Singers Silently Speaking: Psalmists in Inscriptions from Late Antique Middle Egypt (Bawit)

Journal of Early Christian Studies. 2021. Vol. 29. No. 4. P. 607–636.

Avdokhin A.

Personal agency and social microhistory of hymn-writing and singing in late antiquity have been mostly neglected in the study of Christian liturgy. In this article, I approach the question of social and administrative standing of "singers of psalms" in monastic communities in late antique Egypt through the study of their epigraphic (self-)representation. I focus on Coptic inscriptions, both dipinti and graffiti, left on behalf of, or applied by singers themselves on the walls of public structures in the extensive monastery complex of Apa Apollo at Bawit. Through the exploration of the patterns of visuality of these inscriptions, their positioning, and the manner of execution, I seek to unpack social implications of their use as epigraphic commemoration. I argue that while, contrary to the generally held views, certain singers were part of the administrative and spiritual elite of ascetical communities at Bawit, their vocational and ecclesial identities tended to merge with other professional and clerical strata, so social cohesion was more important than self-centered group awareness.

Keywords: epigraphy, late antiquity, liturgy, Coptic