Gaius Julius Apollinarius
(0170) Text: Σε[μ]πρώνιος Κλήμης Ἀπολιναρίῳ | [τ]ῷ τιμιωτάτῳ χαίρειν. | ἔλαβ[όν] σου [τὰ]ς ἐπιστολὰς παρὰ τοῦ σοῦ (πατρὸς) Ἰουλίου | Σαβ[εί]νου ἐξ ὧν ἐπέγνων σε δηλοῦντα | οὐχ ὅτ[ι] οὐκ ἠδυνήθην ἀπαρτίσαι τὰ διαφέρον- | τά σοι [ἀ]λλʼ ὅτι, ὡς φῄς, οὐκ ἐβουλήθην. καίτοι γε | ἐπὶ τούτῳ ᾐσθάνθην ἀλλʼ ὅμως ἀπολογήσομαι. | ἡ γὰρ διολκὴ γέγονεν ἐν τῷ τὸν Οὐαλεριανὸν | μὴ ἐθέ[λο]ντα ἀντιδιαστειλαμένης αὐτῷ τῆς | γυναι[κὸ]ς εὐθέως πρὸς αὐτὴν καταστάσθαι. | ἐπ(ε)ιδ[ὴ ὧδʼ ἔ]χοντος, ἵνʼ οὕτως εἰς αὖθεις μη- | δεμ[ία ἄλλη πρ]όφασις παρολκῆς καταλειφθῇ, | ἐπ[ιστεῖλ]αι ἐμοὶ μᾶλλον προσεχέστερον | ἐπέ[σ]τειλας, φημὶ ὅτι χρείας ἐπ(ε)ιγούσης εἰς | Ἀντινόου μελλήσω ἀνέρχεσθαι κἀκἰθεν | ἐπ[ιστ]ελ[ῶ] πρὸς σὲ τούτων χάριν. εἰ δέ πως | Τύχη ἀπʼ Ἀντινόου με πάλιν ἐνθάδε | ἐπειτρ[έπει] ἐξορμᾶν οὐδὲν λογγάζει. Γράψω | γάρ σοι ε[ὐθ]έως μετὰ τὸν περισπανμὸν τοῦ- | τον εἵνα μὴ περὶ τῶν σοι διαφερόντων | φροντί[σ]ῃ[ς]. οὕτως γάρ σοι ἐπιδείξομαι πῶς | οὐ δε[ύτε]ρα οὐδενὸς ἀμελήσω. | [hand 2] [ἐρρῶ]σθαί σε εὔχομαι πανοικεί.
Translation: Sempronius Clemens to his most esteemed Apollinarius, greeting. I received your letters from your father, Iulius Sabinus, from which I learned that you state, not that I was unable to attend to your affairs, but that, as you say, I was unwilling. And, of course, on this point I understood, but nevertheless I shall present my justification. For the delay arose in the fact that Valerianus, not by his own wish, but because his wife controverted our orders to him, went off straightway to her. Since in this situation you enjoined upon me with considerable earnestness to write to you, in order that in this way no further reason for delay should again remain, I indicate that under pressing need I am going up to Antinooupolis and shall write to you from there with reference to these matters. And if per chance Fortune permits me to set out hither from Antinooupolis, there is no delay. For I shall write to you immediately after this distraction, so that you may not be anxious concerning your affairs. For in this way I shall show you how not again will I neglect anything. [hand 2] I pray that you be well together with all your household.
Commentary: Apollinarius probably has some Jewish heritage: his paternal great-aunt bears the name “Sambathion.” While the name Sambathion does not prove with certainty his Jewish ancestry, it remains likely. Tcherikover notes the mix of Roman, Greek, and Egyptian names in the family (CPJ). Several other letters from the family have been found but are omitted from those collected here – these are limited to those mentioning Apollinarius. Apollinarius’ father was also a soldier of legio III Cyrenaica. See the fuller discussion of the family’s archive in Elinor M. Husselman, ed., Papyri From Karanis, Third Series: Michigan Papyri IX 29 (Cleveland: The Press of Case Western Reserve University, 1971), 5-8; K. Vandorpe, W. Clarysse and H. Verreth, Graeco-Roman Archives from the Fayum, Collectanea Hellenistica 6 (Leuven: Peeters University Press, 2015), 186-198. Julius himself is mentioned in §167, §168, §169, §171.
Provenience: Karanis, Egypt (near Fayuum, Egypt)100-115 CE
Bibliography: P.Mich. 8.486*