Jaakko Frösén presents "From carbonized papyri to the Monastery of Saint Aaron at Petra, the last will of Mr. Obodianos, P. Petra inv. 6a"

Reception to follow talk.In the body of P. Petra Inv. 6a (AD 573), there are six copies of a gift after death (donatio mortis causa) offered by Obodianos son of Obodianos, who is lying sick and promises all his belongings to the House of Aaron and to the hospital of Martyr Kyrikos. The representatives of the these two institutions are Kyrikos son of Petros, presbyter and superior of the House of Aaron, and for the hospital, Theodoros son of Obodianos, probably the younger brother or uncle of our Obodianos and the main figure of the Petra archive. Theodoros was the archdeacon of the Church of Virgin Mary, where the carbonized papyri were found in 1993. The last 5th volume of the Petra Papyri is forthcoming in 2016.According to prevalent tradition, Mt. Aaron, within sight of the city of Petra, is the burial place of the High Priest/Prophet Aaron, Moses brother. An Islamic shrine built over the remains of an earlier church on the summit during the 14th century symbolizes the mountains sacred status for the three monotheistic faiths. A building complex on a terrace just below the summit was the House (pilgrimage center) of Aaron, of which we have the earliest mention in our carbonized scroll.