The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt: The Popes of Egypt, Volume 2

by Mark N. Swanson

In Volume 1 of this series, Stephen Davis contended that the themes of “apostolicity, martyrdom, monastic patronage, and theological resistance” were determinative for the cultural construction of Egyptian church leadership in late antiquity. Volume 2, The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt, shows that the medieval Coptic popes (641–1517 CE) were regularly portrayed as standing in continuity with their saintly predecessors; however, at the same time they were active in creating something new, the Coptic Orthodox Church, a community that struggled to preserve a distinctive life and witness within the new Islamic world order. The medieval popes are depicted as ‘living martyrs’ in the Church of the Martyrs, as conductors of an orchestra of holiness, as community representatives hard-pressed by financial obligations and engaged in complex relationships with both Muslim officials and Coptic lay notables, as patrons of a resilient sacred geography that rooted Coptic culture in a network of holy places, and as leaders in both acculturation and resistance to a largely Islamic society. Building on recent advances in the study of sources for Coptic church history, the present volume aims to show how portrayals of the medieval popes provide a window into the religious and social life of their community.

Genres: Coptic Language, Egypt

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2010

Reviews

[Mark Rizk Farag · Rating 4 out of 5]

An academic and yet short and thoroughly referenced history of the Coptic Papacy during the medieval Islamic era of Egypt.

There are a range of popes and rulers, with a range of relationships to one another.

In the face of a shifting cultural, political, economic and linguistic landscape, the author focuses on the survival of the coptic papacy and people.

We read of discriminatory measures, extortion, imprisonment and torture of popes, humiliation, forced conversions and so on. It is a very painful read for a modern Copt, and one who always hears about how 'tolerant' Islamic rule was to minority groups.

We also read about charismatic and spiritual personalities, self serving patriarchs and internal division. The book is not a monolith and neither is any era, religion or person described.

A very good and important read nonetheless, and one that manages to focus on the Coptic perspective and self perception throughout.


Really looking forward to the final volume.

[David Mamdouh · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 2nd volume of Coptic papacy series, Mark N. Swanson explores the Popes of Egyptian church in the Islamic era from Arabic invasion 644 C.E until the ottoman invasion 1517 C.E.
Depending on the history of the patriarchs of Egypt as primary source and other histories of the period, in addition to many modern studies and books

[Monica Mitri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is the second of a three-book series, The Popes of Egypt, published by the American University in Cairo Press. The series addresses a significant gap in the study of Coptic history: the history of its patriarchs. A main source for the series is the monumental Copto-Arabic chronicle The History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria (HP), which is read critically and supplemented with numerous other disciplines, including “theology, social history, papyrology, archaeology, the visual arts, literary studies, and ideological and cultural criticism” (S. Davis, The Early Coptic Papacy, The Popes of Egypt I. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2004, p. x).
Swanson’s The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt is instrumental in studying the period from the Arab conquest until the end of the Mamlūk era. It highlights how the ecclesial hierarchy attempted to form a unique Coptic identity that stressed continuity with the tradition’s great past, and the various elements that contributed to this formation. These included consecrating Egypt’s sacred spaces, authorizing new rituals, attempting to revive the fast-eroding Coptic language, dealing with government officials, writing patriarchal epistles and hagiographical literature (most notably the HP). For Swanson, the story of the medieval Coptic church is one of survival. Its attempts at identity formation, he argues, indicate the medieval the adaptability that allowed it to survive changing sociopolitical realities from the Arab conquest and until the modern era.

[Mel Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readable and brief overview of not only the popes of the era, but key events and spiritual leaders during each pope's time.
Swanson carefully notes the sources he's relying on, and the book is exhaustively footnoted with sources and places to get more information.
My biggest regret is that there was not more detail. In some cases this is due to a dearth of sources.

The church-state conflict does look a bit different in Egypt than it does in Western Europe. Under Byzantine rule there was the Chalcedonian conflict with the Copts. Under various Muslim rulers there was the pressure to incorporate simony as a means for the church to pay the demands of the state, as well as the periodic pressures brought ideologically via dhimmitude to disincentivize Christian affiliation and the prosperity of the Coptic church.

Practicing auricular confession could put a Coptic cleric under suspicion of being a "Calcedonian" or a tool of Rome. And interestingly, Coptic popes were chosen in several different ways over the years, from lot to use of bribe and political pressure via the Caliphate. And it's hard to imagine the lengthy periods--up to 19 years--with no pope and no new bishops appointed! And yet God preserved this church.
It is important for Western Christians to study the rich testimony and heritage of the Alexandrian and Coptic believers, and others of the Oriental Orthodox community. These communities at times can help give us another perspective when we see disagreement among the Greek Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant believers.
This book is one of a number that I purchased in the Norrington Room, Oxford, England.