SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

on this task in the form of the dedication of a portion of the Fifth Conference in 2003, to deal with some of these sites. Names of presenters and endangered sites were suggested which we will elaborate on in future publications of this Newsletter. c. Coptic History: Three papers were presented in this category, two on Friday afternoon and the third on Saturday morning. The first was by Mr. Ramses Wassif, and it dealt with the fifth Ecumenical Council and how it related to the Coptic Church. This council, called Constantinople II, was held in AD 553 at the request of the Byzantine emperor Justinian. This was over a century after that of Chalcedon (AD 451), that saw the Coptic Church (among others) withdrawing from other orthodox churches in the East. This explains its absence from this convened council. It dealt primarily with the subject of the THREE CHAPTERS, i.e. the writings of Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret, and Ibas of Edessa, against St. Cyril of Alexandria’s Anti-Nestorian writings. Despite the discussions and the decisions that were taken, which would have been agreeable to the Coptic Church, it still failed to heal the divide that Chalcedon has done. The second paper was presented by Deacon Severus (Maged) Mikhail on the subject of Conversion around the time of the Arab Conquest of Egypt in the middle of the Seventh century AD. The paper is part of Deacon Mikhail’s Ph.D. work at UCLA. In it, he dealt with several forms of conversion within Egypt shortly before, during, and shortly after the Conquest. To know more about this fascinating and revolutionary study, the reader need to wait for its publication in the upcoming inaugural edition of ‘Coptica’ in 2002. This category was concluded with a most excellent paper on Pope Timothy II. The presenter was the famed Coptologist from Washington DC, Prof. Fr. David Johnson of the Catholic University of America. This long-anticipated paper was worth the wait, not only for the valuable information that were presented but also for the keen insight provided by Fr. Johnson. He introduced us to the

the service of the Church, while that of Dr. Saad dealt briefly with his overall lifetime contribution. b. Coptic Art: These two papers were delivered consecutively on the afternoon session of Saturday. The first, by Prof. Boules Ayad Ayad, dealt with the Ancient Egyptian as well as Greco-Roman roots of Coptic Art. This extensive slide presentation contrasted many of the elements of Coptic Art, secular and sacred, to primarily Ancient Egyptian art. The Greco-Roman roots were presented as a minor contributor, except for the Fayoum Portraits that greatly affected the development of Old and Neo-Coptic sacred Iconography, as seen in our Coptic Churches in Egypt and abroad. In his slides material, Prof. Ayad made significant use of Mr. Nabil S. Atalla’s 2-volume collection of Coptic Icons. It was very gratifying to see such publications, distributed by the Society, providing an academic value to scholars. The second paper was that of the remarkable wall paintings that were discovered in a monastic complex in the village of al-Mansuryia, about 26 miles away from Giza, between the Pyramids and Wadi ‘N Natroun. The discovery was made nearly a decade ago, and was excavated by the Egyptian Antiquities Department. it resembled the Hermitages of Esna. This mostly underground complex was constructed over a period of time. Dr. Gabra explored briefly the evolution of the structures. The paper then dealt extensively with the wall paintings of the complex with respect to subject and artistic elements. Though faint with age, these paintings provide many interesting iconographic depictions, dominated by those of the Holy Virgin Mary. Some of the scenes and personage portrayed is similar to those found in the nearby Jeremias Monastery in Saqarra. It is estimated that the site was abandoned in the 8 th or 9th century with the date of the paintings being assigned to the late 6 th or 7 th centuries, according to Dr. Gabra. He further eluded to the poor publication history of Coptic sites which are suffering from varying degrees of ruins. He concluded with a proposal to the organizers to take

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

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