Monastic Wills from the Monastery of St. Phoibammon in Western Thebes

This article proposes a new interpretation of the appointment and succession of abbots at the monastery of St. Phoibammon, inspired by Esther Garel’s (re)edition of four wills and thorough study of the monastery in P.Mon.Phoib.Test. After an introduction and review of previous scholarship, the third section of the article is devoted to an analysis of the appointment of monastic superiors in St. Phoibammon in light of statutory law. The fourth section provides comparative papyrological and literary material for owning and transferring monastic dwellings in late-Antique Egypt, while the fifth analyzes the so-called foundation deed of St. Phoibammon (P.KRU 105). The last section is devoted to other documents from the monastic dossier to better understand the role of superiors in holding monastic ownership.