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In the article "Two Coptic grammatical morphemes of unknown origin" Carsten Peust discusses the etymology of two Coptic morphemes whose origin has remained unclear until today. These are the n-prefix of the so-called adjective verbs and the particle ⲡⲉ, which often accompanies the preterite converter. It is suggested that both have arisen through a false segmentation of contexts in which their predecessors typically occurred. The use of these morphemes is a distinguishing criterion between Demotic and Neo-Egyptian Egyptian. [Extracted from the article]

Coptic is the youngest written standard of the Egyptian language. Spelled with the characters of the Greek alphabet plus some extra signs, it was productively used for almost a thousand years, from the fourth to the fourteenth centuries CE, to record texts of a wide range of types and purposes, and is still being used in the liturgy of the Coptic church. Coptic texts have survived in enormous numbers and comprise literary, semi-literary, and documentary corpora in a range of dialects and genres. Analysis of salient grammatical features of the Coptic language elucidates both innovative and conservative features in comparison to those of its predecessor, Demotic.

This essay examines the Holy Monday sermon by Boules George, a senior priest at St. Mark Church in Cairo, that was preached the day after the Palm Sunday suicide bomb attacks against St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Tanta and St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria in Egypt in 2017, which left forty-four people dead and more than one hundred injured. The sermon addressed Coptic Orthodox Christians in Cairo as well as the wider Coptic Orthodox community in Egypt and throughout the world through a live video broadcast. The sermon is remarkable for presenting a radical call to nonviolence and Christian love. Notably, the preacher speaks to "those who are killing us", and says "thank you" for the opportunity to die as Christ died, for "this is the greatest honor that we could have". This essay analyzes the sermon in light of the work of Walter Brueggemann and Alexander Schmemann, and argues that the sermon is an example of daring speech that offers divine empowerment to the suffering and the fearful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2005, a team of Polish archaeologists discovered three Coptic codices, two on papyrus and one on parchment, in the rubbish dump of a hermitage at Sheik Abd el-Gurna, Egypt. While the parchment codex and the remains of the bindings of the papyrus ones have been conserved, the text blocks of the papyrus codices were opened and disassembled and after being disinfected remained untouched for nearly 15 years, until the current project started. Currently, all three books are stored in the collection of the Coptic Museum in Cairo. Our team undertook the conservation of and archaeometric research on the papyrus codices. The first of the books contains the Canons of Pseudo-Basil, while the second is an Encomium of St. Pisenthios. Both codices have been palaeographically dated to the seventh-eighth centuries CE. In this paper, we describe our project and present the results of the work carried out on the Canons of Pseudo-Basil. Our work involved photography in transmitted light, measurements of the thickness of the papyrus leaves, and digital microscopy under three-light illumination. These measurements allowed us to determine the types of the inks and characterize the papyrus writing substrate. For conservation, we used a novel method developed in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin that comprises suspending papyrus folios on a translucent, extremely thin Japanese paper inside glass frames without the use of adhesives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During research conducted in 2019 regarding pelvic shape in population groups and its effects on successful delivery, one of the individuals studied was a Late Dynastic/Coptic Egyptian female mummy approximately 14–17 years old (USNM catalogue number 258601). She had an associated fetus that was wrapped and placed between her legs during mummification (USNM 258602). In 1908, the mother and child were excavated and autopsied for analysis. Field notes from 1908 said she had died from obstetric complications. For our 2019 study, the mummy was CT scanned to acquire the measurements of her pelvis and determine if cephalopelvic disproportion played a role in her death. While examining the CT images, elements of what was believed to be the fetus were identified in the mother. However, there were repetitions of elements, and a second fetus was discovered in the chest cavity of the mummy. The mother was carrying twins. For this study, re‐scanning by CT and plain film radiography of the torso were performed on the mother as well as plain film radiography on the external fetus. Additionally, records and photographs from the 1908 expedition were reviewed to gather additional information on the mummy. Results note this mummy was pregnant with twins and in the middle of the birthing process at the time of her death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers editions of four amulets with Coptic healing charms invoking the Three Holy Children from the third chapter of the book of Daniel. As an introduction, it discusses the importance of the Three Children in Christian traditions and their role as healing saints, and provides an overview of their occurrences in Coptic magic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

يتناول البحث دراسة أحد التحف الفنية العاجية التي تم زخرفتها بأحد الموضوعات التصويرية القبطية، ذلك الجانب الذي يبرز بين طياته العديد من المفاهيم، من أهمها المفهوم الديني أو الرمزي لدى الفنان المسيحي والذي غلبت على مناظره التصويرية الرؤية الروحية لشرح ووصف ما ورد بالإنجيل لتوضيح أسراره ومفاهيمه وتعاليمه الإلهية من خلال أيقونة مرسومة، وهذا مايبرزه المنظر التصويري للقطعه العاجية موضوع البحث والمحفوظة بمتحف الفن الإسلامي، حيث زينت بموضوع تصويرى يمثل صعود السيد المسيح بطريقة الحفر وقد أتبعت الباحثة المنهج الوصفي التحليلي المقارن في دراسة التحفة موضوع الدراسة، مع محاولة تأريخ القطعة من واقع الأسلوب الفني للمنظر التصويري المنفذ عليها، وقد توصلت الدراسة لعدد من النتائج والتوصيات. The research deals with an important aspect of Coptic art, which is the art of Coptic painting, that aspect that highlights many concepts, the most important of which is the religious concept of the Christian artist, whose figurative scenes were dominated by the spiritual vision of what was mentioned in the Bible to clarify its secrets, concepts and divine teachings and make it a painted icon. This is what is highlighted by the pictorial view of the ivory piece in question, through the descriptive and analytical study of the piece, with an attempt to date the piece from the reality of the artistic style of the pictorial scene executed on it.

This paper compares two areas of Egypt and Khorāsān in post-Islamic era regarding the loss and maintenance of their mother tongues. While in Egypt, Coptic was gradually removed from both formal and colloquial usages, in Khorāsān, Persian (Farsi or Parsi Dari), though was out of official and governmental services for more than two centuries, was able to finally maintain its status. The most important reason found behind this difference can be attributed to the independence seeking movements in Khorāsān (e.g. Sho'ūbieh), leading to the establishment of the first post-Islamic independent Iranian governments who supported the revival of Iranian culture and the maintenance of Persian language. Secondly, the migration of Arab tribes and the Arabization of the conquered societies were more successful in Egypt compared to Eastern Iran, which changed the demographic composition of Egypt. Moreover, the role of Persian-speaking epic poets, the social class of dihgāns in Iranian society and the fact that Coptic was not as old a language as Persian are other important reasons. It is argued that language maintenance can happen better in cases where top–down governmental and institutional support exists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines the Holy Monday sermon by Boules George, a senior priest at St. Mark Church in Cairo, that was preached the day after the Palm Sunday suicide bomb attacks against St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Tanta and St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria in Egypt in 2017, which left forty-four people dead and more than one hundred injured. The sermon addressed Coptic Orthodox Christians in Cairo as well as the wider Coptic Orthodox community in Egypt and throughout the world through a live video broadcast. The sermon is remarkable for presenting a radical call to nonviolence and Christian love. Notably, the preacher speaks to “those who are killing us”, and says “thank you” for the opportunity to die as Christ died, for “this is the greatest honor that we could have”. This essay analyzes the sermon in light of the work of Walter Brueggemann and Alexander Schmemann, and argues that the sermon is an example of daring speech that offers divine empowerment to the suffering and the fearful.

Coptic literature abounds with references to books that never existed as physical objects in their own right. This article explores the role of fictional books specifically in a selection of Coptic apocrypha deriving from the entire period of Coptic literary production. Whether presented as apostolic, prophetic, or angelic; earthly or heavenly; historical or contemporary, references to fictional books could function as veracity devices, authority claims, or as materials for storyworld creation. Taking as its points of departure recent work on pseudo-documentarism, transnarrative storyworlds, and the cognitive effects of fiction, this article explores implicit claims to authority and authenticity, as well as the fuzzy boundaries and interrelationships between fictional and factual references in meaning- and world-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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With the ISIS video release documenting the horrific massacre of twenty Coptic Christians and one Ghanian labourer in Libya, there has been a strong global union and response of the Coptic diaspora through the online world. However, this is only one of many ways in which the Coptic diaspora has expanded themselves now in a new form of community: e-diaspora. This paper examines the response of the ethno-religious community of Copts (Egyptian Christians) worldwide, who have mobilized political agency and social cohesion through the medium of digital culture, including social media and online networks. In an increasingly globalized world, Copts have used digitalized spaces to create power and resources for themselves. I argue that the Coptic "e-diaspora" permits Copts to remove physical transnational barriers in forming social connections, preserving the essence of "Copticness" while also reshaping the definitive Coptic identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contemporary trend of research projects and works are presented on selective issues of archaeometry, archaeology and Egyptology. The current status in research in the area of SE Mediterranean on cultural heritage and archaeological/historical reflections alone and/or coupled with archaeological sciences of eleven papers are placed within an updated frame. The results concern a variety of selected topics critically presented. The topics touch on the cultural astronomy, the ancient textiles and masonries and the physico-chemical and biological investigations, the socio-political issues of Egyptian Ramesside era, revisiting the inscription of an Egyptian statuette, and the valuable information extracted from rock graffiti in north Kharga, Egypt.

التوصيف الفيزيو كيميائي لايقونة السيد المسيح ، كنيسة ابى سيفين ،جمهورية مصر العربية [Ar] قدم هذا البحث التوصيف الفيزوكيميائى لأيقونة قبطية من القرن التاسع عشر من كنيسة القديس مرقوريوس، حيث تمثل مثال فريد من هذة الايقونات التى تعود الى العصر القبطى. ولكى يتحقق الغرض من الدراسة تم استخدام بعض الوسائل الفحص والتحليل لشرح وايضاح كل مظاهر التلف مما يساعد في التوثيق الأثري للأيقونة ، وقد يعطي ذلك تفسير عن ميكانيكة تلف الأيقونات الأثرية . كشف الفحص البصري أن الأيقونة القبطية تتكون من أربع طبقات: دعامة لوح خشبي ، وطبقة تحضير ، وطبقة طلاء ، وبقية طبقة الورنيش ، وقد عانت كل طبقة من ظروف البيئة المحيطة ، وظهر ذلك في العديد من علامات التلف. تم فحص وتحليل العينات المأخوذة من أماكن مختلفة عن طريق الفحص باستخدام الميكرسكوب الإلكتروني الماسح المجهز بكاشف الأشعة السينية المشتت للطاقة (EDS) والتحليل الطيفى بالاشعة تحت الحمراء فورير " FTIR" وحيود الأشعة السينيةXRD " " أظهرت نتائج التحليل الطيفى بالاشعة فوق الحمراء للعينة الأثرية أن الطبقة الأرضية تتكون من الجبس والطباشير والغراء الحيواني كمادة رابطة. أشارت أطياف XRD إلى مصادر الأصباغ المستخدمة في رسم الأيقونة ، وتم تحديد المادة الملونة الحمراء من أحمر الرصاص ، وبالنسبة لمادة اللون الازرق من الالترامارين ، و المادة الملونة البيضاء من الرصاص الأبيض ، والمادة الملونة البنية كانت من أكسيد الحديد ، بالإضافة إلى استخدام صفار البيض كمادة رابطة في طبقة الطلاء والورنيش المستخدم كان من راتنج الشيلاك. ثم تم الكشف عن حالة التدهور ، وفقًا لنتائج SEM ، والتي أظهرت بوضوح وجود بقع وسناج وشمع وتشققات وثقوب في الطبقة السفلية من الأيقونة ، وتراكم الغبار وطبقات الورنيش الداكنة على الطبقة العليا. [EN] This research presents a physiochemical analysis of a Coptic icon from church of Saint Mercurius that back to the 19th century. Identified deterioration phenomena were illustrated using various examination and analysis tools in order to fulfill the study's objectives. So as to find an explanation for how ancient icons were damaged. The visual inspection revealed that the Coptic icon is made up of four layers: the wooden panel support, the preparation layer, the painting layer, and the remaining varnish layer, Each of these layers suffered from surrounding environment, appearing in various signs of damage in the visual assessment. Samples taken from different places were investigated and analyzed by using scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X- ray detector (EDX), FTIR, and X- Ray diffraction. The results of FTIR analysis revealed that the ground layer consists of gypsum, chalk and animal glue. XRD spectra confirmed that the red pigment was red lead , blue pigment was ultramarine, white pigment was white lead, and brown pigment was iron oxide (burnt sienna), in addition to the use of the egg yolk as a binder in the painting layer and the varnish was shellac resin. The state of deterioration was detected, according to the SEM results, which show clearly the presence of stain, soot, wax ,cracks and lacunae at the lower layer of the icon, and accumulation of dust and darkening of varnish layers on the upper layer.

Early Coptic tombs, two at least, were discovered on the Upper Terrace of the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari. The orientation of the tombs is north–south, which is the typical orientation of early Christian tombs. Christian activity at Deir el-Bahari is attested in contexts starting from the 4th century, predating the establishment of the Monastery of St Phoibammon in the 6th century.

Assessing Liturgical Reform in the Eastern Churches in the Wake of Vatican II Liturgy, liturgical reform, Eastern Christian, Orthodox, Byzantine Rite, Greco-Catholic, Schmemann, aggiornamento, ressourcement, Coptic Although the preponderance of work in Oriental liturgiology has in fact concerned the Byzantine Rite, this hardly implies that Eastern Orthodox communities have proven any more than the Oriental Orthodox amenable to alter the structure and contents of their received rites. [Extracted from the article]

Historical and Religious Effects in Coptic Art [EN] Before Christianity appeared the religious state in Egypt and the Roman world included many religions, such asEgyptian, Greek, and Roman, as well as Judaism, which moved to Egypt at the beginning of the Ptolemaic period, and the the Ruler cults, which went on through the Roman period. This mixture of religious and political concepts had its effect on the Egyptian people, as they lost their sense of spiritual faith, justice and morality, which they inherited from their ancestors of the pharaohs. Religion had become a commodity or weapon in the hands of the colonizers. Colonizing rulers sometimes utilized religion to approach the conquered Egyptian people, and other times as a policy to erase the roots of ancient Egyptian religion. By the advent of Christianity and the coming of Saint Mark to Alexandria, to spread the teachings of the Christianreligions, the Egyptians found in Christianity their sanctuary from the abhorrent Roman rule, especially since it carried and advocated the same principles and values that they had inherited from their ancestors. As a result, the Romans began persecuting Christians and assaulted them, until the Christian religion was fully recognized during the reign of the emperor Theodosius I 391 AD. The Coptic religion has given us a popular art coming from the Egyptian people. It expresses the religious character of their time, away from the concept of official or international art, and it became clear on frescoes, wall paintings, and icons -- the most important products of Christian art.

High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to a Diode-Array-Detector (HPLC-DAD) is used to investigate samples which were extracted from ancient Egyptian textiles (4th–5th c. AD) of the Museum of Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University. Madder is identified in several samples. According to semi-quantitative results, which are obtained from HPLC peak areas measured at 254 nm, madder that is rich in purpurin and poor in alizarin is identified in samples which were treated (i) only with madder and (ii) with madder and either indigo/woad (Indigofera species and other/Isatis tinctoria L.) or weld (Reseda luteola L.). The madder dye used in these samples could have been originated from Rubia peregrina L. However, the possible use of Rubia tinctorum L. (or other plants of the Rubiaceae family) by the Egyptian dyers cannot be ruled out, particularly if methods were developed by the ancient dyers to affect and control the relative composition of madder dye. The HPLC peak area ratio of alizarin versus purpurin is very high (>2.2) for samples which were treated with madder (probably originated from R. tinctorum) and a tannin source. Finally, in some samples, only indigoid dyes (indigo/woad) are identified.

This paper focuses on the role played by the clay minerals and microorganisms in the deterioration process of Coptic architecture units at the church of Virgin Mary, Wadi El-Natrun region. For this purpose building materials (mainly mortars and plasters) from the studied church were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS); in order to identify their composition and were investigated petro-graphically to determine the real response of the masonry structure to the deformation imposed at the endogenous factors. Wall gypsum mortars in the church contain halloysite as a dominant clay mineral while plaster is clay free; concerning microorganisms, the fungal flora Aspergillus glaucus represent the most dominant fungi constituting (22.22%), Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus occhraceus, and Aspergillus caudidus were also isolated.

Re-interpretation of a Coptic magical text on paper from Saqqara in light of parallels from earlier Egyptian as well as medieval Greek, Latin, and Syriac ritual texts: the central motif, which refers to wind, wave, and snakes, is applied to the cure of impotence, conceived as the releasing of ritual binding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike the principal Coptic dialects Sahidic and Bohairic, in which the two verbs for "to sit" and "to stand" possess just a single form each, the Southern Coptic dialects (Akhmimic, Lycopolitan, dialect P) have preserved a formal distinction between the infinitive and the stative in both verbs. This information remains hidden in a few text editions, is not widely known and not reflected in current handbooks. The present paper traces the original morphological distinction for both verbs in the major textual witnesses of the South, as well as the progressive morphological collapse that lead to the uniform shapes of these verbs in the dominant dialects. Finally, an etymology is suggested for the puzzling Sahidic standard form ϩⲙⲟⲟⲥ "to sit". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four funerary stelae of the eighth century AD now in the British Museum have previously been assigned to Abydos on the basis that they are all connected to the monastery of the local saint, Apa Moses. This article questions this assumption. A text edition and study of the common features of the stelae suggest that, although they probably do come from the same cemetery, its location is uncertain, and the provenance of Abydos cannot be proven. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

( Ar) التراكيب ذات البادئة النافية فى اللغة القبطية تتناول هذه الورقة البحثية البادئة النافية at التي تدخل علي الأسماء والأفعال لتكوّن اسمًا مجردًا منفيًا (صفة منفية) حيث إنه يوجد العديد من الأسماء المجردة تتكون من البادئة النافية at . علاوة على ذلك، جميع الأسماء المجردة المنفية بالأداة at، تُلحق بها.في اللغة القبطية، هناك القليل من الصفات الحقيقية، ويرجع ذلك إلى أن الشكل القديم للغة كان غنيًا بأفعال الصفات، ويتم التعبير عن الصفة في القبطية عن طريق جملة الصلة أو الأسماء المرتبطة ببعضها من خلال أداة الإضافة n -،. هذه الصفة تتبع اسمها في النوع (مذكر أو مؤنث)وقد تم إجراء تحليل لاستخدام البادئة السالبة في اللغة القبطية. حيث ينقسم استخدامها إلى مجموعتين: أولًا: البادئة النافية at مع الأفعال ثانياً: البادئة النافية at مع الأسماء حيث تم توضيح الفارق في المعني بين أصل الفعل والاسم وبين الكلمة المسبوق بـ at وكذلك الأصل المصري القديم والديموطيقي لكل كلمة مع الشرح بأمثلة. الصفة المنفية، التي تتألف من البادئة النافية at + الفعل أو الاسم، تتبع اسمها، لكنها ترتب معًا بأداة الإضافة n-، كما أن لها وظائف نحوية وصفية: تمثل المبتدأ أو الخبر في الجملة الأسمية، ويتم تقديم لمحة عامة عن الوظائف النحوية في الاستنتاجات. في الختام، تم عمل ملحقين بهم جميع الأسماء المجردة المنفية بـ at طبقاً لما ورد في قاموس المفردات القبطيCrum's Coptic Dictionary، أحدهما للأفعال والآخر للأسماء، حيث نجد أن عدد الأفعال المتصلة بـ at أكثر من الأسماء المتصلة بـ at. ( En ) The present paper handles the compound noun, the negative, and the use of the formative at-, which is used for nouns and verbs since many abstract nouns comprise the prefix at-. Finally, all the abstract nouns negated by at are appended to. In Coptic, there are few true adjectives because the old form of the language is rich in adjective-verbs. Generally speaking, the adjective is expressed in Coptic by means of a relative clause or by substantives linked together by the genitival adjective n-. Less frequently, the noun and its qualifying substantive are in direct opposition. This adjective follows its noun in masculine and feminine forms. In this article, an analysis is made of the use of the negative prefix at- in Coptic. The examples of its use are divided into two groups: - The negative prefix at- with verbs; - The negative prefix at with nouns. The meaning of some frequently occurring verbal and nominal roots modified by at- is explicated and their etymological (Ancient Egyptian and Demotic) predecessors are provided. Syntactically, the compounds with at- are abstract nouns that function predominantly as equivalents of adjectives, as Coptic has only a few adjectives in the strict sense. Consequently, the at- compounds have adjectival syntactic functions: they modify the head noun in the nominal phrase or function as the nominal predicate in nominal sentences. They can also function as nouns, for example as the subject of the sentence. An overview of the syntactic functions of the at- compounds examined is presented in the conclusion. In the Appendices, alphabetic overviews are provided of respectively the deverbal and denominal compounds with at- mentioned in Crum’s Coptic Dictionary. It be

The contemporary trend of research projects and works are presented on selective issues of archaeometry, archaeology and Egyptology. The current status in research in the area of SE Mediterranean on cultural heritage and archaeological/historical reflections alone and/or coupled with archaeological sciences of eleven papers are placed within an updated frame. The results concern a variety of selected topics critically presented. The topics touch on the cultural astronomy, the ancient textiles and masonries and the physico-chemical and biological investigations, the socio-political issues of Egyptian Ramesside era, revisiting the inscription of an Egyptian statuette, and the valuable information extracted from rock graffiti in north Kharga, Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the first effort to read inside a damaged codex using X-Ray micro-CT imaging, which has an additional complication beyond most unrolled scrolls, for which the process has been successful: there is writing on both sides. The project is a collaboration between a humanist, a team of computer scientists and engineers, as well as librarians and conservators, to undertake the x-ray micro-CT imaging of codex M.910, a fifth- or sixth-century parchment codex of Acts of the Apostles which is too damaged to open in its current state. The first round of image processing was conducted in December 2017 at the Morgan Library and Museum, and a second round in November 2019; work on restoring the text using machine learning is ongoing, and has already resulted in the identification of some words and phrases. We first describe codex M.910, including the basics of its codicology, and its potential significance for early Christian book culture, as well as the history of the biblical text. We then provide an overview of the manuscript imaging process, at a level of technical detail intended for a general audience, with the hope of providing a reference for future work in this expanding field of research. The key initial step was the preparation of the manuscript's mount, which had to take into account the necessities of both conservation safety and micro-CT imaging. We also break down the imaging process itself, which was carried out by Skyscan micro-CT scanner, donated for use in this project by Micro Photonics. Finally, we give a brief discussion of the ongoing preliminary data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Egyptian Orthodox Coptic Church initially supported the July Revolution of 1952, based on Arab nationalism. However, the lack of representation of Coptics within the Revolutionary Council in the postrevolutionary period has slowly moved the Copts away from elective politics and took them to a policy that puts the Church at the center. In the period of Anwar Sadat (1971- 1981), state-church relations progressively deteriorated. The tension between the regime and the Church increased with the anti-governmental attitudes and decisions of Shenouda III, the patriarch of the Coptic Church (1971-2012). The understanding of religion-state separation of the Coptic Church, which has continued for centuries, has been discussed in this process. With Hosni Mubarak's (1981-2011) period, the Coptic Christians' condition relatively improved. However, after the end of Mubarak's period due to the popular uprisings, the Copts felt unprotected and abandoned. As an institution, the Coptic Church opposed the uprisings during the protests known as the "Arab Spring." The Egyptian people's quest for freedom seems to be delayed to another spring. It will exceed the limits of an article to cover the entire two thousand years of the Copts and the Coptic Church's long history. Hence, the article deals only with the last seventyyear period that started with a military coup.

The Sahidic Coptic is one of the earliest and most important versions of the New Testament. Thus, it is essential that its witness be related to the Greek tradition with adequate methodological precision. This article attempts to pave the way for such an undertaking in the Epistle to the Hebrews, a New Testament book which, currently, lacks a major critical edition of its Greek text or an edition of its Sahidic version. Firstly, the present study offers methodological reflections on citing the Sahidic version, with a particular focus on transmissional, editorial, linguistic and translation-technical issues. And secondly, a selection of the most significant variant units in Hebrews is examined with a view to relating the Sahidic evidence to the Greek variant spectrum at each point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Crucifixion with the twelve Apostles", a unique Coptic embroidered panel, was on display at the Benaki Museum (Athens, Greece). The representation of the "Crucifixion" with Christ in the center and six Apostles on either side, standing next to each other in frontal poses, is quite a rare one. This rare iconographic image of the twelve Apostles could be linked to the Ascension or the Pentecost. This unique representation of the Crucifixion with the twelve Apostles, which also involves the Ascension, is a one-of-a-kind compositional formula representing Christ's Death as a triumph over Death, emphasizing, along with the other factors, its non-Chalcedonic origin. Moreover, the interpretation of an inscription, written in at least three languages embroidered in black silk thread, is a matter which confuses the issue even more. In the present study, we will attempt a comprehensive investigation, a detailed description, and interpretation of this rare iconography, based on written and iconographic evidence traced in the history of art heritage objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the role played by the clay minerals and microorganisms in the deterioration process of Coptic architecture units at the church of Virgin Mary, Wadi El-Natrun region. For this purpose building materials (mainly mortars and plasters) from the studied church were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS); in order to identify their composition and were investigated petro-graphically to determine the real response of the masonry structure to the deformation imposed at the endogenous factors. Wall gypsum mortars in the church contain halloysite as a dominant clay mineral while plaster is clay free; concerning microorganisms, the fungal flora Aspergillus glaucus represent the most dominant fungi constituting (22.22%), Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus occhraceus, and Aspergillus caudidus were also isolated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to a Diode-Array-Detector (HPLC-DAD) is used to investigate samples which were extracted from ancient Egyptian textiles (4th–5th c. AD) of the Museum of Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University. Madder is identified in several samples. According to semi-quantitative results, which are obtained from HPLC peak areas measured at 254 nm, madder that is rich in purpurin and poor in alizarin is identified in samples which were treated (i) only with madder and (ii) with madder and either indigo/woad (Indigofera species and other/Isatis tinctoria L.) or weld (Reseda luteola L.). The madder dye used in these samples could have been originated from Rubia peregrina L. However, the possible use of Rubia tinctorum L. (or other plants of the Rubiaceae family) by the Egyptian dyers cannot be ruled out, particularly if methods were developed by the ancient dyers to affect and control the relative composition of madder dye. The HPLC peak area ratio of alizarin versus purpurin is very high (>2.2) for samples which were treated with madder (probably originated from R. tinctorum) and a tannin source. Finally, in some samples, only indigoid dyes (indigo/woad) are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The Coptic Panegyric of Makarius of Tkow describes the eviction of a pagan deity named Kothos, whose identity has been discussed and disputed since the text was first published in 1980 and most recently in APF 64/1, 2018. The varying identifications are here critically examined and a solution is offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past research approached the origins of the Coptic alphabet sociolinguistically and empirically. Neither can fully explain the comparatively sudden and fundamental change from a supraphonemic to a phonemic writing system for Egyptian around the second century AD. This paper adds the cognitive-linguistic concept of the grain size of a writing system to the picture. In essence, by the second century, sound changes in Egyptian had resulted in a phonological structure of the language that mapped more easily onto a phonemic writing system than previous stages of the language. This coincided with socio-political developments favouring the Greek alphabet. As a result, multiple writing systems, which shared the underlying structure, alphabetic, and model, the Greek alphabet, emerged. Eventually, one of these prevailed, the Coptic alphabet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coptic pharmacological texts offer a multitude of medical prescriptions concerning various afflictions, such as eye or skin irritations, affections of the viscera, or even psychological complaints. The content of these texts is medical, and in most cases bereft of any magical or religious ideas. They usually compile prescriptions according to symptoms and/or afflictions, without any further organising principle. Only a handful of texts are grouped according to the illness or to the medicinal plants used. Almost every prescription follows a pattern, with four formal elements: 1) the medical indication (or purpose), 2) the (basic) ingredients, 3) the procedure and application, and 4) the effects and/or the effectiveness of a remedy, or further information. In this article, I give an overview of the entire corpus of Coptic medical prescriptions, explore the four main elements, and especially the discussions of efficacy. I also examine the material in light of placebo research, to see whether something like a placebo effect may have influenced how the pharmacological texts were formulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the 'market of healing' of Christian Egypt (here broadly considered as the fourth through twelfth centuries CE), 'magical' practitioners represent an elusive yet recurrent category. This article explores the evidence for magical healing from three perspectives – first, literary texts which situate 'magicians' in competition with medical and ecclesiastical healing; second, the papyrological evidence of Coptic-language magical texts, which provide evidence for concepts of disease, wellness, and their mediation; and finally confronting the question of how these healing traditions might be understood within the methodologically materialistic framework of academic history, using the concepts of placebo and healing as a performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interdisciplinary research (philology, typology, morphology, phonology) presented here explores the role of gender in the meaning and morphology of Coptic nouns. Coptic has a predominantly grammatical gender system, albeit with a niche for semantically based gender assignment. The gender system marks a three-way semantic contrast between a [male] versus a [female] versus an [unspecified] gender value, even where the morphology draws only a two-way distinction between grammatical masculine and feminine gender. By integrating quantitative data and morphophonological analysis, we shall argue that masculine gender is morphologically unmarked. Although no discrete morpheme can be identified, feminine gender is always morphologically marked on nouns. Masculine and feminine nouns are distinguished in terms of their templatic structure, which interacts in complex ways with vowel distributions, stress assignment, and noun class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]