SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

developmental history of these important books in the Coptic Church. 13. The Annual Meeting of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE): The 49th ARCE Annual meeting is scheduled for April 24-26 at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). For more information you can e-mail ARCE at eschapker@arce.org. The Society encourages all who can from the Coptic community in Southern California to attend. ARCE has sponsored many projects in Egypt related to Coptic Studies, e.g. the Scriptorium excavation of the ancient monastery of St. John the Little. 14. Third Woodbrooke-Mingana Symposium: We have received a letter from Dr. David Thomas of the Center for the Study of Islam & Christian- Muslim Relations announcing the time for the 3rd Mingana Symposium on September 7-11 1998. The subject matter will be " Arab Christianity in Bilad al-Sham in the Pre-Ottoman Period ". The place will be the Woodbrooke College, Selly Oak, Birmingham UK. The Society was represented in the previous symposium in September 1994 which dealt with the theme of " Coptic Arabic Christianity before the Ottomans: Text and Context ". This afforded us a great chance to introduce activities of the Society to many Scholars in the field of Christian Arabic Literature. This was done primarily with the great encouragement of Prof. Fr. Samir Khalil. 15. An Education Department in the Los Angeles Coptic Diocese: HG. Bishop Serapion, the Coptic bishop of Los Angeles and neighboring areas, has taken steps recently to establish an Education Department for the Diocese. A department that will eventually oversee, coordinate, and direct all Christian education matters of the Diocese. After a two-day workshop that was held on Dec. 7-8, a founding committee of 15 members was selected by the bishop to assist him in the establishment process of this department. We commend bishop Serapion on this wonderful endeavor, and wish him success. It is noteworthy that 10 out of the 15 members of the committee are

actually members of the Society, a tribute to the caliber of Society membership in the Southern California Area. 16. The Scriptorium: The Scriptorium has undergone many changes in the past period. Our colleagues Drs. Carroll and Pattengale have left this fine institution for various reasons. Another esteemed and well-respected colleague was appointed as a Director, Dr. Bastiaan van Eldern. This renowned Christian archaeologist and scholar will surely guide the organization in a most wise manner. We are hopeful that the Society will be involved in working on some of the literary Coptic material in their possession. It is probably too early to say any more about the subject at this time especially at this time of transition there. We wish Dr. van Eldern the best on his new post. He promised us another presentation about the St. John the Little excavation the next time he is in town which could be as early as this upcoming April or May. 17. The International Association of Coptic Studies (IACS): Prof. Dr. Emmel informed us that the offices of IACS have moved from Rome to Münster, Germany. This organization links the researchers working in the field of Coptic Studies. Its primary function has been to organize the Coptic Congresses, held every four years. Scholars and those keenly interested in scholarly work related to Coptic Studies, can join by sending a letter stating their interest as well as their activities in the field. Also two reference letters from existing members of IACS should accompany such letter. All this can be send to the following address: Prof. Dr. Stephen Emmel

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter Institut für Ägyptologie und Koptologie Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster Schlaunstrasse 2 D-48143 Münster, Germany email: emmstel@uni-muenster.de

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