SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

field. He briefly surveyed the early history of the Coptic translation of the Scriptures and printed editions in that field. He then went on to document what has survived from this, the greatest treasure of our Coptic Christian Heritage. Sadly, none of the major dialects preserved the entire text of the Old Testament even when they are put together. A proposed methodology was presented on how to produce a complete text of the Old Testament in Modern (Bohairic) Coptic. Dr. Gawdat Gabra, during the discussion period, lauded the efforts and the accomplishments of the Society with its meager resources in the field. He also recommended cooperation with other scholars in Europe that are doing similar work. However, it should be noted that our previous offers of cooperation in 1992 and 1996 were politely ignored! The second paper was delivered by Mr. Samuel Youssef, one of the conference organizers, dealing with Origen's understanding of the Freedom of the Will . This passionate presentation dealt with Origen's defense of the Old Testament as proving rather than disproving such doctrine which is very prominent in Christianity. The paper then shifted focus from the Origen's writings to the practical application of such teaching in relation to the new generation of Copts in America. A topic that should be pursued in the future, in my personal opinion, on the basis of how the Coptic Heritage, including the writings of the fathers, can be effectively used in educating the new generations and ensuring their spiritual well-being. I also feel that if such texts are not made available in a proper manner, then no benefit can be realized. In that afternoon session, Rev. Dr. Tim Vivian presented his paper on the use of animals as parables in the little known Coptic text of Virtues of St. Macarius . He extensively quoted the text in relation to the use of this theme, which was surprisingly positive toward members of the animal kingdom. He further showed how the text writer's used them to illustrate his own vision of Spiritual kingdom, where man and beast would peaceably coexist. This in my opinion expand on some of the imagery used in the Book of Isaiah to illustrate

peace with the changed behavior of the wild animals. This is not surprising, considering that the Bible has always been the prime inspiration of the Desert Fathers. Dr. Gawdat Gabra made the last presentation in this category on that day. He dealt with the topic of Wadi 'N Natroun as a subject of research. He began by reminding the audience with the painful fate that the famous Kellia site experienced, where thousand of these excavated early monastic settlements were removed with heavy machinery to make way for cultivating the land. He used this to illustrate the urgency for thorough scientific study of this site. A site that represents the best preserved cradle of monasticism left in Egypt with its significant contribution to many areas of the Coptic Heritage. He further proposed the establishment of a branch of Coptic Studies, dealing only with Wadi 'N Natroun. He also proposed holding an International Symposium of the subject, preferably on site. He made a suggestion of the areas to be reported on as well as his recommendation of the presenters in each area. In conclusion, he asked both of our Society and St. Mark Foundation to undertake the preparation of such a historical event. I am happy to report that later during evening reception, Dr. Estafanous was able to organize a steering committee for this project. Within the following two weeks he was able to secure H.H. Pope Shenouda's permission to hold the Symposium at the Papal residence in the monastery of St. Bishoy in February 2002. More details about this item is forthcoming in the next issues of this newsletter. The fifth paper in this category was delivered by Dr. S. Michael Saad in the morning session of the second day. It dealt with the appeal to authority found in the writings of H.H. Pope Shenouda III. Dr. Saad, in his analysis of the aforementioned writings, argued that the Pope has went beyond the usual use of authority of Scripture and Patristics experience that other Coptic theologians in this century have limited themselves to. This was done through his appeal to reason and human experience. Of course the subject of these writings

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

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