Heraiscus as Melitian Bishop of Hercleopolis Magna and the Alexandrian See

With his characteristic serendipity, Peter van Minnen has recently pointed out ¹ ; that the Heracleopolitan bishop Heraiscus mentioned in P. Harrauer 48 ² (late fourth/early fifth century) as the original owner of a plot of land somewhere in the 320s or 330s must be none other than the key figure in the well known P. London VI 1914. ³ This letter, “one of the most important documents ever published”, as Van Minnen rightly claims, was written in Alexandria on the 23rd of May, 335, during a semi-official persecution of Melitians who were hanging around in the streets and suburbs. Pressurized by the ecclesiastical, military and judicial 52authorities they had a great deal to suffer from thugs and drunken soldiers. The incidents took place — as we can surmise — on the occasion of a general (albeit rather informal) ⁴ meeting of Melitian dignitaries and monks convened in order to prepare the Synod of Tyre. At the moment the letter was written, papas Heraiscus ⁵ was still under arrest. Contrary to the established opinion, gradually made up during the last decades, ⁶ the latter, instead of being the Melitian ‘antipope’ of Alexandria in Athanasius’ early days, now appears as the local bishop of Heracleopolis Magna having just come to the capital in order to join the meeting. Although Van Minnen’s identification cannot be proved beyond doubt, the coincidence is too striking to be dismissed.