St. Shenouda the Archimandrite Coptic Society

Fourth St. Shenouda Annual Coptic Conference Registration Form

July 26-27, 2002

Presentations @ UCLA, Royce Hall Room 314, Los Angeles California 90024

• Fees
• Schedule (periodically updated)
• Location
• Directions & Parking
• Abstracts

Registration Fee (Suggested Contributions):

• Members: $20
• Non-Member : $25
• Students: $10
• UCLA Students/Faculty: Free

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Schedule:

Schedule: The following is a tentative schedule for the conference:

Friday, July 26, 2002

• Note: For e-mail registration, the registration fee will be collected at the first day of attendance and will cover entrance fees, program packet, and lunches.

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Location:

The Conference will be located on the Campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Royce Hall, Room 314.

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Directions and Parking:

Coming from the south or from the Santa Monica Freeway:
Take the 405 N, Exit Wilshire East (Bear to the right at the exit)
Turn Right on Wilshire Blvd.
Turn Left on Westwood Ave. (the 3rd traffic light after exiting the fwy)
Turn Right on Leconte Ave
then turn Left on Hilgard Ave (the second light after turning into LeConte
Turn Left on Westholme Drive, then turn right immediately in a driveway to the information booth.
Request parking in Lot #2, parking is $7 per day and mention that you attending the St Shenouda Coptic Conference at Royce Hall.
The attendant at the booth can direct you to Royce Hall.
Enter in the left-most doors of Royce Hall and take the elevator up to the third floor (Room #314).

Coming from the north (The San Fernando Valley):
Take the 405 S, Exit Sunset East
Turn Left on Sunset Blvd.
Turn Right on Hilgard Ave.
Turn Right on Westholme Drive, then turn right immediately in a driveway to the information booth.
Request parking in Lot #2, parking is $7 per day.
The attendant at the booth can direct you to Royce Hall.
Enter in the left-most doors of Royce Hall and take the elevator up to the third floor (Room #314).

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Abstracts:

Title: The Church of the Temple of Dandarah
Presenter: Prof. Boulos Ayad Ayad, (Boulder, Colorado)

Abstract:

During the Coptic Period, the Christians of the town of Dandarah built a church to meet the needs of the rising numbers of the faithful. The parts of the church include: (1) the two entrances; (2) the narthex; (3) the western portion; (4) the nave; (5) the sanctuary; (6) the roof; and (7) the manner in which the plan of the church was sited.
Since the Arab invasion of Egypt in the 7th century AD, there was widspread conversion to Islam, Since that time, the number of christians gradually declined. By the 13th century AD, Islam was the faith of the majority of the population. Because of this pjhonomenon, it was difficult for the Christians to visit the area of the temple of Dandarah or to pray in the church. The place became isolated. Of course, no one at the time continued to practice the religion of ancient Egypt or to pray in the Temple of Hathor. The temple and its various related buildings were negelected completely and some of these monuments fell into ruin. The area became increasingly unsafe to visit. Such serious problems did not encourage the Christians of the town of Dandarah to attend the services of the church or its festivals, especially as some of these occasons took place at night. The reasons behind the desertion of the church in the 13th century AD have been noted. In recent times, however, archaeologist have begun t study the church's plan, its architecture, and its archaeligy. These scholars have given us a description of the church and its importance. Also there will be a comparative study between the churches during classical time and the churches in the modern period. The church of the temple of Dandarah clearily deserves more careful study to reach a scholarly consensus concerning some parts of its plan. It may be possible that this church could be rebuilt as an excellent example of the early churches of Egypt, which would benefit both specialized scholars interested in this branch of early Christianity as well as a wider general audience of visitors and tourists.

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Title: The History and Literature of the Ancient Egyptian and Coptic Languages
Presenter: Prof. Boulos Ayad Ayad, (Boulder, Colorado)

Abstract:

The ancient Egyptian language, which was the origin of the Coptic language, was one of the groups of languages scholars have classified as Hamito-Semitic. It has its own grammar and literature. Many thousands of distinct texts were left on their pyramids, temples, tombs, obelisks, statues, ostraca, stela, papyri, sarcophagi, coffins, vessels, and different objects. These texts can be classifed as follows: funerary, military, political, daily life, stories, morals, principles and instructions, hymns, religious and ritual, and historical. During the Coptic period, the Copts used their language with its dialects in their literature, religious texts, the Bible, letters, stories, receipts, the Books of the Coptic CHurch, legal documents, histories of their church, and generally among the Coptic population. In addition to their writing in Coptic, they translated different books from Greek into Coptic and from Coptic into Arabic or from Coptic into Greek, Syriac, and Latin. A number of scholars believe tha the Nag Hammadi Library and its texts were translated from Greek into Coptic. The Copts wrote about science such as medicine, anatomy, chemistry, pharmacy, architecture, and engineering as well as mathematics and astronomy. Along with scientific topics, the Copts also wrote the history of the church and the history of the Patriarchs of Alexandria. The Synexarium is the book that includes the biographies of the fathers and the saints of the church and their deeds. In addition to the Synexarium, some other volumes on Coptic saints exist as does "The History of the Councils." Several books and documents have been discovered that were written by the Copts on general history.
Moreover, the Copts worked in different branches of literature, both religious and general, in addition to their translation activities. An example is the translation of the Bible from Greek into Coptic which started in the second century AD. Also, the biographies of the saints were important in strengthening the faith of the people. The Coptic literature is rich in its novels and stories, which scolars have divided into two categories native and religious. Little remains of the native literature, but the deeds and documents that have survived were letters and contracts that give us an idea concerning the everyday life in Coptic Egypt. Other writings referred to the monks and the activities inside the monasteries.
The Copts wrote poetry that related to the hymns of the angels, Saint Mary, prophets, saints, and martyrs; thus, they named the poems "alhan" meaning "hymns". They alse used poetic form in some stories and in prayers borrowed from the Bible, especially from the Book of Psalms or the New Testament. Many of the church fathers wrote works on theology. Others wrote about monks, their life, their conduct, and about how to be isolated in th desert to worship God. THey also wrote about the laws of the monks.
The Copts took the custome of wailing from the ancient Egyptian, which is clear from the hundreds of funeral stelae discovered in various parts of Egypt. Coptic magic was widespread among both pagans and Christians.

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Title: Papyrus LACMA No. M.4812
Presenter: Dr. Monica Bontty (Los Angeles) [Presented by Mr. Dough Wilkinson]

Abstract:

No abstract submitted

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Title: Al Fihrist of ibn al-Nadim and Coptic Christianity in the 10th Century
Presenter: Prof. J. Harold Ellens (Michgan)

Abstract:

The Al Fihrist by ibn al-Nadim is a tenth century survey of the full range of international literature, philosophy, religion, and culture known to scholars in Bagdad at that time. It was written and published in 987 - 990 CE (AD). Its author was a bookseller and assiduous scholar of language and culture who spent his adult life collecting books and writing abstracts of all of them. He also interviewed travellers and travelled a good deal himself. His work constitutes an encyclopedia of culture of the ancient and then known world. One of the aspects of the world of culture, literature, language, and religion which greatly interested al-Nadim was that of Egypt in his day. He remarks at length upon the linguistic characteristics of Coptic language and culture in both Egypt and Abyssinia (Ethiopia). The Coptic subjects that seemed most interesting to al-Nadim, or best known in the Bagdad of the tenth century, concerned the presence of Jacobite doctrine in Coptic Christianity, the role of the scholarly Bishop Yahya al-Nahwi in opposing the Monothelite doctrine of the Trinity which Emperor Heraclius attempted through persecution to force upon the Coptic Church, and the positive influence in support of this BIshop of Alexandria provided by the Muslim invasion of Egypt, which thwarted the Heraclius. The remarkable characteristics of the relationship between Islam and Christianity, particularly Egyptian Coptic Christianity in the tenth century, as described by al-Nadim, were 1) the congeniality of that Medieval Islam toward other religious communities and 2) the high quality of tough minded but respectful scholarly exchange between Islam and Coptic Christianity of that day, a thing one would covet for our own moment in time.

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Title: A Report on the First Wadi al-Natrun Symposium in February 2002
Presenter: Dr. Fawzy Estafanous (Cleveland, Ohio)

Abstract:

In early February 2002, St. Mark Foundation conducted the most successful scholarily Coptic Conference, organized by Copts at any time throughout their recent history. Twenty-three presenters from ten countries participated in this symposium, dedicated to the scholarly study of Wadi a-Natrun. The list of speakers was headed by Pope Shenouda III himself, who also attended first two days of the three days. The Symposium dealt with all aspects related to the study of Wadi al-Natrun area, including Archeology, Architecture, Art, Geology, History, Liturgy, Monascticism, etc. This event was warmly received in the Egyptian Press. This presentation will briefly describe the event, its resolutions, and its future impact on Coptic Studies.

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Title: The Role of Iconography in the Coptic Ecclesiastical Life
Presenter: Fr. Antonious L. Henein, (Los Angeles, CA)

Abstract:

Icongraphy playes an important role in the life of the Coptic Church and its members. This paper will attempt to explore this role as is deals with the following issues.

• Icons and Biblical Text

• Icons and Liturgical and Hymnography Texts

• Icons and Patristic Texts

• Icons and Dogmatic Teachings

• Icons and the Church Building

• Icons in our Homes and Family and Personal life

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Title: The 8th Century, A Century of Transition in Egyptian Society
Presenter: Deacon Severus (Maged) Mikhail (Orange, CA)

Abstract:

No abstract submitted

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Title: The Coptic Museum in Toronto, Canada
Presenter: Dr. Helene Moussa (Toronto, Canada)

Abstract:

No abstract submitted

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Title: The Role of Christ in the Christology of Apa Shenoute
Presenter: Thomas Murphy (New York, NY)

Abstract:

In a recent article on the importance of the Coptic Language and Literature, in the Coptic Church Review (22,#4) Dr. Boulos Ayad Ayad, pointed out the impact of the Coptic language and literature on the spread of Christianity in the first five centuries of the Christian Era. The language played a key role in Egyptian Monastic communities and those living in desert solitude who copied the saying and sermons of the desert Fathers.
After the Arab conquest in the seventh century, Arabic became the contemporary spoken and written language of Egyptian Copts. However the Copts left behind thousands of manuscripts originally in Coptic. One such collection was the library at the White Monastery in Atripe, in which Apa Shenoute served as Archimandrite. Many of the works were dispersed to museums and libraries all over Europe through a period of two hundred years until they were identified as a common source in the 1880's.
Eventually the works of Apa Shenoute were cataloged and described by scholars such as Eugene Reviellot and Johannes Leopoldt and Emile Amelineau. At the present time the most extensive codicological work has been done by Stephen Emmel in Shenoute's Literary Corpus. These earlier collections of Apa Shenoute's works led to Leopoldt commenting on the Christology of Apa Shenoute. He called it an "empty Christology", "it was astonishing how little Schenoute was aware of the religious Person of Jesus". "The Person of the Lord remained for him religiously meaningless" Leipoldt does not deny that Shenoute's view is orthodox but he faults the Apa on his notions of Soteriology. He basically dississes Shenoute's theology as barbaric.
The purpose of this presentation is to bring another view to the works of Schenoute which strongly challenges these viewpoints. This view will be based on the work of Tito Orlandi and Alois Grillmeier which references a Discourse in Coptic by Apa Shenoute, I am Amazed.

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Title: Daughters of Eve: Roles of Coptic Women in the Church and Society over the Past Century
Presenter: Miss Katherine Saad, (RPV, CA)

Abstract:

Women have influenced religion and culture since the Creation, from Eve in the Old Testament to the Virgin Mary in the New Testament and onward. As time went on, however, this influence decreased and stabilized until the twentieth century. This paper will explore the roles of women in the Coptic Church in particular and will emphasize the dramatic progression of influence during this last century, in addition to comparing positions of women now to those during the early church. Moreover, it will examine the influence of Coptic women in Egyptian society and show how they have contributed to the professional, artistic, and political fields, among others.

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Title: Restoring Unity: The Division and Reunification of the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches
Presenter: Miss Nardine Saad, (RPV, CA)

Abstract:

At the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD, the Universal Church split into two factions based on differing definitions of the unity of Christ's human and divine natures in His person. The split between what are now known as the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox families of churches has been the longest in the history of Christianity. Although some believe that the theological difference is sufficient to keep the two families of churches separate, many sources show that misunderstandings, variations in terminology usage, and escalating political tension were the primary causes of the schism. Recognizing this, the two families of churches have opened dialogue in the past fifty years, and a complete restoration of communion may occur in the near future.

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Title: Development of Coptic Political Theology in the Twentieth Century
Presenter: Dr. Saad Michael Saad

Abstract:

Development of Coptic theology in the twentieth century has been limited to a few areas, one of them is political theology. Coptic theologians, however, had to navigate within troubled waters both within and without. On the one hand, they had to go against a trend that argued for the separation of politics and religion. On the other hand, there was always a demand to make theological statements on political issues including liberating Egypt from British occupation, application then dismantling of socialism, resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict, defending Coptic human rights, establishing social justice, international crises and now terrorism.

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Title: Telling (and Disputing) the Old, Old Story: Mark ibn al-Qunbar, Michael of Damietta and a Popular Copto-Arabic Narrative of Redemption
Presenter: Dr. Mark Swanson (St. Paul, MN)

Abstract:

No Abstracts submitted

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Title: The St. Shenouda Monastery in Sohag.
Presenter: Mr. Hany N. Takla, (Los Angeles, CA)

Abstract:

During my trip to Egypt to attend the Wadi 'N Natrun Symposium, I paid a visit to the Monastery of St. Shenouda in Sohag. This monastery has the largest, most ancient monastic church found in Egypt. Because of its construction material, Limestone, it was popularily referred to as "the White Monastery". It was build in the fifth century AD on the Eastern Edge of the original monastery which spanned westward from the Nile over a 50,000-acre area in ancient times. Even after the monastic life ceased to be practised there, the church was actively used by the Christian inhabitants of the area, and the annual feast of St. Shenouda brought thousands of pilgrims every year. More attention was paid to place as part of Pope Shenouda III's efforts to revive monastic life in the major ruined monasteries in Egypt. Also the Government Antiquities Department became keenly interested in excavating the site and restoring the church, especially after the more than 800 Roman gold pieces that were discoved under the floor of the ancient Nave. This presentation will introduce the church structure through recent photographs and what the restoration work being done or that need to be done in the near future.

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Title: Living For Christ: Voluntary Poverty In Early Egyptian Monasticism
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Tim Vivian, (Bakersfield, CA)

Abstract:

From the beginnings of organized monasticism in the fourth century, it seems, monks have had an uneasy relationship with money, and with those who would bestow large amounts of it upon them. The early monks, at least ideally, in their best intentions, had moved beyond the suzerainty of money and possessions. For many ancient monks, the monk is the person who is poor. Poverty is, literally, the imitation of Christ. As such, poverty is also eschatological, and the cell, separated from the moneyed "world," becomes the kingdom of God, both present and future. Such self-understanding will often be difficult for us moderns, especially for those of us who live in the affluent West. In this paper I wish to discuss how voluntary poverty helped the early Egyptian monks focus their attention on God and on their relationship with God.

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Title: Severus of Antioch in Scetis
Presenter: Dr. Youhanna N. Youssef, (Melbourne, Australia) [Presented by Hany N. Takla]

Abstract:

No Abstract submitted

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Prepared by Hany N. Takla, July 17, 2002

For more information contact: htakla@stshenouda.com