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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 study 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 1 of The Popes of Egypt: A History of the Coptic Church and Its Patriarchs. Also available: Volume 2, The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt, 641–1517 (Mark N. Swanson) and Volume 3, The Emergence of the Modern Coptic Papacy (Magdi Girgis, Nelly van Doorn-Harder).
Price: $29.95
Pages: 280
Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press
Imprint: The American University in Cairo Press
Publication Date:
12 September 2017
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9789774168345
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
Praise for The Popes of Egypt series:
“Based on serious research . . . . [shows] how the Coptic papacy has survived and served the Church through many difficult periods. In the present uncertain times its resilience will surely help it to fulfil its mission of leading the largest Church in the Middle East.”—Michael L. Fitzgerald, Proche-Orient Chretien
“Focusing on some of the most influential leaders, the books trace the social, economic, political, and religious trends they negotiated.”— Nelly van Doorn-Harder, The Montreal Review
"Essential reading for historians of ancient Christianity and for all scholars of Coptic Egypt." —David Brakke, Ohio State University on The Early Coptic Papacy
"A lucid, meticulous, and highly accessible account of papal institutions in early Egyptian Christianity. . . . A critical read for any student of Christianity in Egypt and the Middle East." —Febe Armanios, author of Coptic Christianity in Ottoman Egypt on The Early Coptic Papacy
“An excellent introduction to its subject and the relevant literature.”— Christopher van der Krogt, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations on The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt, 641–1517
"Reading this well-researched and beautifully produced book is both sobering and encouraging."— Michael L. Fitzgerald OBE, on The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt, 641–1517
“A comprehensive yet very readable review of the history of the Coptic leadership in the Middle Ages.”— David D. Grafton, International Bulletin of Missionary Research, on The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt, 641–1517
“Extremely useful”— Alastair Hamilton, Church History and Religious Culture on The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt, 641–1517
“Magdi Guirguis is one of the very few scholars who has actually tackled the archives of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate and of the Dar al-Warth’iq al-Qawmiyya in Cairo and has consequently produced a series of excellent studies in which he breaks entirely new ground.”— Alastair Hamilton, The International Journal of Middle East Studies on The Emergence of the Modern Coptic Papacy
"Substantiates the Coptic Church as a subject in religious studies with its own history worthy of study." —Midwest Book Review
“Based on serious research . . . . [shows] how the Coptic papacy has survived and served the Church through many difficult periods. In the present uncertain times its resilience will surely help it to fulfil its mission of leading the largest Church in the Middle East.”—Michael L. Fitzgerald, Proche-Orient Chretien
“Focusing on some of the most influential leaders, the books trace the social, economic, political, and religious trends they negotiated.”— Nelly van Doorn-Harder, The Montreal Review
"Essential reading for historians of ancient Christianity and for all scholars of Coptic Egypt." —David Brakke, Ohio State University on The Early Coptic Papacy
"A lucid, meticulous, and highly accessible account of papal institutions in early Egyptian Christianity. . . . A critical read for any student of Christianity in Egypt and the Middle East." —Febe Armanios, author of Coptic Christianity in Ottoman Egypt on The Early Coptic Papacy
“An excellent introduction to its subject and the relevant literature.”— Christopher van der Krogt, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations on The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt, 641–1517
"Reading this well-researched and beautifully produced book is both sobering and encouraging."— Michael L. Fitzgerald OBE, on The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt, 641–1517
“A comprehensive yet very readable review of the history of the Coptic leadership in the Middle Ages.”— David D. Grafton, International Bulletin of Missionary Research, on The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt, 641–1517
“Extremely useful”— Alastair Hamilton, Church History and Religious Culture on The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt, 641–1517
“Magdi Guirguis is one of the very few scholars who has actually tackled the archives of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate and of the Dar al-Warth’iq al-Qawmiyya in Cairo and has consequently produced a series of excellent studies in which he breaks entirely new ground.”— Alastair Hamilton, The International Journal of Middle East Studies on The Emergence of the Modern Coptic Papacy
"Substantiates the Coptic Church as a subject in religious studies with its own history worthy of study." —Midwest Book Review
Stephen J. Davis is professor of religious studies, history, and Near Eastern languages and civilizations at Yale University, specializing in late ancient and medieval Christianity. He is the author of several books, including Coptic Christology in Practice and Christ Child: Cultural Memories of a Young Jesus, and executive director of the Yale Monastic Archaeology Project (YMAP), which has sponsored archaeological and archival work at several monastic sites in both Lower and Upper Egypt.