Living Sufism Reviews

The Copts, adherents of the Egyptian Orthodox Church, today represent the largest Christian community in the Middle East, and their presiding bishops have been accorded the title of pope since the third century ad. This major new three-volume study of the popes of Egypt covers the history of the Alexandrian patriarchate from its origins to the present-day leadership of Pope Shenouda III. The first volume analyzes the development of the Egyptian papacy from its origins to the rise of Islam. How did the papal office in Egypt evolve as a social and religious institution during the first six and a half centuries ad? How do the developments in the Alexandrian patriarchate reflect larger developments in the Egyptian church as a whole—in its structures of authority and lines of communication, as well as in its social and religious practices? In addressing such questions, Stephen J. Davis examines a wide range of evidence—letters, sermons, theological treatises, and church histories, as well as art, artifacts, and archaeological remains—to discover what the patriarchs did as leaders, how their leadership was represented in public discourses, and how those representations definitively shaped Egyptian Christian identity in late antiquity. The Early Coptic Papacy is volume one of The Popes of Egypt: A History of the Coptic Church and Its Patriarchs, edited by Stephen J. Davis and Gawdat Gabra. Forthcoming: Volume 2 The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt Mark N. Swanson Volume 3 The Emergence of the Modern Coptic Papacy Magdi Girgis, Michael Shelley, and Nelly van Doorn–Harder

Drawing on more than four decades of experience studying Christian communities in Egypt, Otto Meinardus offers here a sweeping overview of the principal Christian churches and organizations in Egypt today. For the first time, this wealth of information has been gathered into one volume, making it an ideal introduction to the contemporary scene of the various Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant denominations that have a presence in Egypt. Looking at Maronite churches in Alexandria, Greek Orthodox congregations in Cairo, and new evangelical communities in Upper Egypt, among others, this book serves as an important reference work for anyone interested in the broad variety of Christian groups in Egypt, including the majority Coptic Orthodox Church. As one of the foremost scholars of the Christian history of Egypt and the wider Middle East, Dr. Meinardus brings an unparalleled wealth of expertise to this subject, while placing Christianity in the historical perspective of its relationship to the ancient pharaonic religion and medieval and modern Islam. A first of its kind, Christians in Egypt is an indispensable resource for both scholars and interested general readers.