authority as the opposing ends of a sliding scale,” with the bishop occupying the “middle ground between the two poles of secular and religious leadership.”

It is not possible to, nor should we try to examine the growth of the Church in isolation from Constantine’s undoubted contributions. The papyri here reflect many areas of a bishop’s authority which were the results of Constantine’s involvement, however tenuous, for example the episcopalis audientia law in Chapter 3.

It is argued in this thesis that the sources of a bishop’s authority fall into five main categories, which are based on Rapp’s terms plus the extension of some of these terms. There were the Martyrs and Confessors who exercised Spiritual/Ascetic authority regardless of their place in the visible world. The Pragmatic authority of a bishop was exercised over his main employees: the deacons and presbyters. A bishop’s Pragmatic Legal authority is seen in action, not only with reference to Constantine’s contentious episcopalis audientia, but also in the bishop’s role as mediator. Pragmatic authority is also exercised through a bishop’s responsibility to care for the poor, and the papyri illustrate his commercial ventures which generated the funds. Pragmatic Authority/Patronage is exercised through his Letters of Recommendation. The papyri also show deacons dealing with personal business and serving their Church, often with financial responsibilities. It is often unclear if he was acting on behalf of his bishop or for personal matters. Selecting “presbyters” for analysis presented a challenge as this term could also simply mean an “old man” or a community “elder”. Presbyters are shown to act in a bishop’s absence (e.g. Letters of Recommendation); as witnesses to legal documents, as “spiritual directors and guardians of morals,” arranging marriages and as mediators in conflict. As with the bishops, the deacons and presbyters are active in their communities. Rapp is correct when she argues that the bishop occupied “the middle ground between the two poles of secular and religious leadership.”