SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

re-dedication or possibly a second consecration ceremony for the Patriarch after he was initially consecrated in the city. This prompted a belated response from Pope Shenouda who in no uncertain terms told the audience that consecration to the same office is not repeated in the church. And the Pope of Alexandria does not need for the monks of St. Macarious monastery to reaffirm his consecration. this response was very firm but in a light-hearted manner and certainly awakened any one that dared to sleep during such a momentous event as this symposium was! Session Two, February, 2, 2002; Chairman: Dr. P. Grossmann: This short session included only two papers. The first by Rev. Dr. T. Vivian, titled, "The History of Monasticism in Wadi al-Natrun" . The author here restricted himself to three major monastic figures from the 4 th to the 6 th century AD: St. Macarious the Great, St. Isaiah the Ascetic, and St. Daniel the Hegomen of Scete. He introduced the audience, through the writings of these monastic pillars, to how monasticism in the area evolved and developed from the 4 th to the 6 th centuries and their golden age there. Those who has listened to Rev. Dr. Vivian in the past would not have been surprised to hear his emphasis on the essential role that St. Macarious played in the establishment of Nitrian Monasticism. The second paper was by Dr. S. Richter, titled, "Wadi al-Natrun and Coptic Literature" . The author here surveyed the history of the libraries that were known to have existed in the area, dealing with specific manuscript examples from the 9 th to the 14 th century. He further indicated that these libraries continued to exist as late as the 17 th century, as evidenced by accounts published by travelers to the region as well as their manuscript purchases. He also surveyed the important works being done on such manuscripts like the catalogs of the Hamburg Manuscripts brought from the area, the work of Prof. H. Schüssler on the reunion of the manuscript fragments, and the work of Dr. G. Gabra on the Difnar that traced its origin (in part) as far back as the 10 th century. Other interesting items introduced by the author included the presence of private, yet small, libraries of

individual monks; the ecumenical flavor found in the area, as evidenced by a Polygott Vatican manuscript; the transmission of the manuscripts primarily for liturgical purposes; and the presence of what is scholarly referred to as Apocryphal texts and their being read there until possibly the 13 th century. This last point deserves an in-depth study to uncover the role that such literature played in shaping the tradition of the Coptic Church and how it was utilized over the centuries. Session Three, February, 2, 2002; Chairman: Fr. Dr. U. Zanetti: This included five papers that dealt with such topics as the Geology, Archeology, Architecture, and Christian Arabic literature of the area plus the depiction of Scetis fathers in the newly restored ancient church at St. Antony monastery at the Red Sea. The first paper was by the renowned Egyptian Geology authority, Prof. R. Said, now residing Virginia USA, titled "Geology of Wadi al-Natrun" . He introduced the audience to a mass of scientific evidence, showing how the area was shaped geologically over literally millions of years. The resultant was a site rich in water supply and capable of sustaining a large community for long periods of time. This would scientifically explain why such thriving communities existed on the site. It is worthy of mention that the site of St. Antony Monastery in Southern California exhibits similar geological features despite of its high elevation! The second paper was by Prof. B. Van Elderen, titled, "Archaeology at Wadi al-Natrun" . It dealt with the recent archeological finds at Wadi al- Natrun in the last decade. The early survey work was done in 1990 and Bishop Samuel was actively involved in that work which involved the ruins of the domed monastic settlements or Manshubiat (Copt: ma n swpi ). The primary focus of the paper was on the excavations at the site of ancient monastery of St. John the Little, which he personally headed. On that subject he introduced the audience through colorful slides to the finds of three seasons of excavation there: 1995, 1996, 1999. During those seasons the remains of the ancient monastic church were uncovered, including

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

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