SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

43. Letter from J. Forshall to the Archbishop from British Museum, dated 8/13/1842. 44. Memoranda from J. Forshall, attached to #43. 45. Letter from the Archbishop to H.H. Pope Peter VII of Alexandria, dated 8/16/1842. 46. Letter from J. Lieder to the Archbishop from Cairo, dated 2/10/1843. 47. Translated letter from Pope Peter VII to the Archbishop, attached to #46, from Cairo, dated 2/1/1843. 48. Letter from H. Tattam to the Archbishop from Bedford, dated 1/4/1846. 49. Letter from H. Tattam to the Archbishop from Bedford, dated 1/5/1846. 50. Letter from H. Tattam to the Archbishop from Bedford, dated 10/7/1846. 51. Letter from H. Tattam to the Archbishop from Bedford, dated 10/17/1846. 52. Letter from H. Tattam to the Archbishop from Bedford, dated 10/31/1846. 53. Letter from H. Ellis to the Archbishop from the British Museum, dated 10/29/1846. Themes: The documents included in the book can be organized in the following groups:  Rev. Henry Tattam's work on the Coptic Scriptures (Documents Nos. 1-10, 34) [1836-8, 1842]  Rev. Henry Tattam working on behalf of the British Museum to procure Syriac manuscripts from Egypt. (Documents Nos. 23-28,37-39,43-44,53) [1840-42, 1846]  Establishment of an institution to train the candidates for t e clergy in the Coptic Church (Documents Nos. 13,15-22,30- 33,36, 40-42, 45-47) [1839-43]

edition of the four Gospels in Coptic and Arabic, though not specifically mentioned in these letters. This work was undoubtly related to the Anglican Church early efforts to supply Scriptures for use by the Coptic Church as mentioned above. His next major work, the 1836 publication of the Minor Prophets in Coptic and Latin, is mentioned in his letters to the Archbishop (cf. No. 1). Up to this point, it seems that his work was based on manuscripts in England and France. He later shown interest in expanding his work to the Italian collections (cf. Nos. 2,3,6). Despite his knowledge of their contents, it seemed that his efforts to secure copies of them were unsuccessful (cf. No. 8). These documents also tell us of his travel to Egypt to pursue his quest for publishing the Scriptures in Coptic. His desire can be summed up in a statement he wrote to the Archbishop in 1836 stating, ' I am anxious that the whole of the Coptic and Sahidic versions of the Scriptures should be published, for the benefit of the biblical student. ' (cf. No. 1) The use of the term ' Coptic ' was the usual one used at the time to refer to Bohairic texts. He further elaborated on the importance of publishing the Coptic Scriptures in his letter to the Archbishop in March 1840, stating, '.. but when they shall (i.e. the Copts) begin to earnestly inquire what is the truth, and return to the simplicity and purity of the Gospel of Christ, their own Coptic version, I have not doubt, will be the standard to which they will appeal. " (cf. No. 19) He spent an extensive period of time in Egypt in 1841 and between the first half of 1843 and the end of 1845, as evidenced by the lack of any correspondences to the Archbishop from him during that period. The fruit of his labor during that period resulted in his 1846 edition of the Coptic version of Job and his 2-volume edition of the New Testament in Coptic and Arabic 1847- 1852. Also he transcribed other manuscripts that were deposited later in the British Museum. No. 39 did mention his intention to collate the manuscripts in Egypt, and No. 49 mentioned that

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter  Rev. Tattam's other publishing efforts for the benefit of the Coptic Church (Documents Nos. 11, 14, 15, 29, 48-52) [1839, 1841,1843]

Tattam's Work on the Coptic Scriptures: These documents gives us a glimpse of the tremendous efforts that Tattam expended in his quest to publish the Coptic Scriptures. His early work was published in 1829 in the form of an

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