Coptic literature

Coptic literature refers to written works from the third to eighth centuries Common Era (CE) in the Coptic literary language of Egypt. This literature is written in the Coptic alphabet, which is based on the Greek alphabet and borrows some letters from ancient Egyptian script. More than one standard Coptic alphabet or writing system exists, so the spelling varies, as well as the language structure and style, in the various dialects of the language. Coptic was the last phase of the Egyptian language and was widely spoken and written by the Copt people from the third century CE in Egypt until the Arab conquest in the seventh century. In addition to referring to the language, the designation of Coptic literature also generally refers to the works relating to the Orthodox Christian religion of the Copts.

Brief History

Many of the Copts consider themselves the direct descendants of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs. However, they were introduced to Christianity by St. Mark in the first century CE in Alexandria and converted from polytheistic Egyptian worship. From Alexandria, the teachings of Christ spread throughout Egypt, and Alexandria remained the capital of Coptic Christianity. The Copts formed the Coptic Orthodox Church, which became the largest Christian religious organization in Egypt. Hence, Coptic eventually became synonymous with Egyptian Christianity, and Coptic Christianity became the dominant religion in Egypt.

Despite the popularity of Christianity in Egypt, the Copts faced persecution by the non-Christian Romans who ruled Egypt at the time. However, they still contributed much to the practice of Christianity, not only in Egypt but also throughout the Christian world. The Copts created the concept of monasticism and built many monasteries throughout Egypt. The city of Alexandria became a major hub for religious and academic learning, and Christians from many lands would come for instruction.

The Arabic conquest of 639–646 CE brought the Muslim faith to Egypt. While at times religious tolerance was practiced, waves of open hostile persecution against the Coptic Christians took place. Resistance remained for many centuries, but by the fourteenth century, Christianity was no longer a major religion in Egypt. In 1517, the Ottoman Empire conquered Egypt and continued the persecution of Coptic Christians, destroying many churches and forcing conversion upon the Coptic people.

In the nineteenth century, Muhammad Ali took control of Egypt, abolished taxes on non-Muslims, and allowed Copts to have social privileges, such as enrolling in the army. Pope Cyril IV then encouraged Copts to get involved in governmental affairs, and they were eventually given rights in politics and allowed representation in the government. However, since Copts remained a minority in Egypt, discrimination still existed and continues to exist in the twenty-first century.

Overview

Old Coptic was most likely written in the Greek alphabet around the first century BCE, and the earliest old Coptic writings pre-date Christianity and generally consist of magical texts. The major literary dialect used in religious Coptic writing was Sahidic, the dialect in which many of the known works were written. Coptic writing was done first on papyrus, a plant of Egyptian origin, as well as on parchment and paper. Writing was done in the form of scrolls, but later, the codex became much more common in Christian writing.

Literary Coptic began to flourish in the third century after the introduction of Christianity. Many early Coptic monks only spoke in Coptic and, therefore, began translating Greek text and writing letters, sermons, and liturgies in Coptic. Some of the earliest known writings in the Coptic alphabet are letters written by St. Anthony the Great of Egypt, who was known to be part of a group of third-century hermits who practiced asceticism and were called the “Desert Fathers.” In the two centuries that followed, more religious texts were written by hermits, monks, and other ecclesiastics in Coptic. They include original writings by St. Pachomius, St. Athanasius, Macarius the Elder of Egypt, and St. Serapion. Many of the texts produced became sources used in religious services in the early Christian Coptic church.

Most of the earliest works from the third and fourth centuries have only been found in fragments in ancient monasteries, such as the White Monastery, or the abbot of St. Shenouda. Writings by St. Shenouda, the Archimandrite, are the most outstanding surviving examples of Coptic literature. Historians generally accept him as being a master of the Coptic literary style. He was known to have written with a complexity of grammar, structure, and vocabulary. His writings are the most outstanding surviving examples of Coptic literature.

Religious Translations

Coptic was used not only for original writings but also for translating Christian texts, most importantly, the Bible. The Bible was translated from the Greek Septuagint translation and was perhaps the first literary text entirely translated into Coptic. Translation work was known to have begun in various dialects in the second century. However, the Sahidic dialect, the more standardized form of literary Coptic, was used by the fourth century. Parts of the Bible, such as the New Testament, as it was available in Coptic, then became the official religious text in Coptic Churches.

Religious texts, other than the Bible, were also translated from Greek and Latin into literary Coptic. This includes Gnostic and Manichaean texts, and biblical Apocrypha, which are works thought to have been written between the Old and New Testaments and are not considered part of the generally accepted Christian Biblical canon.

Post Arabic Conquest

During the Arab invasion of Egypt in the seventh century, persecution of the Copts increased because Islam became the national religion under Arabic rule. Hymns were written in Coptic and set to traditional melodies to encourage Copts to endure the trials of the persecution, and other religious writing continued for the next two hundred years in Coptic. However, Coptic language literature eventually fell into decline by the ninth century and eventually became disused as the Copts began to use Arabic in their writing.

Bibliography

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