Moses - Page 15 of 15

Epimachus Of Pelusium, Saint

EPIMACHUS OF PELUSIUM, SAINT A martyr in the great persecutions of DIOCLETIAN about 303 (feast day: 14 Bashans). He was of considerable prominence in Christian Egypt. Sa‘id ibn al- Bitriq (876-939) writes in his Annals (Cheikho, 1906, Vol. 1, p. 16): “In the days of both Diocletian and Maximian thousands of martyrs died; they tortured …

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Illumination, Coptic

Heritage / By Armia FAYEZ

ILLUMINATION, COPTIC. The painted decoration, or illumination, of Coptic books, appears to have had its origin in pharaonic Egypt. Numerous examples from the Eighteenth Dynasty onward grace funerary texts and the papyri that accompanied mummies in their sarcophagi. Though one might think that the tradition would have been prolonged right down to the Coptic period, …

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James Intercisus, Saint (Jacob the Sawn, al- Muqatta‘)

Eminent / By Armia FAYEZ

JAMES INTERCISUS, SAINT, or Jacob the Sawn or al- Muqatta‘ A Persian martyr of the third century (feast day: 27 Hatur). He is fully documented in Syriac, Greek, Arabic, and other sources. The basic text concerning him is a Passion extant in several redactions. The redaction closest to the original, according to P. Devos, is …

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Donation Of Children

Culture / By Youssef Matta

DONATION OF CHILDREN A custom of giving a child up to a monastery for one of two reasons: having the child become a monk or making the child a serf of the monastery. Instances of donating children who were intended to become monks are known from literary and especially hagiographic sources. The absence of sources …

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Desert Fathers

Culture / By Youssef Matta

DESERT FATHERS An expression describing the first anchorites. It was first used by one of the first “reporters” of these practitioners of the “flight to the desert,” PALLADIUS himself. In fact, he twice, at least in explicit terms, used a form of this phrase to designate those who chose to live in the desert. The …

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Ebionites

History / By Youssef Matta

EBIONITES Judaizing Christians who developed into a separate sect by the last quarter of the second century and had some influence on the early history of the church in Egypt. The term “Ebion” is probably derived from the Hebrew ebyon (the poor). It is an attribute of those who serve the Lord, in contrast with …

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Abydos

Places / By Youssef Matta

ABYDOS One of the most renowned sites in ancient Egypt. Situated on the left bank of the Nile about 7 miles (11 km) from the town of al-Balyana, it was reputed to be the repository of the head of Osiris. For this reason, it was much frequented as a place of pilgrimage, as is …

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Abraham Of Hermonthis (Late Sixth Century)

Eminent / By Youssef Matta

ABRAHAM OF HERMONTHIS (late sixth century) Abraham is presented on a diptych (Crum, 1908) as the fourteenth bishop of Hermonthis. There is no mention of him in the SYNAXARION of the Coptic church. There are indeed no dates on the diptych, but we know that he was a contemporary of archbishop Damian of Alexandria (569-605). …

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Abraham, Saint, The Patriarch

Eminent / By Youssef Matta

ABRAHAM, SAINT, the patriarch The sixty-second patriarch of the See of Saint Mark (975-978), who was a great reformer (feast day: 6 kiyahk). Abraham was also known as Ephraem the Syrian, indicating his native origin, with the ascription Ibn Zar‘ah always accompanying his name. He was a distinguished layman who made a large fortune in …

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Ablution, Cleansing By Water

Liturgy / By Youssef Matta

ABLUTION, cleansing by water In pre-Christian times, ablution was a common practice. Pharaoh’s daughter was washing in the river when she saw Moses in the basket among the reeds (Ex. 2). Ablution was also part of ritual purification in Jewish religious ceremonials. Washing of the hands and feet was prescribed by the Mosaic law on …

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