COPTIC CULTURE

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

edited by Mariam Ayad

THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH CENTRE

Shephalbury Manor Broadhall Way, Stevenage, United Kingdom SG2 8NP
Published by The Coptic Orthodox Church Centre

This book is available direct from

Oxbow Books, Oxford, UK

(Phone 01865-241249; Fax 01865-794449)

and

The David Brown Book Company

PO Box 511, Oakville, CT 06779, USA
(Phone 860-945-9329; Fax 860-945-9468)

or from our website

www.oxbowbooks.com

2012 by the contributors

ISBN: 978-1-935488-27-9

Cataloging data available from the Library of Congress.

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

Cover art: St. Mary at peace by Fadi Mikhail, 2009. Private collection of the artist.

Text type 11 pt Minion Pro

Display type Hypatia Sans Pro

Printed in the United States on acid-free paper

ContEnts

List of Illustrations vii

List of Tables viii
Introduction ix

1 TheCopticOrthodoxChurch 1
H.G. Bishop Angaelos
2 TheDeathofCoptic? 11
Mariam F. Ayad
3 SomeNeglectedAspects ofEgypt'sConversiontoChristianity 43
John Gee
4 ThePre-FigurationofsomeBiblical Themes
in Pharaonic Iconography and Theology 57
Ashraf Alexander Sadek
5 DidtheCoptsPractice HumanSacrifice? 69
Ahmes Labib Pahor
6 AgricultureinLateAntique Egypt 75
Mennat-Allah El Dorry
7 Sinai in the Coptic Period 83
Monica Hanna
8 Settlements and Cemeteries ofLate Antique Egypt 95
Elisabeth R. OConnell
9 Edification in the Early Egyptian Church 109
Alanna Nobbs
10 Roman Citizens without Roman Privileges 115
Lois Farag
11 The Family of Germanos 131
Jennifer Cromwell
12 Editing a Coptic Martyrdom 143
Carol Downer
13 The Legend of ths Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in Coptic Literature 159
Laila Farid
14 Heritage Preservation and Modern Realities 163
Michael Jones

v
vi Contents

15 The Coptic Monasteries Multi-Media Database Project 179

Howard Middleton-Jones
16 Problems of Coptic Studies and the Preservation
of Coptic Heritage in Egypt 183
Gawdat Gabra
17 The Image as Prayer in Medieval and Early Modern Coptic Art 191
Lucy-Anne Hunt
18 Coptic Visual Culture 201
Nelly van Doorn-Harder
19 Sacred Art What is it to 21st-Century Youth? 215
Fadi Mikhail and Mariam Ayad
20 New Doxologies in Coptic 221
Emad Sidhom

Contributors 225
Plates 227
list of illustrations

Participants of the symposium x

Map of Egypt showing Coptic sites xiii
Fig. 2.1 Coptic alphabet 12
Fig. 2.2 Scan of the Trilingual Paschal Hymn 14
Fig. 2.3 Greco-Coptic and Egypto-Coptic words in the Paschal Hymn 16
Fig. 2.4 Transcription of the Paschal Hymn into Egyptian hieroglyphs 18
Fig. 2.5 Timeline of language use in Egypt 20
Fig. 4.1 Coronation ceremony of Hatshepsut 58
Fig. 4.2 Coronation of Philipp Arrhideus 59
Fig. 4.3 Morning lustration ritual in Abydos funerary temple 61
Fig. 4.4 Funerary lustration ritual in the tomb of Sennofer 62
Fig. 4.5 Ramose, minister of Amenhotep III 63
Fig. 4.6 Pectoral of Queen Aahotep 64
Fig. 5.1 Tomb of the king in the center 70
Fig. 5.2 Slab of King Aha 71
Fig. 5.3 Slab of King Djer 71
Fig. 7.1 Major Monastic Sites in the Sinai 85
Fig. 7.2 Map of Sinais Mediterranean shore 86
Fig. 7.3 Map of Central and South Sinai 90
Fig. 7.4 Coptic Graffiti in Wadi Mukattab 92
Fig. 11.1 The Germanos Family Tree 133
Fig. 12.1 Upper exterior cover of M581 145
Fig. 12.2 Lower exterior cover of M581 145
Fig. 12.3 Frontispiece showing the meeting of Pteleme and Papnoute 146
Fig. 12.4 Headpiece, with and without backing paper 146
Fig. 12.5 Temenos wall of temple at Dendera 147
Fig. 12.6 Temple of Hathor at Dendera 148
Fig. 12.7 View of the church near the mammisi of the temple at Dendera 148
Fig. 12.8 View of facing pages from the manuscript 156
Fig. 14.1 View of the Red Monastery church 164
Fig. 14.2 Interior of the nave looking west 164
Fig. 14.3 Interior of the nave looking east 166
Fig. 14.4 View from the west showing recent development 166
Fig. 14.5 Tent erected in the nave for services 170
Fig. 14.6 A wooden temporary church in the nave for services 170
Fig. 14.7 The Red Monastery church from the west 171

vii
viii Illustrations

Fig. 15.1 The Coptic Multi-Media Database Caption/record sheet 180

Fig. 16.1 Agriculture in the Desert 186
Fig. 16.2 Entrance to a cave or Manshubiya 186
Fig. 16.3 Court of a monastic dwelling 187
Fig. 17.1 Annunciation/Baptism. 192
Fig. 17.2 Christs Descent into Hell 192
Fig. 17.3 Cross 193
Fig. 17.4 Reconstruction of door panels from al-Muallaqa Church 194
Fig. 17.5 Door of sanctuary screen from the chapel of St. George 194
Fig. 17.6 Cross frontispiece 195
Fig. 17.7 Icon of the Archangel Michael 198
Fig. 17.8 Weighing of the heart, from the papyrus of Anhai 198
Fig. 17.9 Icon of St. Michael with dying man 199
Fig. 18.1 A display at a church bookstore 204
Fig. 18.2 A view of the garden of the Abu Saifein Convent 206
Fig. 18.3 Dr. Mary holding the poster she designed 209
Fig. 18.4 A collection of books published by the nuns of Abu Saifein 210
Fig. 18.5 Mother Irinis burial place 211

Plate 1 Arcade of painted niches in the second level of the northern apse 227
Plate 2 Right: 7th8th-century image of the Virgin Mary nursing Christ 227
Plate 3 The icon of the convents patron saint, Abu Saifein 228
Plate 4 Icon of St. Barbara 228
Plate 5 St. Eugenia depicted in a monks garb 228
Plate 6 Christ Pantocrator. St. Catherines Monastery, Mt. Sinai 229
Plate 7 Christ Pantocrator. Monastery of St. Apolo, Bawit 229
Plate 8 The revelation of Saint Paul by Fadi Mikhail 230
Plate 9 Stained glass window by Isaac Fanous 231
Plate 10 Stained glass window by Ervin Bossanyi 231
Plate 11 St. Mary at the cross by Fadi Mikhail 232
Plate 12 St. Mary at peace by Fadi Mikhail 233
Plate 13 Crucified Christ by Fadi Mikhail 234
Plate 14 Last Supper by Fadi Mikhail 235
Plate 15 Last Supper by Fadi Mikhail, detail 236
Plate 16 Jepthahs daughter by Fadi Mikhail 236
Plate 17 Mikhails new approach: Give me what little you have 237
Plate 18 Mikhails new approach: St. Mark the Evangelist 238

LIST OF TABLES
Table 11.1 The Acquisition of the Germanos Texts 135
Table 11.2 Preserved Dates in the Germanos Texts 136
Table 11.3 Property held by the Family 139
introduction

I
n May 2008, the Coptic Orthodox Centre in Stevenage, UK, organized a con-
ference on Coptic Culture: Past, Present, and Future. The conference aimed
to highlight the contributions and achievements of one of the most obscure
periods of Egyptian history: the Coptic Period. The importance of this period lies
in its valuable contributions to some of the most formative theological debates of
Christianity.
Strictly defined as a Late Antique culture, spanning only the third to the sev-
enth centuries ad, the heritage of the Coptic Period in Egypt still survives today
in the artistic expression, liturgical services, and heritage of millions of Egyptian
Christians who live in Egypt and abroad. This periods lasting contributions, how-
ever, remain underappreciated, and many of its aspects remain unclear or un-
known to the general public. For the first time, the conference at the Coptic Centre
brought together specialists working on all aspects of Coptic Culture, from its ear-
liest phases to the present day. It is important that we draw on, understand, and
appreciate the rich cultural heritage of this period as we look to our past to inform
our present and define our future.
The conference drew scholars from Australia, Canada, Egypt, France,
Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the USA. Their papers
were organized along five general thematic blocks that dealt with (1) The Egyptian
roots of Coptic culture; (2) How do we know what we know: Archaeological Sites
and Museum Collections; (3) Aspects of Early and Medieval Coptic Culture: Case
Studies; (4) Current Trends in Coptic Studies; and (5) Coptic Culture Today and
where it is heading. This volume contains their contributions.

The volume commences with H.G. Bishop Angaelos incisive outline of the Coptic
Churchs major contributions to Christendom: monasticism, martyrdom, and her
theological contributions throughout the ages. It concludes with his assessment of
the churchs role in carrying on her message to future generations.
Looking to our past to understand our present and formulate our future is the
theme of the first section of this volume. The studies included range from consider-
ing aspects of Egypts linguistic and religious past and its conversion to Christianity
to case studies focusing on various social, economic, and legal aspects of life in Late
Antique and Coptic Egypt.
Ayads transcription of the Paschal hymn into Egyptian hieroglyphs, while hypo-
thetical, serves the purpose of elucidating the intrinsic link between the spoken/
chanted language of todays liturgical services and its more ancient predecessors. In

ix
x Introduction

Participants of the symposium.

doing so, she attempts to demonstrate the role of the Coptic Church in preserving
Egypts native cultural heritage. Taking a linguistic approach, Gees essay demon-
strates that, as the majority of Egypts population converted to Christianity, certain
Egyptian words were dropped from their vocabulary, while other words and ex-
pressions that were once neutral came to refer to demonic forces. Such deliberate
use of the language illustrates both an awareness of the value attached to words
and a desire on the part of the converts to distance themselves from their previous
religious convictions and dissociate themselves from pagan religious practices.
Sadeks essay examines the various ancient Egyptian libation rites and delineates
the differences between those rites and the Coptic Christian baptismal rite. Pahors
contribution likewise critically assesses medieval accounts regarding human sac-
rifice, including the legend of throwing a virgin into the Nile, and critically traces
back similar alleged practices in Ancient Egypt.
Essays discussing the socio-economic and political life of the Copts look at
both the personal and the public through a series of case studies. Nobbs essay takes
a close look at personal recommendation letters, written in Greek, for the benefit of
several individuals, while Farags illuminating study examines Roman laws govern-
ing Coptic churches and Egyptian (Coptic) Roman citizens and these laws socio-
economic and political implications. Cromwells analysis of the Germanos family
archives is an in-depth study of Egyptian society in microcosm.
Understanding our past also involves reading and accurately translating an-
cient texts, which we see in Downers essay presenting an edition of a Coptic manu-
Introduction xi

script, as well understanding our literary tradition, as seen in Farids discussion of

the Legend of the Seven Sleepers.
The archaeological evidence and artistic heritage of the Coptic Period are
as diverse as are the studies dealing with the Coptic Periods material culture. El
Dorrys essay enables us to glean valuable information regarding monastic daily
life through an examination of food remains from Kom el-Nana in Middle Egypt,
while Hannas study of Coptic sites in the Sinai Peninsula gives us a clear impres-
sion of the significance of this understudied and poorly documented part of Egypt.
Equally important is OConnells historical survey of the Coptic collections at the
British Museum and the important role played by the Egypt Exploration Fund in
exploring and documenting Coptic sites and artifacts. Hunts essay, based on the
thought-provoking paper she read at the symposium, argues that there were active
reciprocal relationships in the artistic production of medieval Coptic art.
Gabras contribution assesses the current status of Coptic sites and Coptic
studies and draws attention to the need to equip Egyptian antiquities inspectors
and archaeologists with the educational tools needed to deal with Coptic sites and
artifacts. In some ways, Middleton-Jones contribution may seem as a response
to Gabras appeal to care for Coptic sites. His short essay outlines the efforts to
compile the Coptic Multi-Media Database, a comprehensive database of all Coptic
monasteries in Egypt. This database includes full text descriptions, photographs,
video, satellite imagery, and exact GPS coordinates of the monuments, as well as
bibliographies and complete descriptions. The projects ultimate purpose is to pro-
duce a credible resource for researchers and conservators to help with their work
on Coptic sites.
Michael Jones account of the American Research Center in Egypts (ARCE)
conservation and restoration project at the Red Monastery church near Sohag il-
lustrates the need for conservation projects to take into account and accommodate
the current use of Coptic sites, which, unlike Pharaonic temples, still retain their
cultural and religious significance. He concludes his illuminating essay with the
assertion that the monastery remains living heritage, not a remnant of a lost age.
The present is also about people. In van Doorn-Harders essay we read about
Coptic womens visual expression and the special veneration given to Mother Irini,
abbess of the St. Abu Saifein Monastery in Old Cairo. Although not included in this
volume, at the symposium, participants and attendees learnt about various musi-
cal moods of the Coptic liturgical calendar, peppered by Dr. Tadros performance
of brief segments of Coptic tunes. Dr. Ishaks presentation on efforts to revive the
Coptic language was also equally enlightening. A lively presentation by Fr. Pigol
Bassili of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Frankfurt, dealing with the use of Coptic
in everyday verbal and written communications, brought the audience to their feet
as many academic participants realized that, unlike its more ancient predecessors,
the Coptic language is still very much alive today.
The volume concludes with two essays detailing the creative work of two young
men who chose unlikely forms of artistic expression. A work of UK-born Coptic
iconographer Fadi Mikhail adorns the cover of this volume and is discussed in an
xii Introduction

illustrated essay in this volume. His chapter explains how his background uniquely
equipped him to use his art and creative work to reach and impact a younger gen-
eration of Copts. Although Mikhail chose a traditional framework for his art, his
icons are both dynamic and emotive, and are thus immediately engaging.
Dr. Emad Sidhom, a young Egyptian psychiatrist living in Cairo, Egypt,
started studying Coptic Language at the age of fourteen, at which time he also
developed an intense interest in poetry. After studying the Bohairic dialect and old
Bohairic pronunciation at the Institute of Coptic Language, and getting intimately
acquainted with the Coptic Psalmody and rules governing Coptic chants and lyr-
ics, Dr. Sidhom started composing poetry in Coptic. The volume concludes with a
tri-lingual edition of his newly composed Doxology, which appears in print for the
first time in this volume.
The creative achievements of these young Copts, and many others, demon-
strate the dynamism of current Coptic culture and its constantly evolving and re-
newed cultural expression. A culture whose cultural activity is still thriving cannot
be characterized as dead.
One of the aims of the conference was to highlight new research on Coptic art,
writings, and archaeology. By bringing together specialists, academics, and Coptic
clergy, the conference fostered an active discussion of what defined Coptic identity
in centuries past, and what it means to be Coptic in contemporary culture, both in
Egypt and abroad. It is hoped that this volume will serve that purpose to its readers.