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The Importance of Wadi al-Natrun for Coptology

The Importance of Wadi al-Natrun for Coptology First of all, I must say some words about the history of Coptological studies[1] and the definition of Coptology.[2] I start in the 19th century, when the first professorship for Coptic language and literature was appointed at a German university. For the beginning of Coptological studies I point […]

The Goodness of God

The Goodness of God One of life’s amusing moments comes when we observe a puppy or a kitten chasing its own shadow. It tries in vain to catch it. When it moves, its shadow moves with it. Not so with God. James declares: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes […]

The Incomprehensibility of God

The Incomprehensibility of God The Swiss theologian Karl Barth was asked by a student during a seminar in the United States, “Dr. Barth, what is the most profound thing you have ever learned in your study of theology?” Barth thought for a moment and then replied, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible […]

The Canon of Scripture

The Canon of Scripture We usually think of the Bible as one large book. In reality, it is a small library of sixty-six individual books. Together these books comprise what we call the canon of sacred Scripture. The term canon is derived from a Greek word that means “measuring rod,” “standard,” or “norm.” Historically, the […]

The Relationship of St. Shenoute of Atripe with His Contemporary Patriarchs of Alexandria

The Relationship of St. Shenoute of Atripe with His Contemporary Patriarchs of Alexandria WHEN WE SPEAK about the relationship of St. Shenoute with the Alexandrian patriarchs, we speak indeed about a traditional relationship between Coptic monasticism and the official church of Egypt. The basis of this relationship was already established at the dawn of Coptic […]

Copto-Arabic Studies Bibliography

COPTO-ARABIC STUDIES BIBLIOGRAPHY General References (Referred to Below in Abbreviated Fashion) Atiya, Aziz Suryal, ed. The Coptic Encyclopedia, 8 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1991. A standard tool in English. (CE) Gibb, H. A. R. et al., eds. The Encyclopaedia of Islam, new ed., 11 vols. Leiden: Brill, 1954-. Some articles are of importance to Copto-Arabic […]

Monks and Scholars in the Panopolite Nome: The Epigraphic Evidence

Monks and Scholars in the Panopolite Nome: The Epigraphic Evidence DURING THE CONFERENCE “Perspectives on Panopolis,” which took place in Leyden in 1998, Lucia Criscuolo discussed the evidence of the Greek inscriptions, including Christian ones, from the Panopolite nome, the present-day Sohag-Akhmim area. Already in the beginning of her paper, she observed that it would […]

The Monastery of St. Paul (RED SEA)

The Monastery of St. Paul (RED SEA) SAINT PAUL OF THEBES (Anba Bula, ca. 235-348?) is known as ‘the first hermit.’ For more than ninety years he lived in a cave near a natural spring and a palm tree. Daily a raven brought him a piece of bread. The palm tree provided leaves for weaving […]

The Monasteries of Naqada (NAQADA)

The Monasteries of Naqada (NAQADA) SIX MONASTIC SETTLEMENTS SURVIVE TO THE SOUTHWEST OF NAQADA at the edge of the cultivated land and the desert. They trace their roots to the sixth century, when the area, known as the Mountain of Benhadab or Tsenti, was populated with hermits and small monasteries. Traditionally, St. Pisentius (569-632) is […]

The Monastery of Apa Thomas at Wadi Sarga: Points of Departure for a Relative Chronology

The Monastery of Apa Thomas at Wadi Sarga: Points of Departure for a Relative Chronology This chapter discusses the identification of the superiors of the Monastery of Apa Thomas at Wadi Sarga and presents some points of departure for reconstructing a relative chronology of this monastic community on the basis of Coptic epitaphs and documents.[1] […]