SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

Text Selections from the Coptic (Bohairic) Old Testament with New Translation(1) Book of Genesis (1) (by Hany N. Takla)

in mind that this version is a translation of Medieval Hebrew manuscripts, done at a time when the knowledge in Hebrew was not as good as it is now. The new translation provided is a modest attempt to capture some of the unique features of the text with strict adherence to grammar and vocabulary. It is designed for serious students of Coptic and Old Testament alike. It is not intended to be a replacement English Translation for Church use, because such work would be coordinated and pursued in a different manner than this. With that in mind, I hope it can be of benefit to many.

Introduction: The Coptic Bible is the Copts’ greatest literary gift to Christianity. In it they rendered the original Greek in a manner both literal as well as accurate. In the case of the Old Testament or the Septuagint, they used original Greek manuscripts that we lack for the most part. They had the advantage of the original being done in Alexandrian Greek which they were obviously well-versed in. This undoubtedly enhanced the quality of the translation. The Coptic text provided is from M. K. Peters edition of the Bohairic Genesis which is primarily based on Codex Vaticanus Copt. 1. The KJV text is taken from a published electronic version. Keep

Bohairic Coptic

KJV

New Literal Translation

1:1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 1:3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 1:4 And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

1:1 In a beginning, God created Heaven and Earth 1:2 And the Earth was existing without a form for it and unprovided. And a darkness existed upon the Deep and a spirit of God came upon the waters. 1:3 And God said, “Let a light (be) and it became namely the light. 1:4 And He saw namely God the light that it was good and He seperated namely God between the light and the darkness. And He called, namely God, the light, “the day”. And the darkness, He called it, “the night” and an evening became (and) a morning became of the first day.

qen

ouar,/

a

v]

1:1

yamio nt ve nem p kahi

p kahi

de

nafsop

1:2

n atnau ouoh n atcob] ouoh ou,aki naf,/ hijen v noun ouoh oup na n te v] nafn/ou hijen nimwou je mareuwini ouoh afswpi n je piouwini ouoh afvwrj e bol n je v] oute piouwini nem oute pi,aki 1:5 ouoh afmou] n je v] e piouwini je pi e hoou ouoh pi,aki afmou] e rof je pi e jwrh ouoh a rouhi swpi a toou i swpi m pi e hoou n houit e rof pe 1:3 ouoh peje v] 1:4 ouoh afnau n je v] e piouwini je nanef

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

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