Coptica 15, 2016

Towards a History of Liturgical Vestments in the Coptic Rite: I - Minor Orders, Deacons, and Presbyters

The historical development of Coptic liturgical vestments is far from clear. There have been attempts by many scholars to list and describe the various vestments worn by each rank of the clergy. However, the topic still remains in need of a coherent, updated analysis that takes into account the historical development of the vestments, rather than a mere listing of all known items detached from their historical evolution. This article analyzes the historical development of Coptic liturgical vestments for the minor orders—i.e. readers and sub-deacons—as well as deacons and presbyters. A future contribution will focus on the vestments of bishops and patriarchs, and the vestments in current use in Coptic services. Mr. Ramez Mikhail, Ph.D. Cand. University of Vienna 6400 Lincoln Ave. Apt 3201 Buena Park, CA 90620 mikhail.ramez@gmail.com

From Elijah to Elisha: Athanasius’s Fighting Spirit Doubled in Shenoute

The Life of Shenoute preserved in Arabic tells a story about Athanasius’s complicity in the destruction of a pagan temple in Akhmim by the Archangel Michael, who then foretells the birth of Shenoute and his reception of Athanasius’s spirit two-fold, just as Elisha received Elijah’s spirit two-fold. An examination of Shenoute’s own references to Athanasius, especially in I Am Amazed , Who Speaks through the Prophet , and God Is Blessed , shows that Shenoute used Athanasius polemically to bolster his own positions against Gnosticism, Arianism, Manichaeism, and Paganism. The Arabic Life of Shenoute ’s later interpretation of Shenoute as Athanasius intensified may be the result of Shenoute’s appropriation of Athanasius for fighting purposes. Dr. Carolyn Schneider

Associate Professor of Church History The Lutheran Theological Seminary 50 To Fung Shan Road, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong Carolyn.Schneider@elca.org