Coptic contributions to the formative theological debates of Christianity have long been recognized. Less well known are other, equally valuable, Coptic contributions to the transmission and preservation of technical and scientific knowledge, and a full understanding of how Egypt’s Copts survived and interacted with the country’s majority population over the centuries. Studies in Coptic Culture attempts to examine these issues from divergent perspectives. Through the careful examination of select case studies that range in date from the earliest phases of Coptic culture to the present day, twelve international scholars address issues of cultural transmission, cross-cultural perception, representation, and inter-faith interaction. Their approaches are as varied as their individual disciplines, covering literary criticism, textual studies, and comparative literature as well as art historical, archaeo-botanical, and historical research methods. The divergent perspectives and methods presented in this volume will provide a fuller picture of what it meant to be Coptic in centuries past and prompt further research and scholarship into these subjects.
Studies in Coptic Culture
Transmission and Interaction
Coptic contributions to the formative theological debates of Christianity have long been recognized. Less well known are other, equally valuable, Copt
50
Mariam Ayad is an associate professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, and has previously taught at the University of Memphis. She has worked in the field at Wadi al-Natrun, Giza, Mendes, and Medinat Habu. She is the author of God's Wife, God's Servant and the editor of Coptic Culture: Past, Present, and Future.
