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Gospel Of Philip

GOSPEL OF PHILIP A title apparently of two separate and independent Gnostic texts of the second or third century. The first is mentioned only by Epiphanius, who also provides the only known extract, a clearly Gnostic passage dealing with the ascent of the soul to heaven and how it must answer each of the archontic …

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Gospel Of Truth

Books / By Armia FAYEZ

GOSPEL OF TRUTH An apocryphal work probably of the second century. The Gospel of Truth survives in two versions from the NAG HAMMADI LIBRARY: a well-preserved copy (I. 3) and a very fragmentary piece (XII. 2). While the original title remains unknown, the initial phrase (“The gospel of truth”) may have served as an incipit …

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Sem‘On (D. 1617)

Eminent / By Youssef Matta

SEM‘ON (d. 1617) The exact date of the arrival in Ethiopia of the successor to Abuna Petros III is not recorded in Ethiopian documents, but from the information available, it appears that Susenyos (Seltan Sagad; 1607-1632) had him sent from Cairo, no doubt to fill the vacancy left by the death of Petros III. Sem‘on …

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Patriarchal Residences

Culture / By Armia FAYEZ

PATRIARCHAL RESIDENCES From the time of Saint MARK, the first patriarch of the Egyptian church, the Coptic patriarchs resided at Alexandria, the cradle of Egyptian Christianity. This was the first patriarchal seat in Egypt, but there were also others, depending on historical circumstances. Eutychius (877-940), Melchite patriarch of Alexandria, in his masterwork, the Annales (PG …

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Mahallah Al-Kubra, Al

Places / By Armia FAYEZ

AL-MAHALLAH AL-KUBRA A city located in the middle of the Delta in the Gharbiyyah province. In earlier Arabic sources it was known simply as al-Mahallah and in Coptic as ]sairi. The early history of Christianity in al-Mahallah al-Kubra is obscure because the city is seldom mentioned in sources before the Arabic period. However, by the …

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Malij

Places / By Armia FAYEZ

MALIJ A town in the Egyptian Delta, the exact location of which is now uncertain, though it may be identical with modern Milij (province of Minufiyyah), located about 12 miles (20 km) northwest of Atrib. The town was a bishopric at least as early as the middle of the eighth century when Bishop Victor of …

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Metropolitan Sees

History / By Armia FAYEZ

METROPOLITAN SEES The ancient privileges of the See of Alexandria, as confirmed by the sixth canon of the Council of NICAEA (325), placed the provinces of Egypt, Libya, and the Pentapolis in Cyrenaica under the jurisdiction of the bishop of Alexandria, although these provinces had their own metropolitans. Ancient and Medieval Times The Metropolitan See …

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Mikha’il (Bishop Of Atrib)

Eminent / By Armia FAYEZ

MIKHA’IL The thirteenth-century bishop of Atrib and Malij. The exact dates of his birth and consecration as bishop or of his death are not known. We are certain only about the dates of twelve small theological treatises written between 1243 and 1247 before he became bishop. O. H. E. Burmester believed that he lived in …

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Minya

Places / By Armia FAYEZ

MINYA A city located on the west bank of the Nile in Middle Egypt and the capital of the province of Minya. The city was known in Coptic as tmwn/ (Tmone). Before the late nineteenth century, Minya was known in Arabic as Bani Khasib after al-Khasib ibn ‘Abd al-Hamid, the financial administrator of Harun al-Rashid. …

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Arabic Manuscripts Of Coptic Provenance In National Library, Paris

Heritage / By Armia FAYEZ

ARABIC MANUSCRIPTS OF COPTIC PROVENANCE IN NATIONAL LIBRARY, PARIS The principal source for knowledge of the Coptic culture of the Middle Ages is the Arabic Christian manuscript tradition. It is, however, very difficult to distinguish which of these manuscripts originate from Coptic unless an examination is made on the basis of experience with Arabic paleography. …

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