SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

Book Review-Coptic Language Textbook (by Hany N. Takla)

pp.2-3, Introduction p.4, Alphabet pp.4-7, Pronunciation exercies p.7, Syllables pp.8-10, Common Prayers p.8, The Sign of the Cross pp.9-10, The Lord's Prayer pp.10-14, Prayer of Thanksgiving pp.15-21, Psalm 50

Introduction: On January 8, 2004, Rev. Dr. Tim Vivian forwarded an e-mail to me about an item being auctioned at the British Ebay site, which may be of interest to the Society. It was described as an 1893 Coptic –Arabic book, published in Cairo. The item was in the Netherlands. The description looked intriguing enough for me to make an attempt to acquire it, which turned out to be successful. Eventually it was received by mail on January 26, 2004. I merely glanced at it before leaving for the airport to board a flight to Egypt to attend the Fayoum Symposium. Books published in Egypt during that time period usually tell us more than what is printed on their pages. This one was no exception, as I examined it more carefully after returning from the trip. Title and Author: The book title in Coptic is: " nihou a ] n te piws n te ]acpi n rem n ,/mi ". A different and more poetic title is given in Arabic, and it reads: "`Galat al-talib wa lahnat al-ragheb fi al-Lugha al-Qibtiya". The author, 'Naguib son of Mikhail', mentions his benefactor that has funded the publication, as 'Nakhla Bey Effendi Youssef'. He is described as someone 'who exerted every effort to revive the monuments and the language of his fathers and granfathers' p.2 Purpose: The book was published for use as a text book for teaching the Coptic Language to students, studying Coptic, as well as those in the Orthodox schools. Description: The book measures approximately 7-1/4 x 5-1/4 inches. It contains 92 pages. Only the back cover of the original violet-colored paper cover is preserved. The entire book was rebound in a light brown leather binding. There are line markings on its exterior sides but the pattern is uncertain. Contents: The book has the following topics:

pp.21-24, Prime's reading of the Pauline pp.24-27, Prime's Praise of the Angels pp.27-31, Compline's 'Vouchsafe O Lord' pp.31-34, Prime's Trisagion pp.34-36, Prime's 'Hail to You' pp.36-37, Introduction to the Creed pp.38-41, The Creed pp.41-43, Prayer after the 41 Kyrie eleison pp.43-48, Troporia and Theotokia of the 3 rd Hour pp.49-56, Troporia and Theotokia of the 6 th Hour pp.56-62, Troporia and Theotokia of the 9 th Hour pp.62-68, Horologion's Collect prayers pp.62-64, Collect of Vespers pp.64-66, Collect of Compline pp.66-68, Collect of Veil pp.68-76, Troporia and Theotokia of the Midnight Services pp.68-71, First Watch

pp.71-74, Second Watch pp.74-76, Third Watch pp.76-89, Ecclesiastical Phrases p.89, Concluding Note p.90-91, Table of Contents p.92, Errata

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

Commentary: The book is intended, as stated by the author, for educating students in the Coptic language. This purpose and the intended target, students in the orthodox schools, reflects the fruits of the reformation that Pope Cyril IV (1854-1861) began a generation earlier. Its ecclesiastical nature in the text selections and the included phrases do not however conform to the reasoning

9