Coptic saints and pilgrimages / Otto F.A. Meinardus.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Meinardus, Otto F. A., 1925-2005.

Contributor:

Gotham Book Mart Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Coptic Church.

Coptic Christian saints.

Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages.

Coptic Church--History.

History.

Penn Provenance:

Gotham Book Mart (former owner) (Gotham Book Mart Collection copy)

Physical Description:

viii, 113 pages : illustrations, (some color) ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cairo ; New York : American University in Cairo Press, [2002]

Summary:

The Coptic Christian tradition is one that goes back almost two thousand years to the very beginnings of Christianity: Mark the Evangelist himself is said to have brought the faith to Alexandria. In his Two Thousand Years of Coptic Christianity (AUC Press, 1999), renowned scholar Otto Meinardus reviewed the history of the official church from its earliest days to the end of the twentieth century, with its doctrinal disputes and its long isolation from other world churches. Here in Coptic Saints and Pilgrims, he examines the other side of the coin, the popular traditions and beliefs of the people. While the Coptic Orthodox church is strongly influenced by Hellenistic modes of thinking, many of the folk attitudes and practices by contrast have their roots in the religious heritage of pharaonic Egypt, and while the official faith is by its sacramental nature exclusive, the folk religion is inclusive and touches every aspect of the personal lives of ordinary Copts. It is this popular aspect of Coptic religious devotion that is revealed here, in its many points of focus: biblical saints, martyrs, ascetics, equestrian warriors, 'silverless' physicians, women saints, pilgrimage, dreams, visions, and apparitions.

Contents:

Saints 1

Pilgrimages 2

Biblical Saints in Coptic Spirituality 5

The Holy Virgin Mary 5

Joseph, Spouse of the Holy Virgin 10

The Old Testament Patriarchs and Prophets 16

The Holy Apostles 17

The Heavenly Host and the Twenty-four Elders of the Apocalypse 20

The Martyrs in Coptic Spirituality 25

The Ascetics in Coptic Spirituality 29

The Equestrian Warriors in Coptic Spirituality 33

The Equestrian Warrior as Deliverer 35

The 'Silverless' Physicians in Coptic Spirituality 39

Gods and Saints as Healers 39

Saints Cyrus and John 40

Saints Cosmas and Damian 41

Saint Colluthus 42

The Women Saints in Coptic Spirituality 45

The Women Monks 46

The Virgins 47

The Mothers 49

Recently Discovered Martyrs 51

Akhmim, City of Martyrs 52

The Martyrs of the Fayyum 53

Saints Bane, Simeon, Bashnuna, and Julius of Aqfahs 56

The Veneration of Saints 63

The Coptic Pilgrimage 67

Religious and Profane Aspects 67

Pilgrimage Sites of Today 70

Coptic Pilgrimages in the Steps of the Holy Family in Egypt 83

The Chains of Saint George 86

The Footprint of Christ at Sakha 88

The Tree of the Holy Virgin in Matariya 89

Dreams, Visions, and Apparitions 93

Dreams and Visions 94

Apparitions 96

Coptic Saints in an Age of Globalization 101.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [105]-108) and index.

Local Notes:

Gotham Book Mart Collection copy has dustjacket retained.

ISBN:

9774246926

OCLC:

49240333