Description
Book SynopsisA wide-ranging exploration of the daily lives of ordinary Coptic Christians, from late Antiquity until today
This volume brings together leading experts from a range of disciplines to examine aspects of the daily lived experiences of Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority from late Antiquity to the present. In doing so, it serves as a supplement and a corrective to institutional or theological narratives, which are generally rooted in studying the wielders of historical power and control.
Coptic Culture and Community reveals the humanity of the Coptic tradition, giving granular depth to how Copts have lived their lives through and because of their faith for two thousand years. The first three sections consider in turn the breadth of the daily life approach, perspectives on poverty and power in a variety of different contexts, and matters of identity and persecution. The final section reflects on the global Coptic diaspora, bringing themes studied for the early Coptic Church into dialog with Coptic experiences today. These broad categories help to link fundamental questions of socio-religious history with unique aspects of Coptic culture and its vibrant communities of individuals.
Contributors:
- Nicola Aravecchia, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Mariam F. Ayad, The American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
- Renate Dekker, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Lois M. Farag, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Ihab Khalil, Coptic Museum of Canada, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
- A.D. MacDonald, Sydney, Australia
- Ash Melika, California Baptist University, Riverside, California, USA
- Samuel Moawad, Institute of Egyptology and Coptology, Münster, Germany
- Helene Moussa, Coptic Museum of Canada, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
- Alanna Nobbs, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
- Carolyn Ramzy, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Christina Thérèse Rooijakkers, Leiden University, Oegstgeest, the Netherlands
- Youhanna Nessim Youssef, Sankt Ignatios College, University College Stockholm, Sweden
Trade Review“This book masterfully connects historical as well as contemporary stories that continue to weave the fabric of Coptic communities. Using deeply human and recognizable themes, the different chapters focus on topics such as the role of women, how people survived times of poverty and persecution, and how Church leaders envisioned the ideal Christian society or tried to combat social injustice, corruption, and poverty. The different contributions form a testimony to the vibrancy of Coptic life, within and outside the Church.”—
Nelly van Doorn-Harder, Wake Forest UniversityTable of ContentsList of Abbreviations
List of Illustrations
Notes on the Contributors
Introduction
Living out the Faith: Daily Concerns and Challenges
1. Clement of Alexandria’s “New” Social Order: Sex, Food, and Dress
Lois M. Farag
2. An Egyptian Family and a Woman’s Freedom: A Case Study from Late Antiquity
Alanna Nobbs and A.D. MacDonald
Perspectives on Poverty and Power
3. The Poor, Poverty, and Materialism in the Instruction of Amenemope, The Book Of Proverbs, and Coptic Monastic Texts: A Socio-Historical Reading
Ash Melika
4. Daily Life in Egypt as Reflected in the Writings of Shenoute of Atripe
Samuel Moawad
5. The Widow’s Plea in Coptic Personal Letters
Mariam F. Ayad
6. Protecting the Socially Vulnerable: The Case Study of Two Bishops and a Hermit in the Theban Region in the Late Sixth and early Seventh Centuries
Renate Dekker
On Identity, Persecution, and Resilience
7. Documents Illustrating the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians
Alanna Nobbs
8. Christian Identity in the Archaeological Record: Evidence from Egypt's Western Desert
Nicola Aravecchia
9. Laws of Sartorial Differentiation (ghiyar) in pre-Mamluk Egypt
Christina Thérèse (Tineke) Rooijakkers
10. Life of Severus of Antioch as an advocate of Orthodoxy
Youhanna Nessim Youssef
11. Icons as Social Statements: The Victor Asaad Fakhoury Icon Series 2011–2017
Helene Moussa
A Living Heritage: At Home and Abroad
12. Marguerite Nakhla (1908–77): Painter of the Mosaic of Daily Life
Helene Moussa
13. Coptic Orthodox Feminism: Popular Song and Gender Reformation in the Diaspora
Caroline Ramzy
14. Exploration of Power Distance in the Early Church and the Modern Coptic Diaspora
Ihab Khalil
