Copts

Popular Copts Books

12+ [Hand Picked] Popular Books On Copts


3.8/5

The Copts of Egypt: The Challenges of Modernisation and Identity by Vivian Ibrahim

The Coptic Christians of Egypt have traditionally been portrayed as a "beleaguered minority." This book uses newly discovered Coptic archival sources to present a vivid and alternative image of the community, examining Coptic agency in the twentieth century. Vivian Ibrahim reveals a strong Coptic response to the emergence and threats of Political Islam from the 1940s, and The Coptic Christians of Egypt have traditionally been portrayed as a "beleaguered minority." This book uses newly discovered Coptic archival sources to present a vivid and alternative image of the community, examining Coptic agency in the twentieth century. Vivian Ibrahim reveals a strong Coptic response to the emergence and threats of Political Islam from the 1940s, and examines how Copts negotiated a role for themselves during the colonial period and in Nasser’s post-revolutionary Egypt. Dismissing the monolithic portrayal of the community, she highlights the varied Coptic factions and groups that contributed to the identity of the Coptic community in the first half of the twentieth century.
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4.8/5

The 21: A Journey Into the Land of Coptic Martyrs by Martin Mosebach

Behind a gruesome ISIS beheading video lies the untold story of the men in orange and the faith community that formed these unlikely modern-day saints and heroes. In a carefully choreographed propaganda video released in February 2015, ISIS militants behead twenty-one orange-clad Christian men on a Libyan beach. In the West, daily reports of new atrocities may have displace Behind a gruesome ISIS beheading video lies the untold story of the men in orange and the faith community that formed these unlikely modern-day saints and heroes. In a carefully choreographed propaganda video released in February 2015, ISIS militants behead twenty-one orange-clad Christian men on a Libyan beach. In the West, daily reports of new atrocities may have displaced the memory of this particularly vile event. But not in the world from which the murdered came. All but one were young Coptic Christian migrant workers from Egypt. Acclaimed literary writer Martin Mosebach traveled to the Egyptian village of El-Aour to meet their families and better understand the faith and culture that shaped such conviction. He finds himself welcomed into simple concrete homes through which swallows dart. Portraits of Jesus and Mary hang on the walls along with roughhewn shrines to now-famous loved ones. Mosebach is amazed time and again as, surrounded by children and goats, the bereaved replay the cruel propaganda video on an iPad. There is never any talk of revenge, but only the pride of having a martyr in the family, a saint in heaven. "The 21" appear on icons crowned like kings, celebrated even as their community grieves. A skeptical Westerner, Mosebach finds himself a stranger in this world in which everything is the reflection or fulfillment of biblical events, and facing persecution with courage is part of daily life. In twenty-one symbolic chapters, each preceded by a picture, Mosebach offers a travelogue of his encounter with a foreign culture and a church that has preserved the faith and liturgy of early Christianity - the "Church of the Martyrs." As a religious minority in Muslim Egypt, the Copts find themselves caught in a clash of civilizations. This book, then, is also an account of the spiritual life of an Arab country stretched between extremism and pluralism, between a rich biblical past and the shopping centers of New Cairo.
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4.3/5

Christianity and Monasticism in Middle Egypt by Gawdat Gabra (Editor) , Hany Takla (Editor)

Christianity and monasticism have long flourished along the Nile in Middle Egypt, the region stretching from al-Bahnasa (Oxyrhynchus) to Dayr al-Ganadla. The contributors to this volume, international specialists in Coptology from around the world, examine various aspects of Coptic civilization in Middle Egypt over the past two millennia. The studies explore Coptic art and Christianity and monasticism have long flourished along the Nile in Middle Egypt, the region stretching from al-Bahnasa (Oxyrhynchus) to Dayr al-Ganadla. The contributors to this volume, international specialists in Coptology from around the world, examine various aspects of Coptic civilization in Middle Egypt over the past two millennia. The studies explore Coptic art and archaeology, architecture, language, and literature. The artistic heritage of monastic sites in the region is highlighted, attesting to their important legacies.
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4.5/5

Coptic Civilization: Two Thousand Years of Christianity in Egypt by Gawdat Gabra (Editor)

Egypt's Copts make up one of the oldest and largest Christian communities in the Middle East. Yet despite the availability of a large number of books on aspects of Coptic culture, including art and architecture, monasticism, theology, and music, there is to date no single volume that provides a comprehensive cultural history of the Copts and their achievements. Coptic Civi Egypt's Copts make up one of the oldest and largest Christian communities in the Middle East. Yet despite the availability of a large number of books on aspects of Coptic culture, including art and architecture, monasticism, theology, and music, there is to date no single volume that provides a comprehensive cultural history of the Copts and their achievements. Coptic Civilization aims to fill this gap, by introducing the general reader, the interested non-specialist, to Coptic culture in all its variety and multi-faceted richness. With contributions by twenty scholars, Coptic Civilization includes chapters on monasticism, the Coptic language, Coptic literature, Christian Arabic literature, the objects and documents of daily life, magic, art and architecture, and textiles, as well as the history of Coptic Church, its liturgy, theology, and music.
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3.8/5

Christianity and Monasticism in Aswan and Nubia by Hany Takla (Editor) , Gawdat Gabra (Editor)

Christianity and monasticism have flourished along the Nile Valley in the Aswan region of Upper Egypt and in what was once Nubia, from as early as the fourth century until the present day. The contributors to this volume, international specialists in Coptology from around the world, examine various aspects of Coptic civilization in Aswan and Nubia over the past centuries. Christianity and monasticism have flourished along the Nile Valley in the Aswan region of Upper Egypt and in what was once Nubia, from as early as the fourth century until the present day. The contributors to this volume, international specialists in Coptology from around the world, examine various aspects of Coptic civilization in Aswan and Nubia over the past centuries. The complexity of Christian identity in Nubia, as distinct from Egypt, is examined in the context of church ritual and architecture. Many of the studies explore Coptic material culture: inscriptions, art, architecture, and archaeology; and language and literature. The archaeological and artistic heritage of monastic sites in Edfu, Aswan, Makuria, and Kom Ombo are highlighted, attesting to their important legacies in the region.
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4.1/5

Christianity and Monasticism in Upper Egypt: Volume I: Akhmim and Sohag by Gawdat Gabra (Editor)

Christianity and monasticism have flourished along the Nile Valley in the Sohag region of Upper Egypt from as early as the fourth century until the present day. The contributors to this volume, international specialists in Coptology from around the world, examine various aspects of Coptic civilization in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Sohag over the past seventeen hundr Christianity and monasticism have flourished along the Nile Valley in the Sohag region of Upper Egypt from as early as the fourth century until the present day. The contributors to this volume, international specialists in Coptology from around the world, examine various aspects of Coptic civilization in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Sohag over the past seventeen hundred years. Many of the studies center on the person and legacy of the great Coptic saint, Shenoute the Archimandrite (348-466 Contributors: Heike Behlmer, Elizabeth Bolman, Anne Boud'hors, Andrew Crislip, Stephen Emmel, Cacilia Fluck, James Goehring, Suzana Hodak, Dale Kinney, Rebecca Krawiec, Bentley Layton, Catherine Louis, Nina Lubomierski, Nashaat Mekhaiel, Samuel Moawad, Siegfried G. Richter, Ashraf Sadek, Sofia Schaten, Zuzana Skalova, Bigoul al-Suriany, Mark Swanson, Hany Takla, Janet Timbie, Jacques Van der Vliet, Youhanna Youssef, Ugo Zanetti. "
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3.9/5

Coptic Monasteries: Art and Architecture of Early Christian Egypt by Gawdat Gabra , Tim Vivian (Introduction)

Egypt, the birthplace of communal monasticism, has a rich store of monasteries and monastic art. Coptic Monasteries takes the reader on a tour of the best preserved and most significant of these ancient religious centers, documenting in exhaustive detail the richness and the glory of the Coptic heritage. An informative introduction by Tim Vivian brings to life the early Chr Egypt, the birthplace of communal monasticism, has a rich store of monasteries and monastic art. Coptic Monasteries takes the reader on a tour of the best preserved and most significant of these ancient religious centers, documenting in exhaustive detail the richness and the glory of the Coptic heritage. An informative introduction by Tim Vivian brings to life the early Christian era, with background information on the origins of the Coptic Church as well as its rites and ceremonies, sketches of some of monasticism's founding figures, and accounts of some of the difficulties they faced, from religious schism to nomadic attacks. Gawdat Gabra's expert commentary, complemented by almost one hundred full-color photographs of newly restored wall paintings and architectural features, covers monasteries from Aswan to Wadi al-Natrun. Ranging across a thousand years of history, Gabra's observations will make any reader an expert on the composition and content of some of Egypt's most outstanding religious art, the salient architectural features of each monastery, as well as the ongoing process of restoration that has returned much of their original vibrancy to these works. A unique and invaluable historical record, Coptic Monasteries is equally an in-depth, on-the-spot guide to these living monuments or an armchair trip back in time to the roots of one of the world's oldest Christian traditions.
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4.6/5

The Treasures of Coptic Art: In the Coptic Museum and Churches of Old Cairo by Gawdat Gabra

Egypt's Coptic Church is one of the oldest in the world, with a cultural tradition dating back two millennia, during which time churches have been built and a variety of distinctive art forms have flourished. The world's largest and most exquisite collection of Coptic artifacts is now housed in the Coptic Museum, founded in Old Cairo in 1908. Here for the first time, in th Egypt's Coptic Church is one of the oldest in the world, with a cultural tradition dating back two millennia, during which time churches have been built and a variety of distinctive art forms have flourished. The world's largest and most exquisite collection of Coptic artifacts is now housed in the Coptic Museum, founded in Old Cairo in 1908. Here for the first time, in this lavishly illustrated book, more than one hundred of the greatest treasures of the Coptic Museum have been beautifully photographed to present an overview of this rich artistic heritage. Objects from churches and monasteries across Egypt include some of the finest examples of Coptic icons, stelae, sculptures, wall paintings, wooden altar screens, metal crosses, censers, liturgical implements and vestments, chandeliers, and bible caskets. Besides being objects of great craftsmanship and beauty, these artifacts, which range in date from the third to the nineteenth centuries, represent indispensable material for the study of the origins and development of Coptic art, as well as its relations with the ancient Egyptian, Byzantine, and Islamic traditions. Textiles, ceramics, terracotta, ivory and bone carvings, and documents (including the famous Nag Hammadi Gnostic library from the fourth century, one of the most valuable collections of papyri in the world) provide invaluable insights into the economic and social life of Egypt over the past two thousand years. In addition to objects from the Coptic Museum, this book also includes photographs of surrounding churches, some of Egypt's oldest, that illustrate the architectural legacy of the Copts. The accompanying text and captions provide a description of Coptic civilization in general and Coptic art in particular.
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3.8/5

Modern sons of the Pharaohs by S.H. Leeder

Modern sons of the Pharaohs. 422 Pages.
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4.9/5

Gnostic Bible: The Pistis Sophia Unveiled by Samael Aun Weor

The Secret Teachings of Jesus as Recorded by His Disciples "It came to pass, when Jesus had risen from the dead, that he passed eleven years discoursing with his disciples, and instructing them..." (The Pistis Sophia) The Apostles wrote down what Jesus taught them during those eleven years, resulting in "The Pistis Sophia," the most important Gnostic scripture. Includes an The Secret Teachings of Jesus as Recorded by His Disciples "It came to pass, when Jesus had risen from the dead, that he passed eleven years discoursing with his disciples, and instructing them..." (The Pistis Sophia) The Apostles wrote down what Jesus taught them during those eleven years, resulting in "The Pistis Sophia," the most important Gnostic scripture. Includes an extensive commentary by Samael Aun Weor. "The Pistis Sophia" is a sophisticated and deeply mystical teaching given by Jesus about the suffering of Sophia as she attempts to ascend to the highest spiritual truth. This scripture is remarkable for its profound mysticism, its clear rebuke of unethical behavior, and its perspective on the spiritual role of women. Having read this text, it becomes very clear why the established religious powers attempted to obliterate the Gnostics, but failed. Study of this teaching also inspires a re-evaluation of how the Christian Gospels have been interpreted for centuries. About this scripture, the commentary author Samael Aun Weor said, ""The Hebrew Bible clearly connotes the Word of the Eternal One. However, we, the Gnostics, also have our very special Bible. I want to emphatically declare that this is The Pistis Sophia, whose original is in Coptic. It was found underground in Egypt, the land of the Pharaohs. The Pistis Sophia contains all the words of the adorable Savior of the world. It was written by the Apostles. Thus, all the Esoteric-Christic instructions that Jesus Christ gave to his disciples on the Mount of the Olives and other holy places is written within this book. This book had been conserved in secret for many centuries. In this book, the Adorable One left an extraordinary, formidable body of doctrine."
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4.6/5

Coptic Art And Archaeology: The Art Of The Christian Egyptians From The Late Antique To The Middle Ages by Alexander Badawy

Professor Alexander Badawy has written and profusely illustrated this rich study of the works of Coptic Egyptians starting in the early Christian period following the Antique and ending with the assimilation of Coptic art into that of Islam. "Coptic Art and Archaeology" is based on extensive archaeological excavations and on researchers' accounts. In developing his thesis Professor Alexander Badawy has written and profusely illustrated this rich study of the works of Coptic Egyptians starting in the early Christian period following the Antique and ending with the assimilation of Coptic art into that of Islam. "Coptic Art and Archaeology" is based on extensive archaeological excavations and on researchers' accounts. In developing his thesis on the nature of the Coptic spirit in the arts, Professor Badawy--an archaeologist and art historian--has drawn upon his own firsthand observations plus a wealth of materials from museums all over the world.The result is a comprehensive examination of the Coptic arts. The text is illustrated with photographs (including the author's own), with plans of excavated sites, and with the author's restored perspectives. It is a journey through the sites and discoveries that have provided present knowledge of the Coptic civilization: a journey that included the architecture of houses and towns, fortified and unfortified monasteries, murals, paintings, and sculpture in several media, textiles, ceramics, and illuminated manuscripts. All are described in painstaking detail and historical context by the author.Illustrations are keyed to the text, which in turn demonstrates that Coptic art was in many ways a "people's art"--an art of the middle and lower classes--and not invariably a religious art. Developments in style reflected the changing fortunes of the Egyptian Christians, and this, too, is carefully traced and the examples are noted in the text and in illustrations. Professor Badawy concludes the book with a study of the effects of Coptic art on European artistic traditions.The remarkable comprehensiveness of this book will make it a basic tool of professional art historians and archaeologists, and it seems inevitable that the extensive and detailed descriptions of the extant works of Coptic artists will stimulate additional research into this area of art history. The professional and the student will find especially helpful the extensive footnotes, bibliography of international sources listed by subject area (e.g. Sculpture, Architecture, Painting), and the literally hundreds of illustrations that provide an unparalleled single-book source of examples of Coptic art. For those who cannot make the pilgrimage to the actual sites or visit the museum collections all over the world, Professor Badawy has provided the next best thing: a painstakingly detailed representative description of the treasures that are known.This is also a book for the layman who can enjoy the evidences of the Coptic genius in ornamentation and gain an appreciation of the influences of history and politics on the art and culture of a people.
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4.2/5

Making Christians: Clement of Alexandria and the Rhetoric of Legitimacy by Denise Kimber Buell

How did second-century Christians vie with each other in seeking to produce an authoritative discourse of Christian identity? In this innovative book, Denise Buell argues that many early Christians deployed the metaphors of procreation and kinship in the struggle over claims to represent the truth of Christian interpretation, practice, and doctrine. In particular, she exam How did second-century Christians vie with each other in seeking to produce an authoritative discourse of Christian identity? In this innovative book, Denise Buell argues that many early Christians deployed the metaphors of procreation and kinship in the struggle over claims to represent the truth of Christian interpretation, practice, and doctrine. In particular, she examines the intriguing works of the influential theologian Clement of Alexandria (ca. 150-210 c.e.), for whom cultural assumptions about procreation and kinship played an important role in defining which Christians have the proper authority to teach, and which kinds of knowledge are authentic.Buell argues that metaphors of procreation and kinship can serve to make power differentials appear natural. She shows that early Christian authors recognized this and often turned to such metaphors to mark their own positions as legitimate and marginalize others as false. Attention to the functions of this language offers a way out of the trap of reconstructing the development of early Christianity along the axes of "heresy" and "orthodoxy, " while not denying that early Christians employed this binary. Ultimately, Buell argues, strategic use of kinship language encouraged conformity over diversity and had a long lasting effect both on Christian thought and on the historiography of early Christianity. Aperceptive and closely argued contribution to early Christian studies, "Making Christians" also branches out to the areas of kinship studies and the social construction of gender.
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