The Coptic Christian tradition is one that goes back almost two thousand years to the very beginnings of Christianity: Mark the Evangelist himself is said to have brought the faith to Alexandria. In his Two Thousand Years of Coptic Christianity (AUC Press, 1999), renowned scholar Otto Meinardus reviewed the history of the official church from its earliest days to the end of the twentieth century, with its doctrinal disputes and its long isolation from other world churches. Here in Coptic Saints and Pilgrims, he examines the other side of the coin, the popular traditions and beliefs of the people. While the Coptic Orthodox church is strongly influenced by Hellenistic modes of thinking, many of the folk attitudes and practices by contrast have their roots in the religious heritage of pharaonic Egypt, and while the official faith is by its sacramental nature exclusive, the folk religion is inclusive and touches every aspect of the personal lives of ordinary Copts. It is this popular aspect of Coptic religious devotion that is revealed here, in its many points of focus: biblical saints, martyrs, ascetics, equestrian warriors, ‘silverless’ physicians, women saints, pilgrimage, dreams, visions, and apparitions.
Coptic Saints and Pilgrimages
Otto F.A. Meinardus
15 February 2008
120 pp.
20 color illus.
15X23cm
ISBN 9789774161261
For sale worldwide
$19.95
Related products
The Coptic Orthodox Liturgy of St. Basil
Box of 4 Audio CDs
The Liturgy of St. Basil is sung in the Coptic language, directly descended from the language of the pharaohs, and the melodies are also thought to have their roots in ancient Egypt. This set of four audio CDs has been produced to accompany the major publication The Coptic Orthodox Liturgy of St. Basil with Complete Musical Transcription (AUC Press, 1998), which provides fascinating documentation of this ancient tradition. The three-hour liturgy is part of a unique musical tradition transmitted orally through some twenty centuries by generations of singers in Egypt’s ancient Coptic Orthodox Church, and still used today. For these CDs, the liturgy was sung by Sadek Attallah, chief cantor of the Institute of Coptic Studies, Cairo, and recorded at the Institute of Coptic Studies under the supervision of Dr. Ragheb Moftah. This unique set of recordings will be of great value to Copts around the world, as well as to musicologists, ethnologists, and students of religious traditions. Also available from the AUC Press: The Coptic Orthodox Liturgy of St. Basil with Complete Musical Transcription Compiled by Ragheb Moftah Music transcription by Margit Toth Text edited by Martha Roy
...read more
Audio CDs
$45.00Cradle of Islam
The Hijaz and the Quest for an Arabian Identity
Mai YamaniIn 1932 the Al Saud family incorporated the kingdom of Hijaz, once the cultural hub of the Arabian world, into the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The urban, cosmopolitan Hijazis were absorbed into a new state whose codes of behavior and rules were determined by the Najdis, an ascetic desert people, from whom the Al Saud family came. But the Saudi rulers failed to fully integrate the Hijaz, which retains a distinctive identity to this day. Here May Yamani traces the fortunes of the distinctive and resilient culture of the Hijazis, from the golden age of Hashemite Mecca to Saudi domination to its current resurgence. The Hijazis today emphasise their regional heritage in religious ritual, food, dress, and language as a response to the ‘Najdification’ of everyday life. The Hijazi experience shows the vitality of cultural diversity in the face of political repression in the Arab world.
...read more
Paperback
240 pp.23.4X15.6cm
$34.95
Christianity and Monasticism in Aswan and Nubia
Edited by
Gawdat GabraHany N. Takla
Christianity and monasticism have flourished along the Nile Valley in the Aswan region of Upper Egypt and in what was once Nubia, from as early as the fourth century until the present day. The contributors to this volume, international specialists in Coptology from around the world, examine various aspects of Coptic civilization in Aswan and Nubia over the past centuries. The complexity of Christian identity in Nubia, as distinct from Egypt, is examined in the context of church ritual and architecture. Many of the studies explore Coptic material culture: inscriptions, art, architecture, and archaeology; and language and literature. The archaeological and artistic heritage of monastic sites in Edfu, Aswan, Makuria, and Kom Ombo are highlighted, attesting to their important legacies in the region.
...read more
1 August 2016
Paperback
352 pp.91 b/w illus.
15X23cm
$29.95
Christianity and Monasticism in Aswan and Nubia
Edited by
Gawdat GabraHany N. Takla
Christianity and monasticism have flourished along the Nile Valley in the Aswan region of Upper Egypt and in what was once Nubia, from as early as the fourth century until the present day. The contributors to this volume, international specialists in Coptology from around the world, examine various aspects of Coptic civilization in Aswan and Nubia over the past centuries. The complexity of Christian identity in Nubia, as distinct from Egypt, is examined in the context of church ritual and architecture. Many of the studies explore Coptic material culture: inscriptions, art, architecture, and archaeology; and language and literature. The archaeological and artistic heritage of monastic sites in Edfu, Aswan, Makuria, and Kom Ombo are highlighted, attesting to their important legacies in the region.
...read more
29 April 2013
Hardbound
352 pp.91 b/w illus.
15X23cm
$49.50