Coptic Studies

A descriptive account of monasteries and churches of Egypt primarily, but also of Nubia, Abyssinia, India, North Africa, Spain, the shores of the Atlantic, and southwestern Arabia (including Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian, Syrian, and Nestorian churches).

Amedee Baillot de Guerville was one of the most talented travel writers at the turn of the last century. His New Egypt, translated from French, is a remarkable record of Egyptian life; social, economic, and political, during that period.

Young brings a fresh judgment on Egyptian nationalism, discovering ampler grounds for hope than his countrymen are wont to conceive. He enters the controversial field of the relations hereafter to be established between Britain, Egypt and the Sudan.

This book effectively argues for greater British involvement in Egypt. In 1920, Milner headed a commission to Egypt that recommended Egyptian independence, but the British Cabinet rejected the recommendation.

Rhind's book on Thebes is unique in that unlike many other Egyptologists of his time, he gives a precise and detailed description of how he excavated the sites, in itself an immense value to the history of archaeology.

History of Egypt from its legendary early beginnings until the seventh century, including the subsequent conquests of North Africa and Spain. Covers the judges of Egypt to 860, and a list of the companions of Mohammad and their Hadiths.

A compilation and translation of Arabic proverbs by an early 19th century traveler in Cairo, Egypt. Entries are arranged alphabetically in Arabic and by number. Cultural and figurative explanations are provided in English.

Jules Leroy, the French art expert, spent several months touring the Near East in search of Early Christian remains. During this time he visited most of the monasteries in Egypt, Syria, the Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq.

This book is about attribute mathematics, in which nothing ever gets bigger or smaller. More specifically, it is about some of what attribute mathematics can do toward the full digitalization of thought and language. The matter is relevant not only directly to linguistics and philosophy but also indirectly to electrical engineering and neuroscience. The twenty-first century will be that of the brain. Human existence will gradually be turned inside out as tools such as genetics and Boolean algebra allow us to see ourselves function on the smallest scale while it is happening.

Peyron’s lexicon is the classic Coptic-Latin dictionary of the early twentieth century. It is of special historical importance because of the association of Peyron with Champollion, Napoleon’s epigrapher on his Egyptian voyage. Placed so early in the dawn of Egyptian studies, Peyron sheds light from an eye undimmed by the subsequent decades of scholarship.

This monograph, in its second, hard-to-locate edition, proposes a connection between prehistoric monumental European sites and those of the Pyramid Age in Egypt. Using ethnicity as a basis, Smith ties the ancient peoples of Egypt to those of Syria and discusses how Egyptian culture spread from its point of origin.

Rawlinson’s study of ancient Egypt surveys the land and people of Egypt before taking the development of the nation through historic chapters. Told in a level of detail to rival Breasted’s classic work on Egypt, this earlier study makes fascinating reading.

Alert to the implications of Egyptian politics to the world of the Middle Ages, Muir offers a detailed look at the rule of the slave-soldier caste known as the Mamelukes who ruled Egypt from 1260 to 1517. Each ruler of the Bahrite and Circassian dynasties is given a full chapter, and the role of the Mamelukes under the Ottoman Empire is reviewed.

From the eyes of a novelist, Warner illustrates the drama and romance of a voyage through Egypt. Particularly attracted to the Muslim life and practice in Egypt, and the monuments of the ancient empires, Warner takes the reader through the length of the country into Ethiopia and tropical Africa. A travelogue that captures the 19th century fascination with the East, this volume will delight anyone interested in Egypt.

A historic travelogue with an eye toward the medical conditions encountered along the way, this rare book sheds light on western Asia from a unique vantage-point. Wittman describes his journey through Turkey, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, noting along the way the diseases suffered by the residents, and brings the world of ancient western Asia to life through his vivid writing.

Herein a 13th century Alexandrian Jewish convert to Islam records his understanding of the truth of Islam over Judaism. Dr. Sidney A. Weston edits, translates and comments on this text making it accessible to the scholar and enthusiast alike.

Written in the days when textual criticism was still relatively new, and the great mass of manuscripts commonly used by present-day biblical scholars had not yet been plumbed, Lagarde spent many years making these exotic manuscripts available to scholars who previously had no access to them. In this volume are combined two manuscripts: the Pentateuch translated into Coptic, and the Gospels translated into Arabic. Despite the relatively recent dates of the manuscript sources for both collections, the material contained in these translations dates back to earlier days. Each of these translations is introduced in German with some critical notes about the readings included.

In this historic catalogue, Crum presents the Coptic monuments of the Museum of Cairo. Although given a French title, the contents of this book are written in English. Some of the more striking items are presented with beautifully drawn sketches of relevant sections of the source. As a museum book, this catalogue is amply illustrated with 57 black and white plates. A variety of artifacts are described: manuscripts, ostraca, and stelae, and indices round out the utility of this volume. A specialized collection from early Christian Egypt, this book will be welcomed by specialists in Coptic materials still found in their native land.

An original exploration into the governors of Egypt under the caliphs, this seminal study of Wüstenfeld has remained essential reading on the topic since its original publication in the 1870s. Originally published in four parts, this edition contains the entire study in its original German. A thorough and meticulous record of the rulers of Egypt during the period of the caliphs, this book should not be overlooked by students of the Islamic culture of Egypt. Written from a lifetime of study in the field, Wüstenfeld’s sharp outlines of the governors and their influence in the growth and development of Egypt under Muslim leadership hold an authority and insight that make the book a desirable addition to the library of Arabists and scholars of Egypt alike.

With the characteristic compelling photographs that accompany his work, E. M. Newman here presents his unique outlook on Egypt and the Holy Land. Written with the competence of a professional travel writer, Newman takes the reader through his arrival in Egypt by ship and on a virtual tour of the noted wonders of that land. His impressions of Egypt, Palestine, the Arabian Desert and Sinai are all dutifully recorded. Finishing up with the accounts of his main New Testament sites, Nazareth, the Jordan River, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem, this travelogue contains a wealth of impressions and memories. Illustrated with over 300 photographs, this volume gives a visually descriptive tour of these ancient lands.

The first volume of an ambitious project to document the history of the early church, this is one of John Mason Neale’s crowning achievements. Meticulously researched, Neale’s treatment of the early church in Egypt is among the required reading of any student of oriental Christianity still today. Beginning with the traditions of St. Mark’s foundation of the Egyptian church, the developments of Christianity are traced up through the controversies associated with Nestorius and the Council of Chalcedon. In Neale’s characteristically readable style, the early stages of Eastern Christianity and its noteworthy figures are presented here with historical accuracy and authority. The origins of monasticism, the troubles and triumphs of St. Athanasius, the Arian heresy, and the ecumenical councils are all treated in this important study of the church in Egypt.

This set of essays originate in Lagarde’s printed collection Orientalia. The first contribution to this booklet is Lagarde’s analysis of the Coptic manuscripts of the Göttingen library. In addition to describing the manuscripts, he provides data concerning the content, including the biblical passages slated for various liturgical seasons, in keeping with the character of the material. To this is attached an article on selections of the Coptic translation of the Old Testament. Here annotated extracts of the Bible are presented in their original Coptic script, along with relevant apparatus by the author.

The Ostraca of the Coptic Museum, written on pottery pieces, limestone flakes and wood, present the lives of ordinary people in their interactions with one another, and includes their economic and personal affairs. This volume is a catalog of the 1,127 ostraca in the museum.

In his classic introduction to Eastern Orthodox liturgies, King examines the liturgies of the Oriental Orthodox churches. In this volume the Coptic rite is considered. The rite is described and given a context in the setting of its native church.

Far from the Christian metropolis of Alexandria, removed from the well-known and much–visited monastic settlements of the Thebaid, and infintely remote from Rome, lay the garrison towns of Aswan and Philae. There Christians and pagans coexisted. Integral to the christian community on this desert frontier of Empire were the local monks–ascetics, intercessors, and miracle workers.