Archive of Contemporary Coptic Orthodox Theology

On July 9, the great patristics scholar and theologian Dr Noshy Abdelshahid departed at the age of 91. Below is the official statement of the Coptic Orthodox Church regarding his departure, including a letter of condolence from HH Pope Tawadros II:

"Dr Noshy was one of the most prominent specialists in patristics in the Coptic Orthodox Church. He was the founder of the Centre of Patristic Studies in Cairo, and discipled a great number of specialised researchers, in addition to his translations and writings which have been influential in the field of Coptic literature and the Christian Arabic world.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros sent a message of condolence in which he speaks of the important role and service of the late Dr Noshy:

"Unto the hope of the resurrection we commit Dr Noshy Abdelshahid: a faithful servant, a patristic teacher, a self-sacrificing consecrated servant (mukarras), a powerful author whose many books and translations, which are rich, spiritual and patristic resources, have enriched Coptic libraries.
He was a father to many who were discipled by him in service of the Church. He encouraged them to read, research and study, and opened to them fields of rich Scriptural and authentic patristic understanding.
Truly, this is a great loss both academically and spiritually in the life of our Coptic Orthodox Church. We bid him farewell as one of great stature in the Church, who was strongly connected to most of the fathers of our Church. We ask him to pray on our behalf, that Christ might bring our journey and our service to completion for the sake of His Holy Name."

For more on Dr Noshy, see his ACCOT page: https://accot.stcyrils.edu.au/authors/noshy-abdelshahid/

السبت ٩ يوليو ٢٠٢٢م.. ٢ أبيب ١٧٣٨ش.

نياحة الدكتور نصحي عبد الشهيد

استراح في الرب بعد سنين طويلة من الخدمة في التعليم الكنسي، اليوم، الشماس المكرس الدكتور نصحي عبد الشهيد أستاذ علم الآباء عن عمر ناهز ٩١ عامًا.

يُعَد المتنيح من أبرز المتخصصين في علم الآباء بالكنيسة القبطية الأرثوذكسية فأسس مركز دراسات الآباء بالقاهرة، كما تتلمذ على يديه عدد كبير من الباحثين المتخصصين، بالإضافة إلى ترجماته ومؤلفاته التي أثْرَت المكتبة القبطية والمسيحية العربية.

وبعث قداسة البابا رسالة تعزية تحدث فيها عن أهمية دور وخدمة المتنيح، فقال:
نودع على رجاء القيامة الدكتور نصحي عبد الشهيد، نودعه خادمًا أمينًا، ومعلمًا آبائيًّا، و مكرسًا باذلًا، وأيضًا كاتبًا رصينًا أثرى المكتبة القبطية بعشرات من الكتابات والمترجمات التي تعتبر مراجع غنية روحيًّا وآبائيًّا.

كما صار أبًا لكثيرين تتلمذوا على يديه في خدمة الكنيسة، وقد شجعهم على القراءة والبحث والدراسة، وفتح أمامهم مجالات المعرفة الكتابية الغزيرة و الآبائية الأصيلة.

إنه بالحقيقة خسارة علمية وروحية كبيرة في حياة كنيستنا القبطية الأرثوذكسية.
نودعه قامة كنسية رفيعة و صاحب علاقات قوية مع معظم آباء الكنيسة.

نطلب صلواته من أجلنا ليكمل المسيح طريقنا وخدمتنا من أجل اسمه القدوس.

Newly added: author profile and partial bibliography of Yusuf Manqaryus, the first dean of the Coptic Orthodox Seminary (al-Iklirikiyya) and editor of the important periodical al-Haqq, founded in 1894.

Yusuf Manqaryus (First Dean of the Coptic Seminary) | ACCOT Yusuf Manqaryus (fl. 1893–1918) was the first dean of the Coptic Orthodox Seminary (or "Klirikiyya"), founded in 1893.

Read St Pope Kyrillos VI's first Festal Letter for the Feast of the Nativity 1960:
https://accot.stcyrils.edu.au/pk6-nat1960/

Wishing all a blessed and joyous Feast of the Nativity!

"Christ was indeed born, even though He has no beginning; He took flesh, but did not cease to be the Existent One who was and who abides forever. Truly, “great is the mystery of godliness, God appeared in the flesh” (1 Tim 3:16) ... [T]here is no divide between His being born in Bethlehem as the Incarnate Word, His being God manifest in the flesh and His being the Son of God in His nature and essence." (St Pope Kyrillos VI)

https://accot.stcyrils.edu.au/pk6-nat1960/

The 22 October 2021 marked the 20th year commemoration of the departure of Bishop Gregorius, General Bishop of Higher Theological Studies, Coptic Culture and Scientific Research.

This early article, written to encourage servants to study philosophy, was published in the Sunday School Magazine in 1952 and showcases the broad learning and intellectual rigour which Bishop Gregorius brought to his theological writing:

"In the eyes of many, religion is against philosophy, and philosophy is the enemy of religion. But for the man of religion who has studied philosophy, this supposed enmity has become baseless, and he is never troubled by the proofs and evidences deployed by the enemies of religion. He is assured of his religion and the things he teaches have been firmly established in his heart with evidence from both reason and revelation. In sum, to the same extent that philosophy seems to be an enemy of religion to the general populace, it becomes a servant of religion for the religious philosopher."

Men of Religion Ought to Study Philosophy | ACCOT By Wahib Atalla (Bishop Gregorius), in the Sunday School Magazine 6.9/10, Nov/Dec 1952.

In memory of the late Dr Wahib Kozman who passed away earlier this year, ACCOT presents Kozman's doctoral thesis — "St Athanasius of Alexandria's Doctrine of Grace" — completed in 1992 at Durham University under the guidance of Very Rev. George D. Dragas. Link: https://accot.stcyrils.edu.au/wk-athanasius/

Wahib Kozman lived as a celibate servant in Alexandria and was discipled by Fr Bishoy Kamel. In the late 80s, he was one of a number of promising students sent to Greece to study patristic theology at the recommendation of Dr Noshy Abdelshahid.

May his memory be eternal.

**Fr Luke Sidarous Book** (by Fr Mikhail)

The Very Reverend Hegumen Fr Luke Sidarous (1940-2020) was a Coptic Orthodox priest who knew Christ in all His splendour. He experienced the closeness and intimacy of Christ and His saints.

In this book, Fr Mikhail Mikhail provides an account of the holy character of Fr Luke Sidarous which attracted many souls to him. During his holy life, Fr Luke guided us by the example of how he lived and preached Christ in numerous ways. His life was a life of service, prayer and fatherhood. The imprint of his fatherhood lives on in the multitude of spiritual sons and daughters that he has left behind.

Download a copy of the book:
“Preacher of Righteousness”

English:
https://1drv.ms/b/s!ArA8jk-q87jZkd0cqMy9Q4ubE7A3IQ

Arabic:
https://1drv.ms/b/s!ArA8jk-q87jZkd0gFrcG5DqhT3ObXg

God bless you all.

🙏

On the 21 August, the Church celebrated the 70th anniversary of the departure of the great educator, reformer and saint Archdeacon Habib Girgis (1876-1951). In honour of his feast day, ACCOT presents a translation of the first two chapters of one of St Habib Girgis' theological writings, titled "The Mystery of Godliness" originally published in 1922. It discusses the typology of Christ in the Old Testament and demonstrates the absolute centrality of Christ in Girgis' spiritual vision.

May his prayers be with the Coptic Church today as her servants try to continue his spirit of service and passion for theological education.

The Mystery of Godliness (St Habib Girgis) | ACCOT From The Mystery of Godliness (Sirr al-Taqwa) by Archdeacon Saint Habib Girgis.

"St Macarius lived as a companion of the Cherubim from the moment he left the world. He was chosen by God ... What was he doing in the desert? ... He was repenting. Repenting? What was he repenting of? Repentance is a life. In the Orthodox life, a man draws near to God and comes to know himself for who he truly is. In the light of Christ, I know myself without deceit. Who am I? Dust, ashes. When the source is present, I will know myself well. Forget appearances and looks, names and outward appearances. Enter into the inner depths of the soul. Who am I? When the saints knew the height of their wretchedness, they stood before God as the greatest sinners." (Fr Luka Sidarous)

The Life of Repentance (Fr Luka Sidarous) | ACCOT A sermon by Fr Luka Sidarous, delivered September 15, 2001.

So Great a Salvation: Biblical Meditations of a Contemporary Desert Father – St Macarius Press

By the grace of God, with the publication of this important lecture delivered by St. Habib Girgis the Archdeacon, we are thrilled to announce the return of our affiliated academic journal, Coptic Church Review, published by the Archdeacon Habib Guirguis Educational Fund. We hope that you will benefit from this important work, and we cannot wait to share exciting upcoming volumes of this publication with you all!

For more information, and to subscribe in order to receive this and future journal volumes, please visit: tinyurl.com/CCRapplication2021.

Finally, please continue to pray for our seminary and for the success of Coptic Church Review.

"A man of religion who is knowledgeable in the sciences of his age is better equipped to convey his ideas and the doctrines of religion to minds of the people in a manner that is relevant to their way of thinking and their feelings. For this reason, a man of religion ought to exert the utmost effort to broaden his mind with all the culture and science of his age, for this will serve as a valuable tool in successfully accomplishing his mission among the people.

.. A man of religion must be a critical thinker and not a regurgitator; his duty calls him to read everything and investigate it, so as to benefit from the good in it and expose its evils. This is in order to provide guidance to individuals in his flock about the points of strength and weakness in the writings they are reading, protecting them from stumbling blocks and errors, and leading them to truth and righteousness." (Bishop Gregorius)

Men of Religion Ought to Study Philosophy | ACCOT By Wahib Atalla (Bishop Gregorius), in the Sunday School Magazine 6.9/10, Nov/Dec 1952.