SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

13. Coptic Classes: The advanced translation seminar, being conducted at the Center, has moved to Wednesday evenings from 7:00-8:00 p.m. It deals with a Bohairic text, attributed to St. Cyril of Alexandria, concerning the Three Saintly Youth as well as a study of the Bohairic version of the Book of Genesis. Two sessions of the Coptic I class at the Coptic Seminary in Los Angeles are currently in progress. Mr. Maged Mikhail is conducting the one held at the Seminary headquarters at Bellflower, California, the second is held at the Coptic Center in Los Angeles and taught by Mr. Hany N. Takla, the Society's president. The plan to conduct a series of 2-hour seminars to train students on how to conduct research using primary sources like manuscripts is also underway. 14. The Seventh Congress for Coptic Studies: We have received word that the upcoming Coptic Studies congress will be held at Leiden University, the Netherlands. It is scheduled to start on August 27 and continue until September 2 in the year 2000. From our prior experience with the Dutch scholars in Coptic Studies, we are greatly heartened by the Congress being held there. This being the premier event in Coptic Studies, we encourage all of our members to attend and participate if possible. Less than two years is left, so we all need to prepare to be able to contribute positively to the proceedings of this prestigious event. Those interested in presenting papers there, are encouraged to contact the Society for coordination of topics and resources. 15. The Electronic Edition of the Coptic Encyclopedia : The copyright agreement between the St. Mark Foundation and Macmillan Publishing Company to produce an electronic version (CD-ROM) of the Coptic Encyclopedia is completed. The agreement includes the royalties set by Macmillan along with the turning over of an electronic text (ASCII- Format) of the eight volumes. Rights for illustrations used will be secured separately from other individual

and institutions. Other appropriate color illustrations may also be included in the electronic version. According to Dr. Fawzy Estafanous, the organization's founder, this edition will be an electronic version of the original printed edition, with the exception of including short annotations on articles that are being disputed by Coptic Church authorities and corrections of obvious errors. These extra items will be included in a separate volume and electronically link to the articles they pertain to. Each annotation will include the name of the presenter In other words, the original text will not be altered unless authorized by Macmillan. Hany N. Takla, the Society's president, will be in charge of this project, in his capacity as member of the foundation's executive board. 16. The Scriptorium: The Scriptorium, under the new directorship of Dr. Bastiaan van Elderen, has continued to expand its withholdings along with its educational and research activities. According to Dr. Van Elderen, the third excavation season at the ancient site of monastery of St. John the Little (Kolobos) in the Wadi 'n Natrun area was successfully completed in this past quarter. Dr. Tim Vivian of Bakersfield, California was one of the participant. We expect that either Dr. Van Elderen or Dr. Vivian will present a report on this third season during this year Conference of Coptic Studies at UCLA. 17. Study Tour of Egypt: We have received a word from Dr. Van Elderen that he will be directing a Study Tour of Egypt during the period Oct 15-30, 1999. This tour that Witte Travel of Grand Rapids, MI is doing the travel arrangement, will originate from Grand Rapids Kent County International Airport. The trip will include guided visits to important Ancient Egyptian as well as Christian sites. The cost is $3,769 per person. Special travel arrangements can also be made through Witte Travel. For more information, contact Witte Travel at (800) 469-4883, or Dr. Van Elderen at (616) 957-0876.

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

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