SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

government service in A.D. 1293 during a wave of Mamluk persecution of the Copts. He was later ordained as a priest in the historic Church of the Virgin Mary, known as al-Mu‘allaqah in Old Cairo. He stayed in this prestigious position until A.D. 1321, when another wave of mob persecution against the Copts drove him into hiding. He eventually died in his secluded hiding, three years later, in A.D. 1324. He was a prolific writer and he used all his available time, even those last three secluded years, to produce many works about the Church and the Coptic Language. Foremost among them was this 24-section encyclopedia, al- Misbah . b. Ibn Siba‘: A contemporary of Ibn Kabar. His work, al-Jawharah , is a comprehensive 113 chapters work, related to the history and traditions of the Coptic Church. Though it is not as expansive as al-Misbah , its treatment of the liturgical tradition of the Copts makes it a very unique work. Not too much else is known about him except that his life span probably extended into the early 14th century. c. Patriarch Gabriel V: He was the 88th patriarch of the See of St. Mark. He occupied this position from A.D. 1409 to 1427. He succeeded Patriarch Matthew I (A.D. 1378-1409), whose saintly life dramatically elevated the Church from its low state that Patriarch Cyril III has plunged her into with his infamous Simony practices. His time was turbulent though not much details have survived. His only known work is al-Tartib . In it he reformed the Coptic Liturgical practices which probably suffered as a result of dark times as far back as the 13th century.

priests, and ranks similar to the heavenly ones. For the heavenly orders are several ranks and their number is seven. So {the} first is the seven Angeles and Archangels, then the principalities, then the authorities, then the thrones, then the dominions then the powers. Thus the rank orders of the earthly church which is analogous to the Heavenly Jerusalem, must have for her seven rank orders like that. And they are: al-Ughnustus {Readers}; al-Abudiakon {Subdeacon}; al- Shammas {Deacon}, who is the Servant; al- Archidiakon {Archdeacon}; al-Qess the priest; al- Eghomenos {protopriest}; and al-Batraq {Patriarch} or al-Usquf {bishop} or al-Mutran {metropolitan}, for the three are one. B. Chapter 29 “On Mention of the Service of Lord Christ in the Ranks that its Boundaries has been Set in the Service: And these ranks our Master, to Him is due Glory, has served on Earth before His ascension and left these ranks for His sheep to benefit from them. As for the service of our Lord Christ in the rank of al-Ughnustus, when the Scroll was given to Him, He read it. And that book was the book of Isaiah the Prophet, so He read in the book, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me because of that He anointed me and send me to preach the blind with the vision and those in captivity with the liberty and proclaim an accepted year to the Lord”. And the Savior said to them, “Today this saying is accomplished in your hearings”. Thus is the Ughnustusia {Readership} rank. For the interpretation of the Ughnustus is the Reader. So our Savior read to the people and rolled up the book and gave it to the servant as the Evangelist Luke gave testimony to that.

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter Text of the Mention and Duties of the Deacons according to al-Jawhara : The texts, or text selections, translated here are from V. Mistrih, Juhanna Ibn Abi Zakariah Ibn Siba‘ - Pretiosa Margarita de Scientiis Ecclesiasticis. Cairo 1966. This translator’s notes are written within {}. And our Lord, to Him is due Glory, served in the rank of al-Abudiakon. And the interpretation of al-Abudiakons is the Assistants. And thus our Lord, to whom is due Glory, made a Makhsara {Whip?} from a rope and began to bring out every one who was in the house {or Sanctuary} and turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of the pigeon vendors. And He said to them, “The house of My Father is called a house of A. Chapter 28. “On the Mention of the Servants of the Church according to their Orders, and their Ranks”: This service [needs serv]ant priests, chief

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