- Theology, Liturgy, Liturgical Theology, Early Christianity, Orthodox Theology, Eastern Orthodox Liturgical Theology, and 36 moreEarly Christian Liturgy, Sacramental Theology and Liturgical Studies, Liturgics, Coptic liturgy, Liturgical History, History of Liturgy, Coptic Studies, Seven New Paper Typikon Leaves from the Library of the White Monstery, Eastern Christianity, Byzantine Liturgy, Liturgical Studies, Eucharist, Jerusalem, Late Antique Liturgy, The Melkites, Byzantinization, Ancient Nubia, Christmas, The Liturgical Year, St.Catherine's Monastery (Sinai), The Presanctified Liturgy, Comparative Liturgy, Liturgiology, Oriens Christianus, Byzantine Studies, Coptic art, Coptic Icons, Liturgical Vestments, Christian Arabic Literature, Oriental Christianity, Christian Orient, Church History, Late Antique and Byzantine History, Oriental Churches, Coptology, and Graeco-Roman Alexandriaedit
Among the various genres of Coptic liturgical texts, hymnography provides a unique window to Coptic religious culture. This volume presents an edition and translation of a particular genre of Bohairic hymns, each consisting of a hymn... more
Among the various genres of Coptic liturgical texts, hymnography provides a unique window to Coptic religious culture. This volume presents an edition and translation of a particular genre of Bohairic hymns, each consisting of a hymn (Bohem) stanza and its accompanying stanzas known as parallax. Compositions of this genre survive for the feasts of Christ, the Virgin Mary, angels, apostles, martyrs, and saints. The present edition is based on more than 20 late medieval and early modern manuscripts of Coptic hymns ranging from the fourteenth to the early-twentieth centuries. The introduction introduces this hymnographic genre, discusses its liturgical context, influence by Coptic literature, and provides a detailed analysis of the manuscripts utilized in this edition. This understudied corpus of Coptic hymnography affords a precious window to the religious experience of Coptic Christians in the second millennium as expressed in Christological feasts and the veneration of saints.
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https://www.fordhampress.com/9780823298327/guides-to-the-eucharist-in-medieval-egypt/ The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries witnessed a rising interest in Arabic texts describing and explaining the rituals of the Coptic Church of Egypt.... more
https://www.fordhampress.com/9780823298327/guides-to-the-eucharist-in-medieval-egypt/
The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries witnessed a rising interest in Arabic texts describing and explaining the rituals of the Coptic Church of Egypt. This book provides readers with an English translation of excerpts from three key texts on the Coptic liturgy by Abū al-Barakāt ibn Kabar, Yūh.annā ibn Sabbā‘, and Pope Gabriel V. With a scholarly introduction to the works, their authors, and the Coptic liturgy, as well as a detailed explanatory apparatus, this volume provides a useful and needed introduction to the worship tradition of Egypt’s Coptic Christians. Presented for the first time in English, these texts provide valuable points of comparison to other liturgical commentaries produced elsewhere in the medieval Christian world.
The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries witnessed a rising interest in Arabic texts describing and explaining the rituals of the Coptic Church of Egypt. This book provides readers with an English translation of excerpts from three key texts on the Coptic liturgy by Abū al-Barakāt ibn Kabar, Yūh.annā ibn Sabbā‘, and Pope Gabriel V. With a scholarly introduction to the works, their authors, and the Coptic liturgy, as well as a detailed explanatory apparatus, this volume provides a useful and needed introduction to the worship tradition of Egypt’s Coptic Christians. Presented for the first time in English, these texts provide valuable points of comparison to other liturgical commentaries produced elsewhere in the medieval Christian world.
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(https://www.aschendorff-buchverlag.de/detailview?no=21766) The Coptic eucharistic liturgy begins with a public ritual known as the prothesis rite, in which oblations of bread and wine are chosen and placed on the altar. While... more
(https://www.aschendorff-buchverlag.de/detailview?no=21766)
The Coptic eucharistic liturgy begins with a public ritual known as the prothesis rite, in which oblations of bread and wine are chosen and placed on the altar. While preparatory rites of this kind are common throughout Christendom, it is only in the Egyptian tradition that this rite takes center stage as a public activity involving both clergy and laity.
In The Presentation of the Lamb, Ramez Mikhail traces the evolution of the Coptic prothesis from its simple late antique origins to the middle ages, focusing on liturgical practices in Northern Egypt. Drawing upon a wide array of textual and material evidence, Mikhail provides the first study charting the evolution of any part of the Coptic Eucharist in such detail. The result is a fascinating glimpse into liturgical change in the Coptic liturgy in Islamic Egypt. In addition to a meticulous analysis of the Coptic prothesis, this work is an essential resource for the study of the Coptic liturgy generally, representing an indispensable reference for a host of primary sources, most of which are provided here for the first time in English.
The Coptic eucharistic liturgy begins with a public ritual known as the prothesis rite, in which oblations of bread and wine are chosen and placed on the altar. While preparatory rites of this kind are common throughout Christendom, it is only in the Egyptian tradition that this rite takes center stage as a public activity involving both clergy and laity.
In The Presentation of the Lamb, Ramez Mikhail traces the evolution of the Coptic prothesis from its simple late antique origins to the middle ages, focusing on liturgical practices in Northern Egypt. Drawing upon a wide array of textual and material evidence, Mikhail provides the first study charting the evolution of any part of the Coptic Eucharist in such detail. The result is a fascinating glimpse into liturgical change in the Coptic liturgy in Islamic Egypt. In addition to a meticulous analysis of the Coptic prothesis, this work is an essential resource for the study of the Coptic liturgy generally, representing an indispensable reference for a host of primary sources, most of which are provided here for the first time in English.
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The translation presented here comes from two different sources. Part One, The Symbols of Baptism, is a translation of three chapters that appeared in a study titled The Baptism of Water and the Spirit by Fr Athanasius St Macarius, a monk... more
The translation presented here comes from two different sources. Part One, The Symbols of Baptism, is a translation of three chapters that appeared in a study titled The Baptism of Water and the Spirit by Fr Athanasius St Macarius, a monk in the monastery of St Macarius in the Nitria desert in Egypt. Fr Athanasius is a prolific author and liturgical theologian, who has written a large number of works in the last decade on the theology and rites of the different sacraments, as well as various seasons of the Church. Part Two of this work, Baptism in the Bible and the Fathers, is a translation of the writings of Fr Matthew the Poor, one of the most famous and well respected figures in contemporary Egyptian monasticism. The late Fr Matthew was also a prolific author, and a sophisticated thinker and theologian, having dedicated his life to studying the Scriptures and the writings of the fathers. The chapters selected here for translation come from a rather large work by Fr Matthew titled Baptism: The First Origins of Christianity.
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Prayer texts from late antiquity and the medieval period attest to the prevalence of practices related to healing, both those promoted as official ritual and those denounced by Church authorities as competing magical practices. These... more
Prayer texts from late antiquity and the medieval period attest to the prevalence of practices related to healing, both those promoted as official ritual and those denounced by Church authorities as competing magical practices. These healing practices often, consisted of prayers pronounced by clerics empowered for such ministry (e. g. priests and bishops) to bless substances like oil or water or to otherwise invoke divine grace for the healing of individuals. Such practices took place either in church or in a domestic setting, though in many cases were designed for individual use on a particular sick person. The present article provides texts, translations, and commentary on a group of seven such prayers related to sickness and health found in manuscripts of the Bohairic Coptic Euchologion as part of a broader analysis of the manuscript tradition of the Bohairic Euchologion and the prayer practices of medieval Copts that it reflects.
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While the Bohairic Coptic Euchologion is a liturgical book primarily providing the prayer texts needed by the priest for the celebration of the Eucharist, its manuscripts often contain other contents. One of these possible additional... more
While the Bohairic Coptic Euchologion is a liturgical book primarily providing the prayer texts needed by the priest for the celebration of the Eucharist, its manuscripts often contain other contents. One of these possible additional texts is a group of stand-alone prayers written for various blessings in daily situations, such as before and after meals, blessing of oil, water, and prayers for the sick. This article is an initial survey of this small corpus of 17 prayers scattered throughout several Bohairic Euchologia manuscripts. The overview and inventory of these prayers given here paves the way towards the future publication, translation, as well as the textual and historical analysis of these prayers in future contributions on this previously unexplored theme in Bohairic liturgy.
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In diesem Beitrag sollten einige Beispiele aus der koptischen liturgischen Tradition vorgestellt werden, die vom Standpunkt der Ökumene aus be- sonders nützlich sein dürften. Dabei wurde zuerst ein kurzer Überblick zur Rolle der... more
In diesem Beitrag sollten einige Beispiele aus der koptischen liturgischen
Tradition vorgestellt werden, die vom Standpunkt der Ökumene aus be-
sonders nützlich sein dürften. Dabei wurde zuerst ein kurzer Überblick
zur Rolle der Eucharistie in den unmittelbaren Nachwirkungen des Kon-
zils von Chalcedon (AD 451) gegeben. Danach wurden einige Beispiele aus der koptischen liturgischen Tradition vorgestellt, bei denen sich die
koptische Liturgie mit anderen benachbarten Traditionen gekreuzt hat.
Dagegen wurden weitere Fälle aus koptischen liturgischen Texten er-
wähnt, die Herausforderungen für die Ökumene darstellen. Abschließend wurden bestimmte Empfehlungen gegeben, die für die Zukunft der öku-
menischen Beziehungen sehr hilfreich sein könnten.
Tradition vorgestellt werden, die vom Standpunkt der Ökumene aus be-
sonders nützlich sein dürften. Dabei wurde zuerst ein kurzer Überblick
zur Rolle der Eucharistie in den unmittelbaren Nachwirkungen des Kon-
zils von Chalcedon (AD 451) gegeben. Danach wurden einige Beispiele aus der koptischen liturgischen Tradition vorgestellt, bei denen sich die
koptische Liturgie mit anderen benachbarten Traditionen gekreuzt hat.
Dagegen wurden weitere Fälle aus koptischen liturgischen Texten er-
wähnt, die Herausforderungen für die Ökumene darstellen. Abschließend wurden bestimmte Empfehlungen gegeben, die für die Zukunft der öku-
menischen Beziehungen sehr hilfreich sein könnten.
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In 1936, Le Muséon published an article by the famous Coptic scholar Oswald Hugh Ewald Burmester on the Coptic liturgy in the presence of the Patriarch or a bishop. In this brief six-page article, Burmester briefly described the rubrics... more
In 1936, Le Muséon published an article by the famous Coptic scholar Oswald Hugh Ewald Burmester on the Coptic liturgy in the presence of the Patriarch or a bishop. In this brief six-page article, Burmester briefly described the rubrics of the preparation of the Eucharistic oblations (prothesis) in the patriarchal and episcopal liturgy from a manuscript found in the church of St. Barbara in Qaṣr al-Sham‘ in Old Cairo, and dated AM 1276 (= AD 1560). Unfortunately, Burmester did not consider all the available sources for the Coptic patriarchal liturgy with their rich liturgical details, a shortcoming that is rectified in this article. To do so, a more thorough and systematic analysis of the patriar-chal prothesis rite is presented based on additional sources of this fascinating ritual. These sources are the description in Coptic Patriarchate 74 Lit. (AD 1444), the so-called Baramūs Codex, Baramūs 6/278 (AD 1514), and an addendum to ibn Kabar’s description of the liturgy in Uppsala O. Vet. 12 (AD 1546), one of the manuscripts of his work the Lamp of Darkness. Altogether, these newly analyzed sources reveal precious details about the Cop-tic medieval patriarchal prothesis rite, and pave the way towards a more nuanced view of Late Antique and Medieval Coptic liturgy.
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At the climax of the Coptic Great Friday service, the Coptic tradition observes certain ritual practices of a clear physical nature, inviting the bodily participation of those present. These practices are namely a series of one hundred... more
At the climax of the Coptic Great Friday service, the Coptic tradition observes certain ritual practices of a clear physical nature, inviting the bodily participation of those present. These practices are namely a series of one hundred prostrations in each cardinal direction, followed by a seven-fold procession of the cross and burial icon of Christ around the church’s altar and nave. The procession culminates in the “entombment” of this same icon on the altar, covered with rose petals and spices and wrapped in a white cloth. In this article, I explore the phenomenon of bodily participation inherent in these rituals. This is accomplished by analyzing the origins of these rituals in relation to the liturgical traditions of other Eastern Christian communities as well as within the historical development of the Coptic liturgical tradition.
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The Prayer of Saint Abū Tarbū, is a Coptic liturgical service with a unique mix of liturgical elements with magical themes. This peculiar custom appears in a large number of Coptic liturgical manuscripts and is performed on a person that... more
The Prayer of Saint Abū Tarbū, is a Coptic liturgical service with a unique mix of liturgical elements with magical themes. This peculiar custom appears in a large number of Coptic liturgical manuscripts and is performed on a person that has been bitten by a rabid dog and is suffering from rabies. In the following brief study, this unique Coptic custom will be studied in terms of its manuscript history, the identity of the saint behind it, and the elements that make up its rite.
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Although witnesses of the presanctified liturgy exist in almost all Eastern traditions, so far, a complete liturgical text of an Alexandrian liturgy of the presanctified gifts has not been published or made known. This study will publish... more
Although witnesses of the presanctified liturgy exist in almost all Eastern
traditions, so far, a complete liturgical text of an Alexandrian liturgy of
the presanctified gifts has not been published or made known. This study
will publish and analyze for the first time the only such text known in the
Alexandrian liturgical tradition, the Presanctified of Mark from the 13thcentury
codex Sinai ar. 237. The text appears in 3 folios of this codex, and
appears clearly to be a presanctified liturgy based on the Liturgy of St.
Mark in its Greek Melkite recension. This article includes the original Arabic
text, followed by an English translation, and a detailed analysis of the
liturgical units comprising this unique text that seeks to situate it in its
proper liturgico-historical context.
traditions, so far, a complete liturgical text of an Alexandrian liturgy of
the presanctified gifts has not been published or made known. This study
will publish and analyze for the first time the only such text known in the
Alexandrian liturgical tradition, the Presanctified of Mark from the 13thcentury
codex Sinai ar. 237. The text appears in 3 folios of this codex, and
appears clearly to be a presanctified liturgy based on the Liturgy of St.
Mark in its Greek Melkite recension. This article includes the original Arabic
text, followed by an English translation, and a detailed analysis of the
liturgical units comprising this unique text that seeks to situate it in its
proper liturgico-historical context.
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In Christ’s final prayer to the Father in Gethsemane, He prays for His disciples – and by extension His Church – that, “they be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You.” (Jn 17:20) This unity with the Triune God occurs mystically in... more
In Christ’s final prayer to the Father in Gethsemane, He prays for His disciples – and by extension His Church – that, “they be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You.” (Jn 17:20) This unity with the Triune God occurs mystically in the liturgical life of the Church, most especially in the Divine Eucharist, where, to quote The Prayer of Submission to the Father of the Anaphora of Mark in its Coptic recension, the gathered community prays to be made, “partakers of the body, partakers of the form, and partakers in the succession of Christ,” shortly before partaking of the Divine mysteries. This unity does not stop at the personal sanctification of the communicant, but implies by necessity a missionary witness to the person and work of Christ. The Church’s liturgical tradition therefore provides a particularly relevant angle to discuss the topic of the Church’s witness in the contemporary world. In this article, two examples from the Coptic liturgical tradition are examined as giving particular insight on aspects of Orthodox witness in the contemporary world.
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Research Interests: Christianity, Art, Liturgy, Asceticism, Baptism, and 5 moreEucharist, Byzantine Architecture, Worship, Orthodoxy, and Bishops
The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries witnessed a rising interest in Arabic texts describing and explaining the rituals of the Coptic Church of Egypt. This book provides readers with an English translation of excerpts of three key texts... more
The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries witnessed a rising interest in Arabic texts describing and explaining the rituals of the Coptic Church of Egypt. This book provides readers with an English translation of excerpts of three key texts on the Coptic eucharistic liturgy, by the authors Abū al-Barakāt ibn Kabar, Yūḥannā ibn Sabbā‘, and Pope Gabriel V from this period. Readers will find in this volume an introduction to the works, their authors, and the Coptic liturgy generally, as well as helpful notes throughout explaining details of Coptic liturgical practice. This volume provides a useful and needed introduction to these important Christian Arabic texts from the Coptic Christian heritage and to the worship tradition of Egypt’s Coptic Christians. It also serves as an interesting point of comparison to other liturgical commentaries produced elsewhere in the medieval Christian world presented here for the first time in English translation.