SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

Church. The proposal was presented by the chief missionary of the Church of England in Egypt, Rev. J. Lieder. He later presented a more comprehensive plan to the Secretaries of theCMS in England in May 1842 (cf. No. 35). Lieder's proposal involved a 3-year trial period, when the school would be opened only for Coptic students to prepare them for the priesthood in the Coptic Church. At the end of that period, he proposed that it may be opened to Moslems or Jews in Egypt, if interested in joining. His comprehensive plan also included a more detailed discussion of the subject matter to be taught there. In his presentation to the Pope in 1840, he listed the Coptic Language first among the languages to be taught (cf. No. 21). However in his latest proposal to the CMS, he listed it unenthusiastically after Arabic by saying, ' Though it is to be pitied, that this dead language must be introduced into this institution, yet it is unavoidably necessary; for being the sacred language of the Coptic Church, the pupils could never enter the ministry of that Church without it. ' The last part of the statement was prompted by Tattam's comment about the Coptic language to him in the attached document, No. 36, which stated, ' ; it being a regulation of the Coptic Church, that no one shall be ordained a priest, until he can read and understand the Coptic language. ' It should be noted that at this present time, no such regulation is observed nor adhered to. A fact that this present writer personally believes that it is causing the current unexplained weakness found in the Coptic Church of our time. The proposal presented to the CMS was to start the institution in Cairo in 1842 and end that trial period in 1845. The documents in this volume, do not indicate the actual time of beginning this school. However in the final note in the book, Lieder is mentioned to have stated in the Missionary Register for July 1847, concerning the school, that, amidst ' much to discourage ,' there was ' much more to cheer .' However in a later letter dated February 11, 1848, he is quoted to have said that the institution was not worth the

expenses that the CMS was subjected to. An opinion that they later concurred with as recorded in the Missionary Register for June 1848. The book concludes with the terse statement, It was closed accordingly . Tattam's Other Publishing Efforts for the Benefit of the Coptic Church: These documents show that Tattam efforts have extended beyond the publication of the Coptic Scriptures. In No. 11, he proposed to the Archbishop the supplying of a commentary in Arabic on the Gospels and the Epistles for the Coptic Church. This volume would be subject first to the review by the Coptic Church. In No. 15, he proposed that the commentary to be composed out of the writings of Fathers accepted by the Coptic Church. The idea was adopted by Lieder in his proposal to the Pope for the new institution in 1840 (cf. No.21). In 1840 he mentioned that he has translated half of a Coptic prayers book (cf. No. 17). But there is no publication by him in this field. Eventually S. Malan did publish English translations of some liturgical works in 1870s in England. In the same year, he mentioned a proposal to edit the Arabic Homilies of St. Macarius (cf. No. 17). In No. 29, he mentions that he will translate this work from Greek and/or Latin. The work was completed and printed in 1846 and published by the Christian Knowledge Society (cf. No. 48). The Pope was delighted to see this project completed because of the importance of that father to the Coptic Church and the lack of any known manuscripts of this work in Arabic (cf. No. 50). Is should be noted that this work is generally referred to in later publications in English as Pseudo-Macarius Homilies . He also proposed to publish an edition of the Arabic Homilies of St. John Chrysostom. The edition seemed to have run into financial difficulties (cf. No. 49). The documents here do not shed any light on if this project ever came to fruition.

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

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