The Coptic Encyclopedia

"
,
 Editors and Consultants

Editor In ChieF
Aziz S. Aliya
University of Utah

Edltou
William Y. Adams
University uf Kentucky
Basilios IV
Archbishop of Jerusalem
Pierre du Bourguet, S.l.
Louvre Museum, Paris
Rene·Georges Coquin
College de Frarlu, Pari.!
W. H. C. Frend
Glasgow University
Mirril Boutros Ghali
Society of Copric Archaeology, Cairo
Bishop Gregorio,
Higher Institute of Coptic Studies, Caim
Peter Grossmann
Genna" Institute of Archaeology, Cairo
Antoine Guillaumonl
College de Fra>1ce, Paris
RodoJphe Kasser
University of Gmeva
Martin Krause
westfiilische Wilhdms-Universiliit, Munster
Subhi Y. Labib
Kiel University
Tilo Orlandi
University of Rome
Marian Robenson
Utah Slate University
-Khalil Samir
, Pontifical Orienlal Institule. Rome

Consultants
Labib Habachi
Egyptian Depar/ment of Al1Iiquilies. Cairo
J, M. Robinson
Institute of Antiquity and Christiani/y. Claremont, California
Magdi Wahba
Cairo V"ivusit)'

Editorial Managing Committee

S. Kent Brown
Brighllm Young University, Provo
Fuad Megally
Polyte<:hnic of C,m/ral London
 The Coptic
Encyclopedia

Aziz S. Atiya
EDITOR IN CHIEF

Volume 3

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 (continued)
CROSS WITH TAPERS. See Liturgical Insig-
nia.
CROSS VAULT. See Architectural Elements of
Chorche~, Vaolt.
CRUET. S.e Liturgical Instruments.
CRUM, WALTER EWING (1865-1944), En-
glish Coptologist. He .tudl~ Egyptology in Paris
onder Gaston MASPERO and:in Berlin onder Adolf
ERMAN, specializing in Coptic. He held no poblic
office. but devoted all hi. :life to Coptic studies.
Crum worked in nearly all branches of Coplology,
published thousands of papyri and oSlraca. and in
1939 compleled ,almOSI single-handedly the .Ian·
dard Cop/ic Dictionary (Oxford, 1939; reprinted
1962). He was elected fellow of the British Acade-
my in 1931 and was awarded honorary degrees by
the universilies of (hfurd and Berlin. His fest-
schrift, Coptic Stz<dies i~ Honor of Waller Ewing
(rum (1950. pp. vii-xi). eanain. his complete bib-
liography. Hi. notebooks and papers are kept in the
663
Griffilh Inslitut" aI Oxford. and his correspondence
is in the British Museum (Add MSS 45 681-90). He
died in Sath.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bell. H, l. "Bibliography." Jo"rnal of EID'pli"n AT_
ehaeolou 25 (1939):134-38~ 30 (1944):65-66.
Coptic St"dies in Honor of Walter Ewing Crum. The
Byzanline InSlitole. Thomas Whittemore. Found-
er. Boston, 1950,
Dawson. W. R_. and E. P. Uphill. Who Was Who in
EvPto!aif.)'. pp. nff. London. 1972_
MARTIN KRAUSE
CRUSADES, COPTS AND THE. To under-
stand Ihe position of the Copts vis·a-vis the move-
menl of the Crusading expeditions from lhe West
against the Muslim Middle Easlern countries. one
must go back to the lime of the hUI ecumenical
council of CHAUEDON in 451. The reason for this
inquiry i. to elucidate Coplic feelings toward th"'e
We.tern nations as a result of lheir theological ar·
guments over the single or dual nature of J~sus
Christ. the prohlem of his divinity and humanilY. In
other words, this was the prohlem of MONOI'HYSIT-
ISM against lhe conception of dyophys;lism, The the·
664 CRUSADES, COPTS AND THE
ologkal background of tbis problem is complex,
but the differences between tbe Copts and tbeir
Westem peers at tbis meeting, wbich the Copts ulti-
mately considered to be out of the ecumenical
movement, led to an irreparable brea<:h between
the twO sets of delegations. Whereas the Copts
dung finnly to the union of the two natures of God,
the Western delegation swung toward the idea of
dyophysitism, The Copts be<:ame alienated from the
West as totally hcretkal, while the Westem delega'
tion was condemned by the Copts as equally hereti·
cal. The Coptic sour<:e. and the hi.toty of subse·
qucnt patriarchs indicate Coptic billerne.. against
the Dyophysitic West. They could never forgive the
Wcstern delcgation f(>r the deposition of DIOSC(lRUS
t (444-45&) and for his being exiled to Gangra be·
cause of his finn stand against hi' adve=ries on
Coptic m(>nophysiti.m. While [)iosearus was reo
garded in the West as a heretic, tbe Copts con'id-
cre<! him (>ne of their prominent saints and cantin·
ued glorifying him until the beginning of the
Crusades in the ele"enth centul)'.
The Copts in principle could never have con·
doned this new movement of their old antagonists
against the countries of thc Middle Ea!;t, whatever
thcir motives might have been. In the meantime,
the Crusaders from the We.t again.t Islam could
not envisage any possibility of a united from with
the Eastern Christians, even assuming that they
wcre awarc of their existence in these Muslim
cOUntrics, which is ""mewhat doubtful after tbe
lapse of more than fivc ccnturics since Chakedon.
In fact, the .ources, bolh Western and Eastcrn,
show beyond a shadow of doubt that the Copts had
never forgotten Chalccdon, which they continued
to curse, wbile the We," became almost "bliviau, "f
the event. of 451. Nevertheless, the c"nquest of
Jerusalem in 1099 and the app",priation "f the
Holy s.,pulcher by th~ Franks led the new Latin
kingdom of Jerusalem ~ prohibit all Eastern Chri.·
tian., the C"PIS included, from approaching the
h"ly place,; because of their heretical vi."",. To Ihe
pio,," C<>pts this was a ~ery serious decision, since
it impeded them from the performance of their
annual piillrimage to the Holy Land, where walking
in Ihe steps of Je.us was pan and parcel of the
fulfillment of the dictates of their Onhodox faith. In
"ther words, the Western War of the Cross turned
"ut t" be a hostile mOvement against the Christians
of thc Ea.t, the Copts included,
This 'ituation naturally mmed thc Copts againot
the Crusades, despite their precarious position with·
in the Islamic kingdom, ""here they s"ffered even
more persecution and financial imposts as a res"h
of a movement that the)' hardly favored. Even in the
mild reigns of men like the Anubid s"ltan al-
KAmi!. they had to bear moot of the brunt "f financ-
ing the Muslim defense.
The IlIST(lPY OF TIlE P~lRJ~RCIIS by s,.\..... IRUS IBN
~l·MUQAFF~' includes most <>f the detail. of these
financial imposts in the course of the biographie, of
the contemporary patriar<:hs, Nevenhdess, one ex-
ample is quoted from the bi"graphy of MIICM"'US "
(1102-1128), the sixty-ninth Coplic patriarch,
which touch ... the crusading campaign of 1106 by
King Baldwin of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem
against al-Farami on the frontier "f Fatimid Egypt.
AI-Muqaffa' elO<luently expresses Coptic feelings ta-
ward the Crusades and hi' loyalty toward the Fati·
mid caliphate. He writes:
And in Ablb of the year eight hundred and thi,..
t)-four of the Many,", and it was the fifteenth
year of the patriarchate <>f the saintly father Abba
(Anba) Macarius (MaqArah) the Palriar<:h, Bald-
win fBardw'l) lhe leader of the franks (al_Faranj)
arrived with a llreal anny at a1-Farami, and he
pillaged it and he burned it, and he detennined
upon a sudden attack again.t Cairo (Mi~r), Then
he fell .ick, and "n tbe third day his sickness
became serious, and he commanded hi. compan-
ion. to carty him and to return t" Syria (al-
ShAm). Then tbey canied him and returned, and
when they reached al·'Artsh, he died there. Then
they cut open hi. belly and they salted him, as be
had commanded them. And they returned with
him to Jerusalem (ai-Duds). And il happened,
when ne"'-, of their arri"ai at al-Farami reached
the noble Lord al·Afdal, he rai'ed a great anny
(to oppose) them. When Baldwin (BardwlI), their
leader, died, and they returned, the army pursued
them to S)'ria (al·SMm), and returned, and God
protected uS against their deeds. We asked Him
whose Name (is) grcat, to perpetuate His mer<:y
and His grace; and to inspire uS to gi.'e thanks to
Him and to cause us not t" forget the remem-
brance of Him through His g<><>dne.. and glory.
And ",hen il was the Sunday of the half of (the
month of) Kiyahk (in the) year five hundred and
eleven of the Tax Year (~I-Kh~r"i;yyah) and it
(was) the end of the month of Rama<;lAn of the
year five hundred and fifteen of the lunar (year),
on tbe morrow of which would be the tilr (fast
breaking), the noble lord al·Afo;lal rode fmm his
house to Cai'" (Mi~r) which is called the House
of tbe King (Ddr al.Mulk) and be went up ,,,
Cairo (al·QAhirah) the protected, and he entered
into the noble Castle, and he sat bef"re our Sire
al_Amir bi-AhUmillAh [History of the P~lriarchs.
Vol. 3, pt. I, pp. 33-36].

Th~ lum total of thil purely Coptic record is the
outspoken fuling of loyalty to the fatimid rulers of
the country and the recognition by the Coptic com·
munity of the proteclion God granted them againlt
the invaders,
Even at the time when Saladin was applying so
much pressure on the Coptic community during the
p41triarchate of MAl<I; III (1167-1189), the Copts
looked upon the reconquest of the city of Jerusa-
lem in 1187 with excitement. It opened the gates of
the holy places bef"re them and removed the b<lrri·
er of the Frankish kingdom, which had intenupted
their relati"n, with the sister church of Antioch. In
other words, the disappearance of franki.h rule
from the holy places and their return to the Muslim
kingdom was a hlessing to the Eastern Christians,
This situation l35tM even beyond the fall of 'Akka
in 1291 and the total edennination of the I..>olin
kingdom of Jerusalem. Sinc~ that date. and e"en
before it, the perennial raids of the shadowy hosts
of the Crusade on Eg)l'tian industrial tow'ns situat-
ed on the Medilerranean linoral proved to be mere
hit·and-run raids after the pillaging of such coastal
towns as Oamietta in 1249. where the pillage of the
textile factories included mainly those possessed b}'
Coptic craftsmen.
A new chapter in the Crusade, began in the four-
teenth century when Philippe de Merieres, the
French chancellor of the kiogdom of Cyprus. estab·
lished a ne.... milit<lry order called the Order of the
Pas.ion of Je,us Christ. This ""as under the leader-
ship of King Peter I of Cyprus, who condueled a
multinational army again.t Ihe city of Alexandria in
1365. They were incapable of penetraling Egyptian
territo')' beyond that city, but the havoc. destruc-
tion, and pillage thereof was extensive. The city had
a strong Coptic community, which suffered equally
with the Muslim inhabitants at the hands of these
invaders. Thi. happened. during the reign of the
Mamluk sultan Sha'b;ln (1'¥3- 1377), a boy of elev·
en under the tutelage of tl>e atabcg Yalbogha, who
was unable to marshal enough manpower to save
Alexandria, Both Muslims :and Copts were massa·
cred. Mo,ques and churches were ""ckM or
burned. Sources mention the slory of a cripplM old
Coplic woman who saved Some of Ihe treasured
rclics of her church by ceding all her possession, to
the marauding Crusaders and thereb}' deflecting
their passage from her Coptic church. The ships of
the retreating pillagers were so heavily laden with
prisoners and olher booty that the sailors had to
throw much back into the sea, and Egyptian divers
had 10 work hard in salvaging what they could for a
CURZON, ROBERT 665
long time after 1365. This expedition and the Cypri·
ot holocaust of Alexandria providM an eloquent
demonstration of the place of the Copts in the histo-
ry of the Crusades.
It is clear that the Copts were excluded from the
Muslim annies of defense because they paid the
poll lax (JIZYAH) as a fee toward the employment of
their substitutes in the anned forces. But it is defi·
nitely established by Muslim and Coptic sources
that Islamized COplS did not only join the Islamic
hosts but r~ched the highest ministerial positions,
controlling the finances and very structlJre of the
forces that fought Ih~ Crosaders. Doubtless those
Islamized Copts must have played a prominent role
in the extermination of the Frankish I..>otin kingdom
of Jerusalem.
BIBLlOGRIt.PHY
Atiya, A. S. The Crusade in Ihe Later Middie Ag<$.
London, 1938.
_ _ . Crusade, Commerce, and Cuhure, Bloom-
ington, Ind .. 1962.
Runciman. S. A Story of the Crusades, 3 vok Cam·
bridge. 1951-1954,
AZIZ S, ATIYA
CRYPT. Su Arehiteelural Elements of Churches.
CRYPTOGRAPHY. Su Appendu:,
CRYPTOPHONEME. Su Appendu:,
CUPS, BASINS, CAULDRONS, BUCK-
ETS. Se. Metalwork, Coptic.
CURZON, ROBERT (1810-1873). English
scholar and lra,·cler. He was bom in Harringw<>rth
and visitM Egypt, Syria, and Palestine in 1833-
1$)4 on a research tour of monastic libraries. look·
ing for manuscripts. of which he amassed a fine
colle<otion. He also coll«ted Egyptian antiquities.
His travel, arc describM in bis Vi.iI. 10 MOllasteries
of the uvallt (New York, 1849); a privately printed
calalog of his collection. limited to fifty copies, was
issued in 1849 OS Catalogue <>1 Materials for Writing:
Early Writings o~ Tablet. and SlOnu, Rolled and
Otlrer Manuscripts and Oriental ManuSCripE Books,
;n the Lihrary at rhe HOI<, Robert Cu.-zon 0-1 Parham
 666 CYCLE
in rh£ County of Suss..". Hi. own copy of this cata·
log, with many note. and letters from oIhe,.." insen·
ed, is in the Depanment of Manuscriplll of the Brit·
ish Museum; his collection of Oriental manuscripts
was pre.ented to the museum. He died at Parham
Park. Sus""",
BIBl.IOGRAPHY
"Curzon. Robert."' Dic/irmary oj Nalkmal Biog,aphy.
Vol. 5, pp. 354-55. London, 1908.
Dawson, W. R,. and E. P. Uphill. Who Was Who i"
Egyptology, p. 74. London, 1972.
AZIZ S. ATIYA
CYCLE, one of a group of works in Coptic litera·
ture dealing with episodes in the life of one or
more specific characters. mostly saints and martyrs.
There are two basic types of cycle; homiletic and
hagiographical. The difference lies simply in the
different literary fonns used, with the homiletic c)""
cles being made up of texts produced in the fonn of
homilies, and Ihe hagiographical cycle. being in the
fonn of Passions of martyrs.
The hagiographical cycles (.ee IlAGIOGRAPHY) are
the better known (just as they haye also been
known for a longer time), especially because of the
studi... of E. AMlliNUU and later those of H. Dele'
haye. The homiletic cycles are coming to be re<:og·
nized only today. Until now. the indi,idual texIS
haye often been falsely attributed to the more fa-
mous falhe,.." of the founh and fifth centuries. and
broadly based ,tudy is needed in order to gather
them together again .nd date them with reasonable
accuracy.
For both type. the firsl criterion for ruognizing
the unil)' of a cycle (at any .pecific point in the
tradition) is content, that i•. on the basi. solely of
the characters mentiontld .nd the eYents described.
Where this <:riterion reveals a unified narrative, the
work. in question can ~ described as fonning part
of a specific cycle.
Recognition of a cycle does not necessarily entail
attributing Ihe ,ariOU$ works to one single author
nor even to • group of contemporary authors or to
one specific time. Howe""r, it is slill the first step
toward solving the.. questions. We shall therefore
Eiot Ihe more important or recogniuble cycle•. reo
ferring the reader to the specific entries in this
Erlcyclopedi~ for detailed infonnation on the indi-
vidual works: only after this shall we speak of at-
tributing dates and authors.
One further word of warning i. needed. From an
objective viewpoint these homilies are recogniuble
only by means of the titles they bear in manu·
scripts, II should be borne in mind that these title.
arc frequently far from accurate indications of the.
true content of the homilies in questioo. Eyen when
we use the.e titles. we shall Iherefore alwaY" add a
.hon note 00 the actual content.
Homiletic Cycles
Cycle of AlhanllShls Athanasius was alway. con-
sidered a central figure nol only in the Egyptian
tradition in general but also (after CH~LCEDON) in
the specifically Coptic tradition. He was seen both
lOS the founder of the Egyptian church as a well·
defined autochthcnOU$ entity and as the champion
of onhodoxy, of which the Egyptian church then
became the depositary.
Coplic lilerary tradition therefore devoted great
attent;oo to Athanasius, creating around him a web
of ....ents based on historic.lly .ttested episode.,
which soon gaye way to a complex, but ,till fairly
unified. legend. This legend included IWO exiles.
one in lonely, barb>orian lands, the other in the
Egyptian desen, where he was hidden by some
monks; relation. with barbarian peoples who were
conyened to Christianity; and struggles with the
emperor Con.tans, an Arian, resulting in attempt.
to kill the saint.
Most of these episodes were already included in
the Coptic Hi$/r>ry of the Chu'ch (perhaps fifth cen·
tIlry) in the chapter relating to Alhanasius, They
were later recalled in various works haying Atbao.-
sius as the subject or attributed to him. Of the
fOmler category. two have been preserved: the Life
of Atha"a$lus (this manuscript lacks its beginning;
ed. Orlandi. 1968: papyrus manuscript now in
Turin, and some codices from the White Monas·
tery) and the Erlc<mIium of Athan"-Sius attributed to
CYRtL t of Alexandria.
The texts who.e authorship was credited directly
to Athanasius are mostly homilies of a moral oa·
lure. although they do contain certain aulobio·
graphical allusions to the legendary eyents of hi.
life, In 0" Murder t1r1d Michael/h. "',changd. Am.·
nasius speaks of his exile. of a stay in the conyent of
Pachomius. and of another stay with an anchorite
(Pierpont Morgan Ubrary, New York, M602. unpub-
li.hed; Italian tran.lation in Orlandi. 1981). In To
the /sauri~ ..s, Eugesi.l 01 Lub 1/;$-9. Athanasi""
speaks of frieodship. a visit to the convent of Pache-
mius, and an episode at the Council of Nicaea (Pier-

pont M"rgan Library, MS77, unpublished; Italian
translation in Orlandi, 1981). The Pierpont M"rgan
Library .lOb" holds a manuscript of 0" PentecoSI
41nd Ihe Parable 01 the R;ch Man and th, Poor Man
(MS MS9S, unpublished). The homily Ex,ges;s of
/..tV;I;C'" 21:"". and On the End of the Wodd is very
important because ;t can be dated fairly p<t<:isely,
since it refen te> the AIab domination e>f Egypt in
the fonn of propheq. ~nain details enable u. to
deduce that the homily dates to the second half of
the seventh century (d. Orlandi. 1981).
Cycle of Cyril of Je11Wllem Thi. cycle seems to
have its SOUKe in an interest in Jerusalem and in a
certain type of apocrypha that claimed to originate
there (for other details, see the ankle on CYRIL OF
JERUSA.LEM). It consists of .several homilies that were
10 be added to the eighteen authentic Catuheses as
numbers 19, 20. and 21, and of certain other addi·
Iionaltexts (d. Orlandi, 1974; Campagnano, 1980).
On Ihe Passion (divided imo two homilies) com-
ments on the relevant pas.sage from John's gospet
but includes other excursuses, among them One on
the Vil'!in (which will be considered in connection
with the following homilies). In Praise of Ihe Cross
include. many legendary episodes from Ihe time of
the crucifixion and from later times (Constantine
and "usignius. Cons",ntius and the luminous Cross.
ete.). 0" the Virgin includes a description of the
childhood of the Virgin and the Donnition.
Other bomilies would appear to have been added
10 this cycle at a later stage, IWO funher ones 0"
Ih, Pas,ion, and another also entitled On Ihe PIU'
si<",. which in fact contains an apocryphon with a
revel&tion of the Risen Jesus to the disciples.
Cycle of Theopbllus Among the Copts, Theo'
philus of Alexandria was known as a great destroyer
of pagan monuments. His legend was based, in fact.
on passages from the Greek church histOrian. echo
oed in the Coplic history of the chuKh. The legend
tells of the discovery of S+t treasure. in the ruins
of various temples that Theophilus destroyed. treas·
ures he used. with the coment of the emperor The·
odO$iw.. for the comtruct;on or embellishment of
churches in ho~or of different saints.
Insofar as we are able to reconstruct it from the
works that have come down to us, his cycle was
made up of the following: a homily on the destruc-
tion of tho shrine of Strap;s (Seraptum) and the
construction of the Martyrium of Saint John the
Baptist; a homily on the building of tbe church of
the Virtin On Mount KO$ (Qusqbn); a homily on
the building of the cburch for the relic. of the
Three Saints of Babylon: and a homily on the build·
CYCLE 667
ing of a church in honor of the archangel Raphael
on the island of Pat res. (For all these homilies. see
THEOP'HtLUS of Alexandria.)
Cycle of John Chry,o'tom and Demetrius In
later Coptic tradition. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM'S fame was
li~l::ed to his fight with the Empress EUDOXIA. after
which (leaving aside the action of Theophilu. of
Alexandria) he died in exik The cycle developed
around this theme would seem to have its basis i~
an ano~ymous homily, Th, Life of John Chrysostom;
this homily has links with a homily In Honor of Ih~
Archangel Michael, attributed to Euslathius of
Thrace, and another. /n Honor of the Twemy.four
Elde.... attributed to PROCLlIS of CONSTANTtNOPLE..
both of which refer to the same events. with novel-
istic variations. According to all these texts, John
was supposed to have spent .101 leasl pan of his exile
In Thrace. where he convened the pagan popula-
tion.
The theme was enlarged with the introduction of
o~e OEMEI1UtJS OF ANTIOCH. the bishop by whom
John Chrysostom claims to have been const<');lted
presbyter. A homily fn Ho"or of the Martyr Vicror
attributed to John himself refers to him, and he is
also personally credited with various homilies of a
hagiographical nature. which. however. are nOI di-
rectly connected with the cycle.
Cycle of Ba.n of CaesarCB A fairly large number
of authentic homilies of BAStL THE GRUT were tran,·
lated imo Coptic ;n the "classical" period of trans-
lations (see UTl!IlARJIlI!, corne). Later. however,
there was an elfon to present the figure of Basil as
defe~der of Christianity against the barbarian.,
probably as propaganda against the Arab domina·
tion.
A number of homilies (only two of which have
come down to us) were tbus produced, set in the
region of Lazi"" (Georgia, although the name is
probably used to indicate an imaginary area) and
celebrating the liberation of the region from the
Sarmatian ~rbariam with the help of the archangel
Michael.
Cycle of Evodlus of Rome According to tradi·
tion, which must also have been recorded in the
Coptic hislory of the church (though the relevant
p~e is lost). Peter's succts$Or in Rome was lin-
us. However. the Copts attributed at least three
homilies to an Emius of Rome. a figure based on
the Evodius who was Peter's successor in Antioch.
and who therefore personally knew the apostles and
possibly Jesus.
The content of these homilies (see EvODlUS) i~·
cluded older apocryphal narratives thaI had eireu·
668 CYMBALS
lal~d WllhOlJI any named aUlhor. 110 !hal some an·
ci~nt a,,,hority was n<!eded for Ihem. The first deals
...ilh the- P_Ion and includes :In interesllng ~p;.
sod~ about lhe hws In Rome at th.e time of Cbudi-
us; Ihe second deals with the Dormilio" of the Vir-
&in; :lnd the Ihird duls with Ihe apostles..
H.&tocntphk.J ertle.
The dcyclopmem of lhe Egyptian hagiouaphie
Ille..lure from hssions 01 sinale maOJl'$ (<will"""-
Iy in GrHk) 10 cyelQ includinl .......y PauiorIs. of
d;ff~nl mar'1)'1'$ refe-rrinal(l on" another (probably
produce-<! dil'l'Ctly in Coptic) is. dncribcd in the
anicle 1lAC10CilAnn'. W" mention htrt Ibr h3gi...
BRPhic cycles that weN: more prOOuc'ive. to plac"
them bI!:I;& thrir homiletical COlJnlerpllrt de-
"",,"bed abo"".
The Cycle 01 V>C_. Clilwli",. alUi Co
0.....:;."" seems to be the earlieoc. and 10
bawd on Grt-t-k Iq~ndary Pa",· MIS comTTlOCl in
,,,,Ii
,..., been
I:.c'P' in the fiflh and mth CnllUrie$. The authors 01
lhe cycle pve I special Impression 01 the COlIn 01
DKM:letian in "'ntioch that Introduces the sutJ,se.-
quelll cyclfS.
0..., 0I1hem is the Cyck a/ rJre TlJeoJ."u...-h.,...,
aroo.md the ...eD·known 61"f"Q 01 the manyn Jheo.
<Jort, the Gmeral ;lI\d Theodore ... ""1011.... the CopIS
produced a story aboul the war beo..un Dioc:I"'i."
and \he Penians. the eapturina of a Pcnian prince.
IJld the ~xhel)' of the bishop of Anlioch.
This Ie-<! to the lerend 01 the "l:.c'P'ian" Diode-
lian (formerly named Agrippidas) and the .family 01
lhe ChristllJl gene..1 &sllides. ....nh his frir:nds and
relalivQ. This is the "10$01 ..'idesprcad cycle-. 10
...hil;h the iol.lo\Ol'in~ Passions bdoni' ......Ioliu••
Apoli. Bnatnon. Epima. Chtislodorus. Euscbiw,
JWlUS. Macarius. Catnul. T~. :lnd Enti.
finally. a cycle was eompos.«llU'l)Und Ihe person
of Jllilus the "comme~~tOr:' the scribe ...-flo _isI-
ed al trials of many" in<! took nOie of lhelr deeds
and ....,.-ds. P~ly his name was used simply 10
bring logether a VOUP of Passions d"'1 al firsl did
nOC share any common featllN:, They aN: Are, Didy-
mil., Her-.clldes. Macroblus, Nahrou, Panesneu.
and Shcnufe.
Condlllion
For many of Ihe general problems about Ihe pro·
duclion and characlerlstlcs of the cycles, Ihe reader
i. referred 10 Ihe anicle UTEJ.ATUIlE. COPTIC. Here
we wlll say something on the probable period i"
which the cycles were ",·rilten, The eOnten! and
form of many of Ihew cycles P~ppose a cultural
Nckground and a Illenory S1yle typical of the period
of the bishop DAIoIIA~US (lale shih eenlury). But
si""., the,.., was no nad dllrinllthis period for an)'
one- to po-oduee fa~ "'...... ",., must place lh<:sf:
worb in a somewttat later lime......hen the "'rab
dominion determined Ihe appropri,re- circumstanc-
es for erealing such falsifications. We Call see Ihe
beginni"l 01 tlris process in SOme homilies by Con·
stalll'ne oI .... yU! .... d ilS a.;h"ncement in 1M homUy
0It lite Ar<rh IIfV<Uion (probably mid-Wo·.,.,th eenl...
1)') a1tribut~ 10 Alhanotsius.
We not., also that in Ihe late libnries (notably
that from Tm. now in Turin, and tbal from Ih.,
While Monastuy) the codices wrillen from the
eighth <:enNI)' 011 contain the _rb be-lonli"l to
the cycles not in their proper order bUI as singl.,
-
entilo.:.. in the orde-r of the later l)"M.Urlal mod-
We can thetrioo-., des;i&nat~ an interval from tM
mi<ke-ventb eenlllry to the mid-.eilhth co:ntury IS
the _ k>pcaI time for- lhe eolllpOSi'tion 01 the$e
cycles. This. of coune. k a simplificaxion, linee
there are reasons 10 think Iha1 the individual tellS
..' f f t produced i" m""y """)"I and dre\lllUUl'le.,.;
bu, tai,.., IS sueh it can clarify many of the prob-
lems posed by ~ I ........
BIBUOC....l'tly
CamJ'lllnanC>...... cd. Ps. Cirillo Ji Ge... sal..",,,,.,.
OmeIie «>pI" suI/a '.ssione.. suI/a Croce .. sun",
Vo,;ne. Te-",i e Documenti per lo Studio dell''''n·
li<hilio. Se"" Copta 65. Milan, 1980.
Orlandi. T_ Tun <:opti; I. f"""",io Iii III..n"'I.... 1.
Vii.. di AI,u..,$iD. Testi e docume.nti per 10 Studio
dcll'Anlichlu 21. Milan, 1968.
_ _ "PaIristica copla e pIllOsliea ~ea." Vtte,,,,
Cllmlian<lO<'" 10 (197.)0327-"'.
___ Omdi~ eopl~. Turin, 1981.
Tno OllU.Il01
CYMBALS. Su Music, CoptiC: Musical In'lru·
menlS.
CYPRIAN THE MAGICIAN. The legend of
Cyprian Ihe Magician (perhaps mid·founh eentlll)'
with funher development al a laler period) ldls
how a young man in "''''loch apprGaches Cyprla"
so lhal wilh magic he cll.n win Ihe low: of lhe Chris·
tian virgin Justina. BUI allihe magical ans are m.s·
trated by p"'ler and by Ihe sign of the CroN made

by Justina, The,..,upon Ihe magician become. a con·
vert and bumi his magical books. He first become.
a p,..,sbyter and then bishop of Antioch, while luiti-
na assumes the leadership of a house for Christian
virgins, In DIOCLETIAN'S persecution of the Chris·
tians (other emperors, too, are mentioned in vari-
OUi versions), both Justina and the con>'erted magi-
cian die as martyrs in Nicomedia. In the East the
figure of Cyprian of Carthage and this fictitious con·
verted magician have been fused (ef, Forget, CSCD
47, In Scriptores Ar;obici 3, pp. 33f.; CSCD 78,
Scriptores Arabici 12, pp. 37f. [Latin translation]).
The,.., are three important texIS in which the leg·
end is found; (1) Conver..;o J"s,;nae er Cypriani
(around 350). which relates the history of lhe con·
version of Justina and Cyprian; (2) Confu..;o ..eu
pomilemin Cyprian; (which follows the ConvUSio
chronologically), which presents di.courus and the
life story of Cyprian in autobiographical form, In·
c1uding his initiation inlO numerous magical arts,
his conversion, his confession of faults, his peni·
tenee, and his baptism; (3) Manyrium Cyprian; el
Ju.. Unoe (end of the fourth or beginning of the fifth
century). A clue to the dating is the sermon
preached by GREGORY Of NAZlM<ZlJS in 379 on the
feast of Cyprian of Carthage (14 September) in Con·
stanlinople, in which the '101)' of lhe Antiochene
Cyprian's cGnversion has already left its coloring on
tbat of the Carthaginian (Or. 24 [PG 35, cols. 1169-
93]).
The texIS, originally in G,..,ek, were translated
into Latin and into Oriental languages (Syrian, Cop'
tic, Arabic, Ethlopic). There is a survey of the sur-
viving Coptic ilems in Bilabel and Grohmann (1934,
pp, 37f.). Bilabel and Grohmann published supple·
ments to the olckr editions of 0, von lemm (1899)
and W. E. Crum (1905), ""pecially the edition and
translation of the Pierpont Morgan Manuscript 6lJ9
(Conver$io and Martyrium), The Arabic prayers of
Cyprian and the conjurin~ook of Cyprian are in
the Heidelberg University I.;'brary.
Amorr, A. "Cipriano, Giustina e TeoctiSlo." Bib/io·
theca Sanc/Qru/n 3 (1963):1281-85.
Baumeister, T. "C. v. Antiocl-tia." In Lexikon de,
Miue/allerS, Vol. 3, pp. 402f. Munich and Zurich,
1984.
Bilabel, F., and A. Grohmann. "Studien 2u Kyprian
dem Magier," Griechische, koptische "nd ",,,,.
bi,che TeXle cur Religion ,md re/igiOsen LileralUr
in Xgypuns Spiitl.eil, pp. 32-325. Vertiffentlich·
CYRIACUS 669
ungen au. den badischen Papyru.·Sammlungen 5.
Heidelberg, 1934.
Crum, W. E. CaM/og"e of Ihe Copli<: Monuscripls in
Ihe BriU,h Museum, pp. ISH" no. 331. London,
1905,
CIelehaye, H. "Cyprien d'Antioche et Cyprien de
Carthage," AnoJeclo Bollondia"a 39 (1921):314-
u.
Kreslan, L.. and A. Hermann. "Cyprianus II"
(Magin). /l.eallexikon fur Anlike ..nd Christtnlum
3 (1957):467-77.
lemm, O. von. "Sahidlsche Bruchstlicke der leo
gende von Cyprian von Antiochien." Mernair".< de
I'Academif imphiol. de.. Sciences de SI. Pifers-
bourg, ser. 8, VoL 4, no. 6 (189-9).
O'leary, DeL E. The So;nts of Egypt, p, 115. Lon·
don/New York, 1937.
TllEoFRIED BAUMEISTER
CYRENAICA. See Pentapolis,
CYRIACUS, Bishop of al·Bahnas! (o:<yrhynchus),
assumed author of eight homilies. We have no his·
torical evidence of either the existence of this per·
son or the period in which he lived. On the laller,
opinions greatly diverge: G. Gmf (1944-1953, Vol.
I, p. 475) thinK. that if one accepts what i. said by
the Ethiopian Book of Aksum (Conti· Rossini, 1909-
1910, CSCO 54, p. 5 [text], and 58, p, 5 [trans.),
Cyriacus would have had to have lived in the first
half of the .Ixth cfntury or the works that arc at-
tributed to him would be of the Islamic period. But
Graf thought that the dating of the .. works to the
eleventh century was withoul foundation.
E. Galtier, who published the Martyrdom of PI/ott
(1912, p. 41), believed, while admiuing his igno-
rance, that Cyriacus dated to the fourteenth antury
at the latest. G. Giamberardini (1974-1978, Vol.
2, p. 53) placed him In the eighth century, but did
not support his 0"'" conclusion and remained hesi·
tant about being too definite. P. SNth (l938, no,
444, p. 57) Indlcalt<1 in laconic fashion the fifteenth
century,
No serious study of Cyriacus' vocabulaf)' and syn·
tax pennits one 10 say If the Arabic texi (there is no
extant Coptic text) is a .imple translation from the
Coptic or an original composition in Arabic. Noth·
ing in these works reveals Ihe period in which he
wrote. It is possible that anyone of these works i.
in faci a redaction of an earlier document. Thus, of
670 CYRlACUS
his two homilies on the night of th" Holy Family
into Egypt. the ~rsl iives the impression of taking
up the one attribul"d to the patriarch THEOPHTLIJS Or
that of ZACIlAIl.lAS of Sakha, while the second ap-
pears 10 be a plagiarizing of the first, tlte legend of
the flight of the Holy Family into EcYPt having crys-
tallized al first around al'ASHMONAYN (the", is evi·
dence of it from me ftfth centuty) and Ihen Ialer
baying eXlended to al-O~iyyah (Qusqam).
One difficulty remains. What is the true spelling
of his name~ Were there perhaps two persons with
Ihis name~ The name is often spelled H(e)l)'iq(u)s,
which is read Cyriaqus; but one may ask if Ihe
name was not Hemhos, which through a copyist's
error could have become H(e}ryAkaios. The confu-
sion of a with I in writing is easy, while lbat of k
with h is nol atlested. One can see how the Arabic
spelling H(i)ryakus was aniw:d at. This corruption
of the name Heraklios is not inconceivable, for it is
f""nd in the episcopal lists (Munier, 1943, p. 16,1.
25; d. p. 17,1. 35).
If this hypothesis is COrre<:t, it would indicate that
there was a celebrated bishop named Heraklios be·
fore, or at the beginning of, the Islamic epoch to
whom anain late homilies were anributed.
Giyen the paucity of the documentation on Cyri·
lIeUS, the simplest course is to enumerate here, one
after another, the homilies attribuled to him in the
manuscript tradilion:
I. Homily on the miracles wrought by the Holy
Family at pj·]esll£ (i.e" at Dayr al·Jam;;s), Graf,
1944~1953, Vol. I, p. 232; Giamberardini, 1974~
1973. Vol, 2, pp, 56-63, an analysis oflhe homi.
Iy; an edition withoul t"",slation in A{·La'lili' al·
Satliyyah fI al.Maydm;r wa-al.'A;li'ib al-Maryamiy-
yah ("Precious pe:arls in the Marian ..,nnons and
miracles"), Cairo, 1966, pp. 79~91.
2. Homily on tbe coming of the Holy Family to
al·QO.siyyah: Graf,.1944-1953, Vol. I, p. 233;
Giamberardini, 19""1973, Vol. 2, pp. 63~72, an
analysis of the hoIDily: edition withoul transla·
lion in AI·La'dU', pp. 71-78.
3. Homily on the ComPassion of Mary at Golgotha
and at the tomb: Geaf, 1944-1953, Vol. I, p. 247;
Giamberardini, 1974-1978, Vol. 2, pp. 72-85, an
analf$is of the homily; edition without transla·
I;on in AI·La'dli', pp. 92~llO). E. Galtier calls
attention to two Garshuni manu$Cripts in Paris
(BN Syr. 232, 233). These manuscripts appear to
be of Syro-Jacobite origin.
4. Homily on the Assumptit>ll of Mary: Vat. Arab.
170: analysis by A. van Lantschoot, 1946, pp.
509-511.
5. Homily on Ihe Resurrection and on Ihe marlyr-
dom of Pilate: Grat, 1944_1953, Vol. I, p. 239;
edition and tJanslalion by Galtier, 1912, pp. 42-
103, See also the edition and trallSlation of tbe
Ethiopic text by M. A.. van den Oudenrijn, 1959.
In fact, Ihe Sanhedrin member Gamaliel speak.s
in the first person (Acts 5:34-39; 22:3); the lext
attributed to Cyriacus of a1·Balm~ is perhaps
only a reworking.
6. Homily on Saint VtCTOR, son of Romanos' unpul:>-
lished; Graf. 1944-1953, VoL l. p. 476, In -his
Itlvetllaire des manuscril' de Da)'!' A1>u Maqlir
(1986, p. 55, no. 380; compare p. 64, no. 414),
Zanetti seems to say that the same panegyric on
Saint Vielor is somelimes put under Ihe name of
DUlETJlIIlS OF ANTtOCH, an author Slill not idenli.
fied.
7. On the manyrs of Isna: Sbath, 1938, no. 444, p.
57. (Perhaps this was the same sermon as that
attributed to John, bishop of AsytJl, edited and
lranslated by A. Khaler, 1981.) The whereabouts
of the manuscript is not known,
8. Homily on Saint Justu", contained in a manu·
script of the Monastery of Saint Antony (DAVR
ANBA /o.NTllNTYOS near the Red Sea): Hisi. 112,
fols.41'-108',
Mention should be made of the Ethiopie version
of $everal of these tUIS. The two Marian homilies
(I and 2) ..,em to exist ;n an Ethiopic version:
British Library Ethiop, 209, 211, 216, 217, 263, 341;
Vatican Ethiop. 151.
The homily on Ihe Compassion of Mary (3) also
exists in an Ethiopic version; Nalional Library, Par·
is, Ethiop. 104. The Ethiopic .'ersion of homily 5
has already been menlioned. The homily on Saint
Viclor is also extant in an Elhiopic version; British
Library Ethiop. 247, 254, and 306.
There is an Ethiopic anaphora of Mary that is
attributed to Cyriacus of a1·Bahnaso1i: S, Euringer,
"Die ithiopische Anaphora un..,rer Herrin Maria,"
OriM< ChriS/i,,,,,,s 34 (l937)'63~102, 248~62.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Conti·Rossini, K. DocumMra <>d il/"Slratldam hist<>-
riam, Vol. I, Lib" Axumae, CSCO 54 [I<'>:t] and
58 [Irans.]. Paris and ldpzig, 1909-1910,
Euringer, S. "Die lithicpische Anaphora unserer
Hemn Maria." Orims Christian"s 34 (1937):63~
102, 248-62.
Galtier, E. Mimoir", er fragments inMilS. Memo;res
de l'Institut fnln,ais d'Archeolog;e orientale 27.
Cairo, 1912.
,

Giamb<'rardini, G. /I e../IO mariano in Egitto. 3 vols.
Jerusalem. 1974-1973.
Khater. A. Marlyr« de. ciloyens d'E.ma. Cairo and
Jerusalem, 1981. La'llll' a/-Sanlyyah fi 'a/·May~mir
wa-Ill:ajll'ib a/·mary;amiyyah, a/-, Cairo. 1966.
....nts<;hoot. A. van. "l'Assomption de la sainte
vierge chu les Copte<." Gregori"n ..m 27
(19~):493-526,
Munier. H. Reel/eil des lisles episcop<l/e. de I'eglise
eople. Cairo. 1943,
Oudenrijn, M. A. van. Gamaliel: Athlopische Tv;te
llir Pi/ailis-literal"r. Fribourg, Switze-rland, 1959.
Shath. P. AI·Fih,is rCatalolue de manuscrils arabe.!.
Cairo. 1938.
Zanetti, U. Los Manuserits de Oal' Abu Maqar. In-
ventaire Cahiers d'orientalisme 11. Geneva, 1986.
RWM)EQRGJ'S CooutN
CYRIACUS AND JULI1TA, SAINTS. a son
and his mOlher who were martyred under 1;110-
ClETJAN (feast day: 15 Abib). Cyriacus and Julina
carne from !conium (modern Konya, Turkey), but
were killed al Tarsus in Cilicia. It app"ars lhat the
texl of lheir Passion, which is partially related to
that of Saint George, ....'as well known, It is men-
tioned in the Decretllm Ge/asumum, although the
Greel: text i. unavailable. There is a Latin version
(Acta Sanclorum, 4 June, pp. 24-28), as well as
Syriac, Armenian, and Arabic versi"ns (d. Biblio.-
theca Hagiographica Orienulis, pp. 193-94). In
Coptic, only a few fragments have survived (Michi·
gan University Library. Inv. 5541: however. these
seem to b<'ar witness to the exislence of the entire
text (ed. Husselman, 1965).
Julina. a Christian woman from !conium, had
fled to Tarsus to 05cap" the pe=ution of the gov·
ernor Alexander. However, she finds him in Tarsus
as well. After she refuses 10 offer sacrifice, she asks
the governor to have her three-year·old son Cyria·
ens brought, saying lhat i¥ W<>Uld offer sacrifice to
the gods he recognized..Cyriacus also refuses 10
offer sacrifice, whereupon both mother and son are
severely tortured in varioUs ways. In the mid.t of
torture, the child pronounces a prayer of a vaguely
Gnoslic lIavor, which is found in the Coptic, Arabic,
and Syriac versions, bUl not in the Latin. After vari·
ous miracles. both are beheaded.
The prayer appears 10 b<' the most important pas·
sage of the text. This prayer has been studied in
detail by Gressnumn (1921). Apart from the Passio
of George, it is related 10 the "hymn of the pearl"
in the Acls u{ ThomO-$, However, in Gressmann's
opinion the prayer is of Jewish, not Gnostic origin.
CYRIL r. SAINT 671
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dillmann. A. Vbe' die ap(>kryph.n MiJrtyrerge-
schlchle des Cyriacus mil Julina und des
Georgiu•. Sitzungsb<'richte der Koniglichen f'Te..
ussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften :tu Berlin
12-13. pp, 339-56, Berlin, 1887.
Gressmann, H. "Das Gebet des Kyriakos." Zeil·
sehrifl filr die neuresramenl/lche Wissensch"ft 20
{l921):23-35.
Husselman, E. M. "The Martyrdom of Cyriacns and
Julirta in Coptic." Journal of the American Re·
search Cemer in Egypl 4 (1965):79-86.
TlTO Ol<..... NDI
CYRIL I, SAINT, or Cyril of Alexandria, twenty·
fourth patriarch of lhe See of Saint Marl: (412-
444), who is reckoned one of the greatest prelales
of Christian anliquity (feasl day. 3 Ablb). Cyril spent
his early years al Daye AnM Ma~r in lhe Nilrian
Valley, which had become n(>ted as a cenrer of
theological studies. After five years of intensi,·e
STudy in thaI m"nastery, Cyril was summoned to
Alexandria by his uncle, the reigning patriarch THEO·
PHILUS, and was ordained a presbyter. He distin·
guished himself as an eloquent preacher, and his
name became ",idely l:nown in the capilal. At lhe
death of his uncle. he automatically became a can·
didate for succession 10 the throllf' of Saim Mark
againsl anolher local rival, lhe archdeacon
TImotheu•• who had the support "f th. government.
Nevenheless, only three days after Theophilus'
dealh, Cyril was enthroned on the archiepiscopal
seal of SainI Marl:. despite the slrong opposition of
the prefect. Oresl.s, who Was regarded as a strong
comp"tilor of Cyril in influence in Alexandria. The
rivalry between the two potentates in the capital,
the one heading the church and the other the local
prefeCIUre, flared up repeatedly in the following
years. From the early years of his accession, Cyril
proved himself to be a man of Jlrong personalily,
IInusual ability, and profound theological scholar-
ship, a match for the tempesTuous events thaI
marked his thirty-two-year reign.
Immediately on his accession. he declared .pirit·
ual warfare on several fronts, both at Rome and in
other areas beyond his frontiers. At home, he had
under hi. command an anny of dedicated and selJ
effacing followers known ... PaF<Jholarti, that is,
"those who disregarded their own lives" in the
.service of the church, The Parabola"1 were monks
from adjacent monasleries who made themsel,'es
available for any draslic action,
672 CYRIL I, SAINT
One of Cyril', fi",t action, was to conllnn the
,."je<:tion of Novatianism by DIONYSllJS t, the four-
tunth patriarch, The organization of Novatiani.1>
was a residue of a movement that originated in
Rome after the Decian pe=cution of 249~2S0, Its
founder, Novatian, initially espoused a lenient .y•.
tern of apprc>ach toward readmission 10 church
communion of persons who had apostatized in the
course of a Christian persecution. Later, during a
papal election in which he was a losing candidate
and which he ended by becoming a rival bi.hop of
Rome, Novatian revel1ed to a rigorist policy regard·
inll the apo~tate~, Novatian v..as later rnal1yrcd by
Valerian. His l~acy, however, survived him. Hi.
followers, Ihough perfectly ol1hodox in their profes-
.ion, persisted in ke<:ping hi, rigorist policy even
Ihough they funclioned under a senlence of excom·
munication unlil the fifth cenlury, when Cyril tried
to destroy Iheir Alexandrian branch. While closing
their headqual1ers and laying his hand on their se·
cret treasure, Cyril disposse$$ed their bishop Theo'
pemptu., and left him an impecunious and po_r-
less nonentit}'.
In the meantime, Cyril continued to in.pire the
PQFQIwI"n; wilh mortal haired for NeoplalOni.t phi·
losophy, which was laught in the Alexandrian
Musenn. At lhat time, the leader of Ihe Neoplatoni.1
school was Hypatia, at whose reet both pagan and
Christian pupils .tudied philosophy. She was al.o
highly esleemed by Ihe prefect Ore.tes. Though
avowedly a Christian bapliud b)' a bishop of Can·
.taminople, Orestes was accu.ed by the Paralwla ..;
of being a pagan and a finn suppol1er of Ihe pagan
Hypatia, after whose blood they thirsted. Thus, in
415 Ihey encountered Hypatia in her chariot, at·
lacked her, dragged her 10 the Cae....rian church
where they murdered her, and took her mutilated
co'l'''' to a place called Cinaron where they burnt
il. This tragedy aroused public feelirig, and some
followers of Ore.tes we~1 as far as to accuse Cyril
of indirectly in.piring tli.e crime, Though it would
be a mistake to involve Cyril in this ad, the ho.tility
of the patriarch to NeoPlalonism must have been
Ihe .tal1ing poinl of all the trouble Ihat precipitated
this ungodly crime in.ide a godly institulion during
Ihe holy season of Lent.
On another fronl, Cyril'. hostility to Ihe Jewish
community in Alexandria was reciprocated by the
Jews, who began 10 plot again.t the archbishop and
the church. At one point, rumors circulated that the
church of Alexander had been .et on fire by Jews,
When the Chri.tians hastened to save their ....nclu-
ary, the Jewish planers fen upon them and .lew
'Ome of their number. Cyril did not let the occur-
rence pass without respon.e. He and hi. monastic
bodyguard, which was beefed up by monks from
Wadi al·Na!rUn, descended one morning on the
synagogue. in the cit)" took possession of them, and
Ihe Jew. were expelled from the capital, Orestes
was powerless in the face of .uch lawlessness spon-
sored by Cyril'. armed monks and the Parabola",.
He could only complain 10 Emperor Theodo.iu. 11
(408-450), who was hiTTl$('lf jus' a youngster of
foul1een, and Cyril had no difficulty in facing the
imperial coul1 with a case about the Jewish sacri-
lege. In the end, the maller was laid to re.l, butlhe
hos,ility toward the prefect remained. One day
Orestes' chariot was assailed by the monks in the
.treelS of Alexandria, and a monk by the name of
Ammoniu. hurled a stone at Orestes, seriously
wounding him. Consequently, Ihe prefect'. men
.eiud Ammoniu. and tol1ured him to death. Cyril
considered this a crime and gave the dead monk a
mal1yr'. fune,.,.1. However, this affair was allowed
to sink imo oblivion as a minor incident. The faci
remain. that Cyril was a implacable fighter, nol
merely a ....intly head of a religious inslitution, and
his warfu.,." was nOl confined to Egypt.
In the field of f<lreign policie., Cyril inherited hi.
uncle's host iii!)' to Saini JOHN CHRYSOSTOM. though
in the end Cyril was persuaded to accep' John
Chrysostom'. name in the Alexandrian diptych. The
greate.' contlict of Cyril'. career was directed to'
ward Ihe palriarch of the Byzantine capital, t'ESTOR·
tUS. The subject of the .<lnfliet was ChrislOlogy. The
discord between the two prelale. was Ne.toriu.'
rejection of the term THEQT"l)I;;OS (Mother of God) in
regard to the Virgin MARY. whom he de.ignated
only as Mothcr of Je.us in the tlesh, This led to the
inference of the dual nature of Jesus, which precip-
itated another round of metaphysical warfare b ...
tween the two palJ;arch•. Cyril wrote a corrective
letter to Nestori", without avail. Consequently, he
addressed himself directly 10 Theodosiu. 11, Em·
press WDOXIA, and the emperor's sister, PULCHERIA.
whose interest in religious matters was _11 known.
The imperial family was, on the whole, disenchant·
ed with these quarrels within the church and began
10 con,emplate the possibility of holding an ecu·
menical council to .enle the dispute. and re.tore
order and unity wilhin lhe empire.
In the meantime, C}'ril contacted the bishop of
Rome, Celestine 1 (422-432), regarding Ihe irregu·
laritie. com mined by Nes,orius, 11 happened al Ihe

time that NeSlotius had received the Pelagian ene·
mies (see rE.... GlANlSM) of Celestine with honor, and
thi' naturally slirred up the .....ralh of the bishop of
Rome against the patriarch of COnSlllnlinople. Cel-
esline .....as more than willing 10 liSlen to Cyril's
complaint against Nestorius, .....hom he condemned
in a council at Rome. while Cyril was encouraged
to hurl twelve anathemas from Ak<andria againsl
his peer al Constanlinople. Nestorius al once an-
swered by casting twelve counteranathemas al his
adversary. Thus the stage was set for anolher phase
in the war betwe<"n the two prelates, and only an
ecumenical council could setlle their differences,
The imperial decision was made to bold that
council at EPHESUS in the year 431. and the sum-
mons to thaI meeting was issued jointly by Theodo·
sius 11 in the East and Valenlinian 111 in the West.
This was the third ecumenical council. the olher
lwo being IlICAEA in 325 and CON$TA>mNOPI..E in 3gl.
Ne",orius anived at Ephesu. with sixteen of his
bishops and an armed bodyguard headed by the
commander of the imperial guard. Cyril came by
sea with fifty bishops. and he was surrounded by an
army of devote..... the Parabola"i, and some monks.
These were said 10 have included the great SHE,NUTE
in their number, though this report is unconfinned
by the sources and must be quoted with caution,
On Cyril's side Was the bisbop of Ephesus, Mem·
non, wbo mustered another body of forty suffragans
from Asia and Iwelve from Pamphylia, Celestine
was able to send two Roman bishop. and a priest
who openly upheld Cyril'. cause. With such a host
of supporters, Cyril did not hesitate to open the
se...ion. Nestorius abstaine<! from attendance be·
cause he still awaited the epis.copal contingenl from
Antiocb under the leadership of his old friend John,
bisbop of Antioch, Later, John anived together "ith
forty·lWO Antiochene bishops, and immediately Nes·
torius held his own rival.council. Cyril'. gathering
of approximately two hun"Wd bishops unanimously
condemne<! Neslorius and ~nathematized him. and
the Nestorian rival. indepeitdemlyalld unanimous·
ly anathematized both Cyril and Memllon, also de·
posing them. The twO parties rushed their verdicts
10lhe emperor. who unwittinsly signe<! bolh depo·
sition edicts, and, all the leaders found lbemselves
und.,r arrest.
However. after mu~h maneuvering and diplomat·
ic intrigue, the CyrilJian pany succeeded in recov·
ering its freedom, and Cyril returned to Alexandria.
where his loyal congregation gave him a hero's wel·
come, Ne.torius remained incarcerated in his old
CYRIL I, SAINT 673
doister at Antioch. For the nellt two years. numer-
ous dispalches were elIchansed between Cyril and
the authorities and leading chur<:hmen. The result
was his tolal recondliation wilh Ihem, .,ven wilh
John of Antioch, thus leaving Nestorius a solitary
viclim to face a grim future. NeS!orius was a sorry
figure in 453. He was manhandled in his forced
retirement and then was carried into exile first to
Pelra and afterward 10 the Egyptian oasis of the
Western Desen, where he died at an unknown date
after 439. According 10 the Coptic SYNAA~RION, his
death occurred at the city of A1thmlm in Upper
Egypt in the year 440; however, Ihis informalion is
not corroborated by Olher sources.
In 439, Cyril was al the peak of his power in the
universal church. He wTOle to the then reigning
bishop of Rome, Sixtus 111, that peace w,," restored.
and he signe<! a dedaration possibly prepared by
Theodnret of Cyrrhus conf.,ssing the divine male,..
nity of Mary. He ne,'er halted hi. lheological .....ar·
fare against all supporters of Nestorianism, While
he condemned lllEOOORUS Of "O!'SUESTIA, the old
mentor of Nestorius, he refrained from an open
dash with him in order 10 avoid the revh'~1 of the
Christological controvers".. Cyril died On 27 June
444; the Coptic church commemorales him on 3
Abib.
Like Alh~nasius. Cyril left behind him a tremen·
dous number of Iheologic~l studies and worb of
exegesis. homiletics, and apologetics. A meticulous
theologian, he seems to have devote<! more allen'
tion to the essence of bis arguments than to the
elegance of his style. Nevenhele..., it is worthy of
nole thaI his indiscriminate use of the tenns pny';$
(nature) and hypo<ta,i, (substance) resulted in the
Chalcedonian confusion, which led to the establi.h-
menl of the 5O·called Monophysite doctrine. Cyril's
apology againS! JULIAN mE AI'OST>\I'E is a document
of historical interest. His numerous epistles are
documenlS of the highest importance for Ihe ecde·
si ...tical bistorian. His twenty-nine paschal homilies
deftned the date of Easter. His extended Hturgy.
pracliced in full mainly in monasteries. presumably
reAects older texts ascribed to Saint Mar1<'s Anapho-
ra. On the whole, Cyril's theology was regarded by
sub.equent generations as Ihe key 10 orthodoxy,
thouSh some theologians tend to differ On its inte,..
pretation. At hi. death. the Alexandrian church oc-
cupied a position of undisputed leadership in the
whole of the Christian world.
Cyril'. massive writings have been the subject of
.e"eral editions since Ihe .ixteemh century. In 1546
674 CYRIL I, SAINT
al Basel, George of Trebi2.0nd published all avail·
able material of his works in four volumes. In 1573
and 1605, GenlianU$ Hervctus reproduced hi!;
works at Paris in IW<l majeslic volumes. From 1859
10 1864 John Auben, canon of Laon and masler of
ilS college in Paris. published Cyril'. worh in len
volume•.
Cyril's immense literary heritage has been ana·
lyzed in worb on palrology. A selected list of his
worb follows,
A, Commentaries on the Old Testament
I. De adoratione <I " ..II.. in spinl" el VU;1ale.
2. Glaphyra (thineen books, of which seven are de-
vOled 10 Genesis; Ihree to Exodus; and one 10
each of Levilicus, Numbers. and Deuleronomy).
3. Commentary on lS<Jiah (consisting of five biblia
(books), of which some are divided inlO logo;
(principles), olhers into lama; (dogmatic pro-
nouncement.).
4. Cammen/ory on Minor Prophets.
B. Commeni:lries 011 the New Teslament
I, Cammon/ary on Ihe Gasp" of Soi"l John (con·
sisting of twelve I>ooks subdivided inlo numer-
ous chaplers).
2. Cammenlary On the Gospel of Saint wke (con'
taining homilies on Luke; ;l Syriac version of Ihe
si~th Or .eventh century preserves al least 156
such homilies).
3. Commerllary on the Gospel 01 S"i"I Mallhew
(covering twenty·eight chapters of which only
fragments remain),
C. Dogmalic·polemical works againS! Ihe Arians
I. Thua .. ,us de sanCIa el consubSlant;ali Trinilate
(mainly reproducing Athanasius, Contra Aria·
nos).
2. De SancIa el c01....bst"ntia{i Trinilale (seven dia-
logue. wilh Hermias).
D. Dogmalic.polemi~ worb against Nestorius
I. Adve,sus N,storii hlasphemias (hi.lory of Nestori·
an blasphemies; five tomes).
2. 'D~ recla fid~ (consistmg of three memoranda reo
futing Nestorianism, one to Emperor Theodosi...
n. another to his younger sislen Arcadia and
Marina, and Ihe Ihird 10 his elder sister Pulcher.
ia and Itis wife Eudoxia).
3. Twelve Anathemas ara;n.1 N~"orius (consisting
of Iltree apologi«. tWO refutillg accusations of
Apollinananism and rnonophysilism, and a third
in defenu of the analhemas by quoling the
Scriplures).
<I. Apologelk..s ad imp<!ralo....m (submitted to Theo-
dosius II after Cyril's release and r,,!Urn to Alex-
andria).
5. Schoi;a d, ;ncarn"lume U"ige"iti (defining lhe
hypo'la,;s union as again.1 mixture or eJltemal
associalion).
6. Adversus "ol,ntes confiuri sanClam Virginem
e"e Deiparam (trealise against those who do not
acknowledge that Mary is the Mother of God).
7, Contra DkJdorum ~I Theodorum (Ireatise against
Diodare of Tarsus and Theodore of Mopsuestia,
menlors of Nestoriu$).
8. Q.. od unus sil Chrinus (dialogue Oil unily of pe..
son in Christ, one of Cyril's lasl anti·Neslorian
worh).
E. The Apology Agai"st Julio.n (dedicated to Theo·
dosill$ fl. consisting of thirty books refuling Julian
Ihe Apostate's work Againsl Ih, Galileans wnnen in
363. and Ihe survival of paganism in Egypt).
F. Paschal Lellers (Iwemy·nine Hamilia. Pascha·
les addressed 10 churches of Egypl, fi.ing dale of
Easler and dealing with Chnstological comrover-
sics. the refutalion of paganism. and the establish·
ment of Jewish infidelily).
G. S~rmons (lwentY'lwo Hamill". d;vers"e to dis-
linguish Ihem from the Homilio.. Paschales of which
eight date from lite summer of 431 during lite
Council of Ephesus. Of the remaining homilies, Ihe
most famous is Ihe Marian Sermon deliw:red at
Saint Mary's Church in Ephesus).
H. Lellers (eighly·eighl leiters; PG 77. cols. 10-
390; some surviving in Coptic. Syriac, alld Anneni·
an vel'Sions; Ihese are imponam documents all
church history and ecclesiaslical doctrine and law).
I. Liturgical Work (Cyril's lilurgy reflecting Saint
Mark's has been confirmed by Ihe discovery of sev·
eral papyrus fragments at DAYa Al.-BAU:Y7.... H in
Asyilt relating 10 a Ihird·century Coplic Eucholo-
gion and the Anaphora of Saint Mark probably used
al the time of Alhanasius and pr~rved by Cyril),
Cyril's fame spread during his lifetime and after
his death. His contemporary. Pope Celestine I of
Rome. described him on several occasi"ns as hamo
fide; catholicae defensor (defender of the faith), vir
aposlOlk..s (apt>Stolic man), and probo.tiss;mus sa·
c~rdas (uprighl priesl). After his deee""". he be-
came renowned in the Easlern churches as Ihe ulti·
male authority in all Chrislological subjects. He was
called the "Seal of the Fathers" by the seventh·

I
c~ntury ecclesiastical authority Anastasiu. Sinaita.
In 1882. the Sacred Congregation of Riles dubbed
him OoctOT of the Church. To Ihis 'day he is consid-
ered the "Pillar of the Faith" in the Coptic chur<:h.
, ".
, BIBUOGRAPHY
Standard editiolt$ of Cyril's works in 10 volumes
byJ. Auben {Paris, 1859-1864); also ill PG 68-77.
Many of Cyril's works have also been edited by P,
E. Pusy in 7 volumes (Oxford, 1868-1877). E.
S<hwanz edited numerous episde. of Cyril in Acl~
Coru:iliorum Oecumen;corum 10. Berlin. 1922.
Atiya, A. S. A History 01 Eastern Christ;a"ity. Lon·
don. 1968.
&ll, H. r. "Anti·Semitism in Ale-andria." Journal of
Romon Studies 31 (1941):1-18.
Carnpenhausen, H. van. Griechische Kirch.,,,,,iite.,
pp. 133-64. Stuugan. 1955.
Fran",•. D. "Cyrille au CondIe d'Ephhe." Studio
Catholica (1931):369-98.
Hamack. A. von. Hi£/ory 01 Dogma, 7 vol•.. Iran•. N,
Buchanan. London. 1897-1899,
Hefde, K. J. von. HiStory of the Christion Councils.
5 ",I•. Eng. trans. from Gennan by W. R. Clarke.
Edinburgh. 1871-1896.
Juaye. H. du Manoir de. Dogme el spirilualili chez
sai", Cyrille d'Alexandrie, Paris. 1944,
Kopallik. J. Cy,i!lm von Ale:<imdri"", eine Bio-
!,aph;e nach den Quellen beame;ter, Mayence,
188!.
Kyrilliana. Eludes vari,", 11 l'occaSion du XV' an.
lenaire de soil1l Cyn'lIe d'Arao»drie A.D. 444_
1944. uiro, 1947.
uNain de Tillemont, Loui, S. M"moire. pour 5Orv;r
II /"hislOi" ecdhia,lique des dix prom;us ,iedes,
16 vols. Brussel" 1693-1712.
Uebaert J. "SI. Cyrille d'A1exandrie el ]a culture
antique." Mer"ng.. des Sdences rdipeuse, 12
(1955):5-26.
Maspero. J. "Horapollon el Ia lin du paganisrm
Efo'plien," Bulletin de /"[n.llilul fran90'i. d'Archi·
%gie orientale 11 (191~163-95.
Nau. F. "Cyril and Nesloom." Revue de /'Oriel1l
chretie» 15 (1910):365-91; 16 (1911)'1_54.
f'apotdopoulos. C. '0 '<i-)'W'l·KUp..U<X 'AA<-E<r~ia~.
Alexandria, 1933. '
Percoli-Ridolfini, f. "La contro\·..-'Sia I.... Cirillo
d'AI=andria e Giovanni d'Antiochia nell' episto.
lario di Andrea' da Samosata:' R;vi.ta degli Stud;
Orientali 29 (1954):187-217.
Praechter, K. "Hypatia."' In Realen<'yldopedie de'
H'1J.ischen AlterWmswissensch"lt, Vol. 9, pp.
242-49, Stungart. 1916.
Quasten, J. Parr%gy, 3 vols. Utre<oht and Antwerp.
1975,
•
CYRlL II 675
Rehrmann. A. Di. CltrislOiogie des hi. Cyril/us wm
Alexandrie». Hildesheim, 1902.
Remondon, R. "L'Eg;pte et la supreme resistance
au chrisliani.me:' Didaskaleion 51 (1952):116-
Rucker, J. "CyriUus von Ale.andrien und Timothe-
us Aelun:Js in der alten armenischen Christen·
hei!." Hand.,. Ansorya, Monalschrifl fur arm"n·
i"h. Phi/orogi. (1927):699-71.
Aztz S. ATIYA
CYRIL II, sixIY'-Seventh patriarch of the Se. of
Saint Mark (1078-1092). Cyril was a monk of the
Monastery of Saint Macarius (PHil ANBA WlQAIl).
and hiS original name was George (Jirj1). Nothing is
known about his secular life or his date of binh
beyond the faci thai he was a native of the province
of ~hei", when he joined his monastery. After the
death of Patriarch CHRtST{)()()(Jll'S, a large body of
bishops. a number of the clergymen of Cairo and
Alexandria. and scme AIlCHONS went to the Monas-
tery of Saint Macarius in search of a candidate. l1Je
episcopal delegation included Quzman. bishop of
Nad; John. bishop of SakhA, known as Ibn al·
~lim; Mark, bishop of Aba $Ir; Mercurius, bishop
of M",!ll: Gabriel, bishop of Basjah (al·Khandaq);
Khayal. bishop of Qup,ir: Theodorus (fadIUS). bish·
op of Khirbit<\: George (Jirji), bishop of lb!u; John
(YuJ:oanna), bishop of Atrib; Mark (Murqus), bishop
of al·Balyani; Peter (Bu!n:Js). bishop of al·Bahnad:
Macarius (Maqirah). bishop of al·Oays; and Mint,
bishop of al-Baynayn, They deliberated for lwo
months, without coming to a dedsion. Hence, ac·
companied by the archdeacon of Saint Macarius.
they moved to a neighboring monaslery, PHil HI-
I;IANNlS KAMA. where they selected a saintl}' man by
the name of BisU•. But he protestcd that he was a
common man unlit for that dignily and began bang-
ing his chest with a stone until he was almost dead.
So Ihe delegation moved back to the Monas!ery of
Saint Macarius. where they discovered a middle·
aged monk of great sanctity by the name of George,
on whom they settled as their candidate. They took
him against his will, clothed him with the patriar·
chal garb, and named him Cyril (Kyrillos). Then
they took him to Alexandria, where he was formally
consecrated. He then went to Cairo to pay homage
to the caliph. al-Mustan~ir, where he was received
with honor. Laler he called on his ,'izier, Badr al.
Jarrulil. who is.sued a special decree for his adminis·
lration to execute all the patriarchal wishes. The
676 CYRIL II
pooWlion or Ihe chu.-ch thus became secure, after
the rdships it bad SU5Qinec! under Caliph .1·
':!AKt .
Cyril bq:lon his ,..,ign with tht tJlC~ of synodi-
cal epistles with 1m ~pirilual twoIher. ();onysius,
patriarch of Antioch. Then h~ ocaned 10 lill >-.canl
diocncs ,..;u, bnhop. it<' refrained from deman<f.
inl simony (CHElIlOlmllA), wilik~ rnoosI of his p,*-
calOf'S. ~rthd"" b<: diol come '0 all under>
sWldinS wilh the new bishops NI they s1Iould
share their income with him. Apparenlly lh. did
noI ... i•• numb<:r of bishops, ",'ho bq:lon a .... bd·
lious rT"l(lWmeru by ... bmillin, complaints ;>pin$!
Cyril to ~dr a1-JamAll Con~uendy. Badr ordered
.he pi'uiarch 10 cOnv....... leneral cOllndl of hi.
bishops .0 ""uk lheir differences, The HISTORY or
THE PATRlAitCIfS (Vol. 2, pI. 3, pp. 214-15/ ,ives a
~ry na"" lisl of fony--""ven biohops who allended,
Including Iw~nty-tWO from La"",r EarPI and a sim'·
Lar number from Upper Eg)-pt, in addhlon 10 Ih~
bishops of Mi~r, Giza, and .1·Knan<!aq, This meeling
look place in Ut, S02/A,D, 1086. and .e."lIed in the
revi.ion "f the Coptic legal sySlem, which Ihe pIltri.
arch r~p<>n~d \0 Bad. a1_Jamsn, who seems 10 ha"e
supponed Cyril and requested Ihe blsJIops to obey
him.
The Hislory of t1u P"triJ>,d'$ (Vol. 2. pl. 2, pp.
187ff,) Ib;u a !Ie..... of et\coun....'S bet",'«n Cyril
.nd Badr aI·Jamal.. ""hich ma1<es dur lhat the p<>-
si.ion of the church was secu.... and peaceful in
af·MusuIf'¥"-a c"'ip/'we. When it came 10 financial
c:onsidentiom. h......-vn. the COwmmeTII imposed
.he land laX 01 the JalAIlAJ, ",i,hou, ,be s1ighc,"",
diminution. Thus, the church ..... tned •. 000 di-
nan per- annum. and Ibis " .... dividPd '"'''nly ........'
lhe bishops of 1.<rA"T F.crJ'l. and those of Upper-
£cypc_ funhe~. ~ poll .... or IllYAH. wa:I
imposed on all Ctuistians at the rate of. ;n the
lancuaac of me ti..,.., one dinar and a third ...., a
qu.arler. per- peTSOn. n.f,... "",re al$o ~"tnordinary
6nanci:ol impo5lS arising f'mm unusu;ol situations.
Perhaps lhe mall signifi,c,on. eumpfe of this oc-
culTed when all Aleundrians. CoptS. Muslims. and
Je",.. alike. were ..,bjected '0 a lre~ndous 6n~ of
12.000 dinan as a penalty for their complichy with
al·Af\b.I'$ ",n •. who in 1085 had 'eY<)lIed aiainst hb;
falner and funified him""lf in the capital city,
Relalion~ with the Christian kingdom of I'lUBr~
were comple,;, While tlte country Wa!I eccluiuti-
cally under C)'ril lI, Ihe hlamic administration h:od
parallel Imereo... in the country. and Cyrll'$ influ·
ence was ""pportive of Eg)pt'. general position in
Nubia. Furthermore. il is known thac lhe Nubiu
king. S<>lomon••bdicated his ,hronc lo a nephew
and rcIired UI EcYFn lor worship in its ....,red wil·
d<Ulf:SS. Althouch Solomon was later IoCiud by the
Fatnnid ,"«en" and taken 10 CaiTO. Badr al-Jamlfl
treated him with dd'eTen<:e, as a &'>esl ... ther than a
pri5oner. and placed him in one of the 5late pal.
aces. "'' ben be died .shon!y aftuwanl. he ",-as bur-
ied in Saint Geo..,e's Monastery at aI-Kbandaq wiclt
all tM Coptic funenry cekbratioll$.
Relations wilh Ethiopia during CyriI'~ rfl&n be-
gan with the consecDiion of Sflwjros ... archbW>op
of the diocese. He was a vtaoroua middle·aged poli·
tidan htsides Min, an ecclesiastic. and be con·
ferred with Bad. al·JamAli over- the Ff,yptian policy
loward E,hiop;a. Badr al·Jamalf ........t tWO t"inp
in Ethiopia: the buildin, of 50me """"IU'"" for its
Muslim inhabitants and 1M /l$$Urance of !ate ron·
dUCI for Egyptian merchants, He ,ranted the arch-
bishop $Ome fundi for lhe building of mosques, and
Sawlrm sanctioned the resloration of seven
mosque., which Ihe Ethiopian Chrislian. Itad de·
strayed, Mo,..,over, EgypJian merchants in Ethiopia
continued 10 be iubje<:ted to !lei.u,," and pillage,
Badr aI-JamJll summoned Cyril II, whom he openly
,..,bukcd and ~ueslcd 'll ac, Slemly ",ith his Ab)'5-
.inian co....II,lonoo. This was a ""ri0U5 problem {or
Cyril Panicipatln, ,n lhe deliber.uions ..... the
Coptic archon Abo "-Mallh Mini. ibn Zabriyyli,
..-110 "'". an importan, """'tionary in the Wamic
adminisl",'ion of lhe COIIntry. It ,,~ decWd 'll
strengthen the podtkm of Sawlros by dispalching
two bishops 10 the ElhioopUon coun-Marl: (M.....
qua), bW>op of A.....lm and Giza. and Tbeoclorui
(Tadrua), billhop of Sinjlr-in an at1empllo rectify
this ";lUJIioI'l. 4pparendy no .. ti5fact0f)' 5OI.ution
...... reached. but tM Soory Is indicatm: of the """'-
tion of the Coptic: p;llriarchate In Ihese internation·
aI rebOooa.
Aner a man lastin, foun«n yoara and chrft:
mont.... Cyril" died in CaIro on f2 Ba·... nah and
..as temponrily buried in the Chun:h of Saint Mi·
c.....1 on .he island of Rodah, His remains "",re
bier IransferTed to .he monas'~ry ofSainl Macarius
In WMi al-Na!n1n in the W~$!.rn ~n.
StBllOCRAI'HY
AmHin~au, E, (;;og,,,phi. d. /'Egypu a /'tpoq~.
copte. Paris, 1893.
Lane-Poole, S, Th. Moho",,,,odo~ Dy~"<lies, Lon·
don. 1894,

___. His/ory 0/ Egyp! in Ih~ Middle Ages. London,
1901.
SUBHI Y. U,BlB
CYRIL III IBN LAQLAQ, .e>'en/y-lift!> pat,i.
arch of ,he See of Saint Mark (1235-1243). Cyril,
known"" Ibn Laqlaq befo,e his investiture. was
called Dawiid ibn Yu~ann! ibn Laqlaq al·FayyO.rni,
indicating that he was originally a nalive of the city
of al-Fayyi"" in Upper Egypt. His dale of birth is
unknown, and hi. ascension to the throne of Saint
Mark in peculiar circumstances came 10 pass after
an interregnum of nineteen years, during which 1M
patriarchal seal ,""mained vaCant.
In the end, Dawiid. who was well connected with
the Ayyubid administration through Ibn a)·Mig"'!.
the Coptic chief scribe of the sullan, prevailed on
the caliph to issue a special decree appointing him
patria,..;h withouT any regard [0 the normal demo-
<Talk Coptic proced"u used to dome the head of
the church. This aroused ~eTCe oppositi"n in Coptic
circles, and a pr<><;essi"n was 10 go to Ihe citadel
where Sultan al-)(ami! (12l.8-1238) resided and 10
protesl against such an appointment, Since the ap-
pointment decre<: was issued by aJ.'Adil (1200-
I 2i 8) withouT consulting the Copts, it was decided
10 keep that decree in abeyance until a council of
bishop$, clergy, and Coplic ARCHONS had reviewed
Ihe situation. At last, however. Dawiid was able to
manipulale the council and emerge as the winner.
Cyril III needed large funds, partly to enable him
to pay the caliph;ol court for its support of his case.
He raised the money by applying the simoniacal
practice of CHEIROTONIA and by the sale of the emp-
ty episcopal seats to the highest bidders. Many or
these seats had fallen "acanl during the long inter-
regnum. This practice alanned the community or
the faithful, who protested againsl the practices.
The rebellious congregali~ Found a leader for their
opp~ition movement in :the person of a monk
named 'Imad (J:liimid) of Dayr Aobii Maq,,,- The
movemenl was further strengthened by a Coptic
archon named Saniy al-Dawlah ibn al·Thu'Mn, who
insisted thaI Cyril WiU\ pope only by bribery and
corruption, and he raised serious doubts about the
legality of Cyril's ordinalion. ln light of these ciT'"
cumst.mces, il was decided to hold a general coun·
dl or the clergy and the archon. to look imo Ihe
situation and make recommendation•. The Islamic
administration of Ihe countl)' favored the sugges-
tion. and Sultan al·Malik al-~lilt Najm ai-Din Ayyiib
CYRIL IV 077
(1239_1249) took Ihe iniliative and summoned that
council where, according to al-MAORlzl. the Islamic
hisT"nan of the Cop IS. the palriarch was sh'll'ly
crilicized. Ne,'erthele.", Cyril. who prevailed upon
the Coptic scribes of the administralion while brib-
ing the caliph.1 court with 12,000 din.rs, "''as able
to swing Ihe verdicl in his favor. In thi' way, the
,,!,posilion to the patriarchal pany was stifled. and
Cyril was able to hold his "wn and rule Ihe church
in his way and in relative peace "nlil his death in
1243. His reign lasted se"en yean;, nine mOlllhs,
and len days, and he was b"ried in Dayr al·Sham· .t
Giza.
It is noteworthy thai the HISTORY Of THE PATRIARCHS
curtailed hi. biography to a single page and th.t
Coptic authors "f the period, such as '1:10 AL-
"""KARIM. the fum"us Ihirteenth-century hisT"rian of
the churches and monasteries in Egypt, overlooked
his name completel)'. In fact, Cyril is bener remem-
be"d for an edificatory work enTilled Book of Ih~
MaslU o~d lite Pupil. which consists of fifty-five dis-
courses of a moralistic character.
He was a COlllemPOral)' of the suhans al-K~mil
(1218-1238), al-'Adil II (1238-1239), and al·S<l.hl)
Najrn aI-Din (1239-1249), thus being contempora-
neous with the decline and fall of the Ayyubid dy·
nasty. After his death. the throne of S.inT Mark
remained vacant fOT more lhan seven years hefore
the community found a successor in the person "f
ATHANASIUS III
1J18L1OGRAPHY
Aliya. A. S. Crusad., Commerce and Cu/lu'e.
Bloomington. Ind.. 1962.
Lane·P<>ole. S. Th~ Mohamm~da~ D)'nasa"s. Lon·
don, 1894.
___, History of Egypl in Ih" Middl~ Ages, London,
1901.
Runciman. S, History of the Crusade., 3 vols. Cam-
bridge. 1951-1954.
SUBHI Y. UtBIB
CYRIL IV, [lOlh Palriarch of the See of Saint
Mark (1854-1861). He was born Dawtid TUm'"
BAshill in 1816 at Naj' Abu Zaqiill, near Akhmim in
Upper Egypt. At the age "f twenty-lwo he enlc ....d
SI_ Antony's m"naslery (DAYR ANBA '''TUNIYUS), be-
c"ming its .bbot al the age "f twent)'-f"ur by virtue
of his good characler and charitable disposition.
Throughoul his life he displayed" deep l"ve for
learning and keen enthusiasm 10 improve Ihe con-
678 CYRIL IV
<!ilion of monasteries and churches, as _II as •
g~a1 lmerest i" !he laity, which laler nm~ lOr
him lhe lide "Cyril lhe Father of Refonn:' He was
br'ouJht 10 lhc: ...tenDon of PEl'U VII, who appreciat·
ed his ouul.aIldinc qualiLics.
In 1851 ~ of binion and dissent bet.."e"
doe £Ih.>opi.an clt:ru .nd !he C~1c Meuopolitan
"AlIbi Sa1Ima" ...~ recrift<l bf !he Palriarch,
who ""lIS ~ to inlc......,ne in Jlft'O". AI 1M
journey was 100 an\uou$ for him, he delepled f ..
lher D6...'lld lOr Ihis delicate lUk. His so;oum in
Ethiopi. cuended 10 ri&/>leen monl"", and he "''as
able to achieooe some success. Bul bdore he could
finally accomplish his mission he ..... recalled by
Ihe hlriarch who ....d <Oddenly fallen ill. Two .nd
a half momh> before falher bA"'Ild arrh'ed In Cairo
on 17 July 1851, Ihe Pania..,h had already passed
a ....y. havin8 recommend.d Falher oa""",d 10 sue·
c.ed him.
Falher Di",Qd'. absence ;n Ethiopia .nd the lack
of news aboul him J.d to a split of opinion amon8
Ihe cle!'8Y. Some memben supported him, bul oth.
en ...ere in favor of apJl'Olnllnl Ihe bishop of
Akhmlm. When Falher DiwOd evenlually appeared
in C.iro. lhe m.jority agreed 10 subm;1 h~ name 10
Ihe khediw Abbb I far ratific.lion. The laller. ho.....
ewr. was in lhe habil of coll5lllting fortunMellen
.nd astrologers before comntiolinc himself 10 any
imponanl decision. and;n thls case he ..... 51rongly
warned. al his mt. ~;nst approvin, Father
DJowQd. The .ituation rcacht:d an ;mp;lSM as both
secllons of the communily ..uck 10 dteir position$.
T..'O IDOnlh> lal...- they acrff'd 10. recornmendMion
made by lhc: Armntian BWtop in Cairo. 10 promoIe
F.....r DiwUd I<> lhe ~k of Ioktropoo<liLan of Cairo
as a coociliatory mlOaS<ln, for • probationary pen-
ocl. after which he -:>uId be devaIed '0 doe Pat.....
chate. should he prove himself car-ble of shouldel'
i"l !hal high ~Iity. Final aveemml as 10
his witability was ~ed fourteen monlhl bKer.
and approval was secured l'rom Khedi.... Abbis. He
.....med his responsibililie$ as Patriarch in th~
Summer of J854, Of> II W,unalt 1510 A.M.
Cyril IV no'" devoted all his en~rgIes tOWllrtl im·
plemenlin, ....dical reform P"'lBm. His nAme
became synonymous with educational refonn and
Ihe InlroduClion of modem schools. He established
a new school for boys and another school for ,;rI5
(a daring and r~yolutionary step at the lime) in
1855 al al·Darb alWisi' di!lrlclln Cairo, two olhen
al J:i'ril al·Saqqi}1n in the di.Iricl of 'Abdln also;n
Cairo.• school at M.n~,.,.h and .nolher under Sl..
Anlonys mQnaslery in the "alley al BOsH. He Pl'id
special allemion 10 Ihe leachin, <>f Anbic, Copo.ic,
and foreign languages. He pul I.... curricula under
his ""'.,. personal supervision and visited the
schoob regularly 10 encouB&e b!>IlI I~cn and
S1udtnll. He was convinced \hal ",r.mll can be at·
eamed only !hrouVt a IOOnd l)'5Ient of education.
WIlh equal faMighledness. Cyril W reaJiz,ed the
neeesaicy of havi", • prinll,. press at the PaIr"1'
dlale 10 ... pply.-:hoots with lhe right I",",tboob at a
reasonable price. and .bo to reprint the prttious
ll1anuscript$ thaI WiOR' Siored in .... rioous churches
and m_cria. He Ih.crefore p"" <><de.,; lOr the
purchase of a preM front Europe. and oblained per·
misaion from Khedi.... $o\'ID 10 .dmit four Copcic
5IUden15 as app",nlices .1 ,he Bo;IJq Governmenl
Pres$. They we'e 10 reeeive th~i, ...:Janes from lhe
pauiarth himself.
It i. related thaI ""hen Ihe prest arrived ;1' Alex·
andria. Cyril IV was .w.y in St. Antony's monas·
tery, bUl he ••ked his VIc.r 10 welcome Ihe arrival
of the pre•• al Ihe TIlilway Stal;On wilh an organized
and jubilanl proc:ess!on 10 Ihe seal of Ih~ Patriar·
chate. The clelJY ...'ould lake pan and Ihe deacons
sing. Some penons, who could 1'01 undentand the
si.!:nificance of such. reccplion. belittled Ihe ",hole
mailer and criticized tnc P,"iareh. He mid them
!hac had he been prnenl at the lime, he would ha'IC
danced ;n the procession as Dav;d had d:anco:I in
l'rom of Ihe Ark oflhe Covenanl.
10 Seplember 1856 he was called upoll once
again to undrnake an imponanl oIficial nLissIon 10
F.lhiopia on behaJf of Khedi~ Sa'ld. ",ho dr:legated
him 10 n,"",,""'e • aol.lIion '0 lhe tho:>n.,. problcm
of the 'wo countries' common bordeB. Emperor
Tbcodot ... p .... ,be patrian:h • -.no welcome. bvt
1"try £bonly aftcrwardl "'""'" came thaI Sa'ld was
th..eaten;"I; l4) inva.clc £Ihiopia. The Emperor C<M.IId
not but lhinlr. .hat the CopIk Palrian;h "'. .. the tal'S
paw in a joinl OONpincy. He lIew into a '"'Ie and
commanded ... men to bum lhc: Patriarch al;~..,.
and only lhc: inlervention of !he Oue~n 5lO\-cd his
life. The cn\9Cro. was evetllually convinced of the
palriarch'~ innocence and his ,nod in,,"ntion., and
5C1 him at libe"y. AfIe. dstlleen mom"" abst'nce
Cyril arrived bad In Eg).'pI. 1.3 soon ao he leI foot
on Egypl;an soil he knell down and kissed the
ground in 8..I;tude 10 God for his <ale return. On
I) february 1858, Ihe Copts came oul 10 welcome
Iheir beloved Palriarch back 10 Cairo. Cyril IV re-
sumed hi. effort during lite resl of hi. pontific3.\~ 10
con..,jidale·lhollics belween the Coptic Church and
Olh~r Orthodox churcMI. He buill n~w churehes
and reslor~d Ihe calMdraJ build;n, in Cairo. He

look lbe no:storation as an opportlonity 10 Ifa<;h his
people • ln50n 0 .. the $in of ",cfSSi~ all.achl1lenl
10 ~11pou$ piClU..es and iJna@a.. He e»en collecled
• numbn' of icons from old church buildinp and
burnt doem in the pr~e of a lalle crowd.
Cyril IV died in 1861 al the "'lativdy fany. oJ
Nlny-fi~. The .,..,nlS surroundi"l hls dealh an:
rMhcr <>bKure, and SODlC SOUreG conlend d'>at he
.... poisoned.. Nn'ertbtless. he ill remembered ..,
onf of the pal pa<rian;:hs of thf Copl:ie Church.
BIBUOCIlAPHY
Butch,.... E.L nu: Slory of 1M Chllrch flO Eop'.
London. 1897_
Jirjis PhllitlMwus 'Awa<!-- D~ih4 M",tiJI 'A:/,", Gl·
AISbd Kirotlus ./-Riibl'. AhI...l fft4J, .1.Qi#n.f. Cairo,
1911.
Tawf\q, I, N""'4".., h "t.Aqb41 ..,,,-MlUh4hrroh,,... {,.,,/
0" ....t.nsf 'Ash"r (Outsundin8 Copa of the
Nlnelefnth Cfntury). Cairo, 1910.
Va'qOb Nakhlah, R. T~Jikh "I·U..,,,,,,h "1·Olbl;y)',,h.
Cairo, 1899.
MOIJN1R SHOliC1U
CYRIL V, 112th patriarch of thf See- of SainI Mark
(1814-1927). He was born atlhe village of Tilmanl
in Ibnl s..d Pt<WilKe, in 181., and was known ..
!;bona al·NMikh (the callignpl...,) b«a"", of his
bfautili.tl handwritin,. At the ille of ...'mly he en·
ICftd (M,YI. ...... MLI.ioIOS in Widl a1·Nalrtln. He _
clcYillcd W the pricathood and uhlmilely ~
abbot of hi. morta!Itety. DOCEnIUS II ~lnted him
KEIGl.IIoUH05 at the Cairo CaIhcdraI, bul, at the ,..,.
q_ oJ his fellow monks in his old monasIl:I)',
Cyril was a1lo-d to retum to tloe &rim0s _
."".
AIIu Demetrius' death the papal &eat ~rnained
vacaD1 Ioc fi»e yean.. E,=tually. l:Ian"' .... e'-D
lOT the poailion aDd. _ dothroncd on 1 Nounober
ISH.
Dunne the inlerregnum Vie.... Genenl Necropoli-
tan Mu,,!,,", of Beheinh provinee........ upirN w
occupy l.he papo.l se>Il. drew up a plan foo-lhe ~
lishmcnt of the CONMIJNITY COUNCIl.. 10 aai$l the
ckrgy in conduclinl church a!airs. At Ihe OUlSel,
the nC\ll patriarch funClionfd hannoolously In c0-
operation with lhe council, bUI It wu l\Ol lon,
bdore a ril't developed not only Mtween Ihe elfr.,.
and Ihe $ecul.... pany but also Mlween lhe memo
bfn of Ihe council.
In 1883, under the chainnanship of BOU'TRO$
ew.u the laity obtained a khcdivial decref 10 havf
CYRIL VI 679
the council esl.ablished by law. Thf palriardl he-
arne more and mOf"C d,-i:slicd with ;1, and ;ts
m ..... i"'l!l' were .,..,nlually ilUJP"ndcd. 11 met again
in 1891, bal did 110I cominUf "'"" lo,,&- A third
council ...... formed in 1892. but the gap had lI'O"'...
<rider ber.r._n the IWO sid~ ",'bieh led the council
w uk u.. CO"m'lrllC'l1t to have <he p.atria.rcll re-
_ d w aJ.&rt.an:ls mON5ll:l)', The council wn
cIeacd the bishop of Sanab6 as papal deputy. n.c
patriarch Cllcomm.... icaled the said bishop. The
hun: of the people were thus di~. and some of
lhcnt cwo ~ aWll)' from churches.. p~ c0n-
tinued to he $enl 1(1 Ihe aooocrnment; and ...-ben a
new cabiDeI ....... Ionncd. thf council linally agreed
tha.I lheu wisest «It.lf$C was to submit 10 the patri-
arch and ask foo- his recall. Cyril V rct:urned to
Caim in a triumpluol procession. with huge nurn-
Mn of d>ecring Musllms and Chri..ians 10 wei·
come him back.
The c""ocil was conSl:quently dis...J.'ed and a
four·member cornmillu was formed by Ihe patri·
arch, bUI before lona it was abolished, and Ihe
founh coundl was fonnfd In 1906. It conlinufd 10
di5cha'j:e illl duties until 1912 when its ;urisdiction
was redefined and cunalled. Its powen were reo
slored in 1927 when Ihe patriarch died, al the age
of 103, after havinl occupied Ihe papal seal for
almost fifty.thr« ycus.
During his pomificale the CI.U1CAL COU£GE was
esf<lblWled in CaIro in 1894. Abo operated .....,..., a
school for boys in A1caandria, the Taw6q schook;,.
Cairo, 1M 'Abbasiyyah CopIic College for (;iris. as
_II '"" chwdlcs. hospOtals, and bcnc¥Olcnl 5O<:ic-
tioes. He paid IWO visits w the Sudan. in 1904 and
\909. during ....nich he ~ the Khartoum
bOshopric and churd>.
}k had &cod relations with the khedive oJ Ecn>t.
the sullaJ> oJ Turkey. the frnpcron of Elhiopia. and
the e>ar oJ ~ by all oJ whom he was a....... dN
the highesl official deconoIionI.. He ...... also ap-
pointed member 01 the Nalional Lqislat:ive Asocm-
b1y. By rinuc 01 his lone life he was cont..... poranc..
OI.IS wiIIt all the mf"lbe.. of the "'~ 'AIl
II\'KASTY from ita ""'ndcr down 10 lUna Fouad.
MOIINllSH~
CYRIL VI, 116th patriarch of the See of Saini
Mark (1959- 197\ j. He ...... bom 'kir Yusuf 'Alti in
\902 al Till a1·N.r:Ii, in lhe Minufiyya.h Province.
to a devout family who laler mo,'ed to Alexandria.
where he completed hIs fdocalLon.
680 CYRIL VI
Cyril VI (left) with the Ethiopian Anba Basilios. who
wa'i ordained in 1959. Courtesy Atiz S_ Atiya collec-
lion.
At the age of twenty-five, he retreated to al·Bani-
mus Monastel)' (DAYR AL·UMI.'\,\10S). where he was
held in 11igh esteem by all its monks. In 1931 JOHX
XIX ordained him priesl at the monastery. with the
name of Mina. Later on he lived as a heml]1 ill a
descncd windmill on the eaSlern slopes of the Mvq·
qaHam hills overlooking Cairo. In 1959 he was
elected patriarch.
One of his earliesl achiC\lcmenls, barely twenty
days after his enlhranemen', was 10 reestablish rela·
tions between Ihe Coptic and Ethiopian churches.
He sent a delegation to Emperor flAILE SELASSI£ to
inform him of his intention, and to requeSI him 10
scncl a deputation [0 attend the discussium in
Cairo. The uutcome of the wlh was a dCl:ision to
raise the ollicc of metropolitan of Ethiopia to the
rank of patriarch catholicos, and to choose its occu-
pant in accordance with the Iraditions of the Sec of
Saint Mark. He wa.., to be sclel:tcd from Ihe Ethio-
pian monks no higher than HI'.CU.\lEKOS and 10 he
finally consel:r.tted by the pope of Alexandria. Con-
sequently, it was agreed that the then metropolitan.
Anba Ba.<;ilios, he elevated to the newly established
catholicale. Aftcr Basilios' death, the bishop of
Harar, Anba Thcophilos, \Va.., senl to 1\ICAandria for
consel:r•.Ilion as patriarch catholil:os. In October
1960, Cyril VI paid a pastoral visit to Ethiopia so as
to further strengthen the rclations between the twO
churches.
In January 1965 Cyril presided over the Oriental
Orthodox Conference convcned by Emperor 1laill2'
Scla.<;sie in Addis Ababa. It wa<; attended by Mar
Ighna!ius Ya'qub III, patriarch of Antioch and the
East: Anba Vaskim I, the Armenian calholicos
(USSR); Anba. Khorin, the Caelician c<uholicos
(Lebanon); the Syrian catholicos III Judea: l\nOO
Basilios, Ihe Ethiopian catholicos; and Anba Thea-
philos. bishop of Harar.
The conference adopted various resolutions can·
firming its adherence to the Orthodox faith based
on the Holy Bible and the sacred tradition received
h'om Saint Mark. 11 also stressed the urgent need
for the proper rCl:onciliation between the church
and the individual, the study of family problem!>.
and the respect of the sanclilY of matTiagc.
Cyril VI nOliced Ihal certain CoplS. by merely
convening to a sister church. the Syrian Onhodox
Church, could oblain grounds for Ihe dissolution of
marriage_ Consequently. in 1965, he issUl..x1 a joint
declaration wilh the Syrian patriarch. Mar Ighna!ius
Ya·qflb III, stressing the unity of the twO chur·chcs.
On Ihe ecumenical front he took slCp!> to bring
Ihe Church of Alexandria into thc mainstream l)f
Christendom by means of active participation in
world conferences. This brought about various
h'uitful rel\ulls, such as membership in the World
Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of
Churches. It also led to the cXl:hange of paSTOral
visits among the heads of 011hodox, Catholic, Epis·
copal, and Protestant churches.
The recognition of the unique place of the
Church of Ale.tandria was made abundantly clear in
1968 when C}ril VI welcomed 172 delegates from
around the world, who came to participate with the
Coplic church in celehrating the 1,900th anni\'ersa-
f)' of Ihe l1lal1yrdom of Saint MARK. its founder and
patron. On 25 June 1968, together with Prctiident
Nasser and Emperor Haile Selassie, he laid the
foundation stone for the largest cathedral in Aft'ica,
10 whil'h were brought the rest of Saint Mark's holy
relics from Venice, which were buried in the cf)'pt
of what is known now as Anba Ruways Cathedral.
On Ihe domestic fronl Cyril VI achie\'ed far-
reaching successes in I·eform. He was fully aware of
the responsibility of Ihe church toward e"CT)' indi-
vidual. especially the needy and unemployed. He
established the Bishopric of Social Sen.-ices to bell'
such people 10 help themselves through vocational
and technical trdining. Thousands of families bene-
fited from tbis organization by making usc of their
natural talents.
To settle the question of the administration 01
waqfs (land and property endowed to the church)
CYI'il VI \\las instrumental in the promulgation of
La\\lS 1433 and 962 (1960 and 1966, respectively),
whereby such endowmcnl.s were brought under the
sole aUlhori",· of a well-<.Jrganized adminil\lration_
Being first and foremosl a monk and fully aware
of the deep altachmcnt a monk should have toward

his own monaotery, without which link there could
Ix' no real spiritual growth, Cyril issued a papal
order in August 1960 by which monks were reo
quired to return to their own monaoterieo. This
meaoure helped to restore the ,,"sence of Egyptian
monMticism to its basic pU!1X'Se, His intereot in
monMtk life manifested itself in the establishment
of a new monMtery, DAYR MAR MINA, al Maryiit (Ma·
reotis) to the west of AI""andria, a spol where mo·
nMtk life flOurished in the earl}' centuries of Chris-
lianity. Together with this monastery, he built a
magnificent cathedral where he ch()$e 10 be buried.
He encouraged church building throughout
Egypl; al least fort}, churches in Cairo and Alexan·
dria alone were con.tll.lcted in hi. lifetime,
During Cyril'. reign, beginning on 2 April 1%8,
repeated apparitions of the VIRCtN MARY were Seen
at the Church of Zaytun. This """ an occasion of
tremendous spiritual uplift to countless men and
women of piety. That event also attracted much
altention throughout the Christian world. Cyril VI
died on 9 March 1971 after a life of piety and
inspiration to his flock.
MOUNIR SHOUCk]
CYRIL, ANAPHORA OF SAINT. Sa Anaph.
ora of Saint Cyril.
CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA, See C}Til L Saint.
CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA, PSEUDO-, Sa
Pseudo-<:yril of Alexandria.
CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, bishop of'Jernsalem
(c. 350-387) due to the eifprts of Ihe Arianite fac·
lion, However. because hiS doctrine was substan·
tially anti·Arian, he was repeatedly exiled by the
Arian emperors ConSiantiui (357-362) and Valen.
(367-378),
The Egyptian tradition recognized him as onho-
dOl< and regarded his character and work with
favor. Consequently, the 4'pts accorded him a
prominent position both as historic and as a lilerary
figure. In Coptic history, the episode involving the
appearance of the shining cross upon Golgotha h""
become especiall~ weJl known, This story appears
in Greek in a letter attributed to Cyril (PG 33, cols.
1165- 76), and in various ecclesiaotical histories
(Socrates 2.28; $ommen 4.5; Philostorgius 3.26). In
CYRIL Of JERUSALEM 681
Coptic we find this event recorded in the HIST'ORIA
ECCLESIASTICA. with a mention of the letter cited
above, and in a homily, De (ruee, likewi.e attribut·
ed to Cyril (ed. Compagnano, 1980, par. 106). Fur·
ther, on 12 Bashans, the Copto-Arabic SYNAXARK)>l
celebrates this appearance of the Ct"C>S$ (ed. Forget,
1954, Vol. 2, p. 116), in which both the lener of
C}'ril and Ihe sution from Ihe Hisrom. .cclesi~sric~
are cited. Therefore, it is quite probable that such a
letter might ha\'e existed in Coptic,
In Coptic litcrature, a translation of his C~tec",~
e. (d. Orlandi, 1974, PI'. 56-76) was adopted at a
very early date. However, since only a few frag-
ments taken from Book 6-polemic, Gnostic, and!
or Manichaean-remain. we are not certain if the
translation is complete, There is certainly enough
e,·idence for us to assume that his Mysr~gogic~1 C4-
leches•• never e~iS1ed in Coptic.
Later, a series of homilies was attributed to Cyril.
These are of diverse character, but some of them
may be classified together as one of the literary
CYCLES t)'pical of the late perind of Coptic lileralure.
As such, they are spurious. The others, which stand
isolaled, are probably ,puriou. as well, but a few
mighl be traced to Greek originals of the founh and
fifth centuries.
The "isolated" pseudo--Cyrillian homili"" are M
follows;
1, De pa"iQ~' I ~nd /I. The.e two homilies form
One unil, which i. an e~egesis of the Passion a.,
namtted in John 13-20. These homilies ha"e
been transmitted to us in numerous codices, of
which the principal ones are in the Pierpont
Morgan Library, New Yon. (M594 and M595);
there are also four fragmentary codices from the
White MOllastery that are as ~et unedited.
2. De Possume. This late apocryphal work on the
Passion is attributed to the apostles. Under Ihe
guise of a homil}', il presents ~ .tory about the
discovery of an ancient manuscript long forgot-
ten in a building of Jerusalem. It is transmitted
ill a manuscript in the Pierpont Morgan Library
(M61O); this text also remains unedited.
Homilies that refcr to one another in some
way to form the "Cyrillian Cycle" are as follow.;
1. De p~ni<m. (" and b, ed, Campagnano, 1980) is
in fact two homilies, the contents of which-like
the isolated homilies De pa,,;one_form one
unit, Here the exegesis of the Passion is based on
no panicular gospel but contains citations taken
from all four.
2. De (ruee (ed. Campagnano, 1980). Thi. t.~t in·
corporates into one unit .e,·eral episodes derived
from earlier manuscripts, such as the miracle of
682 CYRUS. SAINT
baa< the Sunarilan and the CroM; the mll'llCk ol
~ "'<i Rubs {rriative. of the \/irwin
Mary); the recoYe<')' of the =-th""'ah tM cf·
foru ol Hcl~na ... d the story of Eu.is;nius; "'"
the episode of tM :!hinin, CroloS.
J. I" Ma.ria.m Vi""~m (ed. CamP*81"toO. 1980).
wor.
""""I won
This it built IlJ"OUnd the well-known .poe-
of thl! Dormitio Virrilli<. bul in ..
version ..,nx"'~t differenl l'rom the >,<,rsion. for
e<ample. In pseudo-Evodius of !«lme. The "'Of.
ai.., indudes a section directed ;,pinst henlics
of Gnostic lendenci~l.
BIBLIOGIUPIIY
eampa,:Mlno. A. PJ. Cirillo <Ii ~n<J41mft. Om~lie
corne sulfa. fM$Jio.. ~. $"//" C....,.., e $ .. IIa. Ve"""~,
Tesfj e doc:urnenti peT lo studio de....ntichido.
~ric: Copta 65. Mibn. 1980.
Orlandi, T. '"Cirillo eli Q,rwalemnx odb Iet~ra'
f\ml copq.. Vel..... Chrisnlln<mUtl 9 (1972):91-
H limns in his penealljon of the Copu 10 Mtain the
'00.
_,-_Kl>fltiJdw p"pyri IJrIHX~hm J";'"I/J (P"pi·
ri copti di collU.... ,o leoJocica.). 6slC'l'nichiKhe
N;Uion:albiblicoMk,. n.s. 9. pp. 56-79. Vienna.
1974.
CYRUS, SAINT, S" ~lnl$. Coptic.
CYRUS AL-MUQAWQAS, ByuntiM bishop of
Phasis in the rea:ion of lhe Cauc&5U5 untH 631,
when Emperor He...diul decidc<i to assi&" bim the
more impotUnl dioc~ of f.&ypt. with the express
command to curb the obslinate Coplic community
and brin. ill members 10 Chakedonian obedience.
In 4.51 the Copts had opposed the Council of ow..
CEDON and wtn! nev~!.reconciJ,ed 10 its de'posnion
of tbrir !Wive pat~ I>fC\SJCO§.IIS and his aile.
In OO"der to enabll! Cynu to forn !hi! reUpow;
unily of the I!mprl! oq !hi! dissident Monop/tysilc
ICC:! in Ec;)l'l if an allcmpt III • peacefUl rQOlution
failed, the new biIhop was appoinced in • triple
capacil)' lhal would allow !tim to usc fon:e 10 au";n
bJ aim: besides beina: 8yuntinoc p8trian:b of Alu·
andria. he was madl! civil viceroy of Egypt and
military commander of the imperill fon:es In the
<{>untry. With combined pow~rs. Cyru& became a
virtual dictator, abuslna: his authorily In the treat·
ment of the Coptic hierarchy and thl! Coptic pi!OpIe
in his attcmpl: to force Chalcedonian obedil!nce
upon them. while the Arabs ,,'tl"e plhtring at the
ptes of E&YJIlln readiness to.- their invaslon of this
ByzanliDe colony.
ApparftIdy Cynao ...... mistakenly thousht by the
Arak to be a Copt. They cOnupl:ftf his _ in
Arabic oouI'US as a/·Muqawqas "'" reptded him
III the head of thaI nulon, 'G;jm lll-Qih{. the ~
one of the COpll. The details of this conuption in
the 1oOLIn:1!3 ~w b«n accumulated by A. Groh-
mann (1987. Vol. 6, pp. 712-15). n.e
I'nlpbet M....
!).ammld is said to have addressed him a spe<:ial
epistle, possibly apocryphal but recordl!d by Ibn
'Abd al·Halum, whereby he invited him to I!spo"""
his new religion I!ven before the AIl./l8 CONOOUT ()f
OOVI'T.
ContrlU'y to Arab undc..tandin8. Cyrus was. of
COUI'SC, no Copt, wt nather one of the WOn! op-
preosor$ of the Copts throughout hi$ tenure (631-
642). Thouch it is doubtful ..ilttll~r Huacliw con-
doned the b",wity of his aeem. Cyrus kn~ nO
unily of the churdI.. Ha'e he failed m.raw,. to
bli. the pp bcI-..-n ComtantiDople and AIuan·
dria- Ww. the ",ppor1 of Serjius. the Byza.r>tir>e p-
niareh. and the appronI of Pope Honoriw. of
Rome. Heradius derised a new edict In a 6nai OIl·
lempt 10 penuade the CopIs to obediI!ncc. This
edicl is bown .. the E<:thcsis, whcrcby all church-
to in the east~rn empire we..., forbidden 10 Woe the
tenn "l!ners:ll!s" In speaking of the Person of Christ
Ind assened that the two natures of the Lord were
united in a ,ina:le will; it thus .ubOlituted /IIONOTHEl.
ETtS/ll for MONOPIlVSlTlSirll, But the imperill ruse for
napprockm~nt wilh the CoplS did nol "'On. Ai a
rl!SUlt. the euspl!rated C)""U$ inaugurated one of
!he /ien:elt PCIXCUIIons of the Copts In hlslory. The
native pope Benjamin I, thit'ly-ei,hlh pl1r1an:h of
the Coptic chun:h. oeetnI to ba,.., ...
ticipaled lrOU·
bles with the adwnt of Cyrus in 6J I, to.- he lOOk
refuse in the Copli<: mor\Il5 rit:I ofWidl"'N~n.
morina: contillUoOUSly from I\lOl'IaSl:el')' 10 lUlOIh-
Cl" to dodp hi$ pursucn.. La the mtWllime, the
CopIic hierudly, 10 quotf: the Htm:laV 01' ntr. PAnt·
AItCH5. became subjected 10 ",finite han&menl b)'
Cyrul. who ...... li.e "a ,,'Olf devourina: the Iloxk
and never Allaled." In his description of Ihil sordid
situation, Alfred Butler sa~ "that the Coptic
Church was smitten and tom asunder, but il ....ver
yiekled" (1978. p. 191). MIni, the patriarch'l broth·
er, was seiu:d and tonured to make him diwlgc: the
biding place of Benjamin. to no avail. Wb<!:n they
failed either to mab: him ulk about the patrian:hal
concealmenl or accl!j)I the Cha1c:~donla.n formula.
they bundled him in a sad full of Sloon and cas!

him in the middle ollhe Nile, where he drowned.
Whik lhese humilialions and lOnur,"" were in
P'''lPcss, lhe A" were 5l.artinllhcir inW5ion 01
~I under lhe leadership of 'Amr ibn ,",-'k. In
the ci~umManccs. the Copts could do nothing bul
stand ""ide and walch the invadeTi annihilale their
pel>lCcutOTI in a series of battle. from Bilbeis to
Aeliopolis, to the ~icge and suJT<!nder of me fort of
Babylon. thul opening the road a<;rON the Della for
a speedy march loward the capital, AJ",undn... On
the way, the COJIIic !annen lumOshed Ihe Arab
hosa wid> souly needed provlsiom.. ..hich ensured
their IUlCIpjl(*d pl1l£l=l. The bewildered and """"""
crlc:ss c,ru.. who man g ~ 10 ""ape I<> the: capital,
derided to nqotiate a tnaty of peaceful SUlul.r
10 sa''C A1eaandria from loW doestruc1io»>; il ..-as
,,;&ned on' No..ember MI. The lerTns of the lreal)'
ha.., been pr_rvcd in lhe chronicle of 10JIH O~
MWOO and may be summarized here as tM final
chapler in the life of C~, who \<laS permined 10
leave the CO\Intry wilh his Byzantine troops.
The first article of the treaty concerned the pay-
ment of a tribule by abIe·bodied perwns al the rate
of two dinan, thus yielding a total of approximately
12 million lold dinars (Buller. 197&. p. ]21). Other
aniclel sti""bced the eessation of ,",I reYslan<:e and
p'" pennissK>n fo,- tbe Byzantine _ y to dePMI
by .... with its l' 'ions, Oft condilion IbM no
Byzantine b-ces should re!um 10 ~ shores
or _"'PI the recovesy of the «IUnll}'. Other
articles ",""Tefl! lhM the Anobs should de$ist from
in'~nce ,.,lIh Christian churches and tl1lU J......
should desist from interferenu wilh Otrislian
churches and ,hat Jews should be allowed to reo
main unharmed in Alexandria. Finally, a fixed num·
her of B)'Untlne hos....gcs were to be retained by
.,
CYRUS AU,tUQAWQAS 683
lhe invaderI \lIltil the compkte C"YUUlO1ion of the
Bpantioe forces and me fulfillmcnl of me I........ of
me nealy.
It ""'" then thai 'Amr reponed 10 lhe caliph me
idzu,.., of the ~al capital in the following temu:
"I have taken a ehy 01. which I can but s.ay thaI il
contains 4.000 palaces. 4.000 baths, 400 Iheaten.
12.000 sellen olareen ""gelable:! Ind 40,000 tribu·
IlIry Jews" (Butler, 1978, p. 368).
N"""nheifls. the trut}' was broken in 645 ,.,hen
a Byzanline ... neni by the PlUOle of Manuel $U<:.
eeeded in the lernpo.-.ry recaplu.... of me city, In
me followinl y<"U, lhe Arabs, perhaps,..;o, the help
of u oachel) iMide the ..-...lis. _ .... able to fun:e
their ..-.y throulh an open pie and .... lenninate its
mmwy 0ttl.IpIaf\t:s, ..... 0 failed to eKapc by ..... In
this way, the fate of Ecn>t was sealed br aU lime
and the Copts beearn.. separated from WcsCem
Chli5lendom by a ~rmancnl Islamk: OCCUflalion of
"'" BIBUOGRAPHY
Butler. A. The T.uly of Mif' i" fGbari. Oxford,
191].
_ _ T1te A••• Con'l"...., of EDP'. ed. P. M. Fra·
ser. Oxford. 1978.
c.ew.i, L A"R4Ih' thll'w.un, Vol. 4. Mibn, 1911.
Grolunann, A.. "A1·M~'~" In E~lopcJiG at
/w.m. Vol. 6, pp. 712-15. ~n, .9&7.
lane-Po<>Ie, So '1lN! Fir>;! Moharnmadan Treal)' with
Christians." P70c.... dinV of Ihe Roytll hUh kGJ.,·
my 24 (I902-19(4).
-;:-c A HiJ-lOry of E,:ypr i" rlre M,'d41., Ates. Lon·
don. 1925.
Altl S. ATIYA

DAHLAX. lO'O7l In Ec:YPc. lhe Ioca'jon of ""ilich is
unknown_ The palriueh Cyril II (1078~1092) IIetI
10 Dahlak whet! conllicu within tht ch..rc:h and
threats of Muslim """roKh~ f...-«d him 10 le'k
n:fu«c. Ho-."". ttNo Muslim authority in Dahbk
caplu~ him. look his mOl'l"y. and re1umed him w
lhe ami. a1.cuyus in Cairo.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Timm, S. DQs chriJllich·koplische "gypl'" in arabi.
scha bit. pt. 2, p. 492. Wic.baden. 1984,
RANDAI.l STEWART
DAHSHUR, lown locud on lhe 1m lx>.ok of 110.,
Nile aboul 15 mil" (23 km) $OU1h of Giza. Th.,
imponanc., of 1M rown in a"""nl E.gypl; i:I evi-
den'''d b,- lhe pynmlds ohhe Founh Dynasty (2S1S-
2465 B.C.). Twelfth Dyn.al~ (1991-17SJ). It>d Thir·
I"nlh D)'uuy (I1SJ-IMI) WI still nisi al lhe
site.
..uthough lhrre are no n:lcren<:es in CopIic or
Christian-Arabi<: lilera.... n: W a Christian communi·
1)1 in I>aIWtw- in Ih., pre-Arabic period. TIre Chun::Jo·
u and MrmQ5,,,ries of £CP' speak! of a Church of
th., ViTO Mary in lhe 10""T1 lhat '*"'l5 ...,n<n"'led in
110., lime of Patriarch l&U(; (636-689) and Bishop
Gregory of aJ-Qaya. This .uggests thai Dahahur
knew Christianity in Ihe B~nline el1l_ Pans of the
Church of the Virgin Mary were taken 10 build a
mosque in I"fFII;I in 1139 (The Churches, Fo!. 5~),
Elsc""'here Ihe author says Ihe." was a Church of
Moses "";Ih an accompllnylnl! rnon~.ry In lhe eli$-
685
IriCI of DahsIlur. Nell"", the churc:h nor Ihe monas-
.cry exioolW as such in his day; the church had br-ro
c"""ned inlO • mosque: .nd the Nilc had flooded
Iht moaastery (11Ie CIt"uha, fol 5110).
Timm, S. DIU cJoriwid·J:optisdr" An-pl.... ;"
1I(lIbi.
selt.., :hi'. pl. 2. pp. 495-91. Wiesbaden. 19....
RAN'IMU. ST£'NUT
DALA~, 10wn In middle Eg)pt located $Om. 8
mil.,s (13I<m) nonh of BanI Sud, Dali., w~ hom.
10 a bi.hop al leul 1$ early a. lh. DedlOn peraec:u·
Ii"". of 250 whoon C!taerrmon. bishop of
NeilopolisfDalit. fle<! for safely from his bishopric
and _ n""er heard from apin (Eustbius &c/fSi.
IH'icll/ Hislor] ~.42.3).
Mllnaslic~ 10150 had an early bl'ginni.... in
DaI~. The ".....,..n~n of Tllodj [Dallfl" _ the
home 01. Saini Asro,o;v for a ti.... and monka from
TJ.BEN..est Ca.n'M: I" Ihe monastery of T i ~ 10
lean. about AnlOll)' after the death of ,M:MOIolrtlS
(Lrion, 1952. pp. 174. 177).
n.augh "",., have no cerlain atlt!Ola1icm of 10 biohop
in ~ in Ihe Arab", period. lbe Iat:t 1""1 Itt.. wwn
is met1liolled in medienl Copto-An>I:ric scoo and
li,t!> of !Omptian bishops is an indication Ihal it ",,-as
still a bishClprk in Ihe Middle Ages ("<: Munier,
1943. p_ 64).
BI8L10GRAPHY
Am~Ilneau> E. U. G40lrllphi. de l'Egypte a tipoq"e
Cbpt., pp. 138. Paris. l893.
Lrfon. L T. S. PIIC"""';; Vi/ac SlIhidke Scriptlle.
 686 DALMATIC
CSCO 99~100. ScriplMU Copriri '-10. Lou .... in.
1952.
Munier. H_ Recueil tks lUte~ ;pis£o,.lu de flgIi.le
".,,/(. Cairo. 1943.
Timm. S. Du dori.sllid.-kopli~de AoplDl itI .,.bi-
schu leu. pl. 2. PI>- 4on-SOl. W"ltSbaden, 1984.
R»roAu. SrnrUT
DALMATIC. Su Co:munt:. Cml.
DAMALLO. - . . in !he Del... In !he pl'O>'ince of
Min(l~)')"'lh. ",., only rd<erem:e 10 Dlmalll1 in
Chrlsllan-Ar.obk Iileraum, is in the Htsron Of THE
fATllAttl!S. where it is related thaI diann. the pillri-
an;hale 01 enJI II (107'-1092) a bedouin entered
lhe Chun;h of Saim Geo~ in Dtlmallil and al·
la.::ked 1M kon of the .aint. whereupon SainI
Geol1e slew him,
BIBLIOGRAPlfY
Timm. S. v .... christlich·koptische XrYPte~ in .....bi.
scher leit. pt. 2. p. 50S. Wiesbaden. 1984.
RAl<DAU. ST£WAJll
DAMANH(IR, lOday an imporunt town. W capi.
tal of the Behei.... the wetem p ......inc>t of !he Del-
ta. The origin of it5 namo: has been _II auoblisbed.:
h Is "the city of Ho.....- a name that: suatslS that it
was ..-k famous 1>, a temple of Hol\IS in lhe
p...-nk period (su Cernj. 1976,1', 3S-). In the:
n\ltne'l'll'W Crftk papyri from the: third Call1If)' _,C-
to tIM: f<Junh cennu)" A.D.. the tow1I " ~ed
fkllitOpOli!l Man.. or !he LlMer. to dUtinJUish ;l
from Hermopoli5 Magna (Iaday aJ.,WltnUnayn) in
Middle £m>t.
Dlrow>hur is docu.... ted as the tht of a bishop
from the founh century. In 325. Melitius appointed
an Aplhammon as bishop of the "Cho... [district]
oft"" Aluandrians.. ri n.manhllr ~ly bein' .....
capital oi whal fooned the rep,n lhus ""ribed. II
Is also prob&ble that alongside this Melilian bishop
there was a panisan of Saint Alhanasius and thaI
Ihis was before Dracontius. the Calholk lilular of
lhi' see in 354. He "''as followed by one laidorus the
Confeasor and then by lhe famous DlO5COruS. al
~rsl a pliesl of lhe de.en of Nilrl., who wu COUnt·
ed .moni the Tall Brothers (see AMMONWS Of' KEl.-
UA). "'ho incurred Ihe ",,,,th of the p.alriar<:h TIlOO·
'HILUS (385~412) for their attachment 10 the
teachinJl' cL <l'.1G£fl. Oiost:orus. it appean. became
bi5hop bdween 390 and 394. Uler !his bis.hopric
....as no! lUnher menlioned.
Without doubt the hagio&nt.phkaI It.XIS speak of
Damanhur. bul JuCh meunees an: decepti~. fo.
this bishopric ai'ted in the period of the hapocra.
pIter. tI<lI in that of IN martyrs .....!Ioose moes he i!I
lraciD«. T'hUl. al 14 &'dnah IN Coptic SYNU"!ON
speaks of four manyn. on.. of ....t.o.n ... a nati""
of DamaniMlr. but !he author adds ~in the dioc:ae
of (A~,ri whkh indicatu tlw. the ,.,....... of Da-
manbUr ha,ina declined, ics bishopric- at !be dale 01
the composition of the second pan of Ihe Synaur-
ion (perha"" thineen!h CenlUf)') no longer had •
titular, but was united with tlw of A~ir.
The narne of a litular of Oaman.....r only reap-
pears under the elevenlh....entwy pouriarchale of cv·
Rll !l.
An anonymous bishop oi Damanhllr i:s dted alonJ
wilh the bishop of Fuwwah around 1238 as bein,
amens the opponent, of CYi.ll III IBN uouo. Bi.h·
01' Yu~b of Damanhllr Is known .. a contemporary
of YUI;IANN.t.. bishop of Samannlld, and of Ihe patri·
arch ATHAHA.SIUS III (Gm. 1944-1953, Vol. 2. p.
378). Around 1299•• bi$hop of Damanhur ...... pres-
all aI lhe prq>ar1Ition oi!he eHlU$M. Then this bish·
opric was joined 10 that of uQqinah. a single titu·
Lar assumin& the functions of the IWO dioc_. for
lhe nwnber of Chriltians had continued 10 dec~
(Munier. 1943. p. 36). Yuslb's RJCC nr, Mark.
10M pan in ..... preparation of the chrism in 1320
(Munier. 1943, pp. 30. 4'). AbA. is liued .... hein«
praent a' <lie 1330 prepamior> of the cluism
(Munier. p. 40). but his ~ Is deKribed not alo
bein& thc IOWII 01. DamanhQr but .... the proYince of
Bel>eira. "T1tls Mutt ....as ~1Nl Irishop of l)a.
_hUr. bu< in 1330 and 1).12 the _ Mar1r. is
described as bishop 01. 8ehrira.. Unfol'lUll.alely, thc
recon:ls of the prep&nllion of ..... chrism.. which
mentinn the bishops and the bWw>prics of the lime.
N least 10 thc u.lenl thaI the bishops were able 10
pankipale in the ceremony. """""'e only for !he
thineenth and fourtHnlh cenlUrie..
",., tn..-eler J. M. Vandeb. who ....,.. in EtlYPl in
1672 and 1~13. drew III' a Jill of the ancient IM.hop·
rics. in which he Included "Demonhor, in Greek
Hennou the lowe•. " but in hlo lisl of "the l:>i$hop-
rics which are presently In Egypt:' where he counts
5e"enleen. lMl of "Bl!h~irt.. appeaR (1677, PI'. 19,
27),
In the middle of the nine1«nth centu!)'. tIM: pres-
ence of 01><: s.npammon, bishop of Rehei... and
,,1.MinQ~l'Yah, is antsled (Muyser, 1944, p. 169). A
 DAMANH(JRi, SHAYKH AHMAD, AL-
certllin numb6 01 cdebnted mo..asllc sl.es were
anached 10 this bishoplic: Ihe descn 01 Nini... li/'ICe
OM of its priests became bishop of this we; IWllA.
which was a kind 01 annes '0 it; and. fi.wly. S<:et:is
(Wid! a1·Na!nin). call«1 Widj Habib in the MNldle
Ages. n.ere ill JOme doubI; abou•• monascery lor
_men called 1hal Hoi Apa J<:rml.'" H mentione<! in
tlw! life 01 AblM Daniel (Clu~. 1900. p. 6&). bul iI
is ohough, Ilw 1M ree"""".. is 10 HdhlOpolis
Ma&:na in M>ddle Egypc (Drew-Bear. 1979. p. 1.\2).
In 1912. S. Clark<:, in dno.winl up • ~ of lhe
Stale 01 .he Coptir d ...n:h .as "" llJlPendill '0 his
CIlrisli;r.. Anliq.. iries in the Nile Y"lIey (pp. 199-
2(6). Ible<! .he chun:hes and InOlUISleria of Et;ypt.
followinl the ~er of the I*'rian:m.'e, and
place<! a bishopric at Dananhiir. having for its ler·
ri.ory ,ke pn:wince of BebeinL. H~. O. H. E.
BUl1Tle:ller (1%7. p. 6), in drawing up lIN! lisl of lhe
prelle11t epi5COpal sees, placed In.. church" of Da·
manhiir under the jurisdiclion of Ih .. dioc:ue of
GharbiY)'llh and Ileheira. with Ihe bishop·s res]·
.;Ience al Tan\i.
AJilhe lame. Meinardus (1977, p. 68) spoke of an
episcopal see of Beheira. Maryl1!. and lhe Pentapol·
ii, wi,h Damanhiir as its "mon""le')' of origin."
This uprQ$ion appears 10 have Oftn retalne<! from
the finl e<!ition (1965). which menlioned ,he mon-
astery of origin of Ihe pn:late; hen: It Jeellll ra,her
.,.
'0 India-,e Datnanhiir as the reUdcnce of lhe bW>-
lliBUOGRArm
flunmstu. O. H. E. T1te E,yplit>" OT COplk CJurrcJr.
C.iro. 1967.
Cerny, J. Copti£ ElymQ/op:.J Dictioot«",. Cam·
brid.... 1'J76.
CI.ne. s. Chri>ti"" AnliqMiriotl in thtt Niu Y«Iky.
O:oJord. 1912.
CluJnel. L "YO.., ~ ridlS de l'abW Daniel:' b .... e
de roriut ehritien 5 (1900):"9-73, 25"-71, J70·
"06. 5J5-6". ••
Dnw-lkar. M. Le N"...., ,lurntOp01ite. AtMrican
Stud>eo in P.apyroIOKY 21. 1oIisooulll. MOnl .• 1979.
Evelyn·While, H. G. T1t.. Montuler!Q 0{ the W.di·n
Na/r'Un, Pt. 2. The Hi'roiy of Ih" Mcm«slerWJ 01
Hiln"a «nd $enis. New Yon. 1932.
GR!, G. C"talogue des I9Ia,".seril1 lI,<Wes elt.itlens,
conse",i, Ill' ClIire. 5mdi e teSli 1». Valiean City,
19J4.
U: Ouien, M, Orie", ChTi.tio.., .... 3 ,011. Paris, 1740;
repr, G1'1IZ. 1958.
Meinardul, 0, ChTi.lia" Egypt. A>ldem a"d Modern.
Cairo, 1%5; 2nd ed. 1977.
Munin, H. R"cueil des lislts ipiscopilles d. I'iflis..
tOple. Cairo. 1943.
687
Mu)'SC'r. J. Ccmrribulion. rit"d" des listes episct>plJ-
ks d" Nillise eople. Cairo. 194".
Vansleb, J. III. Histoire d" I'ig/ise d·A1e:uJndrie. Par·
is, 1677.
DAMANHCRI, SHAYKH AHMAD, AL- \fun
name: AJ::unad ibn 'Abd a1·Mun·ill'l ibn YUsuf ibn
San'im a1·DamaMurf) (I689/16'.lO-InS). E«)-prian
Muslim scholar. He monel from Belteira 10 the
UIlMI$ily a1-~r "" ,,)'OUt"lI man wilhoul means.
soudied .h"n:. and oblalned the qualifie:ation to
leaCh for all four schools of law. for which he aloo
goo>'e opinions. He _ utI50Ciable and spent most
of his liktirne in pri....le studit;l. After !he death of
!he shaykh al·~ifnl (1767) he 5u«~d him as di·
rector of al·Azhar and thereby became the highest
Muslim scholar in fepc. Among lhe political lead·
ers, he was feared for his incorruptibilily and rigidi-
ty; the Muslim 10Wt'r clasSO's veneraled him for hi.
love of jUllice.
In addition 10 his program of study. a work with
lhe heading lqdmal ,,1'J!uii..h .. i·8~hirah 'a/Il HaJm
Ka.,ol'is Mi¥ w .... i.Qllhi."h ("Presentalion of lhe
Clear Proof for lhe NeceNal')" l)eSlrt>elion of lhe
Chun:be$ of Old and New Cairo'') is pre:5erve-d. It
was ",·ritten a' lhe beginning of the year 17J9 as an
all5Wer to an inquiry concerning the lqaIil)" of the
chun:hes in Old and New C.iro. This inquiry _
~ked by the eonsU'\lelion of a church near the
Darb a1·~in. which greatly lni~d the Muslims.
After a historical Imroduoc.ion th:M dernonstnUes
thM Old Cairo was conquered by foree and that the
New Cairo _ fotznOed by Muslims al a laid" du~.
DamanhUri ca.m11'M'S In four cha;lters t:ht commen·
""""" of 1M four schoob of bw on the ""~en<:".
maintenance. and reuoration of o1cI dl\ln:hes and
the conslnlction d new churches.. He comes 10 the
condlt<k>n lhal ""' if there an: lOme poinl$ of
dive.gence amOl1& the '1Irious icl>ools. lhe case of
Old and Ne.... Cairo ;, quile dear. According to the
great majority of Muslim "'gal authorilies. the o:ls-
tence of chun:hes in bolh ehies is illegal. and there-
fore: they muSl be demolished.
Th~"" f",a""" (Iepl opinions) of Damanhurt are:
examples of an inll''l'retalion of law that became
pre:~al"nl among lhe 'ul~md' (Muslim scholars) in
lhe lhineenth c.ntury 01.,[1, From Ihe eighlet!nth cen·
lUry. several faldwll with simila. lendencies are:
known, bul lOme olhers also emerged thaI showed
more: lolerance by "",nnlnlng the re.lOralion of Ihe
older churches.
688 DAMANHOR AL-WAJ:lSH
BllIUOCRArHl'
Jabenl, aJ-. AjJl'ib .l-.4dt., /I fl!.T",./............1...4.1:".,.
Vol. 2. !'P- 2S-27_ euliq, lil. I 297/I'o.Il. 1879~
1880.
Pmnuonn, M. Sh",u o..",.>tItilo1 OIl fhe Ch..n:"es
of C.in> (I1J9). BerUIey and Los A.Jes. 1975.
HAAAUl MOIU.t
DAMANHUR AL-WAJ:lSH. 1O"·n Iocaled In !he
middlt: of the Delta about 4.5 mi~ (7 km) _th-
wtSi of Zifta in lht prminc., of Mlnllfiyyah.
It is probable that Oamanhiir al·WaJ,sh ,,-u Ihe
binhpbce of the manyn CyruJ and Jolm (sec M.O.~­
TYJt5, coniC). 1bc Sy,..uARJOtol cOmmemorates Cy-
n.>5. John. Ptolemat:UO. and Fil)" on 14 &a·unah and
states thai they were from Damanhur in the dioxest'
of aa11r 10 lhe west of the Nile (Amellne.ll, 1893. p.
7, n, 9). After lhe many~ we,.., killed by being
d.... Hgcd behind a hone from Qal"\&SllO Otlmanhur
and then beheaded, the inhabitanlS of $A buri<:d
John·, body and built a memorial chull'h Fur him.
The citizen. of Damanhur cared for lhe bodiel of
the Olher Ih,..,., martyrs. The Damanhilr memioned
in eonne<otion ...'ith Qa'1"s1 whost' inhlobitanlS bur-
ied Cyrus'. companions mu.t be the ""ell·known
Oamamhilr in <he western Della, bu, the Otlmanhilr
In the diooese of Busir duol U mentioned as lhe
binhplace of Cyrus appears '0 be the !O'I>'n in the
mid·Delta ,hal is no'" knovo>n lOS Damanhur al·
Waf;lSh. If this ldenllficao:ion is corTeet, ..,., ha,,., a
"';tnes> for Christianity in Da.... ohor a!-WaIuJt In
Ihe fou.u. century. . precede.n.e of Akundria. He ultimately broke off
A ~ in the ..ninp of a1oMMla.IV ;ndkatQ
lha, Ch","ianity in Damanhilr a!-Wa!ls.h Ih'ed on
;nlO the MKldIe Ages. A1·Maqrid repons that ..tim
many churd..,. in Cairo and el_here Wfl'e de·
Slroted in 1310. 1W<l churches in Damanht1r .....,,..,
also ruined-
.
B.IBUOCRAP'Hl'
Amellneau, E. u. GWQ"pltie .It tEm/t ~ /·lfJOIlI'e
<:op,t, PI'- 113-16. Paris, 1893.
Timm, S. DdS cltri5/oclt-kopliKhe Af)'pltn in ",,,b!.
Jchr lei'. pI_ 2. W' 516-17. Wiesbaden, 1984.
RA"D~U. STE"...~~T
DAMIAN, thirty· fifth patriareh of lhe See of Saint
Mark (569-605). (Some ",ure •• list the beginning
of his reign as 578.) He was cOlllemporary to four
Byzallline emperors. Ju~tin II (565-578), Tiberil>\l
11 (578-582), Mat..;ce (582-602). and Phocas (601-
(10). Durin8 thrir reigns. lhe Byzantine rulers were
disuaclfil fmm the impos.ition of !he Chalcedonian
profeuion of Faith OIl Efl),x by the Pers.ian "'~ ;n
!he r:asl and tho 8aIbarUn inroads ;n the nonh,
l.w;mucll .. Ale>.ilndria remained essn>Lially a Md-
chne fortrea, !he nNlonal pattiard>! reslde<I in
n~,~ Coptic ononasIerIes.
Damian "''8$of Syrian onp... his falher and
brother bei", olfu:ials N Edftsa. He had Ionz been
a monk at -SC1tt!S when ruu IV bmulPu: him lOS
deacon and secretary to his headquanen at the
E1iATON monastery. On Peter's death Damian .....
ele<:led and consecratN 10 <he plIlriarchal.,.
The ...rIy yews of Damlaon·s ponli""..,.." were con,
sumN b)' huming problell\$ of an e<oc1esiasli<al na,
lure wi,h Antioch. Jacob Ba.... daeus. th. missionary
prelate from Antioch, dep.,,'ed Fur Alexandria to
confer with Damian OIl the problem of PAUL TIlE
E1LACo;, Ihe ElYP'lan palnarch of Anlioch, who
••emed to be in error d«tnnally. But Jacob died
en route and hi$ pany disintegrated. Damian at,
tempted 10 install an~her person as patriarch of
Anti""h wbose onho<loAy was aMured. But he and
hi. party were compelled to flee fTOm Anlioch be-
lore secretly consecn!lng a ri'·al candidate.
Then the o<:<:ne of events moved 10 Con5tanlino-
pie, ""here the Anb Chri$l.ian prince al·Nu·man ibn
al~\tundhir (a1'Mllndanos of Christian SOUll'eo)
called an incondusl"e conm-ence 10 $0"'" the Anli·
ochene problem. Thll$ Damian returned hom., and
1:"'''' up the anC1npl 10 eslablish the ecumenical
communion ..i,h Pete.- Callinicus. the lIU.t patri·
arch 01 Antioxh. He .cwed him of trithrism,
..-no... fom>ula of tIu'ee penom sharinl a commoC'J
godhead. ....... suspected 10 Inlroduce a founh princi,
ple, thus V";"I rise 10 the new lenn Tetnditt_ The
enscint schism bff_n ,he Copts and the Syrians
persisted beyond Damian's ml" unlil the concor-
dal of 616, ooneluded bel"'"Ce1I ....... ASTASlUS. his
lIllCcessor, and AthaAa5ius, palriarch of Anlioch-
Meanwhile Bishop LollJinus. £aillnz to secure
suppon for his candidale lor Alexandria, Thea-
donr~, retumed 10 Nubia, An eiforl ..... made to
repl." him. but ht ""as loxIII)· .upponed. and aftor
an ad,'enturous dcscr1 journey planted the church
among the Alaudae Fur1her soulh (probably near
Khanoum). The Nubian church, thus cstabli,he<!.
....as long an imponant ally of Ih. Coptic ~hurch,
Wi,hin Egypt. Damiln·$ administ ....tion '-''as both
"igorou~ and SllCceuFul. H. took residence at the
Enalon m<>flaMery in Ihe we"em Delta. but paid

frequem '''';1S 10 AIe... ndria. H~ manap;ed (e) e>1~1'
minal~ the remain;nl ochim>atic V'eSIliges of {he,
MtlitiaDs (iOtt ME1JTW< SOtISMl and !h., ACEJ'HAU)l
whicll had pb~ the puce of ohe c""reh for
&ea.des.. Thus he Ieh behind him a well-orpnlze<l
and uniled churclL
Damian's teachin& 01\ lhe In<=arna.ion and Ihe
Trinily cleuty e><pwndtd in hi5lelle~ 10 heob
8ar.odae ogeoher w;lh Ih~ de<i)' and peopl~ or
Anlioch, ;n ...·hieh he repudialed Paul lhe Black.
Thi< documenl has been pre5"'n'ed in a Syria<: ,'er-
sion (Michael Syn15, 10,14) and is ins<ribed In Cop-
lie On Ihe wall. of Ihe mon&lery of Saini Epipha·
niu. (tMYR El'1PH~NIUS) al Thebes. II h... al.o bun
adap1~d as a dis<:ou~ on lhe Logos. in lhe HISTORY
OF THE p~nl~RCHS (Vol. I, pc. 2, p. 474) by omilllnt:
lhe Syrian rmrcnces al Ihe boeJinning and replac:·
i",!he ~ r y conduslon wilh a hom;Jelk one,
inc:ludi"ll pn)"'B for lhe emperor and a OOJlolosy.
Eueulially Ihis document "'USI h;o.", been Prcpaled
al EnalOn Monaolel}' for 1enen1 drcublion amons
the Egyptian clerci'.
Aft. . . I~ abwndm, in bus, pr,>yen.. and Slrua-
sles .pnsl an mmner of here1iaJ leachiJlp and
schilml; for ttmty.siJl ye.ors. Damian d;ed on 28
Ba'unah (Hislory of ,he PGJrUuclu. Vol. I. pi.. 2, p.
478), on which da)' he ill commemorated annually
by the Coptic ch"",h.
BIBUOCRAPHY
Brehier, L; P. de Labriole; G. Bardy; and G, de
Plin",,!. "De 10 mOn de Theod""", 1 I'av/:ncnwnt
de G'eg<>i~e Ie Cral'ld." In Hwo;.e de l'igli~. ed.
A. Flk,,", and V. Manin, Vol. 4. PJ>- 49<1_9), Paris.
19)7.
Frcnd. W. H_ C. Tioe R.i~ 0/ the Mon<>plry.ite Maw·
,...,nl, pp. 141 ....2. Calnbridgco, 1'in2.
Hardy. E. R.. CIori.""n £o'pt, pp. 152~s.4, 162. 169-
71. 178_ N.....· yortl. 19:5"A,
Jiilk,,",r, A. "Die lisle d~~ ltiuandrio'sdwn Pallia.,,"
chen Un 6. uDd1. Jah.hu:nden." In FUlgll/1c Karl
jlwdh,_ TUl:ringm, 1922.
Mas""ro, J. HisloV~ dtJ Pa/l"'m:~ d'AIu,,,,drie,
chap. 9. pan.. 192).
Syrus. Michael. ClrrtHrique de Micloel Ie S)YUn X.
IN!. ""d trans. J.·8. ChaOOo. Vol. 2, pp_ 13-22.
Paris, 19<I\.
Ti",olhy of Con_nlinopl". Do R.oup/ione Hureti.
COrum. In PG 86, pp, 11-'4_
Winlock, H. E., and W. E. Crum. Th. MI)"III..luy of
Epiphlll.niu, 11I./ Thebu, pl. 2, pp. 148~52, 331-42.
N_ Yorl<, 1926.
E. R.. HAIIDY
DAMRO 689
DAMRO. Yillate 10.5 miles. (17 km) n<>nh of Mal]·
aUah a1·Kuhd In .he Gharbiyyah provln« .nd I)
",l1es (21 kin) """' of ~t:m¢nh in th~ I'mvtn"'l of
Daqah)in-ah ....1 seTVfii as cdl or rcsidenc:e of the
Coptic patriarcbli b- a1mosl 100 yean, from 9'5 10
abw. 1061. Tl>t na",e of !his villag~ Is ~Iioncd
..Kleen timeli in llw KlSTORY Of THE PATlUAtltKS, In
the dorr),. ol a1··A.tl~ ('in5-9%). Macarius. the ~"".
lary ill Ih.. synod, adviud rHlI.OTHEtJS. lhe 5iXly·.hird
pa.rilln;h (979- 100)). to rno>'" thc patriarchal resj.
d..n.e from Ale.u.ndria to Damn:;, wh...... Mena., the
bishop of Tanah and Ihe brother of Macari"., lived.
Bishop Men... had wh;1I was called a good dwelling.
plac:< at Damn), ,,'hich made it aUrx,ive For the
palriarch to a.ccepi Ihe su&&C$lion of the synod's
liCCrc""y. The IX'lriarckal quan~B wer~ quile ....
I~,,"ive, f..,. Ihe fJl'Iriareh ...cd I<> receive and ~nl"..
lain p;ue:olS. whoo:>M usual ellSlom il was to sil and
drink ..i!h him.
lAoCHARt.l$. the siJlly·liounh p"t.-Wt:b (1004-1032).
aha ""'* up his reside..... at Da",ril• ....ne"" he
freqvend)' enlenained bis.hops, priests. monb. and
1a)meo. He built th.. "Great Church. lhal I$, the
ff
palria.-<:haI calhedfal. Damnl rose rapidly in lmpor·
Ianee and o«llU 10 ....'" heen inhabited endrcly by
Chrislians. SHf..''tIT1! II. lhe sixl)'-f,1ih palliarch (1032-
1(146), aloo resided at Damrti aDd compkt..d lhe
construcllon <>f the "Great Church," ""here he was
bttried. Th.. foolrth and Iasl pMriarch 10 ....,ide at
Damni ....... ClltUSTOOOUlUS, the si'ly·.i~.h patriarch
(1047-1077). Durlng his patriarcha.e, Damn) in·
c,eased ~~n mOre in imponallce and .ize, SO thaI
il was known I I the "Second Constantinople" wilh
""venleen ctllm:hes, most of which we'" rC'Sltlred.
In It", lauer part of Ih.. reign ol Christodoulu$,
KlIT>e 40,000 Berber hofsc",cn and their auendanb
im-..ded the Nil.. Della and wenl 1<> DamN and look
the pau'iarch from h.. residence and plundered all
thai. WIlli In il. The parriarclt then .ool temporary
refuge In Alt'undria aAd iUbsequenlly lransferred.
the patriarchal reMdenc.. 10 Cairo. MOSl if not all of
lhe churches and the patriarchal residence ..",..,
deslrt:l)'ed. Thosoe buildings tha.! sunived the de\-..
lations of Ihe Be"",n ..",re .,..-.:>bably destroyed ..,.
the Chun. "00, durint:: .he patriarchale of <:nil II
(1078-1092) 1001< ~on of" the prG\.illl:~ of
Ghart>i)yah.
The presenl Damnl comprises the Ihl"« villagC'S
of Katr Damni, Shuhri NahAl or Shubra DamliJ,
and Damn) Khammjra!t. These Ihree villaSes, of
",'hkh Kafr Damn) I. Ihe soulhemm"'l, appear a.< a
lingle ullit withoul visible boundaries. Wilhin lhe$e
three "iIl"JC'S, Ih..re are no archaenl.al 01" archi·
690 D..\ t\;CFRS
I"""lral"'ac", of th,' f()mH'r ,hurch"" ]uO! north of
Ih" limit of D~m"-J ~I f..:h~m01~"ah th,-rc is th,- ~Iu,
lim ~en1<'1e,,' on ~ slighT c1e\'aliol>, ~I~,w of lbe
'"",b' ~'C cOIl_lnKled wi'h hUlned h!'i~ls. ~nd
'h" y;II"~",', rn"in'a;1l 'ha' 'h£ hr;ck, hdonge,! '0
Ih,- ~n,i,'nl both. Ih~T wer~ Ih~ p'oPC"\ of 0 king,
Tins ~,~\' b"e been lh~ b~th,~g pl~,e ,hot 15 J'e
!~rreJ [U i" 'he Ifi''''''
vi ;he 1',,,,i,,,(,,,
IlIIlLJOt:RAJ'IlY
AmClineau. E L" Gi:owup1lle de i'roc'!"e ,l ."',/)0</'"
COl"", p, ,ii12 Pari" 1S%
~kinard"" 0, "l)amrua IG],a,h,y~hJ p,,,,
and rrt',
c'nl .. lJidld'" .Ie I" SOC,ik de ~i<)~,"!)hi" ,!'I-'I!YI""
38 (1965)'195 'N
MLJTlia, H R,'I'I",d de' lis'n epi,,,,,!,,,,'" ,Ie i't'gli>t
"')ple, p, 2~, C~ir", 1943,
DAII:CERS. Sr,- Mvtbological Subj,>cl< ill Copti'
'"
DANDARAH, ~noi,'nt tm.-n <on 'he we" hank 01
thc ~ile Up To ,hc Ro",on p",'io<! it wa., ,I",
chid
'ik for the' "or,hip of lIalhor IAphrodil~), rh" g<>cl'
J~" "f hea""" arid of 10le' A> e~rh '" th~ Old
Kill~dorn ",h"ine ~"<I"cl here Th" I"e,clli t~ml'le.
howe\w, had it' origin in Ih" Ia'" Ptolernaie alld
c,,,h' Runt"" pc",0<1. I, I, one oflhe bc,,' l'r~sen.ed
Eup"aII tClllple" CI"'j"ia"it,, k,d "Ircad,' gOJnod 0
I<~"hold hcr,' ,,' 'he c'lld o! 'hc ,I""d c'Cr"lL'~', Sinc~
th,' I,r<l qu,-"1,>r 01 th" four,h eentun' Da,,,larah ha<
be,'n knu"n ~< Ihe seot of a bi<hop
Chu re h of l)andarah "e~r 'he -Ira>'",,;',,' of Lhe Temple
of H~lh(Jr Fifth celltu" C""",'.", p, ihic~
All that remain, of tl1<' old to\\'n 'oda\' is 0 shope,
less ticld of rolshe"ds oul of "'hich juts [hc i'nprcs,
'he prN'lnCi oi 1he IImho]' lcmplc, It is not kno"n
"hen 'he tOWIl """ "handon"J, ~H(j AL,MA~~~l.\t (a'
the hqinning "f 'h" ,hir1""n,b con",,,·), \\'ho nor
m~ll\ 'I"'aks onk of churches mention. th,' ,o"'n
on I, ,n "esp<-"{"t to the temple and the' hoi\' I~k<',
Th,,' 'he >He mighl abead)' I",,,,, bc'en "ha"doned ill
the ,],ine'"nth "emu".", A' ~") rak, it i, i",,-'[1eJ i"
the Ii"" of hi,~op' down «) th" fOUl1""nth ",'","n·
(Tim"" 1984, Vol 2. p, 545), although ,hc laS! bi.h,
Uf" we,.~ pre,umabl, "nh' li'ula!' bish"p>,
\\'he'f"_T ,he Hatho!' "'",plc- 01' "'el,,,,,, 01 i' wcn."
eomel1ed illl<> a Chri"ian eh"..,·h ha' "0' hcen '''',
e,'nain"d, Onh- M, .lllllien 'p<'''k' of th,' in"'''ion "f
~ "hllr"h in the rron~o> oi lhc lenJple (.\luni~r,
1940, jJ 1~21 But nlCII""" rem"in, 01 a dml'eh
are pre,cr",',] hcl\\'ecll the 'wo l"'lh house' (.II"",
"';-"1 on the no,~h\\'e" corner "I' the illner pre,,:i,,"t
of the lempl", Thi, "hurd i, one of the 010" Ix-all'
liful of Eg\T',i~n churebe" th,' r"gllb,'i'" of it>
grotJnJ pion ~no ,h" bolanced pl'Oponiom ore onl\'
'dt!om C'Ilu)unkre'o. The cnl,.~n,'e< "I<' found "t
'he wc" end of ho'h I,,"g ,ide" Aero" small a"te,
rnums one ,:n,,,," th" n~l1h", ,itlla'".l mth", ,I.:el'
insi,le Ih,' b\1ildin~ .,nd oord",-d on th,> "',," 'i'k
I»' ~ <erie. of room" Here on' the .tai,,, as "ell as
~ce"lIl",oo~[j"n, fOJ a colLple of flt"'"jl.,cal ,,,Ie
ehamher', I" no <l,her I-'~"p'ian huilding "'", " ,,)'
Itnion of ,hi, kind rep"atcd Th" nao, ha, th,-""
oi.l"s "HI " I't'o\i<h'd "iTI1 ~ "~'Ic"'" ,.,"tlll''' "isle,
rhe' ,idc' ",ails eo",ai" 'en\l<:jr~lIbf "JChe'>. rhe\'
are Jt'"ma'cd \\'ilh flanking colum", ~"J ,culp-
tl1r"d nich" h"ad" and in their lo-cation 'h", <'()IT''-
spond ","cll)' ro lhe 'nTc'rcol",nl1i~ of Th~ ro,,'s of
('"Ium"', The ",,,,'tlla".' ha' 'he pl~n "f a Lncond'
", i, the' c",,' i" the '''0 ,"()]""Lc" chU1'dL'" oj
Suha.i, llAYR ,<.'H.'\ SHL~(JlUH mLJ ''-'\R ~">l,\ >llS({()l,
n", main ""noh in the ''','' \\',,' prO\'idcd \\'ith nich-
e, ~nd an inner cirde of columns, \~or{-o\''''', I""
ge"",",! rc'gul"n\\ ()j 'he formalion poinls to Ih,'
fa'" tha' het'e for ,he hr'" lI",e a CUIX)I" """ c'on-
''''''''ed ",'cr the ce,,'er The "one, r"qu,red for
\'a"hin~ "'en> ,"ul in 'he neighboring Ro",an .II"",
""or "'here '0<.10\ 0 d"ming of the "'i,'oneh i< pn"
'e,,'cd on 'he no,," (Monner<" de \'ilbrd, 1925, p.
4~), HOlt. the ,ide cha",ile,~ oj 'h<: "<1'<:11'''1'\' "re
ga",ma ,halX'd in ord.-r '0 lead around th" ,ide
conch, of ,he n'i~Ol1('b, Judging b' ,h" ,,,,,n,' '<"L1lp.
[UI<' 01 lh~ b"ilding. ~slX'C1all,' th~ d~<ign of Ih~
hc'ad' 0! 'he n",he" the' chu!'ch c""ld ha\'~ !>een
huil' aholl' th" "'iddle of the 'ixth ecrLlun I' he-
longs to the small n"mb..,. of IOg\ptian "",mph" of
 DANIEL AND MOSES 691

/ < Monneret de Villard, U. Les Couvents pr;'s de So-

Mg, Vol. I, pp, 41-49, Milan, 1925,
Munier, H, "us Monuments coptes d'aprh Ie pete
Michel JuHien." Bulletin de I" Societi d'"rchiolo·
gie copu 6 (1940),141-68,
Timm, S. Das chrisiliclt-koptisclte Agypten i~ arabi-
scher Zeit, Vol. 2, pp. 543-48. Wiesbaden, 1984.
PETER GROSSMANN

DANEL. See Ethiopian Prelates.

DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN. See Biblical

Subject. in Coptic Art.

DANIEL AND MOSES, two hermits wh""e

live' have come down to us in two witnesse' of Ihe
c Sahidic recension of the Arabic Synaxarion. One i.
a complete manuscript for the Ii,..t half of the year,
preserved at Luxor, the othe' a fragment of the
same Synaxarion consisting of four leaves (Tn>U·
peau, 1914, Vol. 2, pp, 61-68). Both are still unpub-
lished,
p n Daniel and Moses were brothers and natives of
Ihe village called al,'Artsh, near Armant, in Upper

o GJ
Plan of the church near the Mammlsi at DanJarah,
Caune,y Peter Grossmmlf1,
architectural sculplUre pI'9jluced specifically for
the buildings in which they;are now found. Only
the great columns and capilals in the nave were
reused from oldeT buildings.,'
BIBUOGRAPHY
Daumas, F. Daldal~ .r Ie temple d'Hathor. Cairo,
19~9.
Grossmann, P. "Esempi d'architeuura palcocristi-
all3 in Egino dal V al VII ,ecolo," Corsi RaveHI1~
28 (1981),170_72-
Johann Georg. Streih~ge dureh die Ki,d,," u~d
Kloster AgypteflS, [)p. 52-53. uiplig and Berlin,
1914,
Egypt. They were peasants, possessing some lands
and Jiving by their labor in the fields, gardens, and
vineyards, When each tumed thirty-fi,'e, they mar-
ried "according to Ihe law," the Synaxarion notes,
Daniel had three sons, named Isaac, Jacob, and
Lazarus; Moses had a single son named Peter, Later
they decided to abandon everything- and embrace
the monastic life, placing themsel,'es under the di·
rection of Anbj, Jacob, about whom no details are
given, They ii"ed at first in monasteries, then be-
came hermits on the left bank at Q-U.}: Daniel in the
mountain of Banhadab, Moo;es in a mountain in Ihe
neighborhood of Tukh. The text relate' as a salient
fact from the life of Daniel the vision that he had
near the ramparts of J~me on the left bank at
luxo<, In this vision he saw a troop of demons
anned like bamarians wilh bo"" and arrows, He
dispersed Ihem by turning toward the east, by mak·
ing the sign of the cross, and ilwoking the help of
God, Then the demons dumged into weeping old
women. This Story recail, the most ancient monas-
tic texts, ahhough here the demons are not in the
desert bot on the outskins of a town,
This notice in the Synaxarion of Upper Egypt is of
particular interest a, it shows that these two monks
did not abandon their fumily ca<es. Each of them,
692 DANIEL OF SCETIS, SAINT
in f""t, had children who caused them suffering.
Two of Daniel', sons had the idea. "contrary to the
canons of I~ Church," as Ihe story emphasizes, of
becoming cunuch•. One of them died as a result:
the olher "fell into temptation," The father's grief
was such that he had 10 abandon his eremilic life
for a while. Moses was scarcely more fonunate, for
his son became mad very JKlung. and he kepi him
in his Own cave, enduring alone the presence of the
sick man. The author presents these family trials as
acts of .'inue and asceticism. which is rare in the
hagiographic teXII. the monks rather fleeing from
concern for thdr pregen)'.
Both Daniei and Moses lived for more than fony
years in the wildeTTIess. perseverini in their for.
bearance and in their exercises as hermits, Their
feast da)' is 9 Amsh!r.
BtBUOGRArH't
Coquin. R.·G_ "1.<: Synaxaire des Coptes. Un nou·
veau Icmoin de la recension de Haute Egypte."
A"a!ula Bol!a"dia"a 96 (1978):351-65.
Troupeau. G. Catalogue des manmerits arabes, VoL
2. pt t. Man~seril. chrelie"•. Paris. 1974_
RENt-GWRGES COOtItN
DANIEL OF SCETIS, SAINT, HEGlJME"OS
who lived in the sixth cemury. The text <of his life
has come oown in Coptic and Ethiopic. [( is made
up of fourteen episodes, which were originalJ)' sepa·
rate. Eleven are. In faci. found scattered in Creek in
collutions of Apophlhegrnala (sayings of the Fa·
thers) and Geronrika (anecoole. of the "ld monks),
and correspondingl)' in Syriac and Arabic. The Cop-
tic text is found in Bohairic and in only "ne codex.
Internal examination of the texts leads one to
deduce that vari<;>us anecdotes. so~ (If them cOn-
cerning other m""," of the same name, W<:rt' col·
lected around the pislorical figure of "ne Daniel "f
Scetis. who lived in the first half of Ihe sixth centu-
ry. Even the ane<:dotes concemini the ""'al" Dan-
iel are nol always true. Examples include the .tor-
ie. "f the noolewornan Anastasia wh", in order to
escape front wun life. seeks refuge at Seetis in
men's dothing; the monk Marcus ....ho as a penance
pretends to be mad and is recognized by Daniel: the
visit to a convenl of nuns in the s"mh, ....hert' Dan·
iel discovers the injustice and ill treatmenl heing
inflicted on one nun; and Daniel's refusal to sup'
pon Tomus "f Lyons when Justinian orders him to
do so.
The historical information to he drawn from
these episodes is exclusively of a chronc>logical and
confessional nature. enabling us to date his life t"
the first half of the sixth century and t" conclude
that he .....as "ne of the prominenl figurt's in anti·
Chalcedonian Ewtian monasticism. Nothing can
be assumed about lhe actual events of hi. life.
BIBUOGRAPHY
Cauwenbergh, P. van, EI«de s«r Ie' moine..
d'Egyple, Paris. 1914.
Clugnet, L.: F. Nau; and L Guidi. Vie (el ,hil') de
I'Abbe Da"iel Ie Seni"le (V!e Siecle). Bibli",
thl:que Hagiographique Orientale 1. Paris. 19Q1.
Evelyn·White. H, G, The Mona."",;" 0/ th, Wad;
'n !'lal'im, Pt I. New C"ptic TeXiS from the Mo"as-
lery of Sai"l Mocari«s, New York, 1926.
Garitte. C. "Daniel de Se"le," In DiC/io","'i'" d'his·
loire el de geographie eeeles;asl;que, V"L 14. cols.
70-72, Paris. 1912ff.
Guidi. L "Vie et recits de l'abbe Daniel de Seete (VI
Siede). ilL Texte copte publie el !raduit:' Rev«e
de I'Orient chrhion 5 (1900),535-64; 6 (1901):51-
" TIro ORl.I.NDt
DAPHNE. See Mythoiogical Subjects in Coptic
'rt.
DAQADOS, village in the province of Daqahliyyah.
A medie.'al list of Egyptian church locations also
says that the village of Daq!i.dils was the site "f a
Church of Mary. the mother of Jesus. From the
order "f the place· names in the list it is reasonable
to deduce that Daqadii. was located in I~ Delta.
Hence il is probable that m<>dern Daqadiis, located
about one-half mile northcast of MIt Ghamr on the
east ann "f the Nile, is the ,'illage menti"ned in the
list.
Although thert' are no records to indicate when
Christianity estabiished a foothold in DaqMiis, the
Coptic churoh in the m<>dem city was built over a
medieval churoh and one of the manuscripts (no.
27) housed in the church is dated to \332.
[Su also: Pilgrimage•. ]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Amelineall. E. L~ Giwgraphi. d~ I'Egyple ~ l'epoque
cepit, pp. 65-66. Paris, 1893.
Timm. S. Das chrisllich-k"plisclte Agyplen in arabi-
scher 2eil, pl. 2. pp. 555-56. Wiesbaden, 1984.
RAto;DALL STEWART

DAQAHLAH, village in Egypt located in the
northeast part of the Delta about 5.5 miles (8.5 km)
south of F~riskur in the province of Daqahliyyah.
The first reference to Daqahlah in ChriSlian-
Arabic literature is in the HISToRY Of THE P~TIU·
AR(:HS where it is rdated that a great famine afflict-
ed Egypt in the Ii,.,t years <)f Moorish rule in the
lemh century. Many townS that were withoot a
bishop because of the depopulation of the land had
10 be joined to episcopal SttS that were still occu-
pied, In addition, coloph<)ns in two lenth-century
Coplic manuscripts allest to the presence of Chris'
tians in Daqahlah at this early date. The name of
the town also appears in a medieval Copto·Arabic
list of Egyptian bishoprics (Munier. 1943. pp. 49-
55).
BIBUOGRAPHY
Am~lineau. E. u. Geographie de I"Egypt. ,,{",poque
copt•. pp. 509-510. Pan... 1893,
Munier, H. /l.ec~eil des ;;stes epi.tcopoles de I',g/ise
copte. Cairo, 1943.
Timm, S. Dos christlich-koptische ifgypten in arabi·
scher Ze;I, pt. 2, pp. 556-58. Wieshaden, 1984.
RANDAll STEWART
DARAJ AL·HAYKAL. See Architectural E1e·
ments of Churches: Sanctuary.
DARESSY. GEORGES EMILE JULES
(1864-1938). French Egyptologisl. Dare..y was
born at Sourdon. He studied at the Ecole des
Hautes Etudes from 1881 to 1885, He went to Egypt
as a member of the Mission archeologique fn"""aise
du Caire, later becoming it~. director. He was made
assistant keeper at the Bul"'\iMuseum in 1887, He
was a member of the lnstitUl;d'Egypte (from 1894).
and secretary gener.>l (1917); chevalier of the Le·
gion of Honor; and commander of the Order of Ihe
Nile. He retired in Fr.>nce in' 1923. He made a few
contributions to Coptic studie•. a lisl of which can
be found in A Coptic Bibliography (Kammerer,
1950, 1969). I ruins. and di.per5Cd them wilh everything Ihey con-
BIBliOGRAPHY
Kammerer. W .• compo A Coplic Bibliography. Ann
Arbor, Mich" 1950; repr., New York, 1969.
Aztz S. ATty",
DATING 693
DATING. Broadly ,peaking, the dating of Coptic
monuments and anifacts is one of the toornie.1
problems in this archaeological field.
The most ,'aried forces seem to have combined to
make any auempt at dating impossible, or at least
subject to caution. Tbe most .ubstantial reason for
Ihis is the oppressed conditi<)n into which the Copts
were plonged fir.. under Roman and then under
Byzantine occupation. This was further accentuated
under Muslim rule, and the progressive reduction
of the Copts to the position of a minority on the
peril'hery of official life did nothing to ease it. The
vitality that enabled them under the ITl<)St intracta·
ble circumstances to produce works in various
fields <)f Christian religious literature and of art was
in many eases stifled. This situation. together with
the separation of the CoJ>ls from the Chrislian
world since the time of the Council of UIALCEOON
(451). deprivMthem of evet)' means of defense or
of resort to outside protection, Hence, the quality
of their works could not reach the beight. normally
fostered by an environment of lu.ury or at least by
a fTee environment, In this respeci Ihey were. artis-
tically speaking, vet)' poor relations indeed. when
compared with other manifestation. of art on Ell)p·
tian soH, namely, pharaonic, AleJUlndrian, Byzan·
tine. and Muslim an.
Because of the unmistakable progressive dwin-
dling in the number of Copts from the lime of the
Muslim domination and the pronounced deteriora·
tion in their social status, there was a tOlal cessa·
lion afler Ihe t....dfth century of any an of their
own, however modest, In our own day there has
been the scorn heaped on Coptic art bOlh by art
lovers and by archaeologists. Ihough this prejudice
i' now beginning to be challenged,
During the centuries of Muslim domination. the
mainlenance of the monuments (churches and
monacsterie.) wacs .ubject to greal difficullies. Most
of them. having been secularized. were roon in
ruins. They were pillaged, with their reliefs, stone
by stone. for the construction of hooses and e,'en of
rno"!ues. caosing the loss of their painlings. Many
were abandoned and simply £ell into ruin ,,"'here
they stood. Seekers after sebakh-organic mailer
connected with the habitat-did not disdain these
tained: objects. tombs, furnishings, fabric" el
celera, to enrich the cullivated soil. Further. the
Book of th. Br<ried Pearl. which advised digging
behind a wall painting that was supposed 10 hide a
treasure, was somewhat re.pon.ible for innumera·
ble destruclions of Coplic frescoes. Another unex·
-
694 DAUMAS, FRAN<;OlS
peeled factor contributed more intentionally.
though indirectly, to the disappearance of Coptic
remains; Awed by the pn:stige of the pharaonic
monuments. archaeologists use<! to see in Coptic
monuments a him of deeper and older layers that
might yidd m<>re promising discoveries. They thus
did not hesitate to sacrifice ..aluable Coptic anifacts
that were little appredated in favor of those thaI
interested them more. What remains standing has
been subjected 10 the ravages of time and of succes-
sive transformations, restorations, and recoveries to
such a degree lhat they cannot be cleared without
damaging, and even destroying, the original layer.
Given the ,,,tern of such upheavals, intlicted on
almost all the sites and involving no less serious
damage to the objects, one wonders what indica-
tions of dating can be left, .ince <!ating i. relat~d to
the p<eservation of the soil and of the layers that
should contain, according to their level. evidences
of their chronological sequence,
Explicit datings do exist, Among the Chri.tian.,
Ihey are estahlishe<! from the third century in rela·
tion to the "year of Diodetia,," (29 Augu.t 284); hi.
name was replaced in the e1e.'emh century by thaI
of "the Many... ," sometim~.-from the eighlh 10
the tenth c~mury-conjoine<l wilh the "'age of the
Sarac~ns" (that is ·'of Ihe Hcgira"). Unfonunately,
relative dating by indiction. (the Mteen·year C)'CIes
instituled by Con.tantine in 313) does not have any
absolute reference. At any rale, the presenc~ of
these datings i. ",slricted to inscriptions on stone,
mostly Ihose on funerary <lela~. Even in this con·
text Ihey are rare.
One can approximate a dating Ih<ough the coexis·
tence (Of objects from the same .ile or of objects in
the .ame slyle, with item. that are explicitly <!aled,
especially coins, or with some olher item in USe at
a given period, But the upheavals tn ",hid, the soil
has been subjected in Ihe Coul'Se of time and under
the impact nf we~ering do not alway. make il
po",ihle to discern any assured hasis Ihere,
The carbon·14 d~ting method has been disap·
pointing, because the Coptic period in the history
of Egypt is relatively' close to our own; moreover, it
can he used only wilh items that are subject to
change and doome<l to deslruclion.
In most instances, we are reduced 10 assigning
dates to objects either because of archaeological
landmarks relating to iconography or he<:au.e of
common st}'JiSlic features Ihal, Ihrough one item or
another, may edend 10 o.her groups of objects or
repre~ntations_ For e"-,,mple, A, which can be dat-
ed from one of these items, is a legitimale basis for
dating B, which also has a featu~ in common ""ith
A though olheno.'ise differing from it. B in turn may
make us aware of an ilem or a feature of A that
relates ilto C, so that C-which to all appearances
lack. an)' common characteristics with A-may
ne"enhele.., like B, be considered contemporary
with A.
It should be noted that iconography itself has
very little "alue for daling other than the <!ates' of
the appearance or disappearance of SOme theme.
lis chronology depends 0" other data provided ei·
ther by SOme explicit dating or by the characteris-
tics of the style of an age.
Despite lhese approximations, the margin of
doubt is relatively narrow. When all is said, Coptic
archaeology is like history, the c~naimy of which is
far more Ihe product of an accumulation of reliable
indications Ihan of dales or faCts that are recorded
with cenainty, Unfonunately, such an accumulation
is more difficult and more delicate 10 make for
Coptic an than for most other types of an,
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bourguet, P. duo L'Arl Cop,", p, 166. Collection
L'Art <!ans Ie monde, Paris, 1968.
___. Catalogue des etQ{fe. copies [Louvre], Vol. I:
/mroducl'on. Paris, i964.
PIERRE DU BoURC,UET,S.J_
DAUMAS, FRANCOIS (1915-1984), French
Egyptologist. He was horn al Castelnau-Ie-Le>, near
Montpellier. He ""as the son of Fran~ois Daumas,
who had participated as a draftsman·artist in the
e~ca""tions of Jean M~SI'EItO at BAwlT in 1913. A
student of Gustave ufebvre and Pierre tAUU,
young Daumas was a resident of the Institut fran-
~ais d'ArcMologie orienlale du Caire (1946-1950)
and later became its director (1959-1969). He oc·
cupied the chair of Egyptology and ancient Oriental
history al the Universi.y of Lyons (1954-1959). Af·
ter h;s return from Cairo in 1969, he held lhe chair
of Eg}ptology at the Ul1iversit~ Paul Val~ry in MOnT-
pellier, where he c",ated a new center of Eg}pIO-
logical studies and served as its direclor (1%9-
1978). Although primarily an Eg}ptologist, he dedi·
cated pan of his teaching and research to Coptic
language and archaeology, Wilh Antoine Guillau-
mont, he directed the French e~ca,'alions conclud-
ed on the Coptic monastic sile of "ElLl~ (t%4-
1969), as well as the first publication produced
about this research (Kellia /, Korn 119, Cairo, 1<:169),
To him must also be credite<lthe publication of Ihe

posthUITlOUJ wort of Emile CHASSINAT (.....ho&c laOOn
Daum:u conTinue<! al Dandarah), u mD ....:u:nt mD-
:i4Ut ""pit "0. 4157J <lu "'"sit ttyprltn tiu Caire
_.
(Cairo. l'il~~). to ",hk:h hf: added an ~nd;x deal·
ing with the idenlificlt'Ofl d unain t<:<:hnical
AHTOINII CUlUAliMON't
DAVID AT THE COURT OF SAUL Stt Bib-
lical Subj<:<:1S ;11 CopIic An.
DA YR, word Wt setOlS to be bof'roo,.'el! hom Syri-
. , lin the ll"Uter .-n d 1M dwxl.m..tk terms
thai Ionn the Inial .IIock of 1M Christiall Arabs.
and linked by the cbsskal dklionaries to the root
-d ... r." wh.ich IlIl8&QU the Idea d lT1O'\il1ll around
in a c1rrlt. C. 8rockdmann deriYes thc Syriac word
d.Y'. !Tom the Akbdiall. HowcYer IW ma, be, the
word in Syria<: describes • habitation In IcncntJ.
!lui may ~I. a shrivfuld- It took on the s....-
cific Sftt$t d "rnooasl""" (d c.lKlbtlcsl. It seems
that it ..... a.Iso used 10 describe any ","..,Hinl placc
ci Chrill1ans. The Copdc word ..-., which mnllS
~a town quarter, a nt:iahborhood:' ...... mo tl1OnS'
~ ;nto Arabic by d"'P. "'hich leads one to sup-
pow that the word bad a !airl, rn«ic ....-. The
InnI tiDY' IhllS don ROC n«esNrily describe" halJt.
wion <pedficall, of manu..
BIlU.IOCltA.l'tly
Coquin. R. C. LA u",. dt ,., co.ulrn._ <lu «t.1tCu.·
.i,. de & ..""",,,. Bibfio"~q... d'&udcs copIes
13. Cairo, 1915.
Crum, W. E. A COfHie Die/ioft".,. Oxford.. 1939; 2nd
eel.. 1962.
"' ,
DAYR, AI.., lo",n locale<! some 12 milc< (20 km)
nonhc:ut of Kharph. al tht !Oot of the Jabal Ghan·
iy;m. Th. sit. of ,,1·Dayr includes" Roman fon""..,
a well. a pII11an cemelcry. and a small tcmple of
bUed bricks. Iat.r conv.ntd to a chapel ;n lhe
Chri<tian period. This monument. which comists of
" ve~tihule and lWO vauhed cham ben. l< full of
Coptic or Creco-Coplic ll..-flili, of which IIOme au
V.I')' lalt. Among tht dra",ings can be tun" croS$
and a 6"., lut dating from the yeu MIt. 576 (MOl.
as .......11 u IWO travelcn' IV'llffill, one of Yohannc<,
oon of Phoibammon. the other of Aron, son of
DAYR ABiRUN 695
Kyros. come from Kerameion (Mad.lmildl. evldem·
Iy by the trail from w..or.
Bock. W. de.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Malt"",,.., PO'" ttn;i, <l r.relrtoJOfit
de /'Egypre cllrtl>enne, pp. I -6, fig. 6. pb. 1-2. St.
PCle~ 190L
Naumann. R. "Bau......rIle der 0 ... Khargdl." M',·
leil"ngen dt5 tieott«loen "reJllioJoel<clle.. burl·
luu-Ableilunt: K"i.., 8 (1939);15-16, 6,. 1.
CIIY WolIGND.
DAYR ABIRON, 011 thel<:$llmOIlYof AIlO i#.U1;I TJl£
AJ.M£.NLUl ...bo is m. onl, <>IX 10 menlion it (fal.
92; 1895. P. 257)... _ e r y in 1M disukl d
~ o.:mo..s (all abbreoiacion ci Dioscuridcs), to-
de,' called Bilsir aJ.-Malaq, on ohc Icft bank of 1M
Nile. aI the: "'""'" latirude as Nn AloW.Vlollhol.
The name atlestlNl by AbU ~i~ could be that of
the mar1yT Pin:>ou.• ....nose name 1& K1rnt:1ilM$ cOO'"
n<pIlNI in AIabK: into Abl:nlm .... even AbInln. He is
l.eel at 1 Abib in tM ~ (FOTIel. t90S-
1926, Vois. 61 [tex1L p. 212, and 90 [.rans.). pp-
2'0&-210). AbU ~iJ:l add$ thac the ..... U~
calipI'I. M:an.-in 11. e-me to till< monasury before
00"1 killed not far from 1M.... The sice 0{ the
monastery i< lhere£o~ linked with thac d 1M death
of Marwin in 1SO. Abo:i ~iJ:! plaus thi< ••... nl a'
Ilmir Qt1rtdus, as do ohc hislOriaru al·Mak!1I and
11m Za\Otiq and the ~pher Yikldt (Abbot••
1917. p. ~J; Ibn Duqmlq. 1893. Vol. S. P. 2): how-
~', m anOlher pnsav «01. 77a; 189~. p. 221),
......... he is foIlowillg 1M infonnalion livell in the
Life of Ihe palriareh KM11 l he inodicatcs lhal Ma...
..-in . . - killed at Clt<>pal..... Ih. town founded by
Alexander. which is nOW al·Ashmunayn. Thls Ufe.
"'hich fOIm. pan of lhe HlSTOIIl OF mE ~.nl••CHS.
f=t males lhal a ~n ...ylit. predictt<llh. dealh
of Ma.......m n, saying that he would be kill.d at Abo
Abis. al Clcop"ln. (Hislo')' of lilt Palri'lrths, PO 5.
1909, p. 156: E,'eus clTOn.OIISly COITl!C", Aba Abb
to Arsinol!). and then places the defeat and de;oth of
the caliph at Ihe Mountain of Abth (or BJbah. In
the oloot manu«:ripl) 10 the ,,'esl of Cleopatra, hut
,,'ithout indicalinl which Cleopatra i~ inlended
(ibid.. p. 186), At le"'t three aN! known. nOl to
menlicn the place-name Cleopatrn, which could
bave bun confuwd by the copyist~. A IInle further
on (p. 187). the narralor lndicate~ again Ihat Mar·
wan w;os taken pri""ner at Dlwaltin. but the very
....riable ways of writing this name in lhe manu·
script< make ;ts locatian uncenain, The Hitro')' of
 696 DAYR ABO ANOB
lI'f P,>lriG,d.. thus SCf:ms 10 take accOtlnl of din...
Cenl I",imonin, bul only AbO $tIi!) idemifil!$ the
Cle-opalnt oJ. which"'" Hu-y spe-alts wilh Ihe lown
oi the- lolIme name ne-ar a1·AW!.mul1.l)'O.
BIBUOCRAI'HY
Abbott, Ii- T1u MoIoiUluOu '" 1M F.yyitm, Studies
In Andcnt ClorWnlal CWiI.....ion 16. Otic., 19)7.
Ibn Du~rMq. Kil~1> ..1-l.tU4r, cd. C. VoI"'~. Caim.
1893: rq>r. BcUuI. 1966.
Mtipho. J .• and C- W..... M.. 'iri...... pour urvir" I.
&iOfn'ph~ de I'En7J'l". Mbnoin' dc 1'lnstit\l1 Inn-
~ais d'Arcbeologic oricntaJe 36. Calro, 1919.
RD;t-GEOllGE$ COOI)'l"
MAIJ-..c6 M.\IlTIN. SJ.
DAYR ABC ANCB, or Nub, vanb.hcd mQnQlcry
menlloned only by ~BO ~J:1 TIlE ~IUIENW" (1~95,
p. 252). He indicarcs that Da)T Abil AnOb (Apa Nob)
wllS ~ilualed to the nonh of al·Aihmllnayn and ,hat
it contained lhe bodies of ~ixty"href monb mar·
lyred in A..\t. 1S1/A.D. 1065-1066. They had been
killed by a certain black named l:Iatfh unde, the
callphale of ai·M.....m~ir Bill1h, in lhe patriarchale
of C"~'STOI>OUt.US, at the time of lroubles in Upper
EllYPt. Ab,;, ~Iil) is the only one 10 menlion .his
evenl. Neither the HISTORY Of tHE rAUlAP-CHS nor
I~ MU"iim hi$lOrian~ .peak of il. The lolIme histori-
an laIer SpeliOU oJ. ..,.-entl churches. bul il does not
SCf:m , ...., Ihese wen: in the- monaiRltry.
RJlnul (l9SJ-I%l, Vol. I. p. 2S9J CiVl!$ an ac-
counl following anothtr documenl of a Da)T Blilnllh
in the districl of al-Ashmll"")'fl. but II Is not k_."
If 11 Is !he- t.amC rnonas~ry.
BIBLIOCItAPHY
Rarnzl. 101. AJ-,Q,I...... "/.J,,,Ju4ff liI·BUM ../ Alit
""",,. l .... Is. CaiTO,.~95J-I%S.
RL"~GES COOI)IOI
MAultlal M.u;TlN. SJ.
DAYR ABC BIFAM (Asy(il). ~80 $.<01;1 1l1l; ....1UIE-
!'Il~N placed litis mon.oster,- in tlte \"Cgion of As)'"il,
wllhoul further speci6<:ation (fols. 60". 90'; 1~95.
pp. 56. 114 [leXl]. 179,251 [Intns.]). 1110 doe~ indio
~.te thaI it was called Day, .1·Tinidah•• he l••t
word being no douht the Intn$Criptiun of lhe CopTk
he~ute willt the feminine ..rtkle meaning "lhe
monaslery." Abll ~Iii) n'pons as well,hallhe body
of s.,int Abll BiLl.m was deposi.ed there. The ,eog'
rapher YaqUl:oJso idenlifies il ... Abu BifJrn (1866-
1~73, Vol. 2, p. 6f9).
Al.oMAQattl dil.tinguishes 'W(> momsu:ries of thlO
same ....me. ,'''' one "boelow Oayr KnfUn:a,h. in the
~d," [I.e., tht poebbly ,round be-twent Ihe cuhival'
ed land and lhIO moun\l.;n I of Asy(i!. ~ or, accordi,.
10 tht CO<1I""I. roe.. Da)T Durunkah 0.- Udrunkah
"'" tM left ~k 01. the Nilf. He ploocn lhe oche.-
lnOTIlIStCf)' near Timt (1853. Vol. 2. pp. 506, 567;
1&-45. pp. 42-"3. 103, 105; baclt of theo.t editions
efTOrlolOOUSly pv.e the name as Abll Baghim.... does
the editor of AbO $ill!).
A1..\hq11:zl adds lhal Sa,nt Abu Bifam was a sol·
dier man,n:d under Diodelian ..nd celebrascd on 2
Kiyahk. Thc 1I\ftr!)'T in question must ~ tht sUnl
mentioned by lhe SYtI.uARlOtl and by ~ra1 Coptic
and Anbie manwcripu-. ""ldier at the ca.tntm
(camp) of !lprahal nn, Antinoi! (.um!'loorous) who
",as martlred .1 AsyQl .nd buried near there. Hi.
feas' is On I B.'\ln.h, a dale different from thaI
,eported by al·Maqr'ltl,
No existing monastery In lite region beaT5 lite
name Abu Bifllm.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cmm. W. E. The Mcrr..Siery of Epiph,mi"., Vol. I.
pp. 109-110. NIOW York, 1926.
Yliqui. Geocr..phis<cM. warlt,buch (Mu'jam al·Bu]·
dan). 6 voIs.. ed. f, Wilstenn-Id_ Lc~. 1866-
181).
R£NWE01l.GES COOUIS
M.t.uRlCE Mums. S.J_
DAYR ABC BIFAM (San>ih:ol). ABO $UlI!. THE
AaJolE.'ilAN {fol.!!"; 1895. pp. 111-12 [lex.1. 241-48
(trans.D m01llionl "a ~ery of SAMALOT in Ill",
districl oil al·...SH-'''O:olAYH and a church ill the name
of .he manyr AbO Biftm. ~ (It Is neeessal)' 10 cor-
recI the readi"l of B. T. A. E"e"$, who writt$ the
name ~islcmly as Abo) Baghim; Bibm .. a ,;orl.
an! of PH01BMl_.) Thf aulhor dcscrihes this mono
aslery as ~inll ~u1TOUnded by • wall and possessinll
a mill, an o,..,n. an 011 JlffU, a largc and lofty keep.
and a garden ",ith dale palms and OIher Il-ec•. Tltc
caliph~ had fndo>o-ed il wilh lwenty fedda~. (acres)
of black eanh, One of tlte Ghuu or Kurds took
possession of it in A,H. 569/A.1), 1113-1I14, turned
lhe churclt inlO a mOJquc, took over the garden
and tlte (edd""•. and lived in Ihe keep, but he died
within the year. which pre'fnled Itim from realiz·
ing lite whole of hl~ design.
AbU ¥-lii) i$ Ihe only one known 10 havc men·

ti6n~d a Da)'T Abu Biftm at s.omllo'l!.
.otAUORlZI
(1353) menlions two mon_erie.. dedbled to AbU
Bibm (P'ltoibammon), one near ASYiIT. in 1M r'tliOn
of OOWl'KJUl (or U<!runbb), on lbe "'nl bank. and
lbe OIMr more W llIe """,th. ~ Ti..... OO".oo..t
12 milel (40 km) from the lim. Thf: SY~""
l'eCOIoius two martyts by the .... me <:l PhoRIa",·
lIIOfI: the one edmn.ted. on 27 Tilbdl ..... manynd
II 1ill'4. and Ute out cdd>n.ted on 1 8Il'Q,w, dift!
and ..... buried an< A$yU!.
No monauery of this _ is _ . known In 1M
rqion of Salnilu!.
DAYR ABO BIFAM f!imi). Al·au.ORlZl (185J,
Vol, 2. p. 507; 1845, 1'1'. 43 [te"I), lOS [nans.))
re~n to a Monastery of Abu Bifam (die tWO edi·
tio"5 wron&ly give the Ilame as Abu Baahim) sil<..t·
td outside TimA on the left bank of the Nile, about
12 miles (20 km) from ABO TIl, Today no existinll
monast~ry in the region bea.... thb nam~,
Howevu, the SY/iAXARlON, in hs Upper Egypl reo
cension, menlions at 27 Tii~ the manyrdom of
Saint PK()IIlAM!.ON. -.laling that lie was be.... acIed to
lhe "'ftt of Tim:li and tltat a nu.nyrium was coo'
structe<! for him lhet-e....tle,... numerow miracles
we~ accomplished (Bassel, 1916.1'1',711-26: fOl"-
~t, 1905, pp. 420-28, and 1922. 1'1'.• 19-30); one
shwld .ead al the: tnd in W"" lWO edilions "al
OimnO, in lhe land of Allrmlm n
Th~ nOlk~ aboul
).
lhe mar1)T Saint OIympjus fa,- JO Tubtioh in Ih~ sin·
d~ manlUCripl r:L Luxor staleS thai he was buried al
Sabmr:rn. to the WO'Sl of Tuni in the land of ON,
arwl that his cl>ureh is situated M t _ tha.l of P/lo.
ibamrl'lOfl and that of Pecos". The mIlnasiery of
...meh a1-Maqrtz1 speaks ml.l5t ~,...fo,oe have been
01 SaIamWi, a ,;Jlage also situaled on th~ left bank,
near Tim.li. S. Cbr\c'slisl (p. 212, no. 26) 5110_ a
e ....rch dedicaled 10 Abu Bifim al limA and anoth-
~r to Olympius (in Arabic:\bo Umbah).
This Saini Phoi.~n "difJ~~nl from Ihe one
buried near AsyU! (DAYR ABO .",AN at AsyU!) and
e~lebrated on I a..:olnah, ahhoueh lhe edition of
lhe Synaurion by 'Abd al-Masl!:, Mrtdti'll and Ar·
mIn>", l:Iabashl sm.!" al·B;rrniwl (1913, Vol. 2, pp.
285-86) confuses them with one another. to lhe
poine of itnoring the one in As)'ll\.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
erum, W. E. The MOM<I.tt:ry of Epiph(m;". at
Thtbu, Vol. I, 1'1'. 101-110. New York. 1926,
RE.N&(;.EoRGE$ COOUIN
DAYR ASO DARAJ 697
DAYR ABC DARAJ, Abotrl.5 milcs (68 km) to
lbe SOtIlhwnt of ~ and abootl 160 yards &om the
police swie:tn known lOS Bi'r AbU Daraj, ""d 18
miles (28 Ian) rro.r. 'A)'n Sulthnalt-Ihlot ~ '0 say,
on the road Ihlot runs ala", the Rt:d Sea-are the
n.tlnl; of the Da)T Abu Oaraj. These inc:lude 5CVttal
elemenu oJ dif(""",,,, ac~ and oriJin. 1l>ete an::. first
of all Nabauoean traces., this road heine !he one
taUn 1»' tbe Nabat&aM, and the "'I"""" tower ap.-
pears 10 be r:L Romarl and miliwy OI'ipn.
Some authors have wished to Iltt he~ Ptolemaic
ruins- Hermilli seem indeed to ha~. ilt$talled them-
sel,= Ihen>, and thtT~ Is no doubl th:u several
hermitages ""e.... &lIlUped around a well and a
chun:h. The renown r:L Saini Anlony, whose monas·
leI)" i. not far di$lanl (abottl )1 miles, or 60 kID, as
tile crow flies), and. ,he ..... ter wpply RUmcted the
hermits. A small monm~ry or Center for lhe assem-
bly 01 the hermits on Saturdays and Sundays wa<
constructed there.
1M 1717, C. Sicanl (1982; his sOUrce is unclear)
Iillw lhere lh. Monastery of John Climacus (dar<li
means ".Ieps." wh~nc~ th~ association ","'ith lhe
saint'. work. by th~ titl~ of klimu, for kI;m/U
mea"" "iadder"; Vol. I, p. 42). It "'"'ali in the tIo'enli·
..u. century that archaeologills became interested.
in the $ite and dcs<:ribed it, WilkilUOn mentioned it
in 1823. but his nOlet "'(I'" not W be publisbed
until more lhan a untury 1a1~r (Uttnu.nn. 19'5), p_
27). The site Is described by ~nol author.<: Scaife
(1936. pp. 63-(04), MerNilh (19S2. p. 106), fon·
taine (1955-1~, pp. 53-8), Martin (1966-1971),
and Mrinardll$ (1%S. pp, 364-65; 1977, pp. S09_
510)
BIBLlOGItAPHY
Fontaine, A. L. HLes llr.tineI du hir Abou Dang our
Ie golfe de Sun S.. /klin a", ,.. Sociiri a·"'t<Uks
H
~ ",t PtW'tlphrqwes de l'Ut~me <k S.. e;: 6
(1955- 1956):55-8).
Linmann, E. "Nabalean Inscriptions from EgypI.."
8 ..ll",t;n of ,h", SdlOoJ of o,;IllItal anti Africa"
SJ..J;~ 15 (1953):1-28,
Martin. M_ P, "les Ennlt.age5 d'Abou 0....,." B..O...
nn d~ la $0(;1,# d'ArchioJOfie ~opl~ 18
(1966): 1)9-45.
_ _. "Abou Oarq dans La montagne de Saint
Antoine:' 8ulletin de 1"I... t;I,,1 franfa;. d'Archl·
%gi~ or;~"lal", 70 (1971);173-89.
Meinardu., O. cJtrisa"" Etypl, Anc;etll a"d Mode"".
Cairo, 1965: 2nd cd., 1977.
Meredith, O. "The Roman Remains in the Eastern
Oeoen of EI)'pI." Jo..".,al of E~pl;an Arc/Mea/Ogr
38 (1952):9.-111.
698 DAYR ABO fANAH: History
Scaife. C. H. O. "Funller Notes on M'/OS Hormos
.. and So~ Ruins al Abou Danll.'· Bullelin "I
Ihc Fael<ll! of Am (Calro) 4 (1936):63-64.
Skan:l, C. Oel/~rcJ. 3 ~oIs .. ed. U. Mar1in lind S.
SaullCron. Bibliolll~ue d't1ude 83_85. Cairo.
1982.
R£.~.&C~O"as COOIIlH
M.o.UllCl UAnlN. SJ.
DAYR ABO FANAH. [1IIiJ e..lry ~JUJCJ D.YT
Abll Fln<th In- 1_ ~"""'CIn'U: _<led hu-y
<mJ <tTcltiIccmT., i><ehulrn, TccDU aM imporuUll
diginp /hcTe.]
History
This moNoSt"" Q situated to the IK>nh",or:sI of
a1·o\SHMt'r<AYH. beyond the &J:lr YLJsuf and about 2
mil,.. (1 km) lTom ~ Hilr. It the ~ of the
Libyan down. Today oM an oec .... Iy !he dlm:h.
of 1M bas.il"'a type. dHply sunk into m.. oand in the
«mer of a _ mCllll>d Iiw 1>0 doubt concnb the
TUillS 0111.00 monasIef)I, III dtc:oratioft '""'" For iI the
sobriquet Montitery 0111100 CrOloSCS. LoeaI • .adilicm
p1acQ the Iw:nnita&e 01 the founder Myortd the
monas~. at the fOOl 01 I rocky ridge ""lIere the
rcmai"" of a fairly large C0ll5lTUnion of bakcd
brick are Slill visible. The nei"'borinll ~
(mounds) perna", conceal kola'cd cells OT hennil·
"IQ 01 the type ., Kell... and bnA.
The Copcic lUI 01 Ille AI'(lPllTltEGNATA 'Al1lUM.
and II alone. has preserved a sequcIKe of sa)inp
amibuted to "abba 8atIe, ""ho lived in m.. moun-
tain of Houll...• (Chai"e. 1%0, nos. 244-49).
ABO $.lUI:! 11111 '~EHI.I.H (101. 8\/': TIte
Chl/-c;,ti .... pp, 112,(IUI]. 249 [lnUts.]) speW
only of I church dedlcaled 10 Aba Finah not in lhe
rqion of .1·Mhmu"ly" bUI in thlll of al·Khu~~.
thaI is 10 .say. 10 the nonh of MyU!. on the right
Nllk. it cannot Ihenfore be the .same site as that of
the monaStel)'.
The HISTORY OF THB 'ATlIIARCHS menlions the
monaslery I""ice: Ii,..t in conneclion wilh TIlOODOSI-
~s. , monk of Dayr Abo Fanah who was elected
~tri,rch In 1294. and ~«:ond, wilh regard 10 the
childhood of the patriarch MATTIlE"" I, en which lhe
judgment of IbrAhim. superior of the monastery. i~
repotted (Vol. 3. pl. 1. PJI. 134, 137 [text]. 230. 237
[1<11IlS.)}.
AI·lI!.I.or.Ill 0853. Vol. 2. p. 505; 1845, pp. 41
[texl], 101 [tnn..] silua.ted the monastery very ex·
""tty '·to the netth 01 &nl KhiJid" and "in the
proviIKe of Minyfl." He noted that it waa built of
stone and was a line pi«:e of an:hite<:lure and t1ulOl
i' fennerly ~heltered a thouosancl mOllQ l:l\>t lhat roo
more ilian Iwo remained
A life of Solin! AbU fanah is presel'\'ed In II Ieut
lwo manuxripts (Gnf, vo1. I (1941). p. 533. and
Vol. 2 (1947). p. S(W: see 1150 Umil $ili~ Nakhlah.
1942). E. F. lomard (1121. Vol. 4. pp. 327-29) li_
m., $Uote of the monastery and ilS plan &I the time
of Napolcoo'$ expedition.
G- Maspcro (11l91. p. S I I) speculates lhat the l:0frI
perhaps conccW I temple of Osiris. (See .boo 0..
~. 1920. pp. 153-58. &lid 1917. p. 197.) The
Arabic life (Nalional Libfwy. !"am. Arabe lS3. fol.
216') .ilUal.,. the henniutae 01 AbU Finall "In lhe
l1IOUntain. 10 the ";<:31 of the nllage called BUflr.'·
-~,
Chaine, M.• cd. ApopJu},epttu. 1'<tlrWn, 8ibl~
theque d·erud.,. coptes &. Cairo. 1%0.
I>lIrasy. G. MAbowir d·Ac"mOlInein.~ A",.ales dl<
&mec des AntOqwiru de I'£eple 19 (1920):ISl-
".
_ _ MIndK:alcur topCJpaphlquoe du 'UvI"e de!
:Perles cn~ C1 dol ....,.mre prkiewt...• B..JJe1in
<h rJ"w1ll "'."fa;' d'Arclai%tU: ori«nI,,1e 13
(1917):175-230.
loonard. E. f. '"Environs d·Hetmopolis. Dqr
Ahou-FAneh.... In Ck$&rip,iotI Ill"" I'Eo1'le. Vol.
M
5. i9. pp. 327-29, ed M. lomani Paris. 1121.
Jullien. M. "Quelques anciens cOt....en~
do: I·Ecwte. v MUsic" CQlhofiquc 15 (19'03):212-14.
Kamil SlIIn;. N.a1th1ah. ''Summary 01 the Life 01 S&inl
Abu finlh." In ~/"I N,,;,4al al·Ka..l·u 3
(1942): 16-18.52-54. C.lro. 1942,
lau)'. J. Les P""i"lurti des CQIIwnU d" tUSCT! d'Es·
n~. pl. 2. p. x~•• nd n. 3. M~moires publi~ par lei
membrcs de 1"mliIU! fran~ls d'Archeologie or-
ientale 94. Cairo. 1975.
Mar1in. M. fA. fA."re d' d'ir aJ.[),lc" Anlinol. Biblio-
I~e d'etudes copies 8, Cairo, 1971.
_ _. "Notes i~diles du 1'. luilien sur trois mOfl·
:o;;t~res ch~ien. d'Egypte." 8"1I,1i,, d, /'/"JI;'UI
"'an,a;J d. Arcltec/<>Kic <>r/.",~Ie 72 (1972):120-
24 and p1. 22.
Maspero. G, "NOles au jour Ie jour." Proc",di/lgs 01
lite Society of Biblical Archer-lev 13 (1891),298-
315: 407-437: 496-525.
Meinardus, O. Ch,i",o" Egypl. A"d'''1 o"d Mc>d,,,,.
Cairo. 1965, pp. 262-63: 2nd cd .• 1977, !'P, 31>4-
M.
MOllnerel de Villard. U. Lcs Cr-I/~lIIIJ prlJ de 5<>h.
o~. p. 62. n. 2. Milan. 1925: this .;~U I Ihon
 DAYR ABO FANAH: Architecture 699

(fia.
",.
bibliogaphy and ITprod\oces JoonllTd'a .....

Munier. H. "'l.n Monumenl$ copIcs d'apoa k$ Q .

ploJations dJJ I'm Mkhd Jullien. B"Ued.. de /.II
R

SocOltl d'~ coplC 6 (19010);1-41-68. e$p.

'-41-.52.
_ _ "Chronique (1941) lV: Deir Abu Fa....." &1.
Itl'" .Ie /11 &J<:illl d'A""io!o,ie ("ople 1 (19-41):115.
Sardo c. cn"...u. eel M. Martin, Vol. 2, pp. 100-
101. u,iro and Paris. 1982.
REN£.GEOIlGES Coo\.IIN
Mo.lJUCE MARTIN. S. J.

Architecture , ..,
i r"1
'-.., ._"
J :
Of It.. ntant buildings. only part of the churl:h i
from lhe $Ixlh ce",ury now rises abo\" the lround.
••
i
It is U5ed occasionally e~n tod..y for .m;ne $n'Vice
and is for this rn-. wrTOOlndod by a woircase
, !
".
)
o --
., ...,,
:: :
:1..:
:• ]•
·:• ,•
; o o
• •
i• i•
·,1
•
i•
•
o o
• ••
!d
."
ili o o o
•
! f:

..
Plan of the mlft.. Wed basilica ~..,I'ed aI (00)1'
Abu F....... ill 1987. Co.-"Uy Ptlt, G _ ".....

conotruc.ion and prol:ecli~e brid: ......tIs inlend~ 10

Plan of the sixlJ>.c....1UfY church at Dayr Abu FinaJl.
CO"rl~ Peler GTO._II.....
hold back t"e sand. Where... t"e outer walls of lhe
church llI'e .eill "'ell pr~rved. the ,nterior has
men ahered through Ihc 'n..,,,ion of thid brick
columns and several new partition walls. In shape,
the sancluary is a triconcl>; however, i15 individual
rnernber"$ are given unequal trealment. The c:a.cem
apse is ~mjdo:ular and adorned ..1m a circle of
engaged columna. The Inns''ene space In £ronl of
it is narrower and hu a simple reclanl"lar ahape.
700 DAYR ABU HALBANAH
Strangely, the triconch at fir!t stood alone (Gross-
mann, 1982, fig, 25). This fact reveals that a change
of plan look place with regard to the lateral cham.
be.-s of the sanetual)', In the original plan, these
were designed to endose the triconch on both
sides, During the completion of the church, howev-
er, the connections with Ihe rear pam were walled
up to produce t""o ""parate rooms, At the west end
of Ihe church the ",ual return al~le is found. The
entrance is on lhe nonh .ide. There was nO weStern
entrance, Of the original furnishings, various re-
main. of paintings on the wesl wall and at the
western end of the nonh wall have been preserved.
The painting in the apse is of more Teeenl dale.
Still surviving are a few column capitals, which are
not original to lhe building, The cornice o,'er the
primary triumphal arch is original, and this ensures
the dating of lhe edifice to the sixth century,
Other buildings belonging to the mon""tery are
visible nonh of the church. In 1987 an Austrian
mission excavating in this area discovered another
three-ai.led basilica, datable to the sixth century, It
has a tripanite nanhex wilh traces of stairs in lhe
middle and the usual return ai.le. The ap.e has
""veral wall niches llanked with pilasters. 11. lloor
is raised one step above the lloor level of the nave.
The lateral paslOphoria are arranged in such a way
lhat they encircle the apse on three sides.
To the o<>uth of this new church and among othe.
buildings, some vel)' broad halls ba"e been un-
earthed, similar 10 those until now known only
from B~wl!. The ta.gcr one is furnished, as in
Bawl1, with a relatively small apse in the longer
eastern wall, Probably these halls were used as
prayer halls for the regular se"'ice hours. The other
buildings might be understood mainly as lodging
hou",. for the accommodatictn of lhe monks. Trac-
es for the location of the refectory have not yet
been recognized.
BIBLk,GR,l,PHY
Adli, S. "Se>'eral Churches in Upper Eg)-pt:' In Mil.
teiltmgen des Demsch.n ArcJ.iialogisch.n [nsrl-
/Uts_AbUiilmg Koiro 36 (1980):8-9, fig. 6.
Buschhausen, H. "Die Ausgrabungen "on Day. Abu
Fana in Mitlelligypten im Jahre 1987." Jahbuch
dO' OSle"'-.'chi,chen ByZtlnlini.lik 38 (1988):353-
".
Grossmann, P. Mille/aller/ich. Langhau .•kuppelkir.
chen und vetwandle Typen in Oberiigyplen, p. 78,
fig. 25, Gluckstadt, 1982.
Jomard, E. F., ed. "Environs d'Hermopolis, Dayr
Abou Hneh." In Descriplion d. ['Egypt., Vol. 4,
pp. 326ff., 2nd ed. Paris, 1821.
Manin, M. "Notes in"dites du P. Jullien sur lrois
monast"res chretiens d'Egyple." Bullelin de /'In-
sFilm fran~als d'Archiolagie ori.ntal. 71
(1972):119-24,
Timm, S. Das chrisrllch-kopl;sch. Agypten in ara·
blscher Z.it, Vol. 2, pp, 573-74, Wiesbaden, 1984.
PETER GROSSMANN
DAYR AB'O I:IALBANAH_ Thi' monastery is
mentioned only by ABO ~Ll1;l11lE ARMENtA'" (1895,
p. 243). He states that it i' to the east of AKHMIM and
that a spring there Aows from lhe mountain and
ruu, into a basin, It may be remarked that to the
east of Akhm!m there is today a large wadi called
wAdi al-Jilbll.nah, whose name may correspond to
that anested by Abu ~i~. This could be so if the
copyi.t has forgotten a diacritical point under the
lener j, the laner having the same form as the 1) and
being distinguished from it only by a point placed
below the lener. It must be noted that aJ-Qalqa·
.handl at 3 BaramMI in the Coptic calendar (Co-
quin, 1975-1976, pp, 398-99) rec,m:ls that there
was a cult of a saint by this nick-name (JilbAnah-
gi.'en perltaps because he fed himself on wild beans
for which the word is julbanah: .ee Jomard, Vol.
17, p. 88), One would be tempted to identify Dayr
Ahu J:Ialb~nah either with Dayr M;l.r Jirjis (which,
however, is to the south of Akhmlm) o. with Dayr
al-'Adhnl' (which i. less than 2 miles [3 km] from
the beginning of WAdi Abu JilMnah). In the eight-
..nth century a t",veler, AI..is Ben, a major in Ihe
Ann)' of the Orient, said he saw near Akhmlm wbat
he called "Dei. HaJaouba·Conte" (Couyat, 1911. pp.
))9-84). Could Dayr Abu J:IalMnah be seen in this
badly spelled name? This nearby spring, which run.
into a basin, resemhl", a site called DAYR AL-SAB'U
ltBAL (M'>nastery of lhe Seven Mountains) by al·
Maqrtll (1853, Vol. 2, p. 504).
All the same, European trayelers since the eigh·
teenth century ha,'e described a site 10 the east of
Akhmim that .trangely r ..embled tMt noted by Abu
~Ii~ and lhat they called "Dermadoud" (Dayr
Ma'dud or Dayr al-Madwid: d. lucas, 1719, Vol. 2,
p. 362, and Pococke, 1743-1745, Vol. 1. p. 78);
Maspero (1886, pp. 232-42) described the slate of
the site in 1880-1886. Meinardus gaye a more reo
cent description of ilS state (1965, p. 298: 1977, p.
410).
It seems then thaI we may identif)· Abu -\,'iJih's
Dayr AM Halbanah with the Da)'r al·Ma'dUdI.

StSl.IOGJlAPHY
Coquin, R.,G. "le Calendrier copte des f~tes de
saints cbe~ al·Qalqasbandi." Pamle de /'Orie~1
6-7 (1975-1976)'387-411, Vo's, 6-7 are also "fe,
langu Graffin (Studies presenled 10 Prof, Fr, Graf-
fin).
Couyat, J, "Oayr Abu Halbanah." From the notes of
Alexis Ben, Chef de bamillon d'artillerie dans
l'armee d'Orient. Bulletin de /'lnsritUi franrais
d'A.rchiolope orimtale 9 (1911):137-84,
Jomard, E. F. D••aipiion de l'EfYpte, Vol>. 11_17,
Elal moderne. 2nd ed., Paris, 1822.
Lucas, P. Trolsi~me voyage du s;eur Paul Lucas fall
.n 1714. Rouen, 1719.
Maspero, G. "Rappon a 1'1nsliml egyptien sur les
fouilles el lravau~ e~ccutes en Eg>pte en 1885-
86." 8ulleli~ de "lnslilul d'Egyple (2nd .or.) 7
(1886):232-42.
Meinardus, O. Christian Egypt, Anciem and Modern,
Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed., 1977.
Pocock<, R. A Description of Ihe EaSI and Some
Olher Coumries. London, 1743-1745.
Rt.'Ot-GOOIl.GES CoQUIN
DAYR ABfJ I;IINNIS (Mallawl). [This emry con-
sisrs of Iwo articles: the hislory 01 Dayr AM Ifinnis,
a~d ils b"ildi~gs. The firSI part suk.< 10 reconcile
anciem records referri~g 10 the dayr with e.<isting
",Ins, The second part ""amines a presem-day
church and il. incorporalion of the earlier church,
as well as a quarry cavern Ihat w"s once used lor a
CMuFCh.)
History
The name of Dayr Abu J:Iinni. generally desig·
nate. a Christian village: an ancient basilica, whieh
today "TVes a. Ihe parish church; and the great
UUItA with a rock-CUI church in Ihe mountain•. Tbe
whole is situated on lhe rilbl bank of the Nile, to
the soutbeast of the min.; of Antina(' (AI·Shaykh
Abadah), A map of the .it~ is given b}' ], CleMt
(1902, p, 45): Ibe plan of the caves in Ihe mountain
is supplie<! by M. Manin (1971, p, 67).
As for many olher Chrislian siles in Egypt, it is
difficull 10 reconcile tbe arehaeol<>gical dala wilh
the infonnalion in surviving documents. The
founh·cenlUl)' HISCORIA MONACHORUM IN AEGYI'TO
(1971, pp. 44-45) speaks of an ascelic living in Ihe
desen of ANTINOOPOUS in a cavern very difficull 10
reach. PAtL<DWS, wbo Ii,'ed al Antina,!; from 406 10
410, me~tions in lbe HistOlia l<",s;"cl1 the large
number of monks and hennits living in the caves
DAYR ABU I:iINNIS: History 70)
(1898-1904, Vol. 2, pp. 151-54). He also mention,
Ihe manyriurn of Saint COlllrrHUS. Thi. same mar-
tyriurn is cite<! ".eral times in Coplic te~ts, as in
the reports relating to Saint Claude of Antioch
(GOOron, pp. 642, 650, 654), Abu ~lili~ (fol. 86b;
1895, pp. 110 [te~I), 244 [trans.]) memion. al An·
tina,!; only the monaste'1' of Saint CoUnthus with
the body of tbe manyr.
AI.MAQRt~1 (1853, Vol. 2, p. 503: 1845, pp. 38
(text], 93 [lnIllS,) speaks of Dayr Abu a!·Ni'nli', oul·
side of An~inli (Amina,!;), fonning pan of the mosl
ancienl conslructions in Ihe town, Ils <hureb wa,
in Ihe qa.fr (I",",''''), not on the ground, and was
dedicated to JOHN COI.OOOS (the Dwarf; in Arabic,
al.Q~ir), whose feast;' on 20 Blibah. A!·Maqr1zi
repom Ibe legend of Ibe coming of John Colobos
to Antina,!; wben he fled from SCErIS before Ih.
Muic.. in 4()7. But documenlS indicat. Ihal John
C<>lobos took refuge not in Antilla<! but at al·Q u l.
~iim (ClYSMA). H. G. E,·e!yn·White- has adva~ced Ih.
hypolhesis Ihal th. reference 10 Jobn mighl be 10
JOHN KAMA, wbo died in 859 (1932, pp. 151-58 and
307, n. 3), Tbe lrue idenlity of Ihe SainI John to
whom this churcb of AbU I;linnjs is dedicated is sTili
uncertain.
J. Dores.. wanted 10 include this .ile in whal h.
called "the independent monastic movement" of
Middle Egypl (1952, pp. 390-95; 1970, pp, 7-29),
But tbe mo.! celebra.ted sainlS of tbis independent
mona,;lie mm'ement do not appear in Ibe published
inscriptions.
The major archaeological siles of Dayr Abu !:lin·
ni. are Ihe laura in the moulllain and the church of
the village (see below).
Th. <burch and lbe cell. established in ancient
quam.... have been described by lravele"l such as
Vansleb (1671, pp. 384-86; t678, pp. 230~32): Sic-
ard (1982, Vol. 2, pp. 83-86): Granger (1145, pp.
128-29); loman:! (1821. Vol, 4, pp. 272-75): and
Jullien (1894, pp. 495-96).
..... ~.,,:..::~............... -_.,
l ----~.... -----... ---,-,...---- ----,
~-
ilL
/
Plan of the ,'iIlage churcb at Dayr Abu !:Iinni., Cou,·
tesy Peter Grossmann,
•
702 DAYR ABO l:IINNIS; Buildings
H. IAclerq (1903- 1953. VoL l. ,01. B5l) thinks
,hat Ihe mclr.<UI church is the mattyrium of SainI
CoIJuthus about ..,hieh tbe Greek and CopIic IUU
and AbU ~il:' _peak. If this is correct. !he «ry
ulenSive bwa (_ Martin, 1911. pp. 66~) could,
alonl ....h Saint Me... in the Mareotis rqion. pro-
rid.e lIlo with one of tbe bost aamples in Em1X of
mae _ c or Icss .ubI.. $abliihmc:nts 01. free
monlu. "sanobar\a. ~ 1m... by puraetlec on the
oulSkins of lowno and;n the senicc dlhe manyria
(.- Frend. 1969. pp. S41---"9 and FenwT, 197•• pp.
39-61).
In lhe ,·,Illov church. in the noM annu of !he
saOC1111ry. an a""itnl oflering-tabl... lOday p\aced as
an allar SCone, was OIlC," used as a fuM"n)' "elL II
has often ~n published and lnlnsl.l~ Ihe best
study WinlUlaI of M. CnU1"~' (1941. Pl'. 5-7: pno-
lognl?" by Pel"r Grossmann. 1971, pl. 37, cj. The
~cl)' numerous inscription!. Coptic, Syrlac, Greek.
and A....l;Hc, h.~c b<:M published more or len com·
plelely.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cl~.t. J. "N"t". arche.>lOiiques cl phllologiquc,,"
8"1I,,'i,, de 1'I",/il,,[ /'''rtf"i. d'/l.TcheolUfie 0""'"
,,,Ie 2 (1902),49-67.
Cnllner, M. Dk Tom,J,;l~g~ bri den J(opItn. Vienna
and lcipziJ, 1941-
Crom, W. E. Coptic M07l"",~ ..ls, P. 16, no. 8321.
Cairo, 1902.
Daresy, G. "RenseignemenlS sur la pl'OYCnance dies
M~ coptcli du MuXc du ean:' .t...... I£1 d..
S.n'ice des .t..tiJ;..ilis <k /"Ecp'~ 13 (1914):164\-
H_
Doo'eMc, J. HRechcrches d'arcMolope ,opte: La
lI\Of!lI$tfta ~ "'O)'Ml"" E.«;yple." C_ples ,(>.dus
J~ r.tc.dhnu. d£1 frut:.;p6t.>fU .., bella I..ma
(1952):390-95.
"~res ~ moy"1J>C EcYPte." S..I/elift
tl~ I.. SociJ.tl frtm".. ~ .recn'lOlop 59 (1910):1-
29-
Evelyn-Whi"', H. G. 110.. MottllSl~';'U ." IJo~ W..d....
1/.."".., Vol. 2. New Yorl<. 1932-
Fenoyl, M. "Une Inscription funtnoi.... bili.....,e...
B..lleli" tk Id Soci/li d·.. ~JrioIOfi" COple: 17
(1964):57-61.
Fe~ricr, 1+.. " ..... Viii... Ie dbcrt:' 11'1 Lu Mysti'luu du
diurl dims /"lsl"m, I. Jud"Ism" ..I I~ C~risti" ...
<Sm... Gordes, 1975.
Frend, W. H. C. "Circumcelllone! and Monu:'
Journ,,1 0/ The%gle,,1 Sludi~s 10. pt. 2, new 5er.
(IQ69):542-4Q,
Caltler. E. "Coptica-;>mblca. Coptic.:' B.. II~I/" de
/''''slilul {"",,,ois d'Archiolc';.. ori~,,'O/" 5
(1906):87-164: Pl'. 112-15 ror the slela from
Day. 1+.\)(1 l:Iinni5.
Ciodmn, C. Tutu ropIu ,..I..ri{s of ......., CJ....d.
d'A..UocM. In PO }S, &.tcW;;ule 4 [1'1. 166]. Tum-
hout. 1910.
Granl...... Sicur. fI...k"io.. th. VOJtIrc '''iI .... Ec1P<~.
ptu I.. si....' G,,,"t"'• .... 1·......1.. 1730. Cairo, 1145.
Jarry, J. '"La hucripdoN ~ de Dd. Abu
Hcnt>C$ en ~nnc fcypfe."' S ..lkm. tk I"Insti1ul
_ _ "NovYclla iMcription'l c......
fT-"ei:s J'AuMoIo(ie oricrudlc M (1969):111-31.
~ d syriaqucs doe Dor:ir At-. Henll<::L"' Bull..·
grecquco.,
m. d.. Ie Socitlt If"Ard.iolop ct>plC 21 (I97I~
1973):51~18.
Jomard. E. f. "Oacriptlon d'Antinof:' In Dcscri,..
lion de '·EVP'e. Antiqui!b •. Paris. 1821.
Jullito. M. "Lo Grot~ cIc la Basw: Thcba·i,Jc." M~
sions e",hol,ques (1894):.95-96.
Lederq. H. -1+.ntinol!:· In Di<:tiolt....i... J·.. ~htol,,~
ell""i...."e e' IiluTe, Vol. I, col. 2351. Pans.
1903.
Lefebv.... G. Ruuell des inseripticms gruquc>-eltrt·
'ie"""," d·Egyple. pp. fl_f). Cairo. 1907.
Mallon. A. "'Epigraphic COplC:' 11'1 Dicl'o"",,;.. d'.. ,·
elt'a/ogie elt,.tie"n .. el lilu'lie, Vol. 3.. cols_ 2855-
58, Paris. 191f.
Mallin. M. LA u...... de D..;, ,,/·Dil, ol Anrinot. Bibli·
otb~q"e d'~t"des cOpies 8, Cairo, 1971.
Meinard",. O. Chrisli"" Etypl. Ancie"t ""d Modern.
Cairo. 1965. pp. 266-67; 2nd cd" 1971, PI'. 372-
n
Sa}ce. 1+.. H. "'Coptic and Early Chri§lian In""rip-
tions in Upper EaYPt:' I'roo:ecdings 01 I~ Soci..ty
o{ Biblical ArcIt...oIOV 8 (1886):115-91.
SicanJ. C. Oe.....-u. 3 ~ols .. cd. M, Manin and S.
Satmcron. BibliootMque d'l:tuclc 113-85. Cairo,
,"'-
Vans/d>, J. N"..s-clle Rtlatiaot fo~ d.. ;o-ne1
d·.... .....,.~ lGif .... Ecfpf 1611 .., 1673. Paris,
16n. Tnol'l$lalcd t i TIle h~ SIal.. at EDP'.
Lot>c:Ioo. 1611.
Buildlnl'
In t~ small church in .he middle of the pl"C!CnI'
day villl&e have been prcscrvC<! subswttial c1e·
menU of a foundation that may be assigne<l to the
b~ fifth cemuf)'. The naos.• pproached by ana...
thex. had a single .i51.. (Clarb', often reprinted
TC<:onstru<:tion wilh two roW5 of columns [1912. p.
185, pI. 56] i5 to be rcJe"cd) and correspondingly
end,-to preSll ....... tbe 5p<tli.1 proportions-in" ...1·
"li~ely wide apse. on either ,ide of which there i.
room only For comparati~e1y small .ide chamber$.
The sid.. walls of the church "'ere provided with

niches framed by pilasters, There are more niches
in the narthex and in the apse. Toda}' the church
has been greatly modified by various alterations and
internal additions, The naOS has been split by two
thick cross walls imo three sections cO\'ered by
domed and half·domed vaulls. The northern-apse
side room has been widened into a &e(Oond haykal
(altar room). and a baptistery added on the other
side of the north wall. The w"men's area (BAY!
ALoNl:$A'). which occupies the emire south side and
'" which large parts of the south wall were sacri.
ficed, was erected in the twentieth century. Similal'
ly. the semicircular external buttresses "n ooth
sides of the entrance derive fmm a later period.
There is a second small church in the midst "r
~ral hermit caves aoove the village "I Abu
l;Iinnis, on the slope of the eastern desert plateau.
In the literature it cames the peculiar designati"n
"subterranean church." It is an originally shapeless
quarry cavern that was built up f"r use as a church
with the aid of ",me mud brick walk This cave
deserves allention because "f the ournemu. inscrip-
tions and paintings contained in it. The latter, in
C(>/Jtnst to mher Christian paintings in Egypt, c"n·
stitute an imposing pict"rial program with exten·
sive presentati"n "I scene•. such as is not very Com·
mon elsewhere. Acc"rding t" I. Ct.WAI (1902. p.
47), the paintings l>el"ng to the sixth cemury.
[See 01.0: Christian SubjeclS in Coptic Art.]
BTBLIOGRAPHY
Clarke, S. Christian Antiquitie. in Ihe Nih V"lIey,
pp, 181_87 Oxford. 1912.
Cleclat. J. "'N()tes archkllogiques et philologiques.'·
Bullelin de I"lnsritul fron("I. d'Archeologie orlut-
lale 2 (1902):41-70.
Grossmann, P. "Neue Untersuchungen in der
Kirche \'On Oair Abu Hinnis in Minelagypten."
MilleUungen des Dwlsc!>en Archiio/<>gl,ehen (nsti·
luiS. Abteilung Ka ,,,, 27,V971):157-71..
___ "Friihchristliche Baukunst in Ajtvpten."
Spatantike und fruhes :Chris1enwm. Propyliien
/(u~sttes<:hii:hle. Suppl. I. (1977):243, fig. 73.
Timm, S. D". chri'llich.k6plische Agypten In ",,,.
bischer Zeil. V"l, 2, pp. 577-85. WiC!lbaden. 1984.
PETER GROSSMANN
DAYR ABU ISJ:IAQ, a monastery, the chun;;h of
which has been rebuilt, situated at the edge of the
desert on the right bank between two villages
called 'Arab Mitir and 'Arah aJ.'Aw~mir in the dis-
trict of Abnub. It is surrounded by a Christian cem-
etery,
DAYR ABO AL.LIF 703
One cannot with complete certainty identify it
with the monastery of Isaac of which a Coptic man·
uscript speaks (Kuhn, 1978, p, I). A certain number
of parchment lea.'es tbat come from there prove
that the monastery was in use down to the eig;ht-
eenth century (Bunnester, 1975, Vol. 1, pp. 290,
294, 296-301).
The Christian cemetery pmves that this place
played an imponant mle in the Byzantine period
(Kamal, 1903, p. 83). This is explained by its prox·
imity to al·Khu~us, which was "" importallt center
of the Coptic community ill the Middle Ages. S.
Clarke names the church in his list of churches and
attaches it to ai-Hamman (1912. p. 210. no. 20). O.
Meinardu. (1965. pp, 280-81: 1977. pp. 389-90)
describes its present state. He also indicates that a
mawlid (pilgrimage) takes place there in the month
of May,
It is not known which Isaac is intended. Probably
it was a local saint whose Life has nol come down
rather than Saint Isaac of Difre, the martyr cOm-
mem"nte<l on 6 Bashans,
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Burmester, O. Koplisch~ Handschr;ften. Vol, 1, Ole
H,mdschrillenfr~gmente du St"O{<' und Unlv".I·
tiilsbibllolhek Hombutg, Pt. I. Wiesbaden, 1975.
Clarke. S, Christ jan Antiquities In Ihe Nile Valley.
London. 1912.
Kaml1, A. "Rappo" sur la n,;cmpole d'Arab e1-
Borg." Annales du Servii:e des amiqullis de
l'Egyptc 3 (1903):80-34.
Kuhn, K. H. A Panegyric on Apollo, Archlmondrlu,
of Ihe Monaslery of I.aac by Slephen, Bishop 01
Heracleopoll. Magn". CSCO 394. Louvain. 1978.
Meinardus, O. F, A, Chrlslilln EK)-·pl. Ancienl and
Modern, Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed., 1977.
RE.N~·GEORGES COQUIN
MAURtCE MARTIN, S,l.
DAYR ABO ISJ:IAQ (Fanum). Su Dayr al·
Hamm~m.
DAYR ABO JA'RAN. See Monasteries of the
Fayyiim.
DAYR ABO AL.LlF, al$O called the Monastery of
Andrew. who was a friend of Pi,emius and superior
"I the neighboring monastery Dayr aJ·SaHb.
704 DAYR ABO LIFAH
His tife is containe<l in two manuscripts in the
N3Iion:>l Library, Paris (Arabe 4793, 4882), but it
has not yet been publi~hed. It i~ not known if Abu
Uf was simply a ~urname of Saint Andrew, A MUS'
lim sh~ykh "'ars this name at 00$, althou~h it is not
possible to say whether or not these two appella·
tion~ designate the same person (Gardn, 1976, p.
34, n, 3),
However that may be, there is a monastery called
Dayr Abil al-Uf On the left bank of the Nile about
150 reet (50 m) from Dayr al-$alib, of which An·
drew was the superior (O'Leary, 1930, pp, 430-40,
462; Crum. 1926. Vol. I. pp. 114-15).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
CIUm, W, E. The Mo,,~.l/'')' of Epiphan;us at
Th.b••, Vol. I, New Yorl, 1926.
Gardn, J"c. Un Centre m~s~/ma" d. /a Ha~te_
Egyple medievale: Qu., T'''t.s arabe. et etud.,
islamiques 6. Cairo, 1976.
O'Leary, De L. The Arabic Ufe of Pi.ent;us. PO 22.
Paris, 1930,
REN&GEORGES OJQutN
MAuRICE MARTIN. S.J,
DAYR ABO LIFAH. The ruins of this monastery
are situated 1.25 miles (2 km) northwe.t of Q~r
al·5aghah, On the .outheastern spur of the Jalnil
Qa!ranl mountain chain, approximatdy 8 miles (13
km) north of lake Qatiin. Among tbe seven Coptic
inscriptions that Henri MUNtER and Andre Pochan
disc<>wre<! at this monastery, there were two wim
dates, A.M, 402!A.D, 686 and A,M. 574!A.D, 858. Thi$
means that we have dellnite e,'idence <>f its occu-
pancy by C<>ptic monks between the ",.'enth and
ninth centuries. Apart from the archaeological evi-
dence, the Ilrst literary reference to this monastery
i. a fifteenth-century """u.cript published in 1907
by Al,unad Kamlilunder:the title Le Livre du perle.
en'o,,;es. In the Middle Ages t.he monastery was
also known as the Dayr:Abil Banakh. In the ....en-
Ieenth century, Dayr Aba l1fah, th<>ugh in ruins,
was still well known to the inhabitants of the fay-
yiJm, as recorded by J. M. V~NSl.EB, By 1966 the
southern part of the monastery, which was hewn
<>ut of me S<lft sandstone, had broken away. Tbe
only remain, of tlte monastery are two caves that
are cut into the rod. Th. fir$t cave is situated 16
feet (S m), and the second cave 40 feel (12 m),
belo'" the summit of the mountain. Either earth·
quake. or rain must have catlSed the collapse of the
southern seetKm of tlte monasteI)·, entailing a con-
$iderable fall of rock and leaving no more than the
northernmost caves in situ. There is good reason t<>
believe that the last vestiges of Dayr Abu Ufah will
eventually <lisappear as more and more of the
mountain collap•••.
BIBt.tOGRAPHY
Bind, Kun, "Ka" e1 Sagha:' Mi/leilungen de<
deutschen I""ilul' tur ag)-"pluche Allermm.kunae
;n Ka;r-o 5 (1934),I-1O and 4 pI.
Brown, R. H. Th. Fayum ,md Lake M<>en's, p. 52.
Lond<:>n, t892.
Caton·Thompson, G. Tit_ Desert Fay"m, Vol. I, p,
81; Vol. 2, pI. 86, p, 6. Lond<:>n, 1934.
Kam;il, i\.~mad, Le Uvre de. perle. enfoui.., p. 178.
Cairo, 1907.
Meinardu$, O. "Dair Aba UfA Revisite<l." B"lIelin de
10 Sociile d'archeologie c<>pt< t9 (1970):177-80.
Munier, H. "Le Deir Abou-IJfa." B"lIe/;n de 10 so-
ei'le d'arelti%gi. c<>ple 3 (1937):1-5.
Vansleb, J. M. N<>uvdl. Relalion en f<>rme de jour.
nal d'un wyage fail en Ei:)ple 1672 .t 1673. p.
268. Paris, 1677.
Ono f, A. MElN~RDllS
OAYR ABU MAQRUFAH and DAYR AL-
JANA.OLAH. [This article is comrw..d of tw<>
parIS. The first describes tlte loco lion and Itistory of
lite dayr. The second delve. the architecture as
;n/O
revealed in Ihe archae<>/ogica/ remnanlS,)
HiSlory
These two villages are On the border between the
culti,ated land and the desert, on the left bank of
the Nile, about 7.5 miles (12 km) $<>uth of ABO TIl.
in the province <>f ASYUT. These two .illage< now
rona a $ingle agglomeration under the name of
Dayr at.JanAdlah. The hst apP"ars to be the older,
.ince it ;s the only Qne mentione<l in me surviving
documents; Ihe StMe of the Provinces (A.H. 777!A,D.
1375) and the histories by ABO S~UH mE ARMENIAN
and al-MAQR!Z!,
In the rocky cliff about half a mile south of wADI
$ARJ~H i. the Monaslery of me Virgin wim its t"'o
chur<:hes, built into old quarries. The old church
dedicated to the Virgin contains an ahar dedicated
to Ab" Maqriifah (Macrobiu<). 1l al.o contain.
paintings of perwnages thaI are scarcely legible,
 DAYR ABO MAQROFAH and DA YR AL·JANA.DLAH: Architecture
One hour's walk away, in the mountain, there is
aloo a small LAURA called Dayr Maqrufiyus,
The Daye Abu Maqrnfah is mentioned by Ibn
Duqmaq (1893, VoL 5, p. 24) and by AbU ~~]j~ (The
Church••. . , fol. 90',1895, pp. 114 [text], 252
[trans.)). Abu ~a1i~ ..,ems guilty of double confu-
sion, for he indicates that the church is dedicated
to Saint Sergiu" perhaps because of Ihe neighbor·
ing Wad! Sarjah, and situates the monastery east of
Asyii!. AI·Maqrlll (1853, Vol. 2, p. 507: 1845, pp. 43
[text], 104-105 [trans.)) is more predse. According
to him, the name Abu Maqrnfah is that of the neigh·
boring village. The monaste')' is dug in the lower
part of the mountain with a number of caves, is
dedicated 10 the Virgin, and has no water supply.
This corresponds to the pr"",nt sitWltion. At the
foot of the dayr there is a large, deep well of fine
cut stone.
A more recem description is gi"en by M. lullien
(1903, pp. 237-38: see also Clarke, i912, pp. 171-
74). However, the plan of the church hewn out of
rock (pI. 52, fig. 1) appears erroneous, for there i.
no room for Ihe right-hand chapel to the southeast.
The cemeteries at the edge of the village and at
the foot of the Dayr al'Adhr:l.' were excavated by
W. M. Flinder$ Petrie in 1907, and the "elae found
were published by him (1909, pL 54, no. 13; 1907,
p!. 39-40). Th" saints invoked on these funerary
stelae are Thomas, Peter, Joseph, Anup, and Pam·
un; oddly, the name of Macrobius is not there. The
fir$t might be the founder of the monastery W~di
Sarjah.
The saint who gave his name to the village and to
the laura in the mountain is Macrobius, disciple of
MQ;Ses of Abydos, and is mentioned very briefly in
the SYMMRlON' for 7 Baramudah (Forget, 1953-
1954, Vol. 67, p. 64 [text]; vol. 90, p, 65 [tmm.]).
The text of manu,cript C (National Library. Paris,
Arabe 4780, from O.<.YR Al-MUl:lAkRAQ) reads: "Toda)'
went 10 his rest the grell4Pint Macrobius, SOn of
the prince of the town o( lM.w, who lived in the
moumain of Wadi Sarjah," The edition of the Syn·
a""rion by the qummu~ 'A!;>d al·Masfh M!khnl and
the qumm,,~ Armaniyiis J:labash. Sha!;!, al·Birmawl
(1935-1937) gives a more developed IIOtice.
B!BLlOG~PHY
Clarke, S. Ch,-;sti~~ Amiquili'$ irt Ih~ Nil. Valley.
Oxford, 1912,
Ibn Duqm<l:q, Kitllb al·imi~tlr, Des<:riplion de
/'Egyptt:, ed. C. Vollers, pts, 4 and 5. Cairo, 1893:
repro Beirut, n,d.
lohann Georg, Duke of Saxony, Neueste Sirei/liigc
705
durch Kirchert "nd KUhler Agypt.n., pp. 8-10, fig.
10-15. Leipzig and Berlin, 1931.
Jullien, M. "Quelques ancien. "ouvenlS de
l'Egypte." Mi><iorl calholiqucs 35 (1903): 188-9Q;
198-202; 212-14: 237-40; 250-52; 257-58; 274-
76; 283-84.
Meinardus, O. Chnsli~n Egypt, Ancienr and Modern.
Cairo, 1965, pp. 287-88; 2nd ed., 1977, PP, 397-
"
Petrie, W. M. f. Giz~h and Rif~h. L?ndon, 1907.
___. M.mphis, Vol. l. L?ndon, 1909.
RIDi£-GEOR(;E$ COQUIN
Architecture
The old church dedicated to Abu Maqrufah in
Day< a1·JanMlah (Clarke, 1912, p. 171) was disman·
ded .ome time in the mid·twentieth centut)'. About
1.25 miles (2 km) to the southwest, On a mountain
slope in thc area of an I'Jltensive pre·Christian hill·
side quany, lies a walled ecclesiastical precinct of
the same name, It is uninhabiled today and con·
tains two churches and oome unpretentious living
qWll1ers. Both chur<:hes have been regarded as
modern (built in 1865, according to Meinardus,
1965), although included in the older une i. a quar·
t)' ch'e that "'as already .erving as a <:hurch in the
early Christian period. Some of the furni.hings of
this older church are visible on the ceiling and the
walls of the cave. The erection of a few brick walls
and perhaps aloo .ome round column. or pillars
presumably ga"e it the appeamn<:e of a basilica.
The cemml section of the cave, ,",'here more of the
<:eiling has been hollowed out, assumed the role of
the na,·e. The side walls are virtually parallel and
<:on"'in a number of niches hewn out of the rock.
Their upper horder is provided with a gable-shaped
piece such as ;,; known particularly from the niches
of the churrh of the Shenute monastery (OAW ~NJ>A
SHtNUOAH) at SuhAj. The rock walls are plastered. In
se.-eral pl""es extensive fragments of painting are
p~,...'ed, though severely blackened by smoke.
There i. not a trace of the original sanctWlry,
whi<:h, according to the generally required eastcm
direction, would ha"e been positioned in the area
at the cave entrance and must ha"e been built of
bricks. Like the rest of the rooms, the apse;'; mod·
ern. The hij~b (.creen) erected in front i. made up
of differem varleti.. of early Christian decorated
.tone. (tomb stelae and fragments of friezes). It is
possible thai some of these were used in the origi-
nal church. In all probability, this church belonged
 706 DAYR ABU MATTA

co I communily of monks who ..... de thdr homts in

liM: nei&hborinl quarry CI,= II iI 10 be dMed 10
!he _nth C«:'wy_

BlBUOGRAPHY

Cllrt",. s. C/tris1iuI Ant;q..inn i" III", Ni/c Vde].

pp. 1711., pI. 52.1. Olfonl 1912.
Jo~n ~rz. [)uk", of SuOfl)'. N"'"tJU Sfreifli4&e
d"reh Ji", KiYclre.. "'''d K/lhu. XDPu.u. pp. Sf.
Uipzil and Ilrrlin. 19JI.
Mrinardus, O. F. A. Cilluli." EcPf. hreicll ""d
Modun. P\>- 287-38. Cairo. 1965.
PF:ru GIl0iSSM.0.KN , -,
...
• • ·· -,
• ••,

PAYR ABf) MATTA (DAkhlah 01511), eh'" ruins

of a chur<:h lying on a small hill, immrdiaecly lH:.
side ehe road a\)out 12,5 milrs (20 km) nonh of
._. ~ "·._.
,--,, ,

MOt. Ikspiee il$ cOrl$ttu<;tion in simple mud brieks.

it ha$ been preser.-ed remarkably ...",11. The outer
wall. are .till slanding in pan 10 a eonslden.ble
··---.
, ,
,-,
.-.
' ,

heighl. and on all side< several lallle windows can

lH: SUn. The interior f(K"ms a thru..islcd II.loSIUC"
(wronllr dncribrd by Milb [19$1. p. 11l5) as I
,--,,
•••
·._.
, -,,
1""1
~
nine·roomed "meum,). and as in the chu..,hes in
the Nile Vall"')' il is provided with I return Ii.le. , -,
The tancluary has ihc form of a ..iconch wilh
gam .....·shaped side rooms t.Od around the two bt-
.. ,
• •

I I

.-~
era! apsoeI. Whl:,h",r ihe,.., ...-eu lWO h",hl'T col·

~
umm or pilb.", in Ironl of II.. opcnilll of dle ..iu....
phil an:h, ... is the case in 1M odln eumples of
Ej
ihis Iypc in ihe Nilt Valley, was nOl In_ipled
durina ihe oa.-alions in !he dlurch, bus. bee....., ,
•
'''IS_r ~ !lII ~
I
of il:I small w n serm. lhat tho: must be
nt'p:li>"". In any",""", :Ill addilion.al triumphal arch ~
HI: up wi1h the aid of such coIumm would also
haw had to lH: p.....ided wUll .IOUI bullreases lllhe • •

side>.. ChroooIogically. the chun:h is probably to be

U$icned to the bi~ ~ c~nfUry. An QUI¢!" pooleD
(110I 00 lhe plan) ...... iii..... addNI on lhe nil ..de.
The remainillll conslruclioM 1ft lh~ nrightwlrhood Pt.n of 1M church aI Dayr Abo Mad. Cau"UJ Pete,
of lhe church have Ih~ chat'l(.er or mon_1e huild- Gm<_a"".
ings. Sewnl Iaytt$ of H'Ulemenl cln be di.l;n-
",W,ed. Th~ "","",ins of a KEEP' ljD...uq) Cln ~
.. ~n immediately w ..1 of lhe chull'h. Winlock, H. £. EI Ddhl,h O...i.l. p. 24, pl. 10. New
[5<', ~Iso: Archilectural Ekmen15 of Churches.) York, 1936.
PETI:lt GROSSMANN

BIBLIOGRAPHY

MiII1. A. J. '"The Dakhlah Oasis Project:· )()urna/ of DAYR ABC MINA. (Maryill). When a redu.e in a
Ihe Society fat the Siudy of ECpria" o4",lqu;li,. II mill on th" Muqa1!am hills. AbUna Mlnti al·Bartnn1·
(1981):185. $I. w.... enthroned as Pope CUlL VI (1959-1971) and

the 116th patriarch of lhe See of Saini Mark, he was
able to realize hi. old dream of renewing lhe older
monastery of Saim Menas in the western desert of
Mareolis (Maryiil) in lhe neighborhood of Alexan.
dria. Since the excavalions of thai anciem mon ...·
tery were in progress. Cyril VI could sdecl an area
for hi. new foundali"n nearer the Alexandria-Cairo
desert road "ilhin reach "f the "riginalterrain. He
had to .eule the project with the auth"rilies since
this was a mililary region, and .pecial dispensation
for work wilhin lhese precincl$ w1l$ necessary. An
area of 130 acre. was eannarked for this emerprise.
On 25 NovemMr 1960, the pope .tarted building a
church dedicaled 10 Saim Samuel. He included a
row of cell. to accommodate new monks, together
with slructures for a growing library and some
lodging< for pilgrims. In the course of 19M, Ihe
pope laid Ihe foundation for a monumental cathe-
dral in the name of Saint Menas (ABO MIN~).
After his dealh in 1971. lbe pope's remains were
lransporte<! from nAVR MAR MINA in Old Cairo 10 his
new foundation in lhe desert of Mareoli•. The re-
mains of hi. close disciple Bishop SAMUEl.. who was
assassinated wilh Presi<km Anwar al-Sadat on {> Oc-
tober 19$1. were placed be,ide those of C)'ril VI.
Thus the great men lor and his follower are now
emom~d in a traditional pilgrimage area.
MoUNtR SHOUCRt
DAYR ABU M(JSA (Mlsas). The Coptic texts of
MOSES OF ABYOOS give uS some information aboul
hi. monaslery. Moses establi,he<! himself flrsl or all
in proximit)' 10 Ihe temples of Abyd05. at a place
called Pehke; then he wenl off toward the soulh
wi.hing 10 escape Ihe importuning crowd. allracted
by his miracles. Bm he was arresled by a vision and
conslrained 10 relUrn north; he halted a mile from
Pehke, and Ihere. it see""\t founded his monaslery.
Uke PACHOMIlIS. he began l1y construcling an enclo-
sure wall and lhen two wells. one of them for pass·
ing Slrangers. It is said lhal' he founded a communi-
ty of women, and archaeologislS ha,'e discovered in
Ihe lemple of Seli I some graffili Ihal show thai a
communit)' of women li,'ed there. the mosl reCent
of Ihem going back 10 lhe lenth century (Crum. in
Murra)', 1904. pp. 38-43),
ABO ~U1.1 THO. ARMENIAN, at the beginning of the
lhirteenth century, wrote of the monas"ry of Mose.
bul called il thai of Bani Mu.a. which i! no doubl a
fault of his .ource or of lhe copyists (1895. pp.
231-32). He !loted Ihal the monastery was r...tored
DAYR ABO MOsA 707
by its abbot al·!;;afi, who surrounded il with an en·
closing wall: Ihat it was pro,ided with a s~qyah
(walerwhed); and ftnally lhal Ihe body of the saint
""11$ lhere. Abii ;>;!-lil) knew that Ihe real titular saint
was Mose., bUI he did not indicale Ihe predS<' site
of Ihe monaslery; he contented himself wilh saying
"to lhe we.t of lhe Nile:' which is vague. Abu !?-aliI)
related to thi. monastery a miracle lhal occurred
under Ihe palriarch CHRISTOOOUU)S. The column. or
Ihe church oozed. Ihus announcing a fumine, But
lhe HISTORY OF THE PAT1l.IARcHS relales Ihis event 10
the monastery of MOSES THE BIJICK in Wadi al·
Na!,·un. not to Ihat of Mose. of Abydo. (1959. Vol.
2. pI. 3, pp. 189-90 [Iext). 289-90 [Imn •.]).
AI·MAQRlzl (1853. Vol. 2. p. 507) made reference
10 a monaslery in this region in his Jisl of the mono
asleries of Egypl bUI called il thai of Bu Mi""" or
Bii MNs (Moses). He added bul Iiule, saying lhat h
was a large monasleT)' and thai Moses was a nati,'c
of al-&lyan1. which Jinks up with Ihc prophec)' of
SHENIITE anributed to him by the aUlhor of Ihe Cop-
lic life.
II w... not unlil 1718 lhat a traveler, C. StCARD.
mentioned the monasleries of Abydos. He nam""
three, one 10 the south of lhe Memnonion. of which
he mention. Ihe enclosure wall and Ihe walerwheel
(Abll ~lil)'s s<lq)'ah) bul which he calls that of
hchomi"s; one which he calls lhat "of the abbot
Moses, to Ihe west of Ihe village. at the fOOl of Ml.
Modes," which is the prescnt Dayr MUs!. aiso
called DA¥R sm DlMHNAH: and one 10 the south of
lhat of Ihe abbol Mose., bul entirely in ruins (1982.
Vol. 3. pp. 65-6$). There is some chance that Ihe
firsl is Ihe one that Moses founded al Abydos. In
1731 Ihe traveler Granger spoke of Abydos. but nol
of Ihe Monasle'1-' of Moses (1845, pp. 38-39).
In lite early lwentielh centuT)· Lefebvre spoke of
"a long quadrilateral of which only lhe walls of
unbaked brick emerge'· and noled Ihal lhe inhabil-
anls call it lhe "Monastery of the Greeks" (1911.
Vol. 4, p. 239),
The modern description of the monastery thai
bears the name of Moses and of Silt Dimy~nah 10
lhe north""est of Shunal al-Zablb is given by O.
Meinardu. (1965, p. 302; 1977. pp. 413-14).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Granger. (Sieur). Relario" du VOYQge fQ;t ." Egypte.
pilT Ie sieu, Grongu. en I"annee J 730. Pari., 1845.
Lefebvre, G. "Egyple "hrelienne:· "nnales du Setv·
Ice du Q"rlquites de I'Egyple II (1911)'238-50.
Meinardus, o. Christian Egypt, Ancient and Modern.
Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed.. 1977.
 708 DAYR ABO MusA AL·'ASWAD
,....
Mumay, M. 11.. Th~ O~.~;;'n "r AbydOJ. London.
Sicard. C. O"UVTU. Vol- ]. ed. S. SaUl"lft"Ofl and M.
Manin. Bib!iothtq.,., d'o!1ude SS. Cairo. 1981.
Rf.Mt.Cwl(;Q COOuU1
MA~RlCE MAlm~, SJ.
DAYR ABO MusA AL-'ASWAD. The Monas·
rft)' 0( N~ THE au.cx.. ded;c.,ed 10 Our Lady. i:s
situaled ol'J"O'ilt DAn AL.&l.ll.ltoOS in lhe ..'i~
of Widl Habib in u.", Westem Oesen. Though the
JlftCisoc <bit 01 it!; fuundalion is unknown. it is pre-
wmably One or the early monaslerl~. in thl. area,
perhaps from the fourth or fifth cenlury,
II Is menlioned in sub5f'Quent centuries by nu.
merous author"$. In the elevemh century, the Coptic
wriler and <kacon MawhUb ibn Man~r Ibn Mufal'
rij ,"Corded it. uiste""e ." an independent unil;
but al'MAO~I~1 fl970) in Ihe ftfteenlh cenlury Con·
fused II with Ihe neighboring Dayr al·Bartrn11s.
flowe>'er, E. AM£U>lEAU. in his famous Coptic geog.
raphy of E.a.YPt. listod illlS one of ..,~en monasteries
in thll regiorl.
AM MUst al·'kwad, or MoK-s the Blade, I.
Itnown to h'''"e been a founh-cenlury Abyssinian
dave who became a high...a)"'al' inW>l,'ed in rob-
berioeo and murder"$. laler he was reformed and
became a monk of 5Cl:I1S, Ii>;n, as a solitary in a
Ca~e hev>n in the rock opposile Da)T al·8arimo1s.
E\'eI11UlIIl)' othet" monks congrqaled al"OUnd his
alW and 1>uilt thtir 0 ..... cells, which COD$liluled
the afon~tioned """"",ic buno. M'cordin:& 10
M.J,,,,,hllob. the area ...... spanely inltabiled by monks,
wloo poao.ibly prefelTed the sccurily 0( the bellcr
prote<:ted Da)T al·Bar.im(n. The number of monks
was al.l(l depleocd by the Black Dtath of 1J.49 and
lhe famine of 1374_ The Monasle". of Moses lhe
Blxlt ..........tcr1y abaIl.ned and leU inlo ruin.
BIBUOGRAPHY
Am~lineau. E. LIJ Cicgraph;e de I'ED'Ple IlI'Jpoqu~
~oplC. P.a.-is. 1893.
Burmesler, O. H. E. A G"id~ 10 rhe Mommerie. of
W~drn·""o!"'''' Cairo, n,d.
Ew=lyn·White. H. G. The .uo"a'luits of Ihe W~di'" .
....o!r" ... 3 ,'ols, New Yor~, 1926-193].
Meinardu•. O. F. 11.. Christia" evpl, A,tdem and
Modem. Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed.. 1977
FA~l!~ ISHAK
DAYR ABO MOSHA. AI-MAQR1ZI menlions. a
Dayr MUsht (ISS]. Vol, 2. p. 501), which"" place.
"oulSidr: ASYOT. 10 the IOUth of this town. buill in
the name of Thomas. the apo.d" of IrKIia. in the
middle of lhe prdens. nur 1Ulab. In the days of
the Nile {lIoodJ one CIOn reach il only loy boat.. ~
Tbc I'COIl'1Ilf>/lieal llituat>on ~ rlear. k>o- the ,;IJacc
called Mohhllfill exists 10 the ..... lh of Sh...b (Up-
..,lis). 10 thr e*51 of RIfah. on the left bank. Under
ilS Coptic name. Pntoushe. ;t is known as the place
or the maMJ'doo" of Victor of Shii (as in u.", typi-
con of the While Mo..-tery. 0.0..... M<8A SHl!<lnwl.
and the recensiorl 01 the S'lSA.v.JtIOS from Upper
Egypt at 5 Kiyahk). The Synnarion (Basset. 1905.
p. 330) specifies til. Ihis ,illage or Shu is to lhe
CtiI of the viII. of lbsldlyyah, when ABO ~I;I THO';
ARMEHIAN (189S. p. 2S1) places a monastery. AI·
Maqrnl (1853. pp. SIS~19) situates at Musha a
church named fo' Victor, built above a balh. This
ViclOr of Shil ....'as nl.ilnyred at Milsh!. being lhrow..
imo the roaring Furnace of a bath, This church still
exists (Clarke. 1912. p. 210, no. 9), but not the
Monastery of Thorn.". This wllS perhaps Ihe one
placed in Ib.ldlyyah by AM ~lU.1 (1895, p, 252).
BIBUOGRAPHY
Clarke. S. C""'II..... Amiq"il!es in lhe Hilt: V,lIley.
London. 1912.
DAYR ABO AL.NI'NA. See Dayr 1I.bu f:Iinnis.
DAYR. ABO QARQORAH, moaastery d;""'"
ered in I ~ in nJintl al f:Iih,f.n by the author, who
had "-" eor>ductina Firat and Second D)TlaSty ne-
cmpoIis aca''3Cions in Ihe neigftborhood or lha,
lOWtl. This area is supposed to ha~e been in Ihe
pl"OJ<imily of lhe old dynasllc EcJptian aopital of
Iwnu. While digina lhe popular cemetery of that
earty period. the IUI'- came up<m whal remained
of this monastery, which "·as known onl,· from ear·
Iy m«lie,,j literature on Coptic rhurchcs and mon-
aslcries by lhe Iwelfth-cemury writ.r ABO At.-
MAK.-IRIIot. wrongly escribed 10 AbI:l Sili~ lhe Arme-
nian. The wriler stales that during the reign of
'Abd...I·'Aziz ibn Marwin. Umayyad ~iceTOY of Emt
(68~-706), a monllSlery by Ihe name of Dayr Abu
OarQar or Oa'Q(jrah, possibly an "'....bie cOmJpliorl

of the Coptic Gregorio" existed between Shahriin
and Hilwan a few miles ""ulh of Cairo on the right
bank of the Nile, The writer associates that monas-
tery with a bishop of al·Qa)'" a district at Ban!
Mazar in the province of Min)'a in Middle Egypt.
whose name was 'Oregorios. There is a lacuna in
the manuscript of that work that make, it difficult
for u, to define the ,pecific paniculars or founda·
tion date of that monastery. But Abu al-Makarim
states that it Was restored and extended during the
regency of '''bdal.'A:d~ ibn Ma~n by his servants.
who were Melehite,. for the fonieth palriarch of
the See of Saint Mark. JOHN ttl (677-686), The work
was performed in the name of Saint George.
There i, no doubt that this monaW,'I)' was in a
very fine ,tate of pre,ervation in Ihe 'e\'enth centu-
ry, It is known that in the year 692. a plague broke
out in Egypt and spread to the capital al·Fusf9.( (Old
Cairo). which was the UmaJ'Yll.d viceroy's seat. For
this reason. 'Ab<!·al-'A>J. ibn Ma~n Icft the capital
and went S<Juth toward ':Iilw;\.n and. according to
tbe bistorians al·Shabusbt; and AbU al.Makarim.
·Ab<!·al"Azjz re,ided as a guest for a while in that
monastery. As he seemed to like the area. he or·
dered the construction of his Own palace there for
pennanent residence. which gave ':Iilw"n royal sta-
IUs. A hath built in that region by 'Ab<J-al-'Az!.
around that date was discovered during the modern
restoration of the city in 1872.
This Coptic monastery must ha,'e been one of the
largest on record in Egypt, Its excavation has re-
vealed the enormous number of sixty·six n)("T1$ Or
monastic cells. The coun in the middle of the Slruc·
ture was a vast space, divisible into Ihree ""ctions.
In the nonh part existed an orchard. and still ,'isi-
ble are the holes or ditches in the soil that were
preparod for filling with Nile silt to fenilizc trees.
Ponions of the inigation aqueducts, where the
monks "",d burnt bricks taken from the tombs of
the ancient Egyptian cemfr-ery. are still to be seen.
In the .outh part. there was a large reserv"ir where
We monks stored water. Next 10 that resenooi..- as
a stntcture of strange des;gn by which eanhen are
jars were fitted into holes resembling pigeonholes
in the walls. The purpose of that struclUre is uncer-
tain. Throughout the floors of the monastery build·
ings we may witness traces of piping and drainage
canals, In the south also is to be found the remains
of a moderately sized chu",h. Beyond the chu",h
still farther south .....as situated a cemetery wbere
thirty·six graves were excavated and found to con-
tain skeletons in a bad state of preservation, No
DA YR ABU SARABAM 709
special item, of value were found in the"" wmhs
except porhaps wmb 1, where an i,·ory was found
that showed traces of Coptic leuers.
From the nature of pottery and glass fragments
found on the site one can establish that the mnnas·
tery was of Bytanline origin. What is certain is that
it was heavily populated with monks at the time of
the ~AAB COloo:QUEST OF EGYPT.
The excavation has revealed liule in the way of
objects of art. Howewr. a Coptic earthenware lamp
and a Coptic copper cros, were found in the debri,.
Also a fe..... bronze and copper coins were rceov-
ered, but not identified. Perhaps the most imponant
objects of historical importance di.covered in the
.....hole exca."ation were four gold dinars, two dated
698, a third dated 699. and a founh 700. It must be
assumed that the monastery remained inhabited un-
til Ihe eighth centu'Y'. Afterward it fell into decay,
and its contents were collected by treasure hunters
o,'er the subsequent cenluries.
[Su Gho ':Iilw;\.n·l
BIBUOGRAPHY
Atiya. A. S. "Some Egyptian Monasteries According
to Ihe Unpublished Manuscript of al-Sh:ibushti's
Kitllb GI Diyilrill," B"lIel;n de I" Sodeli d'archeo/-
ogie copu, Vol, 5. uiro. 1939.
Sh:ibusht!. Abii-al-l;Iasan 'All ibn Mui:'ammacl al·. Jtl.
DiyilrM, ed. Korkis 'AwwAd. Baghdad. 1951.
Zaki Yusd Saad. The ExC/walions at He/wan. Nor-
man, Okla,; 1969.
ZAKI YUSEF SMo
DA YR ABO SARABAM (near Minya). The most
explicit of the ancient authors regarding this man·
astery is .....ithout doubt al'MAQRlz! (1853. Vol. 2, p,
518), for he described "in the district of Dayrul a
chu",h near the to.....n. as well a,< a mona,<tc'Y"
named after the monk Serapinn. who [i.'ed in the
time of Shenute and was elected bishop." It may Ix
a case of this monastery. since a confusion of spell.
ing is possible in Arabic between SarabAm and
Serapion. lbe name does not appear to be attesled
elsewhere in relation to Dayrut and DayrU( al-
Shartf.
Y~qolt, in the thirteenth century, also called the
village Darw;!.t Sarahf,m (1870- I 873. VoL 2, p. 570).
~B(J ~Ul;l (1895. p. 222) also called it Da""At al·
$arabam, hut he does not mention any monaste!)·.
710 DAYR ABO SAYFAYN
E. OUATREM~RI! (1812. p, 13) contented himself
with citing al·Maqrizl. G. MASPERO (1919. p. 197)
referred to E F. Jomard's description (1821). The
monastery was described by the Iatler (Vol. 4. p.
187) as a small deserted monaslery now serving as
a cemetery. to the northeast and ,'elY close to
Dayn.'i! al.sharif (Clarke. 1912. p. 208. no. 12). In
Ihe maps of the Survey u{ Egypl (1907) the monas-
tery is called Abu SUryin Mo"aslery and situated
less than a mile to the easl of DayN!.
BIBI.lOGRAPHY
Amelineau. E. La G~ographie de I'Egyplt " /'ipoque
caple. Paris, 1893.
Clarke, S. The Christian Antiquilies in the Nile Val·
ley. London. 1912,
Jomard, E F. De,criplion de l'Egyptt. Vol. 4. Paris.
1821.
Maspero. G. "Notes au jour Ie jour." Proceedings of
the Society of Biblicol Archaeology 13 (1891):298-
315, 407~37, 496~525; 14 (1892):170-204: 305-
27; 20 (1898):123-44,
Maspero. C" and G. Wiet. Maliriaux pour servir ala
giographie d'Egyple. p. 87, Mimolr"" de !'lnstltUl
fran~ais d'Arcbeologle orientale 36, Cairo. 1919.
Ouatremhe. E. Ob,ervalions Sur quelques poinlS de
la geographie de I'Egypte, Paris. 1812.
Survey af Egypl. Doiro, 1907. Conlal". maps of
Egypt.
YAqut Ibn 'Abd AllAh al·l:Iamawl. Kiliib Mu'jam al-
BuldJn. 10 vols. Cairo, 1956-1957.
___. lac,,!'s Geographi5ches WlIrt<rouch. 6 vol...
e<!. F. Wlistenfeld. leipzig, 1866-1873. Repr. Teh·
ran, 1965; Beirut. -4 vols" 1955-1957.
RENt-GEORGES COQUtN
MAURICE MARTtN. S.J.
DAYR ABU SAYFAYN (Akhmlm). See Akhmim.
"
DAYR AB(J SAYFAYN (Nag Hammadi), See
Dayr Anba Palaemon.
DAYR ABU ,SAYFAYN (Old Cairo). Christian
""closure thai derives i'" name from the great
church dedicated to Abli Sayfayn (Father of Two
Swords). an epithet gi,'en to Saint MERCURlUS of
Caesarea. The complex also has churches of Saint
SIlE.>oI<lTE and the Virgin Mary. as well as a convent
of nun. dedicaled to Saim Merrunus,
The HISTORY OF TIlE PATRIAIl.CHS. in discussing the
patriarch MARK VII, (1745-1769) mentions "'he
monastery of the great martyr Philopator Mereor·
im;, Father of Ihe Two Swords,"
A. J. Butler (1884, pp. 75-76) reported thai "half
a mile bey,md Marl Mina lies the ""aned enclosure
or dair of Abu·s·Sifaln. so called after the principal
though not the most ancient church within it." M.
JUll.tEN (1891. p. 224) wrote about "the CopTic
quarter of Abou Se)-feyn," indicating that It ,',as a
small town surrounded by ramparts not far from
the mosque, P. Casano,,, (1919. pp. 192-98) sai<l
that "under the name of deir Abou's Seifai" there is
in the centre of the ancient Fustat a quite Imponam
group of buildings." M. Simaykah (1937, p. 75)
spoke of "Deir Aboul Serei","
Dayr Abu Sayfayn is situaTed north of Q",!r al·
Sham' in the old city of Mi.. (01<1 Cairo) In Jami'
'AmT Street. nUT the mi),,"8)' to HilwAn and north-
wesl of the ~que of ·Am. ibn aI-·A.,. In 1672. J,
Vansleb (l677. p. 131) wrote tllal "near the !<asr
esh Schamma. on th. Cairo side. is the domain of
the Coptic patriarch, called in Arabic Haret il Bat-
rak: i' i$ separated from this castle by a high ram-
part by which it is surrounded."
The constructIon of an enck.sure around Dayr
Abu Sayfayn was probably undertaken in the cours<
of the Iwelfth century by a cenain Ibn Abu al·
FagA'll Ibn Faroj. Butler (1884, pp. 75-76) re-
marked that "at the low square doorway of the
enclosure one sees. • "",ng back on il$ hinges. a
ponderous door. plated wilh bands of iron and
studded over with f1auened bolt'beads, Thl' iron
casing stands out six Inches from the wooden frame
or backi"g. and 61$ closely into the doorway, A
short dim passage leads by a tum to the left to AI
'Adra; straight onwards It emerges from a sort of
tunnel inlo a street about eight yards long, on one
side of which are high dwelling-houses. on the
other Ihe chu.-che' of A"ba Shanudah and Abu-+
Sifain, "
Thus. the entrance gate of Dayr Abu Sa}fayn was
down to Butler's lime on the west side. Simaykah
(1937. p. 7$) said that the ring of high ramparts
.urrou"ding Dayr Abu Sayfa}'n had formerly only a
.ingle entrance on the west side. noting IhaT "re-
cently a new gate on the south side is used," The
door of sycamore wood reinforced by bands of iron
was transferre<! 10 the Coptic Museum in Old Cairo;
i" ,he inventory of the museum it bears the number
688 (ibid .. pp. 19-20,7$; see also Coquin. 1974, p,
34),
Between Ihe churches of Saint Mercurius and
Sain! Shenute one notices an ancient mosque. vel)'

confined and today no longer in use. ]t is probably
the mosque of Ibn al·H~mid. Butler, in a sketch of
Dayr Abu Sayfayn placed opposite the litlc page,
drew allemion to the crescem of the mosque. situ·
ated betw...,n Ihe two churehes, while Jullien, in a
view of the dayr laken from the $(luth. noled three
crescenlS surmouming three cupolas (llee Casano-
va, 1919, p. 193).
BIBLIOGIUPHY
Butler, A. J. The A~cienl Copli.· Churches of Eg<iPI.
Vol. 1. Oxford, 11l1l4,
Casanova, P. Essai de recanstirwian topogrophiqu.
de 10 ville d'ol F",.sral ou Misr. Memoires publies
par 1... membres de l'lnstitut fran~ais d'Archiolo-
gie onemale 35. Cairo, 1919.
Coquin, C. Les Edifices chriti."s du VI.ux·Caire,
Vol. I, Bibliographi. et topographie historiques,
BibliOlhoque d'erudes caples I!. Cairo, 1974.
Jomard, M. "Description de la ville et de la eila·
delle du Caire." In Des<:ripli,m d. I'Egypre mo·
derne, Vol. 18, pt. 2. Paris, 1829.
Jullien, M, L'Egypte: 50u,·..,irs bibliq"e. er chr'li·
'''$. lille, 1891.
Simaykah, M. H. Guide sommalre du Musee copte el
des principales iglises du Caire, Cairo, 1937.
Vansleb, J.·M. Nouvelle Relation en forme de jour-
~al d'"n voyage fait en Egypr en 1672 U 1673.
Paris, 1677.
CH~RAu.MBI'" COQUIN
DAYR ABO AL-SAYFAYN or MAr Buqhir
(OU!), the only surviving monastery to the southeast
of the town of Q~, from which it i5 about 7 miles
(12 km) distant. It is surrounded by an enclosure
wall and conlains a ChriSlian cemelery. It is situat-
ed $(lme way out of the village of Hijmh. This
village, and hence the m<mastery, is at the starting
point of the ancient so~ern track from QU~ to
'Aidhab on lhe Red Sea. Starting from Qi:i~, there
were lwo tracks that joined al Laql!ah, round about
a well and some palm t~'s. One will find the line
of this track in Garcin, Un Cenlre mu,u/man d. /a
Haute-Egyple mediival", Qu~ (1976, pp. 6, 206). In
the Middle Ages the t",de in spices coming to the
West passed by this route. Murray's study points out
some "Coplic ruins" (p. 146), which is the sile de-
scribed in Mimai", sur I'E;;ypr<l (Vol. 3, pp. 232,
273). A little after laqi!ah is listed a place '"da)T
J:lamamah." Perhaps this is an anciem monaslery.
We have no wrinen evidence on this Dayr Abii
al-Sayfayn. In addilion 10 a cenlral chureh dedical-
DAYR ABO AL-SAYFAYN 711
ed to Saim Mercurius (Abu al·Sayfayn, the "Father
of Ihe Two Swords," designates Saint Mercurius). it
conlairl5 three other ehurehes, one of ",'hieh is con-
secrated '0 Saim Victor, whence the name Da)'r
Mar Buq!iir often gi.'en to the monaste!)'. The prin·
cipal church contains an altar dedicated 10 SainI
PACHQM1US, and ABO ~AU!;l a' the beginning of the
thirteemh century (l695, p. 230) mention. a monas·
tery of Saim Pachomius in the region of (}Us. 'Abd
al·Masih Salib noted it under the name Dayr Mar
Buqhir and remarks Ihal worship was conduclcd by
'he derg)' of Oti. (l932, p. 179).
Its present state is described by Meinardu. (1965,
pp. 306-307; 2nd ed., 1977, p. 420).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
'Abd al'MasI~:;;alib al·Mas"Od' al Ba",mii.l. Kitab
Tu~/al al,Sa'illn Ii Dhikr Adyiral Ruhbt", ,,1.Misriy,
yin. Cairo, 1932,
Garein, J. C. Un cenlre m"sulmo~ de la Haule
Egypr" mMiivale, Qu~. Textes arab"" el etudes
islarniques 6. Cairo, 1976.
Meinarous, O. F. A. Chrislia" Egypl, Atlcie"r and
Mod"'n. Cairo, 1st cd. 1965; 2nd cd. 1977.
Memoires sur I'Egypte publles pendant les ca",-
pagn.. d" g<',,"'al Bonaparre, 4 vols. Paris, 1800-
1803.
Murray, G. W. "The Roman Roads and S'alion. in
the Eas'ern De.ert." Journal qf Egyptian Archeolo·
ty 2 (1925).
Rf.N"--GWRG"-S COQU'N
MAURICE MARTtN, S.J,
DAYR A.BO AL·SAYFAYN (Tarnwayh). The ,·il·
lage of Tarnwayh is shuated on the left bank of the
Nile, 16 miles (25 km) to the south of Cairo. It is
rich in Christian anifacts (see Arnl:lineau. 1893, pp,
477_78).
The fim mention of the Monastery of Abu al·Say-
fayn (Saint MERCURlUS) appears to he that of al-
5Mbushu (1939, pp, 20. 27) 0.1 the end of the lenth
century or beginning of the ele.'enth.
At the beginning of the lhin...,nth century ABU
$Auij (1695, pp. 177, 197-98) gave the same ap-
proximate geogrophical situation as al·Shabushtl,
whom he quotes: "opposite J:lul",~n," In realily,
Ihis town is 10 the $(lUlheast of Tamwayh. He indio
cated thaI Ihe chureh was destroyed by the troop"
of Caliph al-SaJBJ:o, who was pursuing Marwan Ii in
750, and was restored in ,he years 1102-1130, AbU
~lil) adds Ihat in ,he chureh is the body of Saint
1'~I'HNfmUS. anchorite and superior of Ihis monas-
712 DAYR ABU SHINOOAH
tuy and cel~bral~d on 15 Amsht,-, although Abu
$tlil) flale. thaI th~ DAYIl. AL-SHAM' possessed his
relics. In the time of Abu ~lib, th~ monasl~ry was
w~1l populaled wilh monks.
This monaslery was also m~nlion~d by the Arab
g~ographer Y!qut in 1200 (1870-1813, Vol. 2. p.
(74).
AI'MAQRlzl (1893, VoL 2. p, 504) r-eproduce<! wltal
YAqut wrol~, in p<lrticular about th~ vocali.alion of
th~ name Tamwayh. In fact. il is writl~n Tammuh,
dose,- 10 Ih~ Coptic system. H~ al.o ciled aloShabu·
shl1, who d~scrib~d lhe monastery as on~ of th~
mo.l ~a(J\iful plac~s in Egypt. AI.Maqrlzl named
Saint Georg~ as Ih~ p<llron of the monast~ry. no
doubt confusing it with a church dedicaled 10 this
saint and pointed OUI by Abu ~il) (1895, p. 198) as
in th~ districl of Tamwayh.
Th~ History of the PmriarchJ (Vol. 3, pl. 3, pp. 179
(l~xtl, 318 (Irans.) menlions the resloration of Ih~
monasl~')' of Abu al·Say{ayn during lhe patriarchal~
of Dem~lrius II (1862-1870).
Several travel~rs hav~ m~mion~d it Nord~n
(1795-1798, VoL I. p. 19. pI. 28); Pocock~ (1743,
pI. 7, plan of gr~at~,- Cairo). who caJled it th~
church of Ih~ villag~ of "Abouenemora"; and
Brown (lBOO, p. 258), who call~d it lhe monaslery
of "AIx>u Nemrus." Ahu aJ·Nimrus is a village to
Ih~ north of Tamwayh (Ramzl. 1954-1968, Vol. 2,
pt. 3, p. 3; cf. AmOlineau, 1893. under "Ponmon·
'os." pp. 361-62). S. C1ark~ (1912, p. 105. no. 8)
attached it to Ih~ bishopric of th~ FaJ')liim and Gi.a,
The monastery. lik~ many oth~rs. ~cam~ a Chris'
lian village (Meinardus, 1965. p. 241; 1977, p. 347).
BIBLIOGRI\PHY
Am~lineau, E. UJ. Giograph~ d~ I'Egyple a I'ipoqu~
copte. Paris. 1893.
Brown~. W, G. Nouveau voyege dens I'HQUle-
Egypte. Paris, 1800~\.
Clark~. 5, ChrisliQn ""Iiqu;/ies in tht Nilt Vallty.
Oxford. 1911. : body of Saini John of Sanhut was transported.
Meina'dus. O. Chri,/ian Egypt, And"'t Qnd Modt"'.
Cairo. 1965; 2nd ~d: 1977.
Norden. F. Voyege d'Egyplt e, dt Nubit, 3 vols" ~d.
L Langles. Paris, 1795-1798,
Pococke, R. A Dtscrip/;on of the EQsl Qnd Some
Olner Countru" Vol. 1. London. 1743.
Ramzl. M. Al·Q~m"s al.jughrafi IiI-Bildd QI
Mi,rtyyah, 3 vols, Cairo, 1953-1%8.
ShAb'ushti. al·. "Some Egyptian Monasl~ri~s," ~d.
A. S. Atiya, Bul/ttl" dt 111. S<xW~ d'archiologit
(;Oplt 5 (1939):1-2B.
YaqUI ibn 'Abd All1h al·Hamaw!. Kitdb Mu'jam al-
Bu/dan. 10 vols. Cairo, 1956-1957.
___. JacM·s Geographische, WOr(erbuch, 6 vols.,
ed. F. WiJ.lenfeld. Leipzig. 1866-1873. R~pr, T~h·
ran, 1965, Beirut, 4 vols,. 1955-1957.
MAURICE MARTIN, 5.1,
RENt·GOO~GES COOU"I
DAYR ABU SHINUDAH. Sa Monaslerie. of
th~ Fayyiim.
DAYR AL_ARYAD (Armanl). Su Dayr al-Ma,mar.
DAYR AL-ABYAD (Suhij), Sa Da}1' AnM
Shinudah (Suhij).
DAYR AL.'ADAWIVYAH. The anci~nt authors
sVC'ak of this dayr only as a church. At lh~ begin.
ning of th~ thirteenlh century ABO $Au\:! (1895, pp.
136-37, o. 5) silual~d al·'Adawiyyah at Minyat al·
Sudin. whkh al-Idrisi places 15 mile. (14 ,,"') from
MiST on the way 10 Up!"'r Egypt. Th~ village of this
name al this place has disap!",ar~d,
Abu ~lil) (p. 137) described a church called al·
Martul! (Syriac for "Our Lady"). Th" plac~ is said
10 be that of a templ~ of Ih~ Isra"lil~' in EiYPt and
on~ of the abodes of the Holy Family in lh~ir flight
from H~rod. Abu ~ilil). it appears. is lhe only on~
to m~ntion al··Adawiyyah on the itinerary of Ih~
FLIGHT HITO EGYPT. This church was resto,..,d und~r
Caliph al-Amir (lIOI·Il3I).
A c~nain Jew was baplized in lhis church during
lh~ caliphal~ of al·fa'u. according to Abu ~li".
The sam~ historian menlioned the resloralion in
1186 of a church adjacent to al·Mant1lL It apptars
that he confused Ihis al·Martiiti with the church of
Ihe same nam~ al Damanhur Shubra. to whi(;h lhe
Abu ~li" gives an account of a monaslery of lhe
Nestoriaos, Ih~ church of which was transform"d
iOlo a mosqu~ in Ihe caliphate of al-1:I1kim, This
was probably DAYR ~L·NASTOR.
AI·.... OR!ZI (d. 1441; 1893, Vol, 2. p. 517) men-
tioned lhat "the church of Mary in lhe dislrict of
al--Adawiyyah IOward the routh is ancient, bul al·
,..,ady in ruins,"
In the sev~nt~~mh c"mury !"'ople sp<lle of it as
the Monastery of th~ Holy Virgin al al.'Adawiyyah
(National LibTary, Paris. Arahic MS 319; Troupeau.
1972, Vol. l. p. 278). Travelers have gi\'~n accounts
 DAYR AL-'ADHRA' 713

of Ihe sile (Vansleb. 1671. p. 203; Norden, 179S-

1798, Vol. I, pI. 28).
s.""1\l5 [b.. a1·Muqalb· (1970, Vol. 3, pl. 3. fOP,
162, 165, 1M [leo], 282, 288, 292-293 [uans.])
menlioned ullder tM parianh XlI!ff XVI a reston.·
.ion of u.e eIlu",h and tM ~ of u.e palriareh
IO.J.l( Vlr;al tM <:hurch. Under 1M palriarch 1lOI£TIJ.

lIJU (l862-1S70) a I.......... "'. .. buill in the InOC'IM-

Ie>')' of 'Adawiy)7Ih (ibid., pp. 179 (lull, 318
[lfaM-I)·
SnenI ,.....,...... ripl5 of u.e Coplic Pawrchale
weTe wnlle" fo~ 11M: church of 'Adawiyyah or e~"
a' 'Adawln-.h, in the eighleenth eenl"t:Y (Simaybh
and 'Abd al·MasIh. 1'M2, Vol. 2, pt. L nos. n, J.41.
825, 832).

BIBUOGaAl'HY

An'I<!lineau, E. fA. GlograplU. d" I'EIYP" ~ I'epoq.."

copr•. Pam. 1893.
Nordon, F. S. Voyage d'Egyple el de Nubi., 3 vols.
ed, L langle•. Pari., 1795~1798.
Troupeau, G. Catalogue d.. mal1uscrlls arab.s. Vol.
I. Pari., 1972.
Vansleb, J. M. RelaWI1' d.llo $"'10 pre£e"t.
d./I'Eriflo. Pam, 1671.
REN£.GEORGES CQoo'N
MJ.uucEMAllnN.SJ.
DAYR AL-"ADHRA: (Al1unI",). one of a uoup
of th~tot s......1 monaslm~ near lhe Villaee of ...
H~Wlsh, 10 11M: nOMa.l of AICIUIIM on 1M edr
of the deKn. This rillage is silualed ~I 3 miles
(5 km) from A.Uun!m.. Aboul a mil. &om lhe ViII",..
is 1M Mooa.sc• ..,. of the Martyn {DI'n Al.SHUHAD.l.I.
o.)T al·'A<!hrt' is 10 be found aboul half a mile 10
,
>--.....j,
i
!
_____ J
Plan of Dayr A.I·'Adh,.,,' """r Akhmim. Court.sy PeMr
Gmum""".
no:st on pendenli........ Additional chapeb ha,.., bun
added 10 lhe nonh $ide. The ch ..",h belonp 10 a
local group muked by IWO peculiarities.. One is lhat
the deep sancuaaries haV'C' stra;un .ides leading to
semicirallar ends. athu examples with this feat.....,
.... lhe rwo churches 01 ... 80 $A.f'AYN. and Sill Dim-
)'inah in lhe 10\1.... of Akhmlm (proba.bIy dating 10
1M sixteenth cenlllry), as weU as the church of D.O.n
Iol.lR lwrs ALol:\ADlDl. The second peculiarity is tM

lhe IOUIh of this monasl<ry. It is l>(III known to
anclenl wrilen o~ IRV'C'k;n. A <le:scripl;on is pwen
by Meinardus (1965. pp.• ~97-98: 1m, pp. 409-
• (0).
The enclosure wall has semicircula~ bull,""" on
Its etilem and western .ides. The ehurch is built by
!.he soulh and cas! wall.. Nonh and west of .he
church are a number of molU$lic buildings, lndud·
ini ql'aners for monks and wisilors, as _lias 'NOrk
and stDra,e areu. l1>e church is a lale-medieval
hall church (HaUenkirche) with eolumpt. Rectan&",
lar COmer chambers flank three saneluari",. The
Wfllem pan of lhe church i. five ba)'3 wide and
I'NO bays deep. The bays are divided by columns
and are domed. The dome o,er lhe bay in fronl of
Ih. eenrral sanCluary rests on squinches; llle GIllen
construction of wauhed corridon behind 1M gne-
luane., aho found at Dl'n Al.OolAI.Ak MlntA11" Sill
Dimpnan, and Da)T ~ Jiljis al·Hadldl. All lhe
original saneluaries ha.... five nich';" The cenlral
sanctwlr}' sc.-n is badly inlaid. The .ide ones arc
painl..d The church was reSlore<! in 1980. and ~
pla!;l..r and whilewash obtcure conslruction detaib.
&fo<-e rep8lnlin" Ihe brickwork was app;o.renlly
painted in ud·and-bladr. pallems (Clarke. 1912, fi"
3l). a Iype of d«ORllon found also al Ihe ab.",e·
mentione<l chur<;h.s In and around Akhrnirn.
DIDUOCllAJ'HY
Cla~k..,S. Christi"" A."tiquities i" lh. Nil. Vall.y,
pp. 144-45, pI. 4%, no. 2. Oxford, 1912.
Groosrnann, P. Mitt.I"lter/ich. L.l>tghau.kuppelkir-
714 DAYR AL-'ADHRA.'
chen und "erwandte Typen in Obe,(jgypt<n, p. 196
et passim. Gliid.stadt, 1982.
Meinardus, 0, F, A. Christian Egypt, Andmr and
Modern, Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed.. 1977.
Timm, S. Das christlich·kQptisch~ Agypt~" in aM·
bischu Z~it, Vol. 2, pp. 636-37. Wiesbaden, 1984.
SHElJI McNAlJ.Y
DAYR AL·'ADHRA: (Asyflt). Maps mention a
Dayr al-'Adhnl.' (Monastery of the Vi'lin) a( BanI
Ri4ah in the outskirts northeast of Abnub (right
bank, to th. north of Asyfl!).
ABO ~AUl;l does not speak of it. AI'MAQRlZI (1853,
Vol. 2, p. 517) indicates e>nly a "church of Mary in
the district of ai-Khufiif." Vansleb (l677, p. 361:
1678. p. 2(7) gave an account of the Monastery of
the Holy Vi'lin at Abniib.
Today this is a contpletely modem church in lbe
middle of a Christian quarter (Meinardus, 1965, pp.
279-80; 1977, p. 388),
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Meinardus, O. Chris/J'm Egypt, Ancient and Modern.
Caim, 1965; 2nd ed., 1977.
Vansleb, J. M. Nouvelle Relation ~n forme de jour.
nal d'un voyage {ail en Egypte en 1672 et 1673.
Pari., 1677. Translated as The p,...enl State of
Egypt. London, 1678.
RENt·GEORGES C<>QUlN
MAURICE MARTIN. S.J.
DAYR AL·'ADHRA' (near Bavad
, , al·Na.s.1ra),
, this Dayr al·'Adhra· (Monastery of the Virgin) was
monastery of uncertain origin, first described by
G. Wilkinson (1843, Vol. 2, p, (9), The monastery is
not mentioned by the ancient authors, and neither
J. Vansleb nor C. Sicard spoke of it, although they
mUSt have crossed the-"1l1e from Bani Suef and
landed not far from Bayil<j al·Na¥ira to go to lhe
Monaste'1' of Saint Anto~y on the Re<! Sea.
Wilkinson (1843, VoL 2; p, 19) is the first 10 speak
of a dayr at this place: Clarke (1912, p. 206, no. 6)
mentioned only a church dedicate<! to the Holy
Virgin, and not a day' (monastery), The present
church dates only from 1963 (Meinarow, 1965, p,
254; 1977, p, 357); it contains some ancient cle-
ments, including a Greek inscription engra,'cd on a
granite column abo"e the baptistery (Van Rengen
and Wagner. 1984, pp. 348~53). These element.
probably came from an e~ca'''ted ancient korn adja·
Cent to the church.
This monastery i' the objecl of pilgrimages by the
Copts of the region (Viaud, 1979, p. 44).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Clarke, S. Christian A"'iquirin in the Nile Valier.
London, 1912.
Meinardu" O. Christian Egypt, Ancie'" and Modern.
Caim, 1%5; 2nd ed., 1977.
Van Rengen, W., and G. Wagner. "Une D<:dicace "-
Valerius Titinianus, fils du p,..,fet des ,'igiles Val-
eriu, Titanianus." Chrenlque d'Egypte (Brussels)
59, fasc. 118 (1984),348~53.
Viaud, G., after lhe nOfes of Jacob Muyser. L", P~le·
rinagu coptes "n Egypre. Cairo, 1979.
Wilkinson, G_ Modem Egypt and Thelxs: A Descrip-
tion of Egypt, 1 "ols. London, 1843, Repr. Wiesba-
den, 1981.
RENt-(;EORGES COQtJIN
M~URlce M~RTlN, S. J.
DAYR AL-'ADHRA' (near Bilba)"). See Dayr
Mart Maryam,
DA YR AL·'ADHRA' (Fayylim). AB(J ~ALll;l THE AR·
MENtAN (fol. 73a; 1895, p. 209) placed in the neigh·
borhood of Saylah, to the west of the FayyOm, a
monastery bearing the name of the Virgin and
equipped with a tower of refuge that had been reo
stored. He is the only author whe> mentions a mono
astery in the region other (han the DAYR AL-TKHWAH.
At·Nabulsl (1899) indicates only a single monastery
to the south of the town of Siyalah.
N. Abbott (1937, p. 57, n. 150) hypothesi>..d that
"in all probability a Th""to~os duplicate of the
monastery of the Brolhers at Siyalah [Dayr 301-
tkhwah]," as was the case at SCElIS in the first half
of the si~th century. In fact, besides the original
monasteries of al·BartmOs, KlHN COLOBUS. and
Bishoi, three olber monasteries were mentioned;
"the Virgin of Baramus," "the Virgin of John Colo-
bus:' and "the Virgin of Bishoy."
f;VELYN_"",ITE (1932, pp. 232-35) lbought that
these duplicate monasterie. were founded by Sev·
erian monk. driven from their monasteries by Ju·
lianists, who dedicated their new monasteries to the
THEOTOKOS to affirm the reality of the Incarnation.
Evelyn-White's hypothesis seems to be deri"ed from
historical facts, but that of Abboll seems gratuitous,
since the monastery at Siyalah dedicated to thc Vir-
gin was not called thaI of "the Virgin of the Broth·
ers, "

BIBUOGRAPHl'
Abbou. N. 1'11~ Mtmdst~ri~J df tJo~ F.yyUm. SIOOiQ
in Ancien! Oriental Civilization 16. Chicaa<', 1931.
Abo 'Uunln ibn Ib~m aI-~t. Tu'illl dl-F.,.
.J'lm .... Iril4JiJri, ed- 8. Moritz. Cairo. 1899.
Evelyn·White. H. G. 1M ,wo,,,uuriu 0( ,~ Word;'"
N.u" ... PI. 2. TIu HiRory 0( tIt~ MorrdJUriu 0(
NilrU _d SutiJ. New Yorio, 19n.
Salmon. G. "Ripenoire ~ . e dI! .. prov-
lne.e du f")')'Olun d·~"'" Ie Kit1b Tirikh aI·fay-
)'00..... d·-.Niboulsi. ~ S..lktin de f"lrUlit.. f tn>".
I'dWJJ.
frriJ d·.. om"t..le I (1901):29- n.
RENe.-GwaGtS COOOIS
DAYR AL.'ADHRA', also called Dayr al·8abr·
ah. mo.......cry locale<! near Ja1Ho1 al·rayr. a I'ftOd.em
vill"le on lhe east bank of lhe Nil.e in lh.e dom.in
of an old monastery that was inh.bil.ed by monks
down 10 the end 01 the ninelnnlh cenlury. The
church belonging to il wu accommodated in •
rock lOmb e"id~nlly deriving from Ihe ll1.e imperial
DAYR AL-'ADHRA' (Oin). Su Monasleries of
DAYR A.L-'ADHRA' (Saml!oll. This ~ry
Plan of the church. with columns and rooms hewn
out of Ih.e rock, which was convcn.ed from a 10mb.
CouT/uy Pelu Gm<<mdnn.
DAYR AL·'ADHRA' 715
period. Of this lomb I~n survi.ed .. peri.tyk,
which is 5til1 l4llToun<kd loday on thTff ,.;de!; by
coIurn~ hewn OUI of th.e rod. n,.,.., later served
as the naos of the church. with a richly deconued
weslcm entrance in the lUis of the southern portico
and an additional antel'OOOl on W KlUth side. Sub-
~l,. I..... rqulu an: 1tM: """"" Of! the east.
which. al the time of itI con"cnion inlO a church.
wcre pnlbably fin! wroucht out of the rod: in their
prr:soI'nl form. It is signiican, lhat in the middle of
the altar area there is a hollow space leading deep-
er_ 11>;,; Jd>uildina can hardly have tHen place be-
fure the K>'Cmh «nlW)'. The uppn inlerior 5truc-
Jures belong to modem limes. including the
galleries and a opallal reorpniulion in the sanc....
Ill')'. AI this ti_ a couple of additional pill",~ ""ere
_ up in front of th.e altar ar.ell. The .taircase ap-
proach from abovtl In lh.e WUlncasf comer, <Ie-
$Cribed by earli.er 'isilDn (Noroff. 1840. and Cur·
zan. 1881). is nO lonier in existence.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Butler. A. 1. Th~ And~>Il Coptic Churche' of Egypl.
Vol. I. pp. 348-51. Olford. 188-1. Repr. 1970.
Curzon. R. Vi,;" 10 M""ut,ri" i" Ih~ L~v,ml. pp.
114-22. London, ISII.
Norolf. A. Vay.,' ~rr EIlYPI' ~l err N"b;" ~" 18J4~
18J5, Vol. 2. Pnersburg, 1840. Fr.ench lra1\5.. by
O. V. Volkolf. u Monde ~""'e ]] (1985):42-44.
PF:Tu (;~..-"
Inc tippet" ~'ld.
r:i the Virgin is aBo .:allied D.)T aJ·Babrah (Monas-
leJY of !be Pull.,) or Da,., Jabal al-Tayr (Monaolery
r:i the Mountai" of <be Biro), from <he ,..."... of die
mountain 1M dominale5 Ih.e Nile 001 1M poinl and
on which Ih.e mOrlJlllery i. perched opposile
$amjlU!. on lbe n&hl bank of lbe n\ler. The fi~1
name derives from lbe fa~1 that pro,i5ions and ..u;.
IOn. were hoi.. ed by ~anl of a pulley across a
crevasse !hal run. the height of the cliff. Al the end
of th.e temh or be[flnninl of the elevtlnth century
al·SMbushu (pp. 23, 28) nOled this monastery for-
ils piclllresque chart>Ct.er and reported the legend of
the birds Ihat came In a group on the day of the
monastery's fe.Ii,.t. Th.ey r.emaine<! there umil one
oIlhcm caught iu beak in the crewsse and could
not pull il oul. In lh.e list of lhe plaC"'5 through
716 DAYR AL-AJ:IMAR
wbKh 1M Holy family passed. !he Hislory 0( mt
1'.lri'....: ,.. (1959. V"'. 2. pl. 3. pp. 217 IIuI). 361
[lnflS.D mentiontd tht Jabal a/·IWf.
At !he bqinnin, of the t!l.in... nth c ..ntury ABO
~1I (1m. pp. 217-19) p''" ;t th.t ........ J-..J
al·Kaff (Moun""in of 1tH. I"alm) ~ . accordinc
10 legend. III Ihe lime of Ihe FUCIfl lmo OOYn'. 1M
mounlain prmln"td lllelf befo.-e Jaw. and ".btn
he r&;."d it up. hia J111lm remained IJa""n in !he
roc•. Ht .0.1... indicated thaI th.. church is hollow.. d
imo the ",ountaln, but that there ar.. two chllrch....
an upper and a lower. He adds Ihat the Franki.h
CJ"U.<a<krs in 111>8 carried off lhe part of th.. rock
on which the pal", of J...... was englOlved .nd took
it ."'"ll}' to Syria. Th.. monwel)' and its chu~h we""
dedicated to ,h.. Holy Virgin.
Al-MAQR/Zl (d. 1((1). indicating th.1 access 10 lhe
monasltry couJd aUo be pintd from lhe nonh by a
$UlitctiC bnIkno.'ed mto the rock, conlenled IIilllKtr
"itb quOlinc .I'Shib!:ishtl and th.e leg..nd of lbe
birds (ISS3. Vol. 2. pp. 503-5(4).
10 1591 a monk·priest of !he mol\Mttry named
Gabriel "'35 one of the ddeption ....,t by the pllI1-
arch GoUIliEl. VIII (1586-1601) 10 Pop.- CI..ment VlII
to prestnt the Act of Union hrl",een lhe Coptic and
Roman churches (Bun. 1931; Grat, 1951. Vol. 4, pp.
110-22; see .1"" DAYl 4U"'L'l;WUUO. ncar ASYOT).
The .ile ~ nOled by all the lnlvel..rs bealuse II
was piclUr",qu.. (V.II$I..b, 1677. p. 357; 167S, pp.
214-15; weas, 1719. Vol. 2. pp. 133_60), Unfortu,
nately this monall.. ,.,. has had Hul.. auention from
ardaeologillS. The plan of the church was drawll
up by CUr=t1 (]8(9, pp. 121-28); it was reproduc..d
by A. G. Butler (IS84. pp. 348-50l, U. MOllneret de
Villard (1925, Vol. I, 00. 105). and A. Bada",'Y
(1947, pp. 372-73). This plan ~rs seriously defi·
cient; for example, n igrJOn:s Ihe richly deconoltd
,,__ door, ",hich could 10 back 10 !he fihh or ..l",b
c~ntury, accOl'dinc 10 E. ......Iy (1942. pp. S7-IS).
The apo.e oJ. the cheFh. ~ i"to th.. rock. ~
calls. th.. rock chun:hes of !he rqion of Antinoi!
(ANTl/OOOI'OUS). It may have been ori&inally nlled up
in a quarT)'. KI"OM ..'hich the Yauh _ laler
ltunwn, ... hicb _ld e:o.plain Abu ~iI:I'a r..mark
abou, lht upper and 1",,0" church.-£. The trae'" of
Ihe a""i,,", buildings and Ihe way of Kc .... from
the llonh indica...d by ..1·MaqrtD, mark..d by nu·
mcrous pilgrim CfOS,Se$ carved in lhe rock, ha....
also nOl been examined. C. Butler (Pall.diliS. 1696-
1904. Vol, I, p, 222) places here the commlillily of
Pithirioll. but Ihil II nOI vel)' likely, for Ihe Jabal
al·T.yr is too far to the south.nd clos.. to Achoris
(TlliNiM AI.-IABAL).
DoreMot (1970. p. 13) "tuates h.. re Ih.. mtmorial
oi the monk AbU fb. whose name the 1_"
of
Mifl}~ ron..erty bore (Mirna Abo). r15). A church
the.., ...... dedicawllO !his saint (Abo:! ~i~, 1895,
pp. 22J-14). The prestn. stale of lhe tnOOa5!lefy is
gi...... by O. Mdnardus (l965, pp. 362-64: 1977. pp_
256-59).
BIBUOGRAPHl'
Bacia,,)'. A. L" Pr.,rni.r.,s <glu.. s d'Evpr, /wSijw·...
Site/e d.. 51. Cyril/e, in Kyrillio"o, pp. 321-80,
Cairo. 1947.
Bun. V. "t'unlone della chieSoll copta con Roma
IOUO Clemente VlII:' Orienla1ia Christiall. 23. 2.
no. 72 (1931):101-264.
Butler. A. G. Tlte Alleu"l COPW: CII.. rcllu 0{ Egypr,
2 vol... Olford, 183-4.
Curzoo, R. Visi, to MoniJSleriU j" ~ Lewlnl. NCOI<
Yon... 1&49. London. 1865.
Don:o.w:, J. "MonMIn-es copt... de IJIOJ'"nne
Egypte." B"lle"" d.. l. Sodhi fr-r..... d'iDPt<>-
IOfie 59 (1970):7-29.
u.eu, P...... TtOiJiOo,.. V""q-e d.. Si..", , ...1 Luc...
f.iI en MDCCXIV piIr «d,.. d.. Lou,.. XlV .u.".. I.
T","l"u. rAJi>e. I. S ....M. "' P<d..... ine. I. 11.,,11: U
""'..u Egypu, Vol. 3. Rourn. 1719.
"b:5pero. J.. and C.....,eL "Matrriau.. 1'0'" ~r a
Ia li08"'Phle d·Egypte." Minrou-es d.. l'I"m''''1
"anfaise d'Aultio~~ on"",,,le 36 (1919): p;u-
sim.
Meill.rdus. O. ehri..I;"" Egypt. "'"ci.", ."d Modun.
CaiTO, 191>5: 2nd ed.. 1977,
MOllneret de Villard. U, Lu Co.. ~e"t' prt' de Soh.
dg, Vol. I. Milan, 1925.
Pauty. E. "Chronlque:' Bull..'i" d.. I~ Soci.,. d·..r-
chiolotf.. copte 1 (1941);87-88.
5Mbo:ld>lI. aJ.. ''Som.. EgypIiall MODa5l.. ries," td. A.
S. Aliya. Bwllel'" d.. I. SocWi d'.",hiolQfie Copl"
5 (1939);1-28.
Vanskb, J. M. /'IowveD.. Reunion ell forme d. i-<-
",,' 4'.." l>O)'flIt '"il 01 Egypl< en /612 U 1673.
!'aria, 1677. Tramlat~ :u 77te ~'" SUllO of
£mH. London, 1678.
DAYR AL·AJ::IMAR (Gila). This monaslery was
melltiolled In th.. beginllill8 at the minernth celllu,
I)' hy ABO $AUIj THE ARNF./'\IAN (1895. p. 177), who
.poke of. church dedicated to $aIm Mlchnl called
Dayr al·A~mar (Red Monaste')'), He added that it
was on the .. dg.. of th.. Nile and that Ii contained a
church dedlclted 10 Saims cos,o,v.s AND IMMIA~. He
.ituated Ihis church 111 Tamoh. It is probably th..

same cluircll. ,"~n th~ rarily of the dWication. II
"''as l'UtorW aI a period nor1~~ !han AbU. ~~. The
1U'J.:::,r- dearly diolinguished It m..n th~ gnM S)''''''
ll"C"~ of u,., Jev.os, ...·hich "',.,. also siluat"" at
Tam<th·
AI.....am] (1853, Vol. 2, p. SOot) ..,..., of .he
monasl~ry of SainlS Cosmas and Damian a, ra...... h
and equally of th~ $)'naJOJU~ of !h~ Jew$ at .he
sa"'" pbc.,.
Unfortunately. the .·mage of Tamuh no longer
ni"s. There is, though, a church of Sain.. Cotm...
and Damian in th~ r~gion, at Manyal Shll;!ah
(Clarke. 1912. p, 205. no. 6), This Dayr al·Al)mar
then was at Manral Shll)ah, This id~ntification was
proposed by J. Muysu (1932. p. 179, n. 15). Ramzt
ad.'anced the same hypo.hQi$ (1933-1968. Vol. 2.
pl. 3, pp. 20-21).
1N.... IOGll.U'Hy
C\MU. S. Chrisl.... AIII>q..;tt.... i" Ihe Nil~ Vdllq.
Londoa, 1912-
Muyscr. J. "u. 'PuIl' c:opte pour La prtmib"f: heu.re
...
do> Samedi de la joie." U MUHOII 6S (1952):175-
M.' AI.Q4",fis d~J..dr-tdfl IiJ..8illd
Ramzl.
M~. 3 ¥Ols. Cairo, 1953-1968.
Ra;&GooRG:S Cool.ltN
MAURICE MARTIN. SJ.
DA YR AL·AHMAR (Suh!]), See Dayr Anb!
Bishoi (Suh1j).
DAYR AL-'AJAMIYVIN (Fa).,um)_ Se~ MOIW-
,m..,. of the Fayyolm.
•
DAYR AL-AMIR TADROS (Cairo). s.~ Baby-
""'.
DAYR AL-AMIR TADROS (Jabal Abu FQd.all).
This small molllll:el')' i. placed almost in Ih., middJe
of the Abu Fudah miWif and at the sam~ latitude aa
the ,own of Ban! Shiqlr.• lru.at~d on the left bank of
the Nile. It is buill on th~ '~m>ce of an anci~n,
hypogeum that has be~n transformed into a church.
OIher tombs, .oday .anis~, had been filted up as
uns by hermi ... It has N~n described b)' G. I.£.
DAYR Al-AMIR TADROS 7J7
c....... (1900. p. Il) al>d G_ IoIMI'aO (1914. pp. 19-
a). The Lauer wrnnaly called it Dayr al·lbkanh
(Monast:el')' of the PuJlcyl. which wauld be mon-
apptOj>ria1~ for IloOU loW. IoI1>l.l. ",!lkh is 3 miles (5
km) f:artM~ MJUIh. S. Cbrlte, in his liS! of churchea
(1912. p. 209, no. 4). designates iI as deptnde1l' on
the t.,..... of Ban. Shiqfr.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Clark... S. ChrUri~~ Amiquities i~ rhe Nil, Vatl,y.
Oxford. 1912.
Lell",in, G. "NOl~S archtologiques priscs au aebel
Abu FfJ<b," A~~41t1 d" Service dM anriquitb de
J"EVpre 1 (1900):2-14.
Maspcro. G. R.. i"cs ~I fHJysates d·Evyte. Paris.
1914.
RD;£(;00IlGES COOlris
MAURIn MAltllN. SJ.
.1
DA YR AL-AMIR TADROS (LuJ.0I"). Thill small
monas/elY is situated on the stony pan of 1M 1m
bank of Ihc Nile, OJ'POil'iI~ the 10\0" of Luxor. at !he
foot of the libyan Mounwm abow 550 yards (500
m) from MadTnal HibO.. Il perhaps oc"",pics the
sile, iamous in ,he Middle Ages. of a church dedi·
cated to ,he same saint. Theodore (Winlock and
CruM. 1926, Vol. I. pp. 5, 177).
However lha, may be, the presenr buildinlS arc
modem. The oldest wilnCS'! appears '0 be Lepsius
(1852, p. 259) who spoke of it al some lenllth oot
called it I....t of Saint Oonadeus. It was also m~n·
tlo~d by S. Clarke (1912. p. 216. 110. 6), who also
p" the pbn of.he church (po 116, pl. .34. fnonltly
incomplete).
The chu.eb and thc nri&hborinl cemete<)' lOr a
lonl tinw SCO'cd the Chripians of the rqjon. II was
10 the pricsl .... ho minillCrW to this church thai. the
maRWlCr1pt of 1M S)'ftU1rion from ~T f.m>I
be:k>nlled (CoqIrin. 1978).
"loeinanlus (1965. p. 319; 1977, p. 433) p« a
loocI description of m modem >tale. About 1930
50nlC nu.os au~mpled '0 revive th~ mOOlOSiic life
oh<~
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Clade, S. Clrri.tia" A"r;quiries ht the Nile Valley.
Odord, 1912,
Coquin. R.·G. "Le Synaxaire de. COple~; Un NOlI'
.cau t~rTI(Iin de I. recension de Haute·Egypt~,"
A~,,!uta 8oI/'<ndi""" 96 (1978):351-65,
718 DAYR AL-AMIR TADROS
Ltp$i..... R- Uff~f5 pom Ef>T1l • .. 1844-'5. 1.<>I>don,
1&52.
....~nlod.. H. E.. and W. E. Crum. Th~ Mo-st~"Y 0(
EpipllQlfiuJ ... TlKba. 2 >'01$. New Yo""" 1926..
R£s&GE:Cl«G£S C<II:IvIN
M.oUkJC£ MAllnN. SJ.
DAYR ..........udR TADROS (Munl aI·A.ml/).
This ~ry bean a por1ion of the Arabi<: n.ame
of TlIBJDo1lUS OF SIWT1'.P. al-Amlr Tadlil$ al-Shu!bi.
Aher Theodorus' manynlom b)' ~~. his ~ns
""ere ,,",yIP<! al gR2l ap<nw' by a rich ChriMian
_man. who .ransported !hem 10 £cypl after lhe
Edic. of Milan in 312 and buried them in a spot
whe~ a churrh ..... laICrr buill and where in lhe
lour1h cenlury Dayr aI·Amlr TadrUs was founded 01
Mun;!. al·Amir aTound lhal church,
Silualed on Ihc ""C!l\ bank of Ihe Nile, opposile
Ma'idl and Ma',!"nl\ l;Iul">\n, 1h~ ancienl monas--
1ery lies in the neighborhood of 11M: modern diS1nc1
01 al'J::Iawamdiyyah, adjacent 10 lhe village of Muna
al·Am!r.
Tl>e area of Ihe monas.ery is upedally ~l1ed for
monastk life wilh i15 ...lubriout almosphere, as
_II as wilh .he agricuhunll produce of i\$ arable
",n. In realilY, a number of other mOl\&Sleri... 3J"e
k.......·n '0 ha"" emcrg<:<! in .hal area on boUl banks
of Ihe Nile. Wnhin .. short distance on lhe ""ell
bank 10 lbe north arose non..,1t lEa04....H a' Saqqa.
ra. Nearby. DAHl. JtlIO SltYl'ltY" ...... rounded a' ano<h·
er carty dale, Inn both seem to haw star1ed .twin-
dlins: in <he lour1...,.uh een.ury. On .he casl bank al
a muth Ia.... dau:. the Ia...... of SaInI 8JtJtSnM lllE
!'lUtO (aI·'!ryan) calllC inlO e1istfllce.
II Is imeresrilll mal Popor CTItIL V (1!74-1927)
selecled <he sill: of Da)T aI·Amlr TadrIb for «ca·
sional reliremenl and nublOshed .here hOs tumm...-
TQOrt.. H~ was pn>bab/y llI.raeted 10 Ihe .rea no'
onl)' by iu proaimi"'-o lhe patriarchal seal. in Cairo
bu. also by me ""'1)' ... ni",", of Ihe churrh where
....ch ",err:d remains were buried.
Oricinally the monaslery occupied an C>l1Cfl!!;"'"
.rael surrounded by a """';ye s'one wall. Wim the
sradual cncroachmeTII of rarmco on it5 ar.>blc soil,
the wall diJappcared. The arrhaeologkal remains
haye shrunk 10 mere fn<:lion~ of Ihe .ncien! slruc,
lurn, which include, besides Ihe IrBCeli of monu.ic
cell., Ihe greal church al whkh Pope Cyril buill his
Summer r"""r1 and which became a place of pil·
lrimage for pi"". Copts of lhal region.
The church en1rance i~ reached by descending a
Few Slcps lO aboul a yard below Ihe a<:'ual ground
le>'C!. Appart'nlly Q lhe 5ill accumulated IhTO"Ih
lhe cenlurie$, it raised the around le>'d around .he
.hurdl. Inside its sanCluary, !he church contains
three altarS inlakl wllh motheT-of·pea.ri and embel.
lished"" icons of differenl periods.. The JWIoIOSTJtSIS
is made of artis.ic arabaqo.e ~rt. Within the
sanctuary are d10e !"t'ma.ins 0/ miff mart)"n, 01.
-.born lhe young.tSl. Salm C)'ria<:us. ",-as <hree ~
old. n.r <>tIwT 1_ famous sainlO :ore SainI ..,uaMJllS
(Abo:; Sayf:ayn) and Saint llIWOO1tUS (al-Amlr Tad·
......)...t.o.e feas1 da)' is 20 Abib. Howeve/, lhe A.I1C'"
tificuion of the churrh itself is cel~d on 20
Haliir. Accordin, .0 aI·MaUrim•• he chureh "'*5
rrslornl by Abo:. al·Yumn ibn al·Bazzjz. mo5I proba·
bly in lhe COOrR of lhe I..·elfth eenlury.
Other visible !"t'malns .0 Ihc ~ of .he church
comprise Ihe cemetery when: bishop. and """nb
were buried. To the caSI of me church Os the mod-
em palliarchal summer ""idence and an andenl
well used by lhe monks in bYlan" days when Ihe
Nile ran low. An Inner SlOne wall, approximalely 4
yards high, surrounds (hese ••ructures.
Durinl Ihe Middle Ages, the epaTChy of Munl
al·Amlr compl"i$l!d Ihe adjacent lown. nOr1h of
Memphi. '0 Giu, tOjether wilh Mo.'ldl and Tum
casl of .he ri,'et". This cparchy is known 10 have
nOsled for Ihree cenluries. umil the sideen<h cen·
tury..."'en it wu lnco,ponucd in.o .he mot'e !"t'.
ce.u epan::hy of Aw~m. whose sea. "'as consequen.·
Iy m","Cd 10 lhe ci.y of Gino, ..tlere i. has remained
10 the presen. day. Evidenll)' all.his .....y be consid-
ettd an o/bhOOI of lhe much older Memphytic ep.
an::hy of ancien. timea.
8IBUOGIlArtn'
Aho1 aI.Makirift\. Sa'd·AJlih ibn Ji<jio; ibn Mas'Ud.
ToitUh ..1.,..".'1$ ........ /-AdyiraIl. 5 vols.. ed. SamQ.
11 aI-5uI}'f,nl. Cairo, 1984.
Mijid al-Quss Tldtus. "Da)'T aI·AmiT Tadnh aI·
Shu!bi." M~i..I1.., M..ddris ,,/.~d noL 3-4
(1CJ86):50-'l,
AZlz S. Ann
DAYR ANDA ABSHAv (Abu TIj). The monas·
lery appears 10 haye left no lrace, and ilO exis1ence
is known only from lilera/}' sources. Al lhe end of
lI.e elevenlh cenlury Ihe HISTOIlY OF THE PATlllltllCHS
(Vo1. 2, pl. 3, p, 22& [text], p. 362 [.ran.1.]) men·
lions 10 Ihc soulh of AbO nj Ihe bodies ollhe holy
martyrs Abo Blshah and msah "in coffins in <heir
churrh."
ABO $.l.ll\:lTH£ ItR.ltEtllItN teemS '0 haye bolTOwcd

this phrase from the Hislor)' of Ihe PaltiaFchs, for he
mentioned the same saints in the same location and
alludw to the coffins containing the relics (1895,
fol. 91a [text]: p. 253 [Irans.) is wrong: he thought
the reference w"" to PACHOMtUS and SllENUfE).
A manuscript of the Arabic SYNAXARION of the
Copts deri~ing from DA~R Al.-MUJ:lARRAQ copies a
manuscript dating from 1770 (National Library,
Pari., Arabe 4780; cr. Troll!>"au, 1974, Vol. 2, p. 30)
and mentions these two marty'S at 26 Ba'unah,
withonl specifying the place. According to the enco·
mium of Moses, bishop of mw (Antaeopclis; it is
Ihus Ihat we ,hould read Ihe printed te~t), Ihe mar·
tyrs Abshay and Peler, his companion, were vene-
rated in Iheir dayr in the land of Their origin (Bo:lha)
opposiTe Oiiw, but on the left bank of the Nile. See
Ihe Arabic ".,rsion of This encomium, published ",,~.
era! times (SiraT, 1976, p. 70).
The EThiopian Synaxarion indicaTes the martyr-
dom of Ihese two saints at 5 Sane (Ba'unah) and
memion. Ihe church at BOba (Guidi, p. 557). The
Arabic Synaxarion of 'Abd aI-Maslh Mikha'll and
Arm;inyiis l;Iabashi Shalii al-Binnawl (1935-1936)
puts the manyrdom of the saim. al 5 Ba'ilnah and
indicates IhaT Their bones are aT !:iidfa, a Town near
Buh.i. Muyser (1944, p, 176, n. I) indicates the
location of Biih!, but seems To Ihink that the village
is stili in e~isTence.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Guidi, I., ed, u Symuilire elhi"pi"n. PO I, pt, 5,
Paris, 1905.
Moses, Bishop ()f Oaw. SiFttl ttl Anba Ab"hai wa
al-Anbh Bu!ru$, Cairo, 1976.
Muyser, 1. "Ennile p«rl:grinam et pelerin infatig.
able." Bullelin de la Socitre d'AFcheologie COp1e 9
(1944): 159- 236.
Troupeau, G. Calalugue de" manuscrils arabes. Par·
is, 1972-1985,
Vansleb, J. M. Nouvelle R~laliun en tonne de JOUF-
nal d'un voyage {a;1 en '~gyple en 1672 el 1673.
Paris, 1677. Translated ~ The PFesenl Siale of
Egypl. London, 1678.
COOUIN
RE.'1~,GEORGES
MAURICE MARTIN, 5.1,
DAYR ANBA ABSHAY, mon""tery Ihal Slill ex·
iSIS on the right bank of the Nile al the edge of Ihe
desert leSll than hatf a mile easl of tile lown of
al-Tud. A church was disco~ered in The couese of
arcllaeological e~cavalions in llle Ptolemaic tern pte
(Vercoul1er, 1952, pp. 83-84; DriolOn, 1937),
Tile present monaslery is of lale construction. but
DAYR ANBA ANTUNIY(JS 719
one may conjecture ThaI it occupies Ihe siTe of a
more ancient monastery, mentioned "to Ihe easl"
of (al-) 1'11<1 in The sixtll and sevenTh centuries by
the Sahidic recension of the Coptic SYN~MRION.
The neighboring cemelery has been the objecI of
excavations (Maspero, 1884, p. 185; 1886, p, 71).
These e~cavations Ilave re~ealed bo<Iies, perllaps
that of Bishop Pisentius, and '·...tments (Vercaulter,
1947, pp. 217/f.), The sile was noTed by 1. Doresse
(1949, p. 342), and O. Meinardus also mentioned iT
(1%5, p. 322; 1977, pp. 436-37), bul Tltese Iwa
authors Ihink tltatthe church has been shifted from
lhe lempte of aI'Tud 10 its present site,
The summa\)' of the life of Saim Abshay (in Cop'
tic no doubt Pslloi) is preserved in Ihe Sahidic re-
cension of lite Coptic Synal<arion at 25 Kiyahk. This
saint was surnamed al·Qabrln or al·Qub13yn, the
meaning of which is not clear, He died at "The
ford" or "The clOSIlroads" or "tlte watering place"
ofTiid (the Arabic w<lrd can have these three mean-
ings).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Doresse,l. "Monastere$ caples au~ environs d'Arm-
ant en Thi:barde," Analecla Bollandiana 67
(1949);327-49,
DriOlon, E. "La Df:couverte d'un trkor en Haute-
Egypte." Revue des conlerences !ranfa;SeS en Or;-
en! (1937):2.
Masper<., G. "Trois Annks de fouilles dans les Tom-
beaux de Thebe. el de Memphis," In Memo;res d.
fa Mission aFCheofogiqu. /ranfa;se du Caire, VoL
t. pp. 133-242. Paris, 1884.
___ "Premier rapport a !'lnSlitul d'EgypTe sur
les fouilles e~eculi:es en Egypte de 1881 a 1885,"
Bullelin d. I'lnslilul d'Egypl. 6 (I885);3-~f1
_ _ . Eludo.' de mylhologie 01 d'archiologie egyp-
liMn", 4 vols. Paris, 1893-1900,
Meinardus, O. Chn'sNon Egypt, Anci.,,1 and Mode"'.
Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed., 1977.
Vernonner, J. "T6d, 1946-1949: Rapport succincT
des fouille.:' Bullnin de I'lnslilUi /ram;ai.< d'AF-
cheologie oriemal. 50 (1952):69-87.
___, "u Deir copte de T(>(I el les remplois de
Thoutmosis 111," Annal" du Service des anN-
qU;Ie< de /'Egyple 47 (1947):217-22,
Winlock, H. E.. and W. E. Crum. Th~ MOllaSl.ry of
Epiphaniu< al Thebes, 2 vols, New York. 1926.
RENItGWRGES COOUIN
MAURICE M~RnN, S.J.
DAYR ANBA ANTUNlYirS, [This entry COn·
S;SIS 01 several parI•. They are Ihe hi.<lory (md chro·
nolagy of Ihe monastery; the layaul ot the monaslery
720 DAYR ANBA ANTONIVOS: HiStory
..lid .. /mef dueriplWt< of I~ m"JOI elt..rr:h of s..int
A..rorry; .. dueripliorl of lite _II p"illlinc'; .."d ..
dueripliofr of lit" IIU<I ill "'hielt I~ _"#C'1 IS
Ioc./Cd. E.clr UClton .....s II Wltie" 01 'Ccenl as ..",II
•• carl,. _l<"u.]
History
11M: MOlla'llery of Saini AnlOny ;$ .ill1al~ )0
mila (45 1=) soum.... "'1 of 1M RflI8e). liJhthouse
of IUs z..·fartnab (100 n>iIa. or 290 km. from
CaIro m Sua) .,1 lhe fool ollhe soulh end of !he
Jalibh mountain r;mge.
After lhe death of Saint AKTOh"Y, a monaJtk settle-
menl "'"as eslDblishf'd in tile reign of JUU.u.: nlE
olI'OSTATE (361-361), which included merely the
masl necessary buildln~-a ehurch, cells, a ki!l'!>-
en, and a bakehouse. During lh fifth unlury the
monastery ...,.".ed ao a place of rduge rOt SOme
manh or Ihe W~dj aJ-Na!n1n mona.steriu, which
were s:>cled $e>'em! Ilmeo. In Ihe ",\'enth and
eighth cemunes Ihe monaslery was occupied by
Me!chlle monls. Saint John 1m: Almoner. Melchile
pal/arch of Alexandria from 609 to 620. supplied a
«nain An...wi.... IIEGUME.NOS of the monulery.
wi'" large sums of monq ....1 ordered him to re·
dotern the captives ..ken by Ihe Persianl. Around
790. CopIic IDOnia removed 11M: rdics of $Ioinl JOIDl
<:ot.OlICIS (me Short) from !he monastery and I<ans-
ferred 1hem 10 Wadi al-Na!fUn. In 11M: el~mh Cen·
U")I !he ... n.ivor:s of me .....y of Nap' al·Da....1ah
pillafled 1he MonasLel)' of Saini AnlOny and killed
many of !he monb. During !he palriarcha1e of JOHH
VI (1139-1216) 1M moaaslery .... in~iled by
Copck nMXW ar>d supplied ~ e I b the
Eth;,;,pi.an oHice of~. In !he IIdn~nm cenlUl)l
1M Il"OONitery ....... rrounde<l by a "'nilied. wall. A
larce pnlen conlaill~ palm tree$, apple and pear
lreel, beds of .egew.w,. and mf"ff sprinp 0( pel"'
pe1ually l\owin, water., Major rep.lrs .nd renova·
tio.... _ro: uenne<l dUrina ,he 1_lfth .nd 11m-
teeMh ,,~I\lri= In llie rouMeIllh ... d fifteenth
umuries the ntOllaSlery .......';sited by Olier VllJ
(U95), GhHleben de ~nnoy (1429), and DettioF
Heinkel (1436). AI Ihe Council of F1oren"e (14~_
1445), John. the h~g.. m~n<lJ of the Monastery of
Salm Amony. repre",nted the Coptk church. In Ihe
laner pan of lhe fifteemh eentury Ihe monast"ry
and ill library were de.troyed 1:>y bedotl;ns who
livEd in Ihe monastery ao ",,.,,.anIS. During the Iinl
lutlf of lhe .ixleenth century. Palri.rch GABRIEL VI1
sem lwenty monks of the Syrian mon.utery of tile
Wid! al·N...!";n to lhe ~lOnltSlery of Saini Amony 10
assiot in me <ebuild;....
Aha the r,..IQnllion, an Ethiopian communiI)'
liw:d for some ,ime lotether wilh £«yplian monks
at the monastery, Pilpims and ""mer.! of the six·
teenth and _nleenm e ....luri,.. in"Nded Dom
FnnciscuI (t52O). Cassi." (1611). Be~ (1616).
Coppin (16J8). Monceaux ... d l.aisne (1661-1675),
J. M. VAHSlU (1672), and de Mailiel (1692). In the
x'"""teen,h eentury the moo_Cf}' '''"It:I used by the
Capuc:hin fathen as • Iangt.tlle school ro.- ,he pre]>-
.....,;,;",. of ,heir mlsslonaries.
Eighteenlh<entury IrueleB pr<n-;ded mulCh in_
fonnalion. For eumple, P, Lucas (1714) was senl
by Louis XIV for scUlly purposes; an anonymous
Irnckr (1716) sJr.el"hlOd Ihe mOnaslely, and C. Si-
"a<d and J. S. Auemani (1716) """"red volumes for
the Vat"'an Ubrary, Gr.lnger (1730) noticed and
recorded twenly·five monks In Ihe monastery, and
S;trqi. (17M) scratched his name in Armenian on
the nonh wall of Ihe Church of the Holy Virgin_
In the laner pan of Ihe eillhleemh cemul}', the
monaslery underwent major resconuion•. In 1766
Ihe Church of SainI Mark was rebuilt and in 1783
IBRAlllll' .lI.-J~""""oJ reno>'aled the .....11•.
Nineteenth--e:enlury travelen _re H. Tatlam
(1893). \l'bo uamined Ihe library, and Archiman·
drile I'omrij Us~nskij (1850). who worU:d for the
union of the Russian .nd !he Coplic churches. In
1859 Calli.ueus, !he Gf"ffk OnhodoJ< patriarch of
AJeundria, >isited lhe mooaslCJ)l. G. Chesler
(11173). G. Sch_inFunh (11177), and M. Jullien
(l3SJ) added con~ 10 our kno"'kdge l:>y
their descriplions and observal~.
11M: ~ip 01 the MooaSC~ of Saint Aruony
"''as esp«ially notable durinc the sewn.eenm.
eighleenlh, and nineteenth cenluries. T",,,,k,,, AnIO-
nian monks ...,.,nded the PMlriarchai throne. and
for almosl: )00 yars lhey decCTtllined !he hiscory of
the Coptic "hurch.
The Chun::h of Saini AnlOny and !he old sou1h
wall bdong 10 11M: kw remains ebling 10 the ~riod
prior to Ihe rebuilding 0( the ....,..;Utel)" in tIM: six·
leenlh cenlul)". The ...all palnlings in the """cmary.
Ihe nave, Ih., nanh,.,., and Ihe cha~1 fall ;nto lhe
period of lbe resloralion of the church by 11M: so'"
of Ghilib in 1232, This church is used during the
winter. From April 10 Oclober. the lilUIIY is eel".
braled in the Church of tIM: Aposdes, east of Ihe
Church of Saini AntOny. This church has Ihree al·
tars, dedicaled to SainI Georg:". the Apostles. and
Saim Dimyinsh, For fifteen days durin8 Lent, Ihe
liturgy i. celebral.,d in the Church of Saint Mark.
 DAYR ANBA. ANTONIYOS: Chronology
which wu used by tho Catholic missionaries during
the seventeenth century, The Church of the Holy
Virgin is use<l only during the fifteen days poor to
the Feut of the AssumptiOn of the Virgin, The
Chapel of Saint Michael is locate<l on Ihe top floor
of the keep. In a<ldition to these five churches,
there are two churches name<! after Saint Paul the
Theban. both of which are under construction. The
library contains three collections of manuscripts
and printed books. The spring of Saint Antony sup·
plies the community with water. The waHs enclose
an area of 18 feddans (about 17 acres), of which 10
feddans beJoog to the garden
BIBt.IOGRAPHY
Chester, G. "Notes On the Coptic Day... of the Wady
Natroun and on the Dayr Antonio< in the Eastern
desen," ArchneologicaJ Journal 30 (1873)'105-
116,
Cogordan, G. Relalions du VQ)'age fail nu couvml de
Sainl·A'uoi"e au mols de Novembre de /'an mille
neul cenl un. Paris, 1903,
Coppin, J, Relation> des voyage faits dons 10 Tur·
</uie, 10 ThtbaMe, tl la Barba";e, p. 307. Lyons,
1720.
Daumas, F" and F. Jomier. "DeiT Antonios." Bulle.
lin de !a Soc/ht histo";que e' gtographique de
I'lsthme de Sue. 6 (1960).
Dor=, H, "i.es Mon<lStere. de saint Antoine et de
saint Paul:' Compl<s rendus de /'Acadtmie des
inscript",ns el belles-!et/res (195 I ):268ff.
Elias, R. "i.e COllvent St. Antoine," College de 10
Sainte Fomille 48 (1963):2Iff.
Fedden, H, R. ",\ Study of the Mon<lStery of St.
Anthony in the Eastern Desen." Unlwrsity of
Egypl, Faculty of Arts Bullelin 5 (1937):1-60.
Johann Georg, Duke of Saxony. Neue Slrejfv.;ge
durch die Kirche~ ""d Klosler Agyple"s, pp, 32-
43. lkrUn, 1930.
Leroy, J. Mol~es el monasleres du Proche Oriem.
Paris, 1957.
i.ewi., A. S, "Hidden ~" Cemury Magazi~e 68
(l9Q4):745-58.
Lucas, P, Voyage du Sieur Paul L"",,, fait en /714,
Vol, 3, p, 149. Rouen, 1744,
Meinardu., O. MOllks and Monasteries of the Egyp-
tian Deserts, pp. 31-BB. Cairo, 1960.
___. "The Collection of Coptica in th~ Q"'ir of
Ih~ Mon""t~ry of St. Antony." Bulletin de la So-
citt. d'orch'o!ogle caple 18 (1964).
Piankolf, A. "i.e. Peintur~. d~ la petite chapElle au
rnonaster~ de Saint Antoin~." Les Cahier< Capres
12 (1956):7-16.
___. "Pein.ures au rnonulere d~ Saint Antoine."
Bullet;~ de In Soc/iti d'archtologje copte 14
(1956):151-63.
721
Platt, (Mi..). Journal of a Tour Through Egypt, Vol,
2, p. 93. London, 1842.
Pocock~, R. A Dcsc";ption of Ihe EaSl, p. 128. Lon·
don, 1743.
Schweinfunh, G. Auf u~betrtte"en Wegen, p. 185.
Hamburg, 1922.
Sicard, C. Lmres tdifiantes ., cu";euses, Vol. 3, p.
2BO. Paris, 1845.
Strothmann, R. Die kOpl;sche Kirche in der Ne",;eil,
p. 31. Tubingen, 1932.
Vansleb, J. M. Nouvelle relation on form. de {"urnal
d'un voyoge fail en Egypr. ell 1672 el /673, p.
302, Paris, 1677.
Wilkinson, G. Modern Egypl and Thebes, Vol. 2, pp,
3BIlf. London, 1843.
Chronology
With the present state of documomalion, one can
only oel out a few landmarks in the history of Dayr
AnbA An!Un;yiis. while awaiting the publication of a
oeriou. archaeological study of the mon<lStery.
401: Posmmian appea~ 10 be the Ii... l amhor to
attest the ~xistence of the Monastery of Saint
Ant<,"y. He said, "Duo beati Antonii mona."cria
adii, quae hodieque ab eius discipulis incolunt·
ur" (I came to two mon;><teries of the hlesoed
AntORY, where his disciple. dwell today; SuJpic·
ius Severus, 1866, p. 17).
Beginning of .eventh centu!)': Ana.~ta.sius, hegu·
me"os of Saint Antony, is delegated by the Mel·
chite patriarch John the Almoner 10 ransom
the prisone~ of the Persians at Jerusalem
(Delehaye, 1927, pp, 23-24).
Before 622: Jows resident in Tomei, ncar Bilbeis,
are baptized at the Monasl.ry of Saint AnlOny
(Gri,'eau, 19Q8, p. 29B).
Belor. 690: Menu, future bi.hop of Trnuis, and
KH.l.. 11. t, future Coplic patriarch (744), arc
monks at Saint Antony (Evelyn-White, 1932, p,
284).
End of ninth century. Two monks of the mOnas·
tery of Saint Antony go begging in Ethiopia
(HislOry of the Pat";archs),
1064-1065: A note is written in the Vatican Man·
uscript Coptic 66, fo1. 194v (Hebbelynck and
van Lantschoot, 1937, p, 484).
1070: The letters of Saint Antony are translated
from Coptic imo Arabic at his monastery (Gar·
iUe, 1939, p. 29),
722 DAYR ANDA ANTON1YOS: Chronology
T<l......rd 1160: MUROOS '8."l 0"~'8A~ Is ,"",IN IQ
SainI Anlony.
1204-1205: Valican Manuocripl Coplic 9 is ....ril·
,"' .. SainI Antony (Hebbcl)"fld.·...,. ani·
«"hool. 1937. pp. 291".).
1<!09-1210: 15aac. ~k 01 s"inl Anl<lny. be-
corne. db",,,, 01 F.lhiopia.
1232-1233: n.., mural. fmKoa olIN Church 01
Saini An'OJtY ~ painltd. accordina 10 an in-
scription in the church (Ccquin "nd 1..lIfe~",.
1978. p. 282).
12.350< 1245: Syrian monu Ii,~ a, Saint Antony
10 a <bo,e Wlkno...... (Evel}...·Wbile. 1932. pp.
311. D_ 4: 389-90).
1270: Gabriel is monk ", Saini Amony. acconling
10 Ihe Ethiopian SYf<AXAlION al II Hamil' (E\-el·
yn-While. 1932. p. 391). He wril~ " no,e in
Valican Manuscripl Coptic 9, 1...1. Ir iHcbbe-
lynck and van Lanuchoot, 1937. pp. 31-32)
when h. becomes palriarch under Ihe name of
CABRIEL 1Il_
1283-1284: Gabriel al·Duronk;' priest·monk of
,he Monaslet')' of Saini Antony, copiel lhe Kac·
marcik manuscript (Samir, 1978, pp. 85-90).
1J78: The pau1an::h ....TTHEW I, monk al Abu
Fina!l and lhen al SainI AntOny, Is elected pa.
Iriarch.
1386: MURQUS .u..ANTtrsI di., a$ a ""inL
1393: A Syrian monk copies in c..rshOni me man-
U5CripI in lhe National Ub...ry. Paris. S)Tian
191 (cf. Zolenbe~ 1874, p. 133).
1395-1396: The Seigneur d'An&!ul"ll: ,-i.ilS Ihe
mon. . .ri... of Saini Anlony and Saiol I'auI
(O·An,luTC. 1878, pp. 70_72).
1396: This is the dat.e of ,he manuscript Vatican
Arabic 123....rillen at Sai~1 Anlotl)· (Hanssens.
1971. p.4;oJ.
Toward 1397: SymtOn 1nR$lacn inlO Cc'n lhe
AnolM<: s-,·na.<:a<;i<>n of lhe CoplS (Guidi, 1911. p.
742) and iI Li¥ of S<ri../ 8aJiJiJ~ (re~t~.
1922, p. 2-18).
1422: Ghilld>en de Lannoy Visits lhe monastCf)'
and nOlC'; Ih~ p.l\':St:nce of fifty monlls (de Lan-
noy. 1878. pp. 69- 70).
1440: Andrew. abbot of Saini Amony, is pr~senl
al lhe Council of Rmence (Alberlgo, 1%2. pp,
545. 5511),
Before 1441: Al_M.lQK11.1 sptab of lhe rnon;lSl~rics
of Saim AnlOny and SainI Pa... l,
1466: "ABRIEL I. monk of Saini Amony, Is named
palriarch.
To....ard 1484: The rnona",~'Y is pi1la,cd and lhe
monks are massacrcd by the bedouin (Coquin
and Laferriere, 1978, pp. %78-79),
15lle: The palrilorch JOHN "'-Ill in lhe manuscript
Valan Coptic 9 "*)'11 lhal Ihe monastery has
been pillase<! and lhal lhe manuscript in quCSo
'ion has bun l"e<'o>'ered from !he bedouin who
had carrie<! h off (C<lquin and Werr-Wrt. 1978,
P. !78).
1512: Jean Thenaud (1814. p. Ill) says; lhat Ihe
Monastery or SainI Anlony bas been in ruins for
.....<en yean.
1540: The pal~h GotBal€L VI! J'CS(Ofn lhe Mon.
lUIery of Saini AnlORy ....;m SOmc monks from
WAd! aH<la!n:in (Coquin and Laferritrt, 1978,
p.317).
1547: Bellon du Mans (1970, fol. 12Sa-b) speab
of lhe monaslery as inhabile<! by monks.
1561: An Elhioplan monk wriln a ,,....,ise on
penilence al ,he monastery (Cerulli. 1943, Vol.
1, p 419).
1638-1639: Coppin (1971. pp. 227ff,) pay. a yisil
10 lhe Monastery of Saint AnlOny and slates lhal
lhe MOnaslery 01 SainI Paul is sliIl in mins.
1650_16~1: 1d'~~ VI, monk of SainI Anlony. is
chosen 10 be palriarc!l.
1665: A. Gonllll~ (1977, Vol. 1, p. 33, and Vol. 2,
p. 654) nOI"" Ihal $(lm~ Franciscans are .tudy,
ing Arabic al Ihe Monastery of Saint Antony
and lhat the Monaslery of SainI Paul i$ $Iill
uninhabited.
1672: J. Vansleb vi$its SainI Antony (1677, p. 289;
1678, pp. In-1(2).
1676: A monk of Saint An'ony is. e!ec,td palliarch
under .he name of .101{" ltVl_ If<, repeoples Ihe
Monutery 01 s"im hul in 1701. aha an ;nler-
J\lPIM:ln of 119 ~ (Kim;1 $lilt:' Nakltlah,
1954. Pt. 4, p. 1<46).
1716: C. Sia.rd (1981, Vol. 1. pp. 24_27) Yisiu!he
...........cries of SainI Anlony and Saint Paul.
1730: Gn"",r (1745, pp. 1061f.) risils Ihe Monas·
1Cf)' of Saint Antony.
17M: The ,,!lurch of Sain' Marl. is. buih 'htouJh
the alten.lons of Mu'aI\im (meanin, ..,cache....
but here a lilk: 01 respecl) J:lasab-i1ll:oh al·
BayiI;II (Sima)"uh, 1930. Vol. 2, p. 112): Vans'
kb (1678. p. 184) poinl$ out Ihe lomb of Ihis
saini. s;lualw In his chu.--eh in Ihl' middle of
lhc prden.
1i6~ The $ucces.sor of Mark in Ihe see of Alexan'
dria i$ a monk of SainI Anl"ny.
1771: The Churc!l of ll1e Holy Ap<.>Itl<'S PCler and
Paul Is (re)conslrucled Ihroug!l Ihe allenlions
of Mu'allln> Lulfallah ehak'r (Silll8}bh. 1930,
p_ 110); in 1673 VansJeb (1677, pp. 183-84)
Iud given an accounl of a church dedicated 10
lhe apostles Peler and P;>ul.
 DAYR ANSA ANTONIYOS; General Layout of the Monastery
1796: MAli;: VIH, IOlllh pa,riarch d A)e>andria, is
also a monk d $;oint Antony,
1805: n..e monks sufler from ""t~te "'''nl bfc.
~ of the in"'rnIprion of Ihte canovans co..,·
in, from Cairn (Arabic Man"""ript: Bib!.. 164
colophon, ace<>rding 10 Sima.ybh, 1930, p.
114),
lS09: A monk 01 Saint An,ony is declfcd JltOtrianh
under II... name of ~ VII.
18S<!: OJl~ IV, hCfltntcmu 01 tM ~lon;utfcf)' of
Salnl Anlony, ;s nam.-d pauian:h 01 Alteundtia.
Hte fc>IbrslOI ,he precincts 10 the sOl.llh and "''feSt
(Sl.....ybh. 1930, p. 114),
The precious libraI'}' lhal was long presfcrvfcd i..
1M kfc<'P is now in a special building, ""cording 10
SirTlllykalt (1930. Vo.L 2. p. 112). 1M 1.431 rTIlInu·
scripts may be divided inlo five groups as follows:
biblical (294). theological (254), hislorlcal (19ll, ec·
c1esia.. ical .ciences (655), .nd mi.cellanfcOUl (42).
Th"n! must be added 124 primed book.i. The library
conlains al-SQ lhe treasures of lhe mon ...tery (M.i·
nardus, 1961).
BIBl.JO(;R",PIiY
AlberilO. J.: P. P. Ioannou; C. Leonardi; and P.
Prod;' Conciliar..,.. O("c..",enie.....'" d"rte'''. f ..i·
burg.. 1962.
Anl:1"Tfc, Ogier d'. u 5<>i.., wy",,, d. Jht... s.l.... d..
Ulg".", d·Angl...... cd. F",,,,,ois BonrlllrOOt and
A. Longnon. Paris. 1118_
Ikllon du Mam. P. V"1"t<" en Evpl., cd. S. Sau .......
on. Caim. 1910.
Cc-rulli. E. Eliopi I" P..I.uinG. Vol. 2. Romte. 19-43.
Coppin. I. Lu VOJ<'r"s ftzils en EP"J'lte, flL S. Salin'
fcron. Caim. 1971.
Coquin, R.-G., lionel P. Lafemm. "Let Insc:rlpdons
pl-r1tlakes d~ r....,irnne q;1~ du monastm de
So. Antoine, dan. I~ dbt:n oricntal. S ..t/eti>t
N
J. r/t,ml'" ,... ",,,is d',,~ orifcnlilh 78
(1978):266-321_ , ZoIenberg. H. C.I.IoiJ'u des ",.....scrils
Ofclehaye, H. "Une Vic iMdilte dte St. ltean l'Aum6-
nier," ...." .. Itcl. BaIl.."di"N" 45 (1927):5-74.
EYfclyn·\\'hilte. H, C. Thte Afo.t<JSlmu of ,lte W.di'"
No""", pl. 2, Tit. Hi"""., of the Monas/tri" of
NIlrUl .."d Setlis. New York, 1~3Z.
Ftedd<!n, H. R..." St .. dy of the Monasttery or SainI
Anlony in thte Eastem DeSCrt." B"II'II" of the
F~c,,/r,. 0/ ArlS of Ih. Uni,'usi,y of Egypt S, no. I
\ 19l7):I-bO,
Carill~, C. "A Propos des Icllr~s d~ St. Anlolne,
l'ermile." Le M""on 52 (1939)'11-31.
eon... I.., A, Lt. Voyage en ErYpt., Vois. 1-2, cd.
Inslitul fra~ais d'Areht'ologi~ orientalte, Calm,
1977.
723
Grange-r. Sicu,. Rel.. ,icn <1.. """"gt faiI "n Epple e"
,·"""it 1730. Pari... 1145.
Griveau, R. "Hilloi", de 1a eon,~rsion des juif5.
habitanlS de la .ilk de Torroei ten Egyptte." Re-'ute
~ forrtnl d,rilJa" 13 (1908):2911-313.
Guidi, L, cd. "The Ethiopic $cnu.v.r." Joum.. l of
lite R."...I Asialic Sociel)l43 (1911):7J9-S8.
Han~, J. M. "Un T",iI~ eopt~ du XIVe
sieck: sur l'Euchariotite." (hvmw Christi..". 31
(l!n2):467-72.
Hriobetync.l:. A., and A. '''nlsnl$Choot. Codiees
Coplil'i Vil'ic",,;, Vol. I. Valican City, 1931.
J..lIitn. M. "Voyacc danslte ~ de la Basse The-
bai·<Jt,. :au~ cou,·tenlS dte $I. An'oint' t l S'- PauL"
Missions C<I1hci,q.." 16 (I18-4).
_ _ t:EgJ'plte, so,,.,...I,s I>ibfUl,ra te' ChritieN'.
LiUe, 189l.
KAmill;alil) Nikklih, Silsi/<u r"rfklt "1·SliW,,,OI B"t-
Jrikat a'·K,ml .. /./sh"d"rf, Pt. 4. Cairo, 1954.
Kh.lil. Samir. "Lc Codt:x Kacm.rcik et $ll ,.en;:"",
.rabe doe 1110 lit..,..ie aluandrint'." Ori~nl<lli"
Clm's"""" 44. nO. I (978):74-106.
!.annoy, G. de, Oe"wu, cd. C. Pot~in and J. C.
Houze.u. Lou"ain. 1876.
M~inardus, 0, Mo""1 .. "d Mo"asleri~s olth~ Egyp-
Ii.." Desen. Cairo, 1961.
_ Chris'i.." EIYPI, """ci,"t .."d Mod.",. Cairo,
1965: 2nd cd.. 1~77.
_ _. 'The Collcclion of Coptica In lhte Oasr of SC.
Anlhon,." 1;"11.1,,, dt /. SO(:UI~ d'''rchfolotu
Copl~ III (1965-1966):2$1-54.
Pctl.er5, P...1'.......elion. " traduclCll~ dan.l'hagio-
pphie menial., i l·t-poq!.lte byu-ntinte:' Antu«,..
BaIl"..diJm" 40 (1922):241-93-
Sicard. C. (k.. wu, Vol.. I. d. M. Manin. Biblio-
t~., d'nude 83. Cairo, 19&2.
Sitm.ykah, M. C.."I. d.. .4Iu.ue ropl", \'01.. 2 (in
ABbie). Cairo, 1930.
Then...!. J. u YO)'<IIt .r""trt_r, cd. C. Schcfcr.
Paris, 18l\4.
"amid>. J. M. N_~II • ... I",iort te.. ton- ate ;0..""'"
d'".. ~...,...... , .. it "" EgJ-pI' , .. 1671 ., 1613_ Paris.
1677. Translated as noe P,.""", $Io,e af £gypl.
London, 1618.
.,naq..es
,,' ...bicns (M.."d.i,uj dte ,. 8ib/iotM'1"" " ..'ion·
dk Paris, 1874.
RENt-GEoItGES CoQullol
MJl\lRlCE MAitTl~, SJ.
General Layoul or Ihe Monas1ery
The pre,;cnt monMltery at Ihe fOOl of Ihe soulhern
Jalilah plalteaU takes in an extensi.te area ...r·
rounded by a high wall, of which large pam in Ihe
-SQulh and Wl'St w~", added only in 1854. However.
724 DA YR AN l3A At\TlJ'JJ YOS: (;cncraJ Lalout of the Monasterv
(;pn "ral ,-ic'w of Ila\ r Arlo.. AILtur", u< ft om the <0"1 h,
'h,,,,ing the ",o,,""'io, of al·Jolobh nl Rahrinah in
(be' ,"mb C<Jwl,-" F,"",'/j h""",'t ,,/ O"''',,"nI A-·
,-I;a"".'",,-,', ('"in,
the' oldt'r, ""r1!lea"c'r-" "Tlioll o[ 'he """,a,ter,
",,'m, '0 haw lH,,'n in ",i,t"n"" in it- pn,,~n' rOrtl)
fe>! ~ "'"ch longer "eriD<! It ,1<0 conlains "ithin i'
~II th,- b"ildi:l~' thm gr'~JlL"lh' ,oo~ sh~pe,
rhe r1LO!""t~" ba' ~ numbel- o! d]lII-ch~" Iml 01
,h~sc' onh- ,h~ Chur-ch "I Saint .-\nton\ (~h" c~lIed
Ih,- Old Church <)r lh" Gn'al ('h,,,,-h) h", am hi,·
tori,al signific~n,e_ The (hurc-h of Salot PelN J",I
-"lLlIlt P"ul, "",:a,ion~ll" menlioued I" oIJ,', [r,,,d·
e1-' wa, 10m d",,-n in 1172 "Ild rc'pbecJ ~, 'h"t
'in'" h, " ne", hlJildin~ with thc' '~",e name. I'll"
btest ~hur(h, ,,-hi~h i< sit,,~,,>d <om( "''''' '0 ,h"
n"rth becau", the "Ai' of the b"ilding dC"iJlcd
I",,,, the ''''luin'd ca"-w,'" orlt'rll'tioll, h~s "ot ,el
been d~di'"tcd and SCT'-C' a, a libra" O"k Ih"
r",it!c the '1'"11, of j)~" ABba AHluni,'u', "it], lile
lib,.",,- "n tbe i~, lef! and on!." the e"pob, of 'he
Ch"rd, of al Ru<ul on llw far '-iglll_ COlill,,-, h,'nrlJ
1"'Ii'"'' nf Ori"l1la! ,l,,'hl"'''''o~.,-, (""in,.
Old \I-all and hK~ ""II (m'" nt"",io"!, [l,,,-, AIlI",
,00,,\C'" i\.::., C u'irlU, FOil,,", \-1"'1".-, (" o)l.',,-~,. ul Ih,· II,,,,,
Fa"""', Cnim.
'ndl," of the '\\0 """rs of ,h,> monJ"""- I~,,,
d~J'" 10" "a""',,h~t ~,hanc<'d a~e Irh,-ther il i< '0
1,<.' ide,,'ihcd with [h~ '0"""] "'c'nrloocd b, We 'I
"_,,,A~,,, 'il th" hcginBing of the' thincc'n'h c~nt"l'\
is lln"'n,,in 0\" ,,,,m!
cn'mncc wa, cllc,-'cd 0\
m~al\S of " rell'",wbl,> b..i<!g,> lhat <.>rigi~~II, I"d
I'm", 'he' .. ,,01 of " ''''all buildHl~ "tual<'d orro,it"
roda, 'h" bter IOwa 't"nd, on ,hi, 'J"". "., 'h,,'
nnw "n,' mIlS' ,-limh up in,ide it to ,he corre"!,o,,,I·
ing h,>ight_ Th,> re<id<.'ntial q"a.-r"", of tb,' monk>
co",i" 01 c'longat~<! "Htltiston builJi01' unit- "r
l:mgc'J like, ",,,cIS Hl a ,,'Uk-mcm_ \l'hen \Jmleb
rJo7i, pr- ,00 lOll \'i'i'cd 'he n1("""t,·1' in J071.
tlw monk, bwd «-p",,,,,,,I\', ,,'alt<:r~(1 "hout in
'''dl. 10" hou,""", Thi, "a\' of Ii,-inl' ('on·",po",d, to
the o,-igJ,,~1 lo,m of the ~n(horite 'd,lements, ~_<
nc"m,io", i" KlcU.JA ."d ,~G "". pr'O\'e, At the
s~m,' tim,.. It i, much do".,. ", 'he ideal 01 thc
anchorit., ,,~" of life, b'>I'''"_«' 'he an("hori,,, monb,
.- -.,
,
-
V",,, of [la\T Anh:, An!,-", i,.(j< 10 ken from th" j ic'r", il·
age of PalLl 'he Si,uplc (di,cipl<- of Anh:\ A~lC",i,'(jq
C""""",- rill"'," Harll" ('o/i,'c" "f 1/'" H"I-,' I'I1",i,",
(",n",
 DA YR ANBA ANTUJ\IYUS: Ccncnd LmOlll ul tl",: Mon<lSh:ry i2.'i

with ,)", ChLlr~h of SHinl Antom a large opc'"i"H

'1''1, dkcted in 'he <olllil ",,,II "f tht' "~"t','" do"'ed
na", d,,,,,he,,

mUUOGRAPHY

F~dden, II. K ",," Stud" of the .\-l'ma",'''' of S"i",

An'on\' in lhe Ll"el11 ])~st'rt." 1J,"i",in "f ,II.'
h",ult, of ,Iris ()f Ihe r:'''''''I'5'''' vf l:~'-m 5 no 1
(l9J7) 1-60
Gross",o"" P ,IJureiailen',,,h,' IJJ"Xh"",hppeJhr
d,eFl ,,,,r/
"~"'o,,",,' T,p",t '" Obai;g',p'c'1
(,hkbtadt, I<;S2
Md""rd"" 0 M'mb 'H,d ,If"';"""',i,,, of Ii", Fe"I)-
Grmn mill. DOH Anba An!unhu,_ CO"'lt" h""d,
",,,,I),,,,-r,',
PI', 29-88, Cal"", 1%)
Iwr'''''lror
(),i.'IJla,' A,.~lta,'nlo~::, C"im

in con'ra" ,,, Ih~ ,,,'nobi,,, monks aCCDmmDdated

in communal b"ildings, could proseculc' and <a"",
,nrougn their own I"'r'o""1 dc,'elu~menl IHlleh
mol'" d'f~cll,~I" The fac'l lh~1 Ih~ '<'Ilk<J ""~d i,
'WroUILJ~J b, a wall" o"h- a lormali'" ha,,~d on
,he ,~eUT;'Y ~,,,,,,,,a,, '" pm',,('1 lh~ir o'....n ,rea'
,m-, 'nd i, not adop,~d fro'" Ce!lOb"e J1)on~"icJ>Jll,
Th,- mOIl""c-n', "~tcr 'upph waS ",allll"i"ed by a
p<',,'n'\J~1 runn,ng '~j'illg ~L thc' !,<"" of ,he "e"em
pla'c-a" It wa, i~""'T"-)ratc-d i,,,o th" mona""",'
are" b, "urTOllTlding wall onl\' in 18.'~
Finall" on a ,.. na,-" <Ii~hd, elt'\ated alxJ\c til,'
mon'ste" is a ",,"II c",e ,dleIe Salll! Anto"" is
Ihough! ,,, hOle oncc 1,,'cJ It i, "mercd h, " lo,,~
corridor 30ct h'" "" alIa' ""ide (,\ki"'ardu" J<;61,
PI' 65. 881
Of 'h<' "UHlemU' ehUl'ene, in the mon,,,"',,', onh
th,' Church of Sainr ,In'om' de",",·, some oll~n·
1l0n. II \la, buill a' 'he bcglmllng of 'he II"rtcc,,,th ~
cen"", and " "i[1 lat'g<'!, ir"ou h'JJiealh, it bc" I,
lon~, lu \1", long, ,i"glc-·a,,,,, J()jllcd r:h",'c'hc, that

"f'l'c'",'c'J Hl 'he I'a'imid period and lhn' h,n' "

na,,, ma,k up of 1\\0 <llCCCSSl\" b..," Thc f'rc-"-'J11
ent"""e~ j , 'itu,,'t'J ()u lhe n"!lilc"''' 'iue 01 the
-,
&f;; ,!It...-~,
wc'stem domed h~, ]" tl", co'"~ t)wC(- i, n klI,;r",
,-' '
(room I-,,'t\,'<o"n nao, ,nd SHnC1ua,,) In lh~ >0llth
~~" ,
'1',11, in whieh re,n"i", 01 , burial ",e IJI'e",n~d
ILl'!
, ..
Ac,ordjng 10 Ie",al t,,,Ji'iou. S"i"t A"",,,, """ once ,
,
b""NI herc' bu' 'ili' wllld !lot baY" hu'n hi, orig;
nol ;,mial pla':<' 11", nonal sanclUan ,on"", 01
\
th,,'" "ncll,"l'i~, 3,.ronged side b, ,ide. ~()IH'CC'lc'd ,,
to cach ",ila I" ()PC'Tl an:hc, n"C\, "II hal"- th,>i,'
uw" c'upola" Tk "I""" ~pl""" 1<> be ~riginal Fi·
nallv, at a <light I, b,,.,- )",,'iOO" ,mall P,\RE""lESIO"
d,>ui,-a,etl '" tht' fou, bea'" "I the Apo""h-p", wa, PIaTl "f the Ch"r"h 01 Saillt A,"om, U,,\', ,\"b"
adJed to tht' west "nd of 'h" ",,"h \\",11 The qu~Ii" A,"un;'", Cm,r'~.", PeI,r (;m,I>"'<I'1"
of ", co"'tnrcti()n i, "N' mod"" To con""" it
-
726 DAYR Ai\'aA ANTCl\IY(;S: Wall Pailllings
"''''MIMI. J. M ,.,,,,,...11,, rd~li"" m !<Jml'" de "",mal
d'lJ~ ""'''"K'' (<Jil
cn t;z.p't ~ /611 ../ 1673. Pari~.
11>77. TraMblNl as nrt Pre"'" 8,,,,c af i'gypl.
London. 1678
Wall Paintings
Sm.;;", ,he Old o.un:h of .he Mon:m.-o of Saim
"",on... had bconl Ia,ish'" d«oral~-d b, ...all palltl-
,n!r' ,n dilf..... ru ..,In rhat art sull panh- ,-i<ihl"
..",.,raJ .. ,po..'"<1i.'ion; ""'itt"d 'hl!l mon.u',.n- ,,;,h 'he
J'Ur"J'<lI$<' of publ;",hing 'ht murals, From Ih.. fin.
U~ilion•. di"'~l<-d in 1930-19.31 by l1to"",.
"hlll"rn<>rr som......,,11...'" kno,,-n by ,,,,,,,II ""i>-
I"aln,,,, from .~, r,ankolf, Ah ... Wo/ltl "~r ll. J.
00.,,..,,.,, ,-;,i,,,d Saim Amon, 's. and l;u.,.. in 'he
1970•. J. Len" did so, "ht, 1981 Ih" ",ork of I.eT",
wa< carried <m b,' Paul van Moorscl. Thank< th.,'0
<ludic< of '0 mam- p,cdcc'<"""'rs and an cpigmphi
cal slud... b,' R.-G. (oquin "nd 1',-11, l.lllttdhc, Onc
can draft Ih .. following hV»Olh",is: Mtcr tlo" huild·
in8 of Ihi' <'hurch a group of abol" I"cn,y m"n
(pri<:~" and monh) orJ,,"'d a <'enall' Tbe<><!oru,.
",100 called himself a >;on of Ubhop Gabriel of A!fil>
(Aphroditopolisl. to painl Ihi< <'h"n:1> and P"',haps
al;o llle adjoining chap"'1. dc<l'ealcd lO lh" FUllr
Linn! Crn-IUres Aecoming '0 '1U('npllons, Th<-o-
Sacrifit:c of Abraham Pamt,ng al O:\\'r Anb~
A"!u,,;,,uS, Ca. AD 1232-12)" Co"rrt5> KCt5 c'""~
de /o,,~h
Inscriplion 1><:10" rhe painling of the Sac,;Ii<·" "j
Abraham Ir I)""r ""M Antuni,'u, 1;"';"8 Ih" lIa",,, or
"Painter Th<,<",1",.,,,' Ca,II.D 1232-1233, C,,"rlf~l'
AU. Cre,," de !<",~h
dorus nHljl ha'e h<....· " al work he,." abot" 1232
ll.H
Of his "'....... htl,e pam; art ,,'ill p""",n·",t In 11K:
san",uar~ lhe "Upola is d<"<:<)r.aled 1M 'he bUM of a
p"mohu,(W. SUl'TOUnded b' angdl; and Cherubim
and Senph"n, adored t.. eigh' OIheT a~elic h,·
"""', ",hil<' Ihc 1"''ClIl\-fou. pnnl5 from lhe bool< of
Rnelatl<>n 1',in 1M <d~.allnu,T" Slill abo,e lhe
main all:>•. mur '1<"""""" from !he Old TC>-Iamcnt are
rq>revn,.-.;l. ,he lo<'nf'Il clanin, I.... ial... hI", ,he
~nhce <..l \lekl>llcdri;, lllc .sacnfice of Abrah:>m
:>ud ,he IoKnf..:e of kplnh.ah. The main ap>oe ". 35
""""I dccOnl,,-d ""11> IIIC double IIle"",e lJ\ ''''0
zones abo,.... an elI,hrunt'd eh .... and. bd"". an
enlhroned \ Irl'0 ... "h child. boIh assisted b, angel
ic Ninp;. P"n",il' of """n! palria",'" or Aluan.
dna. or 5f\'fRU 01' ~\11'XH, and of an anommou.'
palriarch in lhe .. me s.aO"'uan a~ in'''.......'inl I".
the hi"ol) of Ihl.' li",r~ic31 "cs'menl5 in F4:'"!". S'ill
1m", Ih..· har"J of Thcodo,-u5 a,." poll",i" 01 5"
prophets .nd lh" h""",·riding ""i"". ",--"CUKIC5 and
GEORGE. Th('O.(' rid"rs dcco"'I". together "ilh Ih,'
popular $Ceoc of the Three "E~KE"'S in the nlt'na"e
and ",ilh Ab,'ahall1. l.a3c. and hcob. the lower pan
or the H",,,, lh~ upper pall km~ (re)paint,",1
Ialer,
The ca,lem pall 01 Ihc nav" ha, been deco"'t~
b, TheodonJ< w"h I'on ...a i" ul lhe 1101< \'i~in
 OAYR ANBA ANTONIYOS: Wall Paintings 727

- \
and ,n the l1pper pan of ,he H"",,- a.~ well, disap-
peared l>ehj"d the products of a ncw master, Al the
e""~t wall of the H,,,ru5, lhis rna" paiotcd Iwo ,cenc,
connec'ed with the resuneclion of Chrisl (th"
women 3t Christ', lOmh and his ITlcc,ing "ith the
two w"",en named ,\larv) and two p.in 01 archan·
gel< a' dineren, places in lh~ church
Although parts "f 'he s""co murals are lost a"d
someli",.." ""reswTed," 'he work of Theodorus can
oc considered complete. more comple'" than ~[]
man)' ",h"r n'd'" in Cop,1e mural painting, Being
a painter of a medi""re style, Theodorus belrays lhe
greal influence of Cop,ic medie,·al i<'onog",ph~,
",hiie lhe ne" master filS in 'he lourteenlh·an,u')'
trend 'hal 1'1"-" been more inspired in ehri,'ian
Egypt by By,.anli1\e p"inte",.

BIIlUOGR,,"PIlY

C<Xjuin, It.·G., and F.·II. Laferriere. "I...." In<crip-

Sacrifice of Jephthah'., daaghler. Painting at Daw
Anba Aotulli}'1J<, Ca, ,\ D 1232 1233. COI"''''J Kee.'
Cre>!f1 de longh,
lions IXlrierale' de I'ancien)]e cgli"" du monash" ..
de S. !\."toinc dan.lc dcsen mienta!''' 8ull~';n d"
I"1n51;lw /m>,(o;s d'Arel'eolotic ("icnl~!" 71\
(1978),267"J11.
Dore"", J. "Noun'lle' clude, sur l'an cople. les
n10n~,li:ores de 5atn,·Antoine e' de S~inl·Pa"L·'
COmple5 rendu_' de.' ,~a",'''-'' de I'Ac<ldhnie de'
i~5cripl;o"s el b,II"'·!"lIre£ (1951):168 74

(again an en'hron<:<l VirgJO with child) .nd monks,

lh. western pan with ponmitS of ridcrs and fC>t,r
other slanding saints, 11 is inlcrc.,ting ", sec how
Pachomius and Shenute share lhe company of Saint
AnIOn,', P"ul In. lIemlit, Kaau. a"rsiim thc Syrian,
A.-.eniu., Samuel of Qalamtln, Paul ,he Simple,
1,,,-,,,,, M""", 'he Black, Pi",nlius, and lhe fotlnders
of the great mona"erie, in SCET15 ""d. of course, of
monKs "Ito," names are losl n()w. Their portraits
pm,'ide infom,al;On about monastk ",""no<·nts.
,\pan fwm Kaau Thouan. Athom. and Pin). lhe
.aint' ponrayed in the weslern pa,' of the chureh
(ott,';ously the pan Te,erwa fnr the laymen) are all
militar), men; Saints GeoTge (again), Si,in11lu.,
Theodoru, $tralelates, Mena., Victor, Claudi",
Theodorus the (Jri"n,al and 1"0 unidentified fi~
ures. Menas and Vietor b~ing painled like couniel'S,
Ihe others in bal1l~ dre,", fighting (like Sai"t, Mer·
curi", a"d George in Ihe abo"e'mentioned V",,,,.'j
personi~cali"m 01' nil. rhe chapel of ,he Four Liv·
ing Creature, shows ahovc a lavi.hl~· d"cor-,;ted
cross an emhroned Chri.t, being a pan of a da"i-
cal de;s;.' (willt lhe lIoi; Virgin and lhe Bapti,!),
enriched bv a ""ene of ,he Four Creatures Slanding
in the anitude of accla"'alion of Ihe Lord. Se"ne of 'he "Chairele," Wor1< of the new mas'"r,
Laler, probabk in ,he lour",cnlh CeOlU!)', work Dayf Anb. Anttlni.us. Founeenth c,'nlu!>' (J). CO",·
fTIlm The'odor'" in Ihis weslem pan "I lhe nave Ie,,· Kees Crena d. longh.
728 DAYR ANBA. ANTONIYOS: Region of Dayr Anba Anllmiyils
___. "Deux Mon"'I~""S coptes oublies, SainT-
Antoine et Saint-Paul, dans Ie de5<'rt de la Mer
rouge," Revue de. arts 2 (1952):3-14,
Leroy. J, "Le Programme Mcoratif de l·<'gli.e de
Saint-Antoine du de.ert de la Mer rouge." Bulle-
ti~ de /']~Slilut fram;ai, d'Archeologie ori..nMle 76
(1976):347-79.
Moo"",!. P. ,,,,no "Le. Travaux de la mi ..ion de
peintu,..,. coptes a SainI-Antoine." Bulle,i~ d. 10
Sodkli /rotll;ais d'Egyplolorie 97 (1983):16-29.
Nelson, R. S. "An Icon al Mt. Sinai and Christian
Painling in Muslim Egypt During the Thirteenlh
and Fourteenth Centuries." Arl Bulletin 65
(1983):201-218.
Piankoff, A, "Pdntures au mon""le,e de Saint-
Antoine." Bulletin de la Sod!l! d'arch!ofogie
cQple 14 (1950-1957):151-63.
___. "Thomas Whiuemore, Les Cahiers copte•. "
Les Cahie" copies 7-8 (1954):19-24.
___. "Deux Pe;nture. de saints mililaire. au mo-
nasl~re de Saint·Anloine:· Les CaMers COpieS 10
(1956):17-25,
P~Ul V~N MooRsa
Region of Dayr Anb.i AntOnlyOS
The personality of Saint Antony altracted many
henri its, the ruins of whose hennitage. are still to
be se..n. Apart from lhe two dependencies of Bfuh
and Dayr al·Maymun, which represenl the outer
desert of lhe anciem lexlS. and the two monasteries
of Saint Anlony and Saint Paul. which are the inner
desert, lhe hennits installed themselves either in
the wadis flowing into Wadi -Araba or on the moun-
tain between the Monaslery of Saint Antony and
ClYSMA (Quizum).
The hennitages that are found in lhe wadis com-
ing down from the Jal~ah plaleau in lhe north.
opposite the monaslery.of Saim Antony, are lhose
in the W~di Nalfah: IhGIJ in WadI Hannebah; the
mosl important hcnnitag~, calle<l Dayr Bakhn: and
lhose in Wadi 'Arabah, halfway l>etween lhe Nile
Valley and the Monaslery pfSaim Anlony. 'Ayn Bar-
dah. They have been describe<! by F. Bissey and R.
Chabot-Mori..eau (1953-1954); A. L. Fomaine
(1953-1954); and R. Fourteau (1900),
The best known. 42 miles (68 km) from Suez on
the road of Saint Antony. is without doubt Day. Abu
Daraj, ooe cell of which contains Coptic inscrip-
tions. It has heen described by E. Brown (1974):
A. L Fontaine (1955-1956); and J. Jarry (1971-
1973).
In Egypl, Saint Antony appea<3 to be little ,'ene-
rated, His name appears rarely in the list of invoca·
tion. of the monks. The Life of Amony, by Athanasi·
us. i, meagerly represented in Coptic, and the
monasteries and churches de<!icated to him are not
very numerous. AI-Maqrizi drew allenti(ln to a
church in lhe districl of BayA~ to the north of 11ft!.>.
A 10po. (memorial site) of Saim Anton)' is noted in
the province of ai-Ashmuna)'n (Garille, 1943. p.
347). A monastery was dedicated to Saint Anlony in
the region of Qif!,
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bissey, F.. and R. Chabol-Mol"is.seau, "Note. de vo),·
age, sur I'ouadi Arahah: Ruines de constructions
chrelienne. dans I"" Branches est el ouest de
I'ouadi Hannaka." BulleliN de la Soc;he d'elUdes
hi.loril/ues et 8eographique. de I'lslhme d. S"e, 5
(1953- 1954): t 55 -60.
Brown, E. "Voyage en Egypte (1~73-1674)." Bul/e-
lin de 1'/n5litUi fram;ais d'ArcMologie copte
(1974):261.
Fomaine, A. L. '"E.:.plorations dans I'ouadi Arabah.
Ayn Barda, ses vestiges d'habitalions anciens."
B"lIel;n dela SOciele d'elude, hisroriques el g'"g_
raphiq,us de i'lslhme d. Sun 5 (1953-
1954):1591f.
___. "Les Ruines du bir Abou Darag sur Ie golfe
de Suez." Bullelin de ;0 SOC;ele d'emd.. hi'tori-
'1"e5 .1 CiograpM'1ues de j'lslhme de Sue. 6
( 1955-1956):55ff.
____ "Le Monachisme copte et la montagne de
St. Amoine:' Bulletin d.. 1'/nSlil«l des elUde.
COpieS 1 (1958):3-33.
Fourteau. R. "Voyage dans la partie septentrionale
du desel1 arabique:' Bulletin de la Sodele khedi·
viole de Geog,aphie, ser. 5, 9 (1900),517-33.
Garille, G, "Pan~g)'rique de 51. AntOine par Jean,
<,.'<'que d'Hennopoli.:· Orien/alia Chrisliana Peri·
odica 9 (1943):100-134, 330-65.
Jarry, J. "Nou,'elles Inscriptions coptes, gre<oques,
arahes et syJ"iaques:' Bullelin de la Societe d' ar_
cheologie cople 21 (1971-1973):55_81.
Littman. E. "Nahalean Inscriptions from Egypt."
Bullelin 01 Iht School of Ori.."'al and A/rica»
SlUdies 15 (1953):1-28.
Martin. M. "Abou Darag dan. la montagne de St.
Ant"inc." Bulle/i» de /"l»slilUt /ranfais d'Archeol-
ogie orientale 70 (1971):173-89.
Meredith. D, '"The Roman Remains at the East~m
Desert of Egypt." Journal 01 Egyp/ian Archeology
38 (1952):94-111.
&aipe, C. H, O. "Further NOles on My,," Honnos
and Some Ruins at Abu Darag.'· Bullelin of Ihe
Facully 0/ MIS of Ihe Unlversi/y 01 Egypl, 4
(1936):63-64.

Skard, C. (R,,-..s. Vol. I, U/1nS ~f ,(/tJ!ions, ed.
M. ~ttin. Cairo. 1982.
DA YR ANBA ANTfiNIY(lS (~). Su Mon.
teriei of tht Uppu !;>a-KI.
DAYR ANoA OAKH(JM (Aby<.b). The Copoic:
Uk of IIfOISfS OF ABYOO5 SOI)' dnny Ibal the Dint
founded h.is~...,.., to Iht 501.IIh of the temple of
sa, which i$ I'J01\<: othtr than lhe ~kmnooion 01
Strabo (i.e.. the funerary ttmpl~ of Strllj. The p~
~nl D~)T MUst, "I.., caI .... d nAYR SfTT DlMY.ll'lAH.
...ilkh Is 10 tm nonh...·~ 01 !he temple of Osiris.
CIIn hardly he the manasltry founckd by MootS.
ABO fJ:UII. THE ~IUlENIA.~ (1895, pp. 231-)2) and
al'M~ORltt (t354. Vol. 2, p. 507) abo spoke of Ih"
monast"ry of Moses ntar al'B~LYANA, bUI did not
Indi~a(" its ex~ct position in relation 10 Ihe phar-
aonic Itmpl"•.
C, s.cUl) (1982. Vol. 3, p. 68) relaled th,lt ot this
sit" he sa.... the ruins of a monastery cal1~t1 the
Monastery of l'achomiill. or Dayr Anb.!. Bakhl1m:
'1'0 lhe soulh of Ihe Memnonion there appear lhe
ruins of a mo"""'tery of Saint Pachomius, ab<>ut 100
paces 5<lua..e..... ith a dried...p .... ell ....ith a ,,'heel:'
The Coptic Uk of MOOSQ menlions ""pllchl, Ihe
di"i"l 01 a """,I.
Al the beginning 01 tho. centul)' G. I..efebwe
(1911. Vol.•• p. 239) saw at the ........ plxe lhe
lUi", of a monasln'!. a lona quadrilateral. 01
M
..hiclt 0II1y !be brick ....lIs emer&t=,- but he !'e"
marked that !be Iocab call it !be Mo.-tery 01 the
Greeb.. n.e Jesuit Skare!. ..t.o passed quickly
Ihrough ,....... pbces, rna)' have cOllline<! tlo\n AI-
aOwl and o..yr Anbl. RlI.!<bUm.
No doubt no one wi~.,.,..,r know the .."Ih. "
Motes called his molla5lery thal 01 Pachom;m, il
would PI'O\o't: beyond any doubt ..itat the Coptic
1e>.1S s.eem '0 dlow-thal he did indeoe<l inl.....d 10
remain ",'ithin .he P2ch0m.ian tradition.
BIBUOGJlAPHY
Lefebn-e, G. "ElJ)'pte eh"";tienne. IV." AII,,~I~J du
Senllct du ~"Iiquills de I'EKYpit II (1911):230-
SO.
Sicard, C. Otuvr... VoL 3, ed. S. Sauneron and M.
Manin. BibliOlh~que d'etude 35. Cairo, 1982.
Rf.N£·GEOttCl!S COOUIN
MAUlUCE M.<RTtN, S. J.
DAYR ANBA BAKHUM 729
DAYR ANOA OAKH(JM (8aljanu.). ABO $AUI}
THE A....lNlAS (1395, p. 243) is lhe only ancienl
a••uhor to memion this dlly" He piKed the villase
01 Barjam1s in the districl of Ta!,i (a!.A'mi<!ah). In
the ABbie venions 01 this Life lite plxe-r>anle
(Coptic: ""pen'oush") is lramcribed. BrzUsh (Nalion-
aI UbBlJ. Paris, Arabe 4737, fols. 196r-229r, Saint
Anlony, Kisc. 67. fob. 2T-29r. AbU Maqir, Hag. 19,
lob. IlOr-13h),
1M Hi<Ioty of llot P"m..WOS (Vol. 2, pt. I, pp. 12
(te:<t}. 45 (Ira.... D ,-dated Ihlt ab<>ul866 the mon,..·
.eries of Apa SH(,"1J!'E. oIal-Qalamtln, and of Saint
PACHOMIUS in the nome of Ta!,i (al·A'midalo) near
the village of &lrjanOs were d$.-oyN by the oroops
01 al-Mu'uou. and al-Mmla·rn. Unfonu.......ly the
name of the villal" is nol certain in me Ar.obic
lex.... ror it i. wrillen ilhoul .ny diacrilical poina
(Brjwas). Ren~udot ho u~d lhe Pari. manu·
scripls in his HiSIOrill (l7U, p. 310), In.nocribed the
name of the viHage Birhow:l5.
The monastery is aiiO named, il seem•. ;n Le.
Miracle, de SI. PIO/eme. (Leroy. PO 5, pp. 782.
801). It appears th.1 Ihe monastery disappeared
~ery early, for nO a\llOOr mentions it after Ab<!
~1i~.
M. Ramzl (195J-I968. Vol. 2, pl. 3, p. 236) at·
tempted to ident;!! it ";Ih lhe loom (mound) of
al.JlAhib, bul there Is nothina to prove th..1 the
ruin5 01 the mooaslery Ihere di$covere<1 an: tho!Ie
of Da)T AnW, Bakholm.
BIBUOCIl.U'HY
A~li,""au. E."""'"",ellIS pou., snvir .. rlowoir~
4'EDpu cllnM...... ~moires publie5 par LeI
membres de it. Mission arc~q..... ~
au Caire 4. Paris, 11/l6-IW.
Leroy. L Ln MinJe/es d. Sl. ProItmie, pp. 779-506.
PO 5. Pam. 1910.
Ramd, M- AI.Qd"'Il$ 1IJ..J"pr'" Iii-Build .1-
MisrlYJ"'h. 3 .ro. Cairo. 1933-1968.
Ite".;..oo,.E. Hu/mll PMri.. ~1ult1mt Alu:"rutrmor.
um. Paris, 1713.
!lEN'l!oGiOfl(;U COOO.N
MAlillCE MAanN. S. J.
DA YR ANOA OAKHOM, • small monastery on
Ihe Nile's lefl bank, near Med..mud. aboul 5 miles
(8 km) from Ihe ruins of the I~mples of Ka.mak a.nd
close 10 Ihe presenl Lu~or airp<ln, to Ihe north of
this town.
Th~ first 10 name ii, almOUlh he said nothinll
~ery pre~i5e, appears to have been C. SICARO. in
 730 DAYR ANSA SAKHUM
1718 (1982, Vol. I, p. 58), It was described at the
beginning of the twentieth century by M. lULUE.N
(1'Xl3, p. 283). S, CI..<RKE (1912, pp. 120-21) gave
the plan or it and insened it ,ntO his final list of the
churcbes of Egypt (p, 215, no. 22). Johann Georg
(1914, pp. 54~5S; 1930, p, 48) noted it in his
wanderings.
A local legend wlis reponed by G. LEG""''' (1914,
pp. 37-43); this legend can only hold good for a
nineteenth",entury reconsnuclion of the monas·
tery, since the laner is mentioned by Sicard, as has
been said, The day. was also noled by 'AIIO Al.-MASII;I
!i-ALlll (1932, p. ISO), who remarked that il was
served by the dergy of lAJxor and that it is ancient.
ils present silllation was given by 0. Meinardus
(1965, pp. 307-308; 1977, p. 421).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
'Abd al·MasH) ~lib aJ.1'.1asu·di a1·B:mlmusi, Kiliib
Tu~/M al·S~'ill~ If Dhikr AJyieill Ruhhlm al.Misny·
)'in. Cairo, 1932.
Clarke, S. Chrislian Anllquilie, in Ihe Nile Val/ey.
Oxford, 1912.
Johann Georg, Prince of Saxony, Sleei/luge Jutch
die Kirchen unJ KMs!et A'gyple..... Leipzig, 1914,
_ _~. Neue S,re;/~iige du.ch die Kirchen und KlOs·
ler Agyplens. Leipzig and Berlin, 1930.
lullien, M. "Quelques ancIens couvents de
l'Egyple." Missions calhollques 35 (1903);188-'Xl,
198-202,212-14,237-40,250-52,257-58,274-
76, 283-84.
Legrain, G. Louqsor Sa'" les p/'araons, Paris and
Brus..,ls, 1914,
Meinardus, C. Christian Egypt, Ancienr ana Modern.
(:;,iro, 1965; 2nd ed. 1977,
Sicard, C. Oeuv.es, ed. S. Sauneron and M_ Manin,
3 vols. Bibliotheque d'etude 83-85. Cairo, 1982.
RE>:E-GE.ORGIS C(i()I)'N
DA YR ANSA SAKH(JM
., M~UR'C£ M~RTI", S. J,
(QUs)• •~u Monasteries
of Ihe Upper ~'Td.· . MAURICE M~RTI", S. J.
DAYR ANSA SAKH(JM (al-!iawibn'ah Sharq).
[Two pilrH, ~iSlOry and a.chittcrure, make up this
artide on Dayr A,nb<l B~khum,l
Hislory
In the ,maHTown of al·Sawam'ah Sharq, 5 miles
(8 km) nonh of ~KHMIM_ is a church dedicated 10
Saint BAkhum (P~CHOM'US) and his sister DalushAm,
manycs unde. DlOCLETI...N,
The first author to mention Ihis church was Ihe
Je,;uit C. S'CARD. He spoke briefly of the church (Ihe
monastery had 00 doubt disappeared) in his famous
Pa.aliHe geograph;que (1982, Vol. 3, pp. 38-39).
Although the inhabitants of the place Told him thai
this Pachomius was a martyr, Sicard believed Ihal
he was Ihe Pachomius who shaped Egyplian ceno-
bilism, Granger al'O mentioned this monastery
SOme years later, but called it Deir Habouba·Come
(1745, p. 98),
A panegyric b)' Abraham, bishop of Qih (Ihe dale
of which is unknown), on the litular saints of Ihis
da)", AnM BAkhum and his sister DAhlshAm, has
been published by Nabll a]·Manqabadi (1969, pp.
4-11) aher a manuscripl preserved in Ihis church.
IT is now evidenl lhal the litular sainT of this monas-
lery is nol Palamon, the disciple of SainT Pachomi-
us, the founder of the cenobilic life.
All that remaiM of Ihe andenl monasTery is Ihe
church, which has, moreo,'er, been reconstrucled
on lhe foundalions of Ihe old 0"" (lIIeinardus, 19M,
p, 195; 1977, p. 401). This church is menTioned by
S, Clarke in his liSl of the churches (1912, p. 213,
no. 19).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Clarke, S. Chrisllan ;mtiqu;ties in the Nile Valiey.
London, 1912.
(imnger, SieuL Relori<m du voyage fail en Egypte en
I'a"nit 1730. Paris, 1745,
Manqalndi. Nabil al·. Min Diyaral "I-AM. Cairo,
1969.
Meinardus, O. ChriJt;an £g)'pt, Ancient and Modern.
Cairo, 1965~ 2nd cd., 1977,
Sicard, C. OeuV>'es, Vol. 3, ed, S. Sauneron and M.
Martin. BibJiotheque d',\tude 85. Cairo, 1982.
Timm, S. Dos chrisrlich-koptische Agyplel1 In am-
blscher Zeir, Vol. 2. Wlesbaden, 1984.
RENE-GEORGES COQUIN
Architecture
Of this monastery only the church ha~ survived. It
is dedicated 10 the famous Saint Pac hom ius, found·
er of cenobite monasTicism, and his siSler, whose
icon is illihe church. Timm (1984, p. 655) idemilles
this monastery wilh the Pachomian foundatioll at
Tst in the region of Shmill, the ancient name for
Akhmlm.
The church has passed through Ihree building
 DAYR ANSA SIDABA 731

periods. An ..arty basili<:an ch.. n;b "ilh a ukon<:h ing p_ e;";,."",n,, (19&0) 10 lbll< Ihis church 10 rh.-
Noncu....)' .... lJ';lrlsform.-d durinl oh.. Middl.. Ages ..,venoh ClOtltury. Such daling makes il !he oldes!
Imo a smaller cel1lnol SUUCI which lIM been suni.iog church in 1M Akhmlm area and poMihly
sl.... dy cn1arltnl in mo re«nl Ii ~ etilI<m an inOuen<:<: on DAYJ .... 8.1 IJS.OOAH. sOUlh of
and _wm apso sIill sunivc. log r wilh a Akl"nim. The basic ibap.- of lh.. original nave and
sq....... room b.-t..,....,.. m..m in u... soulh.-ast como:r. aioJlOs is indicaleel by Ill.- ~mains of four of u...
n... apsIOS contain nk,," with anc1ed pbIlO11 ~ thar .... ppon....:l I.... Oficina/ wooden roof. Two
(e"",,"" wioh broken lJrnpalIuml similar 10 !hoM: in ;orr IOmbedded in 1M hearier pilOn bd\I,'eC'n the:
!he church.-s olDAYI. A.>alol SHIh"tlDAH and DAn. ...,.;llJ. prrsrnl ..... w and choir. and one in !he W<:sI wall.
8lSHOl at Suh;lj on th.. odoI'r sid.- oflhe Nil.-. caus- n... lOunduion of ,.... founh can be w.--n in !hI<
courl)-arU thar now OCCUpilOll much of I"," "P""I< of
m.: original aisles Ind nave.
~.------. Owr ml< el1lnrtCl< to Ihis courtyard is a block
• •
wilh a pharaonic InscriPlion. pos$ibly reuint:d from
••• !he Iirsc h .. iklinl plIas.-. lol!lC .. USIO of spolia (capilal~
,,• reu!i....:I from oldn buildi"p) b.-cam.. Ins common
,-_. --,
,
Itun. A lIUIrbll< .ltar table in lhe prOlOnl southern
..- ._l :s;oncluary. th.. original ..ute", conch. is of an early
lypO" ilIuwaled by A. 1. BUlin (1884. Vol. 2. p. 8),
,,," when lhe church was cui down 10 a cenlr;\li.ed
,
•, building, larSe piers had 10 be built around two of
,
•• 'he small original piers in order 10 ,upp"" dome•.
More recently, thre.. room, ha~e been built al {hI<

.' ,, ........' ,~r

. no"h. and a column ha!l been added '0 ~UPPO" lhe
new domes. The dome In front of lhe southem
,, ,;tnctua'Y is wPPDned by brackeu and squinches.
,,
, The OIher units a", oovoered by domeo on I"""den.
live...

BIBUOCUrHY

--'--.-- . : Butler. A- J. 17K A"e"'''' Coplic Churches 01 £D1K.

••• --------; : 2 \lOIs.. O1ford. 1834.
GIOM" ..... n. P. "SurY~ AJbe:ilen im Raum von
,,• • •
,, : : Ahmirn.- ArchiY fi'r Orirntjor:JChwtg 21
•• ·,• .•,
' (l93O,:JOo'- 306.

,,
,•
..
,
••
·.'•,• .•,• Mrinar.us. O. Christi.n Er!pI. ~.001 tDUl Mtuimo,
p. 19S. Cairo. 11165.
Timm. S. OM eluutlielt-lc"pfisclllO ,{.o'pI.... ill "r,,·
•. bUdter hit, Vol. 2. pp. 653·57. W ~ . 1984.
••• ,, Sttu.o. McN.'d..lY
• ,
,,• •
•
,,
,
•
,
. •"
"", DAYR ANBA. 811)A.8.4., a m<>nasll<ry-villagc 1.25
miles (2 km) "'esl of NaS Hammadi :aoo soulh of

~.
• Bahjur.lh. It is menlioned in thl< r«ension of the
." ",
. Coplic SYNUAIU()N from Upper E$YPI at 13 Kiyahk.
, , the feas' day of {he Plnl. who was bishop ()f IhI<
,
,,, town of a~ (d. Coquin, 1978. p. 361).
, L T, Lefo" helle"ed lhal {his was the monaslery
-- ---- _.- --- ----_._----_ ....•,
- of Tmoushonl (UKHANISJ. founded by Saint PAClIC>
.._- _. _. ----_.- -- ------_ ... -.. --.-. __ .... , MIllS, bOll lhat il nO! very probable, for the place·
Plan of the church survi~inK al Day. Anbt Bf.khiirn. name Tmoushons sUrYi~. in the Arabic Bakh:l.nis,
ntar al·Saw1m'ah Sharq, Courtesy P"u Gronm""". or Mo.kMnis, which Is {o lhe north of Farshii! or
H2 DA YR ANBA. BISADAH: History
about 8 miln nol1h of D:o.)T AnW 81~ (ldon,
1939, pp. 399-401)_
The monaslery .._ pointed OUI b1 J. \I~
(1677. p. 413: 1678, p. 247) and by M. llJU.lE!<
(1901, p. 1$3). who calls it Drir n'H---. 11$ p~
enl sUlIe __ described b:r o. Me;t>Ndu.s (1%05, p.
302: 19n. p. 43S).
Coquin. R..(O. u Syn~~ flu Coptu: Un /'iouvt:"11
rbotoin lIle '" ,uemi<m ik H".. ,~ ED'pI~. Analecta
Bolland..."" 96 (1978)0305 1-605.
lulilen. M. "A Ia re<'heTdoe de Tabenne fl <\e$ au·
Ires mon_~~ fondes par SL PadlO....... ~ Efud~s
89 (1901):235-58.
Lefon. L T. "t..es Premien monaste«s pachOmiens:
~plor:olion lopographique." U Musioll 052
(1939):379-407.
Mei""nl ..... O. Ch,isriQn EDPI. Ancien' dnd Modern.
Cairo. 1965: 2nd ed .. 1977.
Vansleb. J. M. Nouwlle ,.elQ/;,,,, en form. de journQI
d'un v"yQge fait en Egyple en /672.11673. Paris.
1677. Trandated as 1'1" P,ele", SI.,e 01 Egypl.
london. 1678.
Rmt·GEORCf.S COOOIN
MA\lIUU MARTIN. 5.1,
DAYR ANOA BISADAH.(77tu _IIStU)' is du-
ellu.d in ,..." p4tfs: h..1Ory and ",ehil.e'u,"t lay-
<Nol.]
History
This Il>QI'I.aSlery. on U>e riltn bank of die Nile i"
lhe Y\llale of a1'A!:iY"'w, Sharq.. abool II miles (18
kfn) south of Al<J,.mnn. lhe ...... mory and
pTeSCn'eS
lhe reliCl of a martyr Imhop in the founh unIU,.,..
!'SOn. H..._ bishop or~ 1....1n of """"/PtoIe"",~
which at leas< in th" &p:anlj"" eT1l .._ lhe plxe of
ffti<knt:e• .alonl ",;!h A"li~ (NOlNOOl'OUS). ollhe
dux. Ihe miliQ.ry ""d abo civil chief of lhe province
of the T1oeNid. whose powen extended IS far as
As....... The life of Ihis bishop hal; cOme oo...'n 10 us
in lalin. a T1Ire lhing. and Ihis lext, which does nl,lf
presem the embdlishmenl40 of 100 many saints'
II~". says lhal he was buried 10 Ihe east of the lown
of hoi, There is ",·ery r"ason 10 believe lhal the
presenl manaslery was buih over lh. lomb of Ihis
bishop. for Ihe monast"ry, which slill CdSIS and is
frequemnl as a place of pilgrim ...c (Mu~r and
Viaud, 1979. p. S9), is in facl siluated in lhe Slony
area on the right Nllk of Ihe Nil". opposile al·
Manshiyyah. a small lown thai perpetuales the an·
......
cienl Psoi or I'tolemals Hermou of the Hellenistic
TIle re"''''$Ion of the Copcic SYNAX.\UOS from Up-
pc.. ~ .... hicll no doubt ... mmazi:zts a more an-
cienl Coptk mu. lndkalcs U>e a.nliqoity of the
monaaery. A panewyrk of SainI Claudius. attribuled
10 U>e patriarch SE\1!J.US Of' -"""OCJ4. mentions on
lht rip bank and to the ISOOth of Abydos U>e mono
:asl"ry of the ma",T blsbop PsoI.... If U>e manu·
scripu thaI have handed down Ih~ leu are of \he
ninlh C""lury. the lradilio.. th:tol they In,msmil is
e:t:nainly oldtr, bul lhe dace of Ih" foundalion of
this monaslery cannot be fixed ....ith <:cnainl)" (God·
ron. 1'0 lS. p. SOO).
This monaster')' .._ provided with an ..... dosure
and is II true «nobium. The presem buildings. "",.
cording: to loelll lradilion. are of lhe Ihineemh cen·
tury. bul indude anci.nl elements.
AI'M~ol\f~t did not fail to point it out (1853, Vol.
2. p. SQ4; correcl lhe Bul:iq edition and .......d Ab·
sadah instead of Abshidah). Som... 1",~e1en drew
allen.ion 10 II Irom Ihe eilhleemh c"ntury on. R.
Pococke (1743- 1745, p. 81) menlion"d iI, calling il
Embabsaa. but the descriplion and Iocalion lhal he
,ave do .. ot l"nd themselvn 10 any confusion. Uk.,.
wist. M. ruWEN (1903. pp. n4-76. "';lh lhree pho-
lOS) «'Ive a JOOd description of it (d. Manin. 1972.
pp. 127-28). Mal1in'a informalion is more preciSf:,
than lhal publi!.hecI b1 H. Mun;"r (1940. pp. 155-
.56). O. Meinardus (l96S, pp. 299-300; 1977. pp.
411 - 12) furnished an euct de.criplion.
BIBLIOGRAPHV
Godron. G. TUle eoptu .e/Qti/s If ..i,,, Clmule "'An·
DoeM. In PO 35. Tumhoul, 1970-
Jullien. M. "Ouelques ~ COU,'etl15 de
l'Egypt:e." Missions clllholiquu 35 (1903):183-90:
198-202; 212-14: 2J7-40; 2SO-~2; 257-58; n4-
76; 283-114.
Marun. M. "Notes iMdiles du P. Jullien sur trois
roon_~res dlmien, d·Ec;ypIe.: D.':r Abou F.I"". Ie
cou,..,nl des <sept momagnes: ()l,r amN Bisida."
B"llet;n J. I'ln.nI~1 !."n(Q;S d'A.",hrotog~ orien·
t"l. 71 (1972):119-28.
Meinardus. O. CitriJIi"n Erypr. An.ient "nli Modurr,
Cairo. 1'J6S: 2nd ed., 1977.
Munier. H. "Les MOnUmenlS copIes d'ap",s I.. e,·
pl"""t;on. du PIe" Michel Jullien."' BHU.tin de la
Soc;ile d·...h~olofi. copt. 6 (1940)'141-68,
MUY'i"r. J.. and G. Vlaud. L•• nlu;nag.s COpill elf
Egyple. Cairo. 1979.
 DAYR ANBA BISHOI 733

Orlandi. T. /I lOUKT copro Id J.la,tjr~ ,._~. Tesri ~ r--

documen'i p"r 10 studio de"'anllchit~ 61. Milan.
1978.
I'o<:ock~. R. A th~riplitM 01 1Jr~ £IUl "nl Sotn~
----+-
O,Jot. Co....tri~s_ London. 1743-1745.
RD:£.GloR(;Q; CoouL,"
M.w1UC£ MoooltTU'i. S. J.

Architecture

II .......tied tncmm: contains lM pries"s house.

torne minor slruaures. and. on the ease. tht
church. 11 has an tbboralc don"""'y surmoonted by ••
• small $tone sbb with • cross in relief and SIll'
'0IInde<! by 107.enge-shaped bricks . .orne combintd
'.
•

10 Ionn "aB. This doorv...yopens into.n irre,UI,.,...

ly ,h.ped """hex ,hat belongs to a secol>da<y build· F".@'~
~
ing period. Behind the nanhex lies the oidul part.
the remaim of a lriconch. There Is no visible evi·

dence as 10 whether Ihe church wa.t originally cen·
1....li""d. like Ihe church of DAYR W.R TUMAS, north of
IIkhmlm, 0' naved and later truncated, like DAYK AN.
SA 8AKHOM. also near Akhmlm.
Whal remai"" is the eastern ap.te, a &hart stretch
of Ihe ",,,,n of the southern side apse, and, between
them, an irrqularly shaped room lhat formed dIe
comer of the firsl ChUTCh. "Thi, room contains a
tomb said to be of AnW BisI<Wt. 'fI>co oriJinal >lone
doo""''a)' inlO lhe room survh"es. II has a caned
lintel, and traces of carving remain on the IOUlhem
jIomb. 'fI>co plan of the church coulcl be early Chfis.-
tiu, but lhe poor con$UUCtion cawN P. (;1"01$-
lmOn (1980. p. 306) 10 >UgeR • \.aler date.. O.
Melnar<bu records a traditional thin«ot~ntul'}'
date. The additions 10 tht church Ulow .tOIM ... Ia-
tion~ip to lhe plans of ...... ABO SAYrn ~Yl SlIT
Ili/IlYANAH (both in Akhmim), and DAn lllUlS
~Dl but "'ere executed in " more ~ymmM'
cal P\llI1I1oeT and iDClud+ number of u.nwuaI fa·
tures, four rnor'1' .sancluaries b...e been M1ded. two
nonh of the JDain sanctuary and tWO SOU1h of the
room contain in, Anbi '8isAdah's ,,,,..e. A KIIid
woo:w;Itn icor>Hla5I' stands in fronl of each alW"_
1lwre .re single bays in front of eaoch of Ihe two
nonbem 5ancluaries and double baY' in m,nt of
each of lhe ""utbem ""octuaries. Beyond Ihe sane·
luark, on each side are corrido~. The one on the
soulh lum. back to a wdi;lt the e..... Fur1her 10 Ihe
east are a row of roomS. One, accessible from the
room containing Anba Bis;\dah'. Ie>mb, contaiM ..
bapllsmal fonl. The OIhen, accessible only fTom
abeve, have been used for burial. In the southwcst
~
Fc
Plan of the remains of ,he church at Oa~T Anbi
Bi.adah. C(}Ur(~j)" "~Ifr G~.,.,,,nn.
comer of ,he church a '!airway leads 10 an upper
room for """"",n ",·orshipe~, SCrftnN off from the
rest of the church by a bod, ....all pierced with
i~Ja.- openinp. There iii a small, vanile uooA.'i
to the rict'l cl tht church door. WhilewasItinB ob-
""ures further structural deuik cllhe inlerioo".
"The earliest >islllle >lruet...., ma)' belong to 1M
early medieval period.
BtBUocaAI'HY
Grn!IsJnan, P. ''Su.rveylll'beiten ;m Raum \'011
Ahmlm:' Atrhi" /;<, Orit!rrtforschiltf& n
(19SO):304-J06.
Meinardus, O. Chrisri, .. Efypl. A..a..JtI fInd AIod~rn.
pp_ 299-300. Cairo, 1965.
Munier, H. "Les Monuments copt.", d'apres Ies "".
plor.ations du P~re Michel JulIien:' BuUetin de I"
$oci;U d'.. rclrloiork cop'e 6 (1940); 141-68.
Timm, S. D..s chrljllicl,·lt.optische Aop'e" in ......
1>1.«:"" Zeir, Vol. 2, pp. 660-61. Wicsbaden, i984.
SHEUo MCNAU-Y
DAYR ANDA DISMOI (Barshah·Miny~). Su
Dayr al·Barshah.
 734 DAYR ANBA. BISHOl: History
DAYR ANBA BISHOI (Scetis). [Thi< article e,,·
compas,es two mai" topic" history and architect"re
01 Dayr A"b~ Biskoi. Subtitles ""du the architect"r·
ai $ec,i"" are Ihe church. the refeClOrie•. a"d the
jawsaq.)
History
This is one of the surviving ancient monasteries
in SCETlS (modern W~dj al-Na"'''n). There is no his-
torically reliable information on its foundation, but
on the b",is of what Iinle i. known of the earliest
monastic eSlabll.hm,nlS in Seetis. it rna}' be sur·
mised that it grew from a settlement, or laura, of
anchorites whose forerunners had gathered around
the desert father Bishoi (in medieval Arabic sourc·
e., BI.My) from whom the monastery has taken it.
name. The .ettl,ment probably came into being lat·
er than those of DAYR Al>BARAMDs and Dayr Abo
MaqM. but before the death of MACUtUS THE EGYp·
TIAN, around 390.
According to the ,'arious recensions of the Life of
Bishoi, whme aUlhor claims to be JOHN COLOl105
(the Short), Bishoi's companion during their earlier
years in Seetis, the two of them eventually paned
company. John stayed in the place where they had
most recently lived, while Bishoi mo,'ed to a cave 2
miles to the north. Dayr Anba Bishoi is, in fact,
about 2 Roman miles northwest of the ruins of the
former Monastery of John the Short, bUlthe ",soci·
ation and then separation of John and Bishoi in the
legend may be no mo," than an etiological reflec-
tion of that topographic reality_ After a barbarian
raid, which may be tbe historical raid through
$celis in 407, Bishoi, according to the Arabic recen-
sion of the legend, Aed to a spot near the city of
Antinof' (ANTINOOPOLlS), and spent the rest of his life
the,", When he died, hioV>ody w'" taken to Aminof',
where it was to remain for tile next four centuries.
In $cetis the monastic settlement to which his
memory and his name ,were attached w'" quickly
revived, but histoncal infonnation on its subse-
quent history is very SCarce. It ob,-iously shared in
the general vicissitudes of monastic establishments
in Seetis through the centuries,
Dayr "nbA Bishoi w"" founded between 535 and
580. Dunng lh;>t period the Theodosian monks, who
adhered to the Christological doctrine of SEVERUS OF"
AtlT1OCH, were in opposition to the Gaianite monks,
who adhered to the doctrinal position of JVUAN of
Hallcarnassus. Since the GaIanites were in tempo'
rary control of the existing monasteries, the Thea--
dosian monks established their own monasteries
dedicated to the Virgin Mother as counte'l"'ltS.
It is not known how long any of the monasteries
remaine<! in Gaianite control, but it is certain, from
the colophons of certain Synan manuscriplS from
the middle of the ninth century, that the p,"sent
llAn AL'SURyAN w'" originally the counterpart Mon·
aslel)' of the Virgin Mother of God of AnbA Bbhoi.
After a period of general desolation in Scetis result-
ing from a particuiarly serious barbarian raid prob·
ably in the late sixth century and from the troubled
times that preceded the Arab cOrlquest of Egypt,
both Day< Anlm Bisooi and its counte'l"'" were
rebuilt in the reign of the Coptic patriarch BENJAMIN
t (622-b6IJ. At the time of another general recon-
struction in Se'tis during the reign of the patriarch
YOsAB I (830-849), after yet another barbarian de·
structlon around 817, the bod)' of Anbt Bishoi was
at last transported from its resting place in Antinof'
to the monastery in Seetis that bears his name.
For greater protection, the enclosure walls of
Dayr AnM Bishoi, like those surrounding the other
monasteries in WAdi al-Na!nln, were fortified some-
time before the end of the ninth century, Unlike the
monasteries of Abu Maqar and of John the Short,
Dayr AnI» Bishoi seems to have had no large oudy·
ing cells, or "dwellings" (in reality small mon",ter·
ies in themselves), de]>l'ndent upon It. In the statis-
tical list of the monasteries of Wadi al-Na!nln
drawn up in 1088, the," are forty monks liMed for
the Monaste\)- of Bishoi, more than the numbers
listed for the communities of JOHN KAMA and
Baramf1.< aod tbe small "Cave of Mose.... However,
the number is less than those listed for the Monas-
tery of the Syrians and considerably less than the
numbers given for the mon"'teries of Abu Maqlr
and of John the Short, which are, however, surely
inflated by inclusion of all the monks living in the
cells and dwellings dependent on those two monas-
teries. B}' 1330 the buildings of Dayr Anba Bislloi
were on the verge of collapse because of the dam·
age done by tennites in the woodworl<. In that year
the patriarch BENJAMIN 1I intervened personally to
assure the monastery's reconstruction as a coopera-
tive proje<;t of the monks of various houses, in or-
der to save the communit}' from dispersion. (n the
late Middle Ages and as recently", the nineteenth
century, Dayr AnbA Bi,hoi was at times called the
White Monastery, which can lead to its confusion
with the Wllite Monastery of Shenute west of SuhAj
in Upper Egypt.
Visitors to Wadi al·Na!nln in the seventeenth cen-
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736 DAYR ANBA BISHOl: History
church. II was ,ransformed later in'o 'he Chapd of
M~r Jirji' (b·dyn.Whi'e. 1\133. p_ t¢l). The room
comain' a sturdy ,quar~ cen,ral pillar 1T0m which
arehes radiale on all four sides and divide ,he room
in'" f"ur Jomed bav'.
1\ third "'fcctory, ""hich is likcwise abandoned, i,
found in ,he sOUlheastem com.r of the monastc,",'
and is now used as a slorerOOnL It. archi,eclUral
plan is the same as the building on the site of the
prc,en'-day "hapd of Mar Ji.-ji', bu' is vm,iderably'
larger and is subdi>'ided b,' four square pilla,.,. into
n;ne bays. In Ihe rooms bordering on the nonh arc
'he bakery and ,he milL
The Jlll<'Sllq
The lo,,"saq of Da,'r l\nM Bishoi is one "f ,h.
largest and most linely' e~ee\l,ed to"e,.,. of Wad,
al-Na'nJn, h ;s a fe" years older in da'e' than ,h.
one in ,h. Monastery <If Maearius (IMYR ~.~BA \\A
OAk). I" arc'hi,ee,,,,,,1 layou, sho,,"s 'he usual .«·he-
rna pf all the tOwers in WadI al-Nalnln, II is ,,,"
(originalh' Ihre •. according '" E\'ch'll·Whi'e) n""""
high and can be entered by a dra"bridge, ;n ,h.
presen' instance leading 001 from th.. ,ower gate of
'he monas'e')' wall oIl10 'he firs, !loor_ Inside tbc,'C
i, a long. "raigh' corridor. In fron', on 'he righl, lie
Ihe stair;. and at the fanh"" end, ,he bathTOom,
The rooms on Ihe left of 'he corridor arc two ro .... '
Dav]' Anba Ili,hoi. Roof of ,he old ref""'or" in 'he
foreground Co,,'les>' Falhe- Marrin. College of Ihe
Hf)I.Fn",il\', Cni'O_
enureb of al .Adhra, C"",I,sy The ~lclml'()lita" M"sc-
"''' 0/ Arl. N'l\' ,'",k
dcep_ It was originally intended to fit "Ul 'he first
f100c "-' a church (Grossmann. 19S2. pp. 2Uff., fig
81), but ,his inlcntion was ne,'er fulfilled, The pres-
e"t-Ja~' ChUl'Cb of Sain[ Miehaei un 'he 'econd
floor i' latc,' in "ngill and was huih oniy' af,el' 'he
los, of the original '''''oud lI""r. The j'U\'.<nq datt's
'u ,nc la'c lhinccn,h ~cntl"y_
BIBLIOCRAPHY
Evelyn-While. 1-1 G. The Mona,·,,,i,; 0/ rile Wcidi
·,,-Natr/in. Pl, J, Ti,e Arch"ecl"" and Archaeolo-
gy. pr- 13\-6';_ "lOW York, 1933
Grossllla'Hl, P. .\J"lelaltcrlieh~ Lallgh''''''k"ppdkir-
chen ,,,,d l'er",,,,,dte Tvpell ht Obe'agvplm, pp,
2UIL G1(;ch'"dt. 1982.
OAYR ANBA BI5HOI (Suhaj), [The ell'" COn-
eemillg lhis 'elw'I'"ed mo"uslery co",-isls of IIm'c
porI,'. Th, (."'1 ,ali"" deal, willl 'he ',i$lo')'. Q\
Qncie>llly ,ecurded ,,,,d a.' gil'ell hy nsili"K scholar<
ill mor" ,,,emt Ii"'es..'i"ce mJl)' 'hc (.-h",ch ;s j,ill
slo"di"g. Ih~ seeolld -<eC/;Oll d~scr;be, Ihe arch"e,-
lUral se"/plr,,e ollhe ch,,'ch ;t,elf and 0/ older mr-
rot",di"g \\'alls. The lasl pari ad",il, 10 I;ule pre_'e"l
ill/Otmolio" 0" Ihe lay,mt of Ih~ a"a. amI detail, Ihe
archikct"ml slmelU" (Jf Ih~ elm'c!!.]
History
This famous mOn"-"e"; "and, about 2 mile, (.J
km) [0 'he' nonh 01 DAYR A"HA S"'~'-JJlAH. As wilh
Anha ShinuJab, n01hing remains bm the chlll-cn,
",-hicb i, built of '-cd bricks and Thus giws the mOn-
asle,,' 'he popular nickname Davr al-I\hmar Ithc
Red Monas.ery). It is nol known if ,\nM Hi,boi was

lhe founder or only the holy anchOlite in honor of
whom the monastery was buill.
It will be noted lhat in the lypika (calen<!a,..) of
the neighboring Monaslery of Anbt Shinudah. AnM
Bishoi is called only "anchorile,"' nol archiman·
drite.....'hal is knO\'m of him is supplied by the
Sahidic recension of Ihe Coplic SYNAXARION at 5
Amshir. Anba Shinoldah. al lhe age of only live
years, was entlusted by his father to Anba PIOL (W-
jul in Arabic), his maternal uncle, who lived as a
hennit on lhe "mountain" of AlrIb. He had a com-
panion who was called Pshoi (in Arabic. Bi,hoi).
The latler was alw named Peter. This detail is also
found in a sermon of JOHN OF SIlMUN in the sixth or
seventh century (Orlandi. 1968, p, 18). All lh,..,.,
built cells (nol "celliers" os Bassel lranslales. for
the word khhl'mnh is given /1$ the equivalem of ri,
cell, by Crum. 1939). which "'ere still in existence
when Ihis recension was compiled, Near their cells
they built a church thaI lhey called the rnghclmnh.
This strange word is found lhree limes in the Ara-
bic life of Shinu<!ah, and in the three Cases it is the
Coplic paralld IQOu (mountain or desen) lhat is
thus rendered (Amelineau, 1886-1888, Vol. 4, pp.
418, 437, 474). One mighl then Ihink thaI this
church was in some sense lhal "of lhe mountain."
In fact, lhe archaeologist V. de Bock found a cave
containing inscriplions and drawings of monks or
hennit;; about 2 miles (3 km) 10 the soulh of the DAvR
ANBA SHI'IOI>AH. One wonders if lhese are Ihe ruins
of this firsl church (de Bock, 1901, pp. 68-69;
lullien, 1903, pp, 257-58). W. M. F. Petrie also
points oul the ruins of a monostery of brick al lbe
fOOl of the mountnin. The monks of Ihal monaslery
seem to have decoraled lhe neighboring rock lombs
(erum, 1907-1908, p. 72).
Whal was the name of the place where Anba Pjol
and his nephew Anb1 Shinudah and AnM Pshoi
Ii,'ed in hannony? The C:;oplic Ufe of Shinfldah,
wrinen by his disciple and1!'-ccessor AnM Bess (in
Arabic, W¥), describes /'$~oi as "he of the moun·
lain of Psoou." This expresiion cannot indicale his
place of birth, for nnother wssage and lhe Synaxar-
ion cited nba'·e repon thaI he was born al Psone
(in Greek, Psonis, and in Arabic, Basunah, a village
"ill in existence; d. Ramzi, 1933-1968, Vol. 2, pt. 4,
p. 124). It can only designate, especially preceded
by "moun lain:' the place where he li.'ed. Thus il is
probable lhat the place where the present Monas-
lery of AnM. Dishoi sands was originnlly called Ihe
"mountain" or the "desert" (the Coplic word has
bolh senses) of Psoou. Unfortunalely, Ihe formula is
missing in the Arabic version of the Ufe of Anb;\.
DAYR ANBA BISHOl: History 737
Shiniidah, and in the notice in lhe Synaxarion. An·
M. Psoi's place of relreal was Ihen Ihe parallel of
Alrib, where AnM. Shinildah had chosen to live and
which is immortaliud by the "While Monaslery."
Shinudnh, in n passage in his works lhal his edi·
tor J, Leipoldt has emitled "On the Subjecl of lhe
Life of the Monks," staled precisely Ihe exlent of hi.
monaslery; "Our domain is from lhe va]ley which is
10 Ihe north of lhe village of Triphois northward 10
the vnlley which is 10 Ihe sOUlh of lhe dwelling of
our falher, lhe aged Apa Pshoi, lhe place where he
firsl lived in Ihe de,ert," 11 is thus dear thaI the .ite
of lhe Red MonUlery is the site where Anba Pshoi
lived.
This monastery always remained in lhe shadow of
its celebraled neighbor, so much so thaI its hi.lory
is somewhal eclipsed by il. This fact explains lhe
lack of hislOrical documems. Two inscriptions
poinled out by V. de Bock (1901, p, 66, figs. 78-7'1)
and dnled by A. Mallon, who described lhem ac-
cording to de Bock, would date from the nimh Or
lemh century, 11 seems that they hnve di.appenred.
From what one can understand of lhem (apparemly
de Dod did nol know Coptic, and pholography had
not made the progress il has since made), they
commemorated gifts made 10 the monastery by one
Kolthe (CollUlhus) and his son Paul (Mallon, 1914,
Vol. 3, col. 2870). In 1973 R.-G. Coquin did nol
obtain pennission 10 go and collecl lite inscriptions
at the Monaslery of Anba Bishoi.
However, a colophon dated A.M. S07{A.D. 1091 in_
dicales lhal Ihe copyiSl was one Raphael. nt firsl
monk of lhe Monastery of Apn Pshoi (the name is
followed by an apposition lhal appears 10 qualify
nOl !'shoi bur Ihe monaslery lhat benrs his name:
nzrw.too lfNAIT<l>.Oc). It might be asked if lhis is
learned Hellenizntion of the Coptic word :EtleflTOl,
as A. "an Lantschoot (1929, Vol. I, pp. 127-31)
suggeslS. tn this cose, il would mean "angelic mon-
ostery"; bUI it is nol known from where this desig-
nalion might have come and then passed 10 the
neighboring Monastery of AnM. Shinudah. These
transfcrs of monks were nOlhing unusual. for an
inscription published by W. E. Crum (1904, p. 559),
hut which in part fell along Wilh the plaster in
1973, mentions a direclor (archigo<) of the Monas-
tery of Anb;\. Shinildah who had nl firsl been a
monk in lhe Monastery of Moses, no doubl Ihal of
Abyclos,
One should nOle n monk of lhe Monastery of
AnM. Shinudah, Ihe pnimer Mercurius, who left his
name in the monastery of Pshoi by an inscriptio-n
daled 1017{1301 (Ihe be" reproduction is given by
738 DAYR ANBA BISHQI: History
Monneret de Villard, 1925, Vol. 2. fig. 221). juS! as
the painler did in 1315-1316 at lsn~ (cf. Cequin,
1'175. pp. 2751f.) and at Aswan (d. CleMt, 1915, p.
15),
ABO sALlH TIlE ARMENIAN seems to have mentioned
this monastery, if we trust the published Arabic
te~t: "Dayr Abu B "" w n h. possessor of the monas-
tery of Akhmim," but his editor. B. T, A. Evett<.
unlonunately tnnslated this propolr name as "Pa-
cbomi",," and did nOl notice that this is the same
fonno1" as in the re<:ension of the Synaxarion of the
Copts from Lower E8YJ>t. from which Abu SlJ.1i~
probably bolTOwed il. One may believe that this is a
case of a copyist's error in Abo ~~Ii~'s only manu·
",ript and cor,..,ct slighdy 10 ,..,ad B(i)sh(oi)h. It is
enough to think that the copyist placed not two
point' below the lener but a single poin! above,
thns transforming a y into an n, Thi, similarity of
fonnul" may be an indication for dating this recen-
sion 01 the Synaxarion.
There is no evidence from the thineenlh to the
fifteenth centUI)'. when al'MAQRlzj menlioned this
monastery in his catalog of the monasteries of
Egypt. He knew lhe t_ names, the primitive one
that the Copts kne....' well and the popular one. for
he calls it "Red Monastery also called monaslery of
Abo Bishai." He knew that it was three hours' trav·
el (no doubt On foot) nonh of the White Monastery
and that it was built of red bricks; he also said that
thi, Abu Bi,hi; was a contemporary of Shenute and
that the latter was his pupil (no doubt <:onfusing
Bishoi with Pjol). Finally, he helie,'ed that there was
another monast.ry bearing his name in the desen
of Scetis, lhus confusing the Pshoi of Akhmlm and
the one of $cetis.
From the seventeenth century On, there w"'"' the
evidence of the European travelers. The first ap·
pears to have been], V~NStEB (1677, pp, 372~77;
1678. pp. 225-26t --:110 visited it in 1673. He noted
that the t.....o monas~es. the White and thc Red.
were neighbors; for hIm "an hour's journey" sepa·
nted Ihem (no doubt'he made the passage mount-
ed). He remarked tha,t the architecture of the two
churches was similar and that both we,.., ruined,
although he note<! Ihe heauty of the capitals. Ac-
cording 10 the life of the saint that he had read.
Anbll. Bishoi had been a thief before becoming a
hermit. Vansleb may ha,'e confused him with MOSES
n-tE BU.CK. Vansleb was the only on. to give this
detaiL
C. SICARD (1982, Vol. 2. pp. 225, 270) contented
himself with mentioning it in relation to Shenontc;
R. POCOCKE (1743_t745, VoL I, pp. 79-80) spoke of
i, and even drew up a plan, although not ,'ery e~-
actly, Granger (1745, pp. 95-96) mentioned it, and
F. L. Norden (1795-1798. Vol. 2. p. 70) did like-
wise. V. Denon (1802. VoL t, pp. 157ff.) spoke of it.
and from him one learns that in his time (about
1798) the Red Monastery was burned down by the
Mamluks.
In the nineteenlh century one must mention the
wor4 of A. 1. Butler (1884. Vol. I. pp. 357-59).
From the beginning of the twentieth century come
the not.s of M. laLLIEN (1903. pp. 157-58) and S,
ClARKE (1912, pp. 151-61 and pI. 49-52). O. Meln-
ardus spoke of it several times (1969_ 1970. pp, 1 t I -
17; 1974_1975. pp. 79-86; 1981. pp. 148-62). He
gave a good description of it in Chris/ian Egypt,
Andent and Modern (1965, pp. 293-94; 1977, pp.
404-405).
It is appropriate to mention Monneret de Vii·
lard's study Les Couvents pres de Sohag (1925) and
Walt.rs·s synthetic study Mona,,;c Archaeology in
Egypt (1974).
'Abd al·Masi~ (1924, p. I 71 ) noted that people
vi,it the Monastery of Anba Bishoi On 8 Abib each
year. bUI it seems Ihat thi, i, a confusion with the
saint of the same name in $cetis. whose feast in fact
falls on 8 Ablb.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
'Ab-d al-M",j~ ~lib al-Masu'dl al·BlI.ramOsl, TuMal
al_S~'ilin Ii Dhi1;r Ad)'irat RuhWm a'·Mi~ri)'J'in
Cairo, 1924.
Amtlineau. E, Monume"" pour s.,..ir" "hisloi'e de
/'Eg)'ple chdlierme aux rVe. Ve, vre el VIle ,ie·
cles. Memoires de la Mi..ion archeologiqoe fran·
~aise du Caire 4. Paris. 1886-t888,
Bock. V, de. MOIJriaux po.. , s",vi, • farcheologie
de l'Egyple chrhienne. St. Petersburg, 1901.
Butler, A. 1. The Anc;enl Coplic Ch,,'ches. 2 vols.
Oxford, 1884,
Clarke, S. Chrisllall Amiq"ilies in the Nile Valley.
Oxford,19t2
Cleru.t. 1, "Les Inscriptions de Saint-Simeon." Re·
cueil de Trava ..x 37 (1915):41-57,
Cuquin, R·G. "l.<:s In,criptions parietale, des mo-
nasteres d'Esna: Dayr al-Suhada'. Dayr al·
Fal<hurl." Bullelin de nllslilUi Ira",;aiS
a'archiol"g;. o,iertlale 75 (1975):241-84,
Crnm. W. E, "Inscription, from Shenute's Monas-
tery." Journal of Theological Siudies 5 (1904):552-
"
___ , "Coptic Studies." In F. L Griffith, Archaeo·
logical Report (1907-1908),
___ , A Coplic Diclionary, Oxford. 1939.
Denon, V. VO)'agej danj 10 Howe ella Basse Egypte
pendant ies ca",pagn .. du g'nhal BOnapa'le.
Palis, 1802.
 DAYR ANSA BISHQI: Architectural Sculpture
Cr;>.nger. Sic"r, Rdation d'"" voyage /a;1 en Egypre
m /'o""ie 17M, Paris. 1745.
lullien, M. "Ouelques andens couvents de
l'Egyptc," Mblons cothoUques 35 (1903):188-90.
198-202,212-14, 237-40, 250-52, 257-58. 274-
76, 283-84.
Lanlschoot, A. ,'an. Recue;! des colophon, des mo·
nus",il' chreri•.,s d'Egyple. Vol. I, Le. Colophons
coptes dos mam.seT;" sahidiques. 8ibliotheque du
Museon L Louvain, 1929.
Mallon, A. "Copte (~igraphie):' In Diclu:mnaire
d'archeologle ckrhj."". el d. 'iturgie, Vol. 3,
cols. 2819-86. Pari,. 1914.
Mejo.cd.. s. O. Christi"n Egypt, Ancient and Mod.,,,_
Cairo. 1965: 2nd ed., 1917.
___. "Some lesser Known W.Jl·Paimings in the
Red Monastery." Bulletin de fa Sodil' d'orchb,.
logic cople 20 (1969 - 1970),111 -17.
___ , "The Semi·domes of lhe Red Monastery al
Sohag." Bulleli" de fa Sodhi d'archiologie cople
22 (1974-1975):79-86,
_ _ , "Die Nischen·fn.>sken im rolen Klosler hei
Sohagin." Ori,,,s ChriS/ianus 65 (1981):148-62.
Monnerel de Villard, U. Les (ouoenl$ pres de Soh<ig
(Deir el-A.b;ad el Oeir e/-A~ma,). 2 vols. Milan,
1925-1926.
Norden, F. L. VOyllge d'EgJple el de Nub/e, 3 vols,
Paris, 1795- 1798.
Orlandi, T. Siudi Copti. Testi e Documenti per 10
Studio deWi\ntichiti 22. Milan, 1968,
Pelrie. W. M. F. Alilri!>is. Publicalion of the British
School of Archae<llog}' in Egypl 14. London,
'''''
Pococl:e, R. A Descnplion 0/ the EaSI and Some
Other (OU>1lr;<5, 2 vol,. in 3. London, 1143-1745.
Ram>!. M. AI-O~m;;s al·JughF~fi lil·8ilM al
r Misriyyah, 3 vols. Cairo. 1953-1968.
Sicard, C. OeUVFes. ed. M. Martin and S. Sauneron,
3 "010. BibliOlhcque d'emde 83-85. Cairo, 1982.
I wahers, C. C. Monastic Archaeology i~ Egypt. War-
minoter, 1974.
RO<£-GEORGES COQUIN
~i! M,\URrCE MARTIN. S.J,
Architectural. Sculpture
• lypeS of pilasler capitals corre.pond 10 the column
The ,ignificant architectural sculptu,.., of lhis
I church musl be divided into lwo areas; thc original
decoralion in th" easlem pan of the narn; and in
the trkonch; and the older pieces of work contain·
e<l in the medie"al surrounding walls, some of lhem
unintelligibly patched lugNher.
The archileclural sculplOre contained in lhe east
wall of the naos and in the lriconch can without
, exagge"'tion be described as unique, in view of the
unhappy ,iluation regarding monuments handed
739
down and preserved from early Christian Egypt.
He,.., in the area of the sanctuary Ihe mosl magnifi·
cent pan of the architectural decoralion of an im·
posing church has been pre,erved in situ in almost
pristine condilion. It is a representative ensemble
thai ~Iso allows insights into the relalionship be·
tween homogeneity and variely of lypes and fOlTllS
wilhin a system of decoration.
The arehiteclOral deco"llion, especially in the lri-
conch, was executed Wilh markedly greater econo·
my than in the more lavish church of Dayr Anba
Shiniidah al Suhaj, insofar as various parIS of lhe
building are decorated only with painting (e.g., en-
tablatures, pedimenls, barrels and calottes, profiles
and pilaster ,hafts of the majority of niche,). This
yields an inleresting insighl into the ,..,lalh'e regard
and rank accorded to sculpture and paiming, for
those pans of the building decorated onl}' wilh
painting arc plainly used as a substitute for sculp-
tured decoralion (as an economy measure, so 10
speak) and are accordingly considered second·rate.
All the capiia.Js are executed in stonework, as are
lhe gables al particularly important positions (lb.e
side passages into lhe triconch). The dominant
form U the Corinthian capilal, fanning out in sever·
altypes of va'}'ing profusion, which are ordered in
accordance with the crilcria of architectural com·
posilion (e,g.. decidedly magnificenl capitals on the
pair of columns in lhe western opening of Ihe tri-
conch and corresponding pilasler capitals on the
eastern end wan of the naoo). The column capitals
of the naos a,.., slightl}' simpler, but well ahove
average in their profusion of forms, Again som.,.
what simpler but likewise provided wilh two
crownS of eight leaves each is Ihe series of column
capilals of Ihe lower order in the lriconch, where
the capitals arranged ;n the middle axis of the
conchs are emphasized by additional volules. Mor.,.
,e"erely reduced column capital" wilh only one
leaf crown of eighl leaves, appear in the upper level
of the projecting order of the lriconch, and capitals
,..,duce<l to four comer leaves in the half.columns
or pilasters of the wall niche,. As a ,",'hole, different
capitals,
From a typological point of .'kw, the niche heads
and the gables over the passages essentially corre-
spond 10 lhe stage of development evident in the
church of Dayr Anba Shinudah, but in certain cases
they go considerably further (the side passages 10
the triconch) and accordingly poinl 10 the second
half of the fifth century as the date for lhe architec-
tural de<:oration.
Contrary to older opinions, the two well·known
740 DAYR ANSA SISHOI: Buildings
entrances, the nonh door and the south door of the
surrounding walls, are neilher homogeneous nor in
situ. Essentially they do indeed conl.;lin """co,,,ted
Slone material that may derive from the time when
the chuTch was built, but it has been positioned
with liule understanding and, more often than not,
misplaced. Evidemly here architectural sculptures,
which at least in pan may derive from the original
building of the church. have been insened into the
later brick walls at a time when the understanding
of the relationships and assoclations of late classical
archilectural decoration had largely faded away,
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Monneret de Villard, U. Lt. Couvmts pres d. So-
hag. 2 vols., pp. 121ff. Milan. 1925-192';.
H"ss GEORC SEvEltIN
Buildings
Up to the beginning of the twentieth cemury,
dear remains of the surrounding wall were still
visible in the south, west. and east. They enclosed
an area that was aboUi 500 feet (150 m) long in a
nonh-south direction. Today these remains ha.'e
been almost completely removed. On the east side,
the boundary of the fOTmeT monastic territory
might even h.ve been situated within the present-
day village of Naj "Abu 'Azlzah, which has continued
to expand into the temtory of the fonner
monastery,
The building.< that used to stand within the mOn-
astery still wait to be uncovered. At presem only
the ruins of the church are visible. together with
the jawsaq (keep) imme<!lately in front of its south-
ern emrance. As for the rest of the buildings at-
tached to the churc.h in the s<>uthwest and east,
they are modem con~~cti"ns, which have n<>thing
much to do with the ~onastery itself,
In non·Coptic teKts. Ihe old church of the mOnas-
tery bears the name ':Red Monastery. Dayr al-AI)-
mar:' an eKpres&ion best a"oided because it gh'es
rise to misleading information and pertains simply
to its external appearance, as th. outer walls were
built with fired bricks. The spatlal arrangement in_
side i. reminiscent of the churches of Dayr Anba
Shinudah. On the south side of the building was a
row of ecclesiastical side rooms. In Ihis case, how-
ever, they can be reconstructed only with difficulty
because the dividing wall against the actual church
is now almost completely missing, To the far south-
west lay the .taircase, while the present-clay stair-
case in the east did not bel"ng to the original struc-
ture. The large central main r<>om could have had a
western apse as in the church of Dayr Anb;!
Shiniidah.
The ChUTCh itself was a galleried basilica with a
western return aisle, There was no nanhcx. The
sanctuary, however, is shaped like a tric-onch. With
the exceplion of the central dome, which appea~
in the position of the original wooden ceiling, it
still presen'es all the standard features almost in·
tact, including the inner applied columns and the
vaulte<l semidomef. The .ide rooms "f the ...nctu·
aI)' are gamma-.haped, built around the side
conchs. Also in this building a from triumphal arch
resting on high columns was placed in front of the
triumphal arch al the entrance of the triconch at
the level of the front steps of the presb~tel)" Unusu·
ally (as also in the church of DAYR ~B(J F~IiAH), the
triconch in this building at first stood on its own,
Judging by the decor, it is to be dated to the second
half of Ihe fifth century. The rows of columns in the
nave, like the ouler walls of the church and sanctu·
ary. come from a later period. perhaps the end of
the fifth or e\'en siJ<th cenmry.
The to.....er was constructed directly in front of the
southern main entrance of the church and immedi-
ately assumed responsibility fot the prolection of
the church. Its ground plan cOlTespond" to the out·
line of Ihe older keeps of other monasteries, having
the staircase in Ihe southwest and Ihrce roomS in
th. remaining quadrants. The ground level entl)' is
unusual and is probably due to its speclal position
in front of the church door. Presumably this tower
dates to the ninth century,
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bock, V, de. Malbiau:< pour servir ol l'archl!:{)logie
de I'ElIYpte chrhie~~~, pp. />1-/>7. St. Petersburg.
19() l-
Clarke. S. Chrijtia~ "'ntiqulti-. In rhe Nil~ Valley,
pp. 161-71. Oxford, 1912,
Evers, H. G., and R. Romero. "Rotes und Weisses
KlllSle. boi Sohag, Probleme der Rekonstruk·
tion.'· In Ch,isl,,"lum am Nil. ed. K. Wessel, pp,
175-94. ReckJinghausen. 1964.
GTQSI;mann. P. "Die von Somers Clarke in Ober-
An!in" entdecben Kirchenbauten," Mitteilunge~
dn Deutschen Archiiologl,ch"n Jnslilut" Abtdlung
Ka(n> 24 (1969):156-60.
___ "SuMg." Archiv Ii" Oricntforschung 25
(1974 -1917):323 -25.
Monnertt de Villard, U. us Couvems pres d" So·
hiig, 2 vols. Milan, 1925-192/>.
PETER GROSSMANN

DAYR ANBl BOLA. [This e"try ;5 compo,ed of
thu parl$. Tlu r;,s' discu"cs chronological ac·
COUtll> ,<ga,di"g Dayr "nb.. Bul~, ", well as some
.,iII
de/ails regardirlg Ihe slrlie/li,tS sranding. The
suond pari rUQumS his/oneal i"/ormalio,, "nd Ihe
holdinp of Ihe library. Pari Ihree gives de/ails Ihal
have bun revealed abour Ihe old church.]
Chronology
The Monastery of Saint Paul (Anba Blll~) is situat-
ed 26 miles (39 km) southwest of lhe R.e<I Sea light-
house slali"n of Ras Za'famnah. h marks the site to
""hieh Saint PAUL Of m£llES, at the age of sixteen.
Ow to escape the Decian persecution ill the middle
"f Ihe third cenmry. Prior to hi, death in 343, he
"'..,; visited by Saint ANTONY. upon whom he he-
stowed his tunic of palm leaves. The monastery was
founded in memory of lh. firsl hennit (Saini JE-
ROME) in the !auer part of the fourth or the fifth
century. Anton;nus Martyr vi.ited it betw~n 560
and 570. According to an Ethiopian reference. (;ABRI·
EL !I Ibn Turayk. the oevemieth patriarch. was ban-
ished for three years tn this monastery. ABO AL-"AU_
Rt.. stated that the mona.<tery was totally dependent
upon Ihe Monaste')' of SainI "'ntony. In 1395 Ogier
de Saim-eheron coumed sixty monks at the monas--
tery being "of the same habit. rite and piely as the
brolherhood of Saint Anlony" In the fin;t half of
the fifteenlh century, al·..wRlzI included the Mon·
astery of Saim Paul,," Ihe sevemh monastery in his
list of eighly·six monasteries and called il the Dayr
al·Numurah, or Mona'tery of the Tige....
Reports about the monastery and its monk. were
gi"en by the following travele,.,., Ogier de SainT
Cheron (1395), Ghilleben de lannoy (1411), Cop'
pin (1638), Gernrd (1639), De Maillet (1692), C.
stCARD and J. S. Assemani (1716), Granger (1730),
R. Pococke (1737), N. ~ary (1777), P. Bruns
(l79t), A. Norov (t834), G. Wilkinson (1837), H.
Tatlam (1839), J, Bonomi (1840), P. lIspenny
(1847), G. Schweinrunh (1878), M, JUWEN (1883),
.... S. Lewis (1904), F. Vignoxzi da Seano (1908),
J Johann Georg. Duke of Saxony (1930), J. Doresse
I (1951), G, Giamberardini (1956), V. Taeckholm
(1956), and J. Leroy (1957). For several cenTuries,
Ihe adminiSl",tion of the monastery was emrusted
10 the abbot of the Monastery of Saint Antony (DAYR
ANBA ANTONtVOs), a situation that prevailed until the
ninete<:nth century.
The monastery has four churche•. of which three
I are situated in the ancient pan. The Church of
Saint Paul of Thebes is the spiritual center and
DAYR ANBA BOlA.: Chronology 741
occupies the cave in which Saint Paul is believed to
have lived. Here, his reli"" are venerated. The in-
scription on lite tomb reads: "130m in Ale~andria in
A.D. 228. died in the year ~.D. 343." The walls are
adorned with eighteenth-<:entury paintings executed
by a monk of the monastery and several fifte<:nth.
century Gothic graAili. The three altars are dedicat·
ed to the Twenty·four Elders (nonh), Saint Antony
the Great (center), Saint Paul of Thebes (soUlh).
The divine liturgy is celebratcd here during the
months of January, February, and March. Close to
the Church of Saint Paul, almost above it, i. the
Church of "'bu Sayfayn (Saint Mercurius), built in
the latter pan of the eighteenth cenlury, Thi,
church is used once a year during tlte week prior to
Lent. The Church of the Holy Virgin Mary is situat·
ed On the third Aoor of the keep. The Church of
Saim Mkhael. situated southwest of the Clturch of
Saint Paul. is tlte largest and lite main church of the
monastery. The church has two ""nctuarie,; the
non hem altar is dedicated 10 the Archangel Mi·
chael, and the southern altar, to Saim John the
Bapti.t. According to tradition, the icon of the Holy
Virgin is auributed to Saint Luke the E,·angdist,
""ho painted it in ~.D. 40, The ""nctuary screen dec·
orati"n show, the Twelve Aposlles in robes of Cop·
tic desert falhers. The library occupies a small
room on the nonh side of this church, There are
aliogether thin~'-tw" cell. in tlte monastery, The
water is supplied by two source!, the Spring of
Saint Paul in the we!tern part of Ihe monastery and
the Pool of Miriam. about 300 reet south of the
monastery,
OTIo MEtNAIIDtJS
BIBl.IOGIl"-f'HY
Antoninu. PlacenTinu., lIinerarium, ed. P. Geyer.
Corpus Scriptorum Ecdesiaslicorum Latinorum
39. Vienna, ]898.
Coppin, J. Relation des voyages faii, dan, la Tur·
quie, la Thebaide ... , p, 313. Lyons, 1720.
Granger, 5ieur. Relal;on du voyag" fait "n Egyple. p.
115. Pari., 1745,
Johann Georg, Duke of Sa><ony. NeueSle Streihuge
d",ch die Kirchen "nd Km'ler Agyp,e"-,, p. 17.
Berlin. 1930.
Jullien, M. Voyage dans I. des€rl de /a Basse-The-
barde au.. cOuv""ls de $1. Anloin" .1 de $1. Pa"/'
p. 61. Ly<>ns, 1884.
Keirner, L "Les Prosternation. venitentiaires de.
moines du couvent de St. Paul dan._ Ie dl:scn de
l'Est." us Cahie,s copres 11 (1956):11,
Meinardus, O. "Tlte Eighteenth·Century Wall·Paint·
ings in the Clturch of St. Paul the Theban, Dair
742 DAYR ANBA BULA: Historical Landmarks
A"W. Suit..•· B..U~li" d~ ,,, S<>cibi d'"rrhl%6l~
COpl~ 19 (1%7-196lI):181-97.
-,;:::C "The MOna5lery at. St. Paul In lhe Eimem
Deoen-" Bulletin de 10 Sodb~ d~ ,Wgr-Qphit
d'Eppt~ 34 {1\l61):8I-I09.
Tattam. Mrs. Henry. lou".,,{ 1'1 I' T..... TltrouV
Eml. Ih~ Pe"h..,,", uI Sin....."d die Holy Lond.
Vol. 2. pp. 97-9:8. ~do'" 1841-
s<:h...ftnlUrth. G. A"I ""lwmrmen W~~" iN
AI1p1en. p. 198. Hambura. 1922.
Skanl. C. LurTes idifj..",u ~I c.. rie"UJ. Vol. 3. p.
JOO. Paris. 1845.
Strothmann. R. Die wpliMlte Kuclt~ i.. de. N~.. ~e;r.
p. 4. lubingen. 1932.
HIstorical Landmarb
If Paul of Theoo i. a histork:ttJ ~nonage "ery
different from lhe one p~nled by SalOl J~rome
(Del~haye. 1926. pp. 64-65). lhe origins of his mono
&.SICry remain obscure. The firsl mention of lhe sire
appear'$ 10 ha>'e be<:n rhar of POlIlumia...: "Ad cum
eliam l<Xum in quo beari.simus Paulus primus el'-
emlra est diversatus. ;>cceui" (I was also going to
lhe place In whieh Ihe blei6ed l>ermlr Paul dwelt)
(Sulpiciu. Se-,..,ru•. Dj"log"es 1.I7). Hen~. at lhls
period (401). in conl....l ,...ilh il$ neichbor. Ihe
Mon,ostery 01 Saint PBui did nOl )",t eSisl.
In 570 lhe anonymous pilpim from Plxenlia
nOled only the spring (1898. p. 151).
In illS ON 1145. W Uonast"'1J' of Saini Paul -..
laid claim 10 by Sp... n monb (E'""l)n·White. 1931.
pp. 317. II. 4. and 339-90).
In 1393 a Syrian monk copied • manuscript in
Karshtlnl. lhf: roI.opMc> of "'hieh is reproduced in
lbe Syriac ~ (Nalional Ubruy. hris. I'll;
d. Sauget. 1983. p. 488).
In 14M lhe monastery was piJIa&ed by lhe bedou-
in; il ....m.ained in nlim for 119 yan. It S6emS thai
Ihf, pUriarch G.UlRlIi. YO ,"""ored the monasi"'ry.
bUl ,h~ bedouin p1ul>lkred il a second lime (Coquin
and Laferriere. 1978. pp. 278. n. 2. and 279).
In 1638-1639 Coppin (1971, pp. 133tf.) paid a
~isll 10 the monaslery and Shied Ihal lhe Monastery
of Saini Paul was in ruins and uninhabited. In 166S
Gonlal~s (1977, Vol. I. pt, 1. pp. 33. 654) confirmed
lhal lhe monastery was still uninhabited.
In l701 lhe patriarch 10l-lN XVl restored the mon-
8S1ery and repopulaled il with the aId of Mark. h.·
."menol of the Monaslery of Saini Anlony.
C. Sicard (1982. Vol. I. pp. 24-28) vlliled Ihe
monl.1lery in 1716. In 1718 Ihe hegu"""", of Sailll
Paul""," e1ecled palriMeh of Aleundria und",r lhe
name of I'ET1'.R \'1. In 1726 his sue<:e~. 1011I< XVII.
........ monk of Saini P....I. In 1745 his 1UecessoI'••
monk of Sain. Paul. beame pa'ri"""h under lhe
name of "All'; VII.
The lib""lJ'. "ilieh is les-s imponan, than thai of
the ~\ona<.lcry of Saint Antony. is desc-nbed by Si_
aybh (1930. V~. 2. p. 122) as containing the fol·
""";"1': clas5es .nd lIumbers 01. maIlWlCript;s: bibli-
cal (IU). ~ a 1 (WJ. hiscorica.l (123).
hOCltsiutic.!sclence (411). and misccJ~ (9).
These IOIlI 764 nlarlUllCript;•• """" daling: from the
fourteenlh. _n!«nth, and ",ip)lleenth centuries.
818UOGIlAPHV
AnlOnin... Pla(~ndnus. {1i"eT.Ti...... ",d.. P. Gty.....
CSEL 39. Vienna. 1898.
Coppin. J. i.e. VO)'<I,U 'tlil. ~" EtfYPl~. ed. S. Saun·
erun. CaiTO. 1971-
Coquin. R.-<O., and J. H. LalerTihe. "'w Inscrip.
lions p;ilritra1ea de I'anclenne cglise du monaslere
de St. Anloln~ tbns I~ desert oriental." Bulletj"
de /"["l/ir"t 1...,,,,oiJ d·Arclr'olo8;~ ori'''M/~ 78
(1978},Z67 - J2 1,
Delchayc, H. "La P~nonnalilt hist<>riQue de S1.
Paul.'" Ana/eettl Bolla"diono 44 (1926)'64-69,
Evelyn·White. H. G, The M(mojlerie.< 01 rhe wodt"
N.. rri. ... PI. 2. 'T1le Hmo., of the MO>UJ'le,iu of
Nitri. IItld Seetis. N~ York. 19J2.
Gonules. A. U VO)'tlie ~ .. Evpre. 2 vol•. Insil"l
fr:o.l>(-&i4 d'Al'Ch<!olocl~ orlental~_ ~rI). 1917.
Nakhbh. Kamil ~liJ:l. Silsi/ill TorlJch "I Bothowdr
B",tJribl "{.K,,,., ilUsb..
,an. 19S4.
"o". Pl. 4. Dayr aI·S..r-
Saugel. J. M. "Trois rec""il$ d~ discours de Greo
go;r~ de /l:aziIonloe ~ lraduclion anbe: Simples
~ionI Sllr leur SUUC1U..... " A..pstDrio"..... II
(1983):487_515.
Sicard., C. (M"","s. Vol. I. cd. M. Manin. Diblio-
1!>Oque d'~ude 83. Cairo. 1932.
Si.....ybh. M. a.. id. dot •. ,....... copu, Vol.. 2. Cairo.
19JO (in AJ1Ilbic).
Sulpic-i..s Sa'ffUS. Di..fope3. ed. C. Halm_ CSEL I.
VICnna. 1886.
The Old Church
Ahhough Ihe history of Ihis chu,,:h is sliil (0 be
",rillen. the hypolhesll could be put forward lhal
the room in \\Ihieh lhe relic. of Ih. sail'll are pre·
se~'ed belongs 10 lhe older parts. Unfol1unately nei·
ther lhe .. nor in Ihe adjoining hoytal (sancluary)
ha"c painting, been preserved. Visiting these parts
must ha>"" be<!n facilitated by II staircase \\I;lh •
 DAYR ANBA BOL\: The Old Church
Central haykal. Dayr Anba Bula, ArebangeL A.O
1333-1334. C",mesy KoeJ Crena d£ longh,
narrow adjoining subterranean corridol' Nowaday,
lhi, ,taircase de,ccnd, from Ihe Chur~h of Saint
MerCllriu" wbi~h ba, been built o"er the relic, of
Sainl Paul's. Tbese foul' parts (the room for the
relics, the adjoining sancluary, the old staircase,
and it< corridor) have he.:n eu, into lh.: rock and
pro"ide a kind of sublcrrancan <;omplex, ," is the
nonhern exten,ion of thi,-a,mplex, being" large
room witb a flat roof. Before 1333-1334 al the
nOl1hem side of lhe sanclua!)' adjoining lbe room
with the sainI'. relics, a second sancl''''-!)' has ken
~ut inlO the rock. From oulside, dume,; indicate the
exiStence of these "Ider sanctuaries. Laler, bul be-
fare 1713-1714, tbc aculal nonbemmo,l sanCtuary
muSt have bew buill, wgether with an adjoining
room on its west side and with lhe aClllal nanhex
wilh the neW staircase as the weslernmost part,
perhaps replacing older SltuCtur~., The,c ,hree
room, ace cO"cn;d with d"m~'S
For the wall paint;"!>", lwo dales ha"e already
been referred 10 in the hypolhctical lines on the
histo!)' of the church, The r,,...t one i. ~.M. 1050 (A.O
743
1333-1334), given in an inscriplion near the en-
,hmned Chris! On the ea<t wall fmrn thc central
sanCluary, To thi, mastcr, on" may attribute as well
the t.....o archangels and Ihe two cherubim or sera·
pbim paimed on the same le,'el in lhe same sanclu-
ary and the nol ",ell,pre.e....,ed Chrisl bel\\·~,.,n an-
gc], and ,ta,... abovc the "ntran~e to the ",me
..~ne1Uary. The mural, on the ground leyel-the
Annunciation, the remains of an emhroned Virgin
between lwo angels and of a standing John the
E,'angdi.t-arc produe .. uf anOlhcr medieml mas·
teL Onc of the two "Id masters mu,t havc becn
responsible for rhe ponrai" of monk. liko A,-,;eni\ls,
Shen",e, and Jobn in lhe old subterranean corridor
leading 10 lhe old stairc""e. One of them musl also
h""e worked "bow the n()nhern entrance to the
room ,,'ith Saint Paul's relics. Ac~ording to inscrip.
tions, the three Magi and probably Herod must
~a"e ken there, The ",,~ond dale give" by an in-
scription is ihat in tbe dome abo,"e the aCl\lal nar·
thex. referring 10 tbc construclion of this cbuJ"ch by
Pope Jobn XVI of the HoI}' Sec of Saint Mark's, ".M
\429 (A.n, 1713_1714). In th"", cia}s a monk f,,>m
SainI Pa\ll', painted in all pan. of the ebun;h more
or Ie.......h.,·e thc old paiNings had disappeared or
where n.w structures required new murals. By
171b, Sicard could give quite a negalive judgment
of lhi. work, and unfonunalely, it i. tbese painlings
th,,, are considered indicatiH of the quahly of thc
murals i" Saim Palll'•. The monk-painter of 1713-
1714 often worked WilhoUl puparing any back·
ground and ..... ilhout designing imponam pans of
hi. r,gures, like the faces, witb compasscs, forgCl-
Arsenios, Dayr AnM Iluli, Work of a m<·dieml mas-
ter. CO",leS} Xus Cre,w de {o>1gh.
744 DAYR ANSA DARYUS
Martyr'S Dom~, Oa}'r Anba Bula. A n. 1713. em"''',]
Kc« Cr""a de Jo,,~",
ling dl<'- e",.,.. somelimes working in Ih~ 'gTaffito
lechnique. His favorile colo,.,. w"re yellow. red. and
green, This aniSI made a new row of sai,,,. i" Ihe
old subtenaoean e<>rridor near Ihe old stai,,,ase
(5aint.s John, Arsenius, Abib, Ap<.>llo. Samuel), Ihe
Holy Virgin belween seraphim above Ihe northern
rnlrance to this corridor. three archangels and the
.ccne of Ihe Fiery Furnace nearby on Ihe western
wall of Ihe room wilh Ih.· flat roof. and some p<.>r-
naits of monks in the same room. He ,,1'0 decordt-
.d Ihe northernmOSI sanCluary of th" T..."nty-four
Priesl, with • diSputable /igure of ao enthrunet!
Christ in MajeSI)', the dome and walls of lhe adjoin-
ing room on ils wesl .ide (with four archangd, and
,,·ilh Saints Marina. Irene. Kuriakos, JUliella, Paul.
Anthony, and ~n unknown bishop), and lhe now
narthex wilh lhe wtll·known horseback-riding mar-
t}.,.,.. Ahhough he wm certainly nol lhc be"l painler,
this monk worked in a good Coplie tradilion, being
aware of iconographieal rul"". Unror1unatdy lhe
man}" ~xpcdili()ns Ihnl ha,'e lraveled 10 Saint Paul's
!>Ion""lery (J. G. '.u Sa~hsen. T. Whiuemore, and J.
L~ro}") ha'·. n01 vel re\'eal~d all il. art treasure,.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"dli, S. ·'S.'"er~l Churches in Upper Egypt." Mil/d/·
",'gen de$ deul$d,.n I1Tehii()/o~i$C),<" In,;liIW,; 16
(1980):7-8.
Bmler, A, J. The "'lei"'l COPI;C Clt"roh.,; of Egypl,
Vol. I, pp. 346-47. O,ford, Ig84; rcpr.. 1970.
Leroy, J. "le Programme dccoralif dc I'cgli.e de
Saim·Paul du desert de la Mer roug.... Bulleli" de
I'!..,I;'''' iyaJtf',i,; d'Archo%gi. ori""lalc 78
(1978):323-37.
Meinardus, 0, ,\Iimks and MoJta'lerie,; of/he Egyp-
,ia .. D~"TI" pp. 91-116. Cairo, 1961,
Sehweinfiinh, G. A"I w,IMIUl<'ne" Wege" m
X~j'pIeM, pp. 190-21J9. Hamburg. 1922.
PAUL VA." MooRSEl.
DAYR ANBA DARYUS, monaslCry mentioned
in lhe Sahidie r~cension "r lhe SntAXARlON in COnl-
memorating AnM Yun~ (perhap. Jona.~) at 2 F'bah.
The Synaxarion locates il neM Ihe lo\Vl1 of IIrmant.
Anba Yun~'s uncle Victor. who prayed ror Ihe
saiol's birth and 10 whom he owed his vocalion,
was buried ncar the church of lhi. monaslery,
No ar<'haeologinl im"c>ligalion allow.' u~ to iden·
lit)' wilh eenaimy Ih. MOna'leI)' of Anb~ Dan";s,
nor i. il alteSled by any other wrillen document.
One mal, it seems, say Wilh E. Amelineau (1893, p,
125) lhat il wa, a lrue renobium.
BIRLIOGRAI'IIY
Amchneau, E. La C~ogrnplde de i'Egyple a /'ipoq,u
cople. Paris, 1893.
Dor~<$e. J. "Monaster", cOple.< aox en,'i"",s J' Am,-
ani en Thero'de."' Annhclo Boll<md"",a fJ7
(1949):327-49,
RE~~ GEORGES COQUII\
MAURICE MARTIN, S.J.
DAYR ANBA HADRA, [Thi< entry cOMsists of
,hree arlicle.>: History, A,,,hitecture, ""d Art.)
History
This mOOMle,)', ahhough uninhabited sin~e the
lwelflh centurY, i, rairly wdl pr~'cn"ed and has
aroused the enthu,iasm of archaeologist,.
h ""i",s ;IS imposing siJhouene on Ihe Idt bank

of the Nile al a lalilude south of the island of Ele-
phantine. It is abm"e the mausoleum of the Aga
Khan, the religious head of the Isma'ili se~t. who
died in 1957. The monastery was built in the .ev-
enth ~entury, then rebuilt in the tenth, and de-
st{oye<! in the twelfth ~enlul)l. The funerary stelae
date from the sixth to the ninth centuries. It is said
to have been founded to ~Ommemorale a holy re~·
luse. Anb~ Hadn\.. who is ~elebrated on 12 Ki)'ahk
and whose life is summarize<! in the Synaxarion of
the Copts from Upper Egypt. He l:>e<:ame bishop of
Aswan in the time of Ihe patriar~h T~EO'HtLUS (385
-412). Later the monaslery was given the name of a
local saint, Simeon, Alltravele,.." and archaeologists
cite it under lhis name, but the Coptic sources al-
way. call it i\.nbA Hadra.
Apan from the Synaxarion, which probably sum·
mari""s an older Coptic teXI. the most andent wit·
ne". appears to have been ABO SWH (see Abll al-
Mak~rim). at Ihe beginning of the thineenth eenlu·
ry. Abll ~Iil) spoke of it twice, the firsl time to tell
of a church dedicated to Anb~ Hadra then on an
island in the Nile and deotroye<! in his time. A linle
later he spoke of a monaste", of this name Ihat wa.~
On the left bank and was still occupied by monks.
No doubt, he was speaking of two different sites or
perhaps working from two souree., whi~h he did
not fully coordinate.
From the eighteenth centut)' on, it was men-
tioned by lravelers, E. F. lomard (1809-1822, Vol,
I. p. 144) spoke of it, and M. Jullien (1903, pp
283-84) noted it. Johann Georg: (1913, pp. 60-67;
1930, p, 48) showed his interest in it ar>d G. Mas·
pero (1910, p. 193) paused the!"e,
Unfot1unately, the frescoes have nat been s}'ste·
matically photographed. There remain only a male.-
I<2S domini (representation of Christ in majesty) and
a f'resc(l. This is the m{lre regrettable in that today
these paintings are alm<lS1 i}lvisible.
Happily lhe funeral)' Slel~have been published
several times, notably by U; Souria"t (1884, pp.
62-70) and J. C1.:dat (1908, pp. 224-29). The~i were
eon,'e"iently broughl logether by H, Munier (1930-
1931),
A Greek graffilo attributed to a Nubian scribe is
gwen by Griffith (1913, pp, 57-58).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bock, W, de. M"Un-aux pour ...-vIr il /'archiologit
chrhiennt de /'Egypu, St. Petersburg, 1901-
Bourian., U. "Notice des monuments coptes du
musee de Boulaq," Rcc"eil dc Iravaux relarifs ilia
phil%gk et it I'archi%git <gypli.nne .1 a,,)'r-
i.nnc 5 (1884);60-70.
DAYR ANBA HADRA; Architecture 745
___, "Notes de voyage, f19, Ie Deir amba Sa·
nlbn en face d'Assouan." Ruu<il de trtlvalu r<la·
tifs <l la phi/ologlc et iI /'arcMologle igyprierme et
~$>yri.n"c 15 (1893):176-89.
Budge, E, A. W. "E~ca"'tion. made at Aswan, by
Major·General Sir F, Grenfell During the Years
1885 and 1886," Proacdlngs of Ihe Sod<1y 0/
Biblical Archa.ology 10 (1887-1888):4-40.
Cledat, J, "Notes d'areheologie copte: Assouan."
Annalc. du Servia des anI/quills de I'Egypte 9
(1908):224-29,
Dare"y, G. "Renseigncments sur I.. provenan~e des
steles coptes du Muse. du Cair~." Annales du
Se.-vlce des onliqullis de I'Egypu 13 (1914)'266-
n
Denan, V. Voyag~ dans l~ H~ute er Egypu
i~ Ba.,s~
pmdam hs c~mpagnes du Mnu~1 Bonaparte, 2
,'ols. Pari" 1802
Griffith, F. L The N"bia" TexIS of th, Christian Peri·
od. Berlin, 1913,
lohann Georg, Duke of Saxony. Sirei/wge d"rch die
Kirchen und KIIJslu Agypl<ns. Leipzig, 1913.
___, Nwc Siroifzuge d"rch die Kirchen "nd Klosl-
er Aopte",. Leipzig and Berlin, 1930.
lomard, E. F. "Description de S~ne." In Dnerip.
tion de I'EgypJe, Vol. 1, Anri'luitis, pp, 143ff. Paris
1809-1822.
lullien, M. "Quelques anciens couvenlS de
I'Eg}'Pte." Missions c~lholiques 35 (1903):188-90;
198-202; 212-14; 237-40; 250-52; 257-58; 274-
76; 283-84.
Maspero, G. "Premier rappon a 1'lnsti1Ut ~g)'Plien
.ur les fouilles e,,,~ulees en Egypte de 1881 it
1886." Bullerin I'!nsli/ut a'Egypte 6 (1886):3-91.
___. Ruines e1 p~ys.ges d'Egypte. Paris, 1910,
Monneret de Villard, U. "Descrizione generale di
$an Simeone presso Aswan." Annale. du Service
des amiq"ite. de I'EfYpte 26 (1926)'211-45.
___. Description general. du MonaSltre de St. Si-
mton il ,tsw~n, Mila", 1927.
___. 11 mona$,ero di San Simeone pr~sso Mwan,
2 vols, Milan, 1927.
Morg:an, J. de, et a1. Catalogue des monuments et
inscription., de l'Egypte <2ntiq"e. 3 '·01$. Vienna,
1895-1909.
Munier, H. "Les St"l.. copt.. du monaslere <Ie
saint Simeon a Assouan." ,4egypru$ II (1930-
1931):257-300 and 433-84.
RENE·GEORGES COOU1'"
MAURtCE MARTtN, S.l,
Architecture
Dayr Anb~ H"dra lies about 4,000 feet (1200 m)
from the riverbank in the region (If the fonner her·
mitage of Anba Hadra. A few rock ca"es, some (If
746 DAYR ANBA. HADRA: Architecture
,/,/
,
Projected elevation of Dayr AnhA Hadrii. CouTtesy Peter Grossmann.
which contain wall paintings of the sixth or seventh
century. can still be s".,n, Th",e caves are, in fact. a
Ilring of rock tombs of the pharaonic period that
were transfonned into habitation._ The high struc-
tures of stone and brick masonry of the doyr. how-
ever, belong to a refoundation of the monastery in
the early eleventh century.
In its present shape the doyr is spread out on two
natural terraces. Enclosed by a comparatively thin
wall with a walkway for the lookout on top and
seve",l lookout towers at the comers, these terrac·
es are joined into a coherent rectangular complex,
In addition, each terrace has a gate with a towerlike
structure auached to the front On the .ide opposite
the other. As regards the internal arrangement, the
lower terrace holds the church witb the baptistery
and .everal quarters for pilgrims. On the upper ter-
race the large Ih'ing quane"" designed to serve also
as a keep, make up the dominant building_ Be.ides
the monks' cells (chambers with six or more
benhs), it con",ins the refecto!)' and the kitchen
facilities. The mill and bakery as wen as .e'·eral
storeroom. lie outside the keep, On the upper ler-
race there are also n~rous workshops, Dese",ing
spedal attcntion among these are a pottery kiln
.ituated in the upper muthwe.t comer and .e,·era!
extensive laundering ";;tabli.hment•. The laner .ug-
gest the e~i.tence of a d)'er's establishment, indicat-
ing that probably lhe monastery kept ilS own llocks
of sheep, A,welJ or a cistern enabling the inhabi-
tanlS to resiSl an extended siege has SO far not been
located.
Having lost it. former domes, the monaste,)'
church is pre.erve<! only as a ruin. It Wll-S built in
the fin;t half of the eleventh century. Architecturally
il belong> to the three·naved type of the octagon-
domed church found most frequently in middle
B)I'l.llnline architecture On the Greek mainland. It
differs from the pure octagon·domed type by the
facl that the nave was furnished with two domed
bays instead of one behind the other. Thus, the
church at Dayr An~ Hadn\ is at the same time an
e~ample of the domed oblong church, which ap'
pears in Elm't from the Fatimid period onward.
The ....nctua!)' in the proper meaning is only as
broad as the domed area of the nave. The eastern
niche (:askinoh) he..., h", a rectangular shape; it
joins Ihe khurus to become the greater spatial fOlm
of a TR'CONCH. On both .ides the aisles continue
along the ...nctuary up to the eMt wall of the
church. Originally the enttance. to the church were
found here. As the ....nctuary was enlarged, occa-
sioning the addition of a further wne of rooms 10
the east. Ihe aisles were provided with open porti-
coes on each side. [0 a third phase. however, this
fOlm of access was abandoned once more, and th.
entrances were bloded. [n this way were obtained
two additional rooms, which could be entered only
from within. In the northern room of these, the
baptistery was installed,
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Clarke, S. Christi.." Antiquities i" 'he Nil. Volley,
pp, 95ff. Oxford, 1912,
Cledal, J. "Les Inscriptions de Saint Simeon," Re·
cudl de t",voux relo'jfs iJ. 10 phil%gi. d iJ.
I'Qrcheologi. egypri""""s u osyriennes 37
(l915):4[ff,
Grossmann, P. "Der christliehe Baukunst in Agy-
pten." Errchorio 8 ([978j:97fF, table 19a, pI. 191.
____ M/llelolterliche L~ngh~U$kuppeikiTche" u"d
vuwand,e Typen in Obuiigyplen. Gltickstadt,
1982.
Monn.rel de Villard, D. D..cr;ption gt"ho{e dr< mo-
naSl~re de S, Simeon il Aswall. Milan, 1927.
PETER GROSSMANN

Art
The d«oration is ....d~ly pi~lOfial. It is <'Of!'
Cftltnlted in the nonh wing of !he church alKl to
:tOme Ulfll< in. me ket:p. In the ea<Um conch of
the sanctuary. I"," church $bow$ Christ in • man·
doria. He is etllhl"Oned. hold,,,, On onto knee with
hislril hand • coda spanned by;o cl"O!l5 and pmg
;0 bcnedi<;tion with his l'izht hand. ",itk:h passel
beyond dw rinI of the mandorla. Each of IWO richly
dressed ....Ids Iei'm on the mandorla with his richl
hand. The one on the riJht holm in his 1m hmd •
,lobe. Ikhind him is ;0 P"n<>na«" of the same stat·
U~ .,..;.h a """""re nimbus. Below this lTesco lltId
~cd from it by a de<:orntr..., register. indudinll
an arcadin, belw~n two pendenti,~ the decora-
tion of ",hich is deslro)'ed. one can distinguish on
the ldt Ihe remain. of;o paiming of .maJl ~nonag·
es jua~posed, each haloed and clothed in • while
lunic.
In a niche on the wes! sick, a fresco shDW$ the
Virgin Itanding full·face between IWO an8,,1 •.
Th<l: ,rotto, which is situated at Ihc western ca·
',."mily <.>f the nonh wing. has left SOme traees IlIal
are diffi<:uh to read. J. de Morpm (l894, p. 133)
IIW'nlionfd th""., walls occupied by a ~UIl:nCe of
IhinY'lix fiSUres in one rtgi$tu. whi<:h could be a
JIIln of lhe l.eYenly-l""'O disciples of Chri~1 (Melzger,
1959. lIP- 299-306). The ceiling is .....nned by a
series of rneand.ors intenupl~ by lartC sq.... res and
OCUlSOns containing bmu (.w, Bock. 1901. pl. n.1 j.
In lhe casl""" a pain6nc. now destroy~. could
.nil he Rtn at the time of de Molpll's in~~Ip·
tion (1194, p. U4;.w, Bock. 1901, pl 32.2). Accord-
inc 10 Ill",. sO. personage:s Stand out on the lefl
acainS! a rtd bac.......... nd. p«ceded by an lmMn'
&Cl lurned lo·...ard !he enthroned Chrisl. 1M de-
SlNClion of the coneinuation of lhe ""inl;1lI Iuds
one 10 su~ a symmetrical UOUP. which would
eamplele lhe e,*,mble aI .... I,.,elve apostles on
eiu.er side of Christ.
BlBUOGRAPHY
Bock, V. do. MQliri",a po.. r JU"iT a /'Q~~I.Q/ogie
tie I"EVple ehrilie....e. St. Petersbu!'J, 1901.
Metzger. a. M. "$eventy or Seventy-iwo Dlsdplea1"
Ne'" Ttsr~",enl Siudie; 5 (1959):299-306.
MO!'Jan, J. de. "Service dc~ antiquit~s de l'ElYPte."
Catalog", du mO'w",.ms lOt inscriptions. ler, i.
Vol. 1. Vienna. 1894-1909.
Wahel'l, C. C. Monaslic Archaeol"lJ' in EtJPI, pp.
241,311-13. Warmin.ter. 1974.
PlDUi.E VI! BOuItCtlE1'. SJ,
DAYR ANSA HELIAS 747
DAYR ANsA HELIAS (Naqicbh). a rock
chureh in ...., mounUlin lhmo miles wesl of the
.nt2.l1 lown of Nsqidah. on the left bank of !be Nile.
Seote.,.] tellS deriri"8 from lhe Thet:-n rqion
spnk of a wpos of A"" Elias. W. de Bock (1901. p.
&3) disco\'ttf:d tim; ch"""h. and lhoughe chal it ""...
identical with the 'DPOS of !hew lexts. For these. the
rude<- will find lhe ~lilI1s rerot'<kd by Winlock
snd Crum (1926. p. IlJ). Since !be ,erm pea.. (<1<5-
~~ a monastCl)' hollowed ;nlO the rock)
evokes the sil" ,'ft)' "",,11 and il Os read :also on :an
(J$l.-on <:onlainin& !he nt:aloc d a InOn:asOc li-
b.....,.. a <:onneclion has been mad<: with ,his sil"
(Coquin. 1975. pp. 207ft.).
BIBUOGRAPHY
Bock. W. de. Ma/lrill.... pour rarr:hk/ogi, cltrbi-
enne d·Egypte. SI. Petenb,,!'J, 1901.
Bouriant. U. "No'es de voyage." R""eil de "Q~"UJ[
11 (1889):131-38.
Coquin, R.·G. "I.e Calalolue de ia bibliolh~ue
d" cou~ent de saint E1le du rocher," Bullerin
de /"l~;lilut frQn~"is d'Archlologic orie~lalc 75
(1975):207-239,
Kahle. P. B..I,,·w.II. 2 vcl5. London. 1954.
Winlock, H. E.. and W. E. Cnam. V" .w"",,,,ury 01
Epiph..n;..s "I TltdJos, 2 vol", "'loW York. 1926.
RE/oI! GWll(;fS COQlIlt.;
MAlIJIC£ M.u.TlN, SJ.
DAYR ANBA HELIAS, e-lfth-eettWry Elmer
pian rnonastCl)' in Wid! aHiafnln. In all d.e docu-
menu thaI concern this monanery. il i$ linkt:<! ""ith
che presoenc.e aI Ethiopian rnotlks. It .. . - thal no
other ElIOOpian rnotlks livecl ill other places in
WidJ al-Natrun. bue this m~e.,. appe:a'" '0 ~'e
I>et:ro populaled udu$i~l,. by Elhiopians.
Thc presence of Ethiopian monks iD E«YPt is al-
1eSted:al '-:arious pbces. In addilion 10 the lleW for
'Ulgi~ posu for Iheir pi1lrillUl,t 10 Jerusalem.
there ...... a1so Ibt necessily allhtir conlinuing 10
lead lhe monastic life in the places whe", il had
b«n born.
One ques'ion prelCtllS itself. Who actually "'as
the Saint Eli... under ",hose pal/onait this mon_
tery came inlo bein,? In the ~ond reeen.ion of
lhe Ethiopian SY"A)(ARION. tht oldest msnuocriplof
wh;';h da,es &om i581 (Colin. 1986, p. 323), a Saint
Eli"" of Scetis i. celebrated on 8 Yahlil. a feast
thaI i' mis,ing in both tht Coplic Syn""arion and
the fi"" "'cension of Iht Ethiopian, which dates
from ehe end of Ihe IoUReenth century or I)", be--
 748 DAYR ANBA l:IIZ1QYAL
ainnin. of th~ fifteenth. II ....lales 10 the story oi an
inlen<>ew be1wttn th~ nnperor 1lleodos.ius, p~
bly Theocbil.l5 II (408~450). a"d Ihls holy monk.
Hence, one mll)' if the lilUlu saim oi Ihls Ethi<>-
ptan rr>onllQtry _ IIOII Ihls monk of Sc:101.•• I'lltber
lhan lIMo poop""" Thtre is an EIIglish tl'l"'s!aOOr> cI
Ihis S«IfY by E. A. W. Budge (I976. P. 6(6). The
manuscripl oi 119'9 cp.>OIed below S9Ulu for lIS pan
of MIM &real prophei Elias-"
To ...,w period an the foundation of th.. mo""",·
lery be aui~ H. G. E"el)".While....."0 enm-
ined this <I_ion, 01'1$ lOr !h(' t"'<'lflh I('''lury, He
....llW"ked ttDl a manusc:ripl (1926, p, 273) nol.,.
INI it was ....Tillen for me Monasluy of Saim E1ia>
and the date of Ihis gin i. glvm • 119'9. Bes;des.
~ ....I manoaslriplS and In!"'en.. of m\>l1ilinglO3.I
Bibles <orne n-om Seet;', and lhe S('vel1l.11an~ageo
of Ihe lexi <<>rrespond In lhe nlllionalilies then rep-
resenled at Sc:e1is: Armonisn, A....bie, Copllc, Ethio-
pian, and Syria<. The manlW:ripl$ in q\><:Stion, now
in I"" Ambrosian Libra!)' in Milan, hav" been daled
10 lite Iwelfth eentul)'.
It is diffi<ull to usign a pr('c!.oe dst(' for the de·
mise of Ihis ElhiQpian monaMery'1 uislence in See·
I;l. The monaslel)' mu", "ill ha~ been active in
1.19, the dale when a manuscript now in the Na·
liom! Library, Paris. was ~"OMpI('led, The fifleelllh·
c(,IlIU1)' Muslim historian '01'.101.00:)11111 menlioned Ih;,;
mo..... lery,.saying tlull it btlon,ed to lhe Ethiopians
and _ in ruins. Since al-MaqrfzI died in ,•• I, Ihe
deslJUCllon or the Monasltry ci Saini Elial of Ihe
Edliopiam m 1herdo.... be esublw.ed beI",een
1419 and 1 1.
BlIILIOGItArHY
~. E. A. W. The Bot>« 01 the Soabus of ,he Ellli..
opilln CI"m:ll. 4 ""I:s. CambridJe, 1924; rep. Hi\.
deshrim and N"", Yori::, 1976.
E~"""·While. H.-G.' file M""tlSlu;es of tile W4dl '"
N,,~, Vol I, Nil Coptic TUls""'" lite A1_,,~
Ie,., I>f Stli'" M"C"riU1 New York, 1926. Vol. 2,
TM Hist",., of rJu Alo..clSlenu '" NUri<I "nd <>f
Scu;.. New York, 1932. Repr. of.ll J ""b., 1973.
Zoienooa, H. e"/tll"",,. des m"n"scnlJ i.hiopit:>u
de II> 8ihiiu'M'l"e "at;o",,/e. Pa.u, 1817.
RENe.<iEOlI.c.ES COOI!IN
DAYR ANUA I:IIZIQYAL, monastcry in Ar-
manto The name of lhi, mon~lel)' is tliven in lwo
notices of saints by Ihe recension oi the STNAx,o.w.ION
of lhe Copts lTom Upper Egypl. whiCh provides an
approximale IndkatiOfl of its at'Otlraphicai localion.
In Iht summitry at I" Kiyahk wnee.-ning one £.u..
ltir:1 (i:Jiziq,yAl)... nall"e oi Annanl. who:>$(' paunl$
"""'" Chrislians, it Is wnnen Ilw he be<::ame •
monk in lhe dim;':' of his na!i,.., IO\Ion. He 1i1.'ed in
the '~nmr:r" dewn-INI •• 1M mosl remol.e from
the l<:nile ,-alley. SillCe i' ...... 100 distanl from lhe
town and infes,ed by thitves. he """,cd closer 10
th(' town and \ftslalled hlmsdf ~in the mountain,-
...i1ich muns lhe SIOny pbIeau near the Inwn.
When he died. the people 01 the I<lwn instin.ued a
pilgrimag<' to hillhurch 'until now.~ ...-hicl> m~
down 10 the period 01 th(' compilation 01 this rece....
sian of Iii(' Sy-na.uorion flhe ......,Ifth or lhin«nlh
<.,.>lury). It 5«1IIS prob8ble thai .. monaslery "'-as
buill over Ihe 10mb of Ezekiel.
Then is also a rml\lnce 10 a MOtlaSltry of AnbA
Hiriqy.lI with ref(',..,nc(' 10 An~ Yiinah (1on/O$) in
Ihe S)"Ila..-arion al 2 Tolbah. Yiinah had a ""'Iemai
unde who broughl aboul hi. binh through hill
prayen. 0" the condition thai he should be offered
al lhe age of Ih...... 10 lhe monastery, no doubl Dayr
AnM Hiziqyll. This wa.J done, and all his edu('alion
was carried oul by his uncle al the monastery.
The lexl "'")'S Ihal Ihis Dayr Anb;}, i:Jiziqy.l1 was
remote from the cuhi~aled lands, since il was ";n
lhe inner dQeI1," bul il ckots nol spedfy if it was
nonh or SQUill of Armlll/i. It appears thai it was
esIllbl .....ed on lhe ldi bank, as ...."as Armanl, aI·
It does indeed _m
thouah this Is unc('min.
thai il it; ltllDIed in a CopIic
docllmenl .....1 speaks of a Jo/Io, monk or the Mon·
_cry of Apa whet AccOTdinalO the conltJC1, !his
1('>.1 mUS! he daled somt"'tJcre ;oboul 600. H('Ilt'e,
Ihis monuIery would have bom rounded larady
before m£ llAl «lNOIJE:$T OF EGY1'T and would ha,..,
SIlnoi,'U! down 10 lhe fWd"h oc-mirtttnth C£II1\>ry.
Thoen! an no m : ~ proofs fur its id£n.LI&.
eolian. bill J. 001Ui(' (I949. p. 347) bas .'iU1~
i<lenlifyi", iI w;!h lhe pTt'Rnl DATR .u..sAo!VAH. This
Is OIIly a workina ~
BIBUOCRAntY
00,..,.,.." J. "Monasl~res copies aWl environs d'Arm-
ani en Th~bo.i·de:· .4 .... lell" 8o/1~..ditlm' 67
(1949):327 ••9.
DAYR ANUA MAQAR. Rising on Ih(' de..," ho·
rizon like a greal fonress, lh~ Mon....lery of Saint
loIAnRlUS was originally the m<:>sl rem01~ and I~
accessible of lhe mOnaSlmes of WM! al·Nap':'''_ It
came inlO be;na around 360 when Saini lIbcariu~
 DAYR ANBA MAGAR 749

adjacenl ""US 10 house the monh i""ead of st:gJ"e.

pled 0'''''for hennllS).
Around 331, <Julina ,he mgn of Ih.. Copt'c paui-
arch Tl1EODI)$lU' ....·ho h:wI b«o uiled to COrL~n­
.inople for some lime. lhe MonaslCTJ of Saim Mac·
arills became I.... .,..easlOnal <CM of Ihe palOurchal
throne as ",ell as """ e......er of church acli'i'y for-
mao,. dttadc-s.o corne. From 1\lU1l I '0 SHD;UTE I
the onor-..ery mollOpOlized lbe supply of "...,Iates
Oa'.T Anbi \Iaqir '"'ttl from ,~ ""ns
oK another and al.., pnnided ..... ehurch '''Ih man" ... hobrs.
monut"r:. in th., fo~round.. Coomes.. F.llre. M.l'1"'. lis library V ...... '0 i""IOOe a masso'" CO/Itc.ioo of
Col1f:~ 01 1M Huh F"".;}? ell!,.,. rnan....,,;~ """ tTIOS.h Kal'co«! in m\l5eUms
Ihroup.ou. lhe world.
Wi.h .~ "HAJJ CO!\QLEST Of' F.GYPT (642), Ihe gtn-
I.... ~·pllan mov"<i -..'h ....... rd from .he vall.". '0 er-al 'Amr ibn al-'At pledlJ"d safe eonduci '0 the
escape .he o".,rcrov.·ding of hermil... Il.,,,,~. al Ihe monk$ and .onfinn"<i .heir re,~nUC'S. AnbA Yu·an·
age oK siuv. he car,,-ed for himself a ccll ...."h a tong nis ...."35 head of lhe m"ntitel)" al ,hal .ime, and
sublelTa""an ,-ault in the roc~y IClTaln, wh.,1"(' he under his aegis. cam.. the developn.enl of lhe ma,,-
look rtfuge to avoid visilOr:<. H<Jw""'·cr. his follo-,,,.... ,ht<b(,'}'a" dwelling. for Ilroups of monks under ,h ..
grtW in number and boilt ,heir own cells of mud leadership of a ,inHle "fa, her," or n.emOl". wilhin a
brick l'OGfe<! with palm leaves aro"nd his ea,'e. .pecific part of ,he h"ilding separated by a low wall
Oedica,ed to e.treme paven}' and silence. thO$e from Ihe remaining comple.• of "rue'",.",. No,,,ble
hermil. congregated onl~' on Salunlav and SundaY inSlances may be 'rnced in Ihe wards of Anb~ "GIl
'0 '0
liSlen Iheir mentor', ..,rmon and 10 ~eehe THOl< TIlE SHUll! a"d &tlllt IlOMOTHF.t'$, whel" Saini
hQlv communion. Mos, of thcm spem Iheir daVl' JOIlN KA..\IA re-ceh'ed his Irmning. tn 800 ,be monk
reci,ing ,he "riptore .....hile doing ma..ual labor. A' !':pip"'nios of Je",,,,lem ,i'iled Ihe monaslery and
'h., dea.h of Maeariu. in 390. Ihe seuletnem ....·as "",cd .ha, i. compri!ICd a ,hO\l:land man.s/"'b,,,,.a.s"
.... .,11 cs.ablis.hed.....,ilh some 2.400 monks in lhe Thi. pro!opCrous I"'riod <OQn changed wh.. n ,h..
area. The .,.,11 comaining hi, rtmains b«ame • poll III irnp<>!lCd by Ihe Muslim rulers ..2>. doobled
shrine 10 pn-pel:W1le his name ,hro<lgh Ihe agn
Dulin, .he fif,h een."r) Ih., monks suslained
,hrft ",,,"ion< In ~n barbarians .. ho plllnde...,d
..........,hi1ll in Slab', SofneIime bcfo..., the Ihlrd sack
(44~), lhe TO"'et" of Palaemon (now dis:ltppearrdl
...-:os conOlnH:lrd as a pbc" of .-m.,e. Also, ,),.,
Church of &utI .Uacari was bqun. lOCether .... illl
oth..... buildings to Stt\ as meel ....... lUesd'KI....e.
SlOf'er'OOl'lb, and hoopital for sid brol~rs. In 432
the emperor Zeno .,ndoY.ed lhe lIKlfl.I<OIen and
"""n d,spalched lwo arcl>JI~ to supon.... ,),.,
cons""clio" of "ew buildings Mamie columru
......re used, and Ih., disco,eO)' of numerotJs fnt-
mcnU of marlJIe from ,hese columns. Ih..ir opolals.
and M,lme engD"ings allesl '0 ,hi<. Lesend",\'5 ,hal
,he emperor's daugh'..r. HIU.R'~, di<cuised as a
)"0\1"8 monk. joined lhe hemtils and Ihal leno
made the endowment 10 com",..",,,,.,,te Ihi< e'ent
and 10 demonSlrate hi, app=ia.ion for ,he desel'
fa,hers. Ilillol'ia", ha,'" it, 100, Ihal leno ,';'hed
,hereby 10 rea.'sure himself of Ihe lo,ally and ,up'
PO'" ollho;.c holy Incn for his imperial Ihrone. Old refe-clory "f Da\'r Anl)ll MaqAr and Dayr Anb.-\.
l>ur;nll,he following e..mary. a neW ,,~ in ,he Bishoi, NOle the .able and delail "f Ihe ceiling.
development of the monas'CT)" began by Ihe cOn· Co"n.,.v Fath.r M.nl"" C<>II,,~ 0/11,,, Hoi)" I:"",ilv.
,,,,,elion of '''8"lar laUDS (i.e., conglottlerat<'$ of e"i,o.
750 DAYR ANSA MAQAR
in 7Q.t -705. 2nd in 714 ~ 715 ,he mOilks ,,·ere e,>:,n
b....!>ded a,· &66. ,he Iin2ncial burdens placed upon
the monks became so "ca.,...· .. 10 dllCounge mo-
~'" life Also. manluding boedou.ns 'lKked the
area "'JlUIedlv and thu< rorced the monks 10 e<ttl
hlsh ...-alls and Rr-onghoI<k '0 prott'<:1 lhemseh·es..
In fact. the palrian:" Shenule I. dunnl • vult in
170. penonall~· ...""....is<'d the buildi... or lnes..
high ...:alls around the chunh and subsidia.... $1."""-
Non. This ...... the Iir$l OO<>Cenll'301l0n of buildings
10 Iomt the nueJe.... of IIIe pRKnl monasle ....
Dunnl Ihe e1Nelllh C....IUrY. chapels we boeing
bu~, and rebuil1. bur in 1056 " lC'rrible famll'"
~ged 1hroullh F-«YPl. affl:'Cung 1hC' mon:urery KJ"tal-
Iy. and in 1069. in,-adinl BC'rben apin .... ,-agC'd llIe
place. Lndi'ICoul'3oged. ,he monks rcbuih Ihe lower.
the 'e"'elury. and Ihe churches. According 10 lhe
census of 1038. Ih",n: " .."." foue h.. ndr.,d monks in
Ihe monas'ery_
Ilut lhe founeenlh c",ncur,· ,,·ilnClIS<.'<l the ."if!
dedine of ,his holy place. Bcginni"ll in tJ46, two
major disasters b-cfell Ihe monastery. l'il1'l. Ihe un-
pl'ece<!enle<! perseculion of 'he COplS begun b)· Sui·
tan al·$:oolih ibn Qalawun of 'he ll;;1.lrl Mamluh reo
sulted in I"" plundC'. of churchcs. lhe confiscalion
of Coplic properties. and lhe destruclion of monas·
,C'ries; lhe Coplic population was mass;lcl"t'd or for·
ciblv eon,ened 10 Islam. bringl,,! il to lhC' edge of
eJ<unclion. Second. Ihe Diad' ~alh. "hieh had
K"'~ Eel'l and ilS monaslC,,;,,,, in 1348-1349.
Main church of Dayr AnhA Maqtr. Ifu)'kal of Saim
Mark lktaik Mallhew. COl<"tSy F,t"eli hw,rMt of
Orie,II~1 A"'''''"olo!)', C"iro
Main church of Dll)·e IInbfi Mllqar. /{aykal 01 Saint
Mark. Detail; Luke C ""r1t'.'·
"'meh 1",<I;wu 01 O,i,,,·
la/ An·h""%f)'. C"i'o
brokC' ()ltl again in 1374. and by 1388 the coumry
",-as almosl dC'populated. Thc rcw remaining monk$
sou~l sh"he. wilhin lheir monastery wall. foe pro-
leclion from hung«r and diseasc_ ThC',..,aft.,r lhe
Mona.<.ery of SaJnc ;\bcari... remain<:<! .<ubstanli2Il\'
und...nled foe C.,nluriC's.
From thC' looneemh eem......· 10 Ihe bcginnmA 01
IhC' ......n'ie'h. thoC' monMlerv $I.rullll]ed apil1$l ,he'
human and natua! elemenu of destruction. partie·
ula.lv icn<>nnu_ ThC' padual C'Minction of the bn-
guagC' of lhe Copu. in wltich WIT C'a..... spinl.....1
lilu'1!ical. and 'hC'oIot:icaJ hi.<lon had bC'C'n TC"COrt:I-
00. made lltt- conllnully of thei.. l..fi'ion and Ihe
sum.-al of lltt-i.. henlaAe 'cr)· dlfficuk In addi'ion.
man~· manuscript .ubbers conlributC'd 10 the deple-
lion of lhe monas,erv library_ Slill "''<>nC. many
S10kn manu.<oeripu wen: irnwlCabl}' los' ... h.,n
shi~ C'an)inl them .broad found.. ned on lht h,gh
~
Ho....,.,..,r. loward ,he beginninll oIlhr IwC'nllC',h
c ..n'ury. Si!!n~ 01 rev;\1'] bepn 10 appear. Panicu-
Ian)' .ince 1%9. lhe.... has bC'C'n an inlense period
of rttOnslrucliQn. TO<lay lhere arC' mon, lhan .",,,.
cn,y monks in r('SidencC'. m<xllv univC'.-sily gradu·
ales in almu~' all fields from medicine and en!!i-
'leering to Ih" humanities and agronomy.
The mOnll"el)' 1,,,.< a "umber of historic church.
es. The Ch"reh of Saini Maca,;"s is nOled for ils
Ihree .<aneluarits. thos.- of Saint Macari"s, SainI
John lhe Ilapli,l. and the ThreC' Youths. Mlcr ilS
 DAYR ANBA MAQAR 751

"hich had been nan.poned from Palwine to Ale'

andria in the fout1h cemu')' during ,he lXl.riar<;ha,e
of AthanasiU'l I. In ,h. e.nth eeneury John's bod}
,,-as rt'TJ>O\'ed en the monas'c')'. "here ehe remains
and .hose of some bishop. and pa,riarchs were dis
eo,ered in April 1976 "hilt ,he ehun::h bundi~8
,,-as bc1ng "'stored. Hi'herto known"" ehe Sanceu·
ary oi Saint M"rk on account of lhe prc!iun,pcion
eha' ehe head of eh", e,-,.ngclist wu bunrd ehere_ i'
since has been alterna,ely idemified ;lI lhe sancl1l·
ary of Saine :.Iark and eX Saini John ,he Baptise

Sanct"an oIlknjanun tliQl ealJe,d ,he Sancluarv 01

Sail" Mxarill'l), Da'T Anboo ~b<pr Ooon. Co.meS"
Orten",
F'eJt<"Ir rnStltute of "",Jooealor. C.irp.

de5'roC'tion in lhe s.U.'h CeIllU"," to) ,he Pe<$.ial1$. ,he

sane"",... of Saim Ma.carius ,,-as 1'eSI0N'd in 1>55
durin! doe pa'riarchale of Salnl BF_""",~ l. :;tnd for
chis reason i' has IOmC1lmdi been ideneir>ed ... ,he
oanctuarv 01 IknJlm,n. I, is disunlJ"ishcd b) i,s
huge dome, 26 f«t IS m) in diameler. of "hkh ,he
1""·..,- pan is decora,ed b' ponra1cs oi 'he T,,·en.~c
four Priesls. Some of ,hese pon .... i15 soilJ rctain 'heir
brighl color and minuee detail Since S:>int Maca·
rius maln,ai""d thai throughout hlS life It<: was sus·
tai""d b' ehe di"ine po"cr of ,hc che....b,m. in tM
nonhcas' comer of ehe ""nc'ua.... ,he "ncien, "nis'
depicted ehe cherobim ~upponing II... dome. Dating
from the St"en,h ceneury, h is po$Sibl" ,he oldcs
known painting of tI,C che ....bim \\oith all ,he char·
actcti,u.: detail, ci,ed in the boob of uekid, J"".
iah. and ,he Re"clatil)n of Sum, John, The figure h
surrounded by the four e,,,,nlldie,,1 emblems of ehe
lion on the left, ,hc bull on ,he right. Ihe cagle on
,op, and ,he human bee a, cite bottom. "hile 'he
",inll' arc full "f eyes,
The "'''elua.... <Jf Saine J<Jlm chI' lIapt;S! wa' "" Sanc'uary of Benjamin. Oa)'r Anb~ Maq~r DClail or
named because it was laid to eon'ain the bod}' of d<:>or. Cou"•.,y Fr."eh 1",./il"l. 01 Ori~"'al Ardln""I·
thae saim, 10!!e,he,- ",ith ,ha' of the p,."phe' elijah, "fY. Cairo
752 DAYR A.NBA r.lAQAR

lioruol Ih...,., Steps facinl!: cast. It Is dttorn.lI."d with

1i¥"I~ colon<! de.illn. that ....prrsent the Eucharisl
and Baplism and <ble from the ..... th emt"n' II ha.s
a dome oimilar to ....... built b, SlUnt Benjamin
Th..- Church ol,h.. ''''nvr Abiskhanin is dtdic:at..
aI 10 AbUl<harUn a1.Qallinl a1·Muqtadir. Th..."r·
name: is de.wed from o..lhn. a , in the Delta 22
miles (35 kmj eas' of Daman r
R.. l'IO'....;oot hl.. e ckarnl ""''3¥ the sunvundi"l
cello and nobbk '0 1"e,'t'a1 ....,..., Iull\' the beau..' of
th.. building. ",hleh rons""" of a na,'<:. " kJul .
(room b<"lwffn n_ and san<:'\.l.I1r,-). ..,d th ......
san<tu:u-i<"s. M pan of Ih~ .... no'.u.iofl. Ihis buiklina
"'''" gr.'<:1I a .radmonal £acad.. 10 blend ",;,h 'M
claso.ical 51,"1" of lhe relit oJ .Ix- monas1"~ A ,..,.
mark.abl.. dome surrnoun.. the na, which has
l>et.-n Ihrcalen~-d In· ~''<:'''' cracks.. Ho ","•. il ..........
sln.nglhenc-d.•nd .... lICn a mookm wall "'P"I'3lin&
the na"e from Ihc kilo",. " ........ plac..d by " Iighl

S>.nc.uan· of Benjamin. Davr Anbf. Maqi' IOlrados

(inluiorj of 1M ..olrane.. arch Painting depicti..
~icodtmus and J.-ph of Arimal ...... l:a..,-ing 1M
bod-- d Chrisl. ("..... ,,~ Frn.-J. l'U1l1W" 01 OrUm"l
At'C""~. e"in').

facing iu a11........"1'1 anochn. small... one. appoor......-

l¥ im~ bv Itth.nical requi"'"....n.,.. though ac·
c"reh,. to ri","1 in ",.. do,.. of 5Ioinl ATtU..'-'!iIt:S a
~I ..... altar ""1'1 placal in the nc,.hbothood of.""
rruo;n altar for u.-ping the hoh br~ brio.... its
inlroduction for $1AClJfica.ion. This unall..... ahar
has bent called in th" Coplic rill'lI the plac" of lhe
l'UChariSlic bread. H"bi'uall¥ .h,~ is 10 be found on
the soulh sid... n..v..r I>.-fo", the main ahar. ;and 'Ya$
d<"l;ilnaled "-~ lhe scating position .... he.... bi,hOl's
and d..acons ",c.. i" .. d Ih.. ,..,.namlk,.. of Ih.. 1',....
ciou. Body and Blood, afle. Ihe l'C,formance of
Hoh' C<"nmunion for the ",OM,11c: community Sanet~al)' vf Benjamin, DnVT A.nhii Maq~r. !la,kal
The third !k>nCluary, know" In Ihe nncienl manu· I'ainting ..lcpicling eheNbi'" 'uppot1ing tile dome,
SCril't. as thai of Ihe TI,rec Yomhs. has I>.-en rt·· Se,'em;, cenlu,",'. Cmm<s}' F,.".11 {1U,ilu" of Orr• ..rul
Slor..d On the basi. of 'm older one \dlll h, "."di· ArdlaroloK.". Cam,.
 DAYR ANSA MAOAR 753

pani'ion, the full Iplendor of lhis low quadrila'enol

dome (27 by 20 ket, .,.-!l3 by 6 mJ "'"'lIS unc<n"end.
II is built or thin booked brick bound ";lh a ~I","r
lhiek Ia,,,r of monar and lime: ,I ha!; b<-cn lefl
unplas.e...,d, as Ihe builder inlende<:l il. On lhe
S<>Ulh side of Ihe oome a"" 1"iO lrans~e.-se '"auhs of
mOl"e anck'm origin. Th;, oom.. has been dated 10
e;lher lhe temh or the Ihineeml, CCOlUI)'.
The VU""5 has a beauliful door in lhe nonh wall
... ilh regularl~ joined ",,"'s of re<:l brick On eilher
>ide, ...·hieh clevcrl~ bring oul lhe horizomal lines
of lhe door. A sta.... haped geomellic panem is C11'
,~\'C'd in th<' brick above <he door "".h an o,..,rb~'
ol ...·hil" StucCO $tl1T(...."J.-d In· a fna,., ,,'tIh an Ant,.
bie inst:riplion.
In the cC11U2l s.anc:lu;JJ"o <C!ilontion bas U"""'~
ered basic uchneclural elemenl" 1""1 rna" help b,
e;)Il:11e further Tt'S<"lrch and <!atona. Of note is i...
"""""'en sere"n. dallng from 1866. In Ihe so,llh..m
l:ancluan>, uhich ho-u<es lhe ,-.,Iiel <Jl Saint IOH'
C<H.OIlO:S (lhe Shon), Ih.. mOSI prominent [ealure ;,
a circular white n.arblc basio, Intended to coola;n
~ Illcranlcnlal oil for anoimina lh" lick, an an·
e;"nl CoptiC lradilion.
The Church of lite Forty-nine r.bnyra ""all built 10
cOmmemor.l1c ,he folly-nine monks"M dclibo'r.ue The leq> (Io"..,r). Oa~... Anhi Ma'lk Door to one of
Iy chose mart\rdom during !be lI"ro Serber laCk of lhe chapeil. CQUn'5t F,..,~ch ftUlltute 0{ Orienltn
the monaoltn' In ~4 A pbtform in 1M na,,, marks h"eh~. C"iTo,
the <pOI "heR lhc\' are thougtll .0 bc buried.
Archileclural fealU<C5. such as the IJ\3nnt:r of
lichling the inleri.,.-, and Ibe bel .ha, the Jesuil nl3d<o no JOC111ion of Ihe church impl" lhat Ibis
Claude Sicard, ",ho "ililed lhe mona",,,,,, in 1712, edifICe " ... buih al lhe bcginninc of modem [i",.",
n.ll ltlpp"'ilion is confirmed by a pas5l!-l!e in [he
biognoph~' of the Coplic archon IBIUIIIM ~1.'J~",HUf,
who is credited wilh ilS co""ruclion, However,
S<>me ...,.,[ia"$ mUll Jale fmm an earlier ptdod.
such a. those pan~ erecled on Ih. ,hick ",,,Hs [hal
are lhouf-hl 10 be lhe 'emain. of One of lhe old
Ions buill durinl,he ninlh celllun',
Cons.ruC[ed. in [he .no""bleral 1I,1•• i[ has an
enl~nce 10 lhe 5OI11hw~'It, a ,,,nO', a thu ....s facing
iI. and one sanel..." onl,' A SlrUtIl o.lf" ;" cort-
J>CClcd ,,~Ib Ill" <Otllhea51 comer of 11M: church_
The kttp contai,," four....-.all chapch, OCJC on lh.
61'SI floo.-, de<Ji.ca.ed la Ille Vi'l;in, and II....... on Ihe
loCrond. floor, lhe Chapel of .he Hermils. Ih, Chapel
of AnM An!un""", (Saini ",,,,w). and Ihe Chapel
of lhe Archangel Michael. There are e~eellenl mu'
ral painlings in th","" laS! lhr.... , all bdnllhe u'ork
Churd of lhe FOrly·nlne Mart",.., O,,>'r AnbA MaqAr. of a vcnerable Abyuinian monk. TI1Ckla al-r.labashi
COimeSy I'<lther MM/;", Colleg. ,,{ the Ifoly Fa/mlr, I)-~Iinll from a.....'nd Ihe year 1517. Ihelle frescoes
Ca;,o, are nOlable for lheir brillhl reds and v.llou"l and lor
754 DAYR ANBA MAOAR

n>ona,gic SIafl" (,he .wr of Saml \lx3rius), The

"'rttD ... o;tmple one belongt"l '0 lhe Olloman
period. 'fhes.e last Iwo chapels "'C'" con... ~rated
"nde<- tbe n,nl'1\~fourth pa""arch KlH!'o ;'l.tn. This
"""' ;,. com"",,,,(lr'3lM in 3 INInuscript p~n-.:d
;n thO' mona'l'c"," lib",rv from ,be ,nr 1517.
The Ch3pe1 of the VlTgin OCCtlpi<'$ lhe <'a$l .. ide of
the comdor on Ih" finl floor. thO' IICreen, of Ihe
.:mClual)". of d,,10..31e worl<maJW,ip and belonging
10 different periods.• re its ",ost remarkable fea-
lures. Also nOlable i. the frame of the door in the
cen.ral sc",.n that is engr~,·ed with" continuous
paltcrn (}f und"l.ting foliage. Surmounting Ihc door
is a nlost "-'Clui.it. "",,'ing of a peacock Il"'ding a
grail"'. sj'mbolic in Bua"ti".. and Coptic art of Im-
monali,,· and ,""newal oi life, E"dvn ...... hne (1926-
19331 tended to sci the dalr oIlhi. c","pel bet"«n
Gre'~IIc·$ '15" In 1875 and Alfred 8<."1,,... in IBM
Beca...... oi ,he ~rdv dilapidaled condn;.,n of
lhe ktq>, thlO1"l! boea JntICh """"nl r$or1ItioD,
The wooden roof brrn replaced b'l concrete-:
n..
_IS. krep, D:n..- Anbl f"Iaqic. .\Iu",1 paanlinas of
Counuy Frmc" lnsti,..I~ af Onulal A«M«Ji·
"D. Cairo_

their Iarwer lhan Iife.s,>.o' portralu of important per.

",nalilies in the hislory of the church.
Of th<:se four chapels. that of the archangel Mi·
chad al'P"ars 10 be the oldest. On the hasls of Ihe
inlaid ".ooden !\Clun. H. G, E,·dyn·Whitc (192~­
1933) dated it to lhe founcenth "emul)". Situated at
Ihe end of lhe corridor on the nonh side, it On"e
"ontalned a m1t&ni~un1 wooden ",,,,,,,n ;nlaid wilh
ivol)" and ebon), This w.... however. s",,,rely d:lm·
aged, and ,,'hal re"",ined w ~n incorporaled in
Ih" screens of lhe Chun:h of Saint Mxarius. The
ponD'ts in th", chapel repn:oen, §ix ,,-arri<>r sainlS
and lht archa.1 MIChael.
SitU21ed _o."h of lht Chapel of the An:hancd
\lido.ael is the C!gpH of Anhli Anliin....... which is
nOlab!<: for three poonoil1 by Thekla al·H3hash1.
Thr:s.c- represenl lbe nrhat founders of Coptic ......
nasticism. AnhA Amun"-o... AnI);l, Bolli {'oWl.. OF
T>1EBE5). and Solnt PACl!O.\lt\.1S OF T.o.llE-""tst;. The
scrttn of Ihe chapel is made of cheap wood datin.
from a lale period.
The lhird chapel On Ihe second Roor. ",scmblin,
tha' of A"b~ An!olni,·"., i. that of the Ilermits, Uk"
th. ()ther IWO. it is ch.racteriled bj· certain I">r'
traits of anolher daIS of ...intl)' hcn"it.~. nine in
number. Each of them appears in a '"nic .nd a Door in hi;lIb of the c.n,ral h~)'k~l, Ch"rch of al·
",amle. ,•.-ith armS resting on hi. cites, and his 'Adhra'. Co"r/I!n' Tltl! .II..,ropoJirdn M,..e"", of A",
hands claspIng ei,ber a Cf"05S. a I:>ook. or a T""Ihaped ,II.", York
 DAYR ANDA MAOAR 755

In a modern refcct~ the monks eor""e... once a

Detail: leh half of htiilb of SOUlh havkal, Church of
al-'Adh~', Da}'r Anba Maqlr. C~""esJ The 'uelropnli·
IOn M"se,,,,, of ,«1. New Yor~.
d", for thrir communal meal ..... "h Ih. abbo, a, the
head of the table. ,he senior bro1hcr at his right.
and ,he junior monk a, hi. lef,. Appended 10 Ihe
refee"''Y i. a modern kitchen space l'Quipped wi,h
up·to·date utensils and rehigeration capable of pro-
"iding for 1SO monk ...
A library or modern scriplorium has been includ·
ed in tM plannin,. as a cont,nuation of the lit.",.,..
tradition of ,his monas'e". API'I1 fn::>no lht rematn-
in, ""'nuKripu from the _ ...e')·s ,..'M orillmal
collec'ion. etf<HU have heen made '0 build up the
presoen' collection ,,;th an accumulation of theal",·
ic.1 and historical ....orb of ...,ference, 'OI!",her ,,,th
microfilms of ra,..:: papyri and manuscriplS from di>;·
lanl .ources, The,"" are plans for ,he publication of
a ca'alogue raisonne of the m.",,,cripls an<l an
edition of ,he monas,e'1-'s own manuscripts.

the ehurcha of the 5C'Cond floor- Ita"e been rn:ade

uniform in stvle: and the aruioque pie<:a 01 muble
and wood han beea tlanlJerred '0 a m.......m ope-
cially ero:aled ;" the ~erv.... herr: thev remain
safe and a,-ailable 10 scholars fOT Stud>' and ""-aI....-
,ion.
The ...,,,val of the Mon""tety of Saini Macariw;
""gan wilh the arrival of "'Iel,'e monks On 12 May
1969 from WAdi al-Ranin. a d..,olale Spol in the
We.tem Desert where Ihey had li\-ed in soiliude fo< ,
ten ~'ear5 without ,he shelter 01 a mona.<tery or C1"
financial rt'$OUTCn. They mel "..ilb the head of the
rnonasten', "nbi. MiW·'1. archb~ of -",,,,. and •
soon ahe..........d. inspu-ed b)' this; me-etina. one of !he
monb made • ~r stelch for. ne...· _ ..,,_
•
lbi. simple skelch became ,he JUide for ,he "",ten·
s".. renovallOI1S '0 follow. The ..ruire mona>lery
W3< planned '0 he ...If-suffi'';..nt, ...,th the monb'
quarte" separa,e. together wllh the pi...,.., of serv- •• ••
ice, in .lIch a way ... to allow the monk. completc
privacy, Through diligence. dc,'Otion. and self-
denial. they eTC<:le<! the building at nearlv half the
filirnate<! eOSl
~. . ,
The monb' cell. h:,o,-.. eme~ on th""e Roo",
,hat Ii"", ,he contour of !he _ r y behind ilS
fri ../4
nlended -ill Each «II 5f*Ce eompriu$ :l
'0
bedroom ·,th a wooden lIoor allow the monk '0 ...
sloep on ,he ground. .hould he choose to do so; an
oIIiee or 51"""; a bathroom. and a ki,,:henelle. Each •• ,
cell i. completely seclude<! '0 offer uninte,.,."ptcd Agur.." of sainlS, Church of SI. Michael. Day" Anba.
mOOitalion. but .dher•• 10 modern health S"m· Maqnr, Central fig\l"'" holding ,he Gospds is ideml·
d.rds. A to,al of 140 cells of that description ha,'e fie<l bv Coptic <crip! "" "Apa ~13kJlr"~ incomplete
he"n completed. FOl1y of them are. devoted 10 no"· 6gurc on ,he righ, is idemified M ··Apa Apollo."
ices. CouTlesy The Ilet>T>polillln Ifu~e"", o{ An ..\'ew Yo",*
756 DAYR ANBA MAQAR
A monk. o.)T Anbl M C_rl~S'J FalJleT Vani",
ColI~~ of ~ Hoi.. F uo/, Cam"
A ""Olkm and ebobonte pnnllna pras "i.hi" <he
monalery hJos bcil"atl'G UK:, wt. of publlca.ion of
~..., worlls by sp«~i~ m",,,",,,1c prin....... Ap-
pl'ndnl 10 Ihe prl'SS is a cornput~r and word proces-
sor capable of ~producina Arabic, C<>p.ic. Gr~1<,.
and Latin t)"pc"lac". So Far the mon'" .... Vl' pro-
duc<:d mo~ than .hiny vol.,m", of "hkh oomc au
ll\aMi,.., tornes. such as the U/e o{ &i,,' AIJI"n.u,us
in eicht hundn:d ~es, as ",ell .... a monthly re·
,,;Cw. M .. ,quj (Muk), '" Arabic, English, Coptic.
and G~ek, full of iUllstr:uions and colored plates.
A museum has abo been est.:>blish<:d to hou... an
ob}cclS of anllqui.)' disco-'erc<! in the process of
ren.o,,,ting ,he ancienl Itructure. Marble capitab,
pouery, woodwork, icOM, and other object> of cc-
clesiast;cal sianificancc continue to be ll>SCmblcd in
thi. muse.. m,
A h<»tclry for d,llOI"$ and pilarims was construel·
ed ;n an area within the walls but far Cnou8h from
the ,"onasrlc cells w avoid an)' diOl .. rb,mce "F .he
monks,
A hospital and an el.oo..n<: pharmaq were also
developed for the Can: of thc <iek brorhers and
e"en for the u,,,ulor workers recruited fur the
as;;islllnce of rhe monastic co",munity, !lere quall-
fied physician •. ''''"Icons. dcnti..s, and pharm""i'll
from among ,he mQnk. allend to the nc-eds of Ihe$e
establishments,
Outside ,he walls of Ihe mQn",.ery, lhe monks
not onl" sed the euension 01 their aancultural
aCli,-;t~ ro ensure' selh.. lfic;"ocy and indepl'ndence
from ,he oowdr: \l."orld bul ,,'ork hard to crca.e an
C>lpl'nrncntal ...rion for .he conquest 01 the desert
on a scientific basis for the benefil of .he ""hole
count')', So successful "''as .he monks' ,..,nlure that
P"",Kk-n. An....... cl·Sada.1 V'~ them a .housand
""""S around ,he monaster) fot- the u.ension of ,hc
",'Od. They ha.", bc-cn ablt: 10 I~nsform 400 acres
of sand into agricultural soil ,hal ,icllk mill'~ae­
tables, and fodder for Iheir canil' TIn. ~ nec.".si-
wc<! rhe nOlion 01 ",orbhops undocr qualified m0-
nastic ...,l1n a. l"annhouse 100-- the toilen in .he
~. and all n. 01 establishmcn~ to ",.,.,•• he
aigl'nei" of n>o><ltt-n gro...,h. In a .....-d. lhere ' -
emerged a romrnunll~ of bmtbcrs damed 10 lhe
Pachornian rule 01 bods manual and ,n.e1lec.ual
labor, ...·hile mainin. the .-.chgiou. ch...."er or
their dalh .....,..iI,
8IBUOGR"'I'~,"
Amdinc-au. E. C Et"tk ,." lit ellrul"'>lIRnIt: It:"
E~ple ... .sqfi~,"e we/c. hri$. 1137.
8csol', J.-M. l.it:. I"',,,,,, d'Onenr ...tt"'e.., j . . . C",,-
rile de C""/cedai,,1t: /_5/1. PaI'11, 1900
Conon-Zooche, R. "'OII...tItTles 0/ 1M i.evo<",. Lon
don, 1897.
E,eln\-Whi,e. H. G. nit .II01141Slltnlt. "I l-IAdi '"
!".m;",. cd. Walter Hauser et at 3 ,"Ols. ,,""".
Vorl<, 1926-1933; d. e~.cns"~ bibliOl"'JIhv in
each ,oIume
Ga}"C'. A. J. Coi"s d'E~'ple ;''''''''$, 2nd ed. Palis,
'"''
Hatch, W H. P. "A Vis" '0 the Coplic Con,'ents in
Nitria." Ame";,"." Schools of O"e,,'a/ Rue.",h 6
(1924- 1925):93- 107.
'---""'i., A. S. "" Vi.il '0 the Coptic Monasleries of
Eg,ypt." Procudincs <>f the C,m,bridge iI"'iq,,.".n
Sociely to (1898-1900):210-15.
Mackcan, W, 1I, Ch'istian Mona"'e,,,,,, in E/lYpl 10
Ihe Closlt: of rhe FOImh Ce"wry. London and New
York, 1920.
Rus..c1t D, Modie.'al C.;ro .lId II", M"/la"or, .. of
Ih~ W<lJlI'lalYlm. New York, 1%2
Walters, C, C. Mo"o.<ric Areh,uolofY III r:g:,pl, War'
minste., 1974
ZOlenk'1!, 1I. "Memoire OU' la ehl'onique de Jean,
E,,~que de Nik"u,"' killnlul ils,ol/q"t, ser, 7, 10
(1877):451-517; 12 (1878),245-347; and 13
(1879):291 _366,

DAYR ANsA MATIYAS, SU Dayr aJ.FakMr1.
DAYR ANSA PALAEMON, On IIw nv.tbank
01 the Ni~, 10 1M north of me, rift•. whlt:h al this
poinl froon Qenl "" fM as Nag HamJDadi IIo:>...-s from
~ 10 wesl, 10 the eISl. of the lawn of AJ..Qasr
_al·~,a»~. is said to be lhe site of the ancient
SJ"enesa (doe Coptk name) o. Chenobodt;nn (doe
Greek ~el. This '"'as the me of Dayr Alibi
mon. Ihe thinl monaMny of Pachomius (on Its
p_.
pharaonic anliquity and the st4lte of the place In the
time of PlIchomiu$, $ « Wulhie•• 1904: Gauthle••
1912; and Ldort, 1939).
Dayr AnW Pal.aemon was fint meTtl;nned by Ihe
Capudln pliCSlS Prol_ and Fr;",~ois in 166-8 (see
Sauneron. 1974. 1'.95; J. V~tlSl.EB in 1617 followed
their account. since he could nol go beyond Jirj.l.
1617. p, 413: English ed .. 1678. p. 247). Sicard with·
0lI1 doubt did not scc il. since he does nOl spellk of
it. AI the beginning of Ihc Iwent;eth CeOIU'1', il W$$
menlioned by M. JUl..LIEN (1901. pp. 240~43). and 0,
Meinardw aJs.o de..:ribes il (1965, pp. 303-304:
1977. PJl. 416~17). The Ollll"Ch of SainI P&laemon
is now destroyed and rebuilt on a g".n<!er ""ale. II
conl.llins a good collection of liturlleal manu.
..:ripts. The church called Silt Dimy.lnah 1$ wilhout
doubl the nlcksl. for it is L5 meten below the
cenera! level. A lhird church is consecraled 10 SainI
MDc\)~u:s. and sometimes gh-es iu name 10 the
..-w;tny (Pap Abu al-.5a)"byn).
An ann"'" pilgrimage brings the Chrislian. <:>Ethe
Mighborflood logether on 30 r.. .
bah .nd 25 .\bIb,
the days 01 the sainI's fust and of lhe cledic:.ion of
the church of Saint MeTalrius.
IlIB.UOGIlAPHY
Abel "'''bsU, ~Iib al.M",,"" ,,1·BaramOsr. KilAb
TulN~ 1I1&'ill" Ii DhiJu Ad';"'1 R"hhh ./'
Mlpl)yl", Cairo, 1932.
Clarke. CItri'li,... Antiquiti.u in 1M Nile Vall~, O~·
ford. 1912.
Gauthier, H. "Not"", geognophlqucs sur Ie nome
panopolile." Bull,,'in dr I'/nslilul !'a"f.is d'Ar.
rhto/I)';" cri"ntale 4 (1904)'39_101.
_ "Nouvelln nole. geographiques sur Ie
nom" po.nopolit•. " 8ulleti" d. /'/mlill<l Ir.,,~ais
d'Archtc/oti" ori"~t"l,, 10 (1912)'$9_130.
Jull;en, M. "" la recherche d. Tabonne." Etudu $9
(1901): 238-58.
Lefort. L T, "Lcs Pr.miers monast~n!$ pachomitns.
Ellplorallon geogrnphiqu.... Lr M«lAo" 52
(1939);379- 407.
DAYR ANSA PI$ENTIUS 757
Meinardus, O. eltri"i."
Eopl. AJrd"nl <UUi Mod",".
Cairo. 1965: 2nd...t, Cairo, 1m.
Muyse.-, J., and G_ Vi• . us nlerilo"lU copus en
ED.",'" Biblioth~ue d'ttu<!", copu.'s 15. Cairo,
197<1.
Sauntrtm. S. ViJ1"s el U,,,,du d'EDP~, lSI ed.
Cairo. 1974.
V"""kb. J. M. Neuwlh r,,11Uion "" /<>rnI" de jot.."".l
J'un ~ t.it ""
Etyple 1672 e" r'
/67J. Paris,
16n. Transb.red as 11k! PfUDfl Sllltr ", £cypI.
London, 1978.
R£l<t-GEOaas CooutN
MAuu::lIt MAJtn1<. S. J.
DA YR ANBA PISENTIUS, In 1926 W. E. CRlM
ldl u""",,,wered lh" queslion of Ihe localion of th"
monaslery of Tsenli !al·QusAs In Arabic). where
'!SEIo'TIUS, bi.hop of O;f! al lhe beginning of Ihe
seventh cenlury. habilually 1I"ed and .... here il
seem. be died.
'ADD AL-MASIH ~AtJD Al>MASO'DI .l,Baram,:"1 (1932,
p. 1$4), however. menllons "in the mountain of
a;-As....... hich ulends 10 Ih. west of Naq.li<!ah, lhe
dayr of SI. Anbi BiSlinliwus, bl.hop of Qift. to the
soulh of Payr M5. Jirjil, also called Day~ at.Maj.
rna·'" He SJl"ci6e<l Ihat rorme.ly only the tomb of
die sain. was me.... but that "lIound Ihe year 1904
the day.- was buill, lhal .. to ~y " eburcll and
round il a wall ...,do"'" aboul ....... luJth>ns."
The map of the Sun<ey of EcYJK (1943. 1954)
maJb al the ed,e 01 ohe desert 1o the ~I of .he
~i11age of »Oal,1I1 QarnQIlh. lhe Da,..- Anbi Pisenli-
us. aboul 430 yards (400 mete...) SOIKh of DAn.
.ol..JIIAl,,"•• Slill caI~ o.p Mlr JUjU.
II sccn:tI thttl !hal the Oayr aJ.fobjma: is indeed
lhe momstcry of Tsenli. of which !he life of l'isenli·
us speaks and near which PisentiU$ himxlf was
buried. ....0 $W1:l TlfE UJ4.E.. .U Ji (1895, pp. 233-34)
speaks of a monas""ry of SainI Pisenriw, 10 the west
of ~ (no dnubt the Dayr al·Majma"), outside of
..ttich .... the lomb of Ihe sain•.
This monutery and lomb are not memioned by
O. Meinardus.
810LlQCRAPHY
Abel al·I'o1"'11). ~I[b al·Mu.:.'o;!l al·8aramo.sl. Kil~h
T«~fQI ,,/·S/t·iIln /I Dhilcr Adyiral Ruhlxln "I.
MitriJIYI~. Cairo, 1932.
Winlock, H. E.. and W, E, Crum. Th. Monastery {)f
Epipha"iu. al Th"brs, PI. I: n.. "",hrQ/l)gical Ma.
l"ri"l. N"w York. 1926.
R~t·GOORCES (OQUI"
IolAlilUCE MARTI", S. J
 758 DAYR ANSA RUWAYS
DAYR ANSA RUWAYS_ SU Dayr a.l_Khandaq.
DA YR ANSA ~AMO'iL (Naqadah), See Dayr al-
Sanad,
DA YR ANSA ~AMO'IL OF QALAMON,
[The firs! pan of Ihis ,mIry dj$CUSUS Ihc locatio"
a"d his/Dry 01 Dayr i1"ba ~a,,,,nl 01 Q~lamu,,_ /I,
pees.", tldle a"d rh~ p,.vi<>us archirecmre are de·
scribed i" ,h~ $£cond pMI,]
History
The monastery is <iluated in the southwe<t of the
l'a)yUm, in the northern part of the Widl al·Muway"
IiI), One may reach it either from the valley, <tarting
from al-Maghighah, or from the <outh of the Fay-
fClm from Gharaq al·Sulllinl. Be<oause acce" is e,-
tremely difficult, it is still the most isolated monas-
tery in Egn,t.
The name QalamCln comes from the Greek ka/a_
m"" (re.d·bed, a place planted with reeds), a name
no doubt due 10 the salt marshes described by ABU
!i-\UH THE ARMENtAN and al-MAQR!~1. The ancient
le,ts m<»t often spedfy "Kalamon of th. Arsin·
oit.," \Q distinguish it from other places of the
same name in Egypt. We know, for example. from
John Moschus lhat fifteen miles (about 24 km) from
Alexandria there was a t.OUIlJI of Kalam(m (PG IJ.7,
col. 3029) and from John CASStAN that there "'"as at
SCETI$ a place called Calamus (Evelyn·White, 1932,
p, 155. n. 5). At pr,;",;,nt a village in the oasis of
Dakhlah is called al-QalamCln.
If we are to accord any hislOrical value to the life
of Saints PA~tNE AND PANEU. the "aUey of Kalam<'>n
was alreadv inhabited by hermits at the lime of
Diocletian'~ persecut1~n during the y,;,ars 284-305
(Orlandi. 1978. pp. :106-107). The alphabetical
Greek series of the APOI'HTHEGMATA PATRUM speaks of
an Ab~ Sisoes who lived at Kalam6n of the Arsin-
oite nome. and of Melitlan monk.< who inhabited
the same mountain (PC 65, cols. 401. 405). The
patria",h CVRIl t (d. 444), in a lener addresse<l 10
Cal""iri,. bishop of Arsinol!. warns the monks of lhe
de<olate mountain of Kalam6n against ANTHROPO-
MORPHtSM (Lener 83; PC 76. cols. 1066-77). We do
not know if lhese monks lived in isolation or were
grouped in a koj"obio" (monastery). but eviden<:e
indicates thaI Samuel, who live<! during the sevemh
centu,)'. wa.s not the initial0r of mona.~licism in this
mountain.
The life of ~mu'i1 of Qalamun. preserved in
Coptic. provide< some information about the histo·
ry of the monasler)'. After being driven from Scetis,
where he was a monk, by the envoy of the Chalce·
donian patriarch Cyrus after 63i, Samuel tock ref·
uge ~rst at NaqlCln (DAYR AlrNAQlClN). from which he
waS again driven out, then at TAKINASH, near the
valley of Qalamun, From there he wilhdrew 10 a
small church that appears to have b.en located in
the "alley; the chu",h was encroached upon by the
sand•. which indicales that the monk.< had aban-
doned it, ~u'll came back 10 lhe chur,;,h and
restored it as well as the cells that surrounded jt.
Di<dples came to join him from Takin~h and from
NaqlCln, and evenlually he built a great church that
he dedicated to the Virein. He died aboul the )'ear
700. at the age of ninety-eight.
An alXX'al)l'se under his name adds <orne funher
details (Ziadeh, 1915-1917). It w/l$ composed prob-
ably at the end of the eighth century and has been
trnnslated from Coptic inlO Arnbic. Stories of mira·
c1es of the Virgin al Qalamiln preserved in Arnbic
and in Etbiopic are dated in the Ethiopic version.
th. only one published. of A.M. 3IJ.8/A.D. 671-672
and attributed to the abbot Isaac, p<>Mibly the same
aUlhor whn wrote the Life of ~mu'll (Cerulli, 1943.
pp. 158-78).
The monastery was plundered by the bedouins at
a period difficull to specify (FOlmh Miracle of Sai,,!
Ptolemy, PO S, pp. 699 and 784-86). AnOlher plun·
dering (or perhaps lhe same) is mentioned in the
Ufe of the patriarch SHENIJTE 1 (IJ.58-IJ.80),
Th. monaste')' possessed a scriplorium, for the
library discovered in 1910 at al-1:JamClll conlained
two codices. dating from the ninth century. which
had been copied at the monastery of Oalamun
(Lamschaol. 1929. nos, 3 and 4. fasc. 2. pp. 1!-12),
[n the work allrihuted 10 Abu !>ilih, the rcport
about al-Qalamun is borrowed from a document
date<! A,M. IJ.941 A.D. II 78. At this period the monas-
tery wa~ flourishin8. occupi_d by 130 monks and
with propenj' in the valley at its disposal, not to
mention the revenues from the salt-pits and palm
gro,'es,
The monastery is also mentioned by YAqut (WO·
Slenfeld, 1867. Vol. 2, p. 687). by Ibn DuqmAq
(1893, VoL 5, p. 4), and by ai-NahuM (ed. Salmon,
!90I. p. 72J.
In 1353 the relic of Saim IshkirUn. which had
b"en in the monast_ry of al·Qalamun. was trans-
ferred to the Monaslery of Saint MACARtuS (DAVR ANBI.
 DAYR ANBA ~AMO'IL OF QALAMUN: History
MAQAR) in the W:k!r al·Nap"n, without any reason
being ghen, although the translalion might have
resulted from the dedine of the mona<te/)' (Burme·
'Ie., 1937).
In 1409 a monk from the monaslet)· of ~am;nl of
Oabmiin became palriarch: GABRIEL V (1409-1427),
who was to be renowned for hi, liturgical TefoTmS.
The fairl~' long nOlice devoled 10 Dayr al-Oala·
mun by al·Maqrtll (1853, Vol. 2, p. 505) .how. thaI
the mon"'te,y was still inhabiled in lhe fifteenth
Cenlul)', bUI had losl somelbing of its past splendOT,
since it had ooly Iwo towe ... in"ead of four as
during the period described in Abu ~Ii~.
The Book of IN. flidden Pearls. about sixteenth
centu!,)', still mentions it (Daressy, 1917, p. 2(4).
ThereaneT it is European t.avelers who mention
the monastel)', sometime. perhaps from hearsay,
for il was abandoned (Vansleb, 1671, p. 205:
"monte Kelmon"; Skard, 1982. Vol. I, pt, 3, pp,
171, 189). In the 1722 map (drawn by ot'der of C.
Sicard) it is markcd in the south of thc Fa~yUm,
nn<Jer the name of Saint PAPHl<!JHUS; BeilOni (1820,
pp_ 432-33) is the fir.t 10 describe the ruins of the
abandoned monastel)'. Prisse d'Avennes (1848, p.
( 190) noles two churchcs al the site with frescoes of
a""Stles and of .everal saini., as well as Coptic
inscription,. Whiteho u "" (188S-1886, p. 205)""w
Ihere in 1880 a painting of Saint Geurge,
In 1898-1899 some monks who came front l)AYR
.lI.-BAIt.'.MOS reoccupied it and reconstrucled a small
monastery dedicated to Saint SamucL
Thc mona,lery today oecupic.~ only a small part
! of the ancient mon""tel)', ccmains of whose en<"ir-
cling wall are .tjlJ vi.ible on Ihe north and north-
",est. The limits are given b~' an eXlensive korn
(mound). The monastery now has thcce churehes;
the subtcrrancan one of Saini Samuel ill an old
qa~F <)r IllW;>T, at about 10 yards (sume 8 meters)
below ground level, no doubt indicating the origi·
nal le"el; and Iwo recent fJlurch<:s, one dedicated
to Saint Samuel, the other-fo the Virgin, Fmm the
andent mona'tery thcre su;"i,'c, in addition 10 the
subteTranean church, two €optic inscription. and
Ihe remains of fine can'ed decorations (friezes and
capilals).
[See also: Abu al·Mak~rim; ~amiril of Oalamiin,]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abootl, N. The MonaMeri-s of the Fan"'m. Slndi..
in Andent Oriental Civilization 16, Chkago, 1937.
Beadnell, H. J. L The Topography and Geology of
the Fa;'u", Province of Egypl. Cairo, I90S,
759
Belzoni, G. B. Nan-alive of Ihe Operalions a"d Re-
cenl Discov"ies .. , i" ED'Pt and Nubia. London,
1820.
Bunnester, O. H. E. "The Date of the Translation of
Saint lskhirun." Le Museo" SO (1937):S3-60.
Cauwenhcrgh, P. van. Etude sur Ie, moilles d'Egyple
depuis Ie cOlleile de Cholcidoi". (451) ;u,qu'"
n"vasio" acabe (640). Paris and Louvain, 1914,
Cerulli, E. /I Libra eliopico dei Miraeoli di Maria.
Univ, di Roma, Stud; Orientali I Rome, 1943.
Daress)', G. "Indicateur lOpographique <Ju "Uvre
des perles enfouies et du m~'st~re precieux.''' Bul-
lUi" de I'l"slilr<t 'ro",als dArchiologie oriemale
13 (1917):17S-230.
Evelyn-White, H, G. The Mon"suries of Ihe Wadi'"
Nalri"', PI. 2, The HiS/ory of Ihe Mo"a't...i•• of
Hilria and Seelis, New York, 1932.
Fakhry, A. ''The Monastery of Kalamoun." A"'MIe.s
du Service de, a"'iquilis de /'Egyple 46 (1947):
63-83.
Ibn Duqm~q. Kitab al-lmiflJr, cd. C. Volle.... Cairo,
1893.
Johann George, Duke of Sa,uny. N~ue Srreifz;;ge
durch die Kirche" und K/jj$l<r Agyple"s. Leipzig
and Berlin, 1930,
Lantsehoot, A, van, Recl,eil des colophon, de. mao
""scriIS chr"lien. d'Egypl~, Vol. 1: L~. Colophons
caple, d.. mm,use,,·ls sahidiques, Lou""in, 1929.
Mcinardus, O. Christian Egyp/, Anciem a"d Modern.
Cairo, 1965; 2nd cd., Cairo, 1977.
Munier, H. "Notes historiques sur Ie Ouady Moue!·
lah." Bulle/i" de la Sod"I" khidiviale d~ I:C1)'
graphi~ IS (1932):47-51.
Orlandi, T. /I Dossiu eopro del rnarlire PSOle. Testi e
Documenti per 10 Siudio dell'Anti~hita 61. Milan,
1978.
Pri...e d'Avenn"" Emile. L'Egyple m<X!~me. Paris,
1848.
Salmon, G. "Repertoire geographiquc de la pro·
vin,'" du Fa})'oum d'ap~s Ie Kilab Tarikh al·Fay-
}'oQm d'an·Naboulsi." Bulle/in dc /'In'li"'l fm"-
fais d'ArcMolagie o>-;en,"/~ 1 (1901);29-77,
Si~ard, C. O~u",e$, cd. M. Martin. Bibliothe<Jue
d'''tudes 83-85. Cairo, 1982.
Simon, }, "SI. Samuel de Kalamon et son monas-
ter. dans la litteratu<c ethiopienn,,:' ""Ihioprea 2
(1933):36-40.
___. "Le mona.tere copte de Samuel de Kala-
mon." Orie~/alia ChriSliana Periodica 1 (1935):
46-52,
Smolen.ki, T. "Le Couvem copte de St. Samuel "-
Galamun," AMMaies d" Service des an'i({uiIC' de
l'Egyple 9 (1908):204-207.
Van,leb, J, M. Relazioore dello slalO pcesente ddN'·
gillo. Paris, 1671.
Whitehouse, C. "RC5<'arches in thc Moeris Bassin."
Socicly of Biblical Archaeology, Proceedi"gs 8
(I 885 - 1886):201 - 210.
760 DAYR ANBA SAwiRUS
Wiistenfeld, F. nqul·J Geo8r"phiJch"j W~rler!>uch.
Leip.ig. 1867.
liadeh. J. ··L·Apocal}pse de Samuel superieur de
Deir·d·Qalamoun:· Revue de ["Orienl chT'li", 20
(1915-1917):374-404.
RB<t.(;..oRCF.~ COOUIN
MAURICE MARTIN. SJ,
An.:hltecture
Because of the reoccupation of the monastery by
monks from Dayr al-Barnmiis at lhe end of the
nineteenth century. a greal part of lhe his.orical
buildings has been lost. These buildings were de·
OlTOye<! to make room for new buildings, Johann
Georg could still see remains of lhe old church,
once richly p;1inted (Johann Georg. 1931, p. 15).
According lO the description of G. Belzoni (1820. p.
433), "some of lhe paintings on the wall are vel)'
finely p,...erved, particularly the figures of lhe
twelve aposdes on lhe lOp of a niche, over an altar;
the gold is s.i11 '0 be seen in several parts, and lheir
faces are wen preserved:· Presumably this is the
greal church built by $amu'll and dedicated before
700 by Bishop Joseph of Arsino<' (see Cauwenbergh.
1914, p. 116). Today there is on the same Spol an
insignificant linle modem chapel. The fine Corimhi.
an limestone capitals of lhe old church lie in the
nonh part of the monastery and adorn the emrance
porches of the buildings in this area. They are older
lh.n Samuel·, church and therefore were already
used by him as spolia (capitals reused from older
buildings). In slyle Ihey are simil.r 10 lhe pie<:es
from Oxyrhynchus, and may well have come from
workshops there.
The onl}' thing partly preserved is ,he old jaw>t,q
(keep) of the monaslery, whicb. logetber with its
,'aul'. is built in a good ashlar technique (Gro..·
mann. 1980, p_ 302), ~ usual. it is entered by a
drawbridge at Ihe .. co~d .tory. The .Iairease lies
immedialely to lhe right beside lhe entrance. The
individual roomS in ,he <till intact lower parts are
acce..ible in a ring sySlem. 1n the course "f the
reoccupation of the monastery. a small chapel, still
in use today, was lined up on lhe gmund Aoor b}'
removing the intermediate floor, carried on wood·
en beams. A small oulle!. now walled up, in the
nonh wall of the ground floor presumably led to a
source of water lying outside the keep. The jawmq
may belong to the si"h cenlury.
The high .....all of the monastery show, numerouS
repai .... so that altogether il can scar<:e1y be of ,'ery
great age. A<:cording 10 Abu al·Makarim (ed. (,,'ellS.
fol. 71b). lhe monaslel)' had four keeps. pre.umably
displayed on alt corners. and tbus once it had an
appearance not unlike .hat of lhe DAYR ANU HADRA
al Aswan. The presem main entrance lies on the
easl side. Remains of some badly damaged mud
brick buildings-perhaps bermitages of monks liv·
ing out.ide the walt._can be seen in the north of
lhe monastery.
BIBUOGRAPHY
Be1wni, G. Narrative of ,he Op<TQlion$ and Reant
DiJcove,;es in EO·pI "nd Nubia, p. 433. London.
1820.
Cauwenbergh. P. van. EtrJ.de JUT Ie, moines d'Egyple
aepu;s Ie concile de ChaleUoine. pp. 39-50. Par-
is. 1914.
Fakhry. A. "The monastery of Kalamoun:· Am,a!es
au Suvice des anliquil;' de I"Egyple 46 (1947);
63-83.
Gros,mann. P. "Untersuchungen im Dair al-O"I,,·
mun:' Archiv fur Orienlforscnung 27 (1980);301-
302.
Johann Georg. Ouke of Sa><ony. Neue,le SIT<i!zuge
au,cn die Kircnen una K/I)'ter Agyplens. pp. 12-
15. Leipzig. 1931.
Meinardus. O. Chri.<lian Egypt. Ancient and Mrxlun,
pp, 337-40. Cairo, 1965.
Wilkinson, G, Mrxlem Egf·pl and Thebe>, Vol. 2,
London. 1843,
DAYR ANBA SAwlRUS (A,yll!), The mosl an·
ciem allestalion of this monastery appears to be lhe
colophon of a manuscript wrinen there between 10
November 1002 and 29 AUguSl 1003, ",hich then
passed inlO Ihe libral)· of tbe White Monastery (nHR
ANM S~'NfJD'H) before ending up in the N.tiQnai
Library, Paris (Copte 129;14. fo!. 95; Crum, 1915, p.
47; Lantschool. 1929 no. 70, fase. 2. pp 47-4$).
The le~l reads: "in the church and the monastery of
lhe patriarch Severo, ",'hien i$ in the Mjir [edge Qf
lhe desert] Qf Eribe 10 lne ,oulh of lhe town Qf
Asyill." There is no patriarch of Alexandria of this
name, and this is probabJ}' the patriarch of Antioch
exiled in Egypl from 518 to 538. The SYNAXARION of
the COplS p"'l"'lllales his memory on 2 mbah and
14 Amshlr (the day of his death). This sojourn in
Egypt by lhe champion of monophysilism is ",ell
known (Crum, 1922-1933; O'Leary, 1952).
Al lhe beginning of the twelfth eenlul)'. the bish·
01' of Mis<, Sanhul, was obliged to Aee from his ~
I

before the patriarch MICHAEL IV, who wished to es-
tablish his residence at Misr. He took refuge in the
mon,.,te')' of Saint Severns in the mounl&in of
As)'ii!.
Yaqut (d. 1229) knew a monasteI)' of Saint $e"er-
us near Asyu!, still inhabited (187D-1873, Vol. 2, p,
641). ABO 'MLlI;J THE ARMENIAN (beginning of thir·
teemh cemury) devoted a fairly long notice to it
(I895. pp. 250-5Il· He notCS that the monastery
was flourishing up to the arrival of Ihe Ghuu and
the Kurd< (1161). but they heavily taxed the monas-
tery. An old and pious monk of this monastery pre·
dicted to Tala'; ibn Ruuayj ,hat he would hecome a
minister, which came 10 pass. In reCOllnilion he
made a gift to the monastery of a parcel of fertile
land.
AI_MAQRlzl (d. 1441) also ga\'e a fairly long nolice
about the monastery (1853, Vol. 2, p. 5(6), It was
situated an the border of the mountain of Dornnk·
ah. When Severns came in,o Upper Egypt. he made
a prophecy to the monk•. "'t his death a section of
the mountain would fall upon the church wilhout
destroying it. When this came to pass, the monks
were sure thaI the pau-;arch was dead. and from
that clay the mon,.,lery. which had bun dedicated
ta the Holy Vi'llin. wos named for Saint Severns.
In 1673 ]. VANSl.EB saw the ruins of the monastery
of $everus from a distance, and the bishop of As)'ii!
related 10 him thaI formerly th. monks occupied
themselv,," with the search for the philosopher's
stone (1677, p. 380; Engli.h ed .. 1677, p. 229). In
1887 F. l. Griffith made some soundings and di.-
covere<ltwo inscriptions, one of them dated W91.
The other. discO"ered at DAYR RIFAH. mentions $e.
verus, archbishop of the city of Antio<:h (1889, p.
ILpL 17).
Until 1965 one CQuld see the two white dome. of
its church. They have disappeared .inc. the con-
struction of the military road that selVes the quar-
ries of the region. ~.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Crum, W. E, Du Papyruskodu saec, VI-VIl du
PhillipsblbliOlhek In Chell.nham, Schriften der
Wi.senschaFtlichen GeseJlschaFt in Strasburg 18.
SlntSbourg. 1915.
___, "S/:vere d'Antioche en Egypte:' Rev"e de
("Orient chritien 23 (1922-1923): 92-104.
Griffith. F. l. The fnscription. o( Slut and Dor Rifeh,
London. 1889.
Lants<:hoot. A, van. Ree""il des colophons de< mol_
nu.en'l< ehn!/ien< d'Egypu, Vol. I, Lou\'ain. 1929.
DAYR ANBA SHINODAH; HistOI)' 761
O·leary. o.L. ··Severu. of Antio<:h in Egypt.'- ..Ie_
i-vprus 32 (1952);426-36,
Vansleb.], M. Nouvelle nlarion en forme de journlll
d'u" voyage filii e" Ep'ple en 1672 ,I 1673. Paris.
1677. Translated as The Prumt Siale of Egypt.
London, 1678.
Yaqut ibn 'Alxl An~h al-1;lamawi. Goographisch..
IVbrtubuch, Vol. 2, ed. F. WUSlenfe1d. Leipzig,
1870-1873.
REN~-GEORGES COQUIN
MAURICE MARTIN. 5.],
DA YR ANSA SHIN()DAH. See Dayr al-$aJib.
DAYR ANSA SHIN()DAH (Fa)')um), Su
Monasteries of the Fayyiim,
DA YR ANSA SHINUDAH (Qus). See Monas-
teries of Ih, Upper $a'ld.
DAYR ANSA SHIN()DAH or al·DaY'" al-Abya<j
(V,'hile Monastery) (SuMj). [Dayr Anbd Shirt"dah is
described in this en'ry (,om the standpoint of its Jong
and significanl history. the architectu'a' loyoul, and
its architulural.cu!p"',e.j
History
The church of this famous monostery slill e"istS
at Ihe edge af the IJbyan desen, on the left bank of
the Nile. about 6 miles (1I) km) from the town or
Suhaj, often mentioned for its me<lie>'al paintings,
The name of the ,ite is known from mummy
label., which give the Egyptian "arne "Atripe" (Ara-
bic, "'drlbah) and the Hellenized name "Triphiou,"'
both of which ~ome from the pharaonic Egyptian
J:lwt·Rp)t (house of [the goddess] Triphis; see
Cern)'. 1976. p. 343)_ The pl""e has often been ~on­
fused with Atrib in the Delta and also with Alhlibis,
which seems 10 have been close to it without being
identified wilh it (as by Timm. 1984, Vol, 2, p, 602).
Very early, perhaps before lhe beginning of the
founh century. the mountain of "drlbah was fre·
quented by Christian hennits. The Copti~ fragments
of lhe life of the manyr-monks PANI~<E AND PANEU do
not speak of it. bm it is mentioned in the long
notice of the re~ension of Ihe SYNAXAJtION from U~
per Egypt, This speaks of lhelr sojourn in the region
762 DAYR ANSA. SHINODAH: Hislory
and names Ihe town of Idfii (nol 10 be confused
with the town of [dIU) and Adrihah, According to
the COplic lradition of the Syna;mrion (1 Kiyahk),
the beginning, of Christianity in lhi. region date
from long before SHENUTE. For laler period., we
must have reCourw 10 lhe informali"n preserved
for us by the Life of ShenUle (in Ambic, Shinudah),
wrinen by his disciple and successor BESA.
At lhe age of seven, Shenllle was entrusted to his
unde Anba PJ<>L, who gave him the monastic habi!.
He li""d for some time wilh his unde, who wa.< a
hermit in lhe mountain of Adrlbah, and also with
Abshay (in Coplic, Pshoi), lhe titular head of a mono
astery near lhat of Shiniidah. He thus in the begin-
ning f"Uowed the life of a hermit, and it is related
in his Life, especially in the Arabic Life, that he
often wen' off alone far inlo the desert and gave
orders thaI he was nN to be disturbed under any
pre'ext. We have ()(l document. '0 fix the ch<onolo·
gy of th. e,'ems in the life of Shenute. We know
only that he t""k pan with Patriarch CYRIL t in the
Council "f EPHESUS in 431, that he snuggled violem·
ly .gain.t all the manifestations of paganism still
alh'e at Plewil (the preSenl Banawi!) and at
Akhmlm, and that he died in 4Ni (Bethune-Bahr,
1908, pp. 601-605),
His immediate successor was his disciple and bi-
"gr~pher Besa, who died alte< 474 (sc£ Kuhn, 1954,
pp. 36-48: 174-87: 1955, voL 6, pp. 35, 48). Alier
him ZENOBtOS, who had been Shenme's secretaf)',
was archimandrite, It is kno.....n thaI he died on 6
Amshlr, for he was celebrated on that day accord-
ing to the Typ;ka (calendar). The Sahidic recension
of the Synaxarion devotes a notice 10 him at the
same day, and says lhat he founded a monastery of
women opposite al-Mara'igb, near Akbmim, a local,
ity still in e~iSlence (Ramzi, 1953-1963, Vol. 2, p!.
4, p, 124), A leaf of parchment in EaS! Bertin
(S"",,,bibli,,,hek, Oct. 1609,-, tenth to eleventh cen-
turies) preserves a list'" the archimandrites to be
commemorated al the time of the euchari.tic litur-
gy, II m.mions, after ~ACHOMIU:S, Shenute and Besa
(curiously, Zenobios is not named), Aaron, lohn,
Menas, David, and Andrew.
We must ha,'e recou...e to the evidence of the
papyri to ~nd some names of abbots between the
filih and eigbth cenluries, We know a Peter, priest
and archimandrite in A,D, 567 "of the monastery of
Saint SMnule , , ,sitWlted in th. moumain of Tri-
phiou in the Panopolite nome," In another papyrus
of the sixth een,ury (Zere<clli and Jernstedt, 1925-
1935, VoL 3, no. 48) there is mention "f a pmnoctcs
(administrator) of the holy mon..,'e,,', named Kour·
sios, SOil of Joseph(ius), In anOther papyrus of 709
(Ben, 1910, VoL 4, no. 1460) lhe monastery is
ealled ""f Sain. Shenutc," with "the... in the nOme
"f Panopolis (Akhmlm) and tha' of AphrodilO (K"m
Ishqaw), In a papyrus of the eighlh cemury (no.
1471) it is memioned again, 1be fe51al le1ter (in
Greek) from the Palliarch ALEXANDER H (705~730)
is probabl}' addressed to Gennadiu., abbot of the
monas'ery (ed. Schmidt and Schuban, 1907, Vol. 6,
1'1',55-109; Leclercq, 1937, col•. 1370-1520: Schu'
ban, 1911, pl. 50), The IHSTORY OF TIlE PATRIARCHS,
in the notice on the patriarch Alexander II. names
the holy and remarkable men and place. among
them "Apa &th, archimandrite of the mOnaSle!)' of
SainI Shinudah, on the m"untain of Adribah." We
ha,'e thus the period (eighlh cen,u')') of lhi. ""int,
indicated in the Typ;ka of the monastery of Shenute
and the Sahidic recension of the S)'llaxari"n at 29
robe (Coquin, 1978, p, 361),
The H;.<I"')' of ,he Patriarch. also relates in the
time of KHA'll t, the fony·,ixth patriarch (144-767),
an e,'em that happened to lhe governor .1·O.... im
ibn 'Ubayd AII.ili, He came to the monastery and
Wl'Inled to enter the church on ho...eback with hi.
'roops and hi. f~,'oritc coneuhine. The superior,
whose name i. not given but wh" i. said 10 have
been aged, wished 10 fomid the woman '0 enter lhe
church, but the governor pressed on, Then their
horses fcll and the concubine died, The go,'ernor
uoder>;lood, and g.ve the monastery 400 dinars as
all offering. He wanted to carry "n a wooden eh«t,
lhe property of the mOn..,l.ry, but thiny men could
not move it. In the face of this mirade, he made a
lIih '" the monastery of a funher 300 dinars,
In ,he same noliee of the palriarch KM'j] I there
is mention of Paui, bi.hop of Akhmim and "second
superior of Ihe monastery of Saint ShinUdah." The
formula is ob!;cure. It could indicate a bishop who
had been d~ulaarios (prior, i. e" the second in
rank after the abbot) before becoming bishop, This
is nOl irnpo.,;ible. It could also refe< to a bishop
who was also superior of the monaStery. It is well
to note that the text uses the imperlect "was," or
better "had heen," and thaI the oldest manuscript
(Hamburg Orienl. 26) docs not have the adjective
~I-tl,~"i. "second" (see Seybold, 1912, p. 204, II.
I If,),
The fratricidal war waged between al·Mu'tazz
and al-Musta'in (about 866) affected many places,
among them, according to Ihe History of the Pmri·
~rchs, "the monastery "r A.bii Shiniidah," withou!

.pecifying the site. II i. no doubt the mona.lery of
Saint Shinoldah. the best known of th""" dedicaled
10 thi, ",int
In the eighth or ninth eenlUry. according 10 the
Synaxarion ($ahidic recension) at 23 Kiyahk. Oafn,
nephew through hi' fulher of a king of Nubia. afler
spending three ye.rs in a Pachomian monastery,
obtained permission to 'isit a friend at the monas"
tery of Shinudah (probably lhat of Adribah), This
Story also appears in a collection of fOlty stories of
monh. of which lhose con~erning this Oafn have
be." edited and translated by Crum (1932; Gr~f
date. th.se siories to Ihe seventh or eighth centul)';
1944, Vol. I, p. 385),
For th. periOO from the lemh 10 Ihe thilleenth
century, we have valuable information in the colo-
phons of Ihe manuscripts wnllen for the library (If
this monastery or deposited in il. These ~OOice.
ha,'e been dh'ided up and dispersed among Ihe li·
brarie. of the world, b"t the colophons have been
patiently reunited, Ihou8h without tran.lation, but
with numerous note. by A. van LantschOUI (1929).
The most ancient of these codices, wrillen '"fur the
monastery of Shenute at Atripc," memions Chae!
(Michael) as archimandrite; the manuscripl is dated
to 927-928 (>'an Lantschoot, 1929, p, 82). Another
manuscript also nameS this archimandrite in 939-
940 (van Lantschoot, 1929, pp. 84-86). The colo-
phon of another manuscript, daled toward lOOO,
name, the donor a, Kohhe (Coliuthus), superior of
a monastery of Shenute, but ahhough the leaf that
contains the colophon come, from the library of
the White Monaslery, it nO doubl refers to a monas-
tery of the same name established al Rifah, near
Myut (van Lantschool, 1929, pp. 112-13). In anOlh·
er coiophon, which the author dale. from about the
eleventh centulJ', ,'..e CannOI kno,,"' who was the
donor hec.u"" of a lacuna, although the .~nbes
were of the monastery of j(arfunah (an imitation of
the Greek gTtlpho" or sc~) near ASyllt; Ihe leaf
was found in the library of the White Monastery,
The name of the donor has been .~ratched out (v"n
Lantschoot, 1929, pp, 114-15), The .ame fate befell
a colophon in van Lantschuot'. colleclion (pp. 116-
17). First wrinen for Ihe monaslery of Severos al
Rlfah, il later passed, for an unkno..... n reason, into
the library of Ihe monastery· of Adtibah. A manu-
scripi dated about 920-950 was wriuen by Basii,
steward of the White Monaste')', for hi. rrH)na<lc')'.
The ,arne thing i, noted for the follo.....ing manu-
scripl (van LantschOOI, 1929, pp. 126-27). The
manuscript next cataloged was copied by a monk of
L
DAYR ANBA SHINUDAH: History 763
the White Monaslery ..... ith a view to bcing given 10
the Mona<tery of the Virgin "in the desert of Apa
Shenule, at Atrire·" Van Lants~hOOI thinh (fase. 2,
p, 51) Ihat it refers to a topos (chur~h or monas·
lery) situated not far from the White Monastery,
The <arne coiophon contains a prayer for Ihe palri-
ar<,h cYRIL 11 (1078-1092), which allow. us 10 know
Ihe relative dale of the manuscript, and also for the
bishop of Akhmlm and the superior at the time,
Klaute (Claudius: Ihe manuscript is dated 1(91),
The colophon cataloged under the number LXXIX
(v.n Lantschoot, pp, 132-33) also comes from the
libral)' of the White Monastery, to which it was
given, but it supplies no ftll1her infonnalion. The
following number (LXXX, pp. 133-37) is more 10'
quadous. It indicates as contemporaries the patri-
ar<,h MA<;A.'US II (1102-1128), Ihe bishop (If
Akhrnlm, John (Ihe name is partly erased), Ihe ar·
chimandrite Paul. known from other sources, and
the dewuario< Peensh. It is dated 1112, The colo-
phon numbered LXXXI by van Lants<:hoot (pp
137-39) mentions a ~hur~h dedicated 10 Saint Selh
(probably, lor Ihe proper name is in a lacuna), 10
the south of the While Monaslery. This topographi-
cal indication is interesting: thi' manuscript, a lec-
tionary, is datcd 1118. The colophon of the manu·
script numbered LXXXV by van Lal1lschoOl (pp,
145-(7) indica\<'S the donor of the cOOe", the White
MonaSlery, alld Ihe name (If Ihe superior of the
time, Victor. The manuscripl is dated 'IllS,
Colophon numbe,· LXXXVII is nUlable, for il in·
dicatcs thai it was written for the house of the
ste.....ards of Ihe White Mona<lery, and that this was
in the eighth year of Apa Seth's rule ... SUJ'Crior. We
thus learn the date of Ihe beginning of hi. rule, Van
Lantschoot dates Ihis manuscripl to the lenth cen·
tury, but we know Ihat Apa Seth. unless it is anoth-
er man of the same name, lived under the patria"h
Ale.•ander II. The code' whose colophon is num-
bered XCII by van Lantschool (pp. ISS-56) was
made for the Church of the Virgin in Ihe Desert of
Apa Shenule (su~h was Ihe true primitive title of
the church; Shenute ~(luld 1'01 give his church any
other litular). The manuscnpt whose ~olophon is
calaloged by van Lantschool under Ihe number
XClil (pp. 157-58) was given to Ihe chur<h of the
Monaslery of Saim Shenute at Atrtpe. The colophon
cataloged undcr Ihe number XCI (pp. 153-55) indi·
cates the ar<himandrite then in office. Apa loustos,
"having power 0"Cl' 'he holy synagogue [eommuni·
Iy!-" This <'ode, w()uld be of the tenlh century. The
manus~ripl with colophon number XCVI (pp, 161-
764 DAYR ANBA SHINOOAH: History
(2) was gi•..,n 10 the monasu=ry of Apa Shenute, II
AUf"". Colopho... CI and CII ~ particularly inl"'"
estill' lOr ~ history oJ tho: m<>na$lny of Sh..nute
and for lhat oJ all Eel"· """"r ...,.". in facl. dial lhe>
I..... codices of "i1kh they ionned pan ""'" earried
oif .. bo<:Jly by the: Gbw::r. IrocpI ....ho under the
l~p of ShirkUJl made: an iDausion lmo £&ypI
in 1167. pillacinll: the monaottries. The manUKripl
oJ colophon ell is a Coptic: Life oJ S.inl PllChomlua..
In 1M ...,.ic" dcotoled lO th" patriar<:h eyrill1. tho:
Hu-y 0/1"" I'<UritJTCJu p.-es a lisl 01 rella pre-
""rwd In EcnK. and notes that the _Iery oJ
Anbi Shinudah neac Aklunlm pnserves tho: relics 01
IWO IpCI5Iles. &nholonoew and Simon Ihe Zealot.
ABO $A.UI;I JH£ MlMENlA." (begi"",,,, or Ihe 1111...
~nlh cenlury) dc:YOles a lon, nmice 10 Ihe monas·
lel)'. He rnenl>onS lhe relics oJlh" IWO apostles and
those of Ih" founder $Mn"le. whleh are Hold 10
have b<:en carri"d olf al the lime of ShlrkOh's inva·
•ion, hence in 1I67. Th"n he mentions lhe eplsod"
of al.()tilm ibn 'Ubayd Allah, indkarlng as his
source lhe His/ory of the Patri~rchs, !.oller he rf>-
porIs the slory of Bahr:im. Ih" Ann"ni'n minisler
who endc:d his days al .he Whi'e Mona"e!)', Abll
~Iil,.a evid"nce i. predo... here. for Ihe Muslim
hUlorian. u"" Ihe plunl "Ihe while monasleries"
for Bahrlm', linal residence. 0"" miJlu Ihu, have
some doubl that by this upnssioD lhey meanl Ih
monaste!)' of Anbi Shenute.
Thanb lO lhe inscripiioM fron, the cllureb lhal
haw bun published by Crum (1904. pp. 552-69)
w" lurn som" im.,...".liDg dales. The .,...., ~
reprewnlin, a ",~51U Domin;. aa;ompan;.,d by
a bitlncuaJ 1'>0';"" in Coptic and ~ian PYin,
lha.! Ihis l'nKo ...... ne<:uled in the limoe of Ih"
archtrnandri1e Paul. Ezekiel bei"l the d"'<lu.riIx in
11204. Anothn- speW oJ the palriarchate of CTI.1L III
11lll UOlAO (IB5-120),lhe Jl&JtM: of the ardIiman-
drile appurinc to bof, John. He ""'""" 10 bt: ~d
in an<Mher inscription. dIfed this Ii"", 1258. The
badly damage<! painting of &linl Mkhxl 10 lhe left
of the I"ft a~ indiea.es the na"", ollhe archiman-
drile. l'hoibammon, hul UIlfonunatdy i5 not c1a1"Cl
10 a pas5ag" thaI ,i~ ... ace,," to Ihe south lat"ral
apse. a table indicaling Ihe mO"'ble !"asIS assodal'
ed with Eutu for tho: yurs 10\15 10 121~ was dis-
co~"red in 1973. and anolher lut menlion, Ihe
rebuilding of til" cupolas in 1259. as _11 a! a hlsrG-
r)' or Ihe Copti< church in Coptic. beginning wilh
Benjamin. unfonuna.e1y with many lacuna... The
inscriptions in Annenian te~ify 10 Ihe InAuence of
IN: Armenian cOmmUnil)' in Eg)pI Ihan~ 10 lhe
powu of BaIlnlim. who ha5 already been men·
lion..... Th..,., Arm"nian \n1.criplions on lhe fresco
of the ceonral apso: bar ..itrle$$ 10 this inflll<:nc"
(Sm:yCO"--sk.i. 1918, pp. 731-32. 781; CIb:bt. 1910.
Vol. 2. coh. 209fF.). An I"",rfpcion . .-qretlably un-
dated, menlion! th" peinter Macurius, 1'>0 doubt
the samt who loft a p-affilo elated 1301 in u,., neigh-
borin& Dayr Anbt Bisboi. He ,,-as a monk at
Adnbah. and "'" inscripllons • ISl<A {~ (.oquin.
1975. pp. 27511'.) and al A5,,'aIl (""" C!Cd;aI. 1910. p.
51). nw of Isni is dated 1315-1316. thai oJ Asw.an
1317-1318.
'"'" $lory of Bahrirn. which is reported in 111m-
mary form. by Abil ~1I1:t. has beo!'n studied in detail
by M. Canard in 1"-0 anicl.,. (1954. pp. s.--113. and
1955. pp. 143-57). His ~r lasted from 113510
1137. and durin, this lime the influmee of the A...
menians becamoe ""ry impotUnl in £&;ypt. The Hi,·
tory 0/ the Pa,m.Tehs also mskes refuence 10 Bah·
nm (Vol. 3. pl. I. p. 31 [Ie.l]. p. 50 [Iram.]) .
Canard con.i<Icf'$ Ih.1 we mUit follow Abu ~li~
and hence thaI B.hrlm boe<:ame a monk al Ihe
White Monasl"ry and no! in another monasl"ry of
Ihe •• rne name nur Aswan. He thinks Ihallhe plur.
al indical •• the Iwo neighboring monasterie•. Ihat
of Shenute and Ihal of P$hol, the popular name oJ
th" on" being applied for eonvenl"nc" 10 th" "",.
ond. Canard also P"'S"f1~ • d;,cll$Sion of the daI"
of the lTflco of lilt e"nll'*l .p"'.
Al-tlM)R!z1 (d. 1441) ,1~'eS a fl,irly long n01ice in
his roll of th" monasleries oJ EcJpI (l as]. Vol. 2. p_
507). He knows th" "Copli<:" name "monasleTY of
SainI Sinulhi...." btn hoe abo ltno_ th" popular
1'laJne, "also called 'M ....'bite MQDa$\"ry." H<: mu·
ales it eornctly "10 the ",,,st of ~ pro>intt oJ
Suhij:' He knows thaI it Is ruined and I~ nothi"l
remains but the churdt. whi<:h is buih of dres5ed
stooe. He ftpoon$ a rumor that the mona:uery pos-
- " ' " 4\0 ~dJ,,1IS (a~1 7.5 :ocr"). F-'nall)' ""
n<>Ies its an.i.quiry. It will be pthend from this
descriplion lhal already in 1111 Ii...., (fift"""m ctl1t,,·
1)'1 nothing remained bul lhe famous ehllJ'Ch. We
cannOl say when and how the mo......I"1'Y disap-
peared. w~ may .emark in pIl5Sin8 lhal the nam"
"Whil" MIln:utel)''' was al,..,ady known 10 Ykllil (d.
1229). who ,i~'o!'S it In his leogt>lp/lical diclionary
(Y;Ioqt1I. 1866-1873. Vol. 2. p, (41), bUI we do nO,
know Ihe source of YlqOt's infonnatioD.
We mU51 link wilh Ih" lixI"enlh c"mul'}' an Elhio·
pian inscription Ihal was in • sqUllr" cha!",l b..fore
il was demolished al Ihe lime of Ihe .,,-,Ioralion. in
1~, in Ihe nave of the church and .hellerillg Ihe
pulpil (Lefeb.'re. 1916, Vol. 4. cot 493). It Iu<; be..n
,tudi"'" by Conli Rossini (1923. pp, 461-62). who

data it 10 1$6.3 and 'hinks that i. was made by a
m~m~r of a cano'. ... 01 pilgrims wisillnl the holy
pbees. V. de Bock al !he !xginnine of this C~1U1')'
"'TOr>&lY <bud ilto 1730 (1901, p. (4). Coml1tc.A-
IIi Ihinb l.hao: .. small E!hiep"'n communily lind. at
IeasI for """~ time. ill W lDO..... tfty of S/lmu~.
...illeh would not be surprioin& &ince 1M El;hiopWls
had staPe'paw at D.ln. AJ.._l1AAMO. In the Widl
a1·NaJnJn, and in Cain:> on me l"Olld 10 Jen.osakm.
A man'*'"JIIl was ..nu,"" In I W 10< \he m _
Mf)' of Shf:nUle on lhe mountain of AdribM (Crorll,
1905. no. 8(6).
We No'~ a liJW witness in all undlled KI of ...wqf
(lepcy); the writing of 1M codo Is of the $O"",n·
~lh «ntul')' (Nalionall..ibrary, P...... Anbe: 4161;
I Trotlpe-au, 1972_1914, VoL 2. p. 18). With I~ ...me
century we ml!$l link the Mir«clu of P,oIe..,y (this
is al least the date [1606] of the lOle published
manuscripl)......hich mentions a mona5lery of worn·
en nen that of Shinudah at Atrip<: (PO S, fas<:. S, p.
791 ).
Thereafter we have the rep<)rt5 of European trav-
elel'!l. The first among them 10 press his inveslip.·
lions SO far into Upper Egypt appears to have be<:n
J. V~"SUll, describing the "monastery of s.,inl ~n·
node Ihe archimandrile. called the While (Monas·
leryr'; he was 10 nole at lhe entrance of Ihe choir
lWO \~ry fine columns of .",nite. and on the one on
the lell an ('pita-ph 10 a certain Hdiodorvs. Thouah
nellher G. Ufeb,"", nor U. Monnerel de Villard '"21
able 10 find it and declared it .....ished. it .... in·
deed ~ibk in April 1973. Thi$ is the fI"Itl« aston·
ishin, in that Ufeb'n! "'. . to find M A1thrnh'n a
similar column bearinc me ...me epitaph with the
""me encn~inc. It is withow doubc a caw cl a pair
, of ~umns fn>m a paga1l lemple.. Ii is astooishin,
thai Leftb..... did ..... male the connection and
ftOIe this reuse (VaMleb. 1671, pp. J72-74; EnJIi:J.h
ed. 16lB, PJI. 223-25). He lemarts ihat 1M church
Is demolished and thaI onll(lfhc sancluary is ;"taa.
""hleh is $I.ill the present swe..
We lNIy aho draw attention to me obK",... ions
cl Olher t.... ~clet'$. C!iICOD in 1722-17lJ named 'I
"monastcry of Saint Sennodiu.:' but did nOl IInaer
there (1982. Vol. 2. pp. 225. 270). R. I'OCOCU abo
menlloned II in .( Descriplio" of I~e E4Jl (Vol. 1.
pp, ?\I-SO). as did C.... nger (1745. pp, 92-%) and F.
L Norden (1195-1798. Vol. 2. pp. 69-70 and pl.
89). Jean Baplisle Bourguignon d'Anvilic nOled it In
his map of Egypl. Finally V. Denon accompanied
Napoleon there (1802. Vol. l. pp. 157lf.).
for Ihe nineteenlh century, il is appropriale 10
menlion G. Wilkinson (1843, Vol. 2, pp. 1\1, 98-
DAYR ANBA' SHINODAH; History 765
102) and R. Cunon (1151. PJI. 121-26). Bude, de-
scribed il in his A"':~"I COpfic ClllucJlrs 0/ ~'fH
(Vol- I. pp. 351 -51). for tM bepnning of the 1\\-.:n.
tirth century _ mtQt cite the worts of do: Bod,
(1901. pp. 39-60, 68-10. 80-1-4). C. R- Peen (1904.
pp. 131-53). W. M. f. Petrie (1908, pp. 13-51, aDd
S. n.u.u: (1912, pp. 1.5-61).
The C.....i11 de c_tioot tlt, _ t n t < th
/'ur .mlle pw all its cart 10 lhis ~ d Cot>ric
an. .. its &<Ihtin p«7\"cs, Thus OI'Ie mlOy CO<\!ilIh the
n.
11llInbl'.--. of IS9~ (pp. 61- ··Notice sur Irs monu·
ments copies de Ia ~allH do NiJ.- by de Bod).
1901 and 1903 (walercolon by Clidot of the fre£-
cocs of the Dayr a1·Abyao;I: reproducr:d in Simaykah.
1932, in Arabic. Vol. 2, p. 129), 19Q.4 (p. 28, pro;.
eclS of .-.:storaIion). 1906 (!'P. 68. discovery of man·
.....,ripto). 1907 (pp. 26 and 36. diocovery of gold
di~n ~nd of manUiCripts), 1905 (p. 59. Hen'. re-
pon). 1910 (p, 39; photos a~ailable), and 1912 (pp.
191-98. Simaykah's repon), Thcse projects were to
be made usc of by Monnerel de Villard in his two
volumes, l.e. cO(lv.m, p>is de So~"g. a study al
once historical ~nd an:hileclu~l. Thi, was follo~d
by A. l.. Schmilz. "Da$ wei:sse und das rol<! Klo<;ler"
(1927).
The monastery Is a popullr place of pilarimage.
especially on 7 Ablb, the feast of Saint Shiniidah
(1979. Vlaud. pp.. 55-56).
Is.:e "Iso AbU al-.'laUt1m.]
BIBUOCIUI'HY
A~lineau. E. Moot..mm/J pooI~ Jt,.",'~ ii rhWofTe de
rEOP'e d"iri"""e ..... IV', V'. VI'. U VII' ~k3.
M<!:moin:s de Iso Mission anMoIopque hopise
do Cain: 4. Paria. 1336-1188.
Arlvillt, J. B. B. d'. C.rle t1. rEM", IImnmit JDIS
t. ~ .\tis$iT. Paris. 1165.
Bell. H. I. G~uJc
4. london. 1910.
".pyri in Iltt BririJlo uu.srW>t. vol.
Bcdtunc-Baker, J. f. '"The Dale of the Death of
Ncstorius: s"henute, lachariN, E,..,nus.·· 10..,-
",,1 of Throlop;,,1 Siudics 9 (1908):601-605.
Bock, V. de. Ualb-j~.... pooIr st...;, ii ruc~ioJogie
de l"Et;,ple c~ulie.l"e.. SL Pel.,rsbu'1l, 1901.
Buder. A. J, The Allelenl CDplic C~u~c" •• of Egypt,
2 ~ol •. Oxford. IS8•.
Canan!. M. "Un vlzi, chretien i l'q,o.que falimide,
l'arrnenien Bahram." A,,,,,,le, de /'l"sl;lu'
d'ewd" oriMlal.. d. /" Facullt des lell'es d'Alga
12 (1954),84-113,
_ _. "Notcs sur Irs Armenien•• I'epoque fati·
mkle:' 'h",,,les de l'lmllml d't'"des orn"ulles de
la Fac"ltt des l~lI'''J d'At,,, 13 (19~5);143-51.
766 OAYR ANBA SHiNUOAH; Architecture
tem~, J, Copric Etyrnologi<:ol Dicfjo~ary. Cam-
bridge, 1976.
Clarke, S. ChFi$lian Antiqullies I" Ihe Nile Volley.
Oxford, 1912,
Cledal, ], "Raoui!." In Dicl;mmoi,c d'orcheologic
chri:1;",me cl dc liturgic, Vol. 2, ~oIs. 203-51. Par-
is, 1910.
___, "Les inscriplions de Saim Simeon." Recueil
de Travaux 37 (1915):41-57
Coquin, R"G. "Les inscriplion~ parielales des mo-
nasteres d'Esna, Da~'r al·Sl1hada', Dayr al·Fahurf."
Bulie';~ de l'J~st;tul fran{ais d'Arche%gle OFi~n·
lole 75 (1975),241-84.
___, "Le SynaJUlire des Coptes: Un nouveau Ie·
moin de 1a recension de Haule Egyple-" A~aluU1
Bollo~diana 96 (1978):351-65,
Crum, W, E, "Inscriplions from Shem>ute's Monas-
lery," Journal 01 The<Jlogical Studies 5 (19<14);
552-69.
___. Cololague of the Coptic Mmlu,cripts In the
British M","um, London, 1905
"A Nubian Prince in an EIDPtian Monas·
tery." In Studi" preswted 10 F, LI. Griffith, pp,
137-48, London, 1932.
CUlLOn, R. VI'/I' 10 the Man",uries In the Levant,
London, 1857,
Denon, V, Voyages don" I" Homo ct B"sse
Egypt~ . .. , 2 .'ols. Paris, 1802.
Granger, Si""r, Relolion du voyoge lall ell Egypl€ en
I'an~h 173/), Paris, 1745,
Kuhn, K, H. "A Fifth Century Eg~plian Abbot,"
10u",,,1 of Theological Studies, n, S" 5 (1954):36-
48; 174-87; 6 (1955):35-48.
lantschool, A. van. R,,<"ueil des colophons de. mo·
IlU,c";t" chFtlie»s d'Egyple, 2 fase., Louvain, 1929.
Leclercq, H, "Papyrus," In DktiOllllo;rc d'oFch.!o'
logle cllr'tlenne eI de liturgic, Vol. 13, pI. I, cols,
1370-1520. Paris, 1937.
Lefebvre, G, "Dair al-Abiad," In Diet/armoire d'"r,
<"hMlogle Chrelien"" €I dc IImrgl., VoL 4, eols,
459-502. Paris, 1910.
Leroy, L., .d, Le. miracles de sailll PlOlemh, PO 5,
fase, 5, pp, 779-806.~ris, 1910.
Maspi:ro, J, Papyrus gree. d'epoquo by<pl1tllle. Cala-
logu~ general du Musbe du Caire, 3 ,·oIs. Cairo,
1910-1916.
Monneret de Villard, U.' Lt' COUVell" pr~s de S",
lI"g, 2 vols, Milan, 1925-l927,
Norden, F, L. Voyage d'Egyple .1 d. Nubie, 3 '·ols.,
.d, L. Langlh. Paris 1795-1798.
Peo"" C. R. ''The While Monaslery near Sohag in
Upp<:r Egypl," Archaeologicol Journal, ser. 3, II
(I904):IJI-53,
Pelri., W. M. F, Alhrihis, London, 1908,
Pococke, R. A Desc";pt;oll of the East. London,
1743,
Ram.!. M. AI,Qilmu, ,,'·lughrafi lil.Bildd 01 Mis·
riYJ"h, 3 voIs, Cairo, 1953-1968,
Rossini, C. Conti. "Aelhiopi~a m:' R,'vi"" di Stud,
O";~ntale 9 (1923):461-62.
Schmidt, C., and W, Schubart, Aitchri'lliche Texle.
Berlin, 191O,
Schmll', A, L "Das weisse und <las rote KlOSlcr."
Alltik.3 (1927):326-50_
Schubart, w, Popyr, Gmecae Bero{j~ell"s, Bonn
and O~ford, 1911,
Seylxlld, C. F, AI"xandrioische Polriarcheng~·
,chlchte. Hamburg, [912,
Sicard, C. Oeuvru, 3 .'ols., ed, M. Mart;n and $,
Sauneron, Bibliolheque d'rtude 83-85, Cairo,
1982,
Simaykah, M, Dam al·Mat!;af al-QiblJ, 2 vols. Cairo,
1932,
SlrzygoWllki, J. Di. Bo"kullst der Amlell;" "lid E,,-
rop", 2 ,'OI~. Vienna, 1918,
Timm, S, Da. chrlstllch-koptlsche Agyplcn ill ara·
b;scher Zeit, Vol. 2. Wi.sbaclen, 1984,
Troup~au, G. Calologue de manu,crits arab~" Pro,
miere parlie, mao""crit, chret/e~s, 2 ,'ols, Paris,
1972-1974.
Vansleb, J. M, Nouvelle relation CIt forme d~ journal
d'ull voyage fait en Egyple en 1672 ~r 1673. Paris,
1677, Translated", Thc Present Stt11e 01 Egypt,
London, 1678,
Viaud, G, Les Pelerillages coptes c~ Egypre. From
Ihe nole, of Jacob Mu}"Cr, Cairo, 1979.
Wallen, C. C, MOllaslic Archaeology ;11 Egypl. War·
min..er, 1974,
Wilkinson, G. Modern Egypl a~d Thebes, 2 vols,
London, 1843,
YAqUi ibn 'Abd Aluh al·!:Iamawl. Gtographisches
Worterb~ch, 6 "015., ed, F. Wustcnfeld, Leipzig,
1866-1873-
Zcretelli, G" and P, ]ernst.dl. Parryri r"x,i,chor ~nd
georgischer Somrnlullge~, 5 vols. Tinis, 1925-
1935.
Ruot·GroRGES COOUIN
MAURICE MARTIN. S,J,
Architecture
Lillie is as yet known of the layout of the monas·
lery, Through digging in 1908 soulh of lhe ~hurch,
Flinders Pelrie was able to idemify a large building
complex surround.d by a mud brick wall, which ho
righlly recogni>;ed as part of lhe fanner monasler~)',
The ground plan of the area correspond.< roughly 10
a triangle, in which Ihe west " ...Ils once continued
farth<or 10 the north beyond Ihe end now vi,;blc,
Facing page: c.,neral plan of Dayr AnhA Shiniidah,
C"UFt~$Y POIeF G,o<.<ma,,",
 DAYR ANBA SHINOOAH: Architecture 767

T 1[ P 'tVrn r Il

~?- L I
0- f1 - "

r-.....J 1·
I ~
t!1
,,
•
• ••
••

•
· " "

••• •

.
~---
"

b-- i.
•

1l
•
768 DAYR ANBA SHINODAH: Architecture

Thc plnen' nonh ....11. whioch in its main S«1ioon

follows an obIi(pJody cuning courst. ~an to A
haw bc'Ctl merely an itucnW part ",.,.11 to ~e
one $K100n. n.c filU1 c..lCMion to !he north canROl
be ddcnnincd. tn .he u.me "''''Y. tht boundary on

:l
• •
!he side !O'o'o'anl ,he whea, 6c1d5 ha5 nOt $Un·i~ed. A
10.,.., ga.e was iden'ified on the """.h ............
hile on OJ
cs,
'he ..... there is a smaller one.
In ,hc 19!1O!l ,he EcYPtian Antiqui.i", O'pniza·
"' i
lion started tn c(lnduct SOme c~cavations in .he 0_.1
.'n I)f the andent monastery. Onc nf .IM: major
building. i. a ra.her well.preserved lodging ""ule •• 0 0 l:i,
,
.i.ua.ed ab<lu. 656 feet (ZOO rn) tl) the west 1)1 .he
church at the "'eS,ern .Ide of a large cent",l aquare,
Originally i. comprised seve...l floors. each wilh a
••" ~
•
numbtr <>f long hall. (If equal .itt fur Ihe accorn·
mo<blion <>f me monks. lOr $l<>nge molIl$. and for
• I
two suimooes. All outer doors arc nicely <kco",,,d •
with fnminC pilasters. AI me easu-rn side of ,he •I
same aquare. and ,hus closer 10 the ch....,h. stands • •"
•
~•
a four-pillar lIuildinc, in whkh a rcfa,lI»y can be 0

TC«lt:"ittd. l1tf: ",ins to .IM: nonh cl i. point 10 11M:

"",",enee <>f a brae kilchen. T""''''' of lIuildinp
• 0

rIw mi~. be idcnti6cd as "'"ines an .i:Ublc in ,he •

JOUIhern am. • •
Among tIM: COnslructiOM outside the ",,11s of ,1M: • •
monaslery arc a quarry northwesl. from "'hich the
majorily of I"," m;l'erial for ,,,," church prol:>&hly
• •
• 0
Came. On the uppcr desetl plaltaU the,.., is a small
chapel completely burled with ...nd, whieh Can be
,..,ached afler a walk of about 'wo and one·half
•
b
••
ho".... o. • • '.. :g 'C<\ .~aI

The Church
The cb..rch of Ihe monastery consists of an im·
mense blocklike ","'C1ure, wldely ,;,ihle, "'....iclt re- • .
calls !he form of a pharaonic temple (Drichmann.
Plan of the d.urth., Inyt Anhi Shintldah. C_ner,
liaJ unilS. 01. ,,-hkh t'"
1931. p. 34). Inside, il eomprises scverallaTIC"fIlI'
am bdonginc 10 lhe
church proper .. on .he IOOrth ~idc. It may be dhid-
Pele. c""'..........

ed inoo lhe _ r n narthe1, the nao5. developed as
a th,-.,.,-aislc basilica ,"'ilh a ...-alem return aiIJe 300
plleries, and in lhe cast me group of moms fonn·
inc I"" sanCluary. In the aulumn of 1984 the n_
....,.. cleared of ils modem drilian S1rn(1Ul'C$ by .he
£«ypljan A"I;quiti« Organization. and il apin pre'
oem. some impression of It. original ,re.lneu. The
..nctuary of .he church is de,-eloped as oS I,ieonch,
Ihe walls of which .re adorned wilh niches and
applied columns. The ahar muS! have .Ioo<! in .he
Cen'et' <>f the tnooneh, The slighrly e1e,,,ted ""nby·
lery extends for a small distance beyond .he Inurn'
phal arch inlO Ihe na~ A, its "'"estern borde!' 1"''0
c<>lumR$ "ere on~ standing. bdonein... '" in the
cbun:h of Dayr Anhi Bishoi. to ... Sttnnd lri..mphal
an:h. l1tf: remaining rooms of the aantlWOI)' fulfill
...bo.idiary funclions. On !he north side Is 3 stai,-
case; in Ihe oclajonal .....,hc..t ~;de room wt'Te Ihe
remains (If a baptismal font. The significance of the
moms lying on Ihe SOUlh side of lhe church is no(
clear. The elt.S.ern domed mom wilh hs many large
niche. could have been a library, while the long
.<>"Called south nanhu wi.h it. la.,e ,,"'es. apse w~,
perhaps a chapter house,
1bere is scarcely an)' doubt lhal Shenute was .he
founder of this church. h is accordincJy 10 be <bled
 DA YR ANBA SHINUDAH: Architectural Sculpture
•
before 'he middle of,..., fifth cemury. AI • da,e nOt
exactly Ii~ed. ~.haps on Inc occasion of 1M Per·
Jian conqlOe'l of ED,," in 619, the church wlfere<l
M'nll' cbmaee by fire, aftn- ...·hich Uw parts ,.....
Mel oolla~ _no rdluilt in on:!inary fim:l bricks.
bulln euct conformity "'it!l the orizjnaJ plan. Eyen
lhe loA pan'IC pillaB in the ......, ...-ere built up
• apin in bricks. Scmewhc", abaut the ninth cenll>-
ry-conupondi"l!: 10 IN U$ilJc of the lime-a
lhrft-parl .Uoiints (r<:>otYl be\..-een /laos and sane....
aryl ..;,h a h;p eenlla! openiD& "'"all placed in front
of the ,,",nCClary. The domed vaull;nl ow. the ccD-
't. of I"" JaIKllUIY deri...,. from the middle of. .he
lhin«n.h c",n,ury (Gco$smann, 1982. p. 1l0. n.
• 501). The do~ -.I,ing <»"eI'" the ~un" Is e>"cn
\a,"".
• On the basis of its co,..t",ct;"n 'Ills church i,
~nd ooubt the most imponanT n1Of1umenl of
nrly Christian archile<olure in Upper Egypt. II had a
hiih architectural influence on church building in
•hls region.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bock, v. de. Maltriaux lX'ur urvir ol /'a.chin/ogie
d~ /'EtypM clr'~li~",,~. PI'· 39-60. Sl. Pelersbura.
1'Xl!.
Clarh. S. Cltristi"" A"liquir;~, ill III, Nil, V"lIey.
pp. 145-61. O>.ford. 1912.
Oridllnann, F. W. "Zum AlticYPti5<'hen In der kop-
lischen Baulrun..:· MilleiJ""I"" de. [hutKIte..
ArchiloJOfUch~" ' ..sm..u-AMeil...., K.ira II
(19381:34-37.
Ellen. H. C.• and R. Romero. "Roles .. nd Wri~
Klo5o:u bri Soha" !'rob........ <IcT Rekonsuuk·
Iion.~ In Cltrisl""'''''' "'" "'il. ~ K. Wosd. 1'9.
175-94. RccldinVwtsen. 1%01.
• Gros:sIt\uIn. ,. ~ •• ArchN Iiir Orientfonch....,
25 (1~4_1977);313_15_
_ _ JoIilleuulerlicite LtutzM...Jr...,,""rlcircit........tl
•uw·...dte Type.. ill OberiJDpte... Clilcb&adl.
1982. ••
___ "N~ Obscn"alions in !he Chwch and~·
tuafy of Da)-T Anb.l Siniida:· Ann.le. d" Stn.;ce
du ""'i<p.<i'es tl~ rEr;ypte 70 (1984):69-73.
Monn,.."t de Villard. U. Lits ,,,,.,,..,..t, p,~, de Sohaf.
Voh. I and 2. Milan. 1925-1926.
Peuw. W. M. F. "Athribis:' Brili,h Scltool 01 Arche'
0100 ill Egypt 14 (1908):13-15.
PETEI< GI\OSSM~NN
Architectural Sculpture
The a,"<,hlt'clurnl sculpture of lhe Chu~h of
• SainI Shenul. i' one of lhe IDO'lt importam com·
pines of nrly Chmti:an an in Egypt. Since lhi,
769
"",,1p1u", is un .......lJ-y manifold in lenns of ma·
teri:als. composilion. and aMittie impression. it has
oftm had a confusinl ~I. has beftl ~"3Jiou,dy
auessed. and down 10 mocIem lUt\e$ has ~edly
been incOl'TeCtly daled (e.... Akerm:ann. 1976. pp.
7-9. followin. Driolon, 10M2. pp. 10-11)..
~ complete wallwork <X squ:an: limeuone
bloch Sft.... '0 consisc of m.>Kd. ntwly dressed
m:alerial. ~ dcconled pieces oJ. "0& are to be
divided into rour '1"IlUPJ' (I) older pieces IIw ha,..,
been r<:uiCd unclianJed: (2) older pieces !hal ha,,,,
bttn .....-led O>~ e..lells,ively or in pan; (3) pittes
made spedatly 10<- ,he buildins it$df. and (4) pieces;
later insened in.o lhe I"lem.ains of the original m-
ocmble :as a resull of repairs (lhel.e include pieces
deri,inS from !he buildina: and foreign maleri:al
from omer buildinpJ. As a role. the piece,; in gran-
ile belong 10 llie Iirsl IWO groups. iiiOS<': in marble
'0 g.--oups I and 4, Ihose in lime,;lone 10 groups 3
and 4•
In lhe emrances, older unchanged pieces in gran·
ite and ncwly cuI pieces ha"e been combined with
,."ialed newly wroushi decoralivc pieces in lime-
stone (pil:a>ltr capitals) 10 form I new shol~ (foun.
dalion) (for <klaHs, see Deichmann, 1975. pp_ 56-
57). 111. granite columns and imperial g",nite capi·
lat. on the grouPd f\oor of the n:a,.., were taken
mer unchanged. as Wen' Ihe granile half-.:oluftll'l$
of the waD niclJes oIlhe SOUIh nanhe>;_ On a gnm.
ite slab in the floor 01 IiiI' nave, I",ces of hiI'm-
r.lyphs are slill vilible On the upper ....rface. Since
they could ha,,,, been chipped a....y. or the .tab let
in upsi<Ic dow". lite ideoIo&ic:al intenoo.. can he
clcarly ~ to prof:one siJn' fonnerfy regarded
... IKred and .0 p.....ide conspkuo<>s proof 01 the
Chri..ian victory ower papnisrn. In :addition 10
Ihese ekmcntll of JnnilC aren;tec.ure, m:arl>le piec.
es (e.g.. eapitab for !he pileI)' lIory and column
ohafIs) wtre rew.ed in me church.
AIong5M:1c these reused picces, whie-h M least in
pan "-ere quile clearly put on di.play iI!i spoils or
trophiel of Ch ....tian ';CIOl)'. the church had an
eXlensiw: am""nl of architecruntJ sculplul"le in lime-
Itone made for lliis building. n.e reuse of older
pieces wao not simply a qUCSlion of ttonomy. ulili-
tanan COn.identl;Ons. or lack of abilily. Some of
Ihi!; lieh deconolion. """ughl about the middle of
Ihe fifth cemury, is found i .. silu. for eumple, in
Ihe west na"hu, wall niches and nonhern pillar
selling; in lhe ."ulh nlnhe>;, niche. and pila"ers of
the east ~ade and impost molding,; in Ihe nave.
wall niches and imposl moldings; In lhe bapli.lery.
I"" enli", decoration, and funhcr pil:a>le. capilal!
al individu:aJ elilranct'S.
770 DAYR ANDARAWUS
The architcctural sculpl:ure in the pnClIlU)' of
lhc u;o;o""h was particnlarly ""Iendid: columns
",ilh cn~luru and cornices on lWO ~b in
front ellhe ",·all. and behind them an ahernllinc
.,stem 01 wall nkha (banT1"'auhed rlCClanpJlar
nkha ftanl.cd by pilastC'rS inl<:rchanginS ",-nh hem·
isptlcrical·...... llC'd ~m;"'irntlar n;"'hcs l\anked by
half<Ol"mlt5. exh .. ~ by a ~brokcn" ~).
1lIb dcOO<lllion "'. ... """'"eYer. 1oC'>l:rcIy dama,ed as
a result ela panial. collapse, and litlle remains in
place other than some '.,all nich.cs. The COfIIpos,i-
tion of the column$ ",i!h cntabla.ura and columns
is the result of e~lensi'IC rq>aits lIfld contains lhe
WTKka3c of Ihe oriEinaI dc«>nllion pu. 10000her In
makeshift fashion and complernenlcd by Ihe Inse...
lion of forei", material. indudin, marblc pl«ff.
The ori,inal dec<>ration of Ihc lricOl\(II "'lOt in any
case t\:Ive been a homoger>eoo. ens.cmblc of COn·
lemporat)' local lime>lone s<:ulplure (whhoul the
use of spolia). One cao fonn a roullh eOlimale of its
clFecl by comparison with the ",·c1I·pr~rved bul
much morc mode~1 decoration in the lriconeh of
Ihc church of {)~Yll ~NlIA ~ISOOt.
The architcctural "",ulplu.r in the church of Ihe
mOn15lery of Shenute Is thus a unique, sclf'lUSured
miXlure of old pieces uiumphamly Pf1!Sl'C<l inlo!he
~rvicc of the Christian cull and of monumental
contemporary dco><'alion. The remains of the origi'
nal decoration in limCSlOne are an addilion or
eonsidenble signi6cance. sin« lhey provide a
fi.oo p:rint for many ....tegoricll of archilectural
sculpl:ure.
BIBUOGIlAI'HY
Aktnnann. P. u dicor Kulpli d.. C......·C..I bI."...
Nklrcs el frisa. BibI~ d'hl>does coptea 14.
Cairo. 1977.
[)e;"'hmann, F. W. DU Spo6c..... d.. ..,Mla",iJ:e"
Arclrild:lU,. pp. 54-60. _"'un;"'h. 1975.
Orioton. Etioenn~. U~ & ••tJtn!$ coptt.J d" ttil","~
In d. JWJah. Cairo, 1942.
Monneret de Villard. U. u~ Cou""nI~ p"'e~ de
lu.t. \lob. I and 2. 1'1'. !2Uf. Milan. 1925-1926.
H ...~s GrolW SE'o'fJIlI<
DA YR ANDARA WUS. SU Dayr Aba ,1·lIr.
DAYR APA AGENIOS. SU Monaslerles of Ihe
Upper ~'Id.
DAYR APA ANOB (NUb), ~mall monastery ncar
Wadi al·Na!riin ",iIosoo precise datc of cstablisluncnl
is nOl known. E""I,.... WhiIC (1932. p. 3(9) remarked
u.
lhat ......m. lll!l Ilal.ll$Cl 18." Nl""'MIJ. his lis! of
lhe relics """lCB!ed in E&YP in the History of lire
P.lriarchs (...Tincn in 1038; Vol. 2. pl:. 3, 1970), did
nol speak of lhis IDONlSIft)'. Hence. EVfl)"1.-'Nbilc
C<>I><'Iudcd thaI the mo~el)' cvuId h:n-e btt»
founded al the end of the ~le¥enth """1"'1)' or lhe
bcginnins of die t_lfth. However, ltc: cmphasized
lha1 this monasl,"1)' may ha.-e been no more than a
c~1I deopcndcn. on th~ narby MORaS<ft')' of Saint
John Colobos.
This rnQIUIStcry musl not be confuKd with the
monaslny of lhe same IUlnlC ncar al..uhmiina'"J1.
an CITOI" commilled by th~ .cditon of Ibis pan of lhe
H~II>TJ of tne Palriard.s (Vol. 2. pl:. 3. p. 3(1). Maw-
hub ciled tho latle, MOl1a$1~1)' of Api' AnUb. noting
(1895. p. 252 [trani.) Illat tile relics of more lhan
.i.ty rnanyr monks w~re prcsc ....·e<!lherc (Abu ~Ii~
spoke of si"y·three). 50 it thcrcfof1! cannot be con·
fused witb tbe monallel)' of th~ same name in Wildl
al-Na!rLm,
II is nOl known ..... hcn Ihls small monastery ce",ed
to function. The reportS of consccnttions of myron
(consocrate<l oil), ",'hieh lraditionally t<><>lt place al
lhe Monastcry of So.inl Macari",. (DAYR ASB.l.I.WlAJt.),
do not opc:ak of ii, altbOUlh such neportS ....., ....il-
ablc for lhe )ears 1342, 1346, 1377. and 1401_ Hou.'
ever, in lhe descripl:ion of Wltdl al·Na!riin in hi.
bisloricO'CCO£raphical _.... Ki,<lb al-Knil~. lhe
ftftecrl1h..ccnlul)' Muslim ....-iler al·!tbqrtzl poinled
oul this Monastery of Apa An..b. ncar that of John
Colobos. and ..... ed lhal Apa An\ib WllI a. nsoti,,,, of
So,""",niiod and lhat Ms body was prae ....·ed there
(mO.. lhoen. is die TnaI1)T a:kbratcd on 25 Abto) bul
thaI th.. ~Iery was dC:Slroyed. Thus. it mUll
ha"", cc...... 10 CRisI bcfon, 1hc fif1«nth ccntul)'.
BIBUOCll4ntl'
Evelyn-"""'ile, H. G. Tlte ~Ion.osleries of Ik Wadin
» Natrim. Pt. 2. Tlte HiJlOI7 of lite Monastcries of
NitTis and SeC/is. New York, 1932.
RE~£.(;EORGES Coot/IS
DAYR APA nOR (Sa ..'Adah). Al the fOOl of Ihe
great Chrislian necropolis of MINYA On lhe right
bank of the Nilc. about 2.5 miles (4 km) soulbeast
of the town and juS! o"er half. mile (I km) easl of
the "illage of 5$"'ld$lI. ar~ the remains of a monas-
tery wi!h a rod..:ul church filled up ill,ide a lomb.

The ,ite is descril)(,d by E. F. JomarJ (1821, Vol. 4.
pp. 365-67). At this !,<,riod the dUTch had 3 peri-
style in from, ope" to Ihe sky; since then a cupola
has bee" adde<!.
AJ·MAQR]Z! (1853, p. 504: ed. Wlistenfeld, 1845. p.
• Jomard, E, F.. ed. "Hypogee d'architecture dorique
39 (text), p. 97 (lransIMion]) explains that the name
Saw:.dah comes from the name of an Arab tribe
.ruled in Ihe neighborhood. and that the Arabs de-
SHOyed the monastery, 'All Mubarak (1886/87-
1888(89. Vol. 12, p. 63) also mentions the monas·
tery.
It is difficulT to eSlablish 10 which of the many
....int< who bore lbe name of Hor this monastery
wa. dedi<:aIM. W. E. Crum drew up a list of Ihe
S<1ints of this name (1913, p. 164, n. 1), It was
completed by' J. Muy.ser (1943. pp. 186-190).
, Among the eiglll anchorites of this name whom he
counts, Muyoer proposes to idemify Apa Hor of
Preht (Ahrahal), lhe biographer of Ape Harmin,
with the namesake of the monastery of Sawadah,
for he is onen called "Apa. Hor the monk," as in
al·Maqrlzi'. notice. Also. he was a native of Preht
situated near Amino<' (Muyser, 1943, pp. 191-92.
209, n.5). Mul)ammad Ramzl (1963, p. 66) identifie.
Preht/Abrahat with DAYR Al-BARSHAH, to the south of
DAYR ABCI HINNtS. However, some Coptic fragmem.
indicate thatthi. Apa Hor lived "in the moumain of
Pisoben:' which H. G. Evelyn.White identifiC$ wilh
Psoun (B~(jnah), to Ihe nonh of Akhmlm (1926. p,
170),
About 1.25 mile. (1 km) fanher soulh, above the
village of Z;l.wiyat al·Amw~t (0< al-Manitln) in the
quarries nonhwest of the village. there i. the choir
of a church cut in the cliff. A .mall monaslic funer·
a<y stela wa.~ found in Ihe nearby cemelel}'. H.
Munier, who published it (1917. p. 163) proposes to
locate Hage at that place. J. F. Champollion had
suggestffl putting it near Apollinopolis Parva (Kom
Ishht, see Am;;lineau, 1893. p. 191). A miracle story
about Saint ColluthllS in~iI'ate. lhat the village of
Hage was in the nOme or Shm"n, W. E. Crum's
nole (1922. p. 180. n,l) m~kes Munier's hypothesis
plausible (see also M. Dre,,;,·Bear. 1979, pp. 55-56).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
'Ali MuW.",k. M·Khital al-Tawflqiyyah al-Jadidah.
Cairo,1886-!889,
Am;;lineau. E. La Gi<>graphie de l"Egypte it Npoque
copu, Paris. 1893,
Crum, W. E. Theologic~1 Tuts from Coptic Pap)";.
Chford. 1913.
, Crum. W. E,. and H. I. Bell. W<!di Sariah. Coptica 3.
Copenhagen. 1922.
DAYR APA HOR 771
Drew-Bear, M. "Le nome hermopolite: Toponymes
et sites."' Americ~" Stud/es in Papyrology 21
(1979).
E,-elyn-White, H. G, New Coptic Texts from the ,1.1011-
~stery 01 St. M~c~r;us. New York. 1916.
el carrieres anciennes A Saouadeh."' In Descrip·
tion de I"Egypu. Vol. 4: Am/quitis. chaps, 16 and
13. pp. 361-67. Paris, 1821.
Munier, H, "Nott sur Ie village de Hag;;." An·
nales du service des anriquirt, de /'Egyptc 17
(1917):163,
MUJ'""r, J. "Ermite ""regrinant et pelerin infatig·
able (Fragment a",be de Ia vie inedite d·Anb;!.
Hannin racontee par son compagnon de voyage,
Apa Hor de Preht)."' Bulletin de I~ ",dett d'~r­
ch'ologie copte 9 (1943):159-236,
Ramzi, M. AI QJm~s al Jughraf/ iii a[.Bildd a/.Mi"i)'-
)'ah. Vol. 2, pt. 4. Cairo, 1963.
RI;N~-GEORGES COQUIN
DAYR APA HOR (Sil)'aqus), This monastery.
probably situated near the lown of Sit)'aqus, in the
province of al-Qalytiblyyah, about 11 miles (20 km)
north of Cairo, is deocribed by al-SMbushtl (end of
temh or beginning of e1e,'enth century) as populat-
ed hy numerous monks, Its fesliWtI. attracted a
great number of people. The author relates the me·
dicinal practice employed in this monastery for the
cure of scrofula. When an invalid presented him·
self. the superior brought a pig that licked the af-
fecled pans without touching the healthy, then
spread m'er these affeeted areas the ashes of a pig
previollSly used for s similar ope"'tion, and also oil
from the church lamp. The invalid was thus healed.
The pig that had devoured the scrofula wali killed
and burned, and its ashes preserved for the treat·
ment of another invalid. This legend cannot be ear·
lier than the Arab period. The words "pigs" and
"scrofula" are the same in Arabic.
TIlis notice is reproduced more or less litemHy hy
the medieval authors Yaqut. al·Qazwini, and al·'U·
mali (see the references gi,'en by Atiya, 1939, pp,
8-9). It may be noted tbat al-'Umart (d. 1348) adds
"thaI is so until now" (Atlya, 1939. p. 12, n, 6),
AI·Maqrfzi also reproduced this p,,",""ge from al-
Shabusht], but speak, of it in the past tense: "The
monastery of Siryaqus, this monastery was also
called that of Abu !;Iur. the final phn.se of
al-'UmaI1 ("there is at lhis monastery a g.-..at Aow of
those who suffer from this illness") becomes "there
was ... of those who suffered," This seems to indio
 772 DAYR APA ISl:IAQ
cate tha' in his lime (filieenth century) the mon~
tery had already disappeared,
II is not certain to whkh ""im this monaster} was
dedkated, though it wa. probably the martyr Hor, a
native of Siry<lq"s who was e~ecuted at Antinue and
whose feast day is 12 Abib (see also Graf, 1944, Vol.
I, p. 534).
[S.. also: Pilgrimages.]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Atiya, A. S. "Some Egyptian Monasteries According
to the Unpublished Ms. of al·SMbushtj's 'Kitab
al·diyaliit,"· $oc,ele d'arclreologie .ople, Cairo.
B"IIe1i~ (1939):1-28,
Viaud, G. Magie el co"WrneJ pop"lai"s .he~ les
.optes d'Egyple, pp. 59, 92. Sistemn, 1978.
RENl>-GWRGES OJQUIN
DAYR APA ISHAQ (Isna). A liule to the north of
the pre5ent O~nt ~L-SHUH~OA' (Mona'tery of the Mar-
tyrs) at !sna are some ruins Ihat the inhabitant5 call
the Monastery of Apa Isl)Aq (Isaac). [n [he "new"
church, which according to the in",rip/ions dates at
lea't from the end of the twellih century, an in·
scription Commemorates th. ~,ma5ia (church?) of
Apa lsi)aq the an",horile (Coquin, 1975, pp. 247-
5 I).
We propose the following h)l'Othesis about this
inocripti<>n: When "-pa Isi)aq's hermitage fen into
ruin, a ",hurch was built adja",em 10 the north of the
Church of the Martyrs dedicated 10 Apa Isi)Aq,
whose hermitage, a place of pilgrimage, wM in
ruins. Some distorted Greel word is hidden behind
thi' word nanasi", pernaps .imply the Greco-Coptic
word oeele"a, However that may be, we may sup-
pm<: that the hermitage of this holy personage 5ur-
vived in the form of a ""'ond chucch added to the
first one '-of the marty'l'."
It is mo.e djf!i",ult to.*,now to what period this
foundation of Dayr Apa 1;sl)aq goes bad.. This hu-
mitage is mentione<! in' the panegyric of John
(Kllater. 1981. pp. 17 [t~dl and 23 [tr;>ns.]), We
prefec this name to that of Paul, foc it is attesled in
the oldest manuscripts. This text is preserved by
several manuscripts of which the oldest dates from
[520 (Khater, 1981, p. 6). but some authors write
that this author could be of the thirteenth century
(Sbath, 1938-1940, p. 74, no. 6(6), It foHows that
lhe D.yr Apa Isi)aq could be older than thaI peciod.
We must also mention the panegyric allributed to
a bishop of IsnA called Oorotheus and preserved in
an Arabic version in two manu.cripts (unpub·
lished). This author would be of the fourth century,
but he does noo .peal at all of a hermitage of Apa
Isllaq nor of a pilgrimage to this s;>.nctuaT)'. One
must conclude that this small monaslery did not
exiSI when Dorotheus deli.'ered his sennon in hon-
or of Ammonius, his predecessor in the s.., of lsoA.
We must add lhat the recension of the SYNAXAR·
ION from Upper Egypt, in its notice concerning
Saim Ammonius and the martyrs of Isna on 13
Kiphk. also mention. Dayr Apa Isi)aq, bm one can--
not date this recension with any precision (perhaps
twelfth to thirteenth century), and we do not lnow
what sources the author used.
One may conclude from this evidence that Dayr
Apa [si);\q was founded and frequented alier the
fourth centuT)', but had fullen into ruin after the
twelfth. A photo of these ruins is given by L T-
Lefort (1939, pI. [4).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Coquin, R.·G, "us Inscriptions parietale. des mo-
nasteres d'Esna: Da}T al·Suhada'-DaJ-T al-
Falhilri." Bullelin do I'In'li/'" f'an,ai, d'Archeolo-
gie oriemale 75 (1975):241-84, with 10 plates,
Khater, A. "Martyre des citoyens d'Esna." St"dia
orimla/ia chrisliana 18. Cairo and Jerusalem,
1981.
Lefort, L. "us premiers monastere. pad.....miens,
exploration IOpographique." Le M",eon 52
( 1939):379_4()7.
Sbath, P. A/_Fihr's, Calalog"e de rnanuS",;I, ambe"
Cairo, 1938-1940.
RENl>-GEORGES COQUt,'
MAURICE MARTtN. S.J.
DAYR APA JEREMIAH (Damiella). See Mon-
astenes of the Daqahli;yah Pm.ince.
DAYR APA JEREMIAH (Jirji). See Monaster·
ies of the Upper ~'jd.
DAYR APA JEREMIAH (Saqqara). {This ewry
<:onsi'ls 0/ fo"r arlides: History, Archaeology,
Sculpture, and Paintings,}
History
We do not lnow if 'eremi.h wa5 Ihe founder of
the monastery that bea" hi' name, or if he """-

cee<kd someone dse_ AccOldinK 10 JOtlN O' NII;IOU
(Cltronlcle, chap. 39, pp. 4-14), ~it>S, the fu·
lure emperor of Byzantium (491-518), ,isited Sioiru
Jeremiah in his I~me, ...·hen he himself w» u..
lIN in Ecypt by his p«decasor w;o (474.491).
In tM ~l'Sl half of the ,iuh century ,he monk
n.a.dooi... in his J'ine",,., menlioned this _
"'ry (Quibell, 1912, p. l).
Two A'-c author!;, Saft oJ·Dln 'Atx! ,I Mu'm;"
(739) aPd Ibn 'Abd aJ·J:Iabm (570-871). mention
lhe D,yr Ihrmb (Ouibell. pp. 3-4). TM lIiOme Abo'l
Hanni. is men,ioned by AB(J $lUI:I nu, AlU4Q;1.UI at
the bqinni"l of !he !hinttn!h century, TM lasl
...thor 10 ~peak of it .. ""-..-JLl in the lift"""th
Celliury.
The eua'''I;''n, carried out al Ihe lite have
shown 1"'1 the monastery di5appea~ In lhe mid·
die or Ihe lenth cenlury (Cauwenbergh, 1914, p.
131),
The name of Jeremiah was .'enerated nol only al
this sile, as the in.criplions pro'..., Inlt is a\$O
among Ihe saim. invoked in the Iltanle. of IlAwtT
and the n'IOr\Uteries depending On il (Sauncron el
a!., 1972, VoL 4, p. bO).
An imponanl numl>er of papyri have- been found,
and were published by E. Re"illou( (1876, p. 1-
111): publicalion "'as compleled by J, Krall (Pl'.
63-79).
8'lBUOCIUJ'lfY
Cau""l'PberJh, P. van. Elude SMr lu m<1'ir<u
d'Etyp't. Paris, 1914.
CIt,.,..1C1e of /oh", bUhop of Niliolw. TNt, In.ns.
It H. Chark:s, Ten and Tnnslallon Sodety 3.
London, 1916.
Krall. J. -Neue kopo.is<:be und Jriechis<:he Papyrus.
RK..dl des T",,,,,,..., 611185):63-79.
Maspero, G. "Note sur klobjets .... cUoCil1is SOUS la
pynm>de de Ounas." Anju.ln du Servin du A"ri-
quills 3 (1902):1115-90.
QuibeU, J. E. £U.~.UotlI'<" S""N'l" (l905-19/0),
4 .'ols. Cairo. 1'107_1913.
Re,,;l1oul, E. A~IU el ~om,,,,, des m~shs ityp,iens
de Boul~q el du wuv'e, pp. I-III, P.ris, 1876.
Sauneron, 5., and J. Jacquet. Lt:s Ermi'tt.ges cl"i';.
ens du dlserl d'Es"". 4 vol•. Fouilles de l'lrt5tilut
Fran,ais d'Archeologie orientale 29, pi, 4, Cairo,
1972.
REN&GEORGFJ; COOUIN
MA\!JlICIl MARTIN, S.J.
DAYR APA JEREMIAH: Archaeology 773
Archaeology
Dayr Apa Je~miab Is "lUSled ., Ihe "'"nIern edlIe
of the site of the ruins d Saqqar-a. lhe old necropo-
li> of Memphis. wttich conlinuedlO oerve ... a buri-
al (VOUnd to 1M lnllab;ta/lu of Mcmphi. inlO dte
we Rom.ut period. The northern confines of the
monastery I., ~ima.tely at the """"""'~. 01 the
vrramid of Un•. From there it Mreteh"" aboul J1S
yards (300 meters) 10 the MlU.h. The "",-,lem bound·
...... 1Da)' be diJcemed in lbe hill of lbe lemple of
N~ti. The exte"""'n of lhe ononas>ery '0 lbe
"''CSI """ so Ear not been established The lIlO""'tery
"'.... nOi exdusi,·e1y a male monaslery: inscriptions.
piclOrial rep~tlltloOl (RaMan·Debergh. 1981.
pp. 214-111), and burials sho.... that it exi5led in
dose conUOCI with a conve-n! for nun<.
Since lhe monastery Wall already in ex;,;!ence al
lhe time of the exile oflh~ later emperor An"I";'"
(491-518), lhe foundation of the monaslery 1135
com'eOlienally been set al around 470 (Quibell,
1908-1912,3. iii),
Arch~ol{lKkally, h{lwe,'er, nOne of the extant re-
mains ha'.., been .hown 10 be older Ihan the middle
of Ihe shIh ~enlury, Ais<> John of Nikiou'. lClX>rt
(Chronicle 89,15) coneeming Ihe foundation of a
large ehur~h by Anaslasius has not been confinned
-n..: .....-licsi members of lhe monll$lery pl'<:sumably
est<>bli5hed lhem:seh-a in the $Ii1l inIaC!, but other-
wise disused mausoleu\1>5 of lhe necropolis of Saq.
qua, and the decision to ,..,. up ne.... building5 .......
....w", only laIer. -n..: old Chllnoh, ",hich doubdess
belonged 10 the lint u the:M' buildings. is scan:ely
10 be dated t.m:..., the m;ddle of the .... th century.
A change toolr; pbce ",'ilh the IeCOMtNCIion u
the chllnoh in the ,,",,'emh cen'II')'. Only at this lime
H
,.. , o 0 0 n
!; ,~
"
; ,-, ,., rr 0
o '
.................. _ , ..
Plan of the main church al the center or Day!' Apa
Jeremiah, Cour,.S)' Peter GO'O-SJ""'"~'''
774 DAYR APA JEREMIAH: Archaeology
did tbe monastery appear to have developed fuHy
and a ricb building aCli,'ity sprang up. Most of the
edi5ces date from tbe late seventb .nd eightb cen-
turics. The monastery was certainly in full opera-
tion until the middle of the eightb century. The
great majority of the dated lombstones belong to
the s""ond half of the eighth century. A decline
""ems, neverthelesli, to ha.'e sel in toward tbe end
of the eighth cemury. The floor of the southern
porch of the main church wa, repaired with tomb-
,tones dating from tbe middle of the eigbth centu-
ry. After 750 all coins disapp..>.red as well. Evident-
ly the rep"rcussions of tbe revolts of the Copts
.gainst Arab supremacy in the eighth and nimh
cemuries did not pass the monastery by without
leaving traces.
To the last building activity helonss the addition
of large bUllresses onlO the most importam struc-
tures in the area surrounding the church. Quibell
dates these to the time of M"S<\ ibn 'IsA (c. 791).
Inside the church itself an attempt wa, made to
sa.'e tbe roof of the nave from falling in by prop-
ping it up with a few very crudely raised pillars,
E,'idence of this kind shows dearly thattbe monas·
tery was coming to its end. It w"" abandoned prob·
.bly around the middle of the ninth cemury.
The monastery of Apa Jeremiah is so far one of
the few arch.eologle.H)' available exampies of a
monastel)' of cenobitic monks. The)' did not Ih'e. as
in the "F.U.'A. as hermits. alone or with only very
fcw disciples in independent habitations separaled
by wide dlstance,. but were densely drawn togeth"r
in large communal buildings. Each monk possessed
in these buildings only One cell, wbich was entered
from a common antechamher, No one prepared his
own meals: these were taken in tbe common dining
halls, the refectories, In ac"ordance with Ihe reo
quirements of a large community, the monastery
was prO>'ided wilh ~11 kinqs of economic establish·
ments, "bread bakery, an "¥ press, and the accom-
panying storerooms. In several places small cis·
terns were dug, To the SQuthwest a couple of
worksbolX-for example, a:laundry-may aloo he
discerned: doubtless a joiner'S shop and a dyer'.
establishment w"re also to be found. To protect
against anacks, the monastery "''as encircled by a
wall. The remains of such a wall, as well as of a
gate, have been ascertained to tbe south, n"ar th"
southern building. The existence of a western gate
is known from an inscription.
The main cburch today is stiU situated in the
center of tbe monastery, and is doubtless tn" most
important buHding of the establishment. The recent
exca,,,tions identified two main building phases.
The evolution taking place during the first phase
dearly reflects the gradual growtb of the mOnas-
tery. Originally the church stood as a quite small
and simrole chapel built of sun·dried mud bricks on
a square plan and probably possessing only a sim_
ple nicbe in the east wall. As the building was en-
larged, this chapel was integrated into the first
church as a vestibule (nanhex). This first church
was already construcled as a columned basilica.
and should be dated to the second half of the sixth
century. It possessed five pairs of columns, "" well
as a fully developed ,anctuary with a central apse
flanked by rectangular lateral chambers on each
side.
As far as its method of "o",truction is concerned,
Ihe church wa.~ already provided with an outer fac·
ing so"kt of stone. consisting of reused but in no
way reworked ashlars, An ashlar building in the
real sense, with horizontal joims adjusled perma-
nently during the process of building. came into
being onl)' when the church was extended by a
further pair of columns IOward the ,,""t. and a new
sanctuary was added here at the ",me time, In this
new building the lateral chamber south of tbe apse
was ,'onstructed, peculiarly, as a basement room,
For the construction of the stairs a fine pollery
vessel was used, datable around 600. Consequently,
thi, "xtension lOok place about a quaner century
later.
Outing the change in the political situation in
Egypt caused b)' the Arab invasion in 639-641. the
number of ntonk.< s"cms to have increased consid·
erably. The cxisting churcb was then no longer suf-
ficient. and thus the main church that can be "",n
today came imo being, It ls substantially larger than
its predecessor, and pos.~esses a tl'l'ically Egyptian
basilican plan. with narthex. return aisle, and a
sanctuary divided into a central apse and two rec-
tangular .ide chambers, In front of the sanctuary
there is a ralher narrow space out of whi"h ,hc
kltfirt<s. an important f"ature of carl)' medieval mo·
nastic church arcbitNture in Egypt, was developed.
A peculiarity of thc side chambers of the sanctuary
is that they are on a lower floor level. The sole
acccss to them is by short stairs from inside the
apse. On the soutbern side of the church in front of
the south portal there once was a ,mall protruding
terrace reached by stairs to over<'ome the diffe,.
ence in levd. This 'errace was subsequently reo
placed by an e<ternal portico with an (·shaped
plan.
The building materials of tbe cburch. induding
 DAYR APA JEREMIAH: Archaeology 775

tM majority of its columns. deri,e exclusi,e1y from
demolishe<J late Roman-presumably in ,;orne
cases ..ill pagan-mau,;oleums. which explains the
,ariety of types and the fuct that they often occur in
pairs. The original owners of those mausoleums
were the rich landowncrs of Memphis, who left the
country after the Arab im'asion (Ibn ''''bd al'!;Iakam,
1924, p. 231),
Building 1823, designated "lOmb church" by
Ouil>ell. has emerged from the recent excavations
as a noneedesiastica1 edifice. The similarity with a
three·aisled church, including the accentuation of
its eastern termination by a triumphal arch. is pure·
ly external, It is, moreover. sunk halfway into the
ground. Its furnishings suggest that it is the upper
as the three·aisled hall situaled in a nonh-50uth
orientation about 95 feet (30 m) north of the main
church_ The nave is unaceentualed. It was evidently
intended thaI all Ihe aisles should offer the same
amount of space. Howev"r, the circular benches
found elsewhere in thc refectories of Egyptian mon-
asteries, and also in the old refeclory of this mOnas-
lery, are absent. Instead the worn is furnished with
benches that run continuously along Ihe walls. A
large kitchen establishment adjoins the nonheast

, slluclUre of presumably a still pagan hJ'POgeum

(underground chamber) of the late founh or early
fifth century. The shaft descending to the under-
ground burial chambers was located along the
southern rOw of column•. Nothing remains. howev-
er, from its original u"'. The tombs buih inlO the
upper chamber that can be 5eefi today are at least
two cemuries later. and caused all kinds of damage
to the building. The lJoor likewi.e belongs to this
la,er use of the building. The original lJoor was
presumably removed along with the remnants of its
original use.
The Southern Building, discovered at the soulh·
ern edge of the n'OM.tery. is nol a church either. o
The arrangement of the columns bTings to mind
nlther an atrium wilh a roaness cenleT. The column
rows were only subsequently made closer through
the insenion of inlermediate columns, To the same
eomple. belongs a two-aisled hall that hranches D
nonhward at Ihe end of the nonh wall. The other
buildings are mud·brick structures that were in part
added subsequently. having in some instances a o
quite ilregular characler. Of more recent date is
the e.lernal i>Onko on tm: south side ofthe ,;outh-
ern building. The entire +ngement suggests that (i l
this was a less important stclion of the monaslery.
,••
Perha»' the guest quaners' were silualed here. an
interpretation suggested at least by Ihe pro"imil}' to
,
the monastery's south wall and the south gate dis·
covered there.
I The original refectory. belonging to the predeces-
sor of Ihe main church, was disco"ered ill 1979_ It
was probably a two·aisled mud brick buildillg north
of th" church. In the illte,;or the remains "f circu·
lar benches set againsl th" side walls may be dis·
cerned.
•
,
::::::::::.•:.:11I'.'
.

The new refectory construcled after the enlarge- Plan of the church buih at Dayr Apa Jeremiah £ollow-
mont of Ihe monastery was recognized by Ouibell ing the Arab inva~iQn. Cmm,,_,y Peter GroHma"n_
776 DAYR APA JEREMIAH: Sculpture
Corner of the hall, and this 6ts in with the interpre-
tation of the hall as a rdenory.
At the south end of the caS! wall, the nail opens
inlo a small l31eral chapel designed as a £our·eol·
umned StruCture. the refectory chapel. II is pnwid·
cd with a complete ",nctuary "ith three roOms and
is thus fully functional for liturgital use.
Further to the northeaSt is a two·aisled hall
(Room 726), which Ouibell ga"e the pro,isional
designati<m of inflrmary. This building is pJ'Obably a
rek><O'OI)' as well. ,he more so since a mona"",)" "r
,his SilC could certainly have u,e for t"O refector-
ies, In the present cas". the fact should also be
taken inlO account that th" monaste,)' included a
senion for nuns. who doubtless took their meals in
a s"J>3rate refeetory. An in6rmary, however. pmha-
bly did not form pan of the ancient ~OnWnts, The
sick stayed in their ~dls and wcre a!tended to by
those in charge of the sid.
BlBLJOGRAPIIY
Grossmann. p, "R"inigUltgsarbeiten im Jeremias-
kloster \'on Saqqata." I-ilL Mifleil''''ge>l d.s
nwlschelJ Arch;;%g;sclte" {nslilllt<. Ah'c;;u~g
Koi,o 27 (197I};I73_80: 28 (1972}:145-52; 36
(1980): 193-202.
Gross"'ann. P" and H,·G. Se"erin, "Reinigungsar-
beiten im J<>r"mi",kl<.>ster von Saqqar-a,'" IV. Mit.
leI/w,gen des De"lS~h"n A,chdologiseh~~ !~5Iil"B,
Ab'cilu~g Kalro 38 (1982):155-93.
Ibn 'Abd al·H"bm. f'1<I1'J, Mi~" trans. O. Toussoun.
Bullell" de I" Socii" a,chi:ologiq"" d'A/~xo"dri~
5 (1924):231.
Ouibell, J. E, Exca"a'io'lS al Saqqara, Vol,. 2-4.
Cairo, 1908-1912.
Ras$art·Ocb<ergh, M, ""Quelques J'cmdrques ic"no-
graphique, sur la pcinture chretienne" Saqqara,"
Acta ad arcl,,,eologiwn el ani",,, H<JO'iam put;-
nc"Jla 9 (1981):207-220.
Sculpture
The rich finds of sculplure fWIll the arca of Da}T
Apa Jeremiah, almost exclusively architectural
sculpture and tomb rchds, arc now for the 1l1Ost
part in ,he Cop1ic Museum, Caim, a<ld at the place
of exeav·ation. There is a small collecti"n in tne
Eritish Museum, London. Since the exca,'alinns by
J, E, Quibell, the sculptures ha,'C been considered
as original eiemcntS of the monastery architecture
and ar~ Jatcd to tne si~th eentu,:" corresponding tu
the supposed period when the monast~ry was in
full nower. Only ,in"e 1978-1979 h."" n~wim·e"i·
gat ion. of the whole "ock laid the hasi, for a differ·
ent and more disaimitl3ting judgment (Severin,
1982, pp, 1701f.).
The only building from lat" antiquity "ith origi·
nal sculpture in the area of the later m()na"~'" Olav
be tne great mauwleum lying to the west (Building
1821, eallcd a tomb·cnurch by Quibell), probably
lhe family ,omb of rich dtizen, from Memphis, Of
its architectural decoration. capitals of c'ulumn,
and pilasle" and bas~s of pilasters of "arious or·
defS ho,e in pal~i<'ular survi\'ed (catalog by Severin
1932, pp. 171-79). Tney conv~\' the impression of
an architcctural decoration full of character, well
e,eeuted. and "ith a strong local.<larnp: ()O ,be one
hand, th~ deeoration "arries on traditions of a \'ari·
egated decorati,·e profu_ion, but on tne other it
shows ,'onsid"rable reduction in motifs and is un-
able to conc"al irregularities in the detailed e<ecu-
lion. vani<ularly in the capitals. The building and
its homogeneous decoration are to be dated '0 the
fifth c~ntury.
In all ,he other buildingS ",iln ",ulpture in the
.reo of thc mon ..te')', and abo'·e all in the greal
cnurch "f Ihe '""emn centurv, the building materi-
al and almost the emir" archil<xctural decoI"3tion
may ho\'e been reused, The dating of the <culptures
already poinls to this (d\idly Mth eenturv and flrst
naif of the si,th). But reempio}'ment can be demon-
"ratcd in tecnnical mallers also, There are oniy a
few decora'ed pieces. sueh as Stanm fM waler-bas-
ins, whkh are relath'cJy late (end of ,he si"n cenlu·
ry to ,be beginning of ,he ",ventn century) and
were probably made for buildi ngs of the monaste,,'.
In contrast .11 the rem.ining arditectural >culp·
tures from Saqqara South were scarcely produ,ed
Capital from Dayr AI'" jcrcmiah. Courtesy Coplic
Museum, COIro.
I
I
fOT ~hun;h aT mon;l!ltic architecture. More likely
products of local workshop' were employed in the
necropoli, archilecture of la{~ antiquity in Saqqara
South, (he sculpt",",,' of a pretentious private funer-
ary ar~hit«tun:_ In addition, reculia.-il;e~ of ~enain
sculpture groups point a priori to this type of archi·
tecTure, for example. standardized pieces with a
couple of ""rner pilaster capitals and bases and the
small quantill both in decoration and in dimen-
sions of homogeneous ~olumn capitals.
Through their reuse in the monastery, the origi·
nal wholes were destroyed, so thai we can now
assess them only as isolated individual pieces. From
the ...",iving stock, a continuous production in
these workshops can be reconstructed, which, wilh
its center of gravity in the fifth century. e~tended all
far as about the middle of the SiXlh. Scarcely any
archlteclUral sculpture from the third and founh
cenlurie, i. hown from Saqqara South, Probably
the necropolises of that period lay in other territory
and have not yt1 been discowred. A notable peculi·
arity i. that contemporary creation. of the Con.tan·
tinople workshops were also known and imitated,
in panicular impost capital, in the form of basket·
I
, shaped capitals or impost capitals of fold-type from
the ~ond quane. of the si,th century. Further,
Saqqara South offers the only e'ample known to
me in Egypt of a column capital with windblown
acanthus in " local reproduction that, however,
comes c1<>S<"r to the original than the nearest pro·
vincial imitation, in the church of the M'm"Stery of
Saint Catherine in Sinai.
In term. of date, m<:>tif, and technique, there are
notewonhy agreements with the archite<:tural
,culpture of BAW!T: these two complexes stand apart
from the architectural decoration of Bahnasa (oxy·
~HYN(f,!JS).
BIBLlOG.RAPHY
Ouibell, J. E. Exc~vaiiom ~t, Sa",,~r~, 1907_1908.
Cairo,I'Kl9,
___. EMavation' m Saqq~r~ 1908-9, 1909-/0.
Cairo, 1912,
Severin, H. G. "Zur spatantiken Bauskulptur im Jer·
emiasklo.ter." M;lIeilungen de. deutschen archii·
ologi.chen 1n<1i!u"~Ableilung Kairo 38 (1982):
170-93.
H. G. SEVERlN
Paintings
The cemral e1emem of the group around which
the cells of Dayr Apa Jeremiah were assembled was
DAYR APA JEREMIAH: Paintings 777
the "Main Chur~h," a building of three nave. with
an in.cribed ap,e on the east, a nanhe~ on the
west, and a gallery on the south, Since J. E, Qui·
bell'. excavalions, it has lost the painted decor tha.,
according to this archaeologist, adorned the walls.
The column.-as photographs of the period ,how
-al.o .en'ed to suppol1 scenes with figures: per·
,onages on foot smmount medallions enclosing
ducks, all abo.'e draperie.•. Ouibell identifie<l two
other hall. a.s being churches: Room 1952 (numbe.-
ing acc"rding to OuibeU'. .ystem), called the
"Somhern Church," which possessed a painted dec·
oration, entirely lost al present, and the "Tomb
Church," whose walls were covered with marble
,labs, a rare occurrence,
Uke e.'ery monastery, Dayr Apa Jeremiah con-
tained all the hall, used for holy services plus a
refectory, kitchen., storage room" wine press. ho,-
pital, et cetera. Howe,'er, mm;t of the room, served
as living quaners for the monks. Mm;t often the,e
cells were 'quare or ,lightly rectangular, with an
entrance on the south. In many cases, a semicireu-
lar apse was hollowed out in the Center of the
eastern wall, vaulted in a cuI de four (qual1er of a
sphere) resting on a table of marble or other less
precious ,tone. Such an arrangement, added to the
fact that these niches contained the cell'. principal
decoration, led Ouibell to refer to them as altar
table•. Two rectangular cavities on each ,ide of the
niche held the monk', personal effects, liturgical
objects, and lamp.
Much has disappeared from the cells since the
work of Ouib-elL $orne paintings were remo.'ed and
placed in the Coptic Museum, Cairo, among ,-,'hich
were several nich ... The rough brick walls were
covered with one or several superimposed layers of
,tucco upoo which the paintings were displayed.
When there was only one thick layer of stucco, it is
a5Ilumed that it crumbled at the touch and that the
colored pigments fell away or faded in the air and
light: this would explain the high percentage of dec·
oration and scenes that could not be saved from
destruction.
All the walls doubtlessly had paintings covering
their entire height; but being Ie.. well protected by
the sand, the upper pan has disappeared, or only
meager traces thereof remain, At times there was a
monochrome background of Pompeian red, but in
general the dccoration was more elaborate, consist-
ing of geometric or Aoral patterns. These patterns
were frequently lo>enges or Us decorated with
leaves thaI covered entire wall-panel. like draper-
ie., or they were arrangod in a simple uniform row
that separated the upper and lower de<:orations,
778 DAYR APA JEREMIAH: Paintings
These rows may have comprised a succession af
geometric panels. whose design and arrangement
evoked marble slabs. Lines of local sainls no doubl
surmoumed Ihesc panels as they also did in some
cells and in Ihe Court of Oclagons.
The central niche of Ihe eastern wall was com·
ple,ely decoraled. on the inside wilh Chrislological
Ihemes. and on the oulside wilh an archilectonk
frame where pain ling and sculplure wcre com-
bined. In some places. Ihe small columns. their
capilals. and Ihe vault were sculpted in stone (Cell
728); elsewhere. the ensemble was worked in brick.
sluccoed, and thcn covered with paintings in imila-
lion of marble, prophyry. or other pr""i""s stones
(this is Ihe case for mosl of Ihe niches). The two
techniques may be ClSed simlillaneously, as in Cdl
A. where columns and capilals, who"" relief is sim-
ply suggested by paiming, support the s<:ulpted ar-
chivoh.
It is logkal 10 suppose Ihat here as at Bawl! the
paintings «mid have surmoumed Ihe niche, again
as in Cell A, where there are still lraces of feet and
lower paTk~ of clOlhing a\>o,'e Ihe principal niche.
Too few of the paintings unco,'ercd at Ihe lime of
ucavations have su,",'i"ed 10 pennit a true stylistic
study. At the mOSl, only a detailed description of
some scenes can be given along with a delermina·
tion of the scale of colors "",,d. Further. gh'en Ihe
",ale of present knowledge and in Ihe absence of
delailed research on Ih. techniques of Ihe pre-
sen,.d paimings. it is impossible to allempt to es·
lablish a precise dating. In general, they may be
placed belween Ihe sixth and eighlh cemuries. On
the other hand, the themes emplo}'ed can easily be
listed.
The niche of tbe eastern wall is decoorated ",'ith a
Chrisl Enthroned and wilb Mary holding Jesus on
her lap. framed by archangels, Jeremiah, and En·
och. Somelimes one the.me or Ibe other is depicled
separately: sometimes t~ appear together, Chrisl,
",aled upon a jeweled Ihrone. give. a benediction
wilh one hand and bolds the Holy Book in Ihe
olher; a mandorla. whic~' Is supported by a lelra·
morph, forms a casket around him. This maieslas
Domini adorns Ihe conch of Ihe niche. while on Ihe
walls the Virgin is portrayed seated "nd holding Ihe
Child, who is worshiped by the archangels Michael
and Gabriel and saints. Somelimes Christ in majes·
ty. giving a benediclion, and lhe archangels sur-
rounding Him fill Ihe emire nicbe. The maieSlas
Dom,", is somelimes Ihe only motif, Olher niches
arc dee<>ra'ed only wilh Marl' and Joseph surround·
cd I:>y the archangels. as well as E.noch and Jeremi-
ah, Somelimes Ihe Virgin i. simply the THHlTOKQS;
dscwhere, in a theme particularly loved by the
Copts, she offers her bare breasl to the hungry
mouth {If ,he Child.
The archangels are always associaled with Ihe
Iheme of Chrisl in glory or wilh the Virgin and
Child. as arc Jeremiah and Enoch, the patrons and
prOtcelors of the monaslery. These are Ihe only
perwnages to adorn Ihe eastern niche wilh the ex-
ceplion of Cell F, where, on Ihe left of Ihe Virgin.
an archangel is picture<! as a silemiarius (an official
in Byzanline court), along wilh Peter lhe monk,
Enoch. and anothe, monk (doublless Paniseu), The
right ,"ction, which has not \>cen identified ehher
by Quibell or laler scoobrs. ,ho"'"5 in succession an
archangel, a bearded man, a woman, and a second
bearded man.
Linle is known about Ihe holy pc",onages, Among
the rn<>nks depicted at Saqqara, Iher" is a certain
Peter holding a code~; he is said to be "from Ihe
Soulhem House." which presupposes the e,istene"
of a monaslery dependent upon Ih. main one. An·
olhe< monk, Panesneu, is pictured praying, or hold·
ing a book. Two olher saint< or monks depicled in
the niche of Cell F aiso appear to clasp a book In
their hearts, A woman. clothed like the monh in a
long lunic and cloak. her head co,·e,-.,d with a rna·
phono" (shawl edged wilh fringe) and canying a
code~, i. pictured among lhe sainl' in Ihe easlern
niche of Cell F, and upon a column of the Main
Cburch as well as in two other cells. However.
Ihere is no inscriplion to identify her. lillIe more is
known abool the ea,'alier saints mentioned scveral
times by Quibell since he left neilher description
nor photograph.
Several saints are depicted seated or standing in
Ihe Refeclory and Coun of Octagons: but again
Ihere is no inscriplion and no special item in Ihe
tmilS, clothing, or auribules to identify them pre·
cisely, However. an e~eeplion to Ihis rule exisls for
Ihe saims of Ihe non hem wall of Cel] A. wher"
there are inscriplions naming Apollo and Macarills;
a third sainI on Ihe lef! of Macarius may ,'ery proba·
bly be Onophri...; al his feet Ihere was a si~tb per·
ron (mentioned bu' not photographed by Quibcll)
who can be lentath-ely identified as Paphnulius, the
disciple of Onophritls; at Apollo's side. Phib. his
companion. may be rceognizcd. The idemity of the
personages crouching al Iheir feet remains an opcn
queslion.
Biblical themes do not seem 10 be as numerous
here as al B~wfl and in the paintings of Ihe necrop'
olises. The s""rifiee of [saac appears in the cemer

of a group deco",ting the n",rth waJl of the Refcc'
tory; the other ~nC5 ha .., nol bf!en klemified. and
the painting.. hue di$3P?f!ared. In cell F. on the
eastem ,,'ll.ll to tile "&ht <>Ilk e"ntral "ich", the
Three Childr,... I" the Fumac". p<O(e<:ted by Ihe
angel of God. a«: ~ndin, in the midst of Ih"
fbm<:s. In ,his $lome cell there may ha"" been an.
other painting of this biblical theme, but i, wa.
neimer eonst...·ed nor ellen phOlOVl'phe<I a' ,he
ti_ of the e)l(:a""'tion.
n.,. crou .appears either u an Offillment or it
takes on a ,...,Ii,iou. funcliop. In Cell 709 it pl:oys.a
..o1iC\Ll.arly imporuont role. si"ce it is rtpeatM
Ill,...., times. Sludded ""i1h gems. adorned "'i!h gar.
bnds. and restin, upon .. platform. H.,.,.., it is ass<>'
riated ",;Ib a1lqorica1 p;eIUrQ of lhe ';nues-h.a]f·
""",Is, half-women-holdinc a disk In their ha.....
no",..., ...., al", 'Orne .Ken.,. of daily life dtpicled
.... tbe _Ill: .....15 and monks A.lInding walch. a
m,.., hoLct;ng .. erocodile. _\linc a cane. and "",.
tin,~ ... However. the majority of these merit no
mon: Ih.an a brief metllioln.
no., pain,ing_richer and more qried than tho:
e.danl _ ..... ....,..Jd Iud one 10 be'ia'e-iIIust~es.
by ics ~ay repeti.ioln of simibr mooib in similar
Iocalion. the uistenee 01 de~nite iconop;ophical
p....nms. all of which cOllSlitules a .....;0.. COl'1tri·
bulion to Co9ti<: Muodie$.
IIll1UOGllAl'ttY
Moorsel. P. van. and M. Huyben. "R<opcort"'.., 01. lhe
P,...,.,......,d Walipaintlllp from the MOIIa$I"'Y of
Apa JtRmias... Mi$«I1""e4 Coplicll/Acw "d Or.
cJu.~", tI an;u", hiJ,OI'Nm p"rrinenfio 9
(19111): 125-86.
(}uibell. J.E. &c" .... ,ioots '" Saqqoro. /9Od4/901.
Cairo. 1908.
_ . Ezcolloliof1s 01 Saqqor<l. /907-1908. Cairo.
'''''.
___ ucall"t!<>ns '" s..q~r". /'XJ8-/909. c"iro.
1912. • scripts and oslrae.a 0nsinalinll from the monast,,!')·
Ras","·!>tbllr,h. M. M. "1.11 ~contion piclurale du
monalA~re de $aq....".. E..ssai de Te<:omlilutiOl'1."
Mi~oll"n'G CoplleG/ACld "d ardIGooIQiji"", 01 aN-
I"", Irisl<)r;"m p"ni"enlia 9 (1981):9-124.
___. "Q",tlques remarques ic",nographique. sur
la pe;ntu,..., chr~lienn" ~ Saqqara." Miu-oll"",,,
Coplica/Acla ad areh"ta/OS""'" .. ~,Iju", l,islOri·
<1m pmi"",'i" 9 (1981):2074220,
Ras<.arH>"bergh. M. M.. and Dcb.:rg~. J. "'A propos
de trol, peinturt. de &qqara." Misc.lla,,~~ Cvpli.
calA"<I ad Archu%:iam " arO",,, hisloria", per.
"""""a 9 (1961):187-205.
MA~IlUElltTf. R.<SSAIl.T·OEBER(;H
DAYR APA PHOIBAMMON: History 779
DA YR APi\. MACARIUS. Se. Mona.teritlo of the
Upper $a'M.
DAYR APA NOB. S.e Monasteries of Ihe U"""r
~'ld.
OAYR APA PHOIBAMMON. [TIl... lIt1iel. Is
~poud of /"'0 pam_II secl/em Oil lit. his/cry of
D<lyr Apa Phoih""""o" "nd 011. d.~ribm, Ihe reu..
"oump of Ihe blli/dinp <>1 the da)T ,..J,h ,h. I_pie
oj Queao H",sJ,,,ps>u.)
Hblory
The _ e r y 01 Phoibammon is silualt<! be-
I"",..,n MIDbur ""'110 and AmlanI. aI 11.. end 01 ..
n.arn>w ...-adi ending in .a dreul.... cliff aboul 80 ftt'!
125 m) high. II "'.... eIlr2>'Mcd in 190(1 and 19018 by
Charle5 Bachatly. secl"ttar'y.,.eneral of the SOCIETY 01'
00filC UOIAl'Dl1lGY_ Craffiti 0l'1 the d;fl' face Ctln'
'nn that the ""'"""In')' "''as 4e<!icaled '0 Saini I'tloib-
ammon. thoud! 10 wllich of the four Uov."1l saints
at that .... me is unceruin. It is probabl)' l~ lOkI;"r
Io.lIi.oI commemoralM on I Ba'Ona!>. coocemh'll
whom there n~ a homily in Arab;c, (h-n 200
uaffili in Gred: and CopIic _re foul'ld "n Ibe site
bul no "",nuscripu and f<:w OSlraca.
One of the monks of thil; monasl.,..,. Abraham.
became (aboul 590) bishop 01 Hnmon,his. Because
of ,he rnnot<: position of tiM: monaste»' and the
wiah 01. Pa,riarch DA.WJA.. .. he left ,his mon..le.., and
IOunded anolher 1lK>IIllS1e.., 0( Phoibammon near
lhe 10"'Il 0( Djen,,, in the Ionn"r Temple of Ha,·
ohep6ul (Dayr al-Bahnl_ The csisl"oce 01. ,his mon·
""tn')' was known from doc",menu found al differ·
enl sil"" of Ihe Th<:ban mounlaill. in particular al
D.ayr al-Bahn and DAYR Jot.8AKIlIT....·here mallU'
()f Phoibammon were found.
n.,. monastery ",~ca"al"d by Bachatly "'31> proba·
bly voluntarily abandon"d in the "ighth c<:nIUI')'.
pre.umably becau.e il was feared Ihal the whole
cliff a\lainst which Ihe mona<tc'Y was built might
crombie. In a cave on Ihc rocky lernee abovt the
monasl"r..... fiflcen in""riprions were foulld. three ",f
which bear Iho name of Apa Pbenthius.
BIBLIOGR.l.PHY
Bachatl}'. C. Le It!,,na'lere de Phoel>ttmmon d,,"s/a
Thilxtrde. Cairo. 1982.
780 DAYR APA PHOIBAMMON: Buildings
Ghali, M. Not~ ju, 10 dicouvute du monasrere de
Phoebammon dans 10 montagne thebaine. Cairo,
1948.
Khal~r, A. and O. H. E. Burmester. L'Archi%gie du
sile. Cairo, 1981.
Krau"", M. "Zwei PhQibammon·Klo.ler in Theben-
We.I." Mi/lejl"ngen du deutsch", archaa/ogi,c-
h~n Insritut<. Abreil"ng Kairo 37 (1981):261-66.
___. "Di~ Bczi~hungen zwi.chen den beiden Phoi-
bammon·KI&tem auf dem thebanisehen WeslU'
fer." Bulle/in de /0 Sodeti d'archi%gio copr. 27
(1\185),
Remondon, R: Y. 'Abd al-Maslh; W. C. Tilland: and
O. H. E. Burmester. Le monosrire de Phoebam·
mo" dans /0 Thibarde, Vol. 2, Graffiti, inScriptions
U oslrac•. Cairo, 1965.
Tackholm, V,: E. A, M, Grei..; A. K. e1·Duweini; and
Z. lsbnder. Ide,,/inca/ions botonjques, zoo/ogi.
ques €I chimiques. Cairo, 1961.
MIRlllT BO~TIlos GHAU
Buildings
Dayr Apa Phoibammon in Dayr al-Bahri was
ereeled on lhe uppermo.t platform of the Temple
of Queen HatshepsUi and over the north",'estem
part of Ihe middle plalform, which during the Cop'
ti" period was buried under debris and sand as high
as the level of pavement of the upper portico. The
whole monastic building was di"""embled by A.
Mariette and E. Naville in the second half of the
nineteentb century in an effort to uncover lite tern·
pIe, and all monastic relics were remov'ed without
documentation, Today, to regain informal ion on the
sile of the monaslery, we have to consul! archival
<Mscriptions from travelers in the eighteenlh and
nin<:lCenlh centuries. Of extreme value are the
sket"hes, plans, and surveys in the British Library
made by R Hay during his travels to Egypt (1824-
1838). Very important ~ are CQPlic graffiti and
drawings preserved on Ihe wall, of the temple.
Dayr Apa Phoibammon, one of the largest monas·
tic c<:>mplexes in Upper ,Egypl, made partial use of
the pharaonic buildings situated on the upper plal-
fOml of the temple. Th~ were from the south
vestibule of lhe royal chapels of Hatshep.ut and
Tothmoses, lhe linle southwestern room, tbe main
sanctuary (except for the Ptolomaic chapel), and
the northwestem chapel of Amon·Re. Obviously the
central court was also used, and relics of a few
separate buildings were discovered there, The 26·
foot tower, located in the southeastern corner of
the court, was besl preservcd, The northern part of
the eastern portico on the third platform and north·
westcrn section of the second platform were occu·
pied by a huge brick construction, preserved up to
the se"ond floor until the middle of the nineteenth
century, The premises of Dayr Apa Phoibammon
~tended as well throughout lhe embankment cov·
ering the court with the sun altar in the northem
part of the upper platform where a building with a
cenlral dome was recorded by R. Hay (B. L. Mss,
no 135), R upsiu" and Ihe French Expedition, On
the southeastern part of Ih. middle platform, a
building separated from the monastic complex was
also recorded by Hays.
Little can be told about the functional usc of
particular monastic premise.. Undoubtedly, the
Hatshepsul chapel functioned as the monaslic
church. Very likely in the earlier days of Ih. mon.....
tery the main sanctuary of the temple served a simi·
lar function, with buildings on the middlc platform
being used most probably as cell, by monks. The
funclion of lhe building. on the upper platform is
unclear except for the lower. The building over the
court witb the sun altar was used most probably as
a monastic arehive, and E. Naville found there a
few hundred Coptic ostraca. The vestibule of the
royal chapels in the last years of the monastery's
existence was used as a cem<:lery, and e Naville
uncovered lhere ""veral Coptic mummies.
The ostraca uncovered during the excavations of
the Egypt Exploration Fund led by Nav'ille al Dayr
al·Bahri on Hatshepsut Temple and at Mentuholep
Temple (18\14-1895) are now in the Briti.h Muse·
urn and in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, They were
partly publi.hed by W. E. Crum (1902) and R. H.
Hall (1905). Similar documents were found by
H, E. Winlock (1<;126, Vol. L p. 20) during the exCa·
valions of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Expedi.
tion, and can now be found in the Egyptian Muse·
urn in Cairo and in the colleclion of Columbia
University, New York. Most probably the wooden
oox containing Coptic papyri connected with Dayr
Apa Phoibammon (testamenl. of abbots, deeds, and
legal documents) accidentally uncovered during the
winter of 1854-1855 was also found in the min. of
the monastic building at Da)T al·Bahr;' AU these
documents, inciuding the group of the so·called
Djeme papyri, edited by Cmm and G. Steindorff
(1912, Vol. I [texI and indexes]: repro Leipzig,
1971), were kept in the archives of Dayr Apa Phoi-
bammon. II is very likely lhat another Djeme paP)'-
rus, concerning private affairs, had been deposited
in the monastery.
The 'estamenl of Apa Jakob, abbot of the monas-

lery (lale 5eVcnlh cenlury). lPves ",,;dence 1""1 31
Ihis posl he was pre<:eded by bishop Abnah3m.
priest Vic1or, 3nd priesl Peo-. 11lerefore. bishop
Abrahlom (S90-620) VIa'> ~nlly the fint .bboo:
•nd foul\der oJ oa,.. Apo. F1J.oibammon .1 Oayr .I.
Bahri. The Foundouion of lhe mo.... try is ~dcd
Il$ _II in K.."riMhe- Rulrt$-*..roIe.. du ..chun
JQhrl!.",okru ....t D~ 105 (Stein_mer, 1935, pp.
lSO-8.S) daled 10 the end of lhe sl:uh cenlury. In
this doauncnt the whok vill.., (~ prob3bIy
~) is granlnl the tille of _-ncrsMp of the e$-
",te (II>06t proftably AI Day< ")·&hri) to Da)T Apa
PhoibamlTlOJ> on ....,kh the ..--tic buildi1l(l could
be er«1ed. The sa<nc bet is reported .Iso in Coptic
01U1Io<:. Ad. 59 (Crum. 1902).
Da1' ApII Pboib:ammon t10urlshed durin,lhe sev·
enth Nld fim half of th........ ighlh cemuries. The Lasl
• doc:umenlS conn«ted ..-jlh Ihn monASlery belonl
10 the end of lhe eighlh cenlury. At lhal lime, du,..
InSlhe """oh in Upper Egypt "&'in.. Abbasid po....
cr, lhc mou~I"ry undoubledly was dC$l:'rted, DaYT
al·B.hri was visiled by se.cnol peoplc. Including
bishops. during Ihe tenth and eleventh cemuries, as
we know hom Coptic graffiti prese~C<! inside the
H31ShepsUl chapel.
BtBUOGJtAPHY
Crum. W. E. C<>ptic OttrQCQ. London. 1902.
Crum. W. E.. and G. Steindorff. Kopli.cloe RuhlS'<l.
ht..de" l1u Adu.. JaJuJu",dens QUI OJ.e.,.,e (TM.
he..). leipric. I'll!.
Goclle""ski. W. "R"marque,; SUI ... c~stlon du rno-
nascke de St. Pboebammon , De-ir el 8ahari."
A/ric...... g"Uelin 31 (1982):107-113.
_ "Tht Lale Roman Necropolis In Drir cl Ba-
han." Gruco-COf'lic.o U (1984):11I419.
_ Dc.. el /hh",; V. u ...-"JI.... de SI. P/ooel>-
""''''Oft. Warsno·. 1986.
H.II. R. H. Cop/it: Qnd C.ux TUl. 01 !he CloriJri...
Ptri04. london. 1905.
Kr.l\ISC. M. "Ap.a AbT3hm ...,., HennolllhiJ.. En ob-
erig,yplischcr BiJchof urn 600:' Ph.D. doss. Be...
lin, 1956-
_ "Di~ Testament., der Xbt., dl:'S PboiNmmon·
Kloster in Theben-" Mirreil"nge" du d~"uclofn
.reloiiologisclrt.. In<til"ft-Abfeil"", K.. iro 37
(1981 ):261 -ti6.
_ "Die ligyptlsch.,n Kro.t..... B<:mcrkungen no
dIn Phoibammon Kll:I:Item in 1beben,WC$1 und
,J
dIn Apollon·KI;;SI.,rn.'· Pmeudl.. of fht Thi.d
In/e"'G/irmal Copfic Co"grtSS In Warsaw. 20-25
""g"SI, 1984. Warsaw, 1984,
Naville. E. "'The &'ca,..tion. al Otir cl &ha.r1 Our.
Ing the Winl...... 1894-5." Are},luolo,ic.1 Rtporr
{1894-189S):33- 37_
DAYR APA THOMAS 781
Siein";ent..... A.··Zu.Edition der koptischen Recht-
.urlmnden aus Oiemc:' One.""/'" n..s. 4
(1935):377-85.
Till. W. C. O.IK....., "",ll'roJoiKJVl'phie tk, kopri-
schnr lhb",den .... 111m". V"omn&, 1962.
_ _ Die k.",uclte" lI.ecltlsurbrode.. Q"~ TIle-bot.
Vi ........ 1964.
WinJ,c..,k. H. E.. and W. E. C",m. TIlt .",,'''Ulery 01
Ep;ph.niJu IU TMlou. 2 ¥Ok. New York. 1926-
W. GoDu.vo'$O<l
DA YR APA PSOTE. Set monas.cril'S; of lhe Up-
per So'id_
DA YR APi\. SERGIUS. SI., MOnaS(eri.,. of Ih....
Upptr ~'[d.
DAYR APA THOMAS, monaltery ncar Ihe town
of flwjilay, which i$ aoo."l S mllu (8 km) north of
Akhmlm. A small chu.~h survives from a monaster)'
commemoratin& Ihe I>oly hennit n.om.. of Shin'
sbit. The namc of 1M. moonla!n iShin.hifj is reo
tained in lhal of a "iIlllie ncar the church. called
Nal "·Shimhin.
There is a refcrcncllo this Thomu in the life of
$HENUn. and his feast _ ~tlcbwed u the Da}y
al·Abyad. as is ahown by the Typib (calendar) of
this lDOnaJlCry. The pn$Cnce of this thu.-cll all~
us to Ioc.al~ ... .,11}' this Coptic placeN-"", Shins.hif,
....hit:h Am<!lineau (1893. pp. 4SllJ.) ""'" DOl able 10
do. S. Clane idenlifies • church of Saini ibomas u
al·s.....am'ah (1972. p. 213. no. (8).
Some rcp'od""tions of palntinCS fn>m this
thurcll are ~ by Habll .I-Manqabadi (1984, pp.
94-99). The D1Oltai1ery if bridy mcnti<>ned by J.
Mu)'5CI" and G. Viaud (I979. p. S7).
BIBLlOOaAPHY
Am.;!;n...u. E. l.4 ~p"i.e. de rEtyp,.. ii ricpoque
COP/c. Paris. 1893.
Clart<e. S. CII';JI;"n i4m;q"i/;u i.. /he Nile VQUoy.
London. 1912.
Mu~r. l., and G. Viaud. us plIo';"",,,, coP/e, 'f!
Egypt._ Blblloth~ue d'~ludes ''''I'te~ 15, Cairo,
1979.
{Nab;l al·ManqabadL] Coptic Egypt. Cairo, 1984.
RE.'i1:·GWRGlS eoou'N
MAUIUa. MARTIN. S.l.
782 DAYR AL-ARBA'IN SHAHID
DA VR AL-ARBA'lN SHAHID (or Dflyr Th_
philw). S~~ MonaolerOn of I"" Upper SlI'ld.
DA VR Al·ARMAN, The fift«nth<~nlUryMuslim
h$Orian .... Maqrtzi said that at lhe lime the con·
queror 'Amr ibn aI-'As arri\'Cd in £cypt in 641,
lhere " ...re a hundred monaoteries in Wid! al·
Natriln, He named som~ lhal _re dcstl"O)'Cd;n hiJ
li";e. amonlllhem !he Monastery oI!ht Armenians.
0<' I)..,... al·Annan. For his pan, .....W!t08 IIIN ..... l<$Ol
I\lll 1II11rAnu, "t>o conlinued the HISTOIlT OF noE
MTIlIU("H$. named only se--.,n monasteries In WldI"
Habib, Ihe name !hen !:i,'en to Wldl a/·Natriln. He
did not 1iPl'al< of a Monaslery of Ihe Annenians. The
ui$lence 01 • Mon;>Slery of the Armenians, lhe pa,
U''(\n Noinl bein, unknown. musl hive been IOwan!
lhe end of Ihe Falimid period when the influence of
lhe Annenians ,,'as "cry slrong.
H. G. Evelyn·While (1932) placed lis eSlablish·
mem slter 101111 and before ll36. which Is Ihe date
of Ihe Inss of Ihe Atmenian,' polilical po,,'er. It
was, in his opinion. a symbol of the vie ..... Ihared by
COplS and Armeni;l.ns regardinll lhe onhodox failh,
for Ihe Armenian" lOll, were ami·Chalcedonians. A
m.n of Armenian origin, Badr al·Jamlll, be<;ame
firsl minister al lhe end of lhe ek~enlh eenlu'Y and
",as succeeded by his son, and an Armenian Chris·
tian. Bahram, ...... prodaimcd ,i.tier by I.... lroopi
In 113., bUI lwo )~ bier he had lO .Wieace,
wllkh marl:ed!he end of Armenian pcw.... r in E&YPt-
Proof of the pl"esenc:e of tboe Annenlans In WicII
....N.riln is found in IWO multili..,w manuscripu
of the 1_lfth cenlury dnhinl &om Scetis. They
are wrillen in Anr>iP:nia:I:I. Copek, Anobic, Syrix, and
E1hiopic.. (lbis poI¥cIot Bibk is in lhe Ambl"Osian
Ubrary at Milan.)
ihen is no documenn!.a1 allows one 10 liyc a
p~~ise dale for the ~ e of IhiJ mqnu-
le'Y, One may ~ only lhal !he Armenian..
mon lhan any others, suffered from lhe in>'llISlop of
ShTrkl1h and hiJ ann)' (~.,.Poole, 1925, pp. 179-
15), Perhapo Dayr aI-Annan disappear'Cd al lhe lime
of Ihe lhird inl'asion of Shlrt."h (1168-1169).
BIBLIOGIlAJ'HY
E'elyn·While, H G. The Monasteries of Ihe Wadi 'n
Nm,~", PI. 2, History of lhe Monasrerles of Nil,ja
onil Sellis, New York, 1932: repro 1973,
Lane,Poole, S. A History of EV'pt in Ihe Middle Ages.
Hislory of ECYPI 6. London, 1925.
R~U:;EOIlCl!S COOIIltl
DAYR AL-'ASAL (Min)""1 Bani Khas!b). This
monaslery. which ....d""l aUlhors opoI<e ·of, seems
10 ha.-., disappeared. Ylq111 (1866-1873, VoL 2, P.
681) de!;cribed il as ~e'Y well sir...... led and popubl·
ed by numerous monks. Ibn l>uqrnj,q (1193, p. 16)
mcnLionoed il with Ab)iihah 9 miles (IS km) 10 lhe
sou!h of Miny;i.
ABO ~ noE AllMENwt (lS9S. I'P. 2<43-.9). wl>o
"TOte in the early thinHmh cenlury, indicaled that
il is roear Mu~t BanI Khllfl\> and !hal thf: principal
cbu.-ch is dedicalnl 10 Saint George. He also notes
Utat there "'..,..., 1"''0 kffJII and founeen churches,
......
and thaI ic poo,emd. a prden, a mill, and an oil
The "'$TOlY Of TH!! fATIlIAll.OIS (1959. Vol 2, pl.
J, pp. 226 [le"'J, 357 (I........]) p"" an accounl of
!he miracles ....roughl by SalOl Georze in his
~"urch. "L'E!a1 des provine"" (HI. 777/A.0. 1375)
also menlioned il (al·Latif. IS1(), p. 69]).
G. P'''I$Y (1917, p. 199) said thai it is Still in
exislen~e. bul he must hsve been mislaken, for
travele.. ha"e 001 spo~en of II, Perh.ps he con·
Fused il with the church of Saini George at MINY}.
Ramzl (1953-1%8, Vol. l. p. 258: VoL 2. pl. 3. pp.
200-2(1) ..,marked Ihat an agrarian inl'entory of
lhe year AH. 911 (A.D. 1505-15(6) memionw Dayr
aI.'AsaI .. beina Dayr .I·~ al·Khammlr, al lhe
same lime as Ihe nearby ,-map _re called Bani
Ahmad and Tahrwhl. II ~ probabl~ thaI the Dayr
,i'Asa! wrvi...,.,.. a ..IILace ....ilh Ihe name of DATIl
·ATfTYAH.
BIBLIOGIlAPMY
'Ab<! U--t.atlf. Relalioft de I'ElftNe .u 'AM IIU.JIltif,
tnM. ~ nI. A. I. de Saq. Paris. 1110. "L"Eut
des prtwinc.,... Is lranslated in an appcndi.:<.
D:>rcssy. G. "Indic.al~r l"l'Olraphique du 'tiYr-e des
perl.,. cnfuuies .... du mystere prkicux.... Bulletin
de ""sroMI (Nn,lIis d'Archioloc~ "rion"Ie 13
(1917): 175- 230.
Ibn l>uqmiq. Killb "/·/rtlisdr, Cairo, 1893_
Ramzi, M. A/·Q<I"'''I ,,/·Iughr<lft Iil_Biidd "I·
Mi¥iYY,u" 3 vols. Cairo, 1953-1968. .
Yjqul ibn 'Abd AllAh al·I:I....."'1. Ceagr"pIo=:hes
WMeri>uch .u~ d~rt Handsel/riftert, 6 ,,,Is.. d. F.
Wtislenfehl. Leipzig, 1866-1173. Repr. Be,"'t (.
wis.). 1955-1957: Tehran, 1%5.
RENt(;EDRCoES CoQ!JI"
MA\J.IC~ MARTIN. S.],
DAYR ASFAL AL-ARQ, The mosl delailc<! de·
scription <>llhis convenl near Aluaodria is given by

Abo aJ·M.akirim (1984. pp. 161, 16&). He ;ndicaln
' ....1 ,his monastel)' "'..... sit......ed &11 oi ,h., 10"'n
and bore the ""one of Saini Molrt. II was "~l.,nsi~e.
IUlTOO>nkd by pnIem and cul!iw.ted land. and had
no feIo'ff !han four ~ In lIS u~
chun:h there ,,~ ''''0 "'Ian....,mrr Saini Mart wu
comrrwmot1ltni Many relics _rr: presen-ed IMn,
"""h.dl",, Ihcse 01 Sairll Sophia and hn- th~
tbu&hlen.. Aftn- Uw: Council of Chakedon in 451.
the "l.Jreh .... turnW 10 thr Mdchites "';m
Saini
Mark', body. ".. Me me saim', h.-l. ... assiIMd 10
thr Copts with SainI Mar!<', church. ailed aJ.Q~
l;Iah. also silualf:<! outsiok the town. The ~rapili·
cal ';M,lion oJ. this Ibyt- AsfaI-aI·A~ is apin speel·
lied by Abo a;·M.aklrim: "il is ...,Iut<! 'hal il used 10
be the house of lhe oxen, whcre SahlI Mark wu
man~ and from whkh he was dl1llKled. '!lached
\ by the fKl. through the whole town." This monas-
tery mUI' thcrd"rt ~ near, if nol In .he same
place WI, the manyrium of Saini Mark. whleh wWl
';IWlled nUr Ihc sea and which was burrw:d by
'Amr Ibn al·'A~ on the second capitulation of the
lown In 646 (BUller, 1978. p. 475). The '"«enslon of
Ihe SYNAXAIUON from Lower Egypt, in Ihe aCCOUnt
Qf Benjamin Qn S Tubah, add. an interellinl detail
IQ the tUI of the HISTORY OF 1'11£ PATIl14IlCHS: '''Amr
) ibn aJ·'"* burned many churches. am<:>hl OIhff'S
thal of Saini Mark at lhe sea .i.... k""""loday
under tho: name of lhe lowland chut'l'h" (Kanlu.t
As&l al·An#). This rormula "known today under lhe
name of Ihe lowbnd church," added by the _!hor
of !he Synaxarion. conlit"Im AbU al·MaUrlm', hOle
on llle lopognphical $ituati<>a 01 d.e con~nl thai
bears tile _ name_
II is wry po:ob;oble lhat it reIff'S 10 !he lame _
auery as lhe 0"" descl"ibtd by Bnnard lbo: Wise
1O_n1870 (see -.uTEIllES ""...,.-0 AlIOUND AI.lJlNl.
paul. The church nf al-Qam/:lah, fltr its pan. aner
bdna rebuilt either by Palrian:h /o(;I,1lIOPl or by
John of S:amannud (Chaine4li.1924l. was wU"O)"Cd in
1218, ....hen!he C..-!eI'$,1ed by lean de Brienne,
Ihreatened AIGandri... The'Ayyubid wlu.n al·'Adii
A)'YOb ibn AbU Bakr had il "'moJished ror lear WI
Ihe Franks would use it .u
a fon~ (al-QIIlqa'
shand!. 1922-192.3, p. 134). Il is noI kn_n where
l thi' Church of $;lim Mark "I.()aml;.ah "'''5 Iocated-
perhaps ;1 is Ihe same ... the one placed by thc
Synuarlon (4 Ablb) 10 lhe $OUth of the tQwn. SuI
lhe edition of the Syn,,'arion from Lower Egypt.
which is CelU;nly later than 1218, sho....s from its
IUt lhal lhe lWQ site. must be distinguished, The
Chufl:h of Saint Mark called al..Qam~ah WlL'! de"
stroyed by 1218, and the Church of $;Iinl Mark
called Asfal al.ATJ!:, with the neighboring convenl of
DAYR AL-'ASKAR 783
the _ name. """ IlilI in uislenee at the time
....h.... tho: editor of !he S)'nlIlUrion ...... "ming.
BIBUocaAPffY
AbU al·MaUrim. TftI'i1t1t .. ~KII"'· is ....... I-A<I)'""/o,
cd. :;;am"'" al&ryinl. Dayr aJ.Surp,n. 1984.
Bu.tltr, A.. J. TIoe A",b C<mq>IeJt of Etypt, 2r>d ed. P.
M. Fras<:I'". Oxford. 1978,
Chaine. M. HL'Eg!ise de Saim-M.an:: i Alexandrie
co"slrui~ par Ie pMriarche Jnn de Samanoud. M
RtvMt' de /'Ori',,"1 c/o,inen 24 (19H):372-S6.
Qalqasbandl, aI-. "La lis«: del Pauiarches d'A/cu.n-
drie dans ...:' tnns. Eo. TIMe......1 and G. \lr~ICC.
Rn-ue Jh rOrie.., c/ooilun 23 (1922-192.1):11.3-
H.
RbI£.Gwaas CoQuIN
MAIlklCE MARTIN. SJ.
DAYR AL-'ASKAR, ThiJ monaJlery is one of 3
group of four briefly described by al'MAQRlzl (A,D,
1442), in the neighborhood of Bilq.1s. to tlte nortlt-
ea'" of the province of Gharbiyyalt. He placed It at
one day', march £Tom Ihe DaY' al·MighJh and near
the $all ~ from ",hkh the lIO-(:alled Rashid (R...
1Ctt.:l) $alt comes. He added lhal It w"'" dedicated 10
the apoldo and lhal no mo~ than one manl< li~
there (1845, pp. 45 {text), 109 [1"0$.); 1853, VoI_ 2.
P. 5(8).
Itama:l (1953-1963, Vol. I. p. 84) nolo lhal al-
'Asbr "'as a 'ilbge pbced by Yiqiil (A.D. 1229) in
his KiU,b Afu';dm "'·Buldl", near Damlrah. In the
later OOcwnCll!f; ..,.d up 10 1809, this locali.,. _
lo!IIOCialed with al·Maymah (IC'C IMY., Alr.'lAYJoWl) in
the district 01 Danja"<iy. and ihdr linking might
haY<: bun \he <lri&in at the town of BiJ.qti in ih<:
mukll: (dimitl) of Tallthi.
The namt' 'Askv ,,-as. doubclos Ji_..,n 10 this
place by 1USOr; of lhe prclCn« of. military C3mp
(Maspem and \lr~N:t, 1919. p. 127), and !he moo:w;-
lery mentioned by aJ·Maqrhl 00 doubt tool. Ihe
name Mtlte neiKhboring small «m.... 11 is flO! 10 be
concluded from Ihis noulion by al·Maqrll.i thalthis
monastery ...... Mill in e~iSlence In the lifteemh cen-
IUry. for this author complied many chronicle.. and
other. earlier works.
DIDUOCItAI'HY
Maspero, I., and G. Wiet. Mallri".... PO'" $t'7Vi' ~ I"
glog'dphie de I'ESJple. M~molre. de I'lnslittll
£nm.,ai. d"ArcHolOCie onenlale:>6. Cairo, 1919.
Rantz!. M. AI..Q~""lJ GI.j"flr,~ lil.BilM al
Afi.riyylllr, l ....15. Cairo. 1953 -1968.
 784 DAYR 'ATlYYAH
Yioqo11 ibn 'Abd Allih aJ-l:bnuwl. XI,ab M,ij<lm <1/'
S"ld,b, 10 ,"Ok,. Cain), 1956-1957.
_...,~ J"ci""s GeOV"PhiscJ.u WlIntrbucll. 6 >'<>b.,
ed F. WOsl.,nf.,1d. Leipzig, 1ll66-1873. ~r, Ttb-
Dn, 1965; Btirol, 4 , ...b .. 1955-1957.
REN£.CWRG£S COOulH
MAURlCf: M.unH, SJ.
DAYR 'ATlYVAH. This place-name. which may
prtSt""" th" Aanl" of a '",nW>ed mOllUCery, »iIl
ni:lu lOeby in ,'''' dmrict of al·A5lIml1nayn.
Rall\ll (1953-1968. Vol. 2, pi. 3. Po 2(0) notes
1"- in a documenl of A.M. 91 1/11..0. 1505- 1506. this
d<#/]r bean 1"" nam" of Day.- ~ al-Khammtor. To·
dIoy II is s.it\llltW in ,'''' m",k"l (dislricl) of Mlnyl; il
is rmnlioned In lhe: SI"I" 01 Prcrvi"cu In 1375 (p.
689) undO', lhe: name of Day, 'Aliyyah,
RamzT (Vol. I, p. 258) $eems 10 ;d..ntify Ihis place
Wllh OAYk AL-~'S.u.
BIBUOGRAPHY
'Abd ,,1·LaUf, Relation d. rEgypr" d" 'ADd .1·LAtif.
Ir'llRS. and ed. A. L S. de Sacy. Paris. IBIO.
Ram.!. M. AI·O~mu. aJ.Jugltrdft II/·Bildd ill Mi.·
ofyyaJr, 3 ""Is. Cairo. 1953~1968, . I'ayy\iffi and the IMYIt Au.-M)LON (1677, p. 274; 1678,
~&GEo&GES COOOIIl
MAlIalCE MAUtN. SJ.
DAYR AL'AWANAH (AsyiiJ). n,., vii. of al·
'A\Q/lIh is Situated OD lhe riglll bank of lhe: Nile 10
~ SOII1heut of MyU!. abolll II milts (IS kin) 10
1M north of 1M basin of aJ..a.dlrf and oboul 7
mila (12 kin) to tht 5OU1h of Mn. .....1If$MH. nt
~tr)' of al·'A..... nah is lO<by I Chrislian qo.w.
I". with a chu.--ch lhat is 10 tht ",,,..IIh of 1M vill~.
y, dt Bod:. (1878. pp. 6ti72) drt-w ..ttntlon 10 il
.. WOrthy of mltn"$!: and caned it Dri. A....na Ch.".-
banI. TM alw of the Ducriplirm tit I'EIJ-pft (1821-
1829. Fel. 12) abo regislers il in ilS plac-t.
Tht ancienl part of lht 'clou.--ch is formed by •
choi, with IIt"'t alIa.", undt. dtq>, ""rfu12.tttJ
dom" and. in front of llttm, a bay of joislS rooftd
by lhrtt similar dom.,.. This is Type C In S, Clarllt's
chwitH:alion (1912. p. 1(9). Tlte back or lht "hu,ch
h., a ceiling upposile lite dome,
The chuTch I. dedlcaled to Saim G«lrge. Perltaps
il is lhe same as rhe one caJltd Dayr Mlr Jlrjls of
Khammb (or l:Iamoruls) hy al-Maqr1u (1853. Vol. 2,
p. 503). Bul the name of Ihis lown d0C5 nO! appear
to be al1tsled el""whe...,.
I1I6UOGRAPHY
Bod,;. V_ de. "NOIicc sur Ito. rnonumtnl$ coptt$ de
Ia YIllltt du Nil," CO<JtilJ tit COfIso''''''liorJ rJ~
",<WIum""ls d" /'an il"'N IS (1878):67-72.
Clant. S. TIu CJrri$llim Artrup.in'u in lilt Nilt Val·
Iq. London. 1912.
Chscripn- lit r£optt. Paris. 11l1-18n.
RL"t-Groaas C()(ltroI
M,oUaJCE MAlttu<, SJ_
DAYR AL-'AYN. Suo Da)T aI·Malak Milfd'd
(OamuWt).
DAYR AL-'AZAB (fa)')'tlm). [11Ii. "rtlry cOftsim
01 ........ artielts: Iht 111$101)' of Ihl$ mortUUry. ilrtd ilS
.,c"ilectuu.j
History
The monas"'')' of Dayr al,'A:&ab dOC'. not seem to
have been mentioned, at least undtr this name, by
anI aulhor btfore lhe lra,·tl", j, M, Van.leb In
1672. who placed il halfway btlwun Madinal aI·
p. 166). In facl. II is about a miln (6 km) to rhe
south or the capi...l of Ihe I'a)'y\lrn.
M. Ramzf (1953-1968, Vol. I, p.l53; Vol_ 2. pt. J,
p. 95) lhtlugh. thai this _ lite SlIme monastery :as
the 0..,.- Din>\ldl)1lh mrnlioned by aI·NiOOI'"
(Slolmon. 1901, p. 61) 10 the IOtlth of the smail I"""...
calltd Dim.::rsh;,lIh. Hl>We1o'tr. thi, 1-... is ~IWlIed
aboul 3 mile:s 10 lbe wesl of IItat called a1-'A>:ah.
[kyriptiona _rr Jivrn by Jolwtn GC'o'll (1930.
p. 19 and §p. lB-4Q, undtr the namt aJ..Azr1Ib) and
O. Meinacdus (1965, p. J32; 1977. p. 447). S. C!arU
(1912, p. 205. 110. 17) menl;one<! a church of Iht
V"uy;in at al-'Azab, in lbe dislli"l of I~ AI-B_
m<lsi (1932, p_ 157) indialed lWO chun:hts in this
monastery, one of Ihe VilJin. lht ,,!her al SainI
Mncurius ("'0 A\.>S.flYF.YIl), and ailed the mOllas-
ttry D:aIT aVAdI\r:l' (Mon_try allhe Virgin).
A ntW and vtl)' la~ church and otlt.". building!!
Ita"" recently bftn "on~rucled. beelllst or pilgrim-
age 10 Ihe lomb of lite vtl)' popula' AnbA ABItA.W,
monk of DAn AL-NlJl;LllMO and lhtn bl,hop or the
Fa)'Ylim. ","'ho died In 1914,
BIBLIOCRAPHY
'Abd al-Masl~ .'1a11b al·MasQ'di al·&ramuai. TuJ,fa/
~1·SJ'il!" f! Dltikr Adyi'ill R"IIl><l" ~1.Misri»,r".
D.iro, 1932.

I
Clarb, S. C"....tilJn Il .. tiqui~ i" 1M Nif~ V,,1~1.
O.dord. 1911.
Johann <ito.... Duk~ of &xony. N ..u StT~ifo...i'tt
~",rlt <l~ Kinlrm .. ".j Kl&tn Am1ms.
and Bertin. 1930.
Mtj~. O. ChrisM" E".",. An......., .""Ii Mode....
CAiro. 1965; 2nd ""., 1977.
Ramli. M. 111.(14",... "UUghfQ/i 1i/-Bi/lJd "I
• M4riYYGJo, J ""I... CIolro, I9SJ-l%a
S~hnon. G. "Rq>e"o;r, l~ovaphiq..., d.. '" pro...
ince du Fayyoum d'.pm Ie Kitab Tarikb aI·Fay-
youm d'an·N31>ouIsl." B"II,'i" de I'hwi/ul
~"js d'Archio!ogic orlm/ale I (1901):29-77.
Van,lcb. J. M. Nouvdlc Rcl<llion en forme de jour.
""I d'"n ..oyage fait en EvPlc en 1672 ci /67J.
Paris. 1677. Tr;mslalcd as The Prue,,' SlalC of
Etypl. London, 1678.
RE.~f.,GmIl.GE.S
(OOOI:-!
MAUUCE MAI<TlN. SJ.
Architecture
Dayr aJ.-'A>;tob til'5 in tiM: Fa,yt'lm, (:~ 10 \he
rood from ~n.al a1·fay)i1m 10 Bani Sud, alId is
::~""" \
:1) ,0
\ /
'r-,O
Plan of Ihe chun;h al Dayr al·'AIab. Coune.] PCI,.
Grwsma .....
DAYR AL-BAKHiT: Hislory 785
SIIilI a ""''''1 obK.. ~ rompkx to :l&ign (Abba",
1937. pp. 61f.) Tod;>.yao It- pb<;.. th~ is an ....u~"'·
....... mo<\ftn "",mfl""'Y with • la~ Iat... nm..c"""",u.-
~i& c~nlUry church. The ChuTCh 10 W ~ of tho..
hidden bebind S"'....noI "";Jbboring buildinp. S«1m
~m to include difl,...~nl compon~nu of lUI .,........
builican buildi"," T~ "",micircular main h,,}'hl
(ancIUllry) with he llel)' dttp nic~. and ""'lIenl
.....' all sect;.,", or Ihe . _ Immedia.~1y adjoining sec-
ondary h,,}'hls. ;ndudin& the SOUlMnt oUler wall.
'r",,· might ~,'en &U dil"t'cdy back (o a previous thTlle'
nave building. The tWO 5econdar)' h")'k~ls would
have to be considered all remodeled ,ide rooms for
the apse, Everythins el~ ........ added in buildinl
activiti •• of a much more recent dale. The two
cupolas over lh~ c~nlral .... ve dale from th~ OUo-
.....n perlod. There Is no khurus.
BISUOGMnfY
Abbou. N. 111.. Mon..sw....s eI,,,," F,,-,yUm. Chicqo.
19)7.
Gms.smann. P. Milld.. /l~rfidt~ Lonr"wsh<p1u!A:;'·
che" .."J " ........"d,..
T:f1'Dl ill ObuiDP''''', pp.
3t>1I. Glik-ksladt, 19111.
DAYR AZILUN. S.... MOna>l:eries of the Middl~
$-'Id.
DAYR DADLON AL.DARA1. See Babylon,
DAYR ALBAGIIL. See I)o.)"r aJ-Ou~}'r (fOrih).
DAYR AL-BAHRJ. See Da}7 Apa Phoib;unmon.
DAYR AL-BAKARAH. See Dayr aJ'"Adhrt'
(Jabal ""·Tap).
DAYR AL-BAKHIT {Lw<or).!1h" entry CO/111SIS
01 two JHlrU: W history 0( this marn>slery, "ltd ilS
"",hit""tu,...J
History
The name of this mQnll!itery could only be the
Arabic t""'S<:I1pllon of • Coptic "'"rd meaning '"of
Ihe nonh:' in cOOlrtit .0 Dap al-Qiblt (MonaSlery
786 DAYR AL-BALA'YZAH: History
of the South), the name given to the temple of
Hadrian to Ihe south of Madinat Hibu. Thi. appella·
lion could b.. older than the typicall}' Arabic name
Dayr al·Bahri, identical in term. of sen.." gi\'en to
lhe OAYR A?A PHQlBAMMDN established in the temple
of Hatshepsut (Winlock and Crum, 1926, VoL I, p.
lI6, n. I). This name would indicale its more an-
cient origin, when Coptic was a spoken language
and before Arabic became preponderant. These I_
monasteries bearing the same name, the one Cop-
tic. the olhe, Arabic, are close 10 one anolher On
Ib.. left bank of the Nile, opposite Luxor.
The ruins of the Dayr al-Bakhll were still clearly
visible at Ihe beginning of the centul)'. The hest
description was given by Winlock and Crum (Vol.
I, pp. 21-22). Despite its being tenned a [lAYR, it
was, it seem., much more a center combining Ihe
services of a communit}' of hennits Jiving in cave.
rather than a true monastel)'. Mention of it will be
found in upsiu. (1852, p. 2(7),
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lepsius, R, Lmers from Egypr . . , /84-4-45. London,
1852.
Winlock, H. E., and W. E. Crum, Tho Monas/ory 0/
Epiphani"s al Thebes, 2 vol•. New York, 1926.
RENt-GEoRGES COOuIN
MAURICE MARTIN, S.J.
Architecture
Considerable remains of the small monaslel)'
complex were still standing on the plateau of Dirlf
Abu ai-Naja, east of Ournah, in the nineteenth cen·
tul)', Travelers reported several residential build·
ing:!, Ihe doors of which had pointed arches. Today
,.
Plan of the lraces of residential buildings found at
Dayr al-Balhlt. Court'Sy Per~" Grossmonn.
most of it has collapsed, but still standing are nu·
merous lraces of walls of buildings, somelimes of
.....'eral S1ories, wilh large and .mall rooms, The
construction shows mud brickwork on a high socle
of masonry. The location of the church cannol be
delermined without excaYation. Also Ihere are no
traces to show Ihe course of the ",rrounding wall.
The area of the monaslery yielded several chance
fiuds of o.traea and papyri from the sixth 10 seventh
CemU!)' (so far unpublished). It is not yet clear wilh
",hat ancient site lhe monastery is 10 b.. i<lemified.
BIBUOGRAPHY
Timm, S. Das chrisllich·Jwplischo Agyplen in ara·
bisc},er Zeit, Vol. 2, pp. 682-84. Wiesbaden, 1984.
Winlock, H, E., and W, E. Crum. The Monastery 01
Epiphanius al Thebes, Vol. l. pp. 21-22, New
York,1926.
DA YR AL-BALA'YZAH. [Tlti, enlry cans;sts of
two parts: the hisrory of Ihi, monaslery, and ii' ar-
chitecture.)
History
This monastery, of which nothing but vast ruins
remain, "'as situated on the left bank of the Nile,
about 11 miles (18 km) to the soulh of ASYOT, About
2.5 miles (4 km) from the DAYR AL-UWIHH, on the
cliff that carries the desen plateau, some and en.
quarries ",ere first filled out as dwellings; then
down the slope, a whole series of buildings was
constructed in liers the length of Ihe slope, the
whole sUlTOUnded by an encircling wall Ihal cer-
lainly exceeds a mile in length. The base of the wall
is Ihick and made of Jarge stones bound together
wilh clay, while lhe wall i15e1f is constructed of
unbaked brick•. At Ihe oollom, where Ih. wall in·
cludes a large, deep tomb well (only traces of it
remain), one can see in the southeast corner the
remain, of a small construction outside the wall.
This was, then, a fortified monastery.
It was excavated in 1907 by W, M. F. Pelrie, who
was in search of papyri, but a plan was not drawn
up (1907, Vol. L p, 9, pis. 38, 39~ 1909, Vol. I, p.
29, pis. 53, 54: see also Archaeological Report, 1906-
1907, pp. 29, 75J. According 10 P.E. Ml<lE (I 954), it
waS ruined about 750 and abandoned lhereafter,
but the presence of a strong encircling wall _uld
argue for a dale of abandonmenl laler than 750.
 DAYR AL.BAL~ 787

1I111UOGR"ffiY

Archaeological Repon, 1906-1907, ed, F. L. Griffith.

Egypt Exploration So<:iety.
Kahle, P. E, Bo!J'izoh, 2 vols, London, 1954.
Petrie, W. M. F. G'uh ond Ritch. London, 1907.
___, Memphis, Vol. l. London, 1'Xl9.
RENt-GEORGES CoQUlN
MArRICE MARTtN. S.J.

Architecture

Th" dayr consists of an "xtended. rectangular

walled area, inside which still stand Ihe ..... mains of

I many buildings. some rising to a consid"rabl"

height. Remains of the sit<o of a gate have been
I..
I
found in the side on the lower parallel slo!>". Be- ,
cause of the uniformily of the surrounding wall. ;-~,

there is no doubt that lhis monastery is nOt a laura • •

• •
but a cenobium, inhabite<! by a large community of
monks. The buildings are basically constructed of
·• :
• •
•
•
mud bricks and in places show evidence of ""veral •• ••
stories. On the upper slope, buildings are more nu- • •
•• ••
merous, disclosing also at th" upper edge a row of
large pharaonic quarry ca\'es. used also for mon",,·
tic purposes, as can be unde.-..tood from the many
-
~l--
,~
,,
--:::::::=:=-~----;:
:. '.
..
"---_~J
repre""ntations of Crosses preserv"d on their rock
walls. Below, on the valley side, f"wer buildings are •• •
•
preserved. Obviously, what remainw has been
••
• •••
more vigorously plundered. •• •
Remains of a small church have been found in
•
,._----------
the lo"",r south"",st comer of the doyr, It has a ------------
naos that. in spite of its slight width of 26 feet (8,6
01). was v"ry probably planned ",'ith three aisles, for Plan of the church at Daye al-Bala'Y"'h. Courte,y
the thin sid" walls (2 f.,.,t or 60 em) ar" far 100 Pcter Grossmann.
weak to bear ceiling beams of a span of almost 30
feet (9 m). The sanctuary adjoining the easl end has
a relatively deep aJ'S". of which the inner curve qu. de Gen"ve /3 au 15 <locil 1984, pp. 33-40, fig,
shows a row of recesSes. It i~l.very likely that th."" 2. Gene"". 1986.
Kahle. P. E. B,,(tl'h.oh, 2 vols. london, 1954_
once held a surrounding cr~l" of columns_ The M.inardus, 0, Christian Egypt. Ancient and Modem,
pas.sa.ges to the rectangular side rooms lay in the pp. 286-87, Cairo. 1965.
forward area of the apse. Beyond that, on the n011h· Petrie. W. M, F, Gfl;eh and R'feh, p. 30, no, 83. pI.
em exterior. is a sta'r projeCting over the ....,hole 37B-38B, london, 1907,
frontage, an uncommon feature_ From a later time PETER Cll-OSSM"NN
dates a na11hex on the west sid" of th" church. with
a second stair to the south,
DAYR AL-BALLA~ (OifO. This monastery-\'iIlag.
1I11lLlOGR"PHY is situated on the left bank of the Nile to the no"h
Grossmann, P. "Die Unterkunftsbauten d"s Koino· of the town of al-Ball;l..~, which has given its name
bitenklo.ters 'Da'r al.Bal;l.)7-3' im Vcrgleich mit to the large jar$ in which water is carried. There is
den Eremitagen der Monche von Kellia."' In L~ neither archaeological nor ancient hl"r"r)" evi·
sire mottastique copte des Kellio. Actes du Collo- dence, only the name of the hamlet, al·Dayr, to

J
•
788 DAYR BALUJAH
show \h.,t a monastery e~j$led there. and Ihe
church lhal suroivcs indicates that it was dedicated
10 Saint George (M1r Jirjis),
"The State of the Provinces" (al-La!if, 1810, p.
703). drawn up in A,H. 777!u), 1375-1376. men-
tion. it under the tille of Dayr aJ·Kahmas. A fifo
teenth·century manuscript published under the tide
Book of the Hidden Pearl. (Daussy, 1917, p. 200)
also mention' it,
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the
ruin. of a monastery could still be .een (Weigall,
1913. p. 83). [( i. rmmioned in reference 10 the
Church of Saill! George by S. Clarke (1912, p. 216,
no. 2; il is attached to the bishopric of IsnA).
"AM al-Mas[~ (1924, p. lSI) dIed it l'$ a m<)1UI$-
tcry dedicated to MAr JiTji•. Quibell noted remain.
of hennitages 10 Ihe west of Ihe present hamlet of
al·DajT (1896, p. 1).
BIBUOGRAPHY
'Abd al.l.a!if, R;lo.tion de l'Egyple de 'Abd a/·Lalif,
trans. and ed, A. I. S. d., Sacy. Paris, UliO. "L'Etat
des pro~inces'" is translat.,d in an appendix,
'Abd al·Masl!) $allb al·MasiXdi al·Baram"s!. Kililb
Tuhfo.l 0.1 $d,'l1n ft Dhih Adyi,at Ruhbiln o./.Mi~riy·
YIn, Cairo, 1924.
Dar<:5.sy. C. "lndicateur IOpographique du 'Livre de.
p.,rl.,• .,nfouies et du mystere preciwx.''' Bul/;ti"
de /'!nsliIUi fro.n9a;S d'Arch~olog;e orientale 13
(1917},175-230.
Ouibell. J. E, Ballas. London, 1896.
Weigall, A. E. P. A Guide to the Antiquiti.. of Uppu
Er;ipt from Abydos to Ihe Suda" Frontior, London.
1913.
REN~-GE01\GES CoQul/l
MAURICE MARTIN. S.J,
DA YR BALUJAH. Al-MAQR!ZI mentions in his list
of monasteries a conrent that he places at about
two oou,,;' walk oppoJite Daljah (southwest of Mal·
lawI), near al·ManhA, ihat is to say, the Ba1)r Yiisuf.
He describ<.s it as having been one of the largest
monasleries in E.gypt: but destro)'ed in his period
(fineenlh century) and inhabiled by only one or two
monks. It should be noted that in ancient times
Daljah was 00 the right hank of th., Ba!)r Yiisuf and
nol on th., ldt as today. 11 has been suggested that
this monastery of B.1I"jah should be idenlified wilh
that of oAwiT. al present about 6 miles (10 km)
.outh of Daljah. because the SYNAAARION for 25
BAbah place. the monastery of Apollo at AbhJ.j.
However, the two names are 100 different to be
explained by a copyiSI'S error, and Bawi! doe. nol
cor«:spond to al·Maqrl:zl's description.
For his part ABO ~ALll;l THE ARMENiAN mentions a
church in the district of BAluja, dedicated to the
apostles, which he places, as it seems. on the east
bank and near to llfih. which does nol cor«:spond
with the details given by al·Maqrlzl.
There appears to be no village of this name in
this region of Middle Egypt. G. Maspero ha. noted a
place called Dayr al·]arlidawi. which i. located al·
most al the site indi""te(\ hy al-Maqr!>J for B;il"jah
(1892, p. 201). See also E.·F. Jomard in Descripti<m
d~ l'Ecple (Vol. 4, p. 314).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jomard, E, F.. in Descriptio" de I'EgypM, Vol. 4.
Paris, 1821.
Maspero, G. "NOteS au joUT Ie jour." Proceedi"gs 0/
the Society of Biblioal ArchMlogy 14 (1892}:170-
204, 305-327.
REN~.GEORGES COOUIN
MAURICE MARTIN, S.J.
DAYR AL_BANAT (Cairo). See Babylon.
DAYR AL.BANAT, a women's com'ent in the
Fayyilm. This is a .mall complex of ruin. in a valley
on the soulhern edge of the Fayytim not far from
DAYR ALNAQu)/l, The ruins, which can still be seen.
lie within an .,xtensi~., cemelery and poinl to Ih'
p=ence of an earlier monastic settlement in thi'
place. Up to now it has not been po5.sible to deter·
mine to which of the mona.terie. of the Fa,)iim
this site b<.longed. S. Timm (1984. pp. 762-65) con·
nected all known name. of the Dayr al-Naqliln to
originally in&pendenl complexes. N. Abboll (1937,
p. 46) knows of another monasl.,ry siluated nearby
with the name of Dayr al·Shallah.
The dominant building of Dayr ai-BanAl is tho
church, which has been almosl completely reduced
to a few remnanls, It was buill wilh tired bricls and
had a we.lern nanhe~, as wen as a nearly .quare
and presumably three·aisled naos, to which was
added a series of room. on the north and perhaps
also on the south side. The sanctuary had no great
deplh. but exlended over the whole widlh of the
building so that it as.umed almost the charaet.,r of
a lran.ept. No g.,nuine apsr: can b<. made out. Pr.,·
.urnahly it was represented by a somewhat larger

------'
Plan of Day.- al-&nil ..nowm,.
from
rtftctory. COl<rruy P~u. C"'SJl'tf......
",;ojl nkhe that did nDC r~ach down to Ihe Boor.•nd
is now lost.
The other builrling. are mad~ of mud bricks and
therefore are in slightly better condition. Thl! build·
ins to thl! """'51 of the church appears to ha.ve b«n
I..... living quaners. It was rebulll On a number of
occasiOfla and contained a cenlDl corridor Ind sev·
era.l rooms alTal\lIed inegularly on both sides. East
of tile church lin what was probably once I Iwo-
lisled hall. which may be id\!lllilied as I..... rm.:tory
of I..... mona..ery. The nalure of IDe buildings lha,
~ dialinpishablc. especially IDe rekclory where
lhie mnla could be Wen together by the communi-
1)'. IndicalCS Ihar. the inhabiwrtl of lIM: monastery
li¥Cd in the cenobitic mann,.... ThI!re II"\! no r....
,.11
ma.in<kn of I iUrroundinc ... in ~nce.
alBUOCaAPHY
AbboII. N. n~ MonAS'""",, of 1M F..n ...... ChicaJo,
19l1. .
Kho:>Qhid. M. F. A. CJn""h~,,,d ""cmturenes in IJoe
I'NMtKe 01 ,,'-F~ (in Aral»c). Ph.D. d .... A$-
)'Ul. 1982.
Timm. S. Des cluis,lit;h'lw¢Uclte ~pu.. i.. ,,<abi·
sew «i,. Vol. 2. JIll. 691-'92. Wiedla<kn. 1984.
P'EJu CRossw,o,NN
DAYR DANCD. See Day..- AbU Nilb.
DAYR AL-BARAMOS. [This ~mry CO'1$;511 of
th,u a./ldes: History. Architecture, and Church
Palminp.]
DAYR AL-BARAMOS: History 789
,.
LJ
west 10 ea5l, living quaners. church. and
History
Thi. mon""tery is fanhest 10 the nonhwest in Ihe
monastic colony of Wid'! al·Nllnln (ancient Secli.).
The topoiTaphk allusionl in ancient literature lend
some credence I<> the Statement by the authm- of
the Coptic Ufe of Saint Maelriw (probably of the
eighth century; d. Guillaumonl. 1968-1969. pp.
1112-83) thai Day< al·Baramos nolvcd from the car-
lint monaslic seltlement In Sc\!l.is. U so, the origi-
nal 5CIlI.emem was formed al. 0< ~. IDe si'e of
the ~ I m_ay ~en 330 and J4() by ad-
mirer.! p1hering around MACoOllIllS nu: ECTl'TlMI. aI·
though his name ... remained llPOCiaced Irifh an-
Olhtr monaslery. DAn .v;aA MAIld. The laaer
monastery.,-ew from a wcand StIdemenl of admir-
"'" of Macari... ncar the place Iowan! the easthlt
end of Scetis lO ..iolch he mo\'Cd later in hill life.
The monasr.ery'l "''''''''', a1·ea......lb. i5 .... Anob-
i>:ed form of the Coptic ptUOII1_. which call mean
either "the one of Ihc Roman'" or '"the one 01 the
Romans.... II io concei....b1e thai around the middle
of the fifth cemu.,. the roo....,le.,. was ailed Pa....
meo!i &om _ ..dalion ,,;ith one .....inem Roman. AR·
sailus. ",-1m had been lutor of lhe lwo sons 01 the
empc",," Theodosius l. Ihe future emperors Arca-
dius and Honorius. This Can be lrue only if ABen·
iu•• who went to Sel!ti. around J94 and left around
4l4. is the Romaeu. of the AI"OrHTHEGJ,UTA rAnUM.
who lived for many years near aJ·BaramOs. Howev·
er, in the Coptic Life of MlUIimus and Domitius.
which Wlls composed as Ihe mona:nery·. foundalion
legend, probably in the Ja\\! 6fth century or the
early si~th century, the Romans are not one but
790 DAYR AL·BARAlI.10S: History
'rom
Museu", 01 "fl. \'"", Yo.t.
\lie\<, the lIOnh"ie:lil. Co.",,,S'f TM IftmlpOlil""
1"'0. In 1M Copti<: Itg.. nd, IlUtJon:5 ""0 lXlNmus
an p........nl..d as $0"" of the Roman ..mperor of Ihe
........... V"I<'T1,ini:m t. boch of ".. hon, w..nl 10 Seeln in
1M d:l..., of Macarius tM Ec']Ylian. Ih·..d ,h"", in a
monas,ic cell. died. and ,'.." .... buried ncarbv. Afte.
Ih.. ir dealhs, Macariu•. ""c,,,dinK 10 ,he legend. had
Ihc church built that became Ihe cenl", of ,he mo-
n~'lk ""ulem.. nt and Ihat, at Macari",' Own bid·
ding, ,,"~S IU be called Ihc "Cell of the R.oman~" ill
,hei. nlemu')'.
I\hhough Valentinian had nO known $On', an(l he
cena,nh' had no legitimate -""ns. Maxin,,,s ""ol Do-
miliu. n,ay ha,,,, been historical persons. but of a
IoOmewha, I",,,r period, In the Cop,Ic Uk Ih"l
:r.eem '0 ha,'e been identified wilh Ihe 'wo unid"mi·
fon! fon:illnel'5 in Macari... ' "'nc. The slory of ,he
life and oolh of the§t IOreigners in Secus is found
in ,he ApoplulltgmaJa P",rum (Macari,", ~. 33)
and is esst'f\lially simibr '0 lhal of \fuimus and
Domn,us en the 13I"r Coptic leatnd. ".c"PI 'Of" 1M
abstnct 01 any "'tntion of a church buill Of" a p1ae"
named in their "",morl". Tht Coplic Ufe of Mn~
Inlerior, General ,'iew from southwest endosure,
looking northeas1. C,mrt",y The Melropo{ira>l M"'e·
"~'''IArI,Ne..· York.
mus and Domili... wows an e,iolOiical concen>
,,;th pro,-idinS a ,cason for lilt monagen:'s bein,
calkd ""'ro"",... This may ,... Oec:1 a ''agUe historical
""'lnOI)' of Ih" mo~tn'S associaUon ",th a R0-
man (Ars-en,m) and of his c~ """",i,uion "",r1icr
,,;-,h 1"'0 Roman prine-es. If so. confusion of ."" 1"''0
Roman princes ;n ,.."..,h renltt1lbered .. ories
abou'l Anen_ "tlh the ,wo fore,.""," in Sen.. in
Manrius' .i....., is.1M- product <Jl,m~nali ... SJ>«'U'
lalion. and .heir fullht-r confusion ,,;,h \laxim'"
and Domil;US i:>, Illtn. 1"S1orica1l~' inaccur.l1t. In
any case. Ih" CopllC l"l"nd q,.,,-n ,,,th th.. CoptIC
Uf" of Sain' Macarius in makin, Macariu:< hims.elf
the central figu .... in ,he- orisin o;M ...10 selll"m"n,
from "'hich Oa>r al·BMamUs evoh~.
The hi..orv or Da)'r al·Baram""s through th" cen·
IUries is aim"". "nlin:l~ "ndocu"'ented in hi..orical
records. but Ihe known d.I",ls of Ihe gene,--a] hi<to-
ry of Seet;, are eel1a;nl)" '-al'd lor the history uf
Dayr al-Baran'u$ Like ,he mh"r monastic ".s"'hlish·
men" in SeCtis. It suffered t;m"" of d""",c'ion by
b",barian5. followcd SOOnCr or later by perioos of
reconstruction. In the Cht'istologkal COntroversy
'"at di,·ided tile ~l1lian Monophvsitcs into a party
adhering 10 the "lews of SF.VF.RIJ5 of ~.~T'OCH, led by
th" pa'M",h ntF.oOOSIUS t, and a pany adhering 10
the ~i",,~ of juU~" OP 'UUC~R"MSlJS. led bv {:AU,
...-US. OaH al·l»rantus. like otlltr """"asl"ri"" of lhe
,... II~·. cam" und". ,he conlrol of lhe Ga',mit" fac·
tion among I"" monks. Th" !>tveran folkn.·ers of
1beo<la<illS.... 1>0 had '" lea,... !hei' rnona<l.e"
..,mtl'me be,,,,,,,,,,, SJS and SllO. pme«dtd '0 "".
~ish " man,...e" dedicated to the Virgin ~ a
eoun,,,rpar1 10 lheir onlinaJ """""",,,,'.
w""" Althou&" Ihe rno>nUIe'Y is men.toned in the acca·
;ti""nrits of Widl aJ.'atn.n (bov.n in .....
Middle Alles "" Wid Habib) lhal ha,,, """"" do"n
from th" medieval and ""'rl>' modem periods. lillie
is said of il$ condnion. and nothing is said of "''''nlS
in i~ hist on · ..... i.h ;b I"co" monb in 1088 it ",...
""".-pi lor lhe som""hal ..Iusi,·" "Ca,'e of Mose!l,"
the sma!lcs. of Ihe autonomous eommunitits cnu-
m"",led in a Ii.. of tilt monas,eri"" of ..... adi ai,
l'a!rUn dra...·n up lkal yea. Both the original mon-
as''''Y and its counlerpi.trt. lhe- ,\lon ...."1) of tM
Virgin of fla .... mlls. fOtl~dt!d b~ the disposso.-....,d
theodosian' In Ihe sh'h century. e,iSled ....hen al·
MMlIlIll .... rol~ hl~ Hi.tory o/Ille COpl' around 1440.
but Ih. que~,ion ri...' 5 .... l,e,h", the monastery lhat
has sU""i"ed to the rrc<enl Jay is Ihe original mono
astery or ir, cOU"''''113rt.
While Ihe once ll'''''1 Va,'r Anba Maqa. ,u{fered
panicuiarl) in Ihe general eelip5e of Ihe ancient

monas..~rles or S<e,is after the firs. half of ,II" four·
teenth "enIUN. o..'T a1·BaramUs maimained itS
nu~ ... ~ller than did some of Ihe other II"....,
mOl\&l.lelYS ,hat uhimald~ ... n·i,~. ""'hen Jtan
Thbenot .isited in 1657, hr found ma, J)a'T allbr
a....... had m<>rt monks than .1Ie ot..... monasteries.
and hr :ollnl.....n1 I),;", '0 W ~"..... $ lien".
",''el>ues.. ~rl HuntiJ>llOo:> lound " supconor and
.",ml.·Ii.',. monu 'here in 16715 or 1679. and
Cla>dt Sicllrd in 1712 iound Mt",een ,,,,d.c and
inft!n monb ,hut aDd in Da'T .1-SUn,*n. bul onlv
lhrff or fo.,r in each of the OIiIt. '''''0
monlUteri<'S-
In .M "tiC or Da'T .a!.Bar.>mU$, ,h3t ",unber loft'lI'\$
10 have been "",imained as an •• eraat'. despite
rises and faUs, through ,he "i&h,een,h and nine·
'«nlh "nil"';"". In the laS! 1"'0 decade.. of ,he
ni~leenlh cenlury. ,he monas.te'Y b«.. m" beller
known "mons the COplie fai,hful Ihrough .he !"Opu-
lar .t.eological and apologeticsl publications of Ihe
Syrian Afr;l.m 'Adad. who had become a Illonk Ihere
and ",ho regularly ,igned hi, published ,,"urk....ilh
,he pseudonym "'The Monk of Barnmus." Frllm
Davr .1.!l:I.r:a",,'l. have COrl\~ Ih~ Coptic p"triarchs
CH_ISTOOCltJU'S••'UTrHF.W III. ""Trll~w IV, CVRII
IOII~ );1);.
and CYRIL \1
In 1976 th~re we", ,hin,~li,e monh at Da.'r al
Saram(ls. of "hom ''''enly li'"Cd in ,he mOn3Sl ",·
itself and fifteen w~'" a' it!; <kpendent .:-s,a,,,, in ,....
Interior. Qu... house from the Klu,h st. Courtesy
The Me"opeliu", M"",,,m of An, N Yo,'\;, Phow,,·
roplty by Egyp'iotl &pediliOtl.
DAYR AL-BARAMOS: Architecture 791
1\i1e Del,., .,.- dsc"'here in ,he :.rn'i<:e of th...
church. In recen' ,un ,he rnonast.n· ~ bttn
kno"." for ,he qua)," of,..... callignoph,' and manu-
.r ..-ripl c<>P.o;nK done b\ fCIft>C of ils monks.
A~. F. H,,>,,,,,,, tk~ Mo...."Ure. d" I. B".......·
Erpl", pp. 46-117 (life of Maaori.u). 261-315
(li,~ of Maxim.... lll>d Domi'ius). Annaln du
Mush Cui""" 25. Paris. 189-1
n.c
E.... l~'n-Whtl .... H. G. WonlUlerics 0/ W It,,d,1t
"'''Irf<~, pt 1. TIfe H,uory of lit" Mcm".sle"es 01
Nitric OM <>f Seeli•. :-lew Yon, 1931.
Guil1aumon,. A An,..."," d" I"&ole 1""I"1"e des
Ifouu,> £ludu, $eello" de Se,mus rv:hll.ie"..... 76
(1968- 1969): 182-83
Mein.n!us. 0. "'''''.\;s alta ,\IO>"'.[e,i". of [he Egyp-
/i"" Deserl., PI'· 150-51> (for ,h... recem period
not cove",d In' Evelyn·White). Cairo. 1961.
___ "Zur mona$liso:hen Emeu"rul\8 in de,. kop-
llso:hen Kirehe," 0,;"". CIt,w;o"". 61 (\971):59-
" AHRED COOY, OS.8
V
Archllecture
lik ,he o,ht' ~l'tl.n mona,;'erics. , .... monas·
te,,' of B,uamUs .. surrounded to- a high ,,-all <hal
prescribes .. re<:tanKk ~Ire,~hirll ou, in .. eaSl-""SI
dir«lion. The wall h"", also ~,,-...d the upper
ambula,on, T"ht main tn'.-.net lin on the nonh
sidrc. although th.. monas/trv 100a~ is .--mally en·
,....,d ,h.-.:>ugh a smaliloide door on ,h.. ,,"'51 side. In
con'"'" 10 the OIher troOIlM,eries in Ec\".. ilS in""r
area is hardl,· 'POi1ed b'l new buiJdlnfl and has, as..
eomequtnct. bcsI p.-c-vn'C'd its earlier eha~'tt.
Counyard:s aDd prdtlt$ a~ on '" Ide""... "The risitor
is ..TtcOl"l>"d in a fri"neII, fUOthouso., T"ht ecliJ of
the monb are disltibuled in a nurnb<:r of __os
alanK lhe walls and counvar<b. The "",in church,
okdicalM '0 ,h.. '"'rein "bn, ,he "IlkS! pre:.rrved
church in \Udl aH""!liln. Os l""""•.,d in th.. east:em
half of ,h.. mona......,.. A !>CCood. modern ehu..h is
si,ua,ed ne~t '0 ,he "~'M en,ranc •. Betwttn ,h..
al·'Adh"" church and the nonhem m.~in ga'e is ,he
keq, (ia",.",,) 10 lhe M/U,hw,-", of til<' church, the
oil p'eM, and ,he 'wo refec,or;~, "ei.her of whkh
is in use today.
Th~ aJ-'Adhlil' Church, ,he "hier church "j' ,he
111,,,,aslet)', loda\' he,,,Hv built up, l!O<'s back in its
origins presumablY '0 Ih .. :sewo,h centu')' and i.
,hus the oid"", rcmllinlng Church in Wadi al·
 792 DAYR AL-BARAMUS: Architecture

r- --- -_ _ _. -- -- -._._ _. _. - - -~

•• The Church of Saint John the Baptist was fint

builT at the end of the nineteenth century, being a
, 'It' •
.--------~

lJ*., simple structure with four pillan, in line with the

appearance of mo.t church buildingl! from this per-
iod. As usual, the church contains three altan, At
the west end it has an epiphany tank, the only one
in W:ldI al.Na!r(ln.
fI'1
• ••
, ... _......• I::
As is customary, the lOwer may be elllered from
the south over a retractable drawbridge on the fint
upper Ooor. Passing through its entire length is a
corridor on both .ides of which, right up to the
stain in the from southwest corner, a number of
similar room. are attached. Deserving of notice is
the subterranean spring-found 10 the we.t ouhide
the tower-that enabled the monks to withstand a
long .iege, I{ is difficult to make a decisioll 011 the
dale of Ihe tower. At all events, it is older than the
D other towers .till standing in W~dl al.Na!rUn, al.
\ though it is later than the very simple towen in
KELLlA,
Contemporary visiton are told that a very long
room on the .outh side of the al·'Adh..! ' Church is
the old refectory of the monastery. The room is

I ~~!l>Ii ..
~ . .::.,)....:r1L.:~
Plan of the original basilica at Dayr al-Baramus.
CQUrMsy Peler Gm5Sm"",,_

II II
Nap-"n. In the course of the excavation., which
were carried out in March 1979, the ground plan of
the first basilica could be dete1mined more precise-
II II
ly. It consisted of a th.1e-room sanctuary the cen·
tral main room of which extended east heyond the
rest of the roo=. In the, eighth or early ninth cen·
III
•f1!!!\-
III
tury, in ,""cordance witli the practice at that time,
the church was provided with a khi<rus (room be·
tween the naos and the sanctuary). The r""'onstruc'
tion of the sanctuary was carried out, to judge from
the f01ms of the cupolas, in the late twelfth century.
Finally, at an even later period, the width of the
originally woo-d-covered nave was reduced. in order
10 accommodate a barrel vault over it. The original
single co-lumns were replaced by a series of oblong Plan of the basilin at Dayr al·Bantmus as it appears
pillars gi,'en the form of double columns. today. Courtesy Peru GrO$S",a~".
 DAYR AL-BARMiIOS: Church Painlings 793

Ih, monks of DayI' al-Barami's, In 1988 a French.

Nelherlands Mi",i<Jn started 10 work On lhese paint·
ings. and Ihi, "'ork ",as resumed in 1989.
Three layers of paim have been discovereJ, lhe
olJe", of which has been beS! preser\'ed and seems,
funhennore. of the !:>cSl qualil}. 1'he decoration of
the central apse, h"wevcr. Jale, from a second
....1-1m masler, for whom we unfonunalely have nO dale,
This apse gives 'he usual double theme: 1:><:10,," is all
•• enlhroned Virgin belween lwo archangel, and
ab''''e is an enthnmed ChriS! belween fragments of
'- Ihe fOllr living crealureS and olher angels,
At both sides of Ihis apse we s~.., huge fragments
of apostles. ob'ionsly paimed by the fi,--,t master
and belonging 10 an earlier ap"" COmpo>ilion "f Ihe
same type as de.•eribed abo,'e. Abo"e the Ihree
apostle, al lhe nonhern side. [mg",en" of a SIlCti-
fice of Isaac "'ere found, while al the soulhern ,id~
an impressi,'e scene showing Mclchi'cdek giving"
.p<>on fro'" his chalice to Abraham had been dis-

General plan of Da)" .1·Balam"'. COl<rlesy I'~IU

GroJsma"n.

divided up in!o three domed bays by two pointed

lranwcr:;e arches. A brick t.ble abolll 3 feel (90
em) high oc<'upi"d 'he "nlire length of the room.
P.mllel to it on bmh sid"" arC likewise brick bench·
es, At (he east end of the room Ihere is a lectern
a1<o buill of brick.
A .second, apprrtiably older refectory is found un
the west ""II of the monaStery and is use<! loday as
, a storeroom. It consist, of • square room with a
central oblong pillar from which an:;h .., <pring on
all four sides and dh'ide the r{)Qrn up into four
domed bays approximately the same in si~c_ The
monks Sa' in this 'efectory all benches arranged in
a circle, a practice thaI Seems 10 na,'c been com·
mOn up to lhe end of lhe Fatimid period.

1I1B1IOGRAPHY

Grossmann, P. Miu£!alu.rlich. t..mgnauskuppelki'·

eh,,,. pp. 122-23, fig, 51. Ghickstadl. 1982.
PETER GROSS.'MN.~

Church Pain lings

I" 1986 bv chance huge fragmenls of wall JXIint· Abraham and Melchizedck. Work of the Ii,--,l Masler,
ings in the al··Adhra' Church were disco.-ered by Courte,y !fans I/(}~deli"k
794 DAYR BARJANUS

covered. No olher lraces of paint ha"e been discov·

e,"Cd in this central sanctuary,
In Ih" soud,cm sanc'uary. ''1'0 rows of male
saints haye I:>cen un,O"CTed: on ,hc caSI wall, fTOm
left to righl. Saint Paul the Hermit. Saint Amony
lhe Greal, covere<l by " great v"n. Saint Macarius
the Great, aceompani"d by a cherub, a eeJ1ain SainI
John, Sain' Maximo', and Sain' Dnm;'ius Inscrip'
tions give lheir names
On the somhem wall we see, from left to right,
Ihe lower pans of Saint Pachomius, a monk with a
dark skin (Moscs lhe 8Iack?), Saint Barsum lh"
Syrian, Saint Paphnutiu, 0), and Sain' On()phriu~;
for some w'e ha"e their name, in inscrip'ions. hom
Ihe lirs! master (perhaps as.si.. ed b)' a -s<x:ond paint·
er) we lind hugc pans of a Chrislological cycle in
the ccnll'dl na,·c, On lhc southerll wall of thc navc.
we see fTOm left (cast) 10 right (wcst): thc annuncia·
lion bj-' Gabriel tn the Holy Virgin, the Hal}' Vir'gin
embraeing Elizabelh, fragments of both a Nat;>'ity
",ene and a wedding of Cana (?), and a gTCal com·
position of Christ's entry into Jentsalem, The dis-
co,'cries on ,hc nonhcrn wall arc very poor, e~cept
for important fragmenlS of a SCCne of Pcnte,,'''t a,
the righl ,ide, From lhat we may <:onclude th", in
fa<:t on<:e a complete cycle mUS! ha"e bccn painted
here,
In on" of lhe inlere()lumnia at,hc southern paJ't
of thiS nave a huge ATchangei Michael can be made Barsftm the Syrian (delail), Wo,-k of the Ii,-,;t Master.
oul and, nol far from lhere. a huge cross, painted Coun<.<y Han" H,md<1ink
on dHfer<'m layers.
fc.r the fIrst master we have no oth"r dale Ihan a
pM' quem, given by thc .uppo<;ed l"CCon>!tuClion of painter. on Ihe upper la)'er, i, of much less impor·
the ,anctuaries around BOO. The work of th" third lance, In tile mural, of the lirst masler. Dayr al-
Ilara",,," has gi"en uS work of great quali,y, while
lh" pre,encc of huge parts "f a Chri'lOlogical cycle
h", to be considered a, rather exceptional fat"
medieval Egypt.

DAYR BARJANOS. See Dayr Anb;;: BalJulm

(BarjanO,·Mi n}'a),

DAYR AL-BARSHAH and DAYR AL·

Saint Mary "mbrdeing Eli>-"belh (dc,ail). Work Oflh"
f,rsl Master. Courle.I'Y Harl< Ho>tdelink,
NAKHLAH. [Th~ liFS! name i.' Ih", "f a vill~ge
-<owl, of IJAYR AH(' 'fINNIS. II i, a modo"" ,'illagc,
i"h"bired by COpl, 0" the slle 01 an old mo.ta>!",)-',
oj "';uch-aparl fro", the old church->to pari>
11'<)'/1> me"no~",g haw survived. TI,~ second is Ihal
01 a ,'illage "ear ,he fir>r, Mound "'!rich Im"b hem,i',
ag~, ore "unu,mu,. The lir>! p~n of this mIry Fe-
view, the hi'IO'}' 01 these Iwo dliages, The .eco"d
pari discusses (he archilecr"re 01 b~lh pl~ces,l
 DAYR AL-BARSHAH and DAYR AL-NAKHl.AH; Architecture
History
The church of Dayr al·Banhah is dedica.ed to
AnM Bishoi, According to tradition. Anb~ Bishoi,
monk of SCETIS, Red before Ihe Mazique •. who dev·
asta.ed iketis in 407. along with JOHN COLOIlOO. who
to<>k rduge at Clysma (al-Qulzum). AnhA Bishoi. for
hi. part. Red into the mountain of Antinoopoli.
where he died in 417. His body is said to have been
transferred in the ninth century to Wadi al-Na!riIn,
Dayr al-Bal'$hah is supposed to have been founded
by him (Evelyn·White. 1932. pp. IS8ff.). The same
story is mentioned in the sYNAMRION at 8 Abib. A
description was given by J. M. VILNSLI>B (1677, 1>.
397; 1678, p. 237). E, F, Jomard also gave an ac-
count of it (VoL 4, pp. 324-25). S. Clarke men-
tioned it (1912. p. lSI). as did M, Jullien (Munier.
1940, p. 157).
Ramzl (1953-1963, Vol. 2. pI. 4, p, (6) thought
that Ihe Dayr al-Barshah w"" the Roman military
post called Preht in the Coptic texts-and Abrahal in
the Arabic texts.
Dayr al-Nakhlah i. today a "illage, but was fur.
merly a monastery dedicated, according to M. Jul-
lien (1894. p. 157), to Saint Isaiah the Solitary. Near
the monastery a wadi a kilometer in length bears
the name W.MI al-Nakhlah. It contains numerous
caves or tombs that were inhabited by anchorites.
Vansleb was the fi.-.t European to notice it (1677. p.
396; 1678, p. 237). The caves are mentioned by
Wilkinson (1843, Vol. 2, p, 62), and Jullien (1894,
p. 494) abo described them. Excavations have been
carried out on the 'ite. and the resullS will be
foun<l in Newberry (1873. Vol. 2. pp. 57-04) and
Al)mad Kan!;ll (1901, pp. 221-22), The graffiti and
in",ription, were published by A. H, Sayee (1881-
1882. p. 181; 1886-1887, p. 196) and by J. CI~dal
(1901, p. 102; 1902, pp. 66-67). The Greek te~t'
were published by G. Lef~bvre (1907, p. 43).
The site was described ~Johann Georg (1930, p,
22) and O. Meinardus (19q5. pp. 267-68; 1977, p,
375). It i" not known whether the tombs were oc~u­
pied b}' several hermits 0,' by a more o'llanized
colony of .nchonte,.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Al)mad ""-m5l. "Rapport sur ies rooilles executees a
Deir e1-Bersche." Annal"" d~ Servia des anti-
q~iles de l'Egypl. 2 (1901):206-222.
Clarke. S. Christian A>Iliq~llios in ,h. Nile Valley.
Oxford. 1912.
Cledat, J. "Notes sur la necropole de Bersheh."
B~lIelin de /'I"5Iil'" Imm;ais d'Archeologie o,-,en·
rale I (1901),101-102,
795
___. "Note" archeologiques et philologique•. "
Bulletin d. 1'/ns1i1ut f,an"ais d'Archiologie orien-
rate 2 (1902):41-70.
Evelyn-White. H. G. The History of Ihe Monas/erits
of Nltria and of Seell,. Pt. 2. The Monas,"'ies of
the W~di 'n Nal,un. New York, 1932,
Johann Georg, Duke of Sa.ony. Neue S/"ifzi<ge
du,,,h die ((i,,,h.n und ((/iJster Agypl€>l$. Leipzig
and Berlin. 1930.
Jomard. E F. Descriplion de t'Egyple, Vol. 4. Pari,.
1822-1826.
Jullien. M, Los Gmlus de la Ba"e Thebarde. Lyons,
IS94.
Lefebvre, G. Rec~eil des inscriptions "hriilienne'
d'Egyple. Cairo. 1907.
Meinardus, 0110. Christian Egypl. Ancien! and Mod·
em. Cairo, 1965~ 2nd ed.. 1977.
Mul)ammad Ramz!. A/·Qam'" ai-i"ghr~f! /i/·biMd al
Mifriyyah. 3 vol•. Cairo, 1953-1968.
Muoier. H. "I.es Monuments coptes <I'apres les ex·
ploration. du pere Michel Jullieo." BuTh/ln de la
Soeiiili d'Archiologie eoplf 6 (1940),141-6g.
Newberry, P. E, Ed Bushek, 2 vol" Archeological
.u,,''")' of Egypt. e<l. F. Griffith. With appendix,
plans an<l measurement of tomb, by G, Willough-
by Fra2er, London, 1873.
Sa)'ee, A. H. "Coptic and Early Christian Inscnp-
tion. in Upper Egypt." Proudings o/Ihe Society
of Bibli"al Archaeology 4 (1881 - 1882): 11 7-23.
___ "Da1e<l Inscription, of Amenophis 111." Pro·
"udi"gs of Ihe Sociely of Biblical Archae%gy 9
(1886- 1887), 195-97.
Vansleb, J, M. Nouvelle Relation ... forme d. iour.
nal d'un voJoge fo;t en Egypl' en /671 el 1673.
Paris, 1677. Translated as The Presem SIOle of
Egyp/, Lon<lon, 1678.
Wilkinson, G. Modem Egypl and Thebes. Vol. 2.
LonOOn. 1843.
RENt-GEORCI'S COQUIN
MAURICe MARTI". S,J,
Architecture
Se"e.-..I neglected monk.' dwellings ",ith crosse.
an<l inscription, in the pharaonic quarries and
gra\'es of the a<ljacent WadI al·Nakhlah point to the
former existence of a monastic settlement in thi'
place (Newberry. 1873. 57.62ff,).
The Church of Anbll. Bishoi in Dayr al-Barshah is
essentially a mo<Iern building. but at I""st some
pans go back to an ol<1er foundalion. which can
perhaps be date<l from the twelfth or thirteenth
century. The northern 'ection especially, with the
apse. the khums (room between the naos and the
sanctuary). and both the mid<lle pillars in the naos,
796 DAYR BARSOM AL-IRYAN

DAYR BAWLOS. SU Monasl.1its olili. Upper

Sa'i<!.

DA YR BI't-MABASH (Monastel)" in the Quaner

of the Elhiopians). Tht:. lim foundation ollhe Mus-
lims on the site known .. al·fuJ!.Al-lhat la.
modem-day Old Cairo-induded to the touth a
pool thai ....,. called lhc Pool of the Ethiopia... (il ia
DOl known where lhe name comes from). This ap-
pdlation is anci'D1, for II It Ii""n by al-5l1lbushtT
(I939, pp. 13 [text]. 25 (t........ ]). "'ho died at the
end of the tenth cenlUl)" or beainnln, ol d>t: el.",..
enth. Thit pool. (now dried up) cue lhe name "of
tht: Ethiopians" to the sunoundi". lIC'ishborhood:
oonsequentl,. people came to speaJ,; of "the Mooa$o
tel)" (in the q\lH1n) of the Ethiopiana." s.,.'C1'aI
mooa:ueries may ha"e borne lhis litle. because lhey
Wft"< """"' or less. adjaccno: 10 the pool. This "'a$
the cast ""ith u.e DoIn. .u..HASf(lJ. Ihe IMn .u.-T!Il.
and the Dayr of Saini Viaor, allhoustl 1M latter
pla=-name is mentioned all a day. only in a sincle
..itncso. a manmcrip in Paris (National Libnry,
At3be 111; cf. Troupe-' 1972. Vof. I. P. 156, (1045
181} I). E"n)wbere clse il III memlont:d as beln, a
church. It lhoelefou ...,mains doubIfullhat ill was a
8n1uine d(rff",

Ftan olthe church ol Anbi Bisboi. Da.)T a1-Banhah..
Co.muy Peler Grossrroor.....
BIBLIOGRAPHY
~. al-. "Some EcJ>!ian MOnaslene. Acco.et-
ing to u.e 1h:Ipubiished MS ol al-5h1bushn's
'1GIib ",-o;)'a"'.I;" lmrtS. and ed. A. S. Atiya. 8 ../-
~Iin J. ,,, Sociill d"Arrlrtolotft. cop'" 5 (1939):1-

mighl be original. The uu 10\1 Ihe 1m n«1 10 the ".

Troupcau. G_ C.......top.e du ..." .......,ril1 ..r .. bu, Vol.
apse has kept lis old form. a simple side moon of

bul it is now furnished as. a I.

tht: a..... and is rt:aChed thl'O<lJh an ordinal)" door,
(Y.oO$OLlII) "'ith
many paintings. n...,ide: openi",lhal connects d>t:
I. M<UU<Sl'riL< cl,rllit:ns. Parlt. 1972.
R£>.'1:.GooacB COQUI...

room willi Ihe apse Krvn ., an area for women to

rect:i"" communion. By ~ SUI;r ;n Ihe ouI.,... north·
ern a;.M: al about the ht:1lbl olthe khilt'''s panilion
DA YR AL-BI$RAH (Bu,rah) ~Y'lI). (nis '''1')'
wall. the Kl-Called upper church is reacMd. a <;O"S;SI< of I"." IN'MS: 1M h;.lrory of ,his _<lSI<')'.
ptlrtl<J:/utoPl from a laler lime. 'mli us ,..<;II;/<CI""",)
818L1OGRAPHY

Grossmann. p, Millelallt./lch. La"ghauJkuppglhr. History

ch.n. pp. 39ff. GIUcUtadl. 1982.
Meinardus, 0, Chrisria» EVPI. And... r and Mod.rn,
pp. 267ft". Cairo. 196~.
DAYR BARSUM AL·IRYAN, SU Pil,rirnaIlOi.
Inyr ~1·Bi,~h i. a small Coplic vill••e on Ihe
righl bank of Ih. Nil •. .auth of the nll'emily of Ihe
ba.o;in of Abnub. al Ih. place where tn.. mountaim
are v.ry dose 10 Ihe Nile, oppo.ite Shu!b, Ihe
homeland of lhe falher of SaIni THooooaus "Ihe
Gen.~l" (sl."rd"les) accordinl 10 Ih. Coptic lUIS,
The oldesl docum.nu m.ntionin, thil site are

Coplio; 181S rcbling 10 Saint Theodone. Wbrthu
IMy are in Sahidic or Bohairic, IMy ImmOon "Ihe
pon of hphor of Shot.~ E. QlIoHu.MW wished 10
idomliry lhe '"uer ..ith o.yr B~ (1812, p. H). ....0
$oWl;! me Aa.IWIIAII (18'15, p. 2.7). at the beginni....
of !he ,hin«ntll unlUf}'. knew lWO pIao:es dtdicar.·
ed Ml $aim n-.donJs. One stood on the left bank
a1 Shu.!b and contained the reliQ of Itte sainl-
Dayr Aba aI-San. He >em:lO here 10 I\a"e eop;.ed !he
HlSTllaY Of" THE PIl'lll.l.aOlS OF TlIf. ECTl"flA.'i CHUJOI
(Vol. 2, pL 3. pp. 227 (In'1 360 [uans.]). ",ltkh
oonwru • lisl of the rdics of OIlintl in £cypI IlDd
menlions I~ oJ 11>eodorus "in the Monutery of
Abo al-sa", al ShuJb_" 1be s«ond monll$lCf}' nored
by Abo $ilil] "'as AbU a1·~r (or lbrodonts).
",hkh he placed on me <Wil bank. AI·Maqrtzl, be-
fore 14ft. did in&r:d know the Montilery of Abo
al&1'I and pla<:rd it on the rilhl bank, a lillie 10 Ihe
nOMh of al·"""sar.lh, bul he »id Ihal il was dedicat·
ed Lo Saini CEQIt(;I!. He placed lhe Mocond man.,·
tery on lhe IeI'! Nnk below that of Saint SIlVUlI$
(1853. Vol. 2. pp. 503, 5(6).
J, VMIS1.£B mentioned on tile east bank "the
church of Saint Theodore. J11;ll1yr, .tQn of John ill
8<lYI"," (lb77, p. 361; 1678. p. 217). Quillre""'re
knew only Varaleb'~ ~ alld wggeMed idenliry·
inC il ",illt the Paphor of lhe Coptic tulS (1812, p.
33). S. Clarke, in his lisl olme churches. cited .1
~ 1....1 of Theodoooe the Gene",1 (1912. p. 210,
no. 14).
"" aneicnl ~lda ha5 been publisheod thool deriVQ
from lhe eemeIerJ adjacenl 10 lhis church (Lefe.
boon. 19U, Vol. IS, pp. 125-26). ~ described
Ille Y\lbeellDd the chureh (1923, pp. 196-201),.-
..i1houl lOme fan_its, for there it no painl"",
IlI8UOG1lM'l'IY
8eloI-Wt, C. A "">'en' la Haule-£otne. A1en~,
1923. • he ...... tII"""'1 inlo • bathltouse furttaCf',
C\.a.rke, S. CJuUtiJ,1I ~wtirs u. IN Nilr Va/ky.
Olioi'll, 1912-
~. G. "Nouvelle serie d';nKriptioru copI<:$
0'1 cncques." An.. al.... dll"Savicr de. anfiq..iru dO'
l'EDPle 15 (1915):1I2-3~.
Qua,remfte. E. Obsrrvetio..s mr quelqwrs pamls dO'
la Iksraphu de I'ED"'" pour ..,,,,ir dO' wpplr·
"'0'''' "ux
Mi",o;res hi.lonqu.... • 1 geo,",phiques
sur rEr}'pl. rI sur qurlques conlrtes voisinrs. Pa..
Is, 1812.
Van.leb, J. M. Nouvelle ReInlie", en formr de lou"
nal d'u., voyagr lalte., Egyplr. Paris. 1677. Tran•.
Ialed as The P'es.n/ Stat. 01 Egypt, London, 1678.
RENt·GEORGES COI)I}IIl
MAURie! MARTIN, SJ.
DAYR BUOTUR OF SHO 797
An;:hll«ture
The church at Dayr a!·B~rah Is dedicalN to The-
<>donas the ~Mf'll1. who. KCOrd'lI.& 10 local lradi-
lion. he~ ""lfered J11;lrtyrdom and W3S buried.
From me arcltilcctunl polnl of.-lew, it is a mockrn
four-cotumnrd ltuildinc ..itllihe usual til""" sarol'h..
aries. Howeveo-. il preslJmably standi on the >itt ~
:an older ch~h (Vanalrb. 1677, p. 361). Early
Cltriotian lpOiia ha..., been ""ill inlo many bous.es
in Da~T a!'B~, and these ~ dm.... &om tIIis
older buildinA- The church iu.elf con",iD$ some old
icon•. Also, a few inscriptions from this place are
kno...n (lLIeb...--e. 1915. pp, IlS-26).
INIlUOCIlAPIn'
I1khvre. G. "Nouvelle sene d'inocription. cople.
el grccques." A....alrs au Servk" d•• a"t;quilts d.
fED'p'r IS (1915):112-39.
Timm, S. Da. christ!ich·/cr>pt;s(h. Aml<n in ara·
l>ischer Zeit. Vol. 2, Pl'. 696-98. Wi....baden. 1984.
Vansleb. J. M. Nouvellr Relation ... form. d. iour·
"al d'ull ""yage fait en Evple. Paris. 1677. T,."n.·
laled as Th. Prese'll Stal. of Egypt. London. 1678.
PETEJ. GJ.OSSMANN:
DA YR BU MAGHAM, See Dayr AbU Bifim
(lima).
DAYR BUOTlJR OF SHOo This molUl5tery, of
which lIOthil1ll remains bul thO' church rebuilt in
the sixleenth century, Is atlua.ed on lite right baok
01 me Nil. about 3 milel (5 kJrl) nonh of AbOOb. in
!he direction of I».YJ. AL-l.........1. II .. doetl>c:ated '0
SainL VICTO\I (8o.>Q!ur). a soldir, in me ron of Sh"
who _ martyred a, MilsU on lhe kft bank. ..-bere
The church of BuQlur 01 St.il Is 10 the east a1 the
rdgt oJ the .il1a&r called Dayr Silo (Ra....'l, 1953-
1963. Vol. 2. p'. 4. p, 6. menlioru tile village bul n01
the church). The SYlio\X.U.lOIi al 5 Ki)'altk .mn 10
the ron ol SItu where VKtor was a ..,ldier and I"
Miisha. where he was mlrtyt'ed, and ~re a church
WIS uecled. 11 Is perhaps this monast.ry ...i>kh ..80
~l! die.; he a1~ rnenlion. j~ relics. AI·IMOJ.lzl
(d. 1441) rnen(ion.lhe monQt..,'Y but adds that il i.
already abandoned (1853, Vol. 2. p. 503). H.., also
nol..,s th.., church al MOshA. and wriles {hal il is
construcled over' halh (pp. 518-19).
It was in the m<.>nl!lll~ry of Saini Vic lor th<>t in
Ianuary 1597 Palriarch GAeRlE!. VIlI signed Ih.., Acl
798 DAYR BUTRUS WA BOLUS
of Union of the COplic church with Ihe Roman
chu<ch, which""", p<esented to Pope Clement VIII
by a delegation of Coptic priests (d, Buri, 1931,
and Rabbat, 19(5); but il ;,; nol clear whelher Ihis
refers 10 Dayr Buq\u< of Shil or 10 Da)'r al'Jab<awl.
J. Vansleb in 1673 SilW only the church al
"Musie," bul curiously adds Ihat it is thai of Victor
of "Sciu which W3S near Abniib and today mined"
(1677, p. 366; Eng. tmns., 1678, p. 210). S. Cla<ke
mentions the church, but in his list in English the
titles of the churches of Dayr Buq!ut of Shii and
Dayr a1·Jab<awl must be in\'ened (1912, p. 210, nos.
24-25)_ O. Meinardus describes the present slate of
this church (1965, pp. 278-79; 1977, pp, 387-88).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Buri, V. L'uni"n< de 10 dtiesa copra con R"ma ,otlO
Cleme"te VIIl. Orientalia Christiana 23, pt. 2.
Rome, 1931.
Clarke, S. Chri'tltm Ant;quities in the Nile Volley.
London, 1912,
Meinardus, O. Chr;'Iw." Egypt, Ancient and Modem.
Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed" Cairo, 1977.
Rabbat, A. Documenrs intdits pour seTVir a I'M,lo;,e
du chri'lionisme .n Orienl, Vol. I, Pl'. 194-314.
Beirut, 1905.
Rarnzl, M. AI.Q~mus ol·Jughr~fl lil·Bilild 01 .\14-
rlyyoh, 3 vols. Cairo, 1953-1968.
Vansleb, J. M, Nouvelle relation en forme d. iournal
d'un voyage fait en Egypu en 1612 tl 1673. Paris,
1677. Translated as The I'resU!I Stote of Egypt.
London, 1678.
RENE-GEORGES COQUIN
MAURICE MARTIN, S.J.
DAYR BUTRUS WA B{JLUS. S~e Dayr al·
~riyyah.
DAYR COLLUTHUs! Sa Monasteries of the
Upper $a·ld, ' sieele. Paris, 1900.
DAYR DHAT AL-SAFA. See Monasleries of the
Fa))1lm.
DAYR AL_DIK. [Thl' monastery, now in ",in', i,
,Irumed"n the righE bank 01 the Nile, a good hour',
w"lk 10 II.. norlh 01 Al'/TtNOOPOUS. There were aIm
on the edge of Ihe river SOme cell, filled up wlr}, a
church in caves in the cliffs thai overhang the river.)
History
The monastery of Dayr al·Dik is cited, but without
any name, in the atlas of the Description de {'Egypte
(1821-1829, pI. 14: Wilkinson, 1843, Vol. 2, p. 57;
Maspero, 1891, p. 521).
On the other hand, the excavations by GAYET in
1898-1899 in "the cemetery of Deir al.Dyk" were
made fanher to the &outh, in tho necropolis placed
al tbe foot of the DAn AL-NA!jI.R1. tbe confusion
betw..,n the two place-fiames having already been
made by WilkInson (1843, VoL 2, pp, 60-61: "'" the
descriptions of Lefebvre, 1910, pp, 260-70;
Leclercq, 1907-1939, Vol. 4, cols, 250lff.)
The rod church of the tau", was described by J.
CLE.DAT (1902, PI'. 68-69). Some inscriptions we<'
collected and ptlblished by S, Donadoni (1959, PI'.
479-87). The ,,"'hole was described by 0, Mcinardus
(1977, p. 369) and abo"e all by M. Manin (1971); C.
E. Wahen; (1974, p. (08) proposed to see in the
series of the g<eat quarries, which no doubt shel-
tered the communal services of the laura, a simple
hennitage similar to those of tSN~ 0< KELlJA. But the
much greate< dimensions and the complexity of the
whole are again.t this.
The laura rna)' date from the sixth cemury, but
the monastery is wilhout doubt later. Neilher ABU
$AL.tl;l -mE ARMENIAN nor al'MAORlzl seems to have
known il. Probably It had already heen destroyed or
abandoned well before the thincenth century with
lhe dedin. of Aminoopolis.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cledat, J. "Notes archeologiques et philologiques."
B"II.tln de /'b1SlitUi fran,ais d'A'c},iolog" orien·
I"le I (1901):87-97; 2 (1902);41-70,
Description de I'Egypte. Paris, 1821-1829.
Donadoni, S. "Epigrafia millore di AllIinoe." 1n
Siudi In Onore di Carderi"i e I'aribeni, VoL 2, pp.
479-87. Milan, 1959.
Gayel, A. i.e Costume en Eg>'pte du ill' au X/ff'
Lederq, H. "Egypte." In Dlctionn";" d'arcl-!eologie
chrilien"e el de Illurgk Vol. 4, pt. 2, cd. F. Cab·
rol, Paris, 1907-1939,
ufebvre, G. "Egypt" chn':tienn.,." Annales du SeTV-
ice des amiquil';' de I'Egyple 10 (1910):260-84.
Martin, M, La Laure de Der al Dit it Anrinot. Biblio-
theque des eludes coptes 8. Cairo, 1971.
Maspero, G. "Notes au jour Ie joUL" Proceedings 01
the Sod"ryo! Biblical Archaeology 13 (1891), 298~
315,407-37,496-525.
Meinardu., O. Christian Egypl, Andenl and Modern,
2nd cd. Cairo, 1977.

Walters, C. C. Mo~as/ic Archaeolop I~ EUpl. War-
min'ter, 1974.
Wilkin.on, G. Egypl and Thebes. Vols. 1-2, Lc~don.
1843.
RE..'1ltGWRGES COQUtN
t MAURICE MARTIN, SJ.
Architecture
A late Roman military camp i' .ituated dose to
the river; exten.ive sections of it. surrounding wall.
with its rounded come"" as well as pan. of the
buildings in$ide, ha,'e been preserved. It would ap-
pear that after the AMB CONQUEST OF EGYPT the corn·
plex was convened into a mo"astery. From the fi"'t
, period, remainders of the living quarters on the
Tl()rth wall and a cruciform apsidal struclure ,,"'ith
four square rOOmS in the corners have survived.
From the monastery' period comes a single·aisle
hall, which still remains standing and which i. sub·
divided into a number of baY'" by Iran,verse wall.
proje<:ting from both .ides. Some 110 yards (100 m)
east of the camp on the upper mountain slope are
numerou, quarry ca"eS that in the early Chri<tian
period were converted by monks into li,ing quar·
lers and .mall chapels. There can be no doubl that
these monks were connected with the later i"habi.
tants of Da)'r al.Dlk or $euled there themselves after
the depanure of the troops.
BIBLIOGRAI"HY
Grossmann. P, "Neue lii.ihchristliche Funde auS
Ag)'pten," Acres d~ xr CO"lJr~s I,.,rernal;onal
d'aych~ololJl. chri:/le~,.,e. Lyo~, 21-28 seprembre
f986. Vol. 2. p. 1870. fig. I!. Paris, 1989,
Martin, M, La La~," de Df-r al Dfk II Amino". Biblio-
tht-<jue des etudes copte. S. Cairo, 1971.
PeTER GROSS.\lA~N
-\
DAYR DlMOSHIYYAH:.Su Monasterie. of the
- Fayyi1m.
DAYR DISYA. See Monasteries of the Fayyi1m,
DAYR DURUNKAH, today the church of the
Holy Virgin near the village called Dayr Durunkah,
to di<tingui,h it from the more imponant village
called D-urunkah. It is situated about 6 miles (10
1
•
DAYR DURUNKAH 799
km) southwest of ASvOT on the edge of the moun-
tain in the quarries and tomb•.
ABO 'jAUij TK£ AJU,.E.NtAN (beginning of the thir·
teenth century') mention, a church in the region of
Ourunkah and three monasteries (pp. 2SO~51) dedi-
cated to the Holy Virgin, that of Oarl'unah. near the
Monastery of Saint Severos, it ""ems, and those of
kilun and Abu Hanth,
AI'M~QRtzt (d. 1441) devote, a fairly long notice
to the monaslerie. of the region of Dunmkah. and
mentions three that bore the name of the Holy
Virgin: Oarl'unah. Saint S.cvent., and Isaac (1853.
Vol. 2, p. 5(6), The one where the church i••till
standing perhaps corre.ponds to the monaste!)' that
Abo ~Alih and al·Maqrlzl call Oarfflnah. Al-Maqrlzl
explains that the name comes from the Greek gm_
!()n and means "scribe" because this monastery had
• famous scriptorium for the eopying of manu·
""ripts. In fact, there exists a manuscri", from the
library of Da)T al-Abyad that .....as wrillen there. as
its colophon show. (van Lantschoot. 1929. no. 69,
!a:le. 2. p. 47). A very archaic funerary <tela proba-
bly comes from thi' monastery. In fact. it cames
the very name, "monastery of the scribe." (Elanslta·
ya, 1975-1976, pp. 221-22). This would indicate
that the monaste!)' i. very old.
The inscription. and graffiti ha\'e been published
by the foll<:>wing authors, F. L Griffith (1889. pI.
19); Al)ma<l KamAl (19i6); A. J. Cayet (1900, pp.
53ff.; Gayet .peaks of the le~tiles found in the ceme-
tery); and G. Ma.pero (1893, p. 208). The travelers
J. VAN$LE.B (1677. pp. 364, 394-95; Eng. ed.. 1678.
pp. 218. 227) and M, JUW£N (1901, p. 213) have
described Ihe 'ite. The present state is given hy O.
Meinardu. (1965, p. 384; 1977, pp. 394-95),
Today, Dayr Duntnkah i. a place of pilgrimage.
the mawlid (binhday) of which i. held from 1 to 16
Misra (MuY""r, 1979, pp, 52-53). The church was
reconstructed in 1955. A good description of the
ancient Slate is given hy S. Clarke (1912. p. 175).
BIBL1OG~"PHV
Al)mad KamAl, "Fouilles a Deir Dronka .. a Assuit."
An,.,ales du Servic. des a",iquites de I"Egypre 16
(1916)'64-66.
Clarke, S, The Chris/ia,., Amiqu;ties in /he Nile Val·
ley. l.<Jndo~, 1912.
Elansltaya. A. J. "Quelque. ,teles copte. des musees
de Leningrad et de Moscou," Orie,.,,,,lis Lovanien-
sia Per;odlCt' 6/7 (l975-1976):215~22.
Ga}d, A. J. Le Cos/ume en Egyp/. du me au XlIIe
siede. Paris, 1900,
800 DAYR EBIFANIA
Grlffi'h. F. L n.~ 1Pf$t:Tiplions 0/ 5il<I l"Id DI. RIM•.
london. 1889.
Jullien. M. "" Ifn~ Ie!; ruina de Ia Hau,e EI}-pte
, I. recherche de Ia Il"OO10 doe 1'1!bW Jean."
Et..des 88 (1901):205-217.
LanfKhooc. A. VllR. lUc.. ~it du coIopho", des m....-
"KriU drriMIU d·Emte. Biblic:lcMque du Mu·
Iokm I. Lou....";,,. 1929.
Maspft"o, CO. El"d.u tk ...,r~ ~I d'Ut:"~
ifypMt!ne, Vol. I. I'aris, 18H,
Mdnardus. O. ChrisIUu> Em'. A~nt ....d Jdr;>de....
c.iro, 11lM; 2nd ed, Cairo, 1917.
Vall:lold>, J. M. Nou.-eUe u/<Iriofr .... /onru de jou....1
trIO" ...",.,e"'l1 ~ .. EIOPI. ~n 1671 10' 1673. 1"llriI,
1677. Tramb.e<! :IS T1re Preunl 5'.'10 01 EfYPl.
I..Qndon, 1678.
REsltCr.o.cU COOlIIN
M.ouu:;!! MAlTfll, S.J.
DAYR EBIFANIA, The of Ih. CopI~.
SYNAXAR/ON
In liS r«ension frorn lower Egypt, Indicares Ihal
the patriarch PETER IV, Ihiny·founh patriarch of AI·
exandria. lived in rhi~ Monaste')' of Ihe Epiphany
aher h. dec.ion bttau.., of political and rdi,ious
circumstances. The monastery, i. is said, was .ilual·
ed 10 the south of mat of UlATO"'. in tm. MartOlis
~Jion. Unfonunalely the copyisu misrranalaled the
COred: name. and in !he manuscripts used by R.
Basset and J. FOJ'l1'I i. ~came in ",",bic .ranscrip-
.ion the Monastery of al-filniyah or "nbinlyah.
Only the Calro edilion of'Abd aJ-Masl" Mlltha11 ""d
AnnlniyUs I:bl-hl Shata a1-Binn!wf (19JS-1937;
~pr., 1972, Vol. 2, p. 376). ~ the I""" read·
inc. wt.kh was thai of 1lw: manU$CriptIIl>Sed. Ub-
wise, the moat lUIC>oenl rnanllSCripi. <bU... from
1470 (M"',,,,,. Ard>. Chrisl. lS2 (Add. 267~ foI.
275. 25 !la'UrIah), """" .mj<lrrUJ.
funhennore, Abu a1·hlabrim, "" . .tho, .. the
md 01 the Iwdfth ~ and hqinnin, of the
!hin,.".n"', mentions a mo_ry '"of .... qlliphany"
in the Manolis area (198'1, p. 174), A lis! or the
church~ and ~ries or fcyp. had already
been ,i~n afIer Abii ai·Makirirn·• •U. by Phil·
Qthh....:i. '''wad in Simaybh (1930-1932. Vol. 2. p.
240), which cani... the s:unt: lui.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
'Abel al·Masl", MiW·il. and Annf.nlyils l;I"bashl
Sh"!A al·8innawl, eds. AI·S;"aks4r. 2 vol•. Cairo,
1935-1937.
Abo al·Maldrim. Tiirlkh al·Kafl<1'u wa ai·Ady/Talt tr
1l1·0.", .1·P.ii'" 'A.haT .I-AI!llidl 11.,(/11 .1·
MIlUrim, ed. Samu'll al--SuryAnl. Cairo. 19M.
Simaykah, M. Dam .1-M.,J,4f.1 O~, 2 >'olL Cairo.
1930-1932.
RENt-GEoRGES Cooum
MAIlIl,f(! MAIm"" SJ.
DAYR EPIPHANIUS, a ,mall ~horilic
commullitJ thai u~ around ~1lO-640 on !he
WHoly Hill of 0j0erM- (M.adilW HJ,bol) in Wtstern
Tbebes in Upper f«ypI, The hoenniu who dwelled
thn-r: had, liU u-e In l'oeil.., NiIria. and Scelis.
bmoed. a Iau... around u.. cell of a Monopb}""e
CopIio: anchori'e. In Ibis case, il was Eplphani...
who had taken up res.idoence in !he s.:....,nth Dynas-
ty 10mb of Ihe vizier Dap. The n.e, tint idoell.lfied
in 1820 by Yanni AlhanasI, was thoroua;Myexca'...'·
ed by the ....1f or Ne.... Yo",', Men""oli...n Museu'"
of Art in 1912 and 1914. n". mosl imponam of the
artifacts discovered are today fQUnd in Ih. Melro·
pollan Mu,,",um of An and Ihe Cairo Museum.
As lndicaled by Ih. terms of .. sevenlh-cenlury
will in which a cenaln Jacob and Elias bequeathed
Ihe 10pOS (site) of the monUle')' 10 anOlhe, monk
named Stephen. lhe boundaries of lhe whole com·
muoily encompassed aboul 47 acres. This lracl w"'"
on the 5OUth"'nlem slopes of wh"l is loda)' known
as Shaykh 'Abd a.I·Qumah Hill. near the rnod«n
villages of Oumah and !la'art•. It provided ,he: her-
milS with a lood '""' or II>c: Nile River. the neigh·
boring sOle of .he Monascoery 01 Cyriacus. and the
major lrack 10 Oayr al·8aI)a.rt. The- mQUth of Ihe
Va!ky or the Kinp near the Nile lay approximately
" mile 10 the noro-..
Found within the boundaries of the MonasJ:ery of
Epiphann.. ....,..,. "ct-lli... pbcu" located in the
entrllnces 10. and Inloerioc's 01, .... d)~le IOmbs. as
wd.l as some: I_my lIoepan.le roomos wi!h ..-..JI~ or
brick and/or alOne. Duri... the life or lbe communi·
Iy, IWO ~ or kcqJlf, were buill 10 provide plac·
es or vicil and rftu~ 1M lim. 011 ,,-bleh Epi·
phanius hi'melf had worked. was 3J r~t:! (10 m)
square a, the base .nd some SO feet (16 m) hish.
Tbe oecond was no! . . ..II. E"idoenc:e uncOV'l:red
indicates thai some monb d ....,lled in cells withIn
these koeoeps. Interoes.;n,ly. no lraces of a church or
a COmmon ealing place ha..., been unco,..,red. Th~
enlire complex was "-ll'r'OOndoed by a brick ....all
.ome 2.75 feet (70 cm) thick, to which there "'...
Iatu added an .....Iem euension. The wall had Iwo
enlr:onc.... (one on the nst side and Ih. Olhe, on Ihe
nonh. lylnc beyond lh...e ~ntrances were thrce
cells Ihat were probably occupied by members of
lbe monaslic community. Also QU..ide the bounda·
ry wall. on the northweSi ,ide of Ihe monasle')'.
, DAYR EPIPHANIUS
"'alla ,mall cemet"')' thaI contained a maximum of
de.'en graves. Because lh. lotal population of lh.
community seems 10 have bee .. larger (",me fifty-
he differem names art found in lexls recoveud). it
is probable that only prominent members of the
monastery were buried there, and the rest, else-
, where.
As is tme of most of lhe anchorite seillernents in
Upper EIlYPl. a precis. date for lh. founding of lhe
community of Epipilaniuo nnnot be established. Its
general historical d.\'e1opmem, however, can be,..,-
constructe<!. Analysis of .urvi"ing literary remains
led Winlock and Crum (1926. Pl. I, pp. xxvi, 220) to
conclude that Epiphanius himself arrived althe Hill
• of Djem. around. or ju.l prior to. the beginning of
,h" sixth cemury. At thai time, as indicated in sev-
, eraJ OSlraca, his contemporaries and perhaps preJe..
c."wrs would have been other anchorites: Apa Me>-
.e$, Apa John, Enoch, Apa Victor. Epiphanius
hj~lf may haw gone there from a cenobitic mo-
nastic community in Upper Egypt that had been
formed on the Pachomian mooe!. (f so, he may
have be<:n seeking a more solitary life, emulating
Christ's own retreat 10 do banle with temptation in
the wildernesa,
Epiphanius probably suppol1ed himself by vari-
ous humble crafts, such as spinning, weaving, mal<-
ing ropes and mats, and doinil leather work. Over
time, his repulation fo. piety, wise counsel, and
perhaps miracles of healing grew. Other hermits
were allracted to him. Lay persons and fellow
monks engaged him in a growinil correspondence,
seekinil his help and prayerful interceosion regard·
ing such i",ues as sickneos, bereavement, imprison-
menl, hunger, povel1y, and sah'3tion itself. Ci,k
, officials in nearby Djeme. bishops such as PISI;/<T'!JS
of Coptos. and fellow monks inneasingly addressed
him as one revered and venented. as one who had
the power to benefit them. Though he is never ad-
dre",ed with the title of an~,onnal office. it is clear
that Epiphanius exercised some type of headship
over the monaatic community. His cOlTeSpondents
referred to him with such appellations as "holy fa·
ther:· he ",hat truly beareth· Christ·' and p"e"mato-
for05, "perfect in all vinues," "the new psalmisl:'
and "the prophet:' In turn. these correspondents
onen referred to themselves /15 his "humblest ser-
,'anlS" who venerate the du.1 of his reel and even
his footprints. Followinil hi. death. pilgrim. t<> the
tomb "r Daga left graffiti on the wall. that invole
the help of Epiphaniu. in seeking God·. bvo•.
There is also ,,",'idence, however, that the revered
, anchorite w,," not left isolated from imponanl
events in the larger world beyond We$tem Thebes.
J
801
Three letters allude to "Persians·· arriving. occupy-
inil. and then being evacuated from Ihe Theban
area. When ,..,ad in light of other wrilings found in
the monastery ruins-writings from DAMIAN (patri-
arch at Alexandria in 569-605), Pisentius of Copt"",
and Apa Abl"aham (bish"p of Ermont and head of
the Monastery of Saim Phoibamrnon at Dayr al-
Hahart in Ihe early sev~nth eentury)-these allu-
sions clearly refer t<> the Persian occupation of
Egypt under Chosroes II in 616-628, During Ihal
period, accoI'ding to his extant biog;aphy, Pisentius
or Coptos fled southwaI'd to Djeme. There he proba-
bly took refuge wilh his revered friend Epiphanius
prior to hiding out in a rod tomb in the desert,
po$$ibly in the Valley of the King•. Many letters
addressed 10 the bishop were preserved by Epi-
phanius, who appears to ha_e acted as a go-belween
and Ihus seems to have engaged in a form of pas-
sive resi$tance I" the Persian •.
Since the will left by Apa Jacob and Apa Elias in
the first half of Ihe se_enth century speaks of both
Epiphanius and his disciple and mccesaor Apa Psan
as now deceased, il is possible that Epiphanius died
before .he end of the Persian occupation. Complete
.ilence about the A",bs in lite",ry remnanta from
the monaslery seems to indicate that after the death
of Epiphanius. the community declined and the site
became vinually desened either prior to or shol1ly
after the ARAB CQ"QlJEST OF OOvPr,
The pro"i.ion "f sepa"'te dwellings fo. single
hermita and groups, the lack of a cent",l chun:h or
communal dining facility, and the following of indi-
_idual "polity" in.tead of rul~s and canons like
those of PACHOMIVS or ATHANAStUS all underscore the
loo$e.•emi-anchoritk o.--ganizalion of the Monas·
tery of Epiphanius. hs infonnal life i. funher indio
cat~d by the lack of e_idence for such things as a
training period for monks prior 10 their admission
to the community, preliminary ,on$ure. or oblate•.
Resident monks seem in the main 10 ha_e been
Egyptians. The presence of g",ffiti and praclice al·
phabet. written in S)riac. h"we_er. suggest that a
few Syrian monks liwd Ihere, Such would not be
unnatural, gi_en the close ,..,lations between the
Egyplian and Syrian brnnches of Ihe Monophysite
church in the sisth and seventh centuries,
Food con.umed was typical of that found among
Pachomian monks "f southern Egypt. The staples
were bread (made from wheat), salt, vinegar, waler.
Leuers recovered also indicate receipt of occasion-
.1 gifts of green vegetables. More rarely mentioned
in recovered literary remains are lentils. bean•.
froit (especially figs). honey, pickles. milk. eggs. Oil
was pro,'ided for invalid•. Numerous amphorae in·
802 DAYR AL~FAKH(rRl: History
dieate 1m ...., of ""inc:. al least On ."edal occasions
and fnsl days.
Tala painted on the ......tibules of monk c..lls. as
....II as rem1Ullts of tht:nlogical boob and 1......15
they meL pn:l1oide reliable ~.. of theolOSiaol
Yie_ LDne e:lIr3CU h;o'"e been found from the
worb of S£VYUS Of' ANTlOCH. Cyria. Athanuius. .l)I()-
SCUlllS. lllIOYHY II AELURU5. and PCleF the tberian.
'The Monoph)'siI.. doctrine of Damian. patriarch of
Aleundria. ...... dominant at the tirnt' of Epi·
plgniu$. Though pre<><cupatloD with doctriNl sub.
tI..tles is not evidenced, the........ int.. rest in lISCetic
Ideals commonly assodated ",,;!h the mOna$lic lile.
In addition to me<fiWion and pt'\lIy...... the Iwnnits
of th.. Monastery of Epiphan....... npg.. d in se\-e",1
types of ilKOrne-producing wort.: rope. mat. and
buk.. t·ma.lr.ing: weaving and ta.Horine of lin.. n; the
~epa"'tion of IIax and $Orne wool lor "",aving:
lcath.. rworl< (including bookbinding): pon .. ry mak·
ine: and bakine. Both for Ihem .... I,·.. s and for occa·
sio~l suppliants, Ihe monks would offer home
r ..m.. dles and prayers [or the sick, as w.. l1 as special
bl.. sslngs and '"eulogies'" 10 conv.. y Ih.. bJeuinlls,
such as a piece of blessed bread. They would al..,
observe cenain fasts. C$pecia.lly lent. ma.inU-in vig.
ill prior to key festivals. write l.lien of ;nlrod...·
lion, appeal for lhe poor. intervene 10 M'CUre th..
release of p"",neTS, and commemOnUe the dead.
Uterary remnants of the community indude tlClll5
..rilleo in Sahidi<: Coptic (displaying significant
wbakhmimic inlluences). G......k. and Syri.a<:. 'The
\a.rge5I group com""",",, Ietten. m<lIItly on OSIrao:.a.
many probably b.eiJtg infonna.l communiqu& be-
IWftn monks possibly <;:Om.mitte.;! to YOWl' of .j.
!.nee.. Also found are \U;\S thalllle bibtkaJ (main.y
from the OWl Teswnent), lilW'Jkal (moWy
pray......). homiletk.lmoralizi,. compo&ilioM), IepI
(wills.. deedI.), ~olary (imn>ded lor rircu1alior»,
~tristic:. and 60J0&rnatic. Accounts lrecorcls of pay-
menl$) and list!; appear:abo. as do pffiti, sclH:>ol
piK........d some fresco& tob from the tomb of
Dap. Maleriak used inel""e ~rchment, wood, plI.
p)·TuS. and ostraca. SIKh a hoard of .it.... ry evi-
dence has pm,,,,n ,·ital.y imponant in interpretation
or tb.e Other a«:h:aeolOllic.oJ remains.
BIBUOGRAPHY
Souriant, "L'Eglise cople du tomb.eau de D<!ga."
I).
M~",<>i,u publi's PO' Ie> ",.",br'l de 10 Mlssio"
o'chtologlqu. francais. au Cal"" f. 1 (1881-
188"):33-.50.
Johann (;eora, Duke of Saxony. Ne"e Slrei!tuge
du,ch dit Kirchen "rid KIO.Ite, AUpl""" Be,lin.
1931.
Winlod. H. E., and W. E. Crurn. n. Mon,,"t.,. aJ
Epiph,,"nlS III Thtbe•• 2 vols. New York. 1926-
1933_
MALCOUI L PEa
DA Y1l. AL-FAKH(JRJ. (n". ""I')' crmsiw <1/ rwo
~ffS: lite ~ ot IIrU _alilry. lind Us ,,"";'11«'
110,•• J
History
The "MOIl_cry ollh. pon......• (it is not l<nown
"'hence this appelladon comes) is situaled on Ih.
edge of the <Sesen, about 6 miles (9 km) nonh 01
Is..:;, near lh. ancient Asphynis (p<~nt..:lay ~n
a.1-Ma!i-'nah). Th. monastery a1"" bean the name of
"Malthew lh. Poor." This personag•. whose ur.
.urvives (or rather Coptlc fragments of iI), appears
10 hay. liyed al th... nd of lhe Byzanline period.
According to hiJ Coptic U[e, h.. founded a monas·
lery in lhe nam.. of Saint PA~HOMllfS, near Ism\ and
nO doubt al ~f\ln. bUI h.. had a cell ill lhe desen.
The MISTon Of Tllf 1AntAR~1IS OF TIlE COPTIC
CHlltlClI .peaks In the notlc.. of lhe palriarch AlEXAN_
DER II (705-730) of lhe P'"rsonaau e.lebnt.le<! in hi.
lime and men lions a natiVl! of I~m (00 doubt a
copyist's error lor Afl\ln). a monk-also called a
(;sherman or hunler. for th~ Arallk word is ambi&u-
ous-wbo founded I mOl'\llSle'Y in the nome of
lsnI. and ""'" famous for his mirac....... It relates the
miracle of lhe WO"",n p<ql'1ant from (W<) l>rothen.
...-hi(:h """e also tnd in <he Coptk Uk of Manbcw. It
rnusl b.e noted lhat Ih. Hambul"l manUKript speaks
1101 of Matthew. but of on. Ti~' (SeybokIt.
1912. p. 1"7).
'The SYNAX.UJ(lOI from Lower EiJ'pt. as a result of
I o»nfusioft ift writ.i..,. 4pnks not of A¥un but of
Aswin. and A80 $ALh;I Ttl!! Al.NENWI al the 1>egi1l"
ning of the thin.... nth «nlury toeem$ indeed 10 ha....
plaud this monas1ef)' at Antinol!, or A,'nsoorous
(confu$ion bdw«n Anl'ni and Isni). He also quot·
ed lhe Hist~ of 'he P"trilln:It., I proof dw he
knew that teat. but still made lhe sarnt' error (p.
230). The monut'I)' wu known 1>y a1-MAORlZl in
lh. fifteenth c~mury IS a large monastery fonnerl)'
well populated l>ut in hi! time deSlroyed and aban·
dooed.
However. frum the 5."enleent~ celllury 011, Euro·
peao 1",...,lers mention il. The firsl seem 10 ~ave
t>een lhe falhen l'ro1ais and Fl"lln~oi" (Sauneron.
1983. pp. 7~.). 1, M, VAN5UB copied Iheir lut
(1677. p."1)6; 1618, p. 243), C. Sicard mentioned it

in passing. while he dwell at length on the temple,
now disapP"ared, of the fi~-god latus (1982, VoL
3, PI'. 7-9). ]0 the nineteenth century, W. de Bock
took note of it (1901, PI'. 72-73). Olher notewonhy
authors are M. Jullien (1903, PI'. 250-52, 283). S.
Clan.. (1912, p. 216, no, 8), Johann Georg (l914,
PI'. 56-59), and L T. Lefort (1939, PI'· 404-407), O.
, Meinardus gives a fairly detailed description of it
(1965. PI'. 323-25; 1977, PI'. 438-41). Published
simultimeously were J. Leroy (1975) and R,-G. Co-
quill (1975, PI'. 24Q-84). Waite.... (1974) studied il
for various suhjttl', One may note that &lim Pach-
ornic. founded a monastery a1 Phnoum, in the
nome (nol, as Lefon incorrectly translates, moun·
tain) of Jona. of which he W1I$ a nati,'e. But we do
not know ",he..., this Phnoum was situated (Halkin.
1932, St'<'. 83; Lefort, 1939, pp, 404-406, and 1943,
p, 120).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bock, V. de, Materiaux pour I'archeologie ehretie~"e
d'Egypre, SI. Petersburg, 1901.
Clarke, S. Chri.<tla" MUiquirie. in lhe Nile Valley,
Oxford, 1912.
Cequin, R.-G, "Le, [~.~riptions pari~lales des mo·
nasleres d'Esna: Dayr al-Shuhad~', Dayr al.Fak·
hilrl." Bullelin a. l'1"'tilut {ronfais d'Areheologle
ori."lal. 75 (1975):240-84.
Halkin, F, Saneti Poehom;; vila' grauae. Subsidia
Hagiographiea 19. Brussels, 1932.
Johann, Georg, Duke of Saxony. Strel(z;;ge dureh
die Kir~hen and Klosler Agypuns. Leipzig and
Berlin, 1914.
Julllen, M. "Que!queo anciens couverns de
, l'Egypte," Missions carholiques 35 (1903);188-90,
,
<,
Geoeral plan of Dayr al·FakhurI, Courtesy PelU
DAYR AL·FAKHORi: Architecture 803
198-202, 212-14, 237~40, 250-52, 257-58, 274-
76, 283-84.
Lefort, L. T. "Les Premiers monas.eres pachomiens,
explora.ion .opographique," Le Museo" 52
(1939),379-407.
___ Les Vies caples de saini Paehorne. Bibllo·
th_que Museon 16, Lo",'aln, 1943.
Leroy, J. Les Peintu".< des eouv""ls du desut d'Es'
no, Vol. L La Pei"'ure ",ural. cke.>< le.< Copu,.
M~moire. de l'ln.t;tut fran~ai~ d'Archeologie ori·
entale 94. Cairo, 1975.
Meinardus, O. Christio" Egypl, Andent and Modern.
Cairo, 1965: 2nd ed" 1977.
Sauneron, S. Villes el lJgen.de~ d'Egypl•. Biblio·
Iheque d'elude 90, Cairo, 1983.
Se)'boldt, C. Sevuu$ ibn al·.wuqaffa': AI.~a"dn·­
"ische Patriarch... Geschichle, Hamburg, 1912.
Sicard, C. Oeuvres, e<l. S. Sauneron and M. Marlin.
Bibliolheque d'dude 83-85. Cairo, 1982.
Vansleb, J. M. Relation. en {anne de iou",al d'un
VQYage fail'" Egypte on. 1672 e11673. Paris, 1677.
Translated a.~ The Pre,.", S/(u. of Egypt. London,
1678.
Wallen;, C. C. Mon.astie Archaeology In Egypt. War-
m;n~ler, 1974.
RE.N~EORGES COOUIN
MAURICE MARTIN, SJ,
Architecture
The mona~lery is a ,-ast ~omplex of unbaked
brick surrounded by an enclosing wall. Only lhe
eastern part "f Ihis wall is still partially visible, wilh
au enlrance gate and Iwo or perhaps three semicir--
eular towe", on the outside, the .taircases of which
Gro~.",a"".
804 DAYR AL·FAKHURI: Architecture
are backed 10 the right-hand side of the interior. Of
the south part of Ihe wall. lraces of a rectangular
tower can be seen. T~ interior struclUres of the
monastery consist of two groups of buildings of
differenl orientation. separated by a large circula-
tion area: to Ihe north are the church, the keep
(jawsaq). and Iheir annexes; to the soulh are I~
monks' dwellings and the refectory.
The northern complex is served by a single en-
Inlllce localed on its ""ulh .ide. The church is situ·
aled to the east of Ihis entrance. In the center, it
includes a square hall covered by a dome. This hall
is surrounded by the narthex. the aisles. and the
klrums, which Ihu. form a sort of ambulatory. To
Ihe e...l. three ",ncluaries open on Ihe klrur~s, To
the west of the entrance, Iwo domed chambers
se1"\'e for the secondary functions of the church. In
the north aisle of the church. a door allows acC ...
to the keep. The antechamber before Ihis door con·
tains Ihe lomb of a saintly person.
The keep has three stories. It is built on a $quare
plan, and each story is subdivided into four rooms.
The staircaoe occupies the chambers in the south·
east comer. In ancient times tbe entrance to the
keep was on Ihe ""cond story. on the south race of
the staircase well. The e.terior wall is crowned by a
Church in the northern complex of Dayr al-Fakholrl.
CO~r1esy Peter Gr01Sm<lnn.
cavello of pharaonic type, Auxiliary halls are found
in the northwest corner of Ihe complex. These form
a suite "f three vaulted halls (with thick walls) <ur-
rounded by secondary rOOms.
The soulhern complex is comprised of three
buildings, The principal block of cells is 10 the
west. It consists of a wide ,'auhe<! corridor Aanked
by cells. and its principal entrance is situated 10 the
nortb, in the axis of Ihe corridor. To the wesl of this
entrance a staircase allowed access to the cells on
the upper Aoor. Each cell contains a series of nich-
es, The central niche, located in the exterior wall,
is equipped Yo'ith a .haft fOT ventilation; the ol"ers
sen.-ed t"e needs of t"e monks. The numl>er of
Ihese niches provides information aooul the num·
ber of monks for cac" cell. To the south of the
corridor a door gave access to the refectory. whic"
occupied the whole of Ihe soulhern pan of lhe
complex. This door was equipped with a shaft for
ventila'ion and for light.
The refectory is a square hall with four pillars.
Arcades springing from the pillars and the sur-
rounding walls subdivided the whole area into nine
In)'s. all $quare and covered by domes. To the wesl
of lhe refectory, some halls now in ruins served as
annexe, (perhaps kitchens). The oUler face of Ihe
easl wall of Ihe refectory is unusual: five arcades in
baked brick form a series of buuresses in the interi-
or of the wall, To lhe easl, a row of se<:ondary cells
is built against the principal block. These cells open
onto the exterior of the complex.
Remains of paintings are extant in Ibe central
hall of Ihe church. They represent Saint John. apo.-
tie and evangelist; Saim Mallhew, priest and an·
chorite: Christ and the Iwelve apostles; and Christ
himself, Prophets portrayed include Moses, Ezekiet
Habakkuk, Joel. Jeremiah, Aaron. Joshua. Malachi,
Isaiah. and Daniel. Saint Ardellilles the ascetic,
Saint John of the Golden Gospel. Saint John Ihe
Baptisl, and Apa Psale are also ponrayed.
Some paintings hear names and dates. The name
of the painter is effaced near Ihe painting of t"e
cherubim in Ihe nonh arch. bUI it is dated A.M.
1148, or A,D. 1431-1432.
Named painters include Mercurius of DAYR ANBA
SHINODAII (SubAjl, A.D, 1315-1316; Isaac of Panopo'
lis, graffili dated A.D. 1272-1273; and Pakire, monk
of the Mountain of t"e Blessings (a site ncrt" of
[sn;l). graffiti dated A.O. 1368- [369.
The oldest parts of Ibe churc" are the central
hall. built of haked brick. Ihe side walls of lhe
khums, and the nonh euerior wall, all belonging to
Ihe first quarter of the eighth century, The reslora·
lions roughly around the end of Ihe twelfth century
I DA YR AL'J:lADiD
.«ecled the principal sanctuary. the nonhem SOln.,·
two')'. and the nonhwesl pan of the church.
IlIIlUOGRAPHY
(oquin. R.o(;. "Lcs Inscriptiom pariaales des mo>
nast~ra. d'£snt" Da)T al-5huhadl' n 0a)T aJ·Fa.
kh\1tl~ Bulklill.u rlmtitw ,,"",... d'Arciliolori>C
~",.I., 75 (1975):261-&4.
GToKtnann. r. MillekdlUlicM ~whp~(l;'·
tJot" "otd ....,..."'..du Tw- ill ObaiDP'tn, pp. 31 -
)6. Gkkbtadl, 1982.
Johann Ceo'Ie. Dub of Saxony. S/T~ d...,..,h
d,e ",.-chell I."d KIOsiu "cptePlS, pp. 5'-60.
~ipziJ and Bertin, 1914.
Leroy. J. u< p.,in,uru d~ COU",,"fJ d.. dhut d'B·
ft•• Mtrnoires de ['Instilul fn,~s d'ArchNIogi.,
orientale 94. Caim, 1972.
s.unUQn, S. "Lcs N""vi~me et Di>M:me
CamfNlsne. a«:hWlogjque< a Eon•." B"lleH" de
/'/YU1llut I""',.'s
d',trchklcrie ..ri.. nlGh 67
(1969): 101 -110.
GEORCliS (.uTU
PI':'TER CROSSM~NN
DA VR AL·GHANAVIM. The ruins of Ihls mono
tilery occupy a """ilion ..mila, 10 'AY!'l ''''''Oll.. on
u... eastern edge of the dtprasion of the 00lfl. of
Khuph, but IVaI" th" cam."" tra<;k linking the
oasOIlO Jiljl.. in the ",,11~ of the Nile. Si\\Gled 1.25
miles (2 I;m) to the nonh of Jabal Urnm aJ..
Ghan.liyim and 17 m'l,." (26 km).o lile southeM'! of
the nn:ropolis of a/·NGolWA1. they ue prot.bly the
",mains of a RDman fonrns that _ Jate. occu·
\ pled by ChrisIia.D henn.Us, .. the numnow grafili
belr wilnea (de Bock. 1m. pp. 67-63: Lqrain.
1897. pp. 207-ZC8; VtrCOUner. 1m. p. 230). Mcin.
ardus preHn" the sile in his Cltnsli... EcYfH (1965:
pp. 345·66: 1977. pp. 4871U)'
8UJUOGurHT
Bock, v. de. "Nacke sur I,." monullloenlJ cop.es de
]a "'lll~ du Nit·· Bulklin till. Corn,'; de eo"u"'.·
110" du ....",ume"rs de tdtf d,.be (1898}:67-6IJ.
Lqrain, C. "Elude sur 1,." AquabM." Bul'eli" de
/'/"SIiIUI d·Epple. stT. J. 1\ (1897),207-208.
Mdnardus. O. Chri<ti"" Egypl. "'"cie,,' d"d Modern.
Cairo. 1965: 2nd ed. 1977.
Vercouuer, J. "Travaux dej'JFAO en 1976-7," Bul.
letl" de l'f"st;tUl fra",ait d''''r<:hlolagie ori.",,,I.
77 (1977):280.
RENt.CE()R(JE$ COOOIN
MA~ItICt MAUIN. S.],
'05
DAYR GHUBRIYAL. In lbe notic", conc",minl
Anb;\ Yum; (pemaps Jonas) for 2 Tllbah. Ihf: Sahidic
.cc",...ion of the SIIi.\XARIOt.: of the Copts meto'ions
tht Da)T Ghubriytl as one of the ~<:e!I of the
saint- 11 add!i ,ha, ,he monastery ..... in the <!eIen.
Accord!,,!!: 10 the con,,",,,,. one mus< ""P'POS"' thllt
this descn ..... Mar the to.." of Annan'. of which
tht sainI was a naln-e. Unb1unatdy no wrinCll
documenl and no excavatioll allow "" 10 identify
the sil'" with any probabUi.y.
S. TImm (19&4. 11'0•• 1/2. p. 717) r~ dUll the
........ of Gabriel is no doubt lhal of a superior or
founder. for if Ihc monas.e.,. ...tr., named after lhc
Iu<:hanE'"1 Cabriel i. "'otold be called Da)'r al-MaIAk
Ghubri};l1.
BIBUOCItArHY
Timm. S. DIU ehrisllich.koplisehe XIO'PlCn In <""hi·
seiter Zeil, Wiesbaden, 1984.
Rl'.Nt.CWI<GI;$ COO~IN
MAVRICE MARliN. SJ.
DAYR AL-HADID. The name of this monastery,
no longer in ni!llmce. Is loday p...,..,rved by .he
locali.)' 'Imal Dayr a1·l:ladld. situated on lhe ri.ghl
bank of the Nile "fIIl'O&l.e al·F"~n. Th", \"illagc silS
on a nt(IUnlaiouide in lbe upper reaches of which
aro: la'F ca'"CS (l)arasy. 1917. pp. 202. 227; 1918.
p. 18). Daressy idendfied it with AhI1'. known from
Copt:ic and Anbioc I....IS as lhe "te of a rnonastory.
thM of Saint ONOt'HI\lus. and also from the FUI.u,
"J.iWlnau (Gallier. 1909. p. HI). wh.icb speaks of
Ahrtt and of Sharilnah (aboul 12 mi1cf,. or- 20 Un. 10
lhc south of 'Izbal Dayr a1'l:ladkl)_ RanW (1953-
1963, Vol. I. pp. IH-}.lI) tloouahc 11..1 Ahrtl ....... he
pn:senl-day ril"", of a1.,shaykh Fa41. opp<>sit.e Bani
Ma:>3r. 8 milts (12 krn) south of Shan1nah. Drew-
Bear (1979. p. 101) placed AArto in the """'" of
Hcnnopolis.
BIBUOClUortlV
Dare<iSY. C. "tndicatellr IOPOCra~i"uc du 'Uvre des
perin ",,,{ouies et du myst~r!: prkieux':' Bull.'i"
de I'f"slitUl fran,aiJ J'Arch~olotle oncnlQle 13
(1917):17S-2lO: I. (1918)'1-32,
Drew-Bear, M. L. Nom. H.rmopolile: Topo"ymes el
siles. American Studies in Papyrology 21. Missou-
la. Monl .• 1979.
Gahier, E., <:<I. FoulOuit dl.S"h"",a, Memoir"", pub·
lik par Ie. m",mb"'1 de l'lnnitu' m..n<;an d',I,r·
rheologie orienlllie 22. Cairo. 191)9.
S06 DAYR AL-l;IAJAR
Ramzt. M. AI.Q~""IJ ~/·J.. gh'~/I U/·BiI<1d QI
MiftlYJ"h. 3 voll. Cairo. 195J-I968.
R£Nt-GEORCES COOOIN
M"~RJCE MAJ:TIN. SJ.
DAYR AL·I;IAJAR. (Mor-Iety of Slone). Sill
miln (10 km) 10 Ihe nonh ollhe ouil of Dakhlah.
wllich it aboul 13() miles (200 km) from Kharph.
are lhe ruins of a lemple of lhe Ptolemaic ""riod
dull lhe lnhabiuonl5 call Dayr aI·HajBr. ahhough
!here is no ~<;e WI Chrillian hnmils or
monks _re on<;e lhere. The lin! 10 have po;n,td il
OUI appean 10 have been G. Rohlfs (1875. pp. J39~
40). II - . abo mendoned hy H. IGnc (l925). O.
MrilUlrOOs Oesc::ribed it brieIIy (1965. pp. 3-46-47;
1917. pp. 448-49).
IllalJOGaAl'MY
King. H. M~Juriu 01 11M l..ihy.n fh.<,r:n. l..ondon.
1925.
Meinarous. O. Ch~n Em/, Ancwnl lind MoJD>t.
Cairo. 1965: 2nd ed. 1977.
Rohlfs. G. D,ei M ...."", in der /ihy",,1tm Wo'hle. Cas-
sel. 1815.
DA YR. AL-HAMAMAH. SU Dayr Abil Saybyn
(~).
DA VR HAMAS. ~e Dayr a1·'Awanah.
DA VR AL-I:fAMMAM (Da}T AIN Iol)aq). [17115
enfr)' co....WS 0/ />.'0 p<lm. one diKuni"l: dlr hiw:>-
ry of [H:,r ,,/·H/Unmlm. nd fhe Other d~ribing fhr
orehilecluU. p""k.. I~.1y of 1M old clwreh Ihol sliII
,e",,,ins lf~nd'nl.J
HI.tory
Thil monaslery is siluated in lhe 10.lIh of thr
Fayyllm. on Ihe deRn rim of the Nile Valley. 5
miles (8 km) nemh of a!·Uhlln, 11 deri"eI its t\110
nameS from Ihe proximity of Ihe ~iIIage of at.
J:Iamm~m and from Ihe marlyr !iUC, no doubl
Isaac al·Dlfnlwr (pro~ince of Gharbiyyah). celebrat·
ed on 6 Bashanl, to whom a small church was
dedicated. The ldemlficalion 01 the l\lIo nam"$ i.
sUU($ted by Ihe Book (If Ihe Hidden Pearls. which
says: "Dayr Abtllslllq: climb 10 Ihe monastery .lan·
ini from al·I:{ammlm" (Dareny. 19c17. p, 198). N.
Abbotl did nol see 1rn..1 lhe IWO names i"diuled "
single mOnaslery (1937. pp. 57.63-64).
The mOnas.!ery """ms very old. b"uuse lrae.,. of
lhe original conl!ruclion remain. bUI Ille buildings
have bec:n recon$lrucled. A colleclion o' ~pyrl "''as
found by Flinders Pelrie In 1889 and published by
W_ E. au.. (1893. pp. 5-6). The docu_n'& recov-
ered <:an be d»lecl from the besinnlng ollhe riehlh
10 the elevemh c"nlUI)'. The v.lsl<I:nce oflhls mol>'
aslery was allesled by,\ll(l $AUl:t THE AUEN!AIl (lOIs.
7Y-->; The Churcha ... 1895. p. 210). AI-MAQ_tr.1 did
not menrion it. which may IOOk",e lhe de<:1ir>e of
Ihe InOf\llStery by the lifl""nu. un.ul)'.
Abii ~1i1,1 de5c:ribed tbe pri,... ij;4I church dediClll-
ed 10 !he Virgin as; large and simlbr 10 IIw of o.on
1o.N.... ~(Ml 01' QAI.A)IO..- and sull"Otll>ded hy a lriple
..;dl of »one_ lot. Jullien (1903. p. 257) depic.ed lhe
churt:h ·•..ilb ....., "1'5'" ..i1ich face OC'M: anO'lber as;
III SainI .s<meon- in "'",-an, nalina eolumns and
capitals. ThaI ch.....,h <fu.apptared, and a new OC'M:
... . buill AI the besinrllng of ,he t..-..nlielh ceruury
(Trithard de Chardin. 1907; GWnbeTardini, 1956).
Howa-er. Joh.ann GeorI (1930, pp. 19-20) mced a
dot>e ornament and some capila1s lhal he daled
back 10 Ihe $ix1h cenlury. n... preKnl Siale Is de-
sc:ribed by O. Meinarduo (I96'S. pp. 231-34; 1977,
!'P. 0451~sa). -.u. J'IM'SOUI< mnllioned a Da)T Ali·
1aln (1925. Vol. I. p. 156) In 1M rqion of al·
J:Iammim...i1ich may be lotalcd her>e.
BIBUOGRAP'Hl'
Abboll. N_ 170r MonfU./erUl:l of Ihe F"n·Mm. S1udia
in Anc:ic>u Orien'" Ct.ilizallon 16. Chicago, 1937.
Cnun. W. E. 11Ir Copric ""," ..scriptS Bro"VU {rqm
lhe '"yy"", "" W. M. Flinder$ Pelrie. Lo..oo".
1893_
Darrssy. G. ··'ndicaleur lopocraphique du 'Uvre dC$
I"'rles enfoulC$ e. du m)'ll.!:nc preeieux:" Sulkli"
de /'I.."il"r IrQn(ail tl'.4reh&>lotie orl"nl~(e 13
(1911):I7S-HO.
Giamberardini. G. "!lineran e ab;1aZioni di S. Anlo-
nio Abale-.I-Fayyu.m:' 1.4 \-'OCe dd M'/o 15
(1956i:25~46.
Johann Geors. Duke of Saxony. Neue Smi/:iiV
dureh die Kirche" ,,"d KI6mr ~l>'PI""S. Leipvg
and Berlin, 1930.
lullien, M_ "Ouelqun .n<;;enl coo.'ents de
l'Egypte:' Mi.. ions catholiqutI 35 {l9(3):251·S8.
Mein;>.rdul. O. Chri.lian £gypl. Ane/"nl aud Modern.
Cairo. 1965; 2nd ed .. 1977.
'Omar Touswun, M'mo',e Jur I"hi3l0,'" du Nil, 3
~ols. Me.noirc. de l·!n.litul d'E-gypt" 8-10, C.lro,
1915.
Salmon. G. "R.p"rloire g"ographique de la pro-
vince du FaY)'oom d·.prh Ie KiI~ Tirikh .l·fay·

youm d·/ln-NAbooulsl." Bulletin de 1'lnstilUl frQn'
fQ;S d'Arch~ologie orienlQI. I (1909):29-77.
T.ilhard de Chardin, P. "Huit jour'S au Fayoum."
RoIaliQ". d'Oriem De<:. (1907):279.
z"ki. A. "Une rkscriplion arabe du Fayyoum au
VlI' s. H," Bullell» de la SOclele khMlviale d.
ge<>graphi. 5 (1899):253-95,
RENIUiEORGES COOUIN
MAURIC£ ~"TlN, $,J.
Archlteclure
Ahhough ()nly lh. church now remains standing.
an enormous mound of debris_ with much pottery
and fragm'nlS of brick, .preading o,".r an .xTensive
area, points To an earlier seTtlement of notable size.
Today isolaled remains of cemelery enclosures rise
aboove lhe ground, The present-day dQyr harbon
\ plan has been reduced to a single pair of pillan, In
Plan of The church still ill use aT Dayr al-HammAm.
C",mesy Pel" GrossmQ""'.
DAYR AL-J:lAMMAM: Archilecture 807
::: I.
u r~ ~
~
u[
=-0; ~
~J OF
I:
•
~
~~
'if-- ,
II i
General plan of Dayr al·Hammam, Courtesy Puer
GroJ"",an,."
wiThin its ouler wall, probably of quiTe recent "in-
lage. a few empTy sh<:lten for pilgrims. The church
siTuated ill Tbe northeast se<;lor is still in use and
may. in ilS presenl f"em, reach back t<> the Mamluk
period. Remains of an olde. building are vi.ible "n
the north side. That the hisTory of The church begall
much earlier is Sh"Wll by several decorative pie<:es
lhal have been built over at various places_
The church still contains a khums (the room be·
tween the nam and The sancluary) deri,'ing from
the Fatimid period. M a result of the greal breacbes
in The wall into The naos, however. it has largely
been deprived of its spatial independence_ II is con·
nttted with lhe central apse in lhc f"rm c>f a
Triconch. The ~ide rooms of the apse appear To have
acquired their present funcli"n as subsidiary <ane-
Tuanes only ill ,..,celll times,
The naos of the church is arranged on the plan of
a cros.-in-square building wilh four pillan, bUT this
addition. the two sides are ,'ery differellll~ formed.
WiTh a double pillar on The north and a massive
single pillar on the sOUlh. West of the naos lhere
was a laler nartbex. which evidently originally cOr·
responded with the whole width of tho church.
Through the separating·off in modem times of Two
ouTer wing rooms, only a ,mall central room re-
mains. By means of several steps, this provide, ac-
cess between the Olller le"el and the lower level
inside the church.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adli, S, "S<:.eral Churches in Upper Egypl." Mit/.i·
I""go» de~ Do"w:hen ArchCi%gi5chen t"stit"ts 36
(1980):4ff.
Meinardus, O. Chrl"rlan Egypl, A»cimt and Madan,
pp. 333-34. Cairo, 1965: 2nd ed" 1977,
PETER GROSSMANN
808 DAYR AL-HANADAH

DAYR AL-HANADAH. SU Mon8Sleries of Ihe Muyscr, J. "Ermne ~rtvlnanl el ~mn inlali-

Middle $oo·id. pblc_" &/Ielin de I" Socille J'''rt:/th>lap caple
9 {1~3):lS9-2J6.
Troupcau, C. C"t<tlOCUe ,Ie, m<lNIIJCriu ,,~..Ns. Vol.
I. Pam, 1972.
DA.YR HARMINA (Asy\l!), mo_ry i.n lhe des- R.a;t·G~ COQUIl\l
K" at the fool; of the moumain lhal oonu,iR$ !he M.l.t'UCE MAlmN. 5. J.
u,lde,pound OOf\W'UCoon of the ancien, Oaw,
aboul a mile (15 Itm) ......u....
·esl 01 the .;1. of
'IWaI al·A'Ibo! (fan., oIlhe Copc$). DAYR AL-HAWA. See Dayr a1.~ (AlIIino-
The life of Saim HarmlJd is p.-en in summary opolis).
fonn by the rectMion from Upper £cypI 01 lhe
SYN.to:J(.UJON of !he Copts for 2 KIyaltk. The life is
k........... in ,<ea'er detail from se:YCral Arable. man",
scriplll (e.... Nlo,ional Ubrary, Pari... Arabe 143; DAYR HELIAS. See See';'.
TrotlpeatJ, 1972, Vol. I. p_ 114), Ol'll' of them, in ,he
Cop,ic MUStum, Cairo (A~. Hil.tory OS). hu
beC1l ediled and transtaled by Muyser (1943, pp. DAYR IBSIDIYYAH, Se~ Monasccrics of lhe
199-2l6). The monaslery is nol funher .nested be- Middle ~'kl.
fore ,he fifteenth centu'll.
The Churches and Mona'le,ies 01 Etypl make,
men lion only of a church in Hannlnl's name near DAYR AL-IKHWAII. The "Monaslery of Ihe
al·Bahna,l, hi. binhplace_ Evetts. Ihe edilor. Brothe"," waS localed In lhe w",lern part of ,he
wrongly .ran,lale, the name as "Annenlu." (p. FayyUm. to the south of lhe lown of Saylah. lIS
211). The Mlunlh-century hislorian .1....... Cllzl exislence was allelled by UO $AUl:l TIlE ARMENIAN
menlioN a Oayr Hannlni to the nonh of Caw aJ· (fa\. 73.; p. 2(9). He lilted lhal it had a ChllUh
Kha...b. whioch COI"Te.ponds to Ihe l'I"_nl Dayr al. dedicaled 10 Saint Menu (ABO "'INA) and thaI lhe
Naprl. The church of Ih<e <>ei,hborin, villaie pauiauh }OliN 111 (631·639) ..... livinl there lIS a
called 'I~bat al·Aqb;'i.! is dedica,ed '0 Anb.!. Harmln.l monk·priest when he was decled 10 the Sec 01
(CIa~. 1912, P. 211. no. 2.1). AIenndria. The KISJOU 01' TI-I[ 'aUWlCHS (PO 3,
An endooure wall of unbaked bricb aboul lJO p_ S) $Ol)'$ thai John finl a monk in the MoRas-
by 19S feet (.00...1 40 by 60 m) ... rrO<lllds Ihe rui..... tery of Saini Mac (DAVit AN'" ...o.u.) at SCEtlS
whel"l' one can dislinguish a raodcm wrnb•• ch2pd lUId thal he thC1l _al 011 to I"..,
in a tn<>na!U1y in
10 lhe south, and a deep .....,11 lhal Is mentioned in the FayyOm. John ..... lhere ...·hen lhe pa1riardt
the saine', life. Tb<t church is of Somen cuan-s .....-....:w senl for Jobn 10 come 10 Aleundria.
"I)tlO! c (1912)_ It presents an ancienl pan 10 the
N

A1·NoIbulsi (SalmQII, 190L p. 43) indicated only.

,.,..th and a mo", recenl addition on the nonb. The
fil'Sl part includes the sancnoary ..i1h tbf"H allan
and tWO pAnOlld bays 01 joists. They an roofed by
I...·eh-e deep and ~ cupolas. The iconostasls
Is made 01 bl.ck and 0"-:1 brick$. .he..... l.n' with
"'hi'e SlQnCS.. To the tighl of .... e en.....nce is a 'omb
under an arch.
A linle 10 lhe soulh 01 the monastery on Ihe ,ile
ollhe ancient Qaw, ""cnatlon, have yidded some
monastlc ,.ebe, on ...ttich a", Invoked lhe lradition-
.1 SIIints of 8.lwi!. Shenute, MoselI, et Cetera (8",n.
lon, 1930, Vol. 3. pp. 30, 33. 34; Vol, I. pl •. I, 7; Ih~
map' will be found useful for locating the ,ile).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brunlon. G. Qau and 8adari. Vol. 3. London, 1930.
Cbrke, S. Christian A"liqui/je~ i" Ihe Nile Valley.
London, 1912.
single monastery to Ihe,.,..1h 01 the !own of Sayfah.
...ithout spccifylfl& Its name, bul Abi:J ~ mC1l'
1'0ne.:! • second dedicao:ed 10 the \'i'l:in (DAYIl At-
'ADHU').
BllUO(:IlAPKY
Abhotl, N. The M<mIlSI~ of Ille Fayyt:tm, pp. 29-
71. Studies in AnciC1l1 Oriental CiviliZlllion 16.
Chicago. 1937.
Salmon, G. "Rtpcrtoll"l' &6ographique de la pro-
"illee du Fayyotlm d'aprb Ie K'lib T.lrikh ai-Fay-
yoftm d'an·Nlobolllil,'· BullU;n d~ !'lns/;I"I fra~·
fais d'Archto!ogt~ orie"',,!e 1 (1901):29-77.
RENe-GEORGES COQun.
MA.URICE MARTIN. 5.J.
DAYR ISIDORUS. Se~ o..y. al-Madinah.
 DAYR AL-'I-?J,M: Archilecture 809

DAYR A.L_'I~AM (AsyU!). [This ~nlry consists of Jullien. M. "A U~vers les ruin"" de la Haute
two paru: th~ history ofthi.< monaSl~ry, and i/$ ar- Egyple." Elude, 88 (1901):204-217.
chitocture,l Kahle, P. Bala'izah. 2 vols, London. 1954.
umts<:hOOI, A. van. Ruueil des coiophon, des ",,,.
nuscrits chritit~$ d'Egypte, Bibliolheque du
Museon I. Louvain. 1929.
History
MasJ*ro. C. "'Les Fouilles du Deir al.Ai'..am." An-
nales du Service des a~riqu;tes de i'Egypl. 1
The "Monastery of the Bones" is bounded on (I900):I09~1I9, wilh plan.
Ihree <.id<'$ by a c~metery (whence, no doubt. its Meinarclus. O. Christi,,~ Egypt, A~c;ml a~d Modern.
name). today in disorder. Il is situated on the d""e" Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed" 1977.
plateau that dominales the necropolis of ASYUj'. Wiet, G. "Kibt:' In /'Encyclopedie d" i'/slam, Vol. 2,
about 2 miles (3 km) south we" of the mausoleum pp. 1048-61. Leiden. 1927.
of Shaykh AbU Tiiq. WInlOCk, H. E., and W. E. Crum. The Monastery o{
A jar found in situ hears a Coptic in.cription Epiphanius al Thebes. 2 vols. New York, 1926.
dated 1156 and naming the site "Apa John of the RENItGEORGE.S COOUli'l
Dese,," (Maspero. 1900: Crum, 1%2. no. 8104, pI. M~l)I<IC£ M~RTIi'I. S.J.
I; Wiet, Vol, 2, eols. 105,l-54), The same expres·
sion is found in a num~r of the Coptic texts A.rchltecture
(Kahle. 1954, Vol. I, pp. 221£.; van LantschOOl.
The monastery was destroyed in the late 1960s by
1929, Vol L pt. 2, p. ,l3: Crum. 1902, Vol. 2, no,
units of the Egyplian army stationed in Ihe immedi·
84). This is ce"ainly what was lrans<;ribed into Ara·
bic by ~BO $l.U\:I THE ~RMENI~N at the beginning of
thi"eenlh century: "the Monastery of AbU Yuhan.
nis, called Ibshay" (this lasl word being the tran·
s<;ription of the Coplic pd;aie, the dese").
One thinks naturally of JOHN OF lYCOJ'QUl;. of
whom Ihe HISTORI~ MON~CHORU'" IN ~EGYPTO (Chapt.
I. pp. 9-35) and the Historia lausiaca of PAUADtlJS D
(Vol. 2. chap. XXXV) speak. The first speaks of 5
miles belween AsyU! and Ihe hermitage of John: the
second, of 3 mile. only. John being a recluse, il is
underslat1dahle that he should have chosen a site so
remole in .he dese,,; it is the only example in the
region, It is possible thaI this is Ihe "Monastery of
~ven Mountains" menlioned by al'MAQRIzI (1853.
p, 506). although he place<! it under Ihe name of
JOlIN COLOIlO$. a confusion frequent in al-Maqrizl
and the Coptic authors. He added lhal it was de·
slroyed in ~>!. 821/.1.,0. 1418.
M<xlern descriplions of m,site are gi"en by Jol·
lois and Devilliel'$ (1820-1821>. Vols. 4, pp, 154-56.
and 15. p. 201. n. I), M. Jullien (1901. p. 208). S,
Clarke (l912. pp. 178-79), an'd 0, Mcinardus (1965.
p. 283; 1977, pp. 392~93).

~IBLIOGRAPHV

Bod, V. de. Maleriaux pour /'archeologie eh,itim~e

de /'Egypu. S•. Pelersburg. 1901.
Clarke. S. Chrislia~ Amiq~ities in the Nile V"Uey.
Oxford,1912.
Crum, W. E. Capric Monumen". Cairo, 1902.
Jollois. J. B. P" and R. E. du Terrage Devilliers. in Plan of Dayr al-I?m. Reprinted {'Om Materiaux pour
Descriptio" d'Egyple. Vols. 4 and 15. Paris. 1821- I'archeologie chrelienne de l'Egyp1e by V. d. Bock.
1829. SI. Petusburg. /901.
 810 DAYR AL-T~AM
ale area. Acconli"C 10 an old survey plan of 190\
(de Bock, 1901, pp_ 88-90. 'g. 100). II . . . sur-
rounded by an irrcogub.r wall. inside ..... ich wen: a
church and a kttp (j...,..,q), in addilion to lhe roe-
malllI of a few i ... ilnifi.canl """idmlW buildings for
lbe monks.
The church ...... a leal bWldinl and, Ilttotdina: 10
d'le pbn, appears to han been sec out as • basilica
with thnc ""*'"- &1""e<1I 1M naos and !he Klual
sanclU\lry \l Wnu (.-oom be.... ee" lht ~ and the
5IlJICIWlry) "'.... added, 115 has been me C1J5lom since
1M ei&hm cenlW)'. panicularly in lhe churches of
mon.leria. An ~ was no lonler rt<tocnizcd
e\"en at m" lime. Wonhy ol noIe is lhe curw in a
nOT1herly dirt<tlion in u", sancl....ry area.
The keep, Iocaltd on \l r:o.;sed lerrace on Ihe
nOT1h ....11. had \l squan Ilraund plan and ...'IIS di·
vided into four chambeJ"!l, with the 5tair in Ihe
5O\lthew. The entrance. the,..,fon, lay either on the
50uth or on the east side. Typologically this keep
still belongs to the older examples.
BIBLIOGRAI'HY
Bock. V. de. Maleri" .... pau, ."",1, /I /'a"C'ltiolofi"
cltd/i".... e tie I'Eo'ple, PI'. 18<10. St. Pelemu..,
1901.
Cb.ke, S. CltrUii.... AH.tiq.. ilie. i" IJre Nile V..tk!y, p.
178. Oxrord, I'll!.
Crum, W. £. Coptic Monume..u. c.iro. 1902.
Crossmann, P. Millefulloliche lJrlfglul"s*"pp.t/l:ir.
clten .. mJ ,;e""",ndJe Typerr in Ohe"m'e.., p.
109. fig. H. GI'd.tad... 19!2.
Pnu Clt:JiSS/ICAK/Ii
DAYR AL-'Q:AM (Monastery of u", 8ofIet,). a for-
mer Coptk monastery. lyinl aboul halfv...y be,we<:n
a1·F~ (Old Cairo) and a!.M.afariyyah, On the Wle
of lhe bter mosque ol a/.Aqmar. The naIM refers to
Ihe bones of dec-.:l m-ib ",'he once belonCl'd
10 h. pres.e",td in the rnonastery-probebly In spe-
cial charnel ~-as is u""al in olher monaster-
ies (for eumple, in thc mOnaslCf)' ol Saint CalM ....
Ine on Mounl Sinai). This name thus cannot be the
riJllt one. bll! only a description of Ih monaslery
lhal was u_1 in common parlance. When Cairo
was founded in %9 b)I the Fatimkl comtrnol'lder
Jawh.r al·Ruml, Ihe monastery was pulled down
becaule It stood in the ...'ay of the planned caliph's
palace. Only th. rnon""lery wen remained. and it
Wl$ still known in Ih fifteenth cenlury by the des-
ilnation Blr al·'~mah, a conuption of Blr al·'I·
'*'" (Ra''llilSl. 1387, p. 478). In compen~ion. a
new monaslef)' was built at the inst.oonce of J.whar
in the rtgion of a!·Khanclaq. north of lht 8M> a1-
Nafr. to which [he bones of lhe monks were at""
I"'~ The btler is perhaps to be identified
",ith tM mOllUlery of Mir JUjis al a!·Khanclaq
mcnlioned "" Abo1 a\.MaUmn (~ Clt.. rclte.. 1895,
lOI. 981t).
[See .uo: DI)"r a!.J\.handaq.j
B1BUOGItAPHY
Ra,-ais:se. P. '"E/;sai wr 11IlsIoire el ""r b <opo.-
grapbie du Cail't'." In Mi""'OireJ "..Min p"r k.
membres d. u. mis...... .. "C'~..e /rtlOU;IIis.e ....
Cllir•• Vol. I, pt.,}. c.lro. 1887.
Pnu: C.~",..
DAYR AL-JABRAwt (AI)":;!). 111lis e..try covm
two "speelS of D"y, ,,1.Jab.4wl, si/e "nd history, "nd
tho a.d,iucru."I.lemenll of [h. ,..i .... ]
History
This monaslery, accordinl to al-MAQR1zl (1853, p.
S(3), was situaltd 5 miles (8 km) nonhwest of Al>-
nllb. hence on \he riJllI bank of the Nile, oppooite
Manfall1!, on the edle of Ihe desen in lhe IJ..jir
(110ll)' Mea) al Ihe foot of the mount.ooin. The .lle
included the Monaslery of Saini VICTOlt. 500 of Ro-
.-nos, and a l.W!I.l in the nei"'boring hypogea.
The Moroauery of SainI VklOl' has been .epIaced b1
a Chri5tian \iltaae, The preenl chun:b is .ecenl
fMrinardus, 1965, p. 271; 1977. pp. J.86-!7l, but
the aBcitn. church _ dexnDed in 1716 "" C.
Sicard (1982, Pl'. IJ-15) and a eemury 1....- by C.
Wilkinson (1343, Vol. 2, Po 82).
Tbe monaKery or the church is menlioned in the
CopIic Ie,,'"
nwif\& 10 Saint Victof" IlDder the name
Camp (caslnlm) of H>ef1llltion (Budr. 1914. pp. I~
45; Conswotine of AsyO!, 1970, Po 529. II. J; Dre-
scber. 1941, p. 71, n. 2, and 1944, p. 65). This name
is raken up uncl« the fonn HieTakon in lhe lti>roll"
l.. m of Anloninus PlacenlinUII (1899), and Sicard
noticed, inserted into Ihe lCOIOOSTASl5. a Latin in·
scriplion Ihat allowed him to locale this Hiemon
of the lli~u"ri"m or th.e hiu"kion of the Coptic at
Day. al·Jabriwl, ,",'hlch In Af1Ilblc had be<:<>me OMr
al·B~riqUn. to be read al·Y!r1qlln (Am~1ineau, 1888,
Vol. 2. p. IS: d. Von Lemm, 1900, pp. 63-64). In
the Al'llbic le~lJ Ihe place is caned al·Khu,u!.
[n 1597 lhe palriarch GABRIEL VIII signed Ihc ACl
of Union with Pope cLE.llEllT VIII allhe Monaslery ol
Saint ViCI.... (Burl. 1931, p, 182; Grat:. 1951. Vol. 4.
 DAYR AL·JABRA.WI: Architecture 811

pp. 120-22). bul il is nOt clear whelher this refers Newberry. P. E.. "Pmgress of Egyptology."' In Ar·
to DAYR AL-JABRAwl Or to DAYR Buon,rR OF SHOo J, M, chaeological Reparl, ed. E- L Griffith, Egypt Ex·
VANSLEB also made melllions of it in Nouvelle Relo· ploralion Fund, 1892-1893.
Ikm (1677. p. 361; 1678, p. 217), Skard. C. Oeuvre5, 3 vols.. ed. S, Sauneron and M.
Round aboul the castrum. one notices an ancient Mallin. Cairo and Pari., 1982
Chrislian n.,.,ropolis (Lefebvre. 1910, pt. 2, p. 272). Vansleb. J. Nouvelle Relation en forme de journal
d'un voyage fair en Egypre en /672 e1 /673. Paris
The laura lie. between the hypogea on the moun·
1677. Translated as Tlte Prese'll Swu of Egypr.
tain and Ihe ~Mir extending from the foot of the London, 1678.
mountain to the village. Also at Ihe foot of the Wilkinson. G. Egypt and Tltebes, Vok I ~2. London,
mountain in the "ld R"man castrum "I Hierakon, a 1843.
church of Saint Barb"'" and ""me cells are to be RENt.GEORGES COQUIN
found,
MAI:RrCE MARTIN, S.J.
Hennits lived in the hypogea, as i. allested by the
Coptic inscriptions (New,,",rry, 1892-1 893. p. 13,
quotations from the church fathers and from Scrip' Architecture
mre; Da"ie•. 1902; the Davies in""riptions are col·
luted by Crum, Vol. 2, pp, 45-46, pI. 29; the found-
Remain. of a long, brick. columned basilica are
ers of BaWl! are mentioned: APOu.o. ANUB. and Phil>. in a field on the nOl1heast edge of the modern
Ammonius of Thone, Psoi of Jeremias. elc.). village identified with the sile of Day. al·J abr3wl. of
which, however. only parts of the lwo rows of col·
BIBLIOGRAPHY umn' have survi,'ed, often wrongly understood as
the remainS of a former church. The columns were
Amelineau, E. Contes el romo~s de I'EVpu clrrhi·
e~"e, 2 vols, Paris. 1888.
entirely built of baked bricks. bul only Iheir bases
___ l.<J Geograp!rie de I"Evpre a repoque copu, ha"e remained standing. In some places there are
Paris, 1893. still the wnneclions for Ihe cancelli, A layer of
Antoninus Placentinu•. Iti"erarium, ed, P. Geyer, bricks al the east end of bolh rows of column. is
Corpus Scriptorum Eccle.iasticorum latinorum probably the steps at the entrnnce 10 the sanctuary.
39, Vienna, 1898. Nothing of the outer wall. has survived above
Budge, E. A. T. W. Coptic Marryrdoms. London, ground.
1914.
Buri. U. L'unio"e della cltusa copta CO" Roma 50110
Clememe VIl/. Orientalia Christiana 62. Rome,
193!.
Constantine of Asyil!. Pa"egyrique de Sr, Claude, ed. r---- •• ~;;.
G, Godron, PO 35. Tumhout, 1970. ,,
Crum, E. W. "The Coptic Texts," ApPendix I in The
Rm:k Tamps of Deir £I Gebrawi, ed. N. de Garis
Davies. Egyplian Exploration Society. Archeologi·
cal Survey, 11th and 12th Memoirs. London and ,--~~-­
,
Boston. 1902. . W:
Da"ies, N. de G. The Rwk-tombs of Deir eI-GebrJ-
fii)ii; , , "
wi, 2 vols. London. 1902.: \&&, - --''
Dre.cher, J. "Apa ClaudiUs and the Thieves."'
Bu/lerin de fa Societe d'arclteologie copre 10
(1942):63-87.
___ "Encomium Attributed to SeveNS of Anli·
wh." Bulletin de la Sociit< d'arclte%g;e COpM 10
(1944):43-68.
Lefebvre, G. L'Egypre chritienne. pt, 2. Annales du
Service des amiquites de l'Egypte 10 (1910):50-
65; 260-84. ,
Lemm, O. von. "Kleine koptische Stud;en 6."' Bulle- .. _----'
/i" de l'Academie de U"ingrad 10 (1899):412~ 14;
12 (1900):1-163,
Meinardus, O. Christian Evpt. A"cum a"d Modern. Plan of Ih<! towerlike building at Dayr al-Jab""w!.
Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed,. 1977. Courtesy Peru GrOHman".
812 DAYR AL·JABAAWI: Architecture

,
l. .. , dates from early Christian times are on the plain
... northwest of the modem village. They consi" of
,, ~

,, ...~
.ingle house. of varying sizes lying scattered about,
,, alway. in rectangular enclosures. They are not un·
, like the monk..' dwellings in the g.eat laum of
,
KE!.U,,- In several of these building•. walls with
painted plaster surfaces stick up out of the earth_
The detailed inner arrangement of the rooms has
nOl yet Men investigated, So fur there is a sur-
vey only of a later addition, a towerlike building
with thiek, half.round projections on both sides of
the entrance and a srai. in the northwest corner.
How the othe. rooms were arranged cannot M
delennined.
Ruins of a Saint Ba.bads Chapel lie on the Up"
per side of that plain at the southwestern slope of
the desert. partly built into the rock. The imerior
consislS of a square naos. once covered with a sail·
ing vault, joined at the east end to a semicircular
apse with se"eral irregularly distributed niches, and
a rectangular side room to the south. A northern
side room d""s nol exisl, for here the rock blocks
Ihe space. Only above this is the outer wall comin·
ued directly, but here it serves 10 underpin a cor-
nice led along the edge of the roof. The chapel may
helong 10 the seventh or eighth century_
, .. ,

,,,..- --

"
Plan of the long, colum~d basilica at Dayr al-
labrnwl. Courlesy Petu Gro.ssm'mn.

Apparently the two colonnades originally fonned

the lateral porticoes of the forum within the cas·
trum of .he "cohoTS 1 A.uguSta praetoriana. Lusita·
norum, ,. known umil now only by .ome ancient
inscriptions from the area. Aher the departure of
the soldiers the castrum probably w,," occupied by'
monks who turne<! the old forum into a church. Plan of SainI Barbara's Chapel at Dayr al-Jabmwi.
Individual buildings of a lAuRA rltat presumably Courtuy Pet" Grossmann.

DIBUOGRAPHT
Kunh, D" and U, ROsaler-Kllhler. Zur Arc~
d~J 11. oIH.~pti.<:1rnr. CQun. W~n, 1987.
Pnu C.ClSSMUlli
DA YR. AWANADLA. See Da)T AbU Maqnabh.
DA YR. AWAR.N(JS (Maghad>a). This _ r y
-today a Chrislian village---~ sit.... ted on 1M
Nil"'1 len bank. bulla rn.,",,1 01 Ball, Yllsuf. some
Smiles (8 km) to th" north or aJ·Bahnasl. II is 001"
of .he pbcu wh...." Ihe Holy Family in iu niSht
from H"rod il ""id to ha,..., made a halt 001 th" way
10 aJ·A$H.. ONAYN. In some le>cll; Ihls monaillel)' Is
ulled l'eH5'J$ (Coptic) 0<" Bay! hlis or lRyr Bi5l'l1
{Arabi~)_thal Is 10 say, "House of 1ft....,." Olher
.edS give al·1amlls (Ihe modem name) or ArsanOs
(the anclenl name). The origin of this place·name is
obscure, but il is cl.ar Iha' Ih.s. a~ III the pme
place, For the localizalion is the oame; n",ar II· Bah.
nasA or nur Ishnln al-N~ri, and the dale of hs
fe....1 ill i<knlicl1, 2S Ba$hans. The 'oWll. an anclenl
Nrl.OlllETU. with ill; rile foc- p~i~ling the helgltl of
dIe ti~r'1 Inunda.ion, was mentioned by ~".I
aUlhon in ",Ialion 10 dtheT Dayr aJ·Jamtls or ~
,-The oldest l<:sIimony is beyond doubt lhe """"'Ity
of CyNcIlJ, bishop of aJ·&tJnasIo, Ihe ......bic ..e...
lion of "'hkh has come down to us (Grat, 19,u,
Vol. I, p.ll2). This ten is certainly arlier than the
Muslim eonquest.
AI the bq:inning of the thirl«nlh ~entul)', ,,10
$AlJl;l nlf ~l.lN aUo menlioned the _ e r y
of 8isOs and 11$ _Il
"The EIMopian sYtwU.~ (translated uound
U9'7 on the ba.sis of the Aqbic Synaxarion) IDe'"
lion, !bysUs at 24 ~nb61/2! 8ashan' in the itine-
tW)' of the FUO/otT th"TO EG'Il'"f before al·,uhmoinayn,
and mentiom Ihe Nilometer-_Il, bUI the Arabic
Syrw<arion at 24 Bashans does nut 'peak of It
(Do.>d,e, 1928, Vol. 3, p. 924).
n.e IllSTOlY OF T1lt PATllAlIOlS of the EaYJ>tian
church (Vol. 2, pl. 3, pp. 227 [Iext], 361 (II'1UIS.],
undeT the palriarch CYlUL Il) speaks of the mOnllS·
(ery of Bi,"" as a stage in the nigh! of the Holy
family before al-Ashmunayn.
Bull'U5 Ibn al·Rahlb, at the end of Ihe Ihineenth
Cenlury, 1150 mentioned thi:! monlllllef)' in his cal,
endar oflhe Coptic feasts (Sidarus, 1975,1'1. 7, 2S
DAYR AL-JARNOS 813
Ba.hans). A ~entury laler al.Q>olqashandi cited it
under the name 01 ISllJ (Coquin, 1975-1976, p.
4(2).
In 1441 iJ·MAOIlJzI (1853, Vol. 2, p. SOS) ~ed
a noIi~e 10 Dayr lsiis and indicated thor s~
of the name Jesus and tIw this ill m., Da)T ArjIlnii$,
the feasl of ...hi<:h is on 25 ~han.s; he also noted
the ~ or the ""ell, ","'kIT takes place on the nigl'n
of that cby.1bn Iy.ld (tl 152'; 19$5, Vol. I, p. 187)
also mentioned this monastery in a1mosl the <ame
lerms as thor pncedin, alilhon..
The rno.....ter)· Is also mentionecl '" t~...,leTS: J.
M. VAli5l£B (1677, pp. 69-71; 1678, pp. H-.IJ); B.
de Maillet (173S, p. (3): C. Sicard (1982, Vol. I, p.
46). ",ho also ...-rote of the monastery 01 Jarntls and
ill; well: and M. 10mard (1126, Vol. 18. pl. l. p.
(25), who described the village of al·Jarniis and the
rite of the well. no doubt as il was al the time of
Napoleon', expedition.
The h<,,,mmos '''50 A\.."'ASll;l $Auo IIL-MASiivI
(1924. p. 190) spoke of the water Oflhe well, which
i~ mi~culou~, and ga,,, the dale of 24 (in"ead of
25) Bashans as thaI of Ihe fellSl.
The Chu"h of.he Vlrsln al ai·Jlmus is still in
""i"enee (Clarke, 1912. p, 206, no. 17: MeinardllS,
1962, pp. 3-34),
IlIDUOGIlAPHl'
'Abd al-Masil) ~ib aJ·MasQ'di aJ-1UnmUsi. Kiliib
TuM'" "I-&l'ilin [f DlriJu Myirttl RulrlHtn oJ...Vipiy-
yin.. Cairo. 1924.
Budge. E. A W. The Booi 01 dl~ s..r.... 01 tlTe ElJU.
o"u.n CIrMrdt, Vol. J. <Nord, 1928.
Oarke, S. Christu", Anriqullw in du ,'¥de Y<l1ky.
u,ndoa, 1912.
CoquiD, R.-G. "1..e Caloendrier copte des fttts de
lain.. ~ha al.()alqasandl. l'aroJe de /"Orintl 6-7
H
(1975-1976~87-411,
11m I}u Jount,,1 d'u" booo".,ois Ju Caire, Vol. I,
Inns. G. Wiet. Paris, 19S5.
Jomard, M. "Memolre ilIr la vallie du Nil ct b
nilo~e de I'ile de Roudah. In DescripliQlf de
H
rECple, Vol. 18, ~. l. pp. S56-M3. Pari" 1826_
Maillet, B. de.. ~npliQ'fl de l'E#Jptc, ed Abbe I.e
Mas<:rier. Paris, 17J5.
MeinardUli. O. 'The Itineral)' of the Holy Family in
E«YJ>l:." Stud;" Orie>l/"II" Chri.ti"~,, ColtteIQ~C"
7 (1962):3-34.
Siea'd. C. OcuvrcJ, Vol, 1. ed. S. Saun.ron and M.
Manin. Bibliotheque d'elUde 8], Cairo and Paris.
1982,
Sidaru6, A. Y. Ibn ",·Ra;'ibl, Leben "nd Werk. ls-
lamkundliche Untersuchungen 36. Freiburs.
1975,
 814 DAYR AL·JAWU
VansJ.elI. J. N<>M,,~II~ rdlll/ion or form~ <h jolo,...,l
.run VOJ"'~ ,.11 .. n £cptt .." J671 u J67J. hri•.
1617. Tr.am'atM IS TItt heJC\l SrGI~ <>f Ectpf.
Londoa. 167&.
RL·"t.GEOIlU1S COQUL"
IolAURICE MARn,"- SJ.
DAYR AL·JAWLI. The yillage of al·b.wll is 10 Ihe
SOUln of Manfahl!. To lhe south of the village, Ihen
call~d al']iwiliyyah, .1·MAQRlzl (1853, Vol. l. p, SOil)
lilu3ted 3 mon"l5l~ry dedicaled to Saim M~reurius.
]. ~ANSlEII also knew it bill r.. duced it to a chl,ln:h
(1677. p. 361; 1678, p, 217). S. Clarke noled under
the name a1·Ja.,."j1 • chl,ln:h d..dicated 10 Saini Me..
c ..nus, wh.,.., nick...",", was Abu al&lyfayn (191l.
p. 209. no. I). O. Meinanlus described Ihe pf"eM'nl
s...1e of !hi, Dayr Abo al·Sa)'fa)'D (I%S. ". n6;
1977. p. 385). The chlln:h. wh;"h is all .hat 5O.lf·
Yi~es. has been rec.onotl'\>C'led on lite pbn of the
old one. The mofIUlery ....,.. aJ.o mentioned by the
h~f"""""'" 'UD .u,.MASl1:J $AllII AUIUStnIl (192•.
p. 1(7).
8J8UOC~PHY
'Abd aI·MasI'.> ~l1b al·Masu'di a1·BaIvnoi... Kil~b
T"~fGI GJ.Sit.'i/I" fl DhilT Adyi,GI R"hbd" 1'/ Mif·
riYft". Cairo, 1924.
Clad... S. ChrisliG" An/iquiri.. in Ihe Nil.. Vtlll~1.
London, 1912.
Meinardu•• O. Chri.fliGn EVP/, Anciem and MoJern.
C40iro, 1%5; 2nd ed" 1971.
Vandeb. J. M. Nouvelle reiI'm", ~n fomM de /0,,",01
d',... VOYIlg~ IIJIl en EOP/e ~n /671 er 167J. Pam,
1617. Tnon.\aled IS TIle Praenl SIGle <>f Eo'P',
London, 1671.
RF.I;lU>EoRGES OIoUI.'i"
.,
M..IURICE MAJtn.o;. SJ.
DAYR AL-JAZIRAH. s..~ Da~T a1·Rilm.tniyyah.
DAYR AL-lU'. This pl.,;.......me was; menlioned by
Ibn Duqm!q (1893, p. a). who mdicaled its Iocallon
and rtyenues. It is liso cited in Ihe SI"U '" /h~
Province. ("Abel al·~!lf, 1810. p. 689) in ....a, 777/
~.o. 1375. It seems to hlye disappeard.
These twe documents situate it in the province of
a1.BahnasA, on th~ left bank of Ihe Nile, near ~OF~Il$.
Perhps it i. the same as the one placed by al·
MAQIIIzI (lISJ. Vol.!. p. 50S) at the boundary of the
district of Manhuab. It waa a pb« of evil....".. ....
lion, he _Ole. bec:euse the monks refused lo giw:
aD)' fuod 10 puWDJ UlI.,·ders:; indeaI. the name
Dayr aJ.111' mnns Monaol..ry of Hunl"'".
818UOCllAPKY
'Abel aJ.u.!If.
Rellrion dt rErJpfe d.. 'Ahd 1/.lAtif.
trans. and eel. A. I. S. de Sacy. Paris. lalo. L'£III
d •• provincu Is .......bled in an apper>o:ll:a.
Ibn DuqmA'l. Kirltb IJI·f,,~" ed. C. Vollers. Cairo.
1S93.
~ ..t-GEOJ.CES CDQUIN
MAunCl: M~RTIN. S.].
DAYR AL.KHADIM. Ibn Duqm.lq (1893. p. I)
and al·JlUQlIltf (1853. Vol. 2, p. SOS) mmtloned •
Dayr aJ·Kh:adim that ....,.. near Bal.>r Vdsu/" (aI·Man·
Ido) in the province of BaItnasi and _ dedicated
to the angd GAlWfJ..
"The SIll" 01 ,i.e ~ in 1375 incIkates the
salU ('Abd al·~, 1110, p. 689). RaJml (1953-
196&. Vol. !. pt. 3. p. 217) thought that dtls _ the
_ as 1M w.n .u.--sA.'fOIlRlTTAH. but the laller ..
const:eraled to Saint Thc:odorus.
....1lD Al.oSUSlt:l $AU'.u...IIASlMlI (1924. pp. 163. 179)
dislinguiWd the two monasltries \"Cry cl"",.ly. lhe
finl having dilappeartd bu1 th.. :\t:Cond still brinS
in exi"ence, .t leU! it. chureh.
ABO ~Ulj THE ... ItM.ENlAl'I (1895. p. 245) placed
Dayc al·Khidim II AntinM (~N1l.'i"ooI'ous).
1I1BUOCRAPHY
'AbeI .1·"""!If. R~lofion d~ /"Egyp~ de 'AbJ ol.uli!.
tnIlS- and ed. A. I. S. de Sacy. Paris. 1110. L'£I<I/
d~ provinces Is 1...D$lII"" in an ~ndiJ..
Abd al'Mad!:> Sallb a)·Masl;'di .1·Baramoisl, Killtb
TrJj/fU ,.J·SIt'mn Ii Dlrib Adyirdl Ru1dldJt IJ/.J,fi¥i~
ym. Cai.... 1924.
Ibn Duqmlq. Kil4b IUn!44'. ed. C. VoUeR. Cai....
IS9l.
Ramzl, M. ,u.Qblfw.. ,.j.J"gJr'if! /iI·Billd II
M4rfyy<1h. 3 ~-ots. CaitO, 195]-1963.
IlLott--GE(llI(;ES COOtJII;-
MulRICE M.u.nlol. S.J.
DAYR AL-KHANDAQ. This mon...lcry was
rounded around 970 on ;0 large trael of land 10 the
nonh of Cairo. 1t also included a cemCle')' Ind
cr:placed another mon"'le')'""e""'t,,')' sltUited on
what i$ now Ihe Sile of a1·Aqrnar Mosque. wh;"n
date!l from lhe F.timid period. Near !his U.c:1 was
 DAYR AL.. KUBANIYYAH: Architecture
lhe moll! (khGnd"q) thai Gene.... J".....ha. al-5iqilll
had du& apirw. llIe Cannathian$ (aJ..Maqrtll. 1&53.
Vol. 2. p. S01; d. Casanov;tI. 1901. p. 167).
AI lhal Ii.....,. Day. aJ·~ included 6\'e
d",rdoa dedXaled w lhe Virgin: !he ehurehes oJ.
Mil' 11rps. ~. Mercurius. Abo Maqir. and
Apollo. lIOn oJ. ,,,,11,1$ (AbU oJ.. MaUrim. 1934. pp..
ISf.. ). Then: ...... also a dayr aJ.. Ma.IfJl GhubrtyAI
a10npide Dayr a1.Mali.I< MiWlI ("'Abel al-Maslh
$allb aJ.MasO·dj al-BaramUsl. 1914. P. 153).
The Cop:ie palriarcb CTJJL II p'" m.. Chull'h <II
Saini Mxariu$ 10 I.... Armenians; lbey p'''' I. Ih..
p"lroo. of Saini Goorge. Al the AIM period, Ih..
Chull'h oJ. Sain. Apollo.. son oJ. JU$lU$. "'A$ C"..... W
I.... Syrianl (Nt$Tl)RY OF THf; ."T1l.LUICHS 1959. Vol. 2.
pi.. 3. pp. 225 [leXI]. 355-56 1""n.. J).
AI'IoIAORIt/ (1853. p.. 5 II) wrote !hal Ill.. Chull'h oJ.
Mi. Jhjil was transformtd into I"" church of AnW
Ruwayl. a church lhat S1ill ..xillS. TIt.. lomb of lhe
Illinl. ",no died in 1404.• urvives (Gm. 19<47. Vol. 2.
p, 475; Troupeau. 1972. VoL I. pp. 252-53). The
patriarch MATTHEW r and his Ihre...uccessors were
burled In tb.. Ch,m:h of Anbl Ruwayi (Melnardus,
1965. p, 216: 1977. p. 309).
Two Arabic manuscripts we.e ",rillen for Dayr
al·MaIAk a1.. Ba!..tarl in 1660 and lor AnW Ru\Va)'S in
1740 (Simaykah and Yassa 'Ab<! al·Mad!). 1942, Vol.
2. I, nos. 737 and 1m2). showing 111.1 Ihe dtly. Ilill
exisled .. lhaI: lime.
Thoae churches ..,tually sumrin, are Ih.. ChuKh
of Anbl Ru..,,)'5. near llIe ""'" Calh<'dm of Saini
Mark, and lhe Church oJ. Saini Michael al.. BaJ:wt,
near th.. DimirdbJt ml\VaY _ion. TIl<' Chull'h of
Saini Apollo has d pprared.. For an accounl of Ihe
prnenl sltlWion, Burm~. (lq5S. pp. 37. '9).
[.x...Iso: .0..,.- al··1firn (<:ain».j
mBUOG......,.
'Abd al·Ma$~ $alib al-Masi;'di aJ·B£ramQsl. Kil4b
r../y'" ./..S4·ih" Ii Dhikr·~dyU.1 Ruhb4n _l-M~
"n.. C-.iro. 1924_
AbU al-MaUrim.. T4rik}, Il1..K"n4·is ..,,,...I·l4d);,,,h,
ed. ~ml1l1 al-5uri}':iIinL Diiro. 193-4.
Burmester, O. A C.. j,h uf tho! l4"d...11 CQJHic
Ch~.elN:s 0( Cairo. Cain>. 1955.
C~ova, P. "Les Noms copies du Caire:' B~l1trin
d.. I'J"sliIUi "a",lIi. d'archtolo,;t ori,,,,,,I.. 1
\1901 ): 139- 224.
Melnardus. O. Chrislian EiYpl, And,,,, lInd Mod,",.
Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed., 1977.
Troupe.". G. Cmafug~ .. des ",a"".erirs "T"bes, Vol.
1. Pari •. 1912.
RVit-GWI.ClS COQIJIN
MAuJ.K:E MAHIN. SJ,
815
DAYR KHARFONAH. St. DayI' al.. Munin.
DAYR AL-KHASHAB• .xe Dayr a1-NaqlQn..
DA YR AL-XUBANIVYAH. (71oi. IIrrick is "om-
paud of IWO ""'" p""s: liN history lind /h...,driI..,,-
I ....., uf Dayr 1I1-K"""'in'<!Jt.j
History
Aboul 6 miles (10 km) from .he 1000n oJ. As..-an
on tlw: left bank of the Nile .IN: Ihe nUns of a CopIic
""'naste')' oJ. ...... sixth or .... '...,nlh cennuy, el<Ca,,,I..
ed by Ih.. Vienna Aelldemy of Science.. It was
name<! aft... !he nel/1hbori", village of aI-Ku-
bl"iyyah (II... Mountain of llil). It is also called
Day. al-Sha)'kah. bUI Ihe primiliv.. name of this
"",nute')' is noc kno",n. Th .. ~,'en CopIic inscrip·
tion. wer.. published by Ihe arcba..ologists H. Jun·
k.. r and H. Demel (1922), One may consult wilh
profir the re~iews 01 0<' L O'Leary (1923: 1924).
TIl<' site ..-. britAy described by O. Meinardu.
(1965. p. 327; 1977. p. 443).
1118UOCltAPHY
Junlu:r, H... and H. O<'mel. Diu KloS/tr am Isishtrt,.
Abdemie dcr WisKnscMfi...n. V-"",na, 1922.
Meinnrdus. 0 .. C"rUlW" EDP', 14"";"'1/ llouJ ModO!",_
Cairo. 1965; 2nd <'d•• 1971.
O't.eary. De L ~ of Junker and Demel ",...rt
abow.. Jo..rrwl of EDt'r"" ArcMtoIoa 9 (1913):
233.
_ _ R...-ie>o· of '"nker and ()c,md .....,rIr. abo\'e.
'<nUn_I of IN Ray«1 Asillllic s..cKry 56 (1920&):
309-310.
An;:hllecture
Since beinll unco..ere<! in !he ",inl..r oJ. 1910-
1911 by H. Junk..r. the alte hM "Pin been com-
pieleiy (O~red by sand. Pankularty important is
the "hu,-eh. which il an octagon·domed building of
a type otherwise known only in Gre ..c... A brkk
dom.. wilh a span of 23 feet (7 ml i. "arri.. d by a
substructure conl!illng of ..Igbt IUPPOrts linked by
a conlinuous ei",le of archei. An ambulalory .ur-
rounds Ihis "..nlral .Iruclure on Ihree .id.... in Ihe
manner of lid.. aisles. On lhe: ......1 side ar.. Ih..
816 DAYR AL·KULAH
I •••
• •
Plan of the o<:l.Ogon·domed church.t Day. a1·Kubani)yah. Cou,/osy Pller G,os.m~n",
khtl,ul (room between the naol! and the $8ncluary):
the three·pan sanctuary, with a reclangular allar
chamber and two recl3ngula.r side chambers In the
middle: and two runher longitudinal roolT\$ at the
sides. On the west. projecting strUCture llCcommo-
dat .. _ral side rooms and a S1airease leading
up_rd. The remaining ...bsidiary buildin.p..... hich
'-"" probably shelta- for the monks, are unimpor-
tant. An outer wall ..... IlOI identi6ed. .hhough
~ cmainly mUSt have ~ one. In lhe same
way, there is no indication 01 the lol:alioll ol !he:
....clllary buildinp.
BIIJUOCaAPHY
Grossmann. ". Muu/JdurlicJoe iA"p"1AUptK1J:ir·
cion ,,"J ""....·Iln.d'l Typor ... ObuliffPlUl. pp.
l4ff, G11lck:swb, 1982.
Elevation olthe oclagon·domed church al Dayr al·
Kubiniyyah. Cou,lUy Pltu Gros.",~r....
•
••
Junker, H., and H, Demel. Das Kloster am [slsb"C'
Akademic der Wi5len$Chanen, Vienna, 1922.
MonJ\eret de Villard, U, /I ",Onalll'O Jj S. Su.uonl
p,esso AswJn, Vol. I, pp. ~Slf. Milan, 1927.
hrrER Ollos.<>MANN
DAYR AL-KtILAH. Sel o..yr Mar BtL'llur
(QamUlah).
DAYR KYRJAKUS. Su Day.- Epiphanius.
DAYR AL-MADINAH. [",is ertley e"""",p<USes
nw aspects 01 [)Q1' al..wadlnaJr. T1Ie history is
*"""." rhrouzlr upcdllriJ'u <mJ1 puhlWrd reports 01
vi3iJors. A deJCJ'ipriorr 01 rvnai"i"6 sipu 01 the sn
and arclliucn.re 01 ,Ill site co...prisu W ~"d
pan.]
H!.story
This small monastery is ,;tualed Of! lhe left bank
of the Sileo opposite Luxor. The al"l:'a around the
ria)'r is know" ~ West Thebes, The IJlQnastery ,",'as
installed in the ruin$ of a small lemple of the Ptole-
maic period dedicated to the gOOde.. Hathor. It
....u given its name. Monaslery of the To,",'Jl, no
doubt bccau..e of ill proximity to lhe to....n of Jeme,
 DAYR AL-MADINAH: Art and Architecture
O$ublis.hed in the CopOc e.... in the lempk of R,a.rn.
_ III at ..... DlsAT IIABO. Btt.... 01 the 'boone"in
~licion. tht lnnpl" was.-d in other ways. This is
1M ~ ci-' by Winlock and CnJm (1926,
Vol. I. p. 8).
When II... mo~ was instal~ in 11K lempk
of Hathor, the It:II1plt was transfomted in<o a
chwdl and l'Kf'i.'M the _ of 1M mart)l" IPdo-
l\IS.as is shown by ~~ inscriptions (WInlock
and Crum. 1920. pi.. I. p. 8; Nun;"., 1918. p. 99.
n. 3). In • .small cemeto)' Ii> !he north of the 1!>OIl'
as«ry ,,~n ooonbs ha..e been coulllcd. Seve",_
dllnp l~.'t ...... !his mon;aslery "'11$ lIourishina
af ,he gmt period as .he DAYa EPI_IUS (dDI is.
in ,he _nih century). Its monks. or at ......, some
oIlhem, mil. h;r..., been ","~rs or I.lilon. foe on
me facade of the ancient temple arc engraved In-
Slructlon' foc the dimensioos of ""rio... Il~nb
(Winlock and Crum. 1926. pI. I. p. 9). Theile in-
scrlpllonJ la.v<, been publishe<l by E. upsius ( 111\17.
1913, Vol. 2. p. 102) and Sayee (1861-1882, pp.
117-23). On the Slale of the mon:l.Stery lithe begin.
nlng of the ,,,,,,..Iiern century, one may rud the
des.::rlpdon of M. Jullien (1902. pp. 247-.8) and
G. Mas~ro (1911. pp. 145-51). On the e.c...aliol>ll
On Ihis sile. see E. aa....iu (191 •• pop. 19-U);Ind
B. Bruyke in Ihe R4ppCTr SUT lu {ouil/fS tJ, D,i.
t/·MttJin"h /1939_40), In particular thai of Janual')'-
March 1939. For a rt<:enl description, ont may read
Johann GeorI (1930, p. 21) and O. M,inardus
(1%5. p. 314; 1977, p. 427).
[~, "Iso: Mtmnon.ia.]
BlBUOGkAPKT
Banoitt. E. "Conrpu-rendu des I1rt'aLU Uk\lles ..
~it" ft.M.Mindt.~ Atmaiu <Iu Savic, tJ,. "..u.
'l"itb tJ, rEcfpI, 13 (1914):19~.2.
BlV)+re. B. Rqpon JUT ks /_ill,. .I, De;" e/.
Ulditt,h O""";''''bQrf 19J9}. Fouillei de 1·lnWlUI
fnn(ais d'Archeologie "'"Plale 20. Cairo. 10).4'-
1952.
I "Fouilles ck ~Ir d·~neh." CM_iq..,
d'EoPI, 2t (1939):271-76-
Johann Geo... Duk, of Saxony. Ne.., Str,it,."
du.eh dl, Kirch,,, rmd Klfulu """le"•. Leipri,
and Berlin. 1930.
JulJien. M. "u Culle chr~tie" d""s In lemples d,
I·~"tlqu, E£Ypu:' Etudes 92 (IWl2):~37-Sl.
""a
.....PlIIu.s. E. D,,,J<miiler Q'" },gypt,,, AlhiDpl.
''' ..•. 5 vol •. Leipzig, 18'17-1913: repro Osna·
brtlck.I970-1971.
M.ro, G. "Noles de voyage:' Almal,! a" Service
dts ""tiq"lr's de tEn'pte 10 (1910):5-13. II
(1911):14S-61.
817
mi,r, H. "Ln Acan du mal'1)'"' de salnt lsi""",."
,."..,."is
B..J/efin .I, I" ....tit.., d'ArcJtiologie oriDr-
14k 14 (1911):97-190.
Sayee. A. H. "The Coptic Inscriptions of Beni·Has·
.an and Deir e1·Mdindt:· 1'rocudinp of Ihe So-
'~rr of Bi1H«:,,1 Arc~ • (1181-1182):117-
n.
Wln1od:. H. Eo, and W. E. Crum. 71f, MOflutery of
£pipIlUlDu al 71td>es. 2 yols. Sew.' Yori:, 1926-
RD.~CoomN
MAl)IIICI! Mu11N. SJ.
Art and A-re.hllc:ctun:
The mona.ste'Y <Jl Da)T ,,1·Madlnah is miud up
with Ihe Ptolemaic: temple al lhe 5ile and the SJ'K<:
included between it and lhe .,ndrdinj: ",,,11 of un·
baked brick of Ihe lolIme ~riod. That ....·all sur-
rounds it at the fOOl oIlhe nonh .lo~ of the valley,
in which fanher 10 lhe well Is IQCate<l the village of
Ihe labore ... of Ih, pharaonic ~r1od. In this space
on Ihe north side of Ih, t,mple. tomb. of monks
have ~n found. On' <Jl the chanocteristics of
which i. the enveloplnj: of lhe bodies in a leath.,.
apron.
The enlrance eontrived in lhe Ihlckness <:If the
endrtlinj: ~I on th, ease.1de a11(lWS one to see in
the same line, 16S feet (SO m) _""'y. lhe rnlrance to
the temple luelf. On the left of this entntnce a
seated penClna&e has been coppa-ftlgraved full-
fac., on a Rat l-Ion., .-evetment. The fipu is clothed
in a ~Ii ..... wilh oblique folds on the ohouldo=.
over a tunic ..;tb _'y hori.... ntal folds lhat boll to
/tis feet. Tbe richt foot, OChem;! with a sandal. Is
tumed wwanl the ri,llI: !he left is bare, ..;t!l the
lOtS dearly traced ''fllically. He if; haloe4. and a-
Ion& $lic~ ...;tb a knob rests upon his shoulder and
pto;eu. abtn.., his head. Tbe 51>d Is dnown obIi""",
Iy and rests in fronl 01 the IenJ:lh 01 Itis ritht foot.
The right arm rests 00 his riJht kn.,., and rises to
the: height of his h~. perhaps in a ges1ure <Jlbene-
diction. The left ann restIl <:In Ih, knee <Jl the !lame
lick. holding an object that rould be a VU<:. Th.,
r.:atureo of lh., lac., cannot be Identified. Bu1 und<:r
Ihi. figure, in a rqist" <Jl the "",me slon., ,..,.-et-
menl. an Inscription of the prieM Paul m,ntion.
thai he SC:JVed lhe Church of AI'" ilidorus the Mar-
tyr. Wilhout doubl, Ihl. is lhe one 10 whom Ihe
monaslery was dedicaled.
The presence of monks on Ihis .ite is alleslcd by
an imporu.nt number of Coptic inscriptions that
follow olle allOlher In rairly regular lines from reg·
818 DAYR AL-MADWID
isl~' to rqj"~r on the bcad~, IlOme1i..- cow:rin&
....'0 or lhcee $lams of il. n.n.e
~ for !be _
poon fu.... rary inscriptions, on~ of lh<em ~~n lOrm-
II'tI a chronological lisl of names of monb, witl1
indiation of !he day and month 01 tI1dr dealh.
0Ihtr isolaled inscriptions ...... found on 1hc OUIer
fK~ oIlhc north wall. and anotI>« Jl'O'>P is ,nualed
on !he roof, CO<np<:>sM ol inciKd forms of ~.
which, bow""",, an isollutd. and In ....i Ikh is aho
in<:iscd a name. One monk', natM is found In<:ised
on a pbIw 5Urfau undn a I'Iolemak 5C~ne deco-
rarinS th~ alerio, fate of lite JOUlIt wall of lht
I~mple.
CI'OSAa, some ebborate and OIhen wry simplc:,
M well ... incise<! designs of birds or quadrupeds,
very 1'OI.IJh. stand 01.11 on Ihe OUler bc~ of Ihe nonh
wall ollhe ~mpl~ and on lhe Imerior fK~ of the
eas! p41n of the enCI,dina: wall.
II Is ",markable-andthis cannOl ~ emphasized
100 much-thaI lhe Coplic manU never mad/: any
attempto 10 deface lhe Ptolemaic ",,,,,,scnlalions or
In",riplions of thi, temple. For Iheir own works
and in""riplions, Ihey u,;ed only the space. left un-
touched by lhe previous occuv-.nu. This example of
Ihe respeCI Ihey showed the pa$t disproves allega·
lions of vandalism leveled againS( Ihe monb.
BIBUOCUPHY
8ar&ize. E. "Comple·",ndu des tnvaWl ukulo •
DeIT e1·Medineh_" -'>I".uu d.. Service du ""ri·
quiUs de I'Eople n (191.):19·.2.
I'1lJln DU BowGuET. SJ_
DAYR ALMADWID. Suo Oa)T a1.sab'il! JiWJ,
DAYR AL.MA.G~TIS or Dabra Mt:1~. ,U
M~iW:I indiaued ~this monasl~ Mood "beside
Ihe saline maniocs. ncar !he ~ of al-BuNII......
and in !he neighborhood is lhe all.marsh from
which lho, b$hidic, [ROidta) Pli is ~ned"
(18-45. 1'1" 44~.S [Iext), 108-109 (Irans,]: IBS3, Vol.
2, p, S08). He bter indicated tn.1 (Mfa AI/Mua u
one day's march from Dayr al·M\Ilihlls, but al·'Asitar
"'M quite near presenl-day Bilqls, in the nonheUl
of Ihe provin<:e of GharbiYYllh. This would locat.
Dayr al·Mallhlis 10 the north ol Bilqlb In the neiah.
borhood of Abii Mf>4i. on the shores of the Lake of
al·Durnllu•.
This monaslery played an Imponant part in the
medieval period of the Coptic church. The Ethiopi-
an S\'NAX.UlOOI. In iIs s«ood .-e«nsioo III lhe end of
the siI'~dllt or the beginning of the on_,t!tI1lh
cenlury, lOr the 24 Genb0c/2. Bashans ac«JU>I' of
!he Holy Family's I'UCH'I INTO EGYPT. idemi6cs Ihe
place ...f:tere J~ l~ hi, foOIprinl on a Slone (Bi
lOti IsUs, or Jesus' heel. id the Coptic Synnarion)
"'-M ~ MC!"*l-that I... lhe MONIS1ery of lho,
Pool. or Da)T a1·~is In Anbic (Bud,e, 1928,
Vol. 3, p. 92.3). In the S)nu&rion account of 11M:
fti&ht iNO Ec:-P1. the epiKKk of JQUS' heel is placed
afte, !he UGMIn, of th~ Oam;etlll branch of !he
Nile al Samannud. This Indicalion &vm lho, Ethiopi·
an Syna.urion lh... "Creel with a1-Maqrtzl's SQI....
~,.
In ABO ...... MAK.UJM'. ,,"'onr. Ill: the beginning of lhe
Ihineenth cenlury, lhe s.ame idenlificalitm is given,
ahhoou&h the name Oayr al·Magh!is is nol ~if>cal.
Iy menlioned, Howe~r, according 10 the aUlhor, a
miracle happened at Mioyal Tinah on Ihe day of
lhe Epiphany. 11 oc:culT.d in a pool inside a chul"Ch
of an unnamed monUlery where the miraculous
ston. bearing Ihe footprint of Jesus ",as kept until it
di""ppeared at Ihe Ilm~ of the Arab conque.t (AbU
al·MakAnm, 1984, Pf'. 70-71). The anicle on CYRt~
II in the KISTOIlY Of' THE PATIlIAIlUlS places Minyal
Tinah, lho, place where Ih. Synuari<ln mentions Bi
KhA is.... (Bistls), alier Db!-ah in !he lis! of stages of
the fti&lll into EflypI (HlSTOn OF THE MT1tIMtl;HS,
1959, Vol. 2, pi. 3, pp. !27 It""l], 361 [lraM.D. The
identifi<:alion of Da)T MinY'" TMah. Bi Kh.i lws,
and Dayr a1.Ma&h\is ...i!h on~ anOlher il; evident.
Phllfuhl,wus 'Awa4 (SimlO)-bh, 1932, Vol. 2, p.
224) IhooJah1 WI Ihis monastery "''as near IUn $ITT
DIMVA.'UH and !hat iI disappeared undrT the mini
........,.. Iewl 01 lhe lake of a1-BurullllL M. RamzI
(19S06. Vol. I, p, 309) l'-'Jh. tlw Minyal Titlalt
"'.... Ill: the m of lhe bnn of DaJT Silt o;-.~,
aboul 6 mil"" (10 km) 10 lhe north of Bi!qis. Nei-
-
ther wriler looI< KCOUnl of the statemen" of aI·
No~ .oo.~ .......
lhe lI"lldirion I;nkina Dayr ....
Mallh!is and the t'lidtl Inlo EcP<. AI som~ unknown
poinl in lhe Middle Aeu, this monaslery becam~ a
very imponanl pil,rimqe «mer, as the Book of
Mary', Mi,,,c/u III its Elhiopian rttensk>n rttOOnl•.
A Jisum~ of this work dealing wilh Oayr a1-Magh!is
is inserted in the Elhioplan Synaxarion for 21 Gen.
bot/21 Bashan. (BudKe, 1928, Vol. 3, pp. 917-18).
The Book of Mary'. Mi,,,cI.. i. a compilation of
accounts conc~rnlng Oabra Me!m~ and, in panko
ular, Ihe Virgin's ailPC'lranCes on ... luminous boat
on 21 Genbol/21 Baslans, Thi. Is dearly tran~l"'led
from lhe Arabk bul unfortunately Ihe Arabic onai.

nat has bttn lose. AJ.Maqrtzl r«orded lhac peopl~
"'flIl ~~ on pil~e from allover Egypt as
much as '0 1M: Church ollhe Resurndion at Jeru·
salem and thai !he rn.u of the appnnnce OIl the
Vil'J'in is in Ihe month cl &6Iuon5. He adds that m;,
lllOfU$Iery as dcsl;~ in Ramadan of A.K. 8411
A.O. ' ')S date thai cornspondo e:ucuy ",ith ,he
dala ol 1M Erhiopian &o.l: of doe Idiruw of M<uy
«(buill. 1943. pp. 14)---4<l). """;.,11 .uributel thi>
datruction by fire 10 1M M;unluk Sl.II~ BarWay
.H.bJik"'Ashnf Say{ a)-Din. In 1441tM parriucb
JOHN Xl smI an embassy led by Michael. the bis.bop
of ~ (nar al-Mallallah "·K",Iri), on "'hom
o.YI aJ·~is th~ ~dfd. 10 Ethiopia 10 "''Vn
!he I>ei'JS Zu'. Va'qob (1434-1468). This bishop
and thi, embassy an: unkn....;n ebeoAtlere (Munioer.
1'}43: Wier. 19J8).
Se~... l similariti.,. will be n<>ted bel~n these
appeal"lln«' of the Vi<gin and wnll at Day• •1·
M.,lIli, and those of Day.- Sit! Dimylnah: thq u.ke
piKe a' the same time of the year, in the month of
Bashans: the m"n ....'.,ri.. are not far from one an·
other, being In the same region of the Dell&: and.
althouah here and there the Vil"lin appurs e,en
more lhan at Silt Dimyinah. the duration of the
app<r."u.ces is .imilar. five days at Dayr al·~sh!is,
thr« days at Dayr Sill Dim~. Appearances ol
the same lypt ,"err: talOnS place in OIher churches
or lhe Deltll at 1M beginning 01. the Ihin«nth Cen-
IUry. accordina 10 the History of lite P"""",cll.
(1974. Vol. 4. pl. l. pp. 23 Ileal]. 48-49 (l",fI$.)).
One michl propound the hypothesis dUll alter lhe
fire at Dayr a1-Ms&h!is in 108, the piJarimagc 01.
lhe monlh olSMhans ..11$ ~ lQ Dayr Jimpnah
(wltk" bad become Da)T Sin Oim)bah). which
"'ould explain the spread 01. the cult of SainI
Jirnyt.Nh (or Dimyinah. aceocdins 10 the two .....ell.
allClled spcllinp).
-,
IlIBUOCIAI'tn'
Aba al-MaUri.... rolnkll td·X",,.oI·u w.Nlf.AJyi",lr.
cd. ~mii·ll a1·Sul)4nl cairo. 1934.
Amtlineau. E. fA Gblgrtlpllie de l'£rYP'e a /'ipoq,,,
eoplC. p. l59. Paris. 189]. (This clles Minyal
Tiltllh. but places it 100 £ar south.)
Budge. E. A. W. The Book of Ihe $Jilinl. of 11.. £1;';'
opian Chu'ch. 4 vol•. Cambridge. 1928.
Cerulli. E. l/ lib,." Cliopie" dei ",i'aeoli dl M"'ria.
Studl orientllli pubblicali a cura della Scuola Ori·
enlale 1. Rome. 1943.
Munier, H. Recueil des li$le. ipiJ<;opales d. I'iflis'
COpIC. Cairo. 1943.
DAYR AL-MAJMA': History 819
MU}'WT, J.• and C. Viaud. Le. nt.rinage. cople. en
£sypfC. pp. 10-11. BiblIOlheq_ d·tlu<!r:s copus
15. Cairo, 1979.
Ramzf, M. AI..Qdma. aU"p,oI/i IiUJiUi.d ,I
.w~. 3 vols. Cairo, 195]-1968.
Sima)'bh. M. 0../11 td·AuuJ,,,,t ,,/-Qibn. Vol. 2. Cairo,
1932-
G. MUs Rdacioftl ~ n e s !OOUS lei
....-Itl.
sultaDs mamloub.·' B..llerin de I. Socilll. rI'..,·
ehi%rie eopte. {I93t1):115·40.
Jto,~ CooulS
DA YR AL-MAJMA.·. (71riJ ctWIsi",s of lwo
CIt!)"
pdn$: Hi$!OI)< dnd An:.hllcc..'re. TJr~ {irs, tkals with
writrcn dCCOtOnl. ctWIccntin& .11. ria}'•. .. nrl lire see-
and rli<c"ss~. ..4141 remdin. of rhe fou, ChUTChes
Ihdl wC'e in rho confines of Ihe monasM"..]
HI.tory
This monastery, no", "ho called Dayr "tir Jitji"
is situated 10 Ih.. west of the village called al-Sa!)rl
Qamulali. $outltwesl or ""AO~l)AII. al lilt fool of Ihe
Libyan massif on lhe edge of Ihe desen named
Jabal a1.~, between lMH .110 !Jf.H to /he nor1h
and Oa)T MAr B"'lIUr 10 the ..,.,Ih. The Icnn ",/.
majmD.' ",-as underslood in lhe sense of ',.,lOri by C.
SICAllD (1932. Vol. 2, pp. 66, 227). bul Winlo'" and
Crum (I926. p. 115) remari<ed thai it is the A""bic
equivaleru 01. the Creek ~ . and underlined
W £:acl tIta1 ilt tht S"h;<!k Life of Pi5cntiu5 lilt
Mo..... e". 01. TWnii (;It Arabic. a1.~). ",hick ..-as
his rpWwprion (eptsc.l d ..-cllinc> and where his
body ..-as laid bebre bein, buried ~in the moun-
l3in. bean this name (Budtc. 1913. pp. 120. 1l6).
M
Now N YlI ANIM PISL-mtlS. wnne Itis tomb is SliD
found toda}', is only a ql.lU1er mile (400 m) diswu.
YiiJ.LanDl iblt SI'id ibn YaI))'i ibn Miny.i ibrI al-
Qulmml. ilt his notice aboul tlte patri..-ch Cl1UI. II.
_tioned in ... ~ r y 10 1M WC$I 01. ~ [lite
body] of Abba l'iKnlius and 10 the ......t of lhe
monastery" opring ol_ter" (IUSIORY OF DIE PATRJ.
... ~ 1959, Vol. 2. pt. 3. pp. 228 [lelll]. 362
(Irans.n·
ABO ~UI;l THE ADlENI.'" (fol. 81'; 1895. pp, 233-
34) srenu ind«d to It.av~ refcn"M 10 lltls monas-
tery, although he placed It under lite name of pt.
SEN11US. bi.hop of Qif!. (COplOS) at the beginning of
lhe seventlt cemury: "This monaslery stands 10 the
west ofOu~; and il contains the tomb of ....int Pisen·
IiI's. Outside the mcnll5tery and 10 lite wesl of iI,
820 DAYR AL·MAJMA': Architecture

the« i$ a well 01. water which ...v visited b,. .....
Lady and I"" tnrd Christ with the riahteous old
mIIn Jastph:' Bul the Evetts lnon$lation could be
COlttCted 11"...: '"'The~ i$ the tomb <:J. taint ,*".
tiltS oubide [,n" 1IKIna5C~). and 10 the wnl 01.
it, , , :'
In 16611, Fathers Fran~o", and J>rotais spoke <:J.
the _ e r y ~el-Mianrir [Majma'] ..'here Bi$hop
Abif~~, ..·ho died with a rq>IKation for sar>cLi.
1)', is buried~ (Salmeron, 1969. p.. 137), an elII$)'
conftaion betw-. Dayr ,.).Majma: and I"" nearby
lomb of Saint ~.iuL
It is :u this tum tha. AbU ~il}-or at Iea5t thr
linpt ...... uocript thao lull COme down under his
name-~ill placed the lomb of SainI P;"'nliUl in
the Mort_...., of Salm Michad (Dayr al-Malll.
MlkhI'lll at Oamiilah (fol. 104"; TIut: O"...clru ... ,
1895, Pll. 2n-H), which he al50 names Dayr al·
'Ayn, becaUSl' of a famQUS we:ll of waler.
This is the largest of Ihe monasleriel of Ihis re-
gion between NaqJidah and Oamulah. It ill de·
scribed by S. ClARKE (1912, pp. 130-40) .. havinll
celli and four churches. of which the oIdell, dedi·
caled 10 SainI George. is lak! oul on • builica plan
and conlalM ",mai... of pa;nt;ngl, with a mQie,I<o
Domi1l' (majesty of lhe Lord) in lhe conch of the
apse. Abo. ~ito indicated that the chun:h Is COR"'"
c ....ted to !he Virgin, and there is It ill a small
chuKh oJ. the V"ugin, although badly o.m...d, in
,"" Oa)T al·Majma'.
[S." aho: Dayr Abu a1·Ubh: Oayr Anbll'Uentius:
Dayr a1-lblil. MlkhJi11 (Qamulah): f'isoentlll$ (bishop
of Qi&J.]
VartsId>, J. M. Nouvell. relillion en fcmn. d~ ;aI/mal
J'un VDY"I" fQU ," Eel"" ,n/672 ,I 1671. ~ris..
16n. T~ed as n." Prt~", St..,.. of Em'·
London, 1678.
Walters, C. C. MOII4Slie: Arc:Jt.tolot! in Et::/pl. War-
minst.... 1974.
Wmlock. H. E., and W, Eo. Cnun. The Mon4st"., of
EpfpNlm.., .., n"ks. Vol. L New York. 1926.
RD.-t.(",mQGF5 CoQuu<
MAI."~ M.umN. S. J.
Ar<:httecture
Of !he four dlun:hes .hat .."'.., once part of this
monast...., in th.. early and high Middle ~, only
lhe Chun:h of SainI John ",maiM standing as •
lUin. Th.. small .1·'Adhrti' Church (Church of the
Virgin) is at plftenl blocked up, and the two mo51
impo<tanl chun:hes, those oJ. Malik Mikhl'j] (Saint
Michael) and Mlr Jirjls (SainI Geo'lle). were I,,·
eled to the ground in the 19201 and replaced by
insignificant modern SllUClu,es,
The Church of MAr Jlrjis appears to be the oldesl.
The building is divided up .'ery dearly. It had the
form of a columned basilica with a ",ties of sturdy

BIBUOCIllL"'Y

Budae, Eo. A. W. Coptic Apocrypluo ;" 'M Oi41«r of

f}pJwr Emr. London. 1913.
CIarlO'. S. ChrWiQn AnciqNiri~ ;" II", Nik V.II~"
pp< 130-40. 01f0rd..1912.
Dor~. J. "M~* copIt;f-IMbains." Rno.'C • •
4~, amIlultces """f.<UJ~' "10 Ori~ ..' NO'<'. 1949: L..J
1-16.
•••
Johann Geora:. Duke: of Sa.wny. S"'"iftM,~ dllTC" 4... ....-.• ,
; :
i~
•
Ki,che" lind KJiJ.u, "CJPl"n•. Ltipzia. 191_,
___ N.,... S"eifVit.~ 4ul'dt di" KitcMn ",,4 KIiJ- L : ,._.-1
1
••
't~r ADp'"n'. l.<:iprig and Berlin, 19lO,
Monneret & Villard. U. JI monasruo dl S. Slm."". , _, :..··1 •••
•
p"sw Asw"". Milan, 1927. t 1 ,• .... ,•

Sal.lneron, S. "Vill~~ et l~gendel d'Ejyple, xxvm,

La TMba'ide en 1668." B"II.ri,., de /'Imlilm !."".
f"is 4'ArcfttologU on.,.,14I. 67 (1969):121-42,
Sicard, C. O",w.,s, Vol. 2, R.lation, ,I ",Jmol,.,
imprimi,. ed M. Manin. 8iblwrh~q". d"/I<du 8~.
_
'---- .. ,... '--'--" .;
Plan of the Ch"rch of Mlr 1irji. at Dayr al·Majma'.
Cairo, 1982. CouYl"Y P".. Cro,sma1l".
 DAYR AL·MAJMA'; Architecture 821

longer be recognized. I~ {he condition r-eponed by

Clarke, it ""'" similar 10 lhe chtlrches of the si,,-
teenth and seventeentb centuries from lhe Akhmlm
area.
In its present condition the Church of Saint John
represents at le~t three distinct phases of building.
. .. ,,,
~,
Of th~. the middle phase, which has the form of a
domw basilica consisting "f lwo domed rooms one
behind the olher, Was the most important. The pr-e.
"ious structure. cOllSiderable sections of which ar-e
preserved on the .outh and easl sides. appears to

~'I'
"''-'.
have been primarily a building with column., Whal
it looked like originally can be as<:ertained only by
",, , i excavation.
,·.1 last. the al·'Adhr-a' Church was a small, insignifi-
I Cant ~hapel. Despite its narrowness, the naos was
.ubdi"ided into three aisles that had on~e been bar·

- .',
" ".1
I rel-\'aulted. Attached to the khuru, (room between
the naos and san~tuary) in the east, il was .eparated
by" thick wall with a .ingle opening in lhe middle,
,'-~
} The a~tual ""n~tuary had a central apse and lWO
,-. ::1 side rooms.

I
";1
'., .1I
'I ,,r---',, ,.---,
>j
. 'J ,, , ,,, ,,I
,, ,,
,,
.\.,1
,.,J
::-.::/
L
, ,
,,,
•
L "

,, ---'.
Plan of the Church of Saint John at Dayr al·Majma",
Courusy Peler Croumonn.
1l.lllne= arches between which was erected a roof
construction in lh. shaP<' of a transverse barrel
.auk Technically this kind.ef roof co\'ering may be ,.
compar-ed with the transveile system of arches used .... -" -".
in churche. in lhe Haurnn (Burier, 1929. pp. 17-24,
178-79). The Church of Saint George in Dayr al·
Majma' has bee~ the only known example of lhis
kind in Egypt. and ilS 10.. is therdor-e all the mor-e
regrettable, The sanctuary followed th. nonnal
l~
,
'"'- ...
II
~.

plan. with an apse in the center and tWO re~tangu'

~ II
lar side room$. The church dated from the eleventh
century.
To the nonh and immedialely adj<lining the
Church of Saint George. lhe Church of Saint Mi· .................. - _....
chael Was SO poorly rebuilt by the time S. Clarke Plan of the al-'Adhni' Church at Dayr al·Majma'.
di5~overed it lhat the original slruCiure could no C o"'rt~,y Peler Gro'<5ma"".
 BIBUOGRAPHY
BUller, H, C, Ear/y Churche$ in Syrin. Princeto",
1929; repr, Amsterdam, 1969,
Clarke, S, Christian Anllquitiu In /". NUe Valley,
pp. 130-40. Oxford, 1912.
Grossmann, P, Mille/ai/erlic"e umghltuskuppelkir-
chen "nd verwandle Typen in Ob"iigypten, pp.
22~25, 109, 137-39. Ghickstadt. 1982.
Meinardus, O. Christian Egypl, Anci,nl and Modern,
p. 311. Cairo, 1965.
Monneret de Villard, U. Deyr el-Mu1}arraqah, p. 14,
Milan, 1928.
PE:rER GROSSMANN
DAYR AL.MALAK (D!khlah Oasis), a badly
deeayed mud brick ruin of a monMtery, l~ing in the
middle of an inundalion area about 11 miles (7 km)
northeast of MGt. The interior of the church is di·
vided by four cruciform pillars inlO nine equal
ba}'S, In lhe east there are three apses lying side b}'
side, each of ,,"'hieh probably once contained an
ahaI'. Remains of IWO further apse' were identified
in the middle of the south and weSt sides, and very
probably there was also an apse on the north side.
These apses gi,'e an architectural emphasis to the
Iwo main aus, SO thaI the church it5elf is to be
evalualed typologically as a cross·shaped building,
even if that does nol find expression in Ihe dimen·
sion of Ihe different spatial areas. The ba~. were all
covered wilh domes. The cemral dome may have
been raised aoo"e th" other domes, and was proba·
bl}' construcled on squinches. Chronologically, Ih"
o "''0
• Meinardus, 0, Christian Egypl, Ancien! and M<ld",n.
• RENWEORGES COQUIN
,C""
.', .. ,' o
Plan <If lite church al DayI' al·Mal!k.
building is a relatively lale foundali<ln and resem·
bles Ihe churches of Ihe siM~nth ~entury in Ihe
a",a of Akltmlm, A smalllaler chapel adj<lins on tit"
south .ide.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
G""smann, P_ "Bibli<lgraphie." Byumtini.<che Zeit·
schrift 75 (1982):503,
Mills, A. J. "The Dakhlah Oasis Project." Journal <If
the Sod"y f<lr Ihe Siudy of Egyplian Antiquiries II
(1981): 1114- 185. PETER GIlOSSM~NN
OAYR AL-MALAK, Thi, small monaslery i. situ·
aled <lO the righl bank of the Nile in lhe part be-
tween Din! and Nag Hammadi ,,",here the river
A<lws not from soulh 10 north but from eMt \(l we.t.
Th" m<lnaslery is thus 10 Ihe north <If the Nile. It is
I km ,,"'est of DAVR A>lB~ PAtAE.MON and near the easl
.id" of Ih" \(lwn <If al-D!bbah.
For want <If archaee>l<lgical investigalion, Ihe dale
of the monaslery's foundalion ~ann01 be h"d, and
no ancient testimony about Ihe monasl"ry e:<ist5, It
was brieBy menlioned by L T. LEFORT (193\1, !'P'
386-87). O()TeSS" (1958, p, 148; 1960, p. 131) men·
lioned iI, selling al<lngside it ,orne tombs where the
S&called NA(; HM\M~DI UBRARV of Gn<l,tic papyri is
ljaid 10 hav" be<.n found. O. Meinardu. (1965, p.
305; 1977, p. 4171 described il briefly.
AI present the monastery serves as a church f<lr
the Christians of the neighboring l<lwn of al·D!bbah
and is inhabiled by Ihe clergy <If th" town.
BIBUOGRAPHY
Dore.se, ], Les Lrv,,,, secrels des gn<l!,riques
d'Egypu. Paris, 1958. Translaled as The Seer.,
Books <If the Egyptian G'lQslic$. wndon, 1960.
Lefon, L T. "Les Premiers monash':res pach6miens:
Expl<lralion topographique." Le Muscot! 52
(1939),379~407 .
Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed" 1977.
MAllJ<tn MARTIN, S.J.
DAYR AL-MALAK AL-BAHRI (Cairo). Su
Dayr al·Khandaq.
DAYR AL·MALAK GHUBRIVAL, Sce Dayr
al·NaqIGn,
 DAYR AL-MALA.K MIKHA'IL: Architecture 823

DAYR AL.MAUK MIKHA'IL (AkhmTm).

IThis arlicl~ dlS("ussu two astHc's of Day. al·Malik
MlkItJ'II_llte Itl$lo<')' a~d rite arcItI/O!Clure.)

HlllOry
Th~ s...... 1 monaste-ry, of ..·hich nothinl remai~ • • • •
001 the chu~h SU/TOIIl.ded by an endc.u,",. i. ne....
the village of al.&l.Im11nl on the edac of the deot'n,
US miles (2 km) nonh of "·Haldwhh, on the
ri&ht bank oflhe Nile, almo.l ~ miles (6 km) from
Akhmlm.
II Sttm$ '0 have b«n described by "·..-hl
(ISS3, Vol. 2, p, >(4). He c.alled It Dayr $obrt from
the nam.e 01 the Anb uibe thai had ... lablilhal
itself Ihn'e. He aJ,o noctd thai it _ cledic.altd 10
Saini Michael and that ;1 had only, singk mook-
O. Meinardus depicted its modtm SOllie and p""
information ahoul rtaChln. It (1965, pp. 295-96:
1977. PI). 406-~07), A plJa:rlmaee unites the Chris-
lians 01 the r e p each )'I'ar on the ,rrat of r-su ~=li
Saini Midlaej, 12 H~lOr and 12 !b.'tlonah (d. M\I)'SCr
&Ad VWMi 1979, pp, 57-sa),

... lSl.IOCItAPHY
----._- _._._
-----:::='.
i
I

Meinardus, O. Cloris';." £Cpl, A""ipt -.J A.Io<k....

Cairo. 1965; 2nd td.. 1977.
Muystr. J., atld G. Viaud. '1..es nlerinages CoplCS
m EgypI..... BibliO!he:que d'tto>dts copIn IS.
C.iro. 1979.
RE.~WroRGESCoov1!'l
MAIJRICE MARTI"'- SJ.
A«hltecltlre
The plans of tM chu",Ms in this and nurby (>HIl
A!.o'MlHIlA' are limilar. Bolli ~epresent a local Ionn
01 the rned;e~,l hall church ..,ith columns (Gr0ss-
mann, 1982), having ori,i';'Uy th",e »nctuaries
and two comer rooms 11.1 1M east and tWO 10.... of
five ba)'$ divided by columns at the west. uter,
another sanCtuary and edjaccnt room. werr added
on the north sid". Th" origin:al sanClua";", hav" the
local peculiarity of being deep. with straight ,id~
ltading up 10 curved end!, Another local character·
illk is the presence of a vaulted corridor behind
the sanc!uari",. Thi. churoh ;s unique among Ihose
of the region in that, although built mainly of brick,
it It... stone "oussoirs in the a",hes, These appear to
be ,poil,. Seve.... J all' carved, and One in tlte door
Pbn of Dayr al·MalJ,k MikM11 near Akhmlm. C.... r.
Iny P"ur ero......nn.
from Ihe nonhcm addition beU1' :a fnemtllW}'
Greek inscriplion.. Room. of a laler d:ate haoe been
added. along the nonh sid... O. Meinardus n'Corded
a I"""ilion that this monastery ..... buil, in, Ihe lhi....
,"""nth cenrory. lhe >pOi1..... Ut'St an earlier Ioun·
dation in the area, although olMr";Vt3 poinllQ DAn
AL-SHUHADA' at Althmim as the ..arlint of thl'ft
neighboring SItU<lurros. The chu",h is at Ihe easl of
a large coun)"n1 with numerou, remains of other
monastery huildings: room. for anim:al, and b;l.king.
a fountain house for water, and !on on, A separate
,nueture nearhy i....id to ha~e been buill lor
gueSlS,
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grossmann. p, M;lul~lu,Jiche LaHghausk..ppdkir.
ChM ..nd ,'"".,a"dl" Type" I" Ob"ragypl"'"
Gliickstadt, 1982.
Meinardus. O. Chrisli"" EOpl. Ancl..", a"d Mod"""
Cairo. 19~5: 2nd ed.. 1977.
 824 OAYR AL-MAUK MIKHA'IL
DAYR AL_MALAK MIKHA'IL (Fayyiim). The
ruin~ of this monastery are still visible in the di ..
trict of Ibsh~way, in the west of the FayyUm, in the
des<:n some distance from the village of ai-Hamuli
(Meinardus, 1965, pp. 335~36: 1977, pp, 462~63).
In the manuscripts deriving from this monastery,
its position is given in tenns that differ according t"
the period, the neighboring village having no doubt
changed it. name. In the "Idest, the m"nastery is
placed "on the borde, of the desert of the Mont
[way .tation, halting plaa] "f Alli 0, of Per-keto
haut," but in the most recent from the end of the
ninth century, "on the border of the desen of
S6pehes" (van Lantschoot, 1929, pp, 7-8),
The existence of this monastery was ""'ealed by a
chance discovery in the autumn of 1910, dug up by
{"Uahin in ",arch of sihakh (fertili.er deriving from
the decomposition of organic matle, in a kom).
Details of the pn:cise circumstomces are unfonu-
nately lacking. A. often happen. in such cases, the
finders divided their discovery of writings from an
important Coptic lib....!), inlO small lots, bn:aking
up several manuscripts in the hope of securing a
larger profit. Hence, il is not known exactly how
many codices wen: found intact in the hiding place:
fifty-eight according to Tisseram (1950, p. 219), but
sixty according to Hyvernal (1919, p, xiii). A large
number of volumes were rell$Sembled by an an-
tique dealer and .enl to Paris, when: they were
bought by an American patron, J. Pie'l"'nt Morgan,
in 1911. Other manuscripts, mon: or less complete,
were bought by him later. 'They are now depo.ited
in the Pierpont Morgan Ubrnry in New V"rk. How-
ever, fi'e manuscripts and .ome i.olated lea,es re-
mained in Egypt and are now preserved in the Cop-
tic Museum in Cairo.
Unfol1unately, "Y.tematic excavation could nol be
carried out at Ihe .ite. The only infonnation avail-
able about this monastery is given by the colo-
phons, the not"" adde~loby the copyists or by read-
ers at the end of thr; manuscripts: they were
puhlished by >an Lantschoot (1929, nos. 1~50).
Twenty manuscripts are dated between ~.D, 823 and
914, hut none of the undated codices i. bter than
914. This indicates at leasrtMt the monaslery was
flourishing during this period. In a Bohairic manu-
script from D~YR ~NBA MAOAR in W;1<!1 al-Na!JUn at
the Vatican (Coptic 68, fol. 162'), a n:ader has
added a note dated 25 MisrA 730 of Diodetian (i,e"
18 August A.D, 1014). The deacon Jos.eph, a nati~e "f
Tu!t1n in the Fayyiim, related thaI he went to DAYll
AN8~ MIIOAIl. (Monastery of s..int Macariusl at the
time when the churches and monasleries in the
Fayyiim were destroyed in the early eleventh centu-
ry during Ihe reign of al·J:I~kim (Hebbelynck and
Van LanlSchoot. 1937, Vol. 1. pp. 51O-il: Evelyn-
White, 1932, pp. 343-45), In fact, no dated Coptic
manuscript wriuen in the Fayy1lm after A.D. 1007
,un'i~es. It therefore seems that the Monastery of
Saint Michael at S6pehe. was d""troyed at the time
of this persecution and that hefon: taking flight, the
monks hid their library just where the fellahin
found it in 1910.
In additio" to the names of the copyi.ts, many of
them nati"es of Tu!un, these colophons make
known Ii...... archimandrites of the monastery: Da-
mien in 822~823; CO$mas and Khael (Michael), two
PROESTOS, curiously named together, in 854-855;
John in 889 and again no doubt .hortly hefon: 901;
and Elias at the beginning of the tenth cemu!)'.
Two other monasteries in the Fayy1lm are men-
tioned, the existence of which would not otherwise
he known: that of Saint George at NannOUle (MADI-
NAT MAI;ll), in the .outh of the Fayy1lm, and that of
Saim Epima of Pshante, also at Nannoute, with its
archimandrite Papie. in 871~872. Also memione<l
i. the deacon Apa loulei, monk of this monastery
and master of the schooL This provides indirect
evidence for a school in this monastery (van Lam-
schoot, 1929, nos. 13,26,44,49).
BIBLlOGAAPHY
E,'elyn·White, H. G. The MOMasteries of the WadfM
Natnm, Pt. 2, The Hislory of the MOMaSleries of
Nilria aMd Salis. New York, 1932.
Caselu, S. "ChriSiian Egypt." In Archaeological Re-
poT!, ed. F. L Criffith, p. 19. 19()9~191O.
Hebbelynck, A., and A. van Lantsehoot. Codias
CopUc;' VoL 1. Cadkes Coptid Vailc"ni. Vatican
City, 1937.
Hl"'ernat, H. "The J. P. Morgan Collection of Cop-
tic Manuscripts." Journal of Biblical Literature 3 I
(1912):54-57.
___. "Coptic Literature: 'The Morgan Collection."
In The Calholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 16, pp. 27~29.
New York, 1914.
___. A Check LiJl of Copilc Manu.«;ripl> in the
/'ierp(ml Morgan Library. New Vork, 1919,
LamschOOl, A. van, Recueil des colophons df!S m,,-
MuscrilS chriilens d'Egypt<, Vol. I, us ColophoMS
copIes des manuscrits ,,,hidiques. Bihliothcque du
M~on L Louvain, 1929.
Meinardu., O. Chrislian Egypl, Ancienl and Modem,
Cairo, 1965: 2nd ed., 1977.
Petersen, T. "The Paragraph Mark in Coptic lllumi-
nated Ornament," In Studies in An and LiteralUre
for Belle d" CQSI~ Green., pp. 295-330 (for the
Morgan Librnry, !'P. 310~24). Princeton, 1954.

TIMenIlI, E. "NOlQ $Ill" . . <e$U1ura1ion .... Biblio-
lMque Valiane des matluscriu copies de" Pier.
ponl Morpn Ubnry." In Copf;e SJ.wdifs in IioIwI'
01 Wollu E..i",. C...m, pp. 219-27. Boston, 1950-
RD."£.GEOfl.GES COQVl!\l
MAUDCl MAAnlf. SJ.
DA YR AL-MALAK MlKHA'tL or
DaY'"
&k!lWn (Idfu). This monaslery, still in e~islel>Ce, is
AtUilcd 011 the len bank of !he l'/ik al~1 4 miles
(7 km) welt of !he IOWn of Idfii, 00 ~ !lope of a
hill in the _ny ala (l,JIjiz in Anobic) .. dlc foot of
U.e Lib)""n MOWIcoins. II ~B lhe IUIll"ICS of lhe
at'tha.ngd MlCHJoEL and of PACHOMrllS in S. a.ol.l::£
(1912, pp. 111-13). lh., fil"$t in II... body of this
work. when Cbth ,iv.,. ilS plan, and 1M 5'Kond at
th., """ of the book in the Coptic palliiU"C'ht.te'5 lisl
of th., chun:hcs (p, 216, no. (2), Olrcssy (1917, p.
2(4) thInks thai 1M Dayr Mansur (VICIOr PI) clr.,d
by the Book of the RMde" Pearls ii identical with
thla monutery. The atlas of the Ducriplion d'ECPle
(101. 3: 1821-1829) names il MaJ:1allet Mangourah
(perhap$ Marqurah, Mercuri",,). An En,Usb travel..
al the be.,inning of me twentieth century called it
the Monaslery of Saint ~orxe (Weipll. 1910. p.
397). The present monastery _ buill on the ruins
of an aneienl monastery. according 10 Fakhry
(190'7, p. 47). It is bricfty described by Meinardll£
(hi cd., p. 326; 2nd ed., p. 441). Aboul 1975. mo-
nastic lif., ..- 'CSIoruIlhcrc by a monk "'ho carne
from Din .ulIlA Al..-\QolR in W;kb' a1·Nafnln.
II >hould be noted hen tNt Itte British Ulx'ary in
1911 and 1923 acquired lWCnt)"(WO manuscripts,
1M majority on parcltmtnl. datin& r.om the lC<>th
.00 el~th ecnturiH,....tlicll <kriw!Tom. Manu-
lery of Saint Mern1rius .t IdfU (O'tftsy, 1923, p.
2~; Hyvcmat, Vol. 16, pp. 29-30; de R~l.
1909, passim). [f one believes the colopbom. \hew;
manuscripts come from ~ monasleria at 1dfU:
top<» (chun;:h Or 1I>OnUtel')') of SaiOl Mio;had, ""..,S
of Apa Aan>n. ..... MONI5ler)' of Saini Mero;urius.
Thil shows thaI there ..-en: formerly 5elIcral monas·
tk 5iles at IdfU and thai the prcscnl Monulery of
Saini Bakhtlm """ no! unique in thi' rqion.
ThIs monastery was abo mentioned by '~811 Al..-NA·
$.11:1 $ALlB ~l.-lolASiror ~l.-BAlWolOs! (1924, p. 181), who
call~d it &khiim.
BIBLIOGIlAPHY
'Abd BI·MuJl) ~lb al·Ma.sii'df al·8A,..mQlf. Kil~b
T~~fAf A/·sa'i1f" Ii Dhilcr AdyirAI Rwhbd" AI·Mi!friy·
yin. Cairo. 1924.
DAYR AL'MALAK MiKHA'iL 825
Clarke. S. Chris';"" Antiq"ititi in lite Nile VAltey.
Oxford, 1911.
~. G. "'Remcigncmenll sur Ia prm,enan<:e des.
~Iea eoptcs "'" MuaU du Cairn." A,nlUlles d"
Service tW ....Jiquifb de /"E,-y,le 13 (1914):266-
n.
__ -Indical,..,r ~ i q u e du 'U>n: des
perIe$ miouiQ Cl du m)"We prkicwl:" Bullmn
de n"JtiI>U fr-<au d'~" oriUlOt.< lJ
(1917):175-230. and 14 (1911):1-32-
Dest:riplior< de l'Etypre. Pam. 1ll.:!1-1I29.
Fakhry, ...... "'A Repon 01 the IMpCCIOra.e olllpper
£fm>t. A.."aks dw Servic:e des ...nq..itis tk
H
rErrpfe 44 {19o'7):25- 54.
H)"-emaI, H. "'CopIie Ulel't.ture:' I" The C.I/holi<:
&tcydoPf'edi", Vol. 16. pp. 27_30. N"",' Yorl;,
1914.
MeinJU"tlus.. O. Christ;"" £01't, Aneiem "nd Modern.
Cairo. 1965: 2nd cd., 1977.
O'Leary, De L ··Chrisl.ian EaY!'1:' 10urn ...1 '" Evp·
/ill" Archllwlogy 9 (1923):8-26.
R.u$Ulfj:ael1, R. D, de. The Urht of Ecpr. London,
'''''.
Weigall, A. £. P. B. A Guide 10 the A"tiquilies 01
UpTXr Egypf. London, 1910.
RENt-GEORGEiS CooutN
MAURIn MARl1~. S,J.
DAYR AL-MAUK MIKHA'tL (Jjrji). This
amall monastery, IOday reduced to lls church, _
si1U<Itcd on the rigol bank of ..... N e near .....
>ilbgc called Hlj" a1·Oayr (>il. of monas·
tery), £aeilll the !OWn of Ji", on the <:JppOo$ite bank.
Si"""" 1910 this site has been edeb....ud allMlflg
a n : ~ bKause tile diK<wrries made there
ha.... shed ~&ht on the rqion'$ prehistory. In fact,.
the lDOnuiery if n .... J"'Chi1olOrie eem~ fn:>m
ancient cntpira, and !he OIle lhat adjoitt5 l1>e
ehurcllstill $n"o"C$ fol' lhe burial of Itte Chrisliam of
Jirji..
n... fint mention of the moftfl5ltry apptar'i to be
that of C. SICAW (19&2, Vol. 2, p. 72), who ,-isi..ed it
in 1714. He spoke of the place of --..hip of !he
Christiana of Jil)l, but called it a church. nol a
monastery. R. Pococke (170-1745. p. 82) also nOlo
ed that it was the church of the Christians of Jirji.
who therefore had to eT0i6 the Nile. F. L. Norden
also noted it (1795-1798. Vol. 2, p. 76). Al the
beginnina of the twentieth ,entury, S. Clarke gave
the plan of tht d"yr, and il 5eem. thaI despite the
.Ultemenu of S. ilmm, who eonfused il with the
church of the loame name near AkhmTm (1984-
1986, Vol. 2, p. 7~), Clarke abo placed it in his list
tn the appendi~, pulling it to lhe east of Jirja (1912,
826 DAYR AL·MALAK MiKHA'lL
pp. 140_41,214. no. 29). finally. O. Mcinanlw. de-
$CribW;, (l96S. pp. 300-301; 1977. pp. 412-01_
In the small ancitnl necropolis in the dilF 1....1
ovt-rhanp li>e rnonlt$l('ry. a chapel (pcrl\ap5) and a
quaoy were occupied by a h~rmil ..'he> has len his
name Samud ]{oui (Ihe Small). l1>e Creek and
Copcic cra8't<i _re oollcclcd by A. H. Sayc~ (1885-
1$36. PfI. 175-71; 1ll90. pp. 62-65). On~ of lhese
illlCripliono was ~ apin by Go lA:fd>vno
(1907, p. 68).
In IIw: sir.lccnth century Je>Ul Uon 1·A.fricain re·
laled I.... t a Monao.tery of Saini Geol'J~ snuated 6
miles (10 bn) south of Munsia (a1-Minshih) was in
his Ii"", on~ of the largtSl and richest in Egypl.
More than tw", hundred nIOnb li»ed I~re. bul il
had be~n ckpopuJated a c..ntll'Y ....lief- by th"
piapi<' and tJw, bedouin had installed th~m""lve. on
"Ihe Va>! cultiv;lted lands and the mudo""," of th"
monaSlc'Y. which was said to hav.. been Ih.. origin
of the lown of Jhj;!.. One remains a linle Ikq:>tical
about thi$ '1(1)" il seem. an elymologlcal fantasy.
for il Is known Ihat Jirja i. very ancient nnd owel
its name not to $a.inl George but to a pharaonic
word (djerrlit Of' ke'U .. <"$tablilhmem or hunling
laoo). For the re51. no mon:>!le')' or church of Saint
Georr:~ i$ known near JiTji. an<J thaI of Sain, Mi-
chaell. tl>e only one lhal i. clO54' 10 JiJji. Bu' none
of its five ahan is dedicaled 10 SainI Geo!'i". which
could ha.... 1>«n a vesl:i,e of an ancient entitlement
of Ih~ mona.lC1)' (Uon l'Africain, 19S6. Vol. 2, p.
S36).
BIBLIOGIlAPHY
Cbrb. S. Chrisl;"n i1nriqJ<iJ'ie.s ;" 1M Nile Valley.
Cbfonl. 1912.-
Jean Uon 1·AfJ-;Q'n. U< ~nptio .. de rA.{riq"e. ed.
,.. Epaulbnl. Pari:<. 1956.
Ld"evbl'l'. G. Ruueil. de. irf5l:riptitms (TUques-
ehriliolncs d·EI:YP/e_~. 1907.
Meinardus. O. Chrislilul Ef3p1, Aneiolf lind Modem.
Cairo. 1965; 2nd cd, 1977.
Norden. F. L V""",ge d'Ef3'pfe el de Nub'e. 3 vols.
Paris,1795-1798.
Pococke. R. A lh£cripfion of fhe us/ and Some
A'''.., Countrie•. London. 1743-17(5.
Say<:t, A. H. "Coplic and Early Christian Inocrip-
tions in Upper Egypl." l'rouedinfs of II" So<;iery
018ibliClll ArChMO/Ogy 8 0885-1886):175-9l.
_ . "Gl~anings from Ihe Land of Egyp!."
Recueil d. Travaux 13 (1890):62-67, 20 (lg98):
111_112.169_76.
Sicard, C. O"u,',e" cd. S. S:>u""ron and M, Ma"ln,
3 'ob. Bibliotho!que d'~lUde 83-85. Cairo. 1982.
TIoun. S. Du chriJ/liclt.kaplisclte Arn>ltn in IIrll'
bUche, hil. Wiesbaden. \984- 1986.
~t-G~ COOUIN
MAURICE MAImN,SJ.
DAYR. AL-MAUK MIKHA'IL (Mil';
ghah). ~-o $WI:! !HIl. ~1l.WEIi"1A-" (1895. p. 2571 "",n·
tiooned a .......-ery dcdiuted 1<1 the archanlcl NJ.
CHAU near the 1<1'0"0 01 .l~ A1·ldmi (Vol.
I. p. 124) kn",,' a town of tl>.......... near AnlinoC
(All1lllllOPOus). but the Stille of/Joe ProWtCU in "'.N.
771{a.D U75 placed;' as it .. now. in the district of
Suldj. I' was IIw:n called a\·Mat"igha1 (c£. Ramzi.
1953-1968, Vol. 2. pt. 4. p. l4). The name oppean
to be Arabic. nOI Egypti;ln (Gaulhi..... 1905. pp. 75-
76). AI-ldaqrlzl (1853. Vol. 2, p. 519) nOted a church
lhere. but did nO' say 10 ...·Mch saint it ....0>$ dedic..l·
" BIBLIOGRAPHY
'Abd al-Lallf. Relation de l'Egypl~ de 'Abd 1I1·u.lif.
trans. an'd ed. A. L S. de Sacy. Paris. 1810. L'EIIII
de. pro>"nc .. Ii lran5laled in an appendi~.
Gauthier, H. "Notes gqraphlques .ur l~ nOme
Panopolite:' 8ul/e/in de {'InStill" frlln,ai. d·Archt·
olq:;e orienl"le 4 (1905):39-101.
Idrisl aJ-Saril, aJ·. Kllllb Nut,ha/ al,\lushf"q (Book of
th~ p1easu~ ollhe e,....r-di","rtation 01 geog.
raphy). Fn-nch tran$. P. A. Jauben in 2 vob. R....
curil de V<>yqes e-t ck moemoi.rcs ""blOb par Ia
Socii:l~ de ~h;" 5-6. Paris. 1836-1840.
Rq:>~. 1975.
Ramzi. M. AI.Qo1It1Ns ./.Juchrllfl lil-BiJo1d al
Mi¥tn..Jr., 1 ~ols. Cairo. 19S3-196A.
RE.'tt~ COOU,S
MAlmo: Mum'. SJ.
DAYR. AL-MALAK MIKHA:IL (Naf al-o..,y).
moJ1ll5l.-ry sli,mly 10 th.. east of the ''illllgl' 01 Nai'
aI-Dayr....-blch Is aboul 22 miles (35 km) south of
Akhmim. Then an a chon;oh, a cemetery. and a few
houses nearby but 1\0 o,her remaininl ",on as,..')'
buildings. The church may originally have been a
typical hall chun;oh ....,'h columns (""" Gros,mann.
1982, PI'. 1%11.: he .S5igm this 10 hi~ """ond
group). Th" oldeS! part consists of three nearl)' rec·
tangular .ancluari"" nan ked by rectangubr corner
rooms. The middl~ ~ncluary i. larger Ihan the
olhers. AlIlhree have an ..ast..rn nich" covered by a
fine. shdl·decorated h.lf·dom~. W~st of these fi.'e
original rooms al'l' IWO rows of bays. subdivide<! by
 DAYR AL-MALAK MIKHA'IL: History
Ih~ columM and one pier. 1be Ih~ addilional
t-ys al lhe K1Uth~ and Iwo asymmdrkal en·
I...,..;n may ~I bter altenllions. Od>c:r
changes include the rc:shapiltg of the: SOI.HheastC....
eOrnU room and the addition of a s;,uh room al the
nonhcalt. "";\h a bay _ of it. Perhaps al lhe same:
lime: a wpame buildinc. conwn; a brce UOO!l.';
(rnanda<um unk) and a _II addc:<l north oJ
the chu~b. 11 is difficult 10 otablilh a dale for \h;"
church. Since a M<loflaSIery "'I Ihn pbce is .... n·
t;."nc:d in the c:ariy si:<leenth c",nlury. it may bekrng
10 Ihis period.
BlBLtoGRAPHY
(:Iane. S. C~ri$li"" Antiqui/Vs in 1/" I>'ile V"lley.
pp. 140ft.• pl. 41. 2. Oxford. 1912. _
<lrossmann. P. Mitlel"lIerliche Lt",p"usk"ppelklT.
clr." ""d ve>WQndle T,~" I" Okrligyple". p,
211. GIl1d<sladl. 1982.
MelnardUll, O. Clrrisli"" Egypl: A"",ie"r ""d
M<Jd.m.
PII. .J.00-301. Cairo. 1965,
Timm. S. Das e"ristliclr-koplische Agypl'" i'l Drabi.
$elrer Z.ir. Vol. 2. pp. 733-34. wiesbaden. 1984.
SIiEu McNAl,l.V
DAYR AL·MALAK MtKHA:IL (NaqJdah). The
Slrip of &IOny lround (~ajir in A""bic:) lhal wp;orall!$
lhe culth-ued land from the Libyan Moonolns on
lhe left bank and c::<tendo from Naqldah 10
Oam"lah - . calk<! Jabal a1.~ and ..-as krwwn 10
the Copu lIS lhe Mounlain of Txmi. This strip oJ
abo"t 6 mileo (10 km) includes no fewer lhan eicht
monMUM, 01 wlIich .si--. ",..,re <Xl the ed&e of the
desert and lwo are cui into the rock.
The 61'SI of lbt:M: monasteries is 1....1 oJ SainI
Mict-I. It is 5 milts (8 kID) _Ih~ of Naqld·h.
11 is silualed within an ancien! cemetery INI ,,-~.
lends so"'"' di.... nce 10 ~ ~h. 11 coma""s IWO
chu~hes. oJ ""hich the '"" SItuated 10 the _th·
. . - of the end""""" is completely I'\lined. It>
church was menlioned by .S. Clarke (1912. p. 215,
n. 9). A 100<1 des<:riplion was &i"en by O. Meina...
dus (1%5. pp. 311-12; 1977. p. 426).
BIBLtoGRAP'HY
Clarke. S. Cirn.ti"n Amiq"lrie. i" rlr. Nile V"lIey.
Oxford. 1912.
M.inardus. O. Cirri.ti,,,, Egypl, Ancl.m ~"d Mod.m,
Cairo, 196~: 2nd cd., 1977.
REN~.(;fORGI!S COOltlr-l
MAUIlICE MAll71N. SJ.
827
•
o
o· II
Plan oEthe church al lhyr al·Malak Mikhi"il near Naj'
aI-Dayr. Co"ne.Jy Pau Groumllll".
DA YR AL.MALAK MIKHA'IL (Qamulah),
[The fim suti"" "f Ilris e,,',>, discu.ue.J Ihe il:>C"rion
and lriJIO')' of rhi$ "'o""'le'1. The ,econd ,.cli"n
addressu whar lillie Is k"own concerning Ihe Drchl·
Itel""']
Hltlory
This monaslery. Ihe most 5QlIIh",r1y of thosc: on
Iht 1m bank of lhe Nile between Naqadah and
QamUlah. is &itualt!<l on lhe c:dte oCI"" dr:<.ert. IfSS
I.... n a milt (I kIP) from lhe eulli><*ted lands and
about 2 mil"", (3 Iun) from the lOWn of Qibli Q;unii-
Lon. A map published in 194J and 1954 call!! il Dayr
Oamulah aI-Qibll, no doubt in CO<lt....t 10 DA..... Mb.
IItiUT'J1I. "hieh it desipl.lft as Oa)T 8u<t!ur aJ.-s.
....rt (of tho north).
. II does if>dc:.,d .eem tNt this is the 0"'" named by
J.110 ~ THE ~I""" (1m. pp. 283-84) :Ill the
bePnotng oJ the lhi"~nlh cenlUry. According 10
this authoo-. it is also calk<! Dayr aI·'A", hecauoe or
II. ne~ring well. lhe ......ec of which ...........
-""'-
FaIhers Pmtais and Fran"ois in 1668 spoke: of five
~rie$ on lhe left bank Ill. Naqidah. bUI
nam«! only th..... (Sauneron. 1974. p. 93). J. Van·
sleb. "tto ";>'< unablo! 10 10 be)'Ond Jirj:l. copied
Ihtir lexl and naturally named only Ihree: monll<tel'
in (1677, p. 411: 1678. p. 246). C. Sicard did POI
speak of it. In his HSI of rhe Coptic churches. S_
Clarke named il as a church dependent on Qamu'
lab (1912, p. 216, nO, 5): likewiS", 'ABD AUIASll;l
~ll1B poinl",d out Ihe monastery and remarkallhat
its church ...-as served by Iht clergy of Qamulah
 S2S DAYR AL·MALAK MIKHA'IL: Architecture
(1924. p, 180). O. Meinardus (1965, pp. 309-310:
1977. p. 423) described i" modem stale, menti(ln-
ing lwo churches, one to lhe north and the other to
the south of the monastery. Clarke (pp. 12l-23)
gave the plan of the more ancient church, lhal of
the north, and A. l, Burler reproduced the plan
drawn by Sir Arthur G<>rdon (1884, Vol. l. p. 360).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
'Abd al·Masi!). $alib al·Masu'dl al-Baramilsi. Kildb
Tu"f~l ~1·Sd'i/;" fi Dlri'" Ady;r~l Ruhbtm ~I-Mi~­
riyyin. Cairo, 1924.
Butler, A. J. The A.,d• .,l Copric Churches of Egypl,
2 vol. Odord, 1895.
Clarke, S. Chri'li~., Anliquilits in Ihe Nile Valley.
Oxford, 1912.
Meinardus, O. Chrisli~" Eg:;p/, Andent ~.,d Modern.
Cairo, 1%5; 2nd ed., 1977.
Sauneron, S. Ville• ., l~gende. d'Egyple. Cairo,
1974.
Vansleb, l, M, Nouvelle rclal/on en forme de ;ournal
d'u" voyage f~i/ en Eg:;plO e" 1672 e/1673. Paris,
1677. Tran.lated as TIre Presenl Sl~1O of Egypt.
London, i678.
RENJ;·GEORGES CoQuIN
MAURICE MAIlTIN. S.l.
Architecture
The old church of the monaste",' belongs typolog-
kally to the last phase of development in EIDPlian
church building. in "'hich lhe area of the naos is di-
vided into nine equal-si....d domed chambers (bays).
---\~
, / .'' •
,-(.,
- ...'" ...... ---"
Plan of the church at Dayr aI·MaUl MfkM'i1 near
Qamillah. Courtes, Pele' Grossmann,
It i. di.lingui5hed from the very late churche.
of thi. type, deriving only from modern times,
through the presence of a klrfirus (room between
the naos and tbe sanctuary), which was later aban,
doned, The onl}' noteworthy feature in this building
is the semicircular terminations on the nalTOw
.ides of the klrfirus, In conjunction with the easlem
apse, they unite into lhe architectural form of a
triconch, which ""M'ed particular favor in the ear·
Iy Chrislian archit«ture of Egypt, but is here no
more than a late reminiscence, 1n later times, alta'"
were installed in the apse side rooms, while the
side doors of the klrl:<rus were walled up, The mon-
astery i5 mentioned by AbO. Salll), 1895, fot. l04a;
not to ~ confused with the second Monastery of
SainI MichaeL mentioned in fot l04b and
otherwise known as D~YR U.WJMA·). The presenl
church, however, did not yet exist in his time, bUI
may have been erected in lhe fourteenth century al
the u.r1ie.t. The .mall chapel on the north side
belongs to modern times. It now lies in ruins.
BIBUOGRAPHY
Clarke, S. Chri'lian An/;qui/;es ;n Ihe Nile V~lIey.
pp. 121-23, Oxford, 1912.
Gro..mann, P. M;lfel~llerliche L~ngh~uskuppclk;r­
che" u"d Vuwa"dle Type" i" Ob..ifgyple", pp.
200-202, GIUcksladt, 1982.
Monneret de Villard, U. D~yr ~1-Mu"~rraqah. p, 13.
Milan, 1928.
Timm. S. Das chri.lIich.koprisclre Atyplen in "r"·
bucher Zeil, Vol. 2, pp. 734-37. Wie,baden. 1984.
PE1ER GROSSMANN
DAYR AL-MALAK MIKHA'IL (Qim\). S"
Monasleries of the Upper ~a·id.
DAYR AL.MALAK MIKHA'IL
Monasteries of the Upper ~a'id.
(Qu~), Sa
DAYR AL·MALAK MIKHA'IL (al-Rayramun).
This monastery is no doubt the &ame as the one
mentioned by al.MAolllzl (1853, Vol. 2, p, 51)6) as
being at a!·Rayramun, although he says it is dedicat·
ed 10 Saint Gabriel. In 1714 the l.,.uit C. SlnRO
(1982, Vol. 2, p. 100) visited it. Nothing remained
but a church, lite monastery having been lrans-
formed imo a village. F. L Norden (1795-1798,
Vol. 2, p. 46) also mentioned il. In the Dun;pt;o"
de I'Eg)'Pu (lorna.d, 1820-1826. Vol. 4, p. 321),
lomard also called it Dayr al·'Aysh, and he referred

to the ~iIlage near al-Rayramiln ;IS Dayr Reiramun.
The chur(:h of al·RayramUn ""'" called Dayr ~1·Ma·
lik Mikha'jl by s. CURKE (1912, p. 2OS. nO, 30).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
CI~rke. 5. Chris/ian IIntiquities in the Nil. V..lley.
London. 1912.
Descriplion de /'Egyple, Vol, 4. Paris, 1821-1829.
Norden. F. L Voyage d·Egyple er de Nubie. ed. L
Langlts, 3 vols. Paris, 1795-1798,
Sicard, C. Oeu~rM, Vol. 2. ed. S. Sauneron and M.
Manin, Bibliotheque d'etude 84. Cairo and Paris,
1982.
RENE·GEORGES COQUIN
MAURICE MARTIN. S,J.
DAYR MANAwuS. See Dayr al·ShulUlda' (Isna).
DAYR MAR BUQTUR (Jerne), Sa Monasteries
of the Upper ~a'id.
DAYR MAR BUOTUR (NaqAdah). Sa Dayr al.
Malak Mlkha'il (Qamiilah).
DAYR MAR BUOTUR (Qamulah). (This entry
comis/. of Iwo arlkles; History and Archilecture.]
History
This famous mon""lery i. situaled on the left
bank of Ihe Nile to the wesl of Qamiilah, It is
without doubt the one mentioned in the thineenth-
century Chu,ches .."a M~n"sleri,. 01 ElYpt.
It is known abo~e al~tpecause of one of its
monks, AtlUlnasiu., who b<:came bi.hop of QU~ in
the founeenth cemury. He waspresent at Dayr Mar
Buq!ur and signed Ihe reco,rd of the proceedings as
a witness at the enthronement of Timothy, bishop
of Q~r Ibrlm.
The monastery,is named by the seventeenlh·cen.
tury Fathers Prolais and I'nm~oi. (see Sauneron,
1974, p. 93). J. Vansleb followed their lext, boeing
unable to pass boeyond Jirja (1677, p. 4]]; English
«I.. 1678, p. 246). In 1718 C. Sicard ~isiled il and
wrote hi. account (1982, Vol. 2. p, 227).
It had only a single church. noted by 5. Clarke
(1912. pp. 123-26). It escaped total destruction in
1917.
DAYR MAR BUOTUR: Architecture 829
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Clarke, S. Chri,liQ" A"liquilios in th. Nil. V"II.y,
Oxford, 1912,
Coquin, R.·G. "A propo' des rouleaux copte..arabes
de l·';~';que Timothee"· Bibliotheca Orient. 34
(1977): 142 _47.
Mallon, A. "Un. Ecole de savanls egyptiens au Moy-
en·Age.'· Melanges de 1" Faculli orientale de Bey-
roul" 1 (1906):109-t31; 2 (1907),213-64.
Meinard ..... O. ChriMian Egypl, 11""",,1 ""d Modem.
Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed., 1977.
Plumley. J. M. The Scrolls of Bishop Timolheos.
Texts from Excavation, Fil"$t Memoir. London.
1975.
Sauneron, S, Villes el lige"d.. d'Egypte. Cairo.
1974.
Sicard, C. Oeuvre., 3 vols. Bibliotheque d'etudes
82-85, ed. S. Sauneron and M. Manin. Cairo,
1982.
Van.leb, J. M. Nouvelle relalio" e" forme de journal
d'u" voyagelaiten Egypte en /671 el /673. Pari.,
1677. Translated as The Presem SI",e of Egypl.
London, 1678.
RENE-(iEORGES COQUlN
M<UR'CE MARTIN. S.J.
Architecture
Dayr MAr Buq!ur i, now an uninhabited monastic
comple~ surrounded by a wall. Only the old church
merits some altenlion. In this building several phas-
es can be dete<:1ed. The oldest building to be erect·
ed in this spot was a basilica built of mud bricks.
Only the outer walls of its n30:S ha~e been pre·
sen.'ed. however. On Ihe basis of the shape of the
niches contained in ,hese wall., the church may boe
dated to the eighth or ninth centul)'. Toward the
end of the twelfth centul)', the church '-""S trans'
formed into a domed oblong church, of which the
nao. was covered by two domes. with a larger
dome .bove Ihe anterior bay of the na~e and a
smaller dome over the rear. To the east of the nave
was a khurus (room betW<enthe nacs and the sanC'
tuary) subdi_ided by trans~erse arches into three
bays of equal ,i2e. each covered by a sail ""ult. In
the same way, the three rooms of the eastern sanc·
tua.;y were originally of approximately the same
.ize. The rooms found there today came into being
in modern times, when the church was enlarged
toward the nonh. North of the church is an e~ter·
nal panico daling perhaps from the Mamluk peri-
od. The bays of this ponico were covered originally
wilh genuine penden1i~e domes that have all fallen
down, Examples of this type of dome are rare in
830 DA YR MAR BUOTUR

--------,
,

'-, .. , ,
:J
bY; £ is':::~d J1
!

Plans of the old chun::h at Da}T Mb Buq!ur "howing successive stages of construction_
Courtesy Peter Gros"",,,,,,.

Egypt. III lhe southwesl edge of the mon3-_lery are a DAYR MAR HANNA. See Dayr al·Tin.
couple of derelict mausoleums from the Otloman
period.
DAYR MAR JIRJIS (Babylon), See Babylon_
BIBLlOOIVoPHY

Buder, A. J. The Ancient Coplic Churche" of Egypt,

Vol. I, pp, 359-61. Oxford. 1884; repr.. 1920.
Clarke, S. Christian Ant;quities in rhe Nile Valley,
pp_ 123-26. Oxford. 1912.
Grossmann. P. Mille/alterUche Langhau"kuppe/kir-
chen in Dberag)'plen. pp. 26-3 t. Clti(:kstadt. 1982,
Monneret de Villard, U. Da)'r eI-Mu/iaraqah, p. 3,
Milan. 1928.
Patricolo, A. "Couvent< coptes de Nagada." Bulletin
du Comit; de con!.tvalion des monum"nts de
I'MI arab<! 32 (1915-.1919):703-705.
Vansleb, J. M. Nouwlle'relation en forme de jou",ol
d'un voyage fait en Egypu en /672 el /673. Paris.
1977.
PETER GROSSMAN"
DAYR MAR BUQTUR (Oifl). Su Mon""teries of
the Upper $a'ld.
DAYR MAR BUQTUR (Q~), Su Dayr Abo Say·
DAYR MAR URJIS (Dimiqn\.!l. monastery dedi-
cated to Saint George on the leh bank of the Nile.
halfway between Luxor and fSM on lhe edge of the
desert, 2'h mile. (4 kml to ,he west of lhe village of
Naj" al·Dimiqriyyah. which <>ccupies the site of the
ancient al·Dimiqttit.
The name al·Dimiqttil is allesled by a colophon of
91>0, in the form "Tmikra, in the nome of Amlam'"
(Lantschoot. 1929. VoL I. p. 204). which Winlock
and Crum (1926. VoL 1. p_ 122) proposes [0 idenlify
with the bishopric of the ",me name. which is men-
tioned in cenain geographical liots (Munier, 1939.
p, 216).
The name is also attested 10 in a miracle thaI
benefited a monk of this monastery, daling after lhe
thineenth century: the neighboring village is called
al-Dimiqttit (erum. 1926. p, 205). It i~ mentioned
again in connection with a bishop of Arman! who is
named in the council held al Cairo in 1086 under
the patriarchate of CYRIL {{ (1078-1092). The village
i~ also known as the binhplace of the Patriarch B"-"'_

fayn (Q~). JI.MIN II (1327-1339).

 DAYR MAR JIRJIS AL-HADiDi: History
Sinc~ lh~ b<ginning of th~ nineleenth cenlury,
the village has b<en called Naj' al·Dimiqriyyah. It is
also mcmion~d under th~ nam~ of al·Dimiqnlt b~'
ABO AtAdAKARlM at th~ ~nd of tne twelfth century.
This monastery i. still a plac~ of pilgrimag~ much
frequented from I to 1 HatOr, ~nding with lh~ f~ast
of Saint Georg~ lh~ manyr of Al~xandria,
BIBUOGRAPlty
Lantsehoot, A. ,,,n. RecueH des colopholl' d<s
",,,,,,,sc,ll. ch,Jtiells, VQL I: Les Colophons
copIes des ",a""scriIS .ahidiq"es. Bibli{l\hequ~ du
MUse<>n l. Louvain. 1929.
Muni~r, H, B"lIeUn de I" Sodili d'arcMologie
copte 5 (1939):201-43.
Muys~r. J" and G, Viaud, Les Pelerill"ges copus ell
Egypu. Bibliothequ~ d'"rudes copt~. IS, Cairo,
1979.
Winlock, H. E" and W, E. Crum, The MOII"stery o{
Epipholli"s 01 Thebe., 2 vol., N~w York, 1926.
RENlU>WRGES COQUIN
MAURtCE MARTIN. S,J,
DAYR MAR JIRJIS (NaqM.h) See Dayr al·
Majma',
DAYR MAR JIRJlS (Oift), Su Monasterie. of
th~ Upp~r ~a·ld.
DAYR M~ JIRJIS (Sadamant·fayy\im), mon_
tery dedicated to Saint George about IS miles (25
km) south of Madinat al·fayyiim, northeast of th~
village called Sidmant al·Jabal, on th~ left bank of
th~ Ba~r Yusuf, It li~. ,?ll the east~m ~dg~ of th~
Jabal al·Naqliin, on the rv,n of lh~ Nile Valley,
Th~re is no evidence of its existence b<fore the
thirteenlh century. A Coplic theologian, BUTRUS AI.-
StOMANTI (or al.sadaman\l), author o£ ,~,'~ral fa-
mous work., one of them dal~d 10 1260, lived in
Ihi. monasl~ry.
Th~ encyclopedist Aba al-BaraUl IBN .... B.lR
(£ourteenth century) cites the peculiar- ordo o£ Ihe
monks Qf Dayr Mar Jirjis al Sadamam, according 10
which Ihey recited th~ emire P""lt~r ~v~ry day
£VHI~court, 1924, p. 232).
Al'MAQIlIZ] (d. l441) devotes some lines to this
monaslery, but remarks that it had I""t much o£ its
past prosperity, and that its inhabitants w~~ f~w in
numb<r.
831
An Arabic manuscript in lhe Coptic Patriarchale,
Cairo (Theology (3), was copied in 1849 by ls~Aq,
officiating priest of Dayr Mlr Jirjis at Sidman!.
The church and the n~ighboring c~lIs w~r~ built
in 1914. How~,'er, som~ anci~nt capitals allhe en·
trance to the church and marble debris in the pre·
cincts bear witness to the antiquity of the ,it~.
Ev~ry y~ar toward A5C~nsion. th~ f~a" of Saint
Georg~ i, cel~brated at th~ monastery, an ~v~nt that
draws a greal erowd (Muyser-Viaud, 1979, pp, 43~
44).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abbot, N. The Mo>!asleries of Ihe Fayy;;m. Studies in
Anci~m Ori~ntal Civilization 16, Chkago, 1937.
Am~lineau, E. La Geographie de /'Eg)"ple a /'ipoque
cople. Paris, 1893.
Muyser, J., and G. Viaud. I.e. P~lerirlages WpEes en
EgypEe. BibliQtheque d'~tudes coptes 15, Cairo,
1979.
Salmon, G. "R"pe"oir~ geographiqu~ de la pro-
vinc~ du FaY)'Q11m d'apres l~ KilAb Hrikh al-
Fayywm d'an·N;lboulsl." Bulluill de /'lnS!II'"
franqais d'archeo!ogie orientale I (1901):29_77.
Van den Acker, P. Bu{rus os·Sadament!. Jnlroduc·
lioll sur l'hermhleulique. R~cherches, n.s" fuse.
Bl. Beirut, 1972.
Vansleb, J. M. HiSloire de Ntllse d'Alexandrie Par·
is, 1677.
Vill~court. L "l.es obs~rvances liturgiqu~s ~l la dis-
ciplin~ du j~iin~ dans I'"glise copte." Le Mu.eoll
31 (1924):201-280.
REN£-GWRGES COQUIN
M~URlCE MHTIN. S.J,
DAYR MAR JIRJIS AL·HADiDi. [This emry
con.•ists of IwO arlicle.: History and Archit~cture.J
History
This monastery, which like many oth~rs has b~·
wme a Christian village inhabited by Coptic prieslS
and their familie" i, situated near lh~ right bank of
the Nil~ ahout 5 miles (8 km) soulh of Akhmim. We
cannol ""l' al whal dale il was founded, but il was
eslablLmed in honor of two Syrians martyred at the
same place, probably Eulogiu. and Ars~ni"s, ~
Cult or thes~ martyrs appears to be old, for on~
reads Ih~ir nam~s on several objects, awh as a
lamp found at Karnak and an ostracon in tbe col.
lection of the Egypt E.ploration Fund (Crum, l902,
p. 5, no. 26). Th~ir £~asl (16 Kiyahk) is lhe sam~
832 DAYR MAR JIRJIS AL-HADiDt: Architecture
in both the SYMXARJON of the Copts fmm Upper
Egwt and th" typica of the While Monastery (DAYR
mBA SHIN(rIMH), There is also a mention of their
feasl in a manuscripl in lhe British library (Crum,
1905. p. 154).
The presenl buildings were r~lOred in 1870. C.
Steindorff (in Baedeker, 2nd ed.. 1902. p. 220)
Ihoughl Ih .. Ih" lrue name was Dayr Mar Jirjis
aJ·J:ladilhi (Mar Jirjis Ih" young"r), and S. Timm has
r..c"ntly bdieved Ihat he was righl (1984-1986.
Vol. 2, pp, 713-14): bUI Ihe tilular saint of this
monaslery Cannot be Saint Ceo'lle the younger, for
two reawns.
Firsl. the adje<:th'e /indidi (of imn) refers to the
word dayr, an allusion to lhe iron<overed entrance
gale. and not 10 Ihe sainI, Besides. this saini did nol
receive Ihe adjective al·/iadilh; but a/·;adid (the
new). more familiar to Egyplian Arabic.
Second. the dales of lhe mawUds (pilgrimages)
at"<: 7 Hatur and 23 Baramudah, which at"<: the dales
of the feasl and of the consecration of Ihe church of
Ihe greal SainI George (of Cappadocia). The feast
of the tenth·century Egyptian martyr George i. on
19 Ba\;nah,
Among the European tra"ders who mention the
monastery are R. Pococke (1743-1745, p, 81), M.
lullien (1903, p. 275), and H. Munier (1940, pp,
157-58). S. Clarke sel out the plan of the church
and noted it in hi. lisl of Ihe churches, reproduced
from a list of Ihe Coptic Patriarchale, Cairo (1912,
Pl'. 142-44, 213, no. 13, and pI. 42, 1). Meinardus
give. a good descriplion (1965, Pl'. 298-99: 1977,
Pl'. 410~ 11), Re<:ently it has b«n the obj..ct, ooth
from an architectural and from a sociological point
of .iew, of Ihe work of Ihe architect Ne..im Hcnry
Plan <)f the church at Dayr Mar Jirjis al-I;ladldi.
Courluy Petu Gro£smm",.
Henein (see the notes of Saunemn, 1972, Pl'. 209-
210),
Thi' monastery i, .lill a place of pilgrimage for
Ihe feasls of Saint George (Mu}'... r and Viaud, 1979,
pp. 5&-59).
BIBLlOG~"PHY
Clarke, S. Chrislian A~llq"llles i~ the Nile Valley, p,
142. Oxford, 1912.
Crum, W, E. Coptic OstracfJ. fram II" ColleClhms of
Ihe E8YPI Exp!orotio" F'md. London, 1902,
___. Cot%gue of Ihe Copllc M."usc"'-pt, jn th£
Brili.h Mus£um. London, 1905.
lullien, M, "Quelquc. anciens cou,'ents de
l'Egypte." MissioMS Cathollques 35 (1903): 188-90,
198~202, 212-14, 237-40, 250-52, 257-58, 274-
76, and 283-84.
Meinardus, O. ChriS/inM Egypt, Andem and Modern.
Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed.. 1977.
Munier, H. "Les Monuments COpIeS d'apres l'explo·
ralions de Pere Michel lullien," B"lIelin de I~
Soclhe d'~rche%gie <'opu 6 (1940):141-68.
Muyser, 1 , and G, Viaud. Les PeleriMages coptes en
Egypte. BibliOlheque d'i:wde. coptes, 15. Cairo,
1979,
Pococke, R. A DescriprioM of Ihe EaSI nMd Some
Orhu Co"mries, London, 1743-1145.
Sauneron, S. "Tro..-au' de l'lnstil,,! fran~ais d'arche·
ologie orientale 1971-1972." Bullelitt de /'!MsrilU/
fronqais d'Arche%gle orientnle 71 (1972):189-
"".
Steindorff, G, In Agyple" und der Sudan, 2nd ed ..
ed. Baedeker. Ldplig, 1902.
Timm, S, Das ch"'-srlich·koplische Agyplm in arabi·
.-:her Z£II, Vol. 2, pp. 713-14. Wiesbaden, 1984.
RENM;£(}RGES COOUIN
MAURICE MARl''', S.J.
Architecture
Within an enclosure wall stand ,"veraJ houses, an
inner partition wall ,elling off the priest'. hous",
and at Ihe easl the church, which has a central
door and two side doors,. The centri! doorway is
de<:orated wilh lo.enge·shaped bricks set in star
patterns, The oldest part of the church is five unit.'!
wide and three deep, a Iypical hall church with
column. of Ihe medieval period (see Grossmann,
1982, p, 196), The,.., are Ihre" sanctuaries flanked
by rectangular comer roamS. The sanctuaries aT\!
of a local type with straighl wall. leading to ."mi·
circl"s articulat"d by niches. Behind Ihe allar in the
central sanclU3l)' is a bishop's Ihrone, Do",",. on
squinches cover the two bay. in front of th~ central

nnctuary; domes on pendenti,'es. the bays in from
of the side sanctuaries. The outer bays are barrel·
vaulted. During a second building phase. two bays
and a sanctuary were added to both the north and
the south sides, making: a ""ide. shallow, seven·by·
three· unit interior. Perhaps at this time two corri·
dors were added along the east end, divided by the
space containing the bishop's Ihrone (for such cor-
ridors in local churche•. """ DAYR AVADH!<A' nea'
Akhm!m). In front of the central.sanctuary stands a
finely inlaid. wooden iconostasis, The two original
side sanctuaries are closed off by bricl: walls with
cros<rshape<l opening. at the top. central doors. and
.ide windows. Header-str<:'lcher constru<:tion in
fired brick is apparently employed throughout the
whole building, at present whitewashed. Hollow
tubes admitting sunlight are set into all tbe domes
and vaults. as at Saint Thomas near Akhmim. Sever'
al spolia are to be found; a column forms the
thre.hold of the doorway imo the immediate fore-
cou" of the church, and stone slabs are used for
thresholds in the interior.
6111UOGRAPlfY
Grossmann. P. Langh"mkuppelJdrchen u"d ver-
wa"du Typen in Obe.iigypten. Gliickstadt. 1982_
MeinaroU$, O. Christian Egypt, A"dent and Modern,
PI'. 298-99. Cairo. 1965.
Munier. H. "Une Lampe eh"'tienne de Kamak."
An"ale. du Se",ice de. Anliqu;lh de l'Egyplt 17
(1917):160-62.
Timm, S. Da. chrisrlich.kopli,che Agypten in arabi·
scher Zeil. Vol. 2, PI'. 713~14. Wiesbaden. 1984.
SHElA McNALLY
DA YR MAR KYRIAKOS, 5"" Monasterie. of
the Upper ~·Id.
••
DA YR MAR MINA (G~rbinah), The mention of
a hennitage of recluses at 11>)'<\r in the GharbiJ'Y"h
Province appears for the: fil"t time in .1.,0, 1118
when Mer<:urius, a recluse located there, was pro·
posed for election to the I>ishopric of Mi~r (Old
,
Cairo). In 1216. afrer the death of the Pania,..,h JOHN
Vt, an unnamed recluse from IbyAr was propoS<.'d as
his successor. In 122l. the sultan al·Malik al·Kimil
ibn 'Adil was cured by a recluse from Ib)'jr and
therefore wantwto ha,'e him elected patriarch; the
rec1U$<:' refused. In 1223. during a long vacancy of
the patriardal seat, a recluse (possibly the same)
from lbyAr was again propo.ed f"r election.
Abo al·MaltArim (II 77 ~ 1204) places Iby<\r in the
DAYR MAR MtNA. 833
JazIrat Ban! Nasr, which at that time was a prov-
ince to the southwe.t of the Delta, \>ounded in the
west by the Rosetta branch of the Nile and in the
east by the canal called al-BAjUriyyah. lb~I' was its
principallOwn (Maspero and Wiet, 1919. p. 3), Abo
al-MaI:AI'im identifies it with old NiqyJls, which is
inaccurate (Guest. t912, p. 959 and map). since
Niqylis is situated by the historians in the "",uth of
the pro,in<:e of Jazirat Ban! N"'!r, while lbyAr was
in the nonh. Abu al·MakArim estimate. that there
were several churches in .he town, and locates in
the northern part of its di51rict a church dedicated
to Saint Menas, including a hennitage of recluses,
"urmunded by a wall.
In the eighteenth century, C. Sicard mentione<l
"the monaste!)' of Saint Mennas" outside the town
which h. sites "two short leagu"," nonh east of
Cafre Zaiat on the Nile" (1982, Vol, 3, 1'.110).
The monastery .till exists under the name of DayI'
MAr MinA al-Habb (Monastery of Saint Menas the
Recluse). This designation may perpetuale the
name of a recluse called Menas, or it may confuse
Ibyar with Niqyu" the binhplace of the great mar·
tyr according to the Encomium of the Patriarch JOHN
ttl (Drescher. 1946.1', 131) and the SVNAXAR'ON for
15 HaliJr, The church is still famous for an annual
pilgrimage on 15 Ba'unah, the date of the discovery
of the relic. of Saim Menas at Maryiit, which might
indicate Ihal the .saint traditionally "enerated at
IbyAr is nol a local saint, but the manyr of Maryiit
(Muyser and Viaud, 1982. PI'. 29-30).
BI6L1OGRAPlfY
D=cher, J. Apa Mena (lex,", U documents). Cairo.
1946.
Guest. R. "The Delta in the Middle Ages." lourn,,1
of the Royal and Mia/;c Society (1912):941-80.
Maspero, J., and G. Wiel. Materiaux peur 'endr ilia
g<ogFaphie de /'Egypu. M!moi= de l'Institut
fran,ai. d'archeologie otien13le. 36, Cairo. 1919.
Muyser. J., and G. Viaud, Les Pelerinages copus e"
Egypre, BibliOlheque d'etudes coptes 15. Cairo,
1979.
Sicard, C. Oeuvres, 3 vols" ed. M, Manin. BibBo-
theque d'Etudes 85, Cairo. 1982.
RENl':-GWRGES COQUIN
MAURICE MARTIN. S.J.
DAYR MAR MINA (Hiw/Nag Hammadi), rnOn·
astery·village just south of the town of Hiw on the
Left BanI: of the Nile, at the edge of the desen but
still in the cultivated area. It is today inhabited by
secular priests and their families, It appears that it
834 DAYR MAR MINA
was already in exi'tence in the fifteenth century, for
we are infonned of it. church by al·MAQRlzl (d,
1441).
In 1668 this monastery was mentioned by the
Capuchios Prolais and Fran~ois (see Sauneron,
1973. p. 95). This chur<;h is also cited as being in
the district of Nag Hammadi by S. Clarke (1912. p.
216, no. I). Meinardus gi,'es a good dcscription of il
(1965, pp. 302-3: 1977. pp, 415-16); the earliest
date he noticed was 1729, carved in the enclosure
of the sanctuary.
BIBllOGRAPHY
Clarke, S. Chris/ian An/iquiries in Ihe Nile Valley.
Odord,1912.
Meinardus. O. ChriS/ian EgypE, Ancienl and Modern.
Cair<J, 1965. 2nd cd.. 1977.
Sauneron, S. Ville' .1 leg.ndes d'Egypre. Cairo,
1974.
RENErGOORGI'S COOu,,,,
MAURICE MARTTI", S.J_
DA YR MAR MINA (Jabal Abu Fudah). monas·
tery famous for its picturesque character. 11 hangs
on a cliff on the south of the Jabal Abu Fudah
opposite Manfah1!. Its situation in ca,·e. high up
and the method of approaching it by mcans of a
chain and walks hollowed into the rock have led to
several travelers' calling it Dayr al·Bakarah (monas-
tery of the pullcy). This createo some confusion
with the Dayr al·Ta)T near Min}':;, which is also
callcd Dayr al·8akarah.
The most ancient author who speaks of this mono
astery seems to be al-MAQRlzl (d. 1441). He calls it
"monastery of thc Cave of Shaqatqil.'· This is Ihe
name of an island and of a village near it. He notes
its si.uation and its mode of access, He also writes
that il is dedicated to Saint Menas and indicate. tbe
day of his feast. Since th~~ is no village nearny tbat
could serve as a geograplhcal landmark, al·MaqJ1z1
gives it the name "the ca~'e of Shaqalqll" because
near the monastery there was a cave famous for the
heaps of mummified fish 'of whicb he speaks else·
where (some references on this subje<:t will be
found in Maspero and Wiel, 1<)19, p. 114).
This monastery is mentioned by some tnn'e1ers.
Thc forst European who passe<! this way appears to
have been J. Vansleb, who noted "the monastery of
Saint Menas surnamed the lhaumaturge at .. :'l1Je
placename is left blank by Ihe author. who did not
know al·MaqJ1zi's geographical landmark. C. Sicard
spoke of it se"eml times. He knew the lofty situa-
tion of the monastery and its unusual mode of en·
try. He called it now the monastery of Saint Menas.
now that of Pithirion. no doubt tbe one of which
the H'SfOIUA MON,\CH()R.U" tN AE(;YI'I'O speaks, R Po-
cocke described it without giving il a name (1743-
1745, p. 75), F. L. Norden called it "monaslery of
the pulley" (1795-1798, Vol. 2. p. 51), as did G.
Wilkinson (1843, Vol. 2, p. 75). G, Legrain (1900, p.
5) and J. Maspero (1910. p, 19) al.o often call it
"monastel)' of the pulley." S. Clarke described i. in
passing (1912, p. 178),
The monastery is a center of pilgrimage, much
frequented e.pecially on the day of .he feast of
$aint Men ..., 18 Ba'unab (Muyser and Viaud, 1979,
pp.50-51).
BIBUOGtlAPHY
Clarke. S. Chrisrian A.ntiquities in the Nile Vallq,
London. 1912.
Doresse. J. "Monasteres copte. de moyenne
Egypte.'· Bullerin de 10. Societe r-rm<;aise d'Egyp/<J.
logic 5-9 (1970):7-29.
Legrain, G, "Notes archeologiques prise. au gebel
Abu Fuda." A.nnale. du Service du !mtiq"ite. de
['EIYpl. I (1900):3-14.
Maspero, G, Ruinu et pays«ge, d·Egypte. Paris,
1<)10.
Maspero, J., and G. Wiel. Mareriaux po"r <ervi,;' 1«
geographie de I'Egypu. Cairo. 1919.
Muyser, J., and G. Viand. Le" PUerinages copte,.
Biblioth~que d'etudes copies 15. Cairo, 1979.
Norden. F. L Voyage a'Egypte er de Nubie, Vols. 1
and 2. Paris, 1795_1798,
Pococke, R. .4 Description of the EaSE a"d Some
Other Co"nme,. London, 1743-1745.
Sicard. C, Oeuv,es, ed. M. MaTlin. Bibliotheque
d'etude 83. Cairo, 1982.
Vansleb. J. 1.1, Nouv.lI. r.lation en forme de journal
d'un voyage fail en E/Vpte en /672 et /673. Paris.
1677. Translated as The P"se,,/ Sla/e of Egypl.
London, 1678.
Wilkinson, G. Modern Egypl and Thebe,. Vol" I and
2, London, 1843,
RENlt-GEORGI'.S COQUIN
MAURtCE MHTIN. S.l,
DAYR MAR MINA and the church of Mar Min!.
See Babylon.
DAYR MAR MURQUS AL·RASULI. s••
Oomal Mar'i.
DAYR MARQORAH. See Monasteries of the
Middle ~·id.
 DAYR MAR ruMAs 835

DAYR MARQORYUs. s.." Dayr Aba Saybyn and no trace of other monastery buildings ....-vi......
(CaIro): Dayr .1.Ma!.U M,kball (ldfl1). The cbmch .... built oi baked brick in lwo buildina
pbses. The oripnal IIr\OClure is • cenlralize<i.
domed building with Ihree ..-s lOnninll ;a lri-
DAYR MAR STEFANOS. Su ~ ~ of eoncb, a ocbe"", typical for the me<IiewJ period
the ~~1d. Irom a1 IeaII tloe .~nlh «nlury (see Gms$man1l.
1911. pp. 142_43). 11 .. ,hree "nils wide and three
deoep. AI the ..- .. an apse ""ith three niche
bnked by recwt&Ubr C>DmoCt" moms. The southern
DAYR MART MARYAM. mo<Itil.<!J)' Mar Bil-
bris. The KISIUIlY OF THE PAnIAItCHS records the
rol~ q>Mdt. ~ the dedK'" of lhe fot'ty"
six,h palriudl, KHA1l1 (744-767). T_..rd ,he ""d
of al-Qtsirn ibn 'lJb..}WoIbh·s govemonhlp of EaYPl
(,herefo«: before 743). a bedouin tribe Compri1inl
mon than JO,OllO h""""men ...... encam~ in the
Eastern [lese" be!",,-., Btlbays and .l-Qulzum.
Their t"nl$ were erecled ... br ... the viclnlty of the
monwery of the Virgin Mary, Day. al·s..yyidah
Man Ma>yam, in Ihe neighborhood of Bilbeis, The
leneral of these bedouin lroops and hil IWO broth·
en plundered and pillaged lhe n,,:mulery and the
church, the superior of ..... hich was Epimachul of
A......-il. The aUlhor of Ihe life of the patriarch )(h,'11
I tells us lhal EpimachlL'l had come from Ihe Mon·
aslery of Saint Macari... al the Wldt HabIb (W~r
.1·N;apiln), and lhat he afterward became a bishop
of Peluslum. This Epim;achus was OM of the di5<oi.
ples of John, the superior of kEnS (c. 585-675).
Menas, "'ho became bishop of Memphis. .... abo a
..-.k there. ThO. rr><>na<;tery "'.... the1"efore, closely
linked with mal of SainI Mao:arlus in the Wldf aJ.
N~n:;n (E~elyn.White. 1932. pp. 277, 2&4).
The edilO<" of ..90 AL-M.Ol:b,V Sam.. '1 (19&4. p-
39, n. II. pi opo M the >dentifiaIti<m of this corwent
with me >illace ca1k<l Kaf,- a1-o.,.., in the distncc
(.....'*""U of Min)" a!-Qami} (Sharqin-ah). Of" else
with the one named a!.J);aJT in lhe ",ati_l of Tilkh
( _ IClNASTU.IlS OF THE I'tiMIOC£ QAl.v!lBrrY.ut),
but both th~ slIM are 100 far from Bllbeis.

"'
B'SUOGllArHY

Emyn·While. H. G. T1u M<NllUl"riu '" the Wa,H"

N.Iri". pt. 2; TIl. History '" 11M MOotaMen'u of
Nilrill a"d Serfis. N...... Yo". 1932.
Seybold. C. F. Sewrus ib" alMulI"H'" Ale,u"dri·
"isclr. P"/ri",,,h."gesch;chle. H;amburg. 1912.
REN£.CEOMllES COCO'"

DA VR MAR TUMAs. This Ch"rch of Saint

Thom"'ll Iics al the e<ige of lhe desen cliff!. abollt 8 Plan of Ihe Church of SainI TI>omM, the only surv,,'
miles (13 km) nonhe,;lSt of Akhmlm, It Is entered inll building;at lhe .ile of Dayr M5r Tumis, Cou,usy
from a courtyard thaI contains no other build,np, Pu., Gm..",."".
836 DAYR AL·MATMAR: History

room comain' a gravc anributcd 10 Saini Thomas.
In front of Ihesc corner rooms. a~ with onc
niche each face nonh and soulh. A central bay
separalc, Ihe apse•. and there i. a row of three bays
along thc wc.t. Thc units are di,'idcd by arehcs
running from piers to pilasters on the west wail and
on the eastern spur walls, A mud·brick screen (be-
tween the pie1'5) and narrow doorways (between
pic1'5 and walls) dividc this choir bay and apscs
from the western bays. The two central bays arc
co"ered by domes on squinches, the south and
nonhwesl bays by barrel vaults, the apse. b}' semi·
dome., and the south and nonheast rooms by
domes on pendcntive•. The two ccntral domes arc
pierced by cireular lUbes that allow light into thc
interior. The brids arc painted red and black. as in
many churches of the area (see DAYIl, AV;,DHRA' near
Akhmim), bur the brickwork itsdf appears earlier
Ihan in the similarly painted ones. Four rooms ha,'c
been added 10 thc west, connecled wilh the original
church only by two small doors and a window.
Their roofs are also pierced by cireular tubes ad·
mining lighl. Concerning the dale of Ihe chureh. it
found in thc plan given by R. Mond and 0, H.
Myers (1937, Vol, i, no. 2).
BIBLIOGRAPHV
Doressc, J. "Monaste,"s copies aux environs d'Ar-
mant en Theba'ide."' Analecla Boilandiana 67
(1949):327-49,
Meinardus, 0. Chrislian Egypt, Anciem and Modern.
2nd ed. Cairo, 1977.
Mond. R.. and 0. H. Myers. Cemeterie. of Arrnam, 2
vols, Egypt Exploration Sociely Memoirs 42. Lon·
don, 1937,
REN~·GEORGES CoQUtN
MAURICE MARTtN, S.J.
Architecture
Dayr al·Ma!mar i. a hilly field of debris covering
several hectares 10 the west of Armant. The only
ruin that slill projech to wrne exlem above Ihc
genellli rubble is the church, built of mud bricks,

. ·. ·.::4
might belong, as similar structures do, to Ihc six·
tcenth century.
SHELl McNAllY •

BIBLIOGRAPHY
I: : .. - - -, '•
..., ".' " ..
'.
'.
Grmsmann, P, "Der chrisdicher Baukunsl in Agypl'
en," Enchol";o 8 (1978):142-43.

DAYR AL·MATMAR, [This arriele conJ;5/S of

1WO parts-hislory and architecture, ruins 0/ Ihe
church being 011 thOI remain todoy.]

.,
Hi~tory

About 6 miles (9 km) ,west of Armant, on the II...

stony desert (I;ii;ir in Arabic) but al the edge of the ,
cultivated land, is situated- a korn (mound) covered
wilh Ihe debris of pottery'. fragments of brick. and
the like and thus given Ihis name Da}'T al·Malmar
(lhe Buried Monastery), It is also called Dayr al·
Abya.<;! (the White Monastery) and DAYR ANIlA sHIN·
--+-
ODAH, although the reason for this appellation is not

···
known. There is no po",ibilily of attaching Ihi. site
to any name allesled in Ihe lilerary WUTCes, bUI
one may suppo... Ihat ils foundation goes back 10
the Byzantine period. It is briefly described by J.
Dore... (1949, esp. p. 346) and by 0, Meinardus
L
.
• _ • .
Plan of the church at Dayr al·Ma\mar. C ourresy Peter
(1977. p. 435). The exacl geographical situation is Grossmann.

However, most of this, t<>o, is covered up. What can
still be recogni'ed is the course of the outer walls,
as well as part of the 'Illernal amongement of the
sanctuary, In the laner, one can see in shadowy
form the spatial plan of a triconch. On the two
sides of the triconch Me two large side chambers,
the nonhern one of which evidently held the stai,..
case, The naos seems to have been a three·aisled
one, How and where Ihe rows of columns ran can-
not, however, be determined. In the same way,
Ihere are no indications of the ITom triumphal
aN:h, which appears in all other triconch chuN:hes.
Of the later interior structures, the wall sections in
the southeast corner of the naos could belong 10 a
klli""s (room betwun naos and sanctuary), which
was in use in monastery churches from the early
eighth celllury, The church of Dayr al·Ma!mar is
probably to be assigned to the sixth century.
BIBUOGRAPHV
Ooresse, J. "Monastereli coptes aux environs d'Ar'
mant en Thebai"de." Analecta Bollandian" 67
(1949):346.
Grossmann, P. "'Neue IriihehristHche Funde au.
Agypten." Acle. du Xl' conert. inlemational
d'archiologic chreticnne, Lyon, 21-28 >tpumb,e
1986, vol. 2, p. 1892, fig. 22. Pari., 1989.
Timm, S, Va, chri.<rlich·kopli,ch. AuPlen In a'a·
bisc"er Zeil, Vol. 2, p. 740. Wiesbaden, 1984.
PETER GROSSMANN
DAYR MAmA. When the patriarch BENJAMIN t indications of a)·MAoRfz!. may be situated "in the
returned to Alexandria in 644 from his exile in
Upper Egypt, he chose as the episcopal residence
the monastery of MaIm, because it was the only one
in the region of Alexandria whose monks had resist·
ed the pressure of the emperor Heradius to accept
the dogma of CHAU;ED01i~(45l). AaD AI.!olAMRIM,
who gives the same infunT\"tion 0984, p. 158) but
writes Ba!m instead of Ma:!n, add. that the patri·
arch I$MC (689-692 A,D) I"l'newed its building. Un-
fununately, neither of these two wilne,..es gi,'cs us
an indication of the geographical situation of the
monastery. Howevor, there still exi.ts a place called
al-Matms near ylmliyan on the shores of Lak. Mar·
yilt to the west of Alexandria, in which the name of
thiS monastery is perhaps perpetuated (Brecda,
1919, pp_ 180~81).
Tho que,tion is whether this monastery was con-
nected with Saint Metras, a maf1J'T al Alexandria
under Dedus (8 ~bah and 10 Mism). Severaltex,"
.-nontion his martyrium on the outsldn., to the east
DAYR AL-MAYMAH 837
of the town. near the ...,..,alled Sun Gate (Calderini,
1935, Vol. 1. p. 175: "Life of John the Almoner,"
PC 93, col. 1647; '"Nicephorus Callistus," HistOtia
uciesiaSlica 5, 30, PG 145, col. 1124; '"Miracles of
Saints John and Cyrus," PC 87, col. 3464), It will be
noted that in the SYNAXARlON, the saint's na.-ne is
wrinen in Ihe ""me way as in the Hi.tlory of /h.
Patriarch. and in Abu a1-MaUrim. The lauer seems
to indicate in hi, book that after the burning down
of hi. church, the saint's head was left there. which
may mean that the monastery did indeed bear this
martyr's name and that it was distinct from the
martyrium.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abu al·MaUrim, TMfk" al-K,,,,d'is wa.al_,(dyimh,
ed, $amu'll al·Sury;\nl. Cairo, 1984.
Brecda, E. "'Ancnm un epitaffio di monaco ale.·
s"ndrino." Bull.ti" d. la SOciele ,oyal. d'arch{,o·
logic d'Ale~a"drie 17 (1919);179-81.
Calderini, A. Ditionario d.i nOm, geografici • wpo·
grafici dell'Egiuo greco e romano. Cairo, 1935.
REN£-GEORGe-s COOtJIN
MAURtCE MARTtN. S.],
DAYR MAWAS, Sec Monasteries of the Middle
$;>'id.
DAYR AL-MAYMAH (Gharbiyyah), This monas·
tery is pan of a group of four that, according to the
region of the salt·marshes near Lake al·BurnlJus"
(1845, pp. 45 [text], 109 [u~n •. ); 1853, Vol. 2, p.
508, correcting al.Maymana" to al·Maymah) in the
neighborhood of Bilq;i$, in northeast Gharbiyyah.
Al·Maqr'b;! (d_ 1441) indicated thaI the Dayr al·
Maymah was noar the DAYR Al.-"ASKAR. and he added
that formerly there was not in the delta a monas-
tery inhabited by a greater number of moni<5_ He
also said that its prosperity had vanished, the mono
astery had been destroyed, the army (reading al-
iays", not al·!]abas" or Ethiopian) camped there,
and the area had been built up.
It is notewonhy that ABO AL-MAKJ.JuM, who wa.~
writing at the beginning nf the thirteenth century,
did not speak of Dayr al·Maymah, 110 doubt b&ause
the ruin of which al·Maqrf7.1 spoke was already in
thaI state. AI·MaqrILl was doubtle.. quoting an
older amhor, as was his custom,
M. Ramzl (1953-1968, Vol. 2, p. 2, p. 27) showed
that in several medieval documonts the aroas called
 838 DAYR AL-MAYMON: History
al·Mooymah and aI-'As!<ar were aillQI«! ~..r on~ an·
O1h« and lben wOtt gradually joined 10 form Ihe
10"'''' of Bilqa.. in lbe presenl m",*~ (disllia) of
BilqIL Unlil.ut. 1244/.l..D. 1309, aJ-Maymah _ ....
soc:ilIled "'i\h al-'~ in tht arn of Danjllw;ty.
..tlkh continm the ~ of aJ·Waqrtd. "'ito
p1.ad the two simibriy narnoe<l lIloC>tI&Ieries ncar
Of\<! an<>tlw:r. II is very pn>bablt! thai bot}, !hac
m o ~ had ~i,'ed Ihe names of ~ _ip.
borint: vill"ie!-
In lhe life of Sill Dimyinah (0<' Jlmylnall, accord-
inl 10 the ...TiIing in ...1 the manuscripts; Sidawi.
1911. P. 83), JOtIlI, bishop of .... nll... (al-Bun1llus).
told of having hurd Ihc lradition COIK:e1'1linl this
saint fro", .. monk of Dayr ...·MaymalJ (which. ac-
cording 10 al·Maqrizl. had the la'llesl community).
According 10 this SpeciallBdilion. the sainI. wh~n
only on~ year old. had been oIfercd. hr her father 10
lhe church of Dayr al·Maymah (lee DAYR sm DIM·
YANAII). Unfor!unal~ly. Ihere is no information 10 h
lhe penod when John li,,~d. Some manuscripts live
him Ihe Surname Ni'mauoUAh (Gra£. 1944-1953.
Vol. 1, pp. 468, 532).
BIBUOGRAPHV
Ramzt. M. M.Q,lmus ,,1';"llrrdf/ /iI·8Udd .. / M~riy­
)"2Ir, ) volf;. Cairo, 1953 ~ 1%8.
Sidawi, E. "Sin Ilimiaml. sa lqen~, $On rnouled."
Bulktin de I.. Soc~fi ,...1f"nielt de fIo",,"";e n.s.
a (1911):79-99.
DAYR AL-MAYMON. {DeI,.- aJ.M..,."iln is dis·
efWd ill lltis eowy '""'" IWO perST'Utnw, "Wary
""d vdriIUI..,..,.)
.....
. .."
It is kfto..,... that »int MnOto,. al first lived near
the Nile before goinl iNO i501alion near lhe Red
~a. This place near the Nile was called PUpil' or
Tilodj (Palladius, 1898-1904, chap. 25). Thus, one
finds: "When 1 arrn-ed at his monaslery whkh is
near the river, at the place named l'ispir ... 1 _il-
cd for him five days" (Rufinus, PL 21. II, &; Lefor!,
1943, p. 267, n. 2).
There ia oom~tim.". h~,itation aboul Ihinkinllthal
\);I.)" al'MaymCin perpeluales the ancient Piapir. II
may be (houghl thaI th~ latter has gradually been
moved closer to the river.
Acconling I<> tnodilion, (""0 monllSleM p~e
the memory cl SaInt Amony, the one near the ~d
Sc4t :and the other near lhe Nile. The oldE$! I=irno-
ny appean to be that of Posrumi:anus: "Duo wli
Anlonii mon:as.tn'ilo adii, quae hodieqlM: :ab e1... dis·
cipulis inoolunlur" (1 came to two monasteries of
the B ~ Ancony....... ich even today an inhabiled
b)' his discipllC5).
MlO $AUt! JII~ ,uJOtl'LO.N (1893, p. 16), at the
bqinninc of the lhineeoth century, c:alk:d it Da)T
,d·Jumrna)'ll'h and menlioned thiny monks- A.I_
lIlNlR121 (d. 1441; 1115). Vol. 2, p. 502) pb.ced it
aw""te al-MaymOo and abo called il Da)T ...·Jud.
A marcinal llOIe in the manusnipl 01. SainI AnI...
ny (TheoI. 2(9), ~"roduced by J(jrnil ~~ Nakhl_
all (195-4. pp. 7•. 13). ""plain> th:at PAn ANB.l
MqUNfY'Cs w;as called DoIyr al·Jummayzah. when
Anttlny lived. This note was added after the: palri·
arch CAaRt£l. \III died in Ih;" church in 15.68 (C...
quin and Laferrl~re, 1978, pp. 276-77).
It ""as menlloned by sixteenth·century tm,-tlers
such as O. d'Anllure (1878, p. 68) and J. Coppin
(1971, p. 204), and in the $eveme~mh century by J.
VAt/SlEB (1617, p, 294: 1678, p. 178). The eighleenth
century produced Ihe leslimony of C. SICARD (1982,
Vol. I. p_ 73). who spoke of "Ihe lillIe Saini Antony
Ofl the Nile": R. rGCOO;E (170. p. 70): and F. L
Norden (1195-1798, Vol. 2, p.)1. pI. 69).
The Booool: o/Ihe Hidden Pe"rb (Dare:ssy, 1911. pp.
199, 201. 203) calls it Dayr IlI·BadIa (Monaslery of
the Exc:ha"&'C). for One Cllchanged the Nile bolo. for
a desen mounl ...ben one wenl 10 Saini Anlony_
The silo' is e~nainl)' \'ft)' old: the peal church dedi-
~ 10 &inl Anloay is buih on "",k.
(Sa <ilio AbU al-MaUrlI'll.)
81BUOCRArHY
i\ni:Iun, o. of. u SaUu ""'<IJC de J~[_. ed.
F. BoJrnaJdot and A. I.DnlP'OtL Paris. 1813.
Coppin. J. Us Voy<Ile.l ell £ople. Cairo, 1971 .
(;oquin. R..-G., .... d P.·H. ~rrihe. "Us Inscrip-
tions ~ de I·anden.... qlise du monasIe~
de St. Antoine daM Ie dben oriental:' B"lI~ri"
de f/"U;'tI' ,.....f ..is d'ArclKolOJIL 0TiL,,1..1e 18
(1978):266·321.
Daressy. C. "Indicaleur lop<:>gr.optrique du 'Livre des
per1es enfouies eI du mys.ere prkic:ux:" B"lIe'in
de /'/"srirw f'''''f''is d'Arch/a/erie orientale 13
(1917): 175-230.
Lefon, L T. Lu V/tJ COpieS dt SI, P"ch6mt, Biblio-
lh~ue du MU$l!on 16, Louvain. 1943.
Nakhlah, K.lmll ~Ili~. Sibil,,1 T4rfkh ,,1.BI1Mrihlr,
Pl. 4, Dayr al'Suryan in WAdr·al-NatIiin, 1954.
Norden, F. L VO)"2re d'Egyplt tl d. N"bit, ed. L
Lana:l". 3 .ol~. 1'.r1s, 1795-1798.
 DAYR AL-MISAYKRAH 839

Pococke. It .4 Dl$eriplion of rJot £aSI a"d Somt

O,ht, Coumrlt'. Vol. I. London. 1743.
Sitard. C. Ot"",u, Vol. I,~. S. Sauneron and M.
Manin. 8iblioth~C[u~ d·tll"J~ 83-85. C~im and
raris, 198.2.
Vansleb. J. Nouwllt ,,,II'lion tn forme dt ;0.......,1
d·.... voY"gt /_" tn EDPlt tn 1671 II 1673. Paris.
16n. TnMlat~d .. not PTtIum 51_It 0/ Ec!pt.
London. 1678.
RlI<l-CroaCO COQIu"
MAIIRJ(E MAImH.SJ.

\
Archltec.lure
Dayr al-Maymoln has ill qin. according 10 Iht
p«>bably .... 1~1e lotaltBdilion. in the lO,.".,.,r $UP-
ply su.tion of the hermitaet of Saini ......tony on me
Red Sa (AbO. al-MaUrlm. lot. $$b: al-Maqrirl.
tnns......iisltl'lfeld. 87. no. 6. DayT a1·Jummayza),).
From htn: camd elInYllN HI out aI .... CUI:ar int,..-·
v1B 10 supply the M«ls 0{ die saint. his discipks.
and ... JUCSlS, al'ld 1Itrt. 100. e'>'t<y visil to the
n>ON6ler)l Oown 10 modem timtl had ill narlin,
point. Today thoe.-t is a modem vill:a&:t on ~ oit~ of
the monaslay. and tht old ~tery buildinp
haw: disappeared. Only tWO tllull'hes ,ituued tloK
bnidt one another recall the old tradition. The
older is o:kdita~ to Saini Mtn:uriua. 11$ ...... ton-
sists of a domed fWOoCol.. mn buildinJ (Dlhtr a re-
dIKed fouM:olumn buUdins). whith a three-pan Pla:n of Ihc cburch dedicaled 10 Saini Mercuriu. and
""ct""')l adjoint On tht eaiI. Then' i$ no kJrl1nu W chwcil dedicaled 10 SaInt Amhony. Dayr al.
(room bl<t...-n the . . - and fIIl\Ctuary). The ~ MaymUn_ Cou"esy Peler Cros-......
:and 5liJhtly laloer tll..rch 0{ Saini Antony two betn
opoiled by later additionl. In Ille nineu:cnlh cmtury
il ...ill po Hl"'d a do"'" IUpponed by granite col· CI"O$Sma:nn. P. Millel.llemelte Ull1th4115k"p~lki,·
umns with Corinthian api~ll. the lupponinJ arell- rlt",.. ami W:TWfUIJJt Typcn in Ol>trigfplen. pp.
178-80. CIU:ckst:adt, 1982.
cs of wIlich had lo_r ...ull$ in the lhapt of I"'mi-
Mtin:ardus. O. M""l;s .nd Mon4SI"'ril$ ollltt EtJ71'
dome> a1taeh«l on .11 four oidca (Che..tr, 1873. pp. lid.. Destrt. pp. 21-2). Cairo. 1961.
I 1If.). Originally this bUil~ng ~"'" also 10 ha,·t TImm. S. D.l elrrislliclr-l:oplilelt", Xvpttn I" arab,·
been or basllkan i1rutlure. at is 5U88Hted by vari· scher Ze;l. Vol. 2. 1'1'. 742-749. Witsbadtn. 1984.
ous ....u"'d marbl~ pillars and all kinds of capilll.ls PErEa CROSSW.SI<I
lyini .bout in the ........ Of th~ Illl>Cluary. only th",
.mall south room hat reuined irs oriiinal fonn.
that of an apse sid<: room. The tWO no"h~m rooms DAYR MINYAT lANAH. Sec Dayr al·MagIlli.,
are oid~ Itayk41J (santluari~S) "'ilh an amorphOll'
rotunda .pptarant~. Bolh thurch •• in their pres·
~nl fonn probably <kri.~ only from rhe Ottoman
DAYR AL_MISAYKRAH. t<o"hwut of Annant
period. is a .mall duskr of ruin. situated On a promOnlOry
on the slope of the de..," plac~au, wrongly de·
BI8L1OGRAPHY
scribed by Dores.., (1949, p. J27) and by Timm
Chesrer. C. J, "Notes on the Coprle Day...... Archeol· (1984. p. 767) as lUya AL-NA$J\JlA. Two StruCtureS
ogy Jo"rnal 30 (1873):11111'. may be diSlinguished. lh~ larger of ",hi~h probably
 840 DAYR AL-MUHARIB
..,' ,
,
" ..
,, .."
, ..
". _. ;
... __ .- ------_ ..
, .. _----_._-_._-- -..,
comprises the ruins of a ~idenlial buildin«- !be
Kcor>d Sln>l'tlln. standing to tM ust and immedi-
ately ne.t to it. is a lomb in the shape of a le1ntpy-
Ion made out of mud bri< ..... The tomb makes it
likely that this site is to be identikd wilh DAYR AHe},
DARYDs. mell1ioncd in the 5YNAXARION at 2 Tubah.
the feltal date of Apa. Vktor and Apa Jonas,
BIBUOGRAPHY
no,..,ssc.
J. "Monasleres "'PIe, lux environ. d'''r·
manl en Theba'ide." An"lecla Bolianduma ~7
(1949):327-49.
Timm. S. Da5 c~ri.t1id•.J:optUcM Avptell in arabi-
oeMr Zeit, Vol. l, pp. 663-64, 767, Wlesbaden,
19&4.
DAYR AL-MUHARlB, See DIY" aJ·Amlr Tadrils
(lJ.t.wrl·
DAYR AL-MlJI:lARRAQ. Nothing Is known ro.-
urtaln aboul the dale of IN fo"nduion al !his
monastCl)'. A""""" attribuled 10 the ~triareh nI&
orotrUlS OF AlEI(»;DRIA (3&4-412) creclil$ him w;lh a
vision althe Holy Virgin ;n whkh she tnealed 10
him lNot lhe principal church alIne monastery in
the pW:e where Mary and her t.on IOjoumed duriltll
their flight &em Herod ......, consecraled by Jesus
himself, assiste<! by his d.,.,iples. G\lidl (1917) has
published rhe Oriental version,. The Arabic text is
also given in a work entided AI·LA'~1t (1%6, pp.
50-70), " reworking of this sermon is attributed 10
Zechariah. bishop of s..l<ha at the beainnlng of the
ei&hth cemury (pp. 40-55).
The monastery is uid to have heen fouoded by
Saint ~ACIIOMIVS (Simaykah. 1932, Vol. 2, p. 121),
hut lhe Lives of P'Khomius, both Greek and Coptk,
do nOl speak of it. The mosl ancitnt SOtll'CC' appon
10 be tM HISTOIU Of' 11IE rllTJll.UCH$ oi"'" Ec'Pliao
d,,,n::tl. which in its list of ..", places "ilere lhe
Holy Vi,.in I&&yed wilh Jews in ~'pI names OIls·
qam, hut not o.y,. al.M"I).arraq.
!be ck-aluc source is without doubt .oJIO $AUI;l TIlE
Aa>l£>(1AN £rom 11)<: boesi~nin.s of the thinunlh cen·
tury (1895, pp. 22"'21). He knew the Iezend of the
Holy Family's nJ(;tR tl'ffO EGTPJ aIId of the conse-
cnotion of Ihis chureh. bill h~ n~ <pOU of a
mollll$t~ry. n.e SYPlAXAlUON recail5 lhese e_-en1S at 6
Hbl•. The recension of 1M S)'I1axarion from 1Jpper
Eel'1 names Ih~ Dlyr al-MuJ:oanaq in the nolice of
the man,. EliaJ. bishop of thi5 nto<>na.Mery and of
al~yyah (2tl Kiyahk). The Ethiopian SynaIarion
also mentioN th~ mooast~1)' at Ou~m at 24 Ba-
.hnl (Feall of the Coming of Jesus into EiYPt).
which lhe "'rllblc SyrtaJ.arion of Ihe Copl.'l docs not
do (Budlle. Ina, Vol. 3, p. 926). A manlJScript of
lhe Synaxarion derivina from Ihe library of Ihe
Dayr al·Mul)anaq indic/lt<:$ Ihe feasl of lhe qum.."ll
'Ab<! al.Malik On la Babah, This ...inl built or reo
stored the Church of SalOl George. He lived in lhe
Ar;Lb period. prior to the date of the manuscript
(1867, accordin,l<) Troopcau, 1974. Vol. 2, p. :lO).
In nos Marqus, biJhop of Qusqim. was present
III the p.-q>&rIIioo of Ih~ chmm (Muol~r. 1943. p.
31). aIId in another manuscript aboul the S/lm~
evenl. Marqus is called bishop al al.()Usiy}-m. Since
the monaston)' is only a littJe O''tr .. miles (7 km)
from thiJ town, he ..,., probo>bly biJhop of ~
rwo pIKes (hluyset'. 1945. p. 158)_
In 1M l'ourteenlh and fifteenth CCnluries. KVefaI
monks of Da)T al-Muhanaoq became p&trian:hs d
Alexandria: in 1370 GAUJEl.. in 131g lU.TT1IEW l ill
1452 M.lYTlIEW n. and in 1434 .IOH'" XlIL
In 1396 a miracle d the Holy Vi"'" tOOk plac~
in the monasl~ry. u<:ounled by lhe EdriopK: 8aoA:
of lite Miru:/es of Mary (CeruDi. 1943, p. 2(9). In
addirioa, thi, t~xt shoIo.. thac there were fairly cbe
relatio.... this period hetWft'n me monies of SainI
A,,,ony and lhooK of ai·Mul)/lmIq.
Befo,.., 1441, al'MAOalZl menlioned Da)T al·Mu·
J:>arraq (les3, Vol. 2. p. 5(6). He was familiar ",ilh
lhe legend of the Holy family'. sojourn, and noted
that thi. "'II .. place of plillrimage twice a yea•. on
Palm Sunday and at Ihe feast of Pent-.cost.
In 1591. the 9umm"l Cabriel was one of the eo·
voys of the patriarch GAIlRIEL VIII to Pope Clemont
VIII to seal the union olthe Coplic church with the
Roman church (Buri. 1931; Graf. 1951, Vol, 4, p.
122). In 1668 IWO Capuchlos. Protais and Fran~il,

said that the monastery was inhabited by the Abys·
,inians and spoke of the Holy Family's sojoum
(Sauneron, 1969, p. 141), The Dominican J. V~NSLEB
noted on the west bank of the Nile the monasteries
of Muhanaq and of the Abyssinians nearby. Jo-
mard. in Ihe DeJ<:ription d'Egyple (Vol. 4. p. 301).
noted lhat Ihere were twenly reliCious and two hun-
dred inhabitants.
In the nineteenth century, the number of monks
having decreased, a secular pri,,"t from a1·~iyyah
came to the monaslery 10 perform the offices. Grad-
ually prosperily relumed. A de.cription of the mod·
ern Slate of Ihe site was given by o. Meinardus.
The presence of the Ethiopian monks is allesled
from Ihe Ihineenth century (and perhap$ earlier) by
Ihe Ethiopic manuscripu deriving from il. Among
them. one should note in Ihe Calalogue of Ih, BIb-
liollreque Natronale (Paris). b}' Zolenberg, nos. 32.
3.5. 42. and 52. II does, indeed, sum from these
manuscripts Ihat Ihe community of OusqAm fonned
a .ingle unit wilh that of HARIT zuw.. n.JlH and thaI
of Jerusalem. The monastery served as a .taging
posl for Ihe Ethiopian monk. on pilgrimage to Jeru-
salem. It is nol known whal bond united Ihis com-
munity wilh the olher groups of Ethiopian monks
.",tabHshed in Egypt. in particular 01 SCETIS and at
Saint Amony (DAYR ~NB~ M'fON1Y(rS).
The Capuchins Protais and Fran~ou wrote simply
in 1668 Ihat the Dayr ol-Mul)arraq was inhabile<l by
the Abyssinian. (Sauneron. 1969. p. 141). Vansleb
nOIe<! Iheir presence in 1673 alongside Dayr aI·Mu·
l)arraq (1677, p. 361; 1618. p. 2 17). He also called il
the Monastery of Sainu Peler and Paul (Quatre·
mere. 1812. p. 15). In Ihe Elhiopic manwcripts thi$
monaslery of the Elhiopians is called the Monaslery
of the Apostles. In 1716 the Jesuit C. Siurd spoke
ofil as being in ruins (1982. VoL I, pp. 10-11). The
monastery of the Abyssinians has disappeared, but
around 1950. several Ethiopian monks were still
living al Ihe Dayr al-Mul,rn"'q.
On the links between the; Dayr al-MuJ:larraq and
the Ethiopian church, reference may be made to
Crawford (1958. pp. 12IfF.).:
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Budge. Eo A. W. The Book 01 tire Saims of Iht Ethi·
opia" Churclr. 4 vol•. Oxford, 1928.
Buri. V. L'u"io"e della ch;""a copta con Roma s01IO
CI,menle Vf//. Oriemalia Christiana 23_ Rome,
1931.
Cerulli, E. l1 Libra eliopico dei Mirocoli di Maria e Ie
sue lonti "elle let/eralure del medlo evo IQ/ino.
Rome. 1943.
DA YR AL-MUl:IARRAQAH 841
Crawford, O. G. S. Elhioplan ilineraries circa 1400-
1524. Cambridge. 1958.
Gregorios. Bishop. AI.Dayr ,,1_Mu~arraq. Cairo, n.d.
Guidi. M. "La omelia di Teofilo di A1essandria sui
monte Coscam nelle letle...ture orientali." Rendl-
conti della R, Academia del Lincei. 51h .cr. Classe
di Scienze Storiche 26 (1917):381-91.
Jomard. E, F. "Deir al·Moharrag ou el·Maharraq."
Jn Description de I'Egyple, Vol. 4. PI'. 301-302.
ed. C. F. L. Pancoucko. Paris, 1821.
Monner.1 de Villard. U. Deyr al-Mulra",aqelr: Note
arclreologide. Milan. 1928,
Munier. H. R,cueil de< lisles episcopal.. de Ng/ise
copte. Cairo. 1943.
Muyser. F. "Conlribulion a I·etude des listes episco-
pales de I"gli.e c<>pte." Bulletin de I" Societe
d'arche<>l<>gle COple 10 (1944):115-76.
Quatremere, E. M. Observations Sur quelqrles poin/<
de /a geographie de I"Egyple, Paris, 1812.
Sicard, C. Oeuvres. Vol, I, ed. M. Martin. Biblio-
theque d'etude 83-85. Cairo and Paris, 1982,
Simaykah. M. Guide 10 the Coplic Musoum. Cairo.
Vol. 2, Cairo. 1932 (in Arabic).
Troupeau, G., e<!. Calalogue des ma"uscrils arabes.
Vol. 2, Manuscri,. chretiens, Pari'. 1974.
Vansleb. J. M. Nr",velle relalio" e" forme de journal
d'un "oyagt fail en Egyple en 1672 tI 1673, p.
361. Paris. 1677. Translate<! a. The Presenl SIQ/t
of Ef:Ypt. London, 1678. p. 217.
Zotenberg, H, Catalogue dts m""u,crils hhiopiMS
de la Bib/101lrequ~ nationale, Paris, 1877.
RENE-GEORGES COQUtN
MAURICE MARTIN. S,J,
DAVR AL-MUJ:IARRAQAH, ABO $ALl1:! THE AR·
~EN't~N. who wrole in Ihe early thirtunth century.
is the ooly ancient author who mention. Dayr aJ·
Mul)arraqah. He situated il in Gi.. near Bunumrus,
also lnown /IS AbU al-Numrus (RarnzJ, 1953-1968,
Vol. 2. pt. 3. p. 3 and p. 39). Then is still a village
of this name to Ihe south of the pyramid of Lichl.
11 is clear that the tradilion at a "ery early date
he<! the FUGHT INTO El)YPT at al-Ashmiinayn: "We
ha"" see" also another holy man of the name of
Apollo. in the borden of Herrnopolis in the Thelia·
id. where Ihe Savi"ur wern with Mary and Joseph
... we have seen there Ihe temple where. when Ihe
Saviour emere<! the town, all tht idols fell down
with their face. to the ground'· (Festugi~re. 1971. p.
47). The fifth·ceUlury Greek historian Sowmen. in
hi. Ecel.sinstical Hislory (5, 21). also spoke of Her·
mopoiis in the Thebaid and of the miracle of the
idol•.
842 DAYR MU$TAFA KASHIF
l1w: Coptic story of the martyrdom of Saints ~J.1'.lI£
AND TfICt.A O\lIkn Mary saY. '" ....yed in the to..... ol
SlunGn. I and my small child sucki", my brflosl."
(lM manuscript: it> the Pierpont Norp" Ubl'lllJ it>
New yo.... dornving from aI·Hamilil in the Fanum.
dates hom 8b1; d. Reymond and B;t.t'TI$. 197J. pp.
57 (!tXt). 167 [n;om.).)
0Iher more recent lOIS rt'pO" the same tradi·
tion: tbe apocl)J>ba/ GoopeI of PstudocHoWthe .
c~ef 25; the Arabic Gospd of the Infancy. c ...
ters 24-2S; and oennons attribUled to TtlEOf'Hll.O.l5 OF
o\WWiDlllA by VIOWUA$. bishop of SalhL
In the HISroRY OF nlE I'AnJ.O.llCHS OF Ttl!! ECYn1AN
CIIU1lCH tho author y ~ ibn Sa1d ibn Yai)yfi ibn
Mini. with the surname Ibn al-QuIZlJml. who c.,.,..
piled tM noticn of lhe patriarchs CY~L U. "'IClIAEI.
IV. and MAUJlJUS n. providtd a list of the placn
sanclified by lhe presence of lhe Holy Family. Il is
remarkable lhal he names Qu,qlm and al·Mu~a"",
qah. Hence these two places a .... different from one
another. According to the author. lhe depa"ure of
Ihe Holy Family for Palestine began from al·Mu~ar·
raqah and look lhem through Cairo,
The Coptic SYNAXARION mtnlioru Ihe return from
.!·Ashmunayn via a1-Mul).lIJTa'l"'h and Mi¥". 'Tht
Ethiopian 5ynaurion follows Ihe Coptic wt adds
the mell1ion of lbbn. QusqAm (Budge. 192&. Vol. l.
p. 9lS).
11 is probable thai Dayr a1·Nu~ pe'l'CIU'
ales. in lhe province of Giza, the IMIDO., of !he
passage of the Holy Family.
BllIl..tOGJt.t.Hl'
Bttdce.E. A. W. The Boat of 1M S<zinl~ of 1M ElJri-
opUt" Church, Vol. 3. Orlord.. 1921,
RaIM!. M. Al~w .hllifh"~ lil-Bil.d .1
MifrWah, J .... Cairn. Ifll-I968.
IWymond., E. A. E., and J. W. B. Booms. Fo." MarTyr'
'*-~ /rom 1M PWrpotU "'''''I'"''
Cop6c Codicu.
Oaford, 1913. ..
R£l<Ml_GES COOtnN
MAt:UCE MARTIN. SJ.
DAYR MU~1"AFA KAsHIF. To the nonhwcsi
of the capiul of the OMi. of Kharlah, about 1.25
miks (2 kern) northwcst of the necropolis of al'
Ilagaw:lt on the summit of a hill where Ihe lombs
rlJe In lie,... (Jabal al-Tayr). arc ",me rtlin. that
some Inle'1'ret a.. thollt of a monastery (de Bod;
Melnardus). Olhe,... describe them 9•• hose of a Ro·
man fo" laler utilized as a dwelling by Christian
he:nnil$ (Fakhry). Whate,'er it. original purpos.t, ils
last inhabitants have left numerous graffiti (de
Bod, 1901, P. )51£.). It ...... ucaYlled by the!
German Institute (MUller-WOellCl", 1963, pp. 121-
." The inscriptions tuo,-e been cop;ed sevc:raI times:
first b! the archHoklcist Fal<hry, who published
them in 1951 (pp. 401-4).4). G. Roquet has cop;td
but not )'tt published them (sec U-Clant. 1977, p.
269). Roquet h.as r-emarUd liIat ",me have been
....ritlCfl b,. the ..me personages as at aJ.8apwit.
for lhty hear the ......... titles.
IUBUOGIUPHV
Bock, v. de. Mall.u.ux """. urv;' jI /'Q,clllologie
de "£oplt cllri"'e,,ru:, 5t. Pdel'Sburg. 1901.
Fakhry', A.-n.e Rot:k,lnscrip!ions of Gabal cI·Ttir
at Kharga Oailis.·' AnnaleJ J" Service de.< a"/i-
q"ite~ de /'Eopte 51 (l~51):401-434,
Lcdant. J. "Fouille. el In.vaux en Egypte et au
Soudan, 1975-1976," Ori.enta/;~ 46 (1977):233-
".
Meinardus. O. F. A. ChriSli"n Egypt, Anciel!/ ~ncl
Modern. Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed" Cairo, 1977.
Muller-Wiener. VII, "Chrislllche Monumenle im
Gebiet von Hibis (el Kharp)," Mitteilung."
d.s DeUlJclt... ArcltloJoriKlten fn5titut~ 19
09631:121-40.
Ruie..GWR(;E:'S eoouUI
MAuRICE M.umN. SJ.
DAYR AL-MtJTTlN. This i$ tho name now gjvm
10 a c1usur of Nlns sllua1ed ill the edge of the
W<:5tem daen at ,uyoy. about a m;le from tbe
''''''''. hnidc: !hi! anciomt necropolis at Ihe mausolt-
urn of Sha)ti1 Abt1 Tllq.
ARl ~ TlIE oU.\WlWi. .. the bqinning of thir-
tcetlth century. kite><>' four _ r i n to !he ......."t
of Asyi¢ the one called (arliinah. detfieated 10 lIIe
Holy Virgin; thai of Saint s.,-erus; and (W{) mOIUlS·
ltries of the Holy ViTlin. (ailed Dayr AzIhin and
Abu a~':llrilh. Unfortunately. it i, dillicuh 10 deter·
mine to ""hal tlle monasteries he Itsts act....lly (or·
respond, except for that of Saint Severus.
Al·lMQf;.lzl (d. \441) III his "j·Kitilb ~/.l(Jri!oll
(1853) indicaled some monasteries on the ""nl
bank of Ihe Nile; lhelle are the Monaslery of Seven
Mounlaill$ or of John CoIob<.>s (today called DAY~
AL··'~A"'); and DJ.Y~ AL "'Vll'N. or rather, according
to Ihe spelling proposed by S. Timm (1984, Vol. 2,
p. 758), Dayr al·M~lI, a difference Ihal in Arabic
requires only the chanllt of a diacritical poinl.

...1.Maqrlzl ad<IN thai the monasl,,"" of Ih" re-
,Ion ,.;e~ nuMeIOl4, bul thai man,' _~ al 1....1
lime destroyed, He bter named those of the ~
of Dunlnbh. 10 the .....th .,f .uyU!. I. SftI1U Ih;ol
the lUins lO<by called Dayr a1·M~!in COI'TeSpond 10
whal a1-Maqrtz1 <:a/kd Dayr a1-~1.
Dow.. 10 the becinnin, of the t'oo-elltieth unlu.,..
one <:ouk! find there the ~maim 01 buildinp of
unbaked brick described by Napoleon'l entineen
and by V. de Boc:k. Tky abo round in the pha...
onk lombs some "c:hapdsff (\OI'IIbs filled OUI ao
cells), be~ and 10 the eaol of the 10mb ol Sha)'kh
Al:>o1 TOq. The in"",riptions !>a'"e been publish«! by
G. ~ (1910, Vol. 1. pp. SO-54) /lind J, Cl«lat
(190$, pp. 116~1l). One may also consult .... k.aI1\iI
(1916, pp. 97-99). Unfonurwely they di~ppcared
when arch:affllOj:im ~hed 10 ,..,.tore the phara-
onic lombs (Ch....inal and Palanque. 1911).
On Ihe pre..,nI Slale, one may consult 0, Mei...
ardul (1%5. pp. 282~83; 1977, pp. 391-92),
Some ancienl 10mbs of l1>e necropoliJ presen..,
Wltl>OUI doubl lrnees of a very ancienl mon""lic
oc<:upalion, naming the thr~ founders af 8.l.wll
"'pollo, Anub, and Phib (Palanque, 1903, pp, 126-
28).
818UOGaAPKY
8ocok, V. de. M.lliria.... f'O'" u",;, • /'.rcMolo,ie
d"ir~n... d'Ezyp,e. St. Pelenbutll. 1901 (in Rus-
slan and French).
Chassinal. E.. and C. Pahnque.. Une C"...".,pe <ks
f-Ule~ ild1U III nicropole il'hsiu,. M<!mol.es de
l'l_ilul fran(.Sis d'AreMolOSie orien~ 24.
CaIro. 1911.
Cledat, J. UNoles d'ar<:heoloocic copte." Ann.les il"
Setvice des ....tiqo<iJi. de rEmle 9 (1908):213-
30.
Je>llo;., J. B. P.• and E. Dnillic~, in !hJt:ri"oo.. ae
/'Ee,."le. Vol. 4. Pam. It21-1129.
Kamll, .... "Fouilles .. ~ Dliinb el .. Asslul."
A,,""ks au &nice ae~ Itn/iqot.ilu de /'EfYPIe 16
(1916);65_114.
Ld"~, G, "EcPle clnetienne:' ,t"",du ,II' Se.·
vf« .u.s ....
tiquitu a~ l'Etyple 10 (1910):50-51.
Meinard..... O. ChoUlian Egypt, Ancie..r Gnd Modem.
Cairo. 1965; 2-1ld ed., 1917.
Palanque, E. "NOles de fouilles dans la necropole
d'Asslut." Bullerin de I'bw'lr<t fr..nf.. i~ d'Archio.{c>-
lIie ariemale ] (190]):119-28.
TImm, S. Dos chri~lIich·kaprjsche Atypt,n in OrO·
bi'cher Zeit, 2 vok Wie.baden. 1914.
R£Ne.GWIIGES COCIUIN
MAURICE MAUIN, SJ.
DA YR NAHYA 843
DAYR NAHYA {(jiul, r<oonaslery lhal enjo}"Cd an
ltilrM>rdinary ~nown e,...n aMOng the Muslims. II
was sn-ed nelOt the vilJ.age of the oarne name
(Nahy;l). to Ihe nonhwal of G~ at !he 100. of 1M
Jabal Abu Riiwbh.
Accordin& 10 n .. Clo..rdr~ alUi Mand.<lmu af
Eo"I. it _ founded b)' a merchant ,,1'1... <:arne
fTOno the weM befon, p ~
In the saenih cenlury !lOme monb from Seet;s.
fl~ fTOm the penewdOf> of the Melchite pa-
uiarch Cyrus (631-644). lOOk ~Iu&e at Nah};l
(I'.vd}.... Whi1e, 1932. pp. 255-56; Cauwellbtrgh,
1914, p. lJ2) and in Ihe lenlh <:<:mury on<: could
still ...., lhe cdls In .......Id. Ihey lived (p. 185, n. 3).
The KlSTORY 01' THE 'A""A~ under the Patriarch
KlU'IL (7"'-767). menlion' the monaslery as Ihe
resideoce of Mooes. bishop ol Waslm. ibe Caliph
al-Mu'iu (972-975) Is lald.o have camped ....ith hi$
lroops before The walll of lhe manaslery. The mono
astery is des<:ril>ed by .1·Shlb,w,tl (end of Ihe tenlh
01" hegionin. of the elevenlh cenlury; 1939, pp. 17
and 26). The Caliph al·t.!akim (996-1021) set fire to
lhe monastery and afterward reconSlrucled it.
The imam al·...mlr bl·~k;lm ... I1;1h (1101-1130)
vi:o;iTed the monastery and lave 1000 dirham.. 10 the
monks; he al.., la.'e .boullhiny fedd"'" (acres) for
cul1i""'tion, which remained the propoeny of the
monk.s "nlil the anival of Ihe Ghun and lhe Kurds.
Another biograp/ler (1100-1130) in the IIwCJT'j 0/
Ihe P"triarclu had as informants John, abbol of the
_ r y of Nah)lo, .. _II all I>is brother.
In 030 1M patriarch 1lEl'iJAMl); U. rerumi~ from
the mol135tery ol Saint Macal'iuJ, ",hen M had
fIMIe for me con..,cndon ol the CHRISM. W)pped on
the ....y al the ~...,. ol Nahy;li (Evel}....White,
1932, p. J~).
Th~ hislorian aJ..MAQ«.W (d. 1441) <:ontentM hilll-
KIf wilb ct>p7ina a1Shibushtl, and laconically
added thai !he lIlOnJIUeJy was desuvyt'd in 054-
055 al the _ time .. Ih;ol of OIm cm.n:hes in
Cairo.
11Ii5 monaslery must h;o,... been , ry neh and
~ a !load lib<ary. Biblical usc,.;"'" from
lI>is library /lA'; today pr_n~ in Ih~ Fr~r Collec·
lion ......a.shingtan (Sanden, 1909. pp. 00-41),
The S;le was e~ca''llted al Ihe beginning of the
Iwemieth cenTury by Ihe lnsiliut fr:a~ah d'An:h,L
oIogie orienlale (Palanque, 1902, pp. 16)-70; see
also Crnm. Ill'Xl-I9l)9, p. 15: Dare5sy, 1917. PP,
274-76). "'ccordina 10 some aUlhol"5, Ihe name
"monastery <>f the vine'dresser" (Day< aJ·Kaml.m) is
anolher name for Ihe monaslery of Nahy~ (Da,..,.sy.
1917, pp, 203-204).
844 DA YR AL·NAKHLAH
B1BUOGRAPHY
Dou"'"en~"". P. ..an. EluJ~ SUI' lu "'Oi.. u
d'EDpu. Paris, 1914.
enlln, W. E. ClrrislWl ECfPI /AI'dt«oIotiell' R,,·
pon 1890-1909). Lot>don, 1908-1909,
~ . G. "1ndi<:altur lopographique OIl 'Uvre des
,~ EMouia el: du myane prkioeu...... /J.. lIeIi"
d" rllUlinll fr~w d'bcW~ one..l"Ie U
(1917):l1S-230.
_ _ -t.e ~nl de Naltyeh." AIIII"'u d.. s."".
ic" tlu Anliq..ila de r£cpu 17 (1917):274-76.
Ew:lyn-White, H. G. 111" .\Im1.....erieJ of the W4Ji'"
HII/l'UII. pI. 2, 711" Hi>'ory 0/ ,Ire MoIIUIDWs of
Him.. fllll1 0/ $celd. New Yorl, 19l1.
Palanque. C. NRappon wr le!II fouille!ll d·"I·o.ir.
1902:' &Ihli>t de rlrull/UI frO"ffliJ d'Arc"loIotiie
orUlllflfe 2 (1901):163-70.
SoInders, H. A. "Age and Ancient Hom" of Ih" Bibli-
cal Manuscripts in I~ Fr~r Collection:' Ameri-
ell" Jo"rnal of Arc"~(Jlogy 13 (1909): 130-4 l.
Shlbushl1, al·. "Some E£ypIian M<:ln!.$terie$," ed, A.
Miya. B"/I"i,, de la S<>cibJ d'b.,ch~olo,,·e cople 3
(1939):1-28.
R£Nt.GEORCES COOOIN
MAUlltCl MAn,N. Sol.
DAYR AL-NAKHLAH. See o.yr al·BarshUl,
DAYR AL-NAMOS (Annanl). (11Ii> i> II """'P""
IInkle. mcU.dilll hi5I<PJ _d ..,dmUI"'''')
History
Abcoo.lI 6 miles (9 bII) northwal of Annanlin lite
"ony de$oen• .,..., co.-,upon a l:airiy .... ide lield of
ruilll dnip>ated 21$ DaY': ,.]·NimIls by the people or
111e region. n.e lenn dllyr mates 001'" think of an
establiJhmem of monks. but on lhe ""'I
see only "Ibe remains of """,,,raJ Knees of b~e
one can
buildinp, some 01 which had more than on", SIOI)'"
(Doce"",. 1949. p. 343). From the neishborin. c",m-
elery COme numerous Coplic funerary s!",b",. which
in Ihe museums are marked as decrivl~1 from Ar-
mant (according 10 Da",""y, 1914, p. 270),
Th", andenl name of the .ite il nOI known. One
may deduce from the Coptic stelac, which I",stify 10
ancl"'n1 Coptic art. lhal Ihe iit", was founded in Ih.
Byzanlinc era.
The all... oIlbec Ducri",io~ d" rEpple names it
Kharib a1-NAmIis (Jorrwd. 1311, rotS). The ecnCl
~qtapMcai si<tlillion "'as given by R Monel and O.
H. Myeno (19l? Vol, L pl. 1). 0. Meinarduo de-
scnbed lbec $ito! bridly (1917, p. 433).
SISUOC trr
~ , G. ·ll.eDSdsnemnts b provenance ""'"
..~ <:op(es ch.i MlOIft du Cair-e." A1UWIk.< d"
Se;vU;" de. tuttiqIliliJ de tEDPI" 13 (1914):2i06_
n
DeJt:ripliol< de /'EcYPle. 'aris, 1821 - I829_
Don:sse, J. HMonasctra copIeS aid en~irons d'Ar-
mant en Thtb.iOd","·· A"olecltt Bollttndittntt 61
(1949);)17_49.
MeinanlllS, o. C".ul;';'n Egypt. Ancienl "nti Modern,
1nd ed. Cairo. 19n.
Mond, R" and O. l-I. Myecn. Cem"uri.. of A.rmttnt, 2
,,01•. Egypl Exploralion Soci<.ly Memoirs 42. !.on·
don. 1937.
RENt-GEORGES COQUlN
MAURICE MARTIN, S,j,
Architecture
Dayr al·Nim1ls is a complu of ",ins sitWlled on
the edlf' 01 Ihe decKn nor1hwecsl of Annant. abo
c.lk-d simply o.yr Nlml1s by lite local population.
A conoidenble number of Coptic _be (lhressy,
1914) came h-om the ricinily of this me and ....,
now p~rved in the Coptic Musann io Cairn. A
numbu 01 te'le.raJly OOHOOm buiKfinp that ....,
Wcl out do... !OI"'ther al rl&hl andes can be idem;.
fied. "Tbey ha\"e a famy reJUIar ~ I of "";11'
dows aftd niches on boob sides. In the northa.s1, a
lacan- buildin.g srandi thai colUim of "",-era! <OOnloS
of this SO<1. Onec can hardly fail 10 recogniu theM:
5UUC<tlres .. lirinl quaners for the moab of a
UOClbiIe monlOlla)". A h OUlcrops of a wall.iIuaI·
ed on !be outWrtII also indical" that Ill", :ana was
orisinally wal1ecd in, HowlOYer, no rmtains of a
buildi", lhal .....y be .-epnled 21$ II church han
been recOllnittd.
BIBUOGIUoI'HY
o.,usy, G, "Rcnsrignemecnu Illr la provenance des
steles coptes du M~t du Cai...,." A~"b.lr, du
Service deJ ""'iq..
ili. de /'£DPle 13 (1914):266-
"
Doresst. J, "MQn!.$teres coptes aux environs d'Ar-
man! ~n Tbibal'd",:' A.II"lr(l" Bol/tt"diQnb. 67
(1949):344_45.

DA YR AL-NAQLUN or 14)T aJ·MaW; Ghubriytl.
(TIIis,,,try co.uisu of 1_ JUlm-w hUIOf)' ""d
11M <lrcJ,itectwn of lh>yr <l1-N<lqUm, ...hich is Jit.."ud
in Ihe F..,.,.,,__]
Hlstory
By tM l!Iiddl~ 01
1M third century. ChriNianiry
..-as well estabI~ in the oasis 01 doe fa)Y\im.
WSUIUS menlioned BisMp Nepos 01 the fan"lm,
..ho in the fine half of the third cenlu? .... known
lor his mill~nnial in,~ of the SCrip.u......
During lhe Diodelian poe.-:ution. Theophllus. h·
uida, &rtholomew and his wife, and Abbi U ....
101~"oer with five hundred 10 ~ighl hundred Chri$-
tians, ""ff~red manyrdom in !h~ Fa)')'ilrn. Saini ~N·
"J'OflY Is reported to haw visiled the region. ,",'here
h~ made many monb. "confirming Ih~m In the
Law of God." By the fourth cemury, monutlcism
waI IS mueh developed in Ihe Flyyilm as in the
Nile Valley. The foundation of Ihe LAUAA of al.Naq:
lan, southeast of Ihe Fayyiim. is related to Ihe Cop.
tic legend of Anr, Ihe ilIegitimale son of the queen's
daughter and Abrtshil Ihe ml.lllcian. Throup,QUt
thilllo')' doe anrel GABRIEl. appean U lhe IU""dian
of AnI, who waJ led 10 the Mountain of al'NaqIQn,
when"," buill a Church of Saini Gabriel, lallr, Allr
_ ordained prW£! and cOI>S«nled bishop. from
lhe lOunh 10 the si1th centuries, the Monl6tery of
Saim Gabriel (Day.- a)·Malik Ghubrlyil) of aJ·Naq·
Illn was the leadinl monaslic unler in the Fayy1lm.
With the emeryet>CC of the Monasle:ry of aJ.QaIa.
mQn under Saini s.ulllEl.. the al-Naqhlo monaslel)'
_ "..dually pushed inlo the background. an<! by
die ~th cenlu')' al-QabmUn ourpassed aI·/'Qq·
Illn In~. In the middle of the ten!h centu·
ry only one monlt inhabited the Mon.ao.tery of SainI
Gabriel.
A mtalssan<:e occuned ~~~ twelfth cemul)', for
AlO $AU'" mE ...-011..... d to tWO chun:h~,
u- of Saint Michael and s;.;nl c.briel. Mcordio,
to medieval tndition. me Old Te5tamtm paltia~h
JllCOO enj.oyed the $hade here. and by the t"",llih
cemury the .elia of A~ Kiw w<:re venerated al
lhis mon"",,')'. The fifteenth centu,), $lOW Ihe de·
cline of the Monaslery of a1-Naq:liin.
When J. M, ~.lNSI.E8 vi.ited lhe Fa)')'ilm In 1672,
he found Ihe Monaslery of al·Naqhln almo'l com·
pletely ruined, though Ihe Church of Saint Cabriel
was 81i11 adorned with wall paintinp depicling
seenn from the Holy Scriplures, The church was
n:bullt at the beginnin. of the Iw<:mlcth century by
DAYR AL-NAQLON: Architecture 845
Bishop Abraam, Ihe firsl bishop of the Fa}')'iim 000·
..... Ever since, the chun:h has served as a place lor
occasional services. For the annual m"..,fid (faIi·
.....) of Saini Gabriel pilp-irns from the FaYJllm and
!he ~on around Bani Sud pthe. in Iar&e nurn-
be", in and around the m.onastery.
Noteworth)' are the n~1'OU!Ii Corimhian capiuLs
.-.:I in the conslrwtion of !he <;hun:b. Tk kons
ha,1' bent a>cribed 10 the dJhleenth and ni,,1'-
teenth centuries. ~ II also a _lIl"wcrved JI'-
..-Inn proJlrpriJ"rirM (a hJrciolnophical-ropolog>.
cal painli"l of the Hoi)' Cily). SouIhrasI of the
Mona>Iery of aJ-N.... h:in. on the dClpft 01 the Naq-
lun mounlain nnge, are nun>UOUl 0111'- and """0-
mom ar.-.:s, which alone lime were inhabited b)'
hermil$ and btlon,ed to the laura of al-Naqilln. The
laura of al·Naqhln is menlloned I" the stor)' of Aur.
"'This mounuoin .hall prosper, and .hall become as
crowded .... a doVCf;Ote by rel.SO<\ of the immense
multiludes of people who shall come 10 visil it from
all cQUntrif;$ of th' earlh. and lheir prayers shall
moun! up to God."
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abbott, N. Th. Mlm"slu,e5 of Ihe F"yyUM, w- 22-
66. ChkaiO. 1937.
Amtlin....u, E. Us Aclel de< .....11)'<. de reglue
Cop/e, pp. 69-71. ParIs. 1890.
Budge. E. A. W. The BooI< of the S"'n" of Ihe Elhi-
opum Chwnll, Vol. I, p. 26.). Cambridge, 1923.
-c;:-;c Em rU'" T.des .,,<1
Rortr,o""es, pp. 11. 19,
147 63. ~odon, 1931.
Jobann ~ Duke of Suorty. He_ S"ei{-~
dun" d~ Kirchen .."d K/rnlu JDpIeJU, p. 19.
Berlin. 1930.
Meioardus. O. '11Ie Lau.. of Naqloln:' B..Jluin de
~ Socii-Ii de pClp"flp1rN d'4YPfe 4(1 (19(7):t73-
".
Archlleelure
Of !he old monas'ery buildings of al·N"'I1iin, onl)'
parts of the walls and the church tada)' ,..,main
standin&:. The hermiIJ' cell, in Ihe rock caves of !he
ourrounding Naqlnn mountain, are abanOOned.
The..., is now a necropolis in the area of Ihe mono
astery. The church itself has been much altered,
but is Jtm in use, and now serv.... in particular
for pilgrim, altending the ann"al festival of Saint
GabrieL
The church', archite<;tunl form suggests that il
846 DAYR AL·NAQLON: Architecture

dates from the seventh or eighlh century, It is built

of burnt brick and arranged on the plan of a basili·
ca with three aisles. The ground plan. however. has
come out rather askew. The apse and the outer
walls on the north and south are certainly original.
At the north end of the original narthe~, there was
a stairway to the gallery and the rooms above Ihe
!-ancwat)'. The columns-all of them spolia (plun·
dered from earlier monuments) with limestone Coo
rinthian capitals-probably no longer stand in their
original places. The western row of columns is
....'aned up by a later part or wall. Also uncertain is
the original form of the side rooms to the apse.
Various factors suggest that the"" was once a broad
forechoir in front of the apse. The side chambers of
the apse W<luld then have had the form of a gamma.
A long hall divided by several tranS"erse arches
was built against the northern side of the <:Itureh,
probabl~' in the fatimid perio<!, and in more recent
times the sanctuary was provided with a khums
(room between the naos and the sanctuary). The
::-... de:::::·::::::··.. 1 ground plan looks like a refectory. Later its eastern
~y was linked with the interior of the church and
Plan of the monaste!)' a""a, Da}T al·Naqlun. Co~rUSy ""built into a baptistery, However, it is also possible
PeurGTos<m~nn,
thai here is the second church of Ihe monastery
mentioned by Abu ~1iJ:l (I'd. Evetts, pp, 205-206)
and Vansleb (pp. 275-276).
During excavatiolls in the 1980. in the area of Ihe
monastery that were carried om by a mission of Ihe
Polish Archaeological Cenler in Cairo, some ncw
buildings were unearthed. One is described as a
towerlike slructure with very thick walls alld with
an apse originally projecting on the eastern side.
Late, ill this same building a small basilica·shaped
----:'1:mJ church was installed. with three aisles and an easl·
ern khums in front of the apse.
a a The dearing of some of the ca.'e" in the moun·
I tain. produced a number of typical hermitages,
Th~y conlain several iITegularly shaped chambers
"
" ,a
0" with cooking places and Slo"" rooms in the en·
a trance hall.

BIBUOGIl:APHY

Abbott. N, The Monasluios o/Ihe F~yyil.m. pp, 46ff.

Chicago, 1937.
Adli, S. "Seve",l Churches ;n Uppe, Egypt." MilUi.
lungen des D.utscho" ArcM;ologisch.n [""iluts,
j
,........ -
r
.,
Abl<ilung K~iro 36 (t980):2f.. fig. 1.
Grossmann, P. Miflel~lIcrlich< L~ngha",kuppclkjr.
chen und wrwandte Typen in ObcTiitypten, p,
..... - -- - - - ~
121. fig. 49. Gtiickstadt, 1982.
Plan of lhe church at Dayr al-Naqlun. COUTlesy Peler vansleb. J. M. Nouvelle Re/etkm m forme de iour.
Grossm~n". nel d'un voyage f~i' en Egypt•• n 1672 .1 1673.
 DAYR AL-NA~ARA 847

Paris, 1677. Translated as The Prese"t Slate of

Egjpl. London, 1678,

DAYR AL-NA~ARA (Antinoopolis), [This e"try

consists of two brief parts-the locatio" nnd co"di·
tion of the dayr as reponed by thos< wha aClUally
saw th€ plQce, n"d a few facts about the architec-
lUre.]

History

This compl~ of ruins is on a rocky spur almos, 4

mil.,.. (abou' 7 km) nonheas' of ,he ruins of ANTINQ-
OP(lU$, in the angle of the amphitheater formed by
the Arnbian chain wbere it rises pelJ>C'ndicularly
above the Nile. The IOwn of Antino;; occupies ap-
proximately 'he Center. h was seen by M. lomard
(Ducription d'Eppte, 1822-1828, Vol. 4, pI. 541),
who ga"e a good description at a time .....hen It was
in a bener state Ihan i, is today.
G. Wilkinwn (1843, Vol. 2, pp. 6O-61) also saw
ii, although he named it Dayr al-D1k and noted on
,he lower level a eave wilh an engraved cross. This Plan of the ruinsofDayr al-N~nI ncar Antinoopolis.
is no doubl Ihe same one published with greater
care by S. Donadoni (1950, Vol. 2, pp. 481-82). It
appears lhat the exca"ations by Alben GAVEl were
carried oul at Ihe ne<oropolis of Dayr al-N~r;l, and
not, as he wrote, at the 'ite of Day. al·Dik (ef. sides by rooms, single and in series. Wha' remains
Martin, 1971. p. 9, n. I). of an entt;lnce may be dis<:enlw in the northe,,"t
COnler. The badly ruined Iil1le church, which, to
BlBLlQGR4PHY judge by the capilal. ",rew~ abouI, was designed as
a basilica, is on the east side of Ihe courtyard. All
Cledat, J. "Note. arcMol08iques el philologiques:' 'hal is left visible are bits of the apse, ,he forechoir,
Bulletin de l'fmlitut oriental 2 (1902):42-70.
and a few side room•. More aecvmmodalion for
Donadoni, S. Epigra(W. minv'e di Antinae: Studi ;n
~mOre di .t. Calderi"; e R. Parikni. Milan, 1950.
monks is found in Ihe neighboring caves.
Jomard, M. Descriptio" d'Egypte, Vol. 4, Paris, 1822
-1828, . BIBLIOGRAPHY
Martin. M. l.a lA"re de Ddltal.Dik il Ami"",. Bibli· Manin, M. l.a lAu,e de DJ.r al Dik il A"ti""". Biblio·
oth~ue d'''tud.,.. coptes ~. Cairo, 1971.
theque d'etudes copte. 8. Cairo, 1971.
Mi'"a'il Bahr. Ta'rikh al Qiddls a/-A"b(l Y"ha""is
al4)aftrw~.Ma"liqal.t"~i"~,Alexandria, 1957, PEreR GROSSMANN
Wilkinson, G. Modem Egypt o"d Thebes, Vols. 1-2.
London, 1843.
RENt·GEORGES COQUIN
MAUR'CE MARTIN, S.J.
DAYR AL_NAsARA (Armant), modem name for
a rock cave situated deep in Ihe de.ert north of
Amlani, adapted by early Christian monks for living
Architecture quarters, Today one can see no more ,han a large
,;quare ,owe~ rising from the ruins of buildings.
The layout of the courtya.d is adapled to Ihe They are in the .tony area al the fOOl of lbe moun·
contours of the terrain and is surrounded on all tain, One cannot say if i' i. the ruins of a real
848 DAYR AL-NA.$ARA
"""""'tery, a eenobium, or :a rcsl hou.e lor the
hermitage:'! th:ac were numa'OUS in the mountains
beh.~ thnn and the eu!tiYO.1od lands.. Tbi, ~
lery "'"""Ol be idemiMd wM any sile alleslod by
lite loIS. G. Do.reMy (1914, pp. 2.606-271) believed.
without offerinc any proof, that il w;u DIo)T Anbl
Darym, cl which the Sahidic rttn".ion of Ihee <:op-
lie $YNAX.UION speaks at 2 Tubal>. J. DoresK hu
briefly dcscribod i. (1949, p. 345).
818t.lOGKAPHV
Dare.sy. G. "Rensei/lnemem. sur la pro~enance des
.tel", copte. du Mu.~e du Caire." AHH~le, d"
Service d., oM/iquiti' de /"Egypu 13 (1914):266-
"
~,J. "Monasleret coptes auK environs d'Ann·
anI en ThCba"ide." Ana/ttl" BolI""di""" 67
(I949):J27-49.
Meinard.... O. Chrisli"" £CPI, AOIC'ienI"rnI Modem.
Cairo. 1965; 2nd <:cd•• 1977.
Mond, il.. and O. H. Myen.. Cemeuriu 01 A""oml. 2
v<Jl$. Eel'!' Ellpl.oradon Soctely Memoirs 42, Loa·
don, 19l7.
Tunm, S. Du chrisllu;lt~pIisdu.,q""e.. i.. """hi-
:Kiter Zeil, Vol. 2, pp. 767-68. WleSbaden. 19804.
RF..'f&GBlItGe5 COO\JIN
MAuUCE MARTIN, SJ.
DAYR AL.NA$ARA (AsyUl). monastery soUlh·
east of A.yO!. It should not be confu.ed witll the
monaste!)' of the same name to the nonhWelt of
Annant. It is a w.lled ecclesiaslical eomple~ 0I'l the
edge of Ihe de$elt. The unprelentious small chuKh
ill l'CSlorcd and contaiM a number cl utensions on
bolh sides. In its oldnl part, il ill related 10 the
Akhmimic churches of the sttltCAth and _no
.centh cenluries and may abo p t.ok 10 lhe same
period. It cont.ains 'locentra.l "IlH and. sepante
from it, ""'" rccunJUIU sido: a1W'L T1M: wallod I(D
-.-ASIS is modem. HOWC1o~, thoe U.iintJ (room
bctwftn ...... and sa.nc:ruary) is ,,",ina!. II is eon·
nectnl to .he by am by. centr.ll ~in door ...d •
$Itt4ller side door on thoe SOtlth side, and 100 .slill
folio- Ihe <::arly med~al plan. The acl,,",1 lay area
has the depth of a slngle bay.
DAYR AL.NASTOR, According to A\lll $.UJ1:l THIt
AJUlENIA.~ (IM5, !'P, 1J4-36) in the Ihine<!nlh Cen·
tW'}'. Ihi. monastery "'"U to the SOI.lth of Old Cairo,
on lhe edce of Lake al·ttabaoh It was • mor1l1Slery
cl the NC510rian I'lle. dedicaled to Sl.inl ~. In
1102-1130, un6et" thoe caliphate of .l·Amlr, ~)ih
Aho:l al-Fa4A'U. a Nes.orian, rcslored dIU ~et').
• his own upm5e. Bul lhe caliph, di:ipleased at
this restoDtion undcru.ken "'ilhout his pennissi"",
had a mosque b\oilt ...ithin the monas~ .....unds..
Accrmtinc 10 lhe same historian. lhe n>on;>Slety
passed inlO the hands of Copts under Ihe twdfth·
century p...iareh MAU: III ibn lar'ah, who conse·
craled the church to Saint PhilOlheus of Ant;och in
1183, The cOSIS of the re.toratinn were a!-Sumed by
Shaykh AbO al·Mln~r ibn Bolus and hl~ son. At Ihe
lime of ,,\:Hl *"i~, the monaslery waJ, prosperous
and visited by lite pilgrim. from Upper £a:ypt.
Sewe,.,,] Copck patriarel" and bishops of Mi¥
were buried in the adjoining ~etery: Zec.lwiah,
ATHANMlI'S Ill, ./OH .. VII. TIiEOOOI!SIUS II, and JOtDl IX.
Two rnanuscripls derive from this monastery. The
Iirst (National I...il:>nry, Paris, Arabe, 167; Troupcau,
1972, Vol. I, p. 141) ..... completed at lhe Monas-
lery of Saint P1tilOlheus in 1217 and ootlated ",ith
the aid cl Anbt Di",Ul the future palriarch CYJJL 111
n.e
lR.o,; lAQlAO. IoKORd (National Library. Paris.......
abe, 181; Troupnu. 1972, p. 156) .... wid in 1315
10 "", pri.". of lhe Chureh of Saini Philotheu........bo
sold il again 10 Ihe superior of Ihe Mon;>Slery of
Saim V;ClO•.
The future patrian:h Cyril ibn Laqlaq resided in
this monastery befo..., becoming palriareh, Al·W!·
QRlZI did nol .peak of it, nor any author after him;
however. a m.nu-'Cripl was copied for Dayr al·Na·
'lur. known under lhe name of Dayr PhilOtho.wus.
in Ins (SimaylWt. 1942. Vol. 2. pt. l, no. 652).
J. B. Fi~ (1972-197l, pp. lJS-36) lhought that
then: was a se«lnd Dayr al-N:as!\ir fanher .0 Ihe
south, near Adawiyph. bul he asoumed 1....1 the fir.>t
....... to lhe nonh of Wee .aI-I:bI>ash. whkh ..... DO'
the ax, 8& Is shown by the map ~ishflI by
Casanova (1901).
BlIIUOG1lAI'HV
CalleD. C. "La 'Chronioque des Ayyoubldes' d'a!·
Makin b. .1·'Amld." Bulle/in i'tll.del orKl1l~I",$ 15
(1955- 1957); 109- I 804.
Casano,,,, P. "Les Noms copt... du Caire e. loc:alith
voisine.... Bwlt.,li" de n",litul /TtJ."f'"is d·ArcM·
oIotie on'el1/~te I (1901):139-224.
Fie)". J, B, "CopIes et SyriaquQ, cOntact. et
khan/les." Coltecl~"ea 150972-1973):297-365.
Troupeau, G. CD/tJ.logue de mtJ."u$crits ortJ.oes. Vol,
l. Pam. 1972,
RENt-GEolGe5 COOUIN
MAuUCE MuTIN, SJ.

DAYR NUJTUHUR. See Monasteri« in lhe
Province of QalyubiJyall.
DAYR ONOPHRIOS. See MonMtnies of lhe
Middle ~~od.
DAYR PAMPANE. See Mon.weries of lhe Mid·
dIe ~'Id.
DAYR PAPNUTE, S•• Monasler'ie. of lhe Upper
~1d.
DAYR PATER.\'IUTHIVS. Se. MOllll>terles of
Ihe tJppcr $;010:1.
DAYR PHILE..\tON. See Moona.leriQ of the Mid·
die ~'Id..
DAYR PISENTIUS (Lu~(H"). See Monasteries of
UPJ>er Egypt.
DAYR PISENTIUS (Naqidah). Sa Dayr al·
Mal~k Mlkhi11 (NaqAdah).
DA YR POSIDONIOS, place, which dis;oppeared
no doubt al the Anlb conqunl:. lituatt'd "In the
moun...in of Annant" and knOWft thcotlllh a ~tQ
found near lhe DA ..... Al.-e.UO!n (Petrie. 1909~pl. "1).
t _ OIltBC2 (unpublished) ITf)m QlWUT 1Il.U.1. and
some ittKriptions in !he av"otof the mounwn of
Armano.. J. Doresse has Jiven thts Pte its present
Nome (19"9. p. J.45). based on the .-emains of paint·
ina and graffili with the llU\eI of Pi'ienuLU and
POlIidonios. POlidonios "'315 wilhout doubt the
foundt:r ~ do...".. or lhe WperiOT. He apPears .0
be dilfe.-en. from lhe monk living in Pal....ine of
whom PA.U.O.DR.IS speaka in his La".~ Hi"ory. In
the QJlraca from Qurnal Mar'f it i. calle<! a lopa.,·
thi, suggests nol a true monaslery bur a gathering
place where Ihe hermllslivinl in Ihe neighborhood
melon Saturday and Sunday every week_ The man·
utery is alw meotioneo:!. in passinl. by Meinardus
(1%.5. p. 321; 1911. p. 435).
DAYR AL-QA~RlYYAH: History 849
818UOGRAPHY
00.--. J. ~Mo~ coplts lOW< environs d·A...
man!. en 1lH!baKle.. A.. alecla BoUt.>td~"" 61
R
(19"9):)27-"9.
Meinardus, O. ChrisM" Ecp'. Anri....1 a"i MoJ.m.
Cairo, 1965; 2d ed.. 19n.
Petrie, W. M. f_. and J. H. Walker. QurneJr. British
School of Archaeology in I'.g)-pt 16. lbndon.
'm
Ra.:t-COOI!.Geli COQutS
MAtlltJCE MARTIN, S.J.
DAYR QAM(JLAH AL-QIBLI. SU Oayr aI_
Malak MIUt,'il (Oamulah).
DAYR AL-OA~RIYYAH. [nis.-.Jl em,. " .
sUI. of "... p<JrfS-I~C hlJtOry' • .,d /he are},ilec' ...
'" Dtl.yr "i-Qo:~h.1
Accordinlto al-MAoQRlzl (1853, Vol.. !. pp. 501-
S02). this montitery was situated less Ihan a mile
IOUth of A!ft~ and was known as Da}T al-03¥iyyah
even though il was dedlcaled to the apostle. Peler
and Paul. whose feasl was commemorate<! on 3
Abib,
AlII!) ...... a bishopric down to the- ,.,~emeentll
century (Val1$leb. 1611, pp. 26-n). • he presenl
ehurcll of the ~illa&e Is dedicatt'd 10 !he aposl]...
(Clark"" 1912. P. 205, no. 15); it is of ancient rwsed
maleria\s.. and the I_I is ""''Y much boelow JIOtU1d.
Around it is a Otrislian hamlet. which has Iaken the
place of the ~el)" and its ~meIe'Y.
AD. official dcx1.Imenl 01. the seventeenth eentury
_nlions DalT al-A~-.h (Slane. 1183-189.5. no.
319)_
IIl8UOCRArHY
ClIrke. S. C~riJti"" A"'iq,,ilie. i" Ih. Nile V,,/Icy.
lbndon. 1912.
Slane. W. MacC,,""in. Baron de. C"talog". du
"'''"...cri/5 a,,,bes <I. I" Bibliolh~'1". ""110",,1•.
Paris, 1883-1893.
Van.l"b, J. His/oi... de Nglile <I'AI"--,,,,,dri•. Paris,
1617.
R!'Nt-(;£CHtGES COOIIIN
MAl/RICE MARTIN. SJ.
SS{) DAYR AL-QASRlYYAH: Architeclure
Archltectun
~hu~h is of
A foul'<:olwnned buMn" !he small
£amil;"r ~ "ilh remarbbly ilotil sq~1l' pit-
Ian and thr~ ~uarirs. 1M middle pan il >liIlIl·
Iy flI1phasi=i in iI$ wi<kA. 1M1l' i$ no khilrru
(........ bd...~n naos and sanCluary). All ttw 0.)'1
are- I'l><Ikd with domes of the sam~ kind on
squindws. !he thme Middle donoes tM:lne fumh.bed
",ith a ring of winodooIl.'I. The date of the diurch
£011-.. from the dau on the /li/a6 (screC1l) of the
main anctwuy, A.M. 1246/... 0 1530.
BIBUOGIlAJ'lfY
Ttmm, S. 0"" rhTi$1/id".·lopmdte Aap/en in ".".
6is</U, Z~il. Vol. I, pp. 251-$6. Wlesbadcn, 1934.
PJm:R CROSSWAN1I
DAYR QIBRIYUS, monastery near Alexandria.
Th~ MISTon OF THE PATIlI.UCHS retords Ihal Iht
future p;llriard B£loIJM!IN I (622-661) look refuge, a
yelr bcfort lilt <leath of hil predtcesaor tht patn·
.~h olNDRONICus. in a monlWl:ry IiI Willed "to the
nonhtasl of lilt town," dO$t 10 • holy ok! man
n~ Theonas. The monaslel)" had not been <Ie-
slro)'ed by lilt Persians in 619, btca_ th~ army
",as defending it. UnfOnlUUll~1y lhe name of th~
monasl~1)" bas been <&toru<l by the top)isu: it is
_etimes ..mnen "ithoul diaerilieal pointS, twice
Olr{i]noiI. th.- times OibriJllI, and in the 01deol
manuscript Niqiytis (PO I, pl. I, p. 431: ed. Sey-
bold, 1912, p. 96). In tlte SVNAXOUON for S TUbah
_ read: "in a mona5lery CO the _ 01 Alaan-
dria. ~ whi<h the 1935 Cairo Mition rna.ka specilie.:
-in the monastery of Saint Oilriytls" ('ADd a1-MasI'!'
M!kha·II. 1935, p. 216). Abt1 aJ·MaUrim «mousiy
copied the lfuIary of 1M I'<Uri4mu, bul called the
monasltl)" "the mon.,tel)" of Niqi)'ls- and thus fol-
lowed a manuscript conmininc thtc samt ~nl as
thtc Hamburg manuscript edittd by C. f. Seybold. J.
Masptro (1916, pp. "'3-46) C(I"tcted the manu-
~ripu 10 read "Canopus." which ~eems plausible,
ci~n tht oritnlalion ''10 Ihe nonhnsl of lhe
lown:·
The major obje<otion 10 Ih .. ldenlification (Oibri·
yill/0irinii./NiqiyUs or CanopuJ) ,",,'aI advanced by
w. E. Crum (1924. p. 429): in Ihe c~ntury prtteding
Benja.min'••tay, tht monastery of Canopus (Ihe
",e'WiOtA) appears 10 have bttn inhabittd by Chal-
tedonian monks. for the religious polity of JUSTINI-
AN (527- S65) had driven Ihe lU'l1l-Chal~e<!oniansout
of the monasterin of lhe Pachomian congreplion.
But it is pos$ible thai thtre was 10 the nonheaM of
the tnWn only. si".le 1llOfIiIIU'tY. thai 01 the MtGI>-
oia. al Canopua.
BlBI..IOGaAPHY
Crum, W. E. Review oI'·L "Hislolre des p;urian:hes
d'"A1exan<!rle dtpuis iii mon de I'empk'tur An_
t:ase jusqu" la rkonciliaOool des egIise5 ;aco.
bilt:'!" by Jean MupetG. ~al at ~1I1
SIU<lMS B (I9H):-425-H.
Masptro, J. "Gr.c<»l"lbu·· &.Jb!1iJO d~ l'lnmtul
fm.u;ais d'A1'doftJ/orie om..ral~ 12 (1916):43-51.
Sq-bold. C. f., td. Alu/lm/ri"iscIJe P"rriJlrch....ge.
sdidle ""'" S. M.~... In. Mid,,,d I. HambuTJ.
1912_
REH£.GroRGES COOUIN
MAIIRICE MARUN, SJ.
DAYR AL·QIDDIS YUHANNIS. See Dayr al.
S<lqiyah.
DAYR QUBBAT AL·HAWA. [Tltis ~tl/ry eolt'
<isIs 01 1_ p"11$; lit. lti.,.,,'Y of OIlY'" Q"bbtu ./.
H....d.""d. ....",......."'S at
r~ dayr.)
History
This CopIX monasl"y. loday in ruins, look illl
~ &om the hill "'ilen: a sJt<rykJo i> buri..... on the
flanb of whith are the lombs 01 the p-ernors of
,\swan durin. the New Kin&dom, ill particu.br
tb>se 01 Kotti (Khui) and Kouna (lOw.mt). n-
tombs I«m 10 1Ia~ boten inhabittd by one or more
htnai" and to have been the nucltu5 from ",-hieh
developed a ~"y or htrmi.... ge. the: ruins of
which can be seen ~ the tombs. It .... som.·
lima. bu! "ithout proof, btcrl g;..tn the namt of
Saint Geori:. or of Saint Laurentiu5. C. Sicard (;Ills
it "of tht Saviour'· (Vol. 3, pp. 167, (96). as does
J. B. d'An,·illt (p. 215). Denon calk il thai of Saint
Laurenli... (Vol. 2, p. 51). R. P<>cockt cOfijeclurt:'!,
btcause he saw a fresc:o of &inl Gtorgt. that il had.
Ih. palmnaae of Ihls saint (Vol. I. p. 118). "Tht
1821- 1829 Ooscripliolt d~ I'cgyple, in th~ atlas
(1828, lot. I), alw names it Ihal of Saint Laurenlius.
There art descriptions wriuen when it was It..
ruintd than loday, Jomard. for instanct, describts
;\ in O~5C,,·pr;OIt d. I"Er:rpr< ("Description de
 DAYR QUBBAT AL-HAWA: Monuments 851

~ne:' Anliquilb. Vol. '. p_ 143). Olhen who
wrote on iI..-e F. L Nollkn (Vol.]. pp. 97-99). H.
Licht (p. 51 (encnvinllll. G. B. BdzoDI (pp. 59-60).
and V. de Bock (p. 87). E. A. Wallis Budee ....roIe on
1M eIluyadOOl$ camed out on die site (pp. 39-401-
The prese<ll ~ i5 deocribed by O. MdnazWi
(1965. p. ]28: 1977. p. 443).
BLBUOGaArHY
ADviIle, J. B. <t. Mimoius slIr rECfPle• • "d...."e el
wroduPIe. Paris. 1766_
~llWri. G. B. H.rr.tiu of 111" Opmr/iofts ."d R...
c",,' Disc~ries Wilhin Ihe ~..mids. T_ples,
Tomits lind ~"wtlions in EQpI <DId HII/t/ll. Lon·
don, 1820.
Bock, v. de. /tflllirillw: poIU tarcllkJorie c/rrirK"n"
d·£Dpl". St. Peler'Sbu'l- 1901.
Budge, Eo. A. W. "Exc.o.\'ations Made al Aswin by
Major-General Sir F. Grenfell. Durin8 the Yean
1885 and 1886." Proceedin,s of Ihe Society of
Biblic.1 ArcJ•• eology 10 (1887~1888):4-40.
~non, v. Voyage da"s la HaUfe ella 8asse EDp"
pend.,,1 les camp.p'<S d.. g~n~'al Bo".p.'It, 2
vols. a"d atlas. Paris. 1802.
Descrip/io" de l'Egyp/e, 24 ,·ols. of text and 12 yC>ls.
of plates, lndudin. atlas. Vol. I. Pancoucke edl.
tion. Paris, 1821-1829.
The church "'.,.. fiBI 6Ccommo<blM in the lomb
of Khune (KDu" ', cot\lll'UCled as a th~e pil.
Iared ball in ",hkh die roo"" necesoary for the
s:utclUa1)' we,.., l<XatM a. the eM! end. Some Inces
of ",'ll1k from tho. bulldi"l ~ 5li1l clearly visible,
as are me beginnina 01 ,...,.Jill 01. <;entnol hanti"l
dome over the altar chunber". In the «her 1OmM.
various S)'5U1IU of basins and new 8oo.-s. "''''',.., in-
trod""ed. in addition 10 nu.merous diridi,. w.alis.
The COlden • of the _t""l". like that cl
DaY'" Anbl ~ .... in the Fatimid period.. AI lhal
time a large: rnidenlial ""Hding of se:veral Slone.
was err:c1ed above the line of lombs. ",·ith a cenuaJ.
corridot- and sleeping rooms _nred on tidier
side (st.elch in Monncm de VUl.rd, pp. 1611.• iU. 2).
A fairly la~ buildina 10 tM southeast of In. rrsi-
demilll building may have been the rdectory. In
from of the entrance to lite tomb of Khune a new
church was enocled; it Is nOle",'orthy in lhat il fol·
lowl the plan of an oclason-domed 5lrvcture, such
as is found in Ihe tWO other ,uWlln monasterie.,
Dayr Anbl Hadri and Dayr al·Sh..ykhah. The
ground plan, how.-ver, ha.s been distorted to fonn a
parallelogram. Despit" the considerable mound, of
debris. the supportS for Ihe domed area, the ambu·

~;;ql" ... ~'."'h"'"

Ulhl, H. Tr.yds i" Egyp/. Hum., Holy Lt",d, MOIoIni
Lelulllo" .. nd Cyprus i" rhe Ye"r /814, Londc",.
1818. •._, lffd'r,~ ~ ....•
-"-' .,,
Mei~dus. O. Cllri.<ti"" Egypr. Ancienl ."d Modem.
Cairo. 1965: 2nd ed.. Cairo. 1977.
t , ...
. ~._-. __ ••_1Iit V
r1 ::'
: : -.
Norden. F. L V",...re d'EK)ple .. de Hub~, 3 "",Is.
lao.1eI Nllion. Paris, 1195-1798.
:, .: , / ':.,~ ~ ~

PClOXlCke, R. A Chst:riptioto of tlte ECSI "lid Sotole

Owr Co-."rries. 2 .-ols. in 3. Lortdon. 1743-174.5. "'-~ - .......
Slant. C. O"......es. 3 vols.• ed. S. Sauneron and M.
Martin. Bibli<ltheque 83-85. Caim. 1982
••
- .. __ : ............. _-. - ..
•
<:oeM"
RL,"t-Q.o1\GU ,,
MAUUCE M.un!!, S. J.

Monuments
-, •• ,.,
., '' .'
The monatleJY at Qubbal "al-Hltwa is • lI«ond
mODaillery on the wr:sI. bank at As.....". and presum·
-':>1)' • ckpendenl of DAn AN8A IiADAA. It might be
ldenl!~ed w~th • monastery of AnlOnlul mentioned
by ABO AL-MA,UIlIM (ed. EVellS, p. 277). Accordi"glO
E. Edel, Ihe site tent itself to the utablishmenl of a
monaslery, pa.rticularly because of Ihe large num·
~ ,w. %1 1
ber of tombs of the nobles of the New Kingdom.
which h.d already been adapted by the monks for Plan of the church in Ihe lomb of Khune at Dayr
use as dwellinc places in tn. early Chrl$ti.n period. Oubbat al-Hawl. COUNtS, P",er Gross",,,,,,,.
852 DAYR QURNAT MAR'I

MonneTel de Villard. U. rI ....:m"srUll dl S, Simeolle

I
pruso AS"''!n, pp. 16ff. Milan. 1927.
Morgan. J. de. Cal"I"llue des """''''''''''Is .1 i"$e,;p-
nOlls de fEgypu "ntlque. Vol. I. p. 158 (lomb of
Khui/Koui). pp. 162fF. (lomb of Khune). Vlent>a.
1894.
Timm. S. 0... chTisr/iclt-toplistl.t JlOplell ;" ",a·
bis<:htr Zril. Vol. I. p. 234. n. 53, Wiesbaden.
''''.

:','-~"-----~-~-'
,Fr!-
- -- --
DAYR QURNAT MAR'1. Su Oumal Mar'.

,'~-
,.~-
_.
_.
"" "u DAYR AL..QURQA$. The: lmt and only Illlciftli
"'. .-,
":,'='=11 authoc who poinlN out Ibis tnONSlery ..... a).WAO-
kIzJ (d_ 1.....1). in h.. lis!- of the Il'>OfWlCries (IU3.
'. u Vol. l. p. 504). He indicated lhaI dlis mOIlMlef)'
"""
,,==;: , ",as pen:hed on 11'. . mounwn behind o.o.Ya At SU'Ar
0
,•, Jim ("""'_ery a. Sa",n MounlaiM) and that one
",
" u
,,, , could reach it <:>nly br paths I>ollowed mto the f'OCk.
:"~,~in:J "" 11 is three hours' waIk both.un the site Illld Day.-
,!
"" a!-Sab'a1 JibtJ at AlOIIoIIN-lhM iI., Da,.- al·Madv.id
r" o
"..-
al the tI'Ilnmc:e of B"rr .I·"A)'II. e_ of AtIImtm. He
nolN that a "",II of fresh water _ situaled bdow

_. the monaslei)'. SUrTOUnded by ''\>oIn- 1Tft$ (a kind

Plan of !he residenlial bouildinc al 0..,.- OubbaJ al.
Hawf,. COI'rftsy P~I~r Crossm"nll.
Wory. and paru of lhe $aI>CIUXY. including lilt
U"",s. can be 1"K0i"i2Je<l Wilh eenainry. Addilion·
aI domfll and YlIulled bouildinp, ",ilich. arf' indi""Cl-
Iy eOnnecled ....ilA ~ church. can boo; ~n north-
wesl of il. The ehi.f,:h waJ conne<:IN with Ihe
.....idenlial bouildings 'on Ihe uppn- lernoce by an
ouuidt s\.IIircase CUI In 1M rock.
BIBUOCIUPHY
Edel, E. Die Fels"illn, dt, QUbbtl tl H" ...'" In; As·
s""n. Wlesbaden, 1967-1975.
_ . "Oubbat al·Hawl," Lulkon du Agypro/llgie.
Vol. S, pp. S4-68. W;esbaden, 1984.
Crossmann, p, "Eln neuer A.Cbl<IUt<enbau im Raum
VOn Aswin in Obelilmlen." In MJI"nge Ga",,,r
Mo/drlar, pp. 332-48. Bibliotbeque d·elude.
cOpIes 92. Cairo, 1985,
of ....iIlow).
In 1120. Belwnl (laW, p. 32) heard t~1l of it.
J_ A. 51. John (1334. p. 277) asked r".. inlonnalion
aboul Ibis monastery. boul could obGin 110 conli...
rnalioJ"l. 1he mO$l precil.e informalion .... siftn by
M- JUWEI<. He reported inronmtion SI.Ipplied 10
him by the inhabllan15 or Akhmlm. Mounlln, 1M
plaleau, 0'"" finds a road thai COCO 10 me IOUthnst.
Following il ro, three hours' wall. one comes 10
the remaill$ of. monutery. Da)T AKuos and Skla·
vios (OiooocOrui and Aescul.pius. 1"'0 tN.rtyn of
Akhmim. wOOse memory Is preserved at I Tubah in
the Coptic recemion or 1M Sl'lWUlI.IOIl from Upper
Egypt (Basset. PO Ill. p. SIO; FOll"'-. CSCO 49, p.
3t>2 (Iext]: 78. p. 19S [Iran•. ]). The Synaorion
ope_k. a.. pool 10 1M east a.lhe town: Julllen also
spoke or a pool near the monastery (MartIn. 1972,
pp. 116-27).
Unfortunarely. Ihere is no deSCriplion of Ihis
mon....,ery or of what may survive of iI,
BIBLIOGRAI'IIY
Belzoni, G. Na"..,;ve of Ihe Op....r;o". , .. III Egypl
"lid N"bl", London, 1820,

St. John, J. A. Eopl4l>ul MoftG.-d MJ, or T_.. ~h in
IJu VGJlty of Ih~ Nih!. 2 vols. London. 1834.
....run, M. "Notn medii... d.. pke Julli~ sur trois
m<lnuWra chmims d"Eg)l'lc: Ddr Abe; Fana; Ie
COU'~nl 'des oepc montagnts'; Deir anbi BisIda.. N
Bwlkli" <k "IotJlin,r fr~f'is d'Arcltiolope om,,"
/.Ilk 71 (I972):79~127.
DAYR AL-QU$A YR. From this "';1. ar>d as far
as Iht one called DIln. AL-JABRA..... !he Anoblan or
e»Itm _nrains btfw«P tht Nile and Red Sea
form a mllSJif called Jabal Abu Fiidah. which bo...
de", I"'" HUe ~ery closely for some 9 miln (IS km).
Thell' are lWO mm"werle$ the<-e. dtdicalcd 10 Saint
TheodoniS an<! Saint Men.... the fim .lmo5f 411 Ihe
middle of fhe m~if and Iht stCond 10 lhe soulh,
bUI OIher places also pl'"cscn'e Ou;sli"n memon.l •.
Near the 10mb of Shaykh Mabal1 is. Chrillian cern·
etery; $Orne quarries famous for 11.1' fil$l drawing
before Ihe carving of a capilal of the godden Halh.
or. where some Coptic graffiti can be seen; and
finally I Christian necropoli, around the lomb of
Shaykh Abu Misl!SI. A description of lhe s.ite Ind •
colleclio" of the inscripl>ons will be found in C.
Lqrain (1900. PI". 3-14), J. Cledal (1900, PI". 81-
81), and A. Kamal (1913. p. 165).
Dayr aJ~yr b a lute v i i . on I"'" ri&ht bank
of 1M NUe, on the latinode of a1-QUsl,yah. No
chun:h now uista the..,: only lhe name Ind lhe
prtlltnCe « a cemecery indicale an anc",nt mc:>naS'
lery. Neither ABO $olU<I THE AaMIJoiWl nor aJ~
spew of it. M.. Jomatd (1822-1826. Vol, 4. pp.
lO2-lO3) said dIa! uu. Yillage had lWO na.rnu. Da,.,.
a1.Qeisa.r Il>d o.p- Bosnh. J. VAliSlD (l6n, p. J6O;
1671. p. 211), in naminp; the churchn and _
lel'iQ of Jabal Abu FUdah, starting from Iht north,
pointed our 6nt the clwn:h~'of St. Theodore, son
of Jolin M 8ossra.... One rr».j raise (W() quc:uionll:
(I) II V.",I~ nol lhw; designMing lhe m<lnas«:ry
of Saini Theodonts? (2) U. Joman:l nol conlUsecl
Da)... al.Qupyr .nd Dayr Bosra?
Jomaro also notes. wadi wilh brick ",Ins and
lOme po.-l\enJl; and. abo,.., il. some quarrieo. and
hypole. wilh Greek inscrip':ions. The ,ile was &e1!n
by F.l. Norden (1793~119S. Vol.l. p. 49), G, WU·
kinson (184J, Vol. 2. p. 18). G. Maspcro (I192. p.
189). and G. ~grain (1900, p. 71). Excavalion, have
~ently broughl to light a Coptic cemclery (Lee·
lanl, 1968, p. 109; 1969, p. 260}.
Abo\ll 4 miles (6 km) from Dayr al'O\I1olIyr and a
DAYR AL-OU~AYR: History 853
lillie beyond I"'" vilbat 01 aJ·0Q3iyyah is the rock
ch\lrclt called MaDr a1&oyyidah a1.'A<!hnl'. It .. still
the place of the pilgri"""e and thU$ linUd 10 the
liuk .......-n of Vrnm al·Q\q(lr.
(See <100: AbIl aJ·MaUrim.1
BIBUOGIlAPHY
CW:dat. J. NNott'J arcMoJ.oslques t< pl1iIo1ocio.ucs."
B"Quirt tie j'lnJ1iJitJ /r."ff'is ti',ArcJ.h>/ofie one'"
I<lk I (1900):91-97.
J.......rd. E. F. in Descripliotl de I'EDpJe. Vol. 4.
Paris, 1121~1119.
KamiI, A. "R3ppon sur In fouillt'J de Sa'id bey
Khach;oba a\l Deir al.cebra...i." AmlGw tIu SQ.
vi<-<; ties ""IUl"ili-s de /'EDpJe U (19U): 161 -18.
Leelanl, J. "FouHln t< lravaull en E&lple ('1. . . .
Soudan." OrienlGli<I )7 {I96ll):94~1J6; 31
(1969):240-307.
ug"';n, G. "Not'" arch~loglqu", prise$ au gebal
Abu Fuda.'" 04"11<11.... au $e",ice des "miqulth de
I'EUpu I (1900):3-14.
Maspero. G. "Notes a\l joI.!r Ie jour." Procudi"p 01
Ihe Society of Biblical A",h"eal<7p' 14 (1892):170~
204. 305-327.
Norden, F. L Vay<lte d'ElYpte el de Nubie. 2 vol..
Pam. 1793-1798.
Van.Jeb, 1. NOMwlle _el<lrlrm e" tonne de joum<ll
d'"" ""Y"!" '<lit en Emu en J672 et1673. Pari,.
1677. Tnuwaled as TIre I'rcum SI<lle of Egypl.
London. 1671.
Wilkinson, G. MoJeror Eopt <lnd n.ebe~, Vol•. 1~2_
London. 1843.
DAYR AL-QU$AYR (Tttrah). [1Jti.l .nick is
_de "I' of r..'D p""ts, ~ GNIl GK1rilU-h4U. .Yon
irtfonn<l1iort Jr.s .«..... ~I.red ,,/00011 DGyr .J.Q~
IJo- """'" "'''''Y o1JItr """'lUtenu.]
HlslOry
Thi!l ruined monastery- in the Middle Ages was
called Da,.,. al·Baghl (Morwte.,. of t"'"
Mule); Da)...
.1·Yunln; Dayr al-Haraqlll (Monastery of Heradius);
and Da)T A.w.niyUs. for according to the lradition.
it was 10 a cavern In lhe reslon of Turah (I"roa) thaI
Saint A"eniU5 retired after spending forty yea'" al
SCETtS, ten al Turah "10 lhe IIOUth of Babylon and
OI'l'O'-ile Memphi,," th'""' al Canopus, Ind lhen two
more yea", al Turah (Evelyn·While. 1932). where
he died (Apophthrsm<ll<l PM"'.... PC 65. col. 197;
854 DAYR AL-QU~AYR: Architecture
fur the dates of the life of Arsenius, see hdyn·
White. 1932. p. 162).
Accordin~ to a lradition reported by Eutychius
(Sa'id ibn aI·Batnq, 1863, VoL I, p. 537; PC Ill.
coL 1028) and taken up by ABO !}I.UH TIlE ARMENIAN
(1895, p. 14S) and al.MAQRIZ] (1853. Vol. 2. p. 503).
the monastery is said to have bun built o,'er the
tomb of Arsenius b}' Areadius. whose tutor Arsenius
had been.
Eustathius. who was a monk at this monaslery
and Melchite patriarch of Alexandria in 813 -8 17,
was at that tim. superior of this monastery and
buill the church of the apoodes Peter and Paul and
a hennitage for the bishops (Abu $lilii)., 189S, pp.
146-47).
At the end of the tenth Century Or beginning of
the de"enth, al,ShabushTi (1939, pp. 10, 24) men·
tioned the d'1yr and was echoed by al-MAQRlzl (1853,
VoL 2. p. 502). The monaslery and Ihis church were
destroyed in 10lO by order of al-I;lAlUM. Some time
aherwanl they were restored.
Murqus ibn Oanbar. a Coptic dissident. took ref·
uge at the monastery and died there in 1208, Under
the patriarch CYRIL [[[ IBN LAQUQ. the Melchite
monks of a!·OUf"YT obtained from the Sultan al-
Malik al·!amil a reduclion of taxes.
In 1320 the Dominican F. Pepin (1859. p. 412)
visited the monastery. He found there some Creek
monks and, in the cells in the vicinity, some Jaco·
bite hennits. The following year, in the course of
popular riots, fourteen monks of the monaslery
were burned. and the monastery itself was aban-
doned (al·Maq,.,.i, 1853. Vol. 2. pp. 512_17). In the
time of al·Maql1zr. there was only a single guardian
in the monaste,)'.
In 1518, a Russian merchant. Basil Pooniakoll,
vi.ite<l the monastery, which was then desert"ll
(Volkoff, 1972, p. 19).
B. de Maillet (I73S, p. 320) visited the monaslery
at the beginning of ihe eighteenth century. In the
same period C_ StCOR&, (1982. Vol. 2, pp. 157-58)
called anemion to th~ ",ins of the Monastery of
Saint Arsenius on Mount Tora or Troyen.
In 1941, soldiers ofihe British army. while dear-
in~ out a cavern. discovered nearly lwo thOU$llnd
pages of papyrus belonging to eight codices, the
greater part'of which con.isted of work. of ORIGEN
and DlDYMUS TIlE BUND. These papyri must have
been hidden at the time of Origenist controversy.
Various .cholars have published on the subject
(Koenen, 1968),
Abu ~li~ (l89S. p. 147) mentioned that between
Turah and the Nile, half a day's walk from Dayr
al·Ou~yr. was another monastery. Dayr a1-Qu~yr
al'l:Iaqq~nJ, at that time already deserted.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Beauge, C. "Un Refonnateur copte au XI1e siede."
Rev.. e des Q.... ,W11$ hutoriques 106 (1927)'S-34.
Evelyn·White, H. C. The Mo"osteri.. of Ihe Wad;'"
Nalru", Pt. 2, The Hislory of Ih. Mo"a.tern. 01
Nitria and Seelis. New York, 1932.
Graf. C. Ein Relormversuell i"nerholb del kopti-
sellen Kirche im <wolften jallrhundert. Collecta·
nea Hierosolymitana 2. Paderborn. 1923.
Koenen, L., and W. Muller·Wiener. "Zu den Papyri
aus dem Arsenios·K1oster bei Tura." Zeltschrift
fur Papyrologi. und Epigraphie 2 (1968):53-63.
Maillet, B. de. Deseriptw" de I'Egypte. ed. Abbe Le
Mascrier, Pari•. 1735.
Pepin, F, Dritle Wond",mg "aeh Polastina, ed. Tob·
ler. Gotha, 1859.
Sa'id ibn a1.Bato1q. An"aln PG Ill. Palis, 1863,
Shaboshn, al·. "Some Egyptian Monasteries." ed.
A. S. Atiya. 8ulletin de 10 Sodhi d'areheologie
eopM 5 (1939):1-28.
Sicard, C. Oeuvre5, Vol. 2, ed. M. Martin. Cairo and
Pan•. 1982.
Volltoff. O. Voyageurs ..."e5 en Egypte. Cairo, 1972,
RE.'1E-CEORGES COQUIN
MAURICE MARTIN. 5.1,
Architecture
The remains of the medieval monastery are situ-
ated in a fomidden military ~one and consequently
can be ,"-"ited at present only by special authori~.
tion. A fleeting visil in 1963 (MUller--Wiener, 1%8,
p. 58) determined that the main building was a
complu approximately square in shape, which
spread out on both side. of a ridge of rock that had
been partially hollowed out and leh behind by quar·
ry workmen in ancient times. Furthermore, the two
parts were conne<:ted with each Olher by a kind of
cave passage. The dome,tic facilities appear to have
been 5ituated in the northern area. The entrance
gate "nod on this side, and presumably, here too
were the cislerns. which were replenished by carri·
er donkey. that worked in relays 10 tran~port water
from the nver t" the monasle!)'. The southern area
contained the living quarters of the monks. Further
accommodation of this kind may be recognized in a
large building, at "ne time muitistoried. situated in
the southeast Comer, Other single rooms euend
along the south wall. No remains of a ;.w5aq
(keep), which is a necessary part of all other Egyp'
 DAYR RIFAH 855

t~n monasteries. have been locate~l. on acCOUnt of

the hiv. le'-el of rubble.
The chureh is in lhe e_l!"eme ~l1heast <:Orner of
the nuin btJildill3 ....enllaned above. h has a nar·
thex·like anteroo.... and an almO$l aqo.aa", naDS. the
wall. of whieh are st"'llJIhened on all four .ides by
bull""",,, that prou"de an the inside. Si .... ilar .....11
• ....ppons are alJo Fouoo in the C~.. octagon-
domed ch.urdte5 and appear apin in !he cburch. of
IlAn ......1Il 'IADU at MwaD. Canwquently. the buikl-
inK is likt'Wise "",pplied with a larse dome con·
structed an squinches.. The", are sulfideot rcasom.
!he~. for identif)'ln& it with the Seb.. church
fou"ded before II 2S and dt:tcribed by Abol Silih: Plan of the church at Da}T a1~yT. COUrlUY Pau
'"Over 11"" miobt of the cburr;h then' is one ....., G,oSSJrnt.",.
cupola of conspiocuous size" (ed. Evetts, p. ISO).
Tbe sanctlary of ,he churclt foIJo.,.·ed oon""lItion
and consisled of three Hctions, but lID ~ d the
layout of !.he J'ODnos have suni\'ed. A crypt was a small diswu:e o..,..h of ,he chllrch thIlI c:ooId be
diso:ovend beneath the ch\ll'Clt. thai of AbI1 al-f"",,'il, rnen,io!vd by 480 $Al.lI:l !p-
Of !.he rat of the lIumero\1S churches 01 the moD- 151).
astny that at one 'Une exisl:ed. III kast lXIe with a None of the ree"l"izable chuTches are ol<Io:r lhan
Iarse apoe can be recocnized ill a quany r;a.... 10 the M>ddle Ases and, in all pmbabtlity. they lIMe
tht .... 01 the _lit'<! am of the ~_ for baek only 10 the period after !.he ootnx,iotl under
the _ pan, the rnt of tne tJtu..-c-hes oonsisl of a1-l.fllim in. 1010. Remains 01 the early Chrisdan
S'rt"e~nl-..ni<:h, ;Il(C<I,(\i"l ttl tealUal -.n:es.
the......e kind of rock-hewn chapels. finally. allen-
tk><I may be dnl""n 10 a 10mb caltSlnKtion sitUlUod was a groo.rp of anchorite dwellincs-may be 1"K<>t
nized in the art..... qWllT)' aves d1ac e:>.lend leu
than a mile 10 the SOUIh of me mo_1)' and tOO'

l'~"F"~',~"~'.~,'".'~.=""""" -=
tain remains of 5ma11 buiklin& extt'fWol\S over II

BIBUOCIlAPKY

-.leinardus, O. ChristiQ.. EDP'. AJKient " ..d Mo<km,

pp. 24$-SO. Cairo. 1%5.
Mil!Jr:T-WieneT. W. "Zur Bau&esc:hichte <In Arseni·
.',' ."..Kloster..... "im:nlt /i<T p"pyrr>lop: ....d E";'
Il'Qp1liJ< 2 {1%8):S3-6.l

,,.,.
N.. vello, A. A. Grecfu Bj~Q"I.'"", pp. .52-60, Milan.

Slim. E. L'E«fj~ byumri~e de C1Iris/;"_, Pi>- JS-

47. Paris. 19S1.
.$ Timm. S. D/ls christlich·/tOpl;sclle Atypltrl i" /I,,,'
••
biJchu Z"I, Vol. 2, pp. 719_90. Wie5baden, 19&4,
"UD. GIl.OSSlolA!'I!'I
I

DAYR RIFAH (A5yUI), village $illlated on the

edge of 'he de.er1 plateau about J mlln (S km)
from IIAn IIURUNI;,O.H. Thi. was not a monastery In
'''',~
the ordinary """se of the word bu.t lhe use of phar-
~ne",1 plan of DayT al·Ou",yT. Caurluy Pele. aonic tombs by the bennits. A church was hued up
G""$S"'Q~~. there, nuling use of ,. laFle; tomb that forms lhe
I
856 DAYR AL-ROMANIYYAH
west part of Ihe church, It is still dedicated to the
Virgin Mary.
The Church.. a~d Monas/e"" of £gypl (begin.
ning of the thirteemh century) indicates to the
south of Asyut three churches or monasteries con·
secraled to the Virgin Mary. The one situated al
Rif;,.h and Durnnkah is probably the church of Dayr
Durunkah. The other two named are those of Azilun
and Abu Halith. We do not know where they were.
One of these day,.. could be Oayr Rlfah.
The historian al'M~oR!zl (d, 1441) does nol seem
10 dIe this dayr but places more to the routh of the
monastery of S<:"erus that of Saint Theodore, the
slaler of dragnns, There is in this dayr. in addition
tn the principal churoh of the Virgin Mary, a seCon-
dary church dedicated to Saint Theodorus.
A description of the places may h<: read in M,
Jullien (1901, pp. 210- 12). A plan of Ihe whole and
a tomb plan will be found in M, Pill", (1912, PI'. 62,
72), 5, Clarke has gi,'en a plan of the chur<h of the
Virgin Mary (1912, pp. 176-77), but not of the
Church of Saint Theodorus (tomb no. 3 in Pillet's
plan).
Some lintels of the doors deriving from nlber
Christian buildings have been reused, among
others, and one of them shll mentions the name of
the neighboring monaslery of $e,,,,,,s (Griffith,
1889, pI. 17-18); Petrie (1909, Vol. I, pI. 52) has
also published a wooden lintel wilh names of a
scrih<: in Coptic, A fine Iinlel of sculptured stone
from the entrance door of the church of Ihe Virgin
Mary is reproduced in pan bl Martin (1966, pI. 10),
A Greek graffito in front of Ihe church of Saini
Theodorus is unfonunately unpublisbed.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Clarke, S. The Chri$tia~ Amiquirje, in Ihe Nile Val·
ley. London, 1912,
Griffith, F. I... The lnscripu~s of 5lfU and Di!r Rifeh.
London, ISS9. ••
lullien, M. "A travers Ie! mine. de la Haute Egypt.
a la recherche de la grolle de "abbe Jean,"
ElUdes 88 (1901):205-2l'7,
Manin, M, "Laures et ennitages du Msert
d'Egypte." Melange. de l'Universil" de 51. Joseph
42 (1966):183-,98,
Petrie, W. M, Flinders. Memphis I, London, 1909.
Pillel, M. SlrUClUre el d'cor'l1;on archllecumiq"e de
la n'crop<JIe a~l;que de Deir Rifeh, Melanges Mas-
pero I. Memoires de l'fnstitut rr..n~ais d'Arcbeol·
ogie orientale 66. Cairo, 1912,
REN~GEORGES CoQUIN
MAURICE MARTtN. 5.1.
DAYR AL_R(JMANIVYAH. On the righl bank
of the Nile, about 2 miles (3 km) north of the to....n
of lsnJi, is simated Ihe village of al-Dayr (the Monas-
tery), tbe name of whicb suggests a monaslic ori-
gin, Near this village are the min! that tbe inhabi-
tants call DAn ~L-RnM.\NIYYAH (the Greek
Monastery).
This is .... ithout doubt the one Ihat F, L Norden
(1795-98, Vol. 2, p. 138) called Deir OmaJi. In faCI.
Ramzl (1953-1%8, Vol. 2, pl. 4, p_ 154) wrote that
the ancienl name was Jazlral al·Oa)T (bland of the
Monaster)') or Dayr al-Jazlrah (Monastery of Ihe h-
land), which seems to indicate thai Ihe mon;»teI)'
was at lirsl on an i.land. The Slate 0{ the Provi~c<s
(al·Lati!. 1810), dating from A,H. 777/A.D, 1375-1376,
calls it Jazirat al·Dayr wa Umm 'Ali (Island of the
Monaster)' and of Umm 'Ali), whicb explains the
name transcribed by Norden.
These ruins we", excavated by A. H. Sayce (1905,
p. 159). Meinardus (1965, p_ 324; 1977, p. 439)
memioned them, altbough he was mistaken in his
reference, sending Ihe reader to Palanque's article,
but Ibe lauer concerns a village of Ihe same name
situated near the ancient Monastery of NablA, not
that placed to tbe noob of f.ni.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
'Abd al·La!lf, Relation de /'Egypte d, 'AM ai_Latif.
trans. and ed. Antoine [saac Silvestre de SacI,
Paris, ISW, L'Eral des provinces is m"'slated in
an appendix.
Meinardu., O. Chrisuan Egypt, Ancient and Modern.
Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed., 1977,
Norden, F. L Voyage d'Egypte el de Nubie, ed. L.
Langles. Pan., 1795-1798.
Ramzi, M, A/-QIlmus a/_Iughr"'t lil-BilM ai-
Mi~rlyy~h, 3 ,'ok. Cairo, 1953-1968.
Sayee, A. H, "Excavations at d-Deir." Annales du
Service des ~>1/;qu;tes de I'£gyple 6 (1905): 159-
167.
RE"t·CEORCP.-S COOUI/ol
MAURICE MARTIN. SJ.
DA YR AL-R(JMi. [This e~lry c",,.isIS of rwo sec-
riOMS: history and archileclure.]
History
On a rocky spur al the moulh of Ihe Valley of the
Queens, less than a mile wesl of the ancient town
of Jeme (present-day MAD!N~T HAB(I), a tomb cut
, DAYR AL-SAB'AT JIBA.L: History
into the r'<)<;k fimns the kernel of thi~ w-catled d"yr.
11 is the inhabitanlS of the region who gave it the
name Dayr al-Rumi (the Monastery of the 0<ee4).
One can only ,..,gret that nC,,"\lllions have nol taken
place al the site, for they would without doubt ha\'<:'
.-evealed its lme name. It seems Ihat this was not a
true cenobiom bul rather a center filted up near
the place of residence af a celebrated hennit wilh a
church to serve as a meeting place for hermits who
lived in the vicinity.
The oldest mention appears to be that of Bonon;
(Newbeny. 1906, p. 82. nO. 45). It was al$(l not"d
by E. S<:hiaparelli. an [talian archaeologist who
worked at DAYR Al.MADINAH (1924, VoL 1. p. 12t>. a.
I). Grossmann (1974, pp. 25-30) gave a brief de·
scription. One may, like H. E. Winlock and W. E.
erum (1926. Vol. I, pp. 7-8), dale this site 10 the
second half of th. si~th century or the beginning of
the seventh. for the buildin~ ar-e similar to those of
DAYR EPIPHANIUS or the dayr in QURNAT MAR'! and the
surface ponery is identical. According 10 Baraize.
use was made of blocks that came from DHR AI.-
BAHRI and Dayr al·Madinah (d. Winlock and Crum.
1926, Vol. I. p. 8. n. I). The .ite was brieR)' noted
by O. Meinardu. (1965, p. 313: 1977, p. (27).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grossmann, P. "Untersuchungen im Oair ar-Rumi
bei Qurna in Oberligypten." Milieilungen des
deulSc},en archliologischen InstltUis Abldlung
Kairo 30 (1974),25-30_
Meinardus. 0, ChriS/ian Egypt, Ancient and Modern.
Cairo. 1965; 2nd ed" 1977.
Newberry. P. E. "Topogn>phic;>.1 NOles on Westem
Thebe. CoI1e<:ted in 1838 by Bononi." Annales du
Suvice des antlquitb de I'Egypl« 7 (l906):78-86.
Schiaparelli. E. Rela,,;onl sui la,'Od della Mission.
archeologica iloliana Irz Egillo. Vol. I, Turin.
1924.
Winlock. H. E.. and W. -E. Crum. The Morzaslery u{
Ephlpharzius at Theb"-'l!'! vol•. New York. 1926.
RENt-GEORGES COQUIN
MAURICE MARTIIi. S,J.
Architecture
Like many other dayrs, Dayr al·Rum] relates
clearly 10 an older rock 10mb. This rock tomb also
had a projecling slruclUre built as an open·domed
tetrapy)on, which was later transformed into a
church by the monks who settled Ihere, In the
proces•• a small apse lIanked by columns was buill
i
857
into the eastem opening in the walL The residential
quaners of the monks. which are in part several
stories high, a!tach directly to the church on Ihe
south and fill a small hollow bounded on the soulh
by a huge rock fragment. Inside is a wide comdor
running east and ""CSt, from which the sleeping
chambers of Ihe monk. b...nch off on the south. It
also contains on the nonh a covered entrance cor-
ridor. the actual access 10 the church, as well as a
small refeCIOry. The ancillary buildings lie SQuth·
east of the church, The date of the monastery's
founding is nol clear, but it can scarcely predate
the seventh centu')·. Evidently the monastic com-
munity that lived he... was very small.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grossmann, P. "Untersuchungen in Vair ar-Rumi
bei Qum. in Oberi!gypten." MiIMilu~g"n des Deu-
tsch"" Ilrchliolog;sche~ /~slilW'. Ableilung Kairo
30( 1974),25-30.
Winlock. H. E.. and W. E. Crum, The Mo~as1ery of
Epiph~r>lus al Thebe" Vol. I, pp. 7ff_ Nev.' York.
1926.
PEfER GROSSM~NN
DAYR AL-RUSUL. See Monasteries of the Mid·
die $a'id.
DAYR AL·SAB'AT JIBA.L. [lr> two parts lhis
discussos Ihe history and ducriplior>, a, woll
Ollll)'
as the architecture 01 Day. ol.$ab·at JiMI.]
History
This monaste!)' is in WMI bir al-'Ayn. southweSl
of ~KHMtM, It is ",ithout doubt the one called Oayr
Abu ':'albllnah by ABO sAUl:l THE ~RMENI~N (1$95, p.
243), for this author pla~ed Ihe laller to the easl of
Akhmim near a spring that lIo\',s in the mountain
not far from a cistern, which coJTesponds ,-cry well
to the present position of Dayr al·Madwid,
AI-MAQRIZ! (d. 1441; 1853, Vol. 2, p. 504) called it
Dayr al·Sab'at JibrLI (Monaslery of Seven Moun·
tains) becanse of its situation among lofty moun·
tains. The mn, he said, give. light there only two
hours after sunTis<:, and similarly night falls t",'o
hours before sunset. Near the spring grew a willow
that, according to al-Maqlil', ga\'e its name to the
monastery (Dayr 31.~h). The wadi in which
thi, monastel)' is .ituated is called Wadi al-Mulak
858 DAYR AL-SAB'AT JIBAL: Architecture
by reuon of th" p1am. <d.m"lilbh. according 10
a1·Maqrtzl.
This rnona.I''''Y has b..en <kscri""d by l",''den::
P. Lucas (1719, Vol. 2, p. 362); R.. Pococke (17_)_
1745. Vol. I. P. 78); aDd G. .ou.sruo (1886. pp.
213-1_). who cit"<l tt... p~itding authors and d.,.
scribed ltlt' lIaI" of die monas,"')' around 1880.
Othen wen: A. Gayel (1905, pp. 26-50): M. 1ullM::n
(Manin. 1971, pp. 125-27); G. Diltuf.y (1917. P.
13); and O. N<!inardus (1965. p. 291; 1m, p. _10).
who de:Kribed it in it5 praml swe.
The Coptic: and Greek inscriplions h.a~ b«n col·
I«t~ by U. Bourianl (Il1ll8, pp. 1)1-59) and G.
ldc~ (1901, p. 66, nos. 351. 352).
Some IuIve wished to loaue here the last plac;e 01
~ile of NCSIorius bttause his name appc-ars 'en Or
.....el.,. times (d. Goycl's aMicie. which _ criti·
cil:,.d in ATch"eologk,,1 R~pon; Griffi,h, 191>4-1905,
p.81).
The descriplion of the .i.e invlles coniidel"lltion
of h nOI as a monastery in lhe proper lense bu, as I
Imall LAURA, The hennilS ....ere no doubt aUl"llcted
there by the frequenting of ,h" .prinS to whleh the
people .uaded ouperstition, slnce this Is <lesen
COUntry; and perhaps by its pro,imi,)' '0 tht road
from Akhmlm '0 the Red Se;t (ef. Na$liri Khosrau.
laBl, p. 175).
. ~
Bourillftl. U. "Not"" de YOya&e:' Re. ). "i.e Rocher
de II val~e d'Ak/tmim. R""..eil du /7lIIw ",/If'
H timcI; and is .... iIl regarded by the population as
rils a I. p/tililop Cl .. r tuelUoIofU: ifypric u 11
(ISU):I3I+S9.
o.",""y, Go "Indicauur' ~ique du Uvn: des
perles cnfoWa et du m)'51m prkiocw:. Bulkrm H
rk rJPlSlilI4 fr""fW d'ATc~ oNl1ll1le U
(1917): 175-130.
Ga)"et. A. CoUts ;Pods d'£optL I'aris, 1905.
Griffith. F. U.• cd.. hd!e~<d Report. Efypt Eo..
plomion Fund. Londo 190-'-1905.
lefdlvre. Go Reauil d". iJUct'iprioff. p«qua-
cluJrwnl1n d·£c,'P'e. Cairo. 1907.
Lucas. P. T.-c>isUme ""Y"ee d.. sie,,' , ...1 u.cos 'oil
en 1714. Rouen, 1719. .
Manin. M. "N01C5 inedileS du ,*"e 1..1I1ffl .u. lrois
mona$'~"'" chri-tiens d'Egypte' ~yr AbU Fana: k
COUvenl de 'scpl mOnl2gn",,'; dayr anbA Bidda."
Bulleli" de 1'1l1s,irwl jm,,',;ois d'A,chJologie orlel1'
lole 71 (1972):119-129.
Mas¢ro, G. "Sur Ie. fouille. et travau~ ukull!s en
Egypte. pendant l'hi.er de 1&85-16S6." Bul/elin
d. I'l>tslil.. r IOpri." (1866):196-271.
Melnardus, O. Christion EOpl, Al1denl ""d Mod.rn.
Cairo, 1965: 2nd ed.. 1977.
Nisir I. Khosnu. Sqe, N....e". ed. C. &hdU. Par·
is. 18&1.
Pococke. R.. A DeKripliQfr of lire &w <Utd Some
Other C....... ,rie•• 2 voIl. London. 170-1745.
Put-GEIIIUEi ClJQw,l
MAuIUCIE MAKn.'I. SJ.
ArchlttC:lure
'Jhis &-equcnd)' InCIltioned but rarely visited mono
asr..ry is .mtincuid>cd nOi 10 much by its acIJW
oi&O-i6canee as by ilS .1..-. m)'thicaI famc:. in part
attribul.lble to ilS ~1TI<lUneS& It is fouru:I in the
wicinil)' of • $fIIall .....,erin. pllce. ,caehnl aher a
walk of about an boIar and a half from .he enlnnc"
10 the valk)'. and oIfel'$ a modesl honicuhural liv-
ing lor ,he few people who ha~ ,heir residence
there. Consequendy. the colony of monks lhat 'e-
sided lhere could rI(ll It any time hIve been la'lle.
In f:act. beside. a rew Greek and Coplic graffiti. the
remain. of ,he monks' :accommodation. can be rec·
ognized only in an almost Inacce••ible position
against Ihe rod ....U. Tilt small building ...i'h II.
scmicircular butlre» projecting from one of the
.....U. in the bollOm oIthc valley was regarded by
Christians as I church (among: othen, Muni".,
1940. p. ISti; Meinardus. 1965, p. 29S) and by Mus-
lims as .. n\OII.que. but ;1 "" in b.c:t. a cist"m datinll:
from the carly medieval period. The waler of litis
spring _ aIRady "I~n, Yisi!On in pharaonic:
pel ins healing powers. Howc.'e', I. is ..TOng '0
Ihin1 lha< c:ara'...... used 10 tra.erse this val).,y.
since .. ~ Inmdred melen be)'OOd the spring: the
lernin is impauable.
BIJlUOGlUnfl'
Kuhlmann. K. P. MIIUri4li~l1 tooT A«:~ ..".,
G ~ hJ 1U..... u _ ildImlrn, pp. 7-9.
Mainz. 19113.
Mcinarduo. O. ChrisiUln Eo,?I. A..cie.., «"d MnJeTlt.
Cairo. \965.
Munier, J. "Les Monumems CoptC5 d'apris 1C5 "",.
pkrrations du Nn! Jullien." B.. II~ti" de U. Sociili
d'ItTclrio/orie COpl. 6 (1940):\41- I6/!.
TImm, S, Dc, chrlst/'ch-kopliKh. ~iYPlen in «'It·
trische, Zeit. Vol. 2, pp. 793-9_. Wiesba<kn, \9&4.
PrrER GROSSMANN
DAYR AL'$ALIB, [This e~lry It/toUl It sma.ll mOno
".Iery con.islS of two ""m. n . (jrJI lell. the hi5lOf)';

th~ .second the architecture, I>ut chiefly of th~
church.]
History
This small monastery is situated on the edge of
the desert in the villaGe caned l;Iajar Danfiq on the
left bank of the Nile. The site is ancient, for it is
named in the Arabic Ufe of Pi..,ntiu, (O'Leary,
P022) and in that of Saint Andrew. ~uperior of Dayr
al.$allb (Winlock and Crum. 1926. Vol. L pp. 114-
15).
It was not until 166S that il was ciled by Europe'
an travelers, the Capuchin fathers Protais and
Fran~oi, (Sauneron. 1974. p. 93). They were to b.e
copied by J_ VA,,"~£8 (1677. p. 411: 1678, p. 246). At
the beginning of the eighteenth century C. SICARD
(1982, Vol, 2, p. 227) knew thi' monastery. S.
CLlItXE (1912, pp, 126-30) described its church and
drew up a plan of it. U, Monneret de Villard (1926,
Vol. 2, p. 62. fig. 97) corrected this plan.
Unfortunately this ancient building fen into ruin
and was demolished in 1917 (Clarke, 1919, p, 527).
It was to be replaced by a modem structure. The
present state of the site was described by O. Mein-
ardus (1965, pp. 311-12; 1977, p. 425),
This monastery i, also sometime~ called that of
Shenute ('Abd aI·Mas;!) $alib. 1924, p. 176). It i'
perhaps the one noticed by ABO iiJ,u1:t THE ARMENIAN
o D
Plan of Dayr al-$aJib.
DAYR AL-~AUB; History 859
(1895. p. 280) at the beginning of the thineenth
century, It rather seems that it took the name of a
neighboring monastery. since fanen to ruin (Win.
lock and Crum, 1926. VoL L p. 112, n. 12).
BIBUOGRAPHY
'Abd al·Masl!) $allb al·Masu'di al·Barnmusl. Ki/ilb
TuiJIat at Sii'i!h, fi Dhlkr Adyirat R"hl><!" al·
MI~ri)yi". Cairo. 1924.
Clarke. S. eh"'t"'" A"l1qul/iu In the Nile Valle)'.
Oxford. 1912.
Comit'; de conservation de tart aTah. Proch-
Verbaux des seances 32. Cairo, 1919.
Meinardus, O. Christian Egypl. Ancien' and Mod~",.
Cairo, 1965: 2nd ed., 1977.
MC>Aneret de Villard. U. us CouveMrs pT" de So-
hiig, Vol. 2. Milan. 1926,
O'[~ary, De L, ed. The Arabic Ufe 01 St, Pls'ntlus.
PO 22, pt, 3. Paris. 1930.
Sauneron, S. Villes er Ugendes d'Egyple Cairo,
1974,
Sicard. C. Oeuvr~s. Vol. 2, ed. M. Martin. Biblio'
{h~ue d'elUde 84. Cairo. 1982.
Vansleb, J. M. Nouvelle rdatlon "n form, de ;ouma/
d'un vOJage fail en Egyple en 1672 et1673, Paris,
1677. Translated as Th. PT~se,,1 Slale of EgJpr,
London, 1678.
Winlock. H. a, and W. a Crurn. The MOtlastery of
Epiphanlus at Thebes. Vol. l. N."" York, 1926.
RENt·GEORGES COQUiN
MAURlCE MARTIN, 5.1.
860 DAYR AL·SALIB: Architecture
Architecture
Dayr al·¥olib (Monastery of the Holy Cross) i. an
unimportant and today uninhabited monastery.
Down tQ the .second decade of the twentieth centu-
ry it contain.d an old church arranged as a three·
ai,le ",,"i1ica (Clarke, 1912, pp. 126ft). Still stand-
ing were the sanctuary, the remain. of the khuru.
(room between naos and ",nctuary), .everal pillar>
(taken from phar;>onic buildings), and the outer
wall. on the long sides. In the twelfth or thirteenth
century-probably after the I""", of the original
wooden roof-it was convened to a vaulted .truc·
ture. Further, in the course "f ,everal building op-
e"llions the separati"n between the khurus and th.
naos became more and mOre strongly marked. Th.
church is an example of the way in which, with th.
increased frequency of masses in the Mamluk peri.
od, the original side rooms of the al'5" were con·
vened into additional altar areas by pulling down
the fonner entrance walls. The remaining chun:hes
of the monastery are modem, "Ii is the not "elY
high surrounding wall.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Clarke, S. Chri,tian Antiquities in Ihe Nile Valley,
pp, 126-30. O~ford, 1912.
Grossmann, P. Milld~ileriiche La ..ghtluskuppelkir-
ch~n u",i verwa"dle Type" in Oberiig)'pren, pp.
42-45. Gltickstadt, 1982.
Monneret de Villard, U. Lu Couvent' pres de
Soh/ig, Vol, 1, p. 62. Milan, 1925.
___. Deyr el·Mu!]araqah, p. 13. Milan, 1928.
PETn GRO:SS"'~NN
DAYR AL-SANAV (NaqAdah). This monastery is
buill into the mountai,*,an hour and a haWs walk
to the west of Naqiu:lah, on the left bank of the Nile.
It is attested very early by a Coptic contract (erum,
1921, no. 340), by the SYNAXARION in the r«ension
from Upper Egypt at 21 Kiyahk, and by the i\rabie
life of Pisenti"" (O'leary, PO 22, pp. 454, 462), In
the Arabic te~ts it is called Dayr al-Sanad, a word
that re<;ur> in the I'lace--names of the region but the
meaning of which remains a- debated question. It
would ha.'e heen inhabited from the si~th century
to the founeenth.
It was mentioned by ·...B{} AL·MASllj al·Masu'di
(1924, p. 183). He noted that its ruined Slate pre·
eludes its use for worship, It is also called the Mon·
astery of Samuel and Da}T al·Ji:rAz. Thi. is al least
an identification proposed by J. Dore,,"e, who exca·
vated and described it (1949, !'P. 508-510: 1951-
1952, pp. 70-71).
It is nOl known whether this was a real monas·
tery or rather a centcr for communal sen-ices
where the henni", of the vicinity gathered together
on Saturdays and Sundays-
BIBUOGRAPHY
'Abd aI·Mas;!:' Salib a1-Ma.<li'dl al-Baramiisl. KiMb
Tu!]{al al·Stl'ilfn fI Dhikr Adyirtl1 Ruhlxm tll-Mi~rl"y'
yin, Cairo, 1924.
Crum, W. E. Shorl Te.<l> from Coptic OSlrtlw and
Papryi. london, 1921.
Di Bitomo Kasser, A. "Osrraca scolastic; copti a-
Deir GizAz." Aegypl". (Milan) 68 (1988J,167-75.
Doresse, J. "Monasleres coptes thebains." Revue
de. Conferences fra,,_a;se. en Orienl (1949):3-16.
___. "Recherches d'archeologie copte: Ie cou-
vent de Samuel pres de Negada." Bulle/in de I'/n-
slilUi d'Egypte 34 (1952):470-71.
O'leary, Dc L. The Arabie l.i{~ "f Saini Piunl;us.
P022, PI'. 313-488.
Winlock, H., and W, E. Crurn. The Mon"srery "f
Epiph"nim at Thebes, 2 vols. New York, 1926.
RE1<£-G"OR(;1OS COQI!JN
MAURIei.' MARTIN, S.J.
VAYR SANNURIS, SU Monasteri", of the
Fa))'iirn.
VAYR AL-SANQORIYY AH, Of thi, andent
monastery, which has no.... dis.appeared, there re-
main. nO more than the name and the church dcdi-
c.ted to Saint Theodoru•. The laUer was perha~
named by ~BO ~Ulj THE ...RMENIAN (1895, p. 212),
who situate<! it at Kurur.
AI-MAQRIZI did not speak of it, but the church was
n",ed by C. SKARD (1982, Vol. 2, p. 271), who
placed it outside the town and near the ccmetcry, A
modem description was supplied by a. Meinardus
(1965, p. 257; 1977, pp. 361-62).
M, Ramll (1953-1968, Vol. 2, pt. 3, p. 217) tbinks
that this is thc DAYR Al.-KHA{}IM, bl11 the laner, ac·
cording to al·Maqrizl, was dedicated to the angel GA·
BRtEL 'ABD AIAdASIH al-Masu'di (1924, PI'. 163, 191)
cited al-Sanquriyyah as the first among the mona.·

LeI'ies .....SI'". in W pn:w'l'Io« of Bani Suer. and
l>;Iyr ".~m amOll'1hose thai have diNlppeaud..
[5<1.. QUO; Abu ......uklrim.J
IIUlUOGRAPHl'
'Abd a1·Masih $alib a1·MllSU'dj al-BaramllsS. r14Jn.'
41 SfiI'iJb< fI Dhib Mytrd' JUJd"ln ~ .
CaIro, 1924.
MeinMdus. O. C~ri.<tUIn Egyp', A"";e,,, .~d Modem.
Cairo. 1965; 2nd ed. 1m.
Ramzf, 101. AI.(}.".;'~ "UllgJr,.p fj}·BiJ6<J tJ
Mipfyy<JIr. ] 110.... Cairn. 1953-1968.
Sicard. C. o.......u. Vol. 2. ed M. hUonln. Biblio-
theque d'~IOOc 85. Cairo, 1982.
RL>;t.(;~ES eoovr"
MAURICE MAlTlIol. SJ.
I de pluoiers doc",menu analogues (jurldiqucs ou
DAYR AL.sAQIYAH. This mon~~ry. today ;n
ruins, waS ,i{Waled on th.. left bank of the Nil .. 2.5
miles (4 km) nonh of the DAYR AJ.,.NA~Jt.oI. at the
00llom of ... lal1le wadi that opened on Ihe stony
desert at the foot of the mountain. At the foot of a
high cliff ,s a rectangular encl""ure 200 by 264 feet
(60 by SO ml, a deep hoi. tha' mark. the poIition of
... _II, and anoIher exca.....tion occupied by an
enomlO... lUllique capital. ~ umai", of brick
lil",,,"'rn :m' distincL At the foot of 1M cliffs are
tWO UVe5 and. in front of ihern.... hun:h. marte<l
by the remains of c:01umns and capital.. Coins or
tM fifth CeDtuJ)' ha,'e been r...nd lhou (Mond ar>d
Myen. 1931, Vol. I, pp. 11~79; 1940, Vol. I, pp,
146-SO). Dnowi"¥S and vdili from lhe iile will be:
found reproo:n.ced in Winkler (19Ja-1939, Vol. I. p.
, 11 and pl. 131· Like DOn 0JI""";1\.lS and Olbc:r
tid"'S, lAis one seell't5 10 hoi,..., bttn .. mi&:iow cen·
ler lor hecmits IMnj in the adjoin;,.. caves. Th...
may be lhe Mo_ry of Eutid olwhich me Up-
por EoJlt n"Ceruioo of !he $YWA)(.UlJ(If; ifleaks at 14
Klyahk and 2 Tllbah, ~ referen« to Anb6 E1ckiel
and Anbf Victor and hi5 nephew AnbA Vii... (per-
haps Jonas).
The arc'-ologists R. Mond and O. H. Myen.
who ,.,.c...... l~ !he sile. gave it the name Monastery
of S;ainl John. Several documenu derlYing from
Thebes mention a lopos (chu«:h or ntOllUlery) of
Saini John; some add ~in Ihe dcscn" (d. Cl\Jm,
1902, no. 310; Winlock and Crum, 1926. Vol. 1. p.
114, and VQI. 2, nos. 84 and 391; Revilloul. 1900.
pp. 143-44; Crum. 1921. no. 139). This Is perllaps a
case of different .ileo wilh lhe same name, bUI the
specl~calion "in the descn" seems Il) be adde<l 10
DAYR AL-SHAHID PHIlCTrHAWAUS 861
distinguish this d..y, from the othc~ and fiu ",..,11
with dw situation of tbe site.
BIBLIQGUffiY
Crum, W. E. Coptic OsIT..c. Irorrr Ihe Coll«fio of
rJte £opt £x.plot"tion F.uul, the Cd'''' 'lu.se ...
.ml Others. London. 1902.
-c-c $hon Tesu from COfHiI: OSlT<lCd ""d p"pyri.
l.ot!don, 1921.
~. J. "M~mes coptQ .on ...,\'irnos d'''''
mant en TheNl'<k. ~ A.... 1ecur &JlandilJrtJI 67
(1949):]21-49.
Mond, R.. and O. H. ),lyef$. CemderiJts of Ann<I-nl. 1
...... London, 1937.
_ _ TempJu of .04""'''1. 2 yoL.. Lon<ktn. 1940_
Revillout, E. "Texl""" coptes. edraiu de La CQn'<:-
,pondanee de SI. Pesumhiu" tvhjIK de Copl" et
konomiquc$)." Revue d'jgyproior,e 9 (1900):133-
11; to (1902):34-47; and 14 (l914):22~32.
Winkler. H. A. Rod·D'''Mli''&$ of Soulhem Uppo,
Egypl, 2 vol•. ElIYPl &'plorluion Sociely. Archaeo-
logical Survey 26-27. London, 19]8-1939.
Winlock. H, E., and W. E. Crum. The MO~d.rery of
Epipha";us ar Thebes, 2 \'01•. New York. 1926.
RENt-(lE(MlGES COQUlN
MAURIC£ MARTIN, $.J .
DAYR SAwADAH. Su !byr Apa Hor (Minytl_
DAYR SAYLAH. See Dayr a1·'Adhnl' (F..~yUm);
Day.- al-Han'tnWn.
DAYR AL,SHAHID rnlLtmlAwAus
Sflrvey of Eo'''' (1928).
(JlljI.). On lhe t1\lIp 01 the
Naf: HamlNdi section, QIIe notes a Naf a1.Dayr
(Village of me Mona$lery) on the ri&hl hank of the
Nile. In the rilbie is • amall mooastery dedicaled
to the mart)'. Saim PliILOl'tlWS- It ... not known .0
wbich Saint Philotheus Ihls monasIery i. consec"""
ed, the man)'T of Anlioch Or the mo~ recent mar·
t}T of A.M. l097jA,D. 1380, • nalive of Dunonkah.
Since 11m (Own is near ASyor and hence somewhal
dlsIanl from lhe presenl monaalery, Ihe martyr of
Anlioch Ottms the more likely ded>Calee.
The first menlion of Ihe mOna'llery appcan 10 be
Ihat of S. Clarke (1912l, In his appendix, which
gives a list of durche. and monasteries lhat i. the
official one of Ihe Coplic palriarchate, He placed il
10 the easl of a!.Khiylm in Ihe mudiny)'ah (prov·
862 DAYR AlrSHAHID TADRUS
hKe) of llljA. which correspol'lds 10 its actual situa-
tion. belween al·Khiytm and al·N"'&hlmlsh (p. 214.
no. 41). 'ABD ALWAS'1:l aI-M;uO'dl IlMigned it the
same gqraphical posilion and indicated thai Saint
PIIilOlheus Is COmmemOtlued on 16 ~Ubah; it would
then be the PhilolhNI 01 Antioc:h who is the litula~
saint (1924. p. 116). This would be the only ehun:h
dNicated to this manyr still in USC in Egypt. al·
though ABO $Wl:llllE AJ.\lUll4N (1895. pp. 114-35)
said thaI the chun::h of Ihe oo.n ALK.lSf{M. .... ~­
Cllted 10 Saint PhiJotbft15 "'hen the monaslel)' be-
came the property of lhe Cop!$. The vener:alion of
lhis maR)T was imporu.nl in EcYP<. a is shown by
lhe numb« of 1M manuscripts of his hWon. and
hil miracles (d. Orlandi. 1978. "". 117-20).
Unfortunately thent has bun no uc"->l<>tPcal
study of this uy' to dete .....ine cuctly the cbte of
the preoen. bu.i1dill8$.
8l8UOCIIAPHY
'Abd a1~ $8llb al·lobslrdi aJ·BaramllsL KiJAb
rU/pIlIIlI-Si'iJf" If Dllfk, A./lyiru RWrhdn .J..M4riy-
Jin. c.iro, 1924.
Clarke. S. ChrUti_ A"Ii'1."M, f" lite Nile V.Jky.
Oxford. 1912.
Orlandi. T. "n ·dof.s>cr coplO' <Ii JaIl Filolco d'Anti·
oo::llia:' A_lec/. BtJII,...di4.... 96 (1978): 117_20.
Survey of Et;nx. Cairo. 192a.
R.u;t-GroaGES COOUtH
MAUQCE MAIm.. .. SJ.
DAYl\ AL-SHAHln TADRUS (Oamailah). Sec
Monasteric$ 01 1M Vpptr $30'1<1.
• • • "",ribed the procession of the Palrm (referring 10
Plan of the chun::h al Dayr al·Shahld Tadrus al·
Mu~.I.rib. COl<rlesy Pele~ Gro'$mllm,.
DAYR AL-SHAHID TADRUS (Olit). See Mon-
lIo$leries of the Upper $a·ld.
DAYR AL-SHAHID TADRUS Al-MUJ:I·
ARIB, unOCCllpied monatel)' -..lh"'e51 of NADI",,,r
HAllO. the lJeal Terllple of the Dead of lbmses Ill.
Also located in the viciniI)' is a Coptic ceme1ery
that is stiD in use today. The church of this _
Ie<)' has fiv.. .lws amiD"'" fide by fio:k of which.
.......ever. only !he lhr« _th...... ones IuIw. prim-
itive orip. They belon, to a hall eho.tr"Ch with lhr«
aisles....-hose nao5 ,,-..s subdr.>ided into nine 1arv
domed bays of appro><illuuel, th.. same size and of
sli:gluly acccnlualed bradlh. lhe precinct 01 t~
khii.nd. (f'OOm b..-.. n_ .nd sanctuary). sepa.
n1ed from !he lay ...... only by 1_ S1....IC"" of
~I standinl in the ",iddJ.. 01 the room, is thus
alrady clearly 5ftfl 10 be in !he pf\X~ of chan,·
ina- The cent.... bay of the kII...... suppom a more
bridlly shaped and mon dC"aled dome. TlUs fitsl
buildint ma, haw been ereo;tod in !he advaneed
Marnluk period.
IllIBUOCaAl'HY
CbrIle, S. ChriJIiI" A"riqwiliu in 1M Nih Vlllle,.
pp. 116-11. Oxford. 1912.
Gross.....n. P_ MiJlelallcrlid~ t.rIf"-.......ppcllcf'.
clrLn. pp. 203-205. Glllcbt.adl. 1982.
TlIDm. S. D<IS drrisl/idt-UJplisd~ .4,ypurr in a,abi-
J<:~r kif. Vol. 2. p. 796. Wiesl»clen, 198-/0.
PETEa G.06SNAS,"l
DAYR SHAHRAN, monUleIY south of Cairo
thai ....... restored and dedicated under Ihe Palria~h
1ACH.UIAS (1004-1032) by lhe monk Poemen. "'ho
had embraced lsIam and then ~uml!:d 10 the
Christian bidt and became iu a~.
In this mon""'lel)' BAKSOM nllt NAKED liV<'d for
seventeen ye.n (BOO-1l17). and here lie was bu...
ied. Toward B20 AbU. al·Banl"'t tIN UI41t de·
Palm Sunday) to the monaslery in hi$ eneyelopedia,
Mi''''''' .. 1-+l<lmalr (Vill«our1. 1925, p. 271),
Two Coptic patriarchs were buried in the monu-
tery of Shahr1n. JOHN VI11 (1300-1320) and BE1'IJAMtN
II (1327-1339).
Al-MAQRIZI (d. 1441) deSCribed the monastery.
which he says was well populated In the fourteenlh
century. According to him. Shahrtn was an educat·

ed Christian or a king, In the se\'entunth ""ntury 1.
Vansleh mentioned the mOlUl$tery under the name
of Bars"..m the Naked (1077, p, 294; Engli5h ed., p.
178).
Several manuscript. were written at or for the
monastery (Simaykah. 1942, Vol. 2. pt. 1. nos. 5.
149. 10.709.81. 865; Troupeau. 1972. Vol, I. nOS.
113.278). The four most ancient manuscripts men·
tion the monastery under the name of Mercuriu. at
Shahmn; the two latest from lhe eighteenth century
under that of Bars"m the Naked.
The patriarch CYRIL v (1854-180l) built a tower
and later opened the church for parochial service.
[Se" also: Barsum the Naked.)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Troupeau, G. Catalogue des ma~uscrits arabes. Vol,
I. Paris. 1972,
Van,leb, J. Nouvelle relatio~ en forme de journal
d'"" YOJage foit "" Egypt" "" 1672 eI 1673. PaIi••
1677, Translated as The Present State of Egypl,
London, 1678.
Villecourt. L. "l£s Ob5ervances liturgiques et la di.·
cipline du jeUne dans higlise COpte." Le Musto"
36 (1923);249-92; 37 (1924);201-80; 38 (1925);
261-320,
RENt-GEORGES COQUIN'
MAURICE MART[N. 5.1.
DAYR SHALLA, Se. MOn,,"lerie. of lhe Fayyllm.
f
DAYR AL-SHALWIT. Aboul 6 mil"s (10 km)
, northwest of Armant is a small [emple ere<:led by
the Roman emperors Hadrian and Anlonius Pius in
honor of the goddess Isis tha[ is d~ribed by the
local inhabir.anlS under the name Dayr aI-Shalwll. It
was occupied by a Chii~ti,," community, as is
shOWII by numerous graffill, traced on Ihe roof. but
no one can say which con;tmunity, Pachornians or
semihermits. A Cop[ic contract of the seyenth or
eighth century makes m~n!ion of the "nstr"m
(camp) of Shlou[ as [h~ place of reside nee of one of
the signatories. whil~ the others are of Ih~ nome of
Arman! (Hall, 1905.1'1. 74, no. 2129312; Till. 1956.
no, 19/2). il is probable thai this gi"es [his site its
Coptic name. The p~nl Arabic name Lake. up [he
Coptic nam~, playing on the fa"t that the Coptic
name has a l"'raJlel in Arabic; shalwlt (dis[ant). It is
curiously called Da)T Kalreh in the Descriptwn de
I"Egypte (Jomard, 1821. Vol. 2, p. 141). but [he
DAYR AL-SHAM' 863
nmne Dayr al-Shalwlt was allested in llBO by Bono--
ni (Newberry. 1906. pp. 78-86). It was described by
1. Dor-esse (1949. p. 343) and by O. Meinardu,
(1965, p, 320; 1977, p. 434-35).
lIlBLlOGR-'I'HY
Descriplion de I"Egypte. Paris, 1821-1829,
Doresse, 1. "Monasteres coptes aux e",'irons d'Ar·
mall! en ThebaIde," AnaI""ta B"I1""dia"a 67
(1949):327-49.
Hall. H. R. Coplic "nd G'eek T"xls. London, 1905.
Meinardlls, O. Christian Egypt, Ancienl a"d Mod,m.
Cairo, 19M; 2nd ed. 1977.
Newberry, P, E, 'Topographical Note. on Western
Thebes Collected in 1830 by J. Bononi." Ann"l",
du Service des amUjuilfs de I"Egypte 7 (1906);78-
"
Till, W. "Die koptischen ArbeitswrtTiige:' Eos 481
( 1956),273-329.
RE./.:~-GE.ORGES COQUIN
MAURICE MARTIN, S.J.
DAYR AL.SHAM'. The most ancient testimony is
that \li"en at the beginning of the thirteenth centu!),
by Aau $~Ul;l THE ARMENIAN (l895. PI'. 194-95). who
saw an insctiption daling a reconstruction of the
monaste!)' from the year 951.
AbU ~Ji~ explained the nickname Dayr al-Shay-
)'Alln (Mon,,"te!)' of the Demons) by sa)'ing that the
monks had abandoned il because of m)'5terious ap·
pari[io,,". il was repopulated by PAPHN[JI"lUS, who
came from SCETIS, This Paphnmius would have
heen the one who "'as present at [he death of ONQ.
PHRIUS and buried him. The body of Paphnulius. on
Abu ~aIiJ.t's report, rested in lhi, monastery.
According to [he HtSTORY OF THE PATII.[ARCHS OF THE
EGYPTIAN CHURCK (1959, Vol. 2, pt. 3, pp. 241 [texl),
384 [[ran',)l. the patriarch MICHAEL tV placed the
monastery under the jurisdiction of [he bishop of
Giza. The patriarch CAlIRll:l II restored tbe monas-
lery (Vol. 3, pt. L PI'. 34 [[ext], 55 [ltans.); AbU
$aliI), 1895, p. 195). In tbe time oflhe patriarch MI-
CHAEl V Ibn Nafra w,," consecrated bi'hop in this
monaslery (Vol. 3, 1'[. I, Pl'. 59 [text), 63 [trans,]).
The Jist of relic. drawn up by [he History of the
P"t.iJ;m:hs includes lhe body of the manyr Paphnu-
tius. preserved in lhe Dayr al.sham', This text ap·
pears to contradict Abu ~lil), who does not speak
of a martyr.
Abo. ~Jih (1895. Pl'. 192. 194. 195) situated the
monaste!)' at M;nya[ al-ShammAs and said that in
hi. time the church had three altars, one dedicated
8M DAYR AL-.5HAM'

00
o

Elevation and plan of the Roman t e mp Ie k nown as Dayr al.$halwlt. Court...y Peter
Gm$.<maH".

10 ANTONY, Ihe second 10 SIIENIJfE, and Ihe Ihird 10
Paphnulius, and thai il had many monk.,
[n Ihe middle of Ihe thineenth century Ille mon-
""IeI)' depended on Ille patriarch, for CYRIL III 'eN
UtQUQ died and was buried there.
In the thineenth century Yaqut (1870-1873, Vol.
2, p. 673) als<> knew Ihis monaslery: M pointed oul
Ihal it served"" residence for Ihe palriarch when
the laner carne 10 Cairo and tllat the monastel)' was
three p~ras""gs distant from al·fus!il (Old Cairo),
passing by Ihe Nile. The mon""lery was slill men-
tioned in 1375 in Ihe SI"I' of the Provinas ('Ab<!
al,La!i£. 1810: Abu $alii), 1895, p, 192, n. 2). The
U,,'e des perles Cltfoules (Daressy, 19 I7, p. 20 I)
als<> elles iI, although placing it at AsyU!, A!'MAQRlzl
(d. 1441) knew nothing of Illis monastery, which
seem, to have disappeared before Ilis lime.
Modem aUlhors place il al MU Shamm;\s, less
than a mile s<>ulhwest of 1amwayh, in the m"rkaz
(district) of Giza (Ram.I, 1953-t963, VoL 2, pt. 3, p.
22). JIRJIS PHILo-rnAWVS 'AWAI,l also placed il al Mil
Shamm.... (d. Simaykah, 1930, Vol. 2, pp. 243-45).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
'Abd al·La!If. Relalion de l'Egypte de 'Abd ,,1·Latif,
cd. and trans. A. I. S. de Sacy, Paris, 1810. L'Eta[
des provinces is translated in an appendix.
Dare",y, G. "Indicaleur topographique du 'Uvre des
perle. enfouies el du my.t~re precieux'" B"lIetin
de /'InstlWI /ra",;"is d'Archtologie orienUJle 13
(1917): 175 - 230.
Ramzl, M. AI-Qdmu. ~f.Jugh"lli Ii/·Billid 'II·
M~rjyy"h, 3 vol•. Cairo, 1953-1 %8,
Sima)'kah, M, Guide to the Cop/ic Museum, Vol. 2.
Cairo, 1932 (in Arabic).
, YAqut. Geog'Qphisches Wonerlruch, 6 "01•., ed. F.
WlIstenfdd. Leipt.ill, [370-1873.
RE",t-GEORGES CoQult<
.,MAUIlICE MARTIN, S.l.
DAYR AL-SHAYKHAH. See Dayr al·
KubAniyyah,
DA YR SHUBRA KALSA. See Morl""teries in
Ihe Province of Gharbiyyah.
OAYR AL·SHUHAOA· (Akhmim). [This e.lIry is
, ",,,de up of two p~rts. The 1i"1 give< Ihe localion
and infO/marion ~bout recorded histQry, The second
J
DAYR AL-SHUHADA': Architecture 865
pan describes some of the findings thue and whm
can be determined aoour the archileclUre.]
History
The Monastery of the Manyrs is silualed on a
slighl elevalion in tile desen, aboul half a mile
nonh of al-HawAwlsh, which is ilself aboul 4 miles
(6 km) east of Akhmim. II is neighbor to IWO other
mOnll5leries, DAVR AI.-MALoIK M1KHA'1L and DAYR AI.-
'ADHP): (Monastery of Ihe Virgin),
&veral travelers mentioned il (Pococke; Crang.
er). The fifteenth·cenlul)' hiSlonan AI.-""'ORlzf made
it very clear lhat the so·called Church of the Savior
now bearing the name of Ihe Manyrs is in the
interior of Akhmlm, This cannot lherefore "" the
Monas'el)' of the Manyrs.
BIBLIOGRA.PHY
Granger, N. Relalion du "G)'age lail en Egyple en
I'~n"h 1730. Paris, 1745.
Meinardus, 0, ChriSli"" Egypt, Ancient and MMiern.
Cairo, 1965; 2nd ed., 1977.
Poc<><ke, R. " Descr;plion of Ihe Easl and Some
Othu Countries. London, t745,
Saint·Genis, A. B. "Noliee sur les restes de l'an·
cienne ville de Chemnis ou Panopoli., aujourd'hui
Akhmym, et ses en,'irons." In Description de
l'Egypte, Antiquitts, Vol. 4, cd. E. F. 10mard. Par·
is,1821,
RE!'!ItGEORGES COQUIN
MAURICE MARTIN. S,J,
Architecture
This monastery is also known as Dayr al·Wus;Anl,
A church wilh this dedicalion is mentioned by al-
Maqrizl in lhe fifteenth century, Itt; connttlion with
the martyrs, il. lX"ition near an early Coptic ceme·
tery, and Ihe large amounts of lale Roman ponel)'
found by ilS walls suggest Ihat tllis building may be
on lhe .ile of an early monastery of which there are
now n{l visible remains, There is a large counyard
contailJing many tombs, a chamber with lwo small
coun. south of the entrance, a small room for wa·
ter jugs, and several ,mall rooms s<>uth of Ihe
church. The 6rst pItase of the churcll building has
been as,igned by P, GrossmanlJ (1982, pp. 202-203)
I" his 6rst group of hall churches, It was a square
structure. On lhe east was a cenlral curved sanctu-
ary with Ii"e niches, and IW{l rectangular rooms on
866 DAYR AL-SHUHADA ': Hi~lor')'
o
Plan ohh~ churcbat Dayn.l·ShuhadA', CQurtesyPelu
Gro..",a"".
either side. W$ of them wen: 1_ rows 01 1_
bays uch. di~ided by ..de ........ Is. Additional units
""'..., wer added al the nonh and .",..h 10 crule.
bo-o.J. s.h:t1low t.t~u~ similar 10 !he nri&hbori"I
lDOI\lI.Oleries n.e Int~"'r bric:kwori: may hslve bem
pUnted in red and bboi::k IWI."", with ...-blte di.;·
.xms, someUmQ COVtrill& the mortar joinl. a.t tNl
"'".
1lI8UOGIlAntT
Grossmann. P. Mitl.14lterUd,e umgn.... sJ,.uppdAir.
chen und ",,,,,·andl' Typen in QN,,4lz:ypun. pp.
202-203. Glocbtadt. 1982.
Meinardw. O. Chrisrian Egypl, And.nl and Modern.
Co.iro; 1965,
Timm, S. Vas chrisrlich.koptiuhe Agyplen in arabi.
uher Zeil, Vol. 2. PI'. 8OS-S10. Wiesbaden. 1984.
SHEU MCN.u.LY
DAYR AL.SHUHADA· [11Ii1 ."my ."",.
(lsnl).
>J.,... /hue iUpeelS at 0.." ",J.Shun..da'. n.. f:nl
>CClk>n ducribtJ doe HIri>l6 ."d If.tJitiJJ,,el ;,utory.
as ",..n •• 11K ;"fom<a/ioft let' Irt I,..,..kn in 1M
"inne_do .Nd early lWe>Uiel1l e"luna-and ,IYJ.
determined by more nc,,," llKhac%rical .........."••
lilms.. "",n "'"" ducus.su Ilwse ,em"a"ls af aT/isli<:
I!ecorali.,., Ih"'l ;,a.... beC71 idenlified ",,,d de~nDed
by UjU,IS. ""'rt Ih,.. rcCOflS/TUCIS Ih., ",re"i'eClu,al
"'youl of Ih., lbyr and deuribes Ihe "'"" ch"renes
Inal are fa".,d in Ih. c_plex.)
History
Thi5 monaslery I, siluated in the Slony are~ (~d;;r
in E£)1MW. Anbic) between me CUIU>'aled land aoo
the mountloin. aboul 3 mil... (5 km) 10 the IOUlIt·
..f i t ol ..... 1OWl1 ollSHA (Senl in ancienl E&YJMian,
I a'opoIis in ..... Hell.,nislic ptriod). 115 sile is called
Mountain of III., Good (q«thon in Gcedl) in thr
Slory aI the manyn of bM. composed Oft me ~
ol now4osl: Copeic tnts and in the panqyrlc on
tMsc; tainl.5 pronounced by Dorntheus, bishop of
bn! in lhe fou.nll c ....tury (unpublished). II is sur-
rounded by .., enclo5ur., ,,-all and is Ihus a .noc:
cmOON.... 11 is also called Day< Mantwus (A...-
monius); I. ill Ammoni... 10 whom •.-.dllion anri·
butes lhe foundation oltM mona,,;ltl'}'. but no text
or inKnplloo accords whim thl. honor. It ill only
said that be,nl bl,hop of hnA. ordained by the "'ar-
tyr palriarch PETE). t, ht was manyred and buried at
Anlinoi.' (.ulTlNOOl'OUS). where his body remained.
According 10 lhe J'Ilfteeric on lhe manyn of IsnJi
by John. bishop of Asy\it, AbU TIj, _00 Manblu!. me
oIdesl manuscript ol "flich is lblM 1510 (b.... loOme
aulhors ...y he li>'ed In the thin~..lh c.,mul)'; cf.
Shath, 19<tO, p. 71, no. 6(6), the mol1tilery " ....
c:rr:cled on lite wry Sf'OI 01 the martyrdom of lite
"';nlS of bni (KhaIP-. 1981. pp. S5 (Ibl). 66
[=.1). PtTNoJll This author- is dot: same OIIe "i>o
uttnded u lhe prepu1Iooon ol ..... atUSM In 1257
(Munier. 1943. p. 55). The £act that .hree tpiscopal
sen were the.. uni~ under the same tilubr head
bttta~ , period wh.... (hrislianily ..... in decline,
which corruponds very w.,l1 10 the thincenlh cen-
lUI)'. a!thou.... there Is no oIher ewideoce thai Ihese
three dklc_ were united uncler a sinll., name. If
this personale was indeed of the Ihineenth cemury,
Ihe monaSitry musl ha,'c been established before
that do.le.
Hm.'ew;r tbat m.y be. lhe oldea pans of the pres·
ent buildings seem 10 date from me second twf of

,he de"emh cen<u1'Y. But ,h~ pr~s~nc~ of numerous
C,..,,,k funerary 'ldae in the neighboring cemelery
pro"e, thai Ihe sit. wa~ ,'enerated very early (Saun·
~ron and Coquin. 1980. pp. 239-77 and pis. 39-44).
This mon3s1"1)' is well know". for it h"" been
m~nlion~xl or d~scribed by European r,."vel~rs from
,he ",ven,eenlh e~n,ury on. Th~ first appears 10 b~
'h~t of the falhers Protai. 3nd fran,ois in 1668
(Sao"~ron. 1974. p_ 79); J. VA.~SI.~H (1677, p. 40b;
1678, p, 243) eopi~d lhelr te'l. being unable to go
bryond JirjA. C. SKARD also mentioned it (1982,
Vol. 2, p. 66; Vol. 3, p, 77 "Ia fameuse cgHse des
Mart}Ts " As.sena").
In 1730-1732, Ihe physician N. Granger (1745, p.
24) nOled ,his monas,ery during his wand.rings, h
is filling '<.> n,)[e ,he d",criplion. of R. Leps;"s
(184.1-1845, Griechisch [V<.>I 4]. pp. 172-75), C. E.
Wilbour (1936). and R. I'OCOCKf (1743_1745, p.
112). Granger mentioned lwo m<.>nks at th~ monas·
tery. In rhe lJ"criplio" de I'Egyp,e Ihat r~suhed
from Napoleon's eXpI!dili"{I, 1'. Jollois and E. l)cvil-
lie,..;, in a dapler emilled "Desc,iption des degats
d'Esna et de scs cnvi",ns" (Vol. I, PI'. 397-98),
auributed ,he devastalion 10 lhe Mamluks. S.
ClARKE (1912, p. Ill) drew up the plan of the dayr,
and V. dc' Bod (1901, p. 75) published Uspenskij's
notes.
In lh~ lwemielh cenhJI)·the mo"astCI)' waS oftcn
visited: b}' M. JuUJEJ< (1903. Pl'· 250-52. 283), Jo'
hann Georg (1914. pp. 58-59), and L 1. l.~F()RT
(1939, pp. 404_407). T Smolenski (1910, PI' 27-
34) was 10 study the inscriptions noted b~' Grang~L
Since 1967. DAYR AJ..FAKHtRl and Dayr al·Shuhada'
ha"e be<on included in a ,'as' program eO"~ring all
DA YR AL-SHUHADA': History 867
the archaeological data a!>ou! lhe 1'C8ion of I<na; 10
date there ha". been publish~"(I works hy J. Le.-oy
(1975, Vol. I) and R.·G. Coquin (1975, pp. 241-6\).
O. Meinardus gav~ a good descriplion of Da~T
al-Sh"had~' (\965, pp. 324-25: 1977, PI', 440-41),
Walters (1974) frequenlly quoted him.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bod, V. de, Mathia".. pour ,ervj, ~ I'arch<ologie
de I'Egyple ch,etien,,<. pp. 71-78. St. Petersburg.
1'l(J 1.
Clarke, S. CI,d"i." Amiq"ities in rhe Nile Valley.
Oxford,I912
Coquin, R-G. "Les Inscriptions parletale. de. mo-
nasleres d'Esna." B"lIni" de /'In9'"'' franra'.'
d'Archeolog;e orieruale 7S (1975):24 I -284.
Granger, N Rdar"", d'un ,'oyag~ fair '" Egypte en
I'a"nt!~ 1730. Paris. 1745,
Johann Georg, Duke of Sa"my. S1rcif,;i.ge dl<reh die
Kj'che" ""d K.W"n A'g;ptem, Leipzig, 1914.
Jollois, P., and E, de Villi~rs, "'Description d'EMa Ct
de ..,s en,'irons."' In Description de I'Egypt~. Vol.
I. 1'P 397-98. Pari" 1821.
Julhen, M. "Ouelques and~ns cou"ems de
1'E&ypl~." Miss;oll5 C~IIIO/iq" .. 35 (1903);188-90,
198_202,212_14,237_40,250_52.257_58,274_
76, 283-84.
Khaler, A. MQrtyre de5 ei'oyens d'Emll. Cairo and
Jenl",lem, 1981.
Lefo'1. L T, "Les Premi~rs Monastercs pach"rniens,
"XplOralion top<>gmphiq"e." Le Museo" 52
(11'39) ;377 -407,
Lcpsius. R, Dcnkmiil.,. aus Ag;pt'" u"d A'thiop;e".
leiWig, 1842-184';,
Leroy, J. La Peimure ",,,rale che,-lc5 copl"" VoL 1.
Les Pei'lI"'", "","ale, de.' c,,,,v,,,t< du dhut
 868 DAYR AL-5HUHADA': Art
d'Esna. Memoires de l'lnstitut fran~ais d'Archi·
ologie orientale 94. (:;,iro. 1975.
Meinardus. O. Chris/ian Egypt, Anci.nt "nd Modern.
Cairo. 1965; 2nd ed., 1977.
Munier, H. Ruueil des lisles ipisco{Xlle•. Cairo,
1943,
Pococke, R. A Description 0/ the EM/ "nd So",e
O/hu Countrie•. London, 1143-1745.
Sauneron, S, Villes el ligende' d'EgYPIe. Cairo,
1974.
Sauneron, S" and R. G. Coquin. "Catalogue provi·
soire de. stele. d'Esna:' In Liv'e du centeno;r. de
1'1. F. A. D" pp. 239-77 and pis. 39-44, Memoires
de l'lnstitU! fran,ais d'Archeologie orientale 1ll4,
Cairo, 1980.
Sbath. P. AI·Fihris (Catalogue of Arabic Manu·
scripts). Cairo, 1938-1940.
Sicard. C. De'lY'es, ed, S. &auneron and M. Martin.
3 vols. Bibliotheque d'etudes 83-85. Cairo, 1982.
Smolenski. T. "les Inscriptions grecques du sieur
Cranger.'" Bulle/;n de 10 Socibe ,oyal. d·",d.e"l,,"
gie d'Alexandrie 12 (1910):27-34.
Vansleb, J. M, Nouv.lle relation en form. de iourn,,1
d'"" voyage foil en Egypt. en 1671 tr /673. Paris.
1677, Translated as The Pres.nt State of Eg:;pt.
London, 1678.
Walte...., C. C. Monastic Archaeology in Egypt, War-
minster. 1974.
Wilbour. C. E, Travels in Egypt, Decemb.r 1880 10
, May 1M/. Brooklyn. N.Y .• 1936.
RENE·GEORGES COQUIN
MAURICE MARTIN. S,J,
The monastery called Dayr al·Shuhada' (Monas-
tery of the Manyrs) and sometimes Dayr AnM Ba·
!<hum (Pachomius) recalls the many.... massacred in
the town of lsn:l, mentioned in the SVNAXARtON at 7
and 13 Kiyahk (CSCO 49. pp. 321-323, 333-336
[Arabic lext]: Vol. 78, ~ 189-192, 226-231 [Lalin
translation]). The use of; the name Pachomius here
derives from the mct lhai he was born and lived his
"~r1y ye~rs ne~r this to"';". wh.... he ~lso spent Ihe
night in prison al the lime of his recmilment into
the anny of Constantine. The church of this monas·
tery, which for a long time past has not giytll shel·
ler 10 an}' monks, has been used for occasional
services in recent decades.
The church i. the juxtaposilion of two different
buildings. To the south lhere i. a church of basilica
fonn with thre<) ~i.sles and a lransverse choir and
the ordinary sanctuary complex placed b-elween
two side rooms, the one on the nonh no doubt
.en'ing as a baptistery, as the presence of a trough
.eems to indicate. Immediately to the nonh of this
church is another one. with two aisles and a tran·
sept giving on 10 two conch-shaped apses sel in tl>e
east walL The pictorial decoration is distributed in
the first on the walls of lhe sanctuary, and in the
second, in the apses,
Il appea.... very probable lhat lhe soulh church
was buill on the site of an older cl>uTch (Clarke,
1912, p. 114). An inscription below the fresco deco·
rating lhe right wall of the sanctuary was noted by
V. de Bock and copied by him (1901- p. 76 and n,
77). It was nOI nOled al all by J. Leroy. who repro·
duced de Bock's iconographic description. stopping
just before Ihis detaiL It is daled to the year Ul.
S02/A.D. 786. If one takes this date imo account,
one of the buildings would be largely anterior to
that date.
Among Ihe paintings Ihat decorate the two
churches, few have remained legible. but what reo
main. of them reveal. work of high quality. Of
those who have noticed them, de Bock "''''s the
most explicil. bUI his work appeared posthumously.
and it5 editors could only lranscribe the st~lement5
that he left. many of his thoughts remaining unre·
corded. Jules Leroy and his pany. who visited the
site more than seventy years later. were able to
idemify only some of the pictures lhal de Bock
mentioned: these are discussed below,
In the south church, the right wall to the east
abo,'e blind nicbes is occupied by a fresco showing
Christ in majesty. He holds a square codex in hi.
left hand and raises his right, with the palm for-
ward. At his .ides the archangels MICtlAEI. and GAllRt·
EL bend loward him, their arms raised and their
heads full-face. Their wings, which extend on the
side undeT the arcosolium. shelter respeclively
~im Basil (?) and Ihe bishop Saini Gregory. near
whom is a beardless young man whose probable
coumerpart al the 'ide of Saim Basil has disap-
peared, All are portrayed full-face (leroy. 1975, pI.
" Opposite this paiming and above the dooT. de
Bock noted an enthroned Virgin with Child, be·
tween two angels standing with bare feet, their
hands joined in front (de Bock. 1901, p. 76), leroy
apparently did not find il again (leroy. 1975. p. 4).
l1>e north church is richer in surviving art. In the
apse to lhe right of the entrance of Ihe first chapel
backing on the east """,n. two frescoes are placed
one above Ihe otheT (de Bock. 1901, pp. 76-77:
leroy, 1975, pI. 12-13). In the higher of the two,
Christ i. seated on a bencb without a back in from

of a circubr mandorta, beyond which eJClend the
top of his nimbus.1hc end of hi$ riaht hand, and his
fttl. His left hand holds by the top a -SqlWe 'odu.
the eO>'e<" of ""hich .. opaDlICd by a 'I'OIS p8uk
bcc"'wn sun. His lighl hand is rUwd in b!C$$inc-
The heads of the four ~lic:aI symbols project
from the middle and """..,r pam Oft ca<:h side of
the lI\andorb. On the lower sides, an &l\lC1 '" pro.
file, his hnd ill tJ>rtt.quaner ,iew, walks bendinl
with his hands rai5ed loward O"isi. One of his
wings bcint: Iooo'CJffI. the ocher ",ifcd. Two bum.
one of them in the ODltt JIOAurc. an: piKed itt a
small a>nica! "lWh, cac:h ncar 10 Ihe Ittl of Christ.
Under this ensemble, 10 the measure of 1M diam·
eter of lhe mandorb.. is placed a rcctan&le filled by
1lIl CI1throned Vi'll:in with Child.. Fbnkinl Ihis are
lhe a,..;:ha"rls Michael and Cabricl crowned, both
"tandlna full·b<:e and holding a globe In the Idt
hand In a flap of the upper garment; In Ihe riSht
hand Michael holds a IonS rod endlns in a CrOliS
end Cabriel a sword hanging at his side.
On the im""dos of this chapel stands Saint Peter,
lons·haired and bearded. holding In his left hand a
bunch of tWO keys. 10 which he draws allenllon
with hi. rilht. and under a cross with Ihe fleur-de-
Ii,. Saint Slephen. beardless, lhe second and third
fin~~ of his ri&hl hand rcslmll: on a ehali'e lhat he
holds wilh his len hand.
The norIh church pr~sems another fresco 01
Chritt in ntajesly (Leroy. 1975, pl. 29-)1) in lhe
ae<;onc! d>apel sinwed 10 the DOnh. The upper un-
tral part of the subjecl is illq:ible. bul the Io-r
pan and thc sides ~ .-..bt"'cly ICJible. The scene
dilfers from. the p~g one only In tIw Chrisr',
feet are on a Aool and the archarcell MIchad and
Cabriel arc 011 one knee on the .,....md. with .......
~d>O'd forward and the winp form,nl a ri&ht
ande in the corner "'bcnIo the be"" 01 eae:h is 5ft.
In a chapel "Pi- ~ north wall there is an
immcn~ an:hanll:c1 (7.2lsr. or 2.20 m, In heie:m).
be)'ond doubc Gabricl, staiKlinl and haloed. with a
..0« dc<:Ol"llled wid! a rosftie itt his left hand and
~Inll on the Hap of his Io...."rioot (mantle): In his
ri@;hl hand he holds a rod endinll in a cross. Near
his right fool is lnced the form of a bundln, .. Ith
three domes. probably. piclure of the church. ful·
nIHnl a role analogotl5 10 thai of limllar dculJ near
Ihe motlnl of each sainI on Ito<sebaek portrayed in
Ihe ent""nce of the chuTeh of the MonllStery of
$aint ANTONY of Ihe Desen, ncar the Red Sea.
Finally, one ntust nole in Ihe t,."n~p1 Ihe repre·
sentatlon of a saint on hOl"$Cback on each or Ihree
wails. The only ones that "n be identified are Saint
DAYR AL·SHUHADA': Architecture 869
Claudius ("""110 "'all) and TlllOOOlUJS (.. ($I. ..-all);
like the one on lhe nonh wall...hose name hIlS
disappeared. they an presenled in rid colon.
The dati,,*" l"'cn by leroy (1975, p. Hl. a1-
lhough only sugasa;"e. point I"",vd the boe1:inninS
of the lwelfth ,eotu')". He eJCpresRd complete ad-
miratioa for the sayle and me cnndeu:r of these
polntinp (ibid.. P. 12).
BIBUOCUPHl'
Ama;~. E. L. CIoer"pIo" de f£f:I;ple .. repoque
copre. Paris. 189J.
Bock. V. de. M"lirifl.." pouT su>';t It "rclow/ogU" de
rEgyple drillenne. 51. Petenbu"¥- 1901.
Clarl<e. S. ell",I;lIn A"riq..ilies i" 1M Nile Vlllley_
Oxford. 1912.
Leroy. J. Us PeiTIl..res ties co..vents tI.. disert d'Es-
nIT. Vol. l. 1.0: pei"lt<.e ..... ,"Ie clret les coplc>.
M~moires de I'Tnsti!ut fran~ai. d'Arc:h~ologie ori-
emale 94. C.iro, 1975.
PII'.RII.I! 00 BOURGUEf
Architecture
Da)T al·Sltuhao<U' Is a rectangular ~omplu d05t'd
in by a ourroundlna: wall of unbaked bnd,... Its
present entrance is on the nQr1h. It conlains on !he
east $OMe ruined b"ildinp arrartlled round a ",un·
yard. and on the wesl • aro"p 01 buildings separat-
ed by a narTOW lireet. To thc: nonh of this sttefl are
lhe medicval ,burch and its auxiliary buildinp. and
to the south, the modem church of Sain! Ammoni·
us aDd the Martyn. buil! in 1901 oa the ruin. of the
&>O<'>enl eelb of the IIXln&SIny. In anc 1 times the
ent""",e to the monastery "'lIS 10 "'_. on the
u. 01 the .reeI. To the touth of ,h. entnn<;'C the
rnnailtl of an ancienl un and a keep still SUnTvc.
1bc mtdic:nl church is dedicated 10 Ammonius
and conllliltl thrft aisles. T1Ie main aisle consists of
two squue anas roofccl over by dotm:s. The side
aisles and the kJtuTWJ (room bnween naos and
sanctuary) fonn a son of ambulatory around lhe
main aisle. On the east. the sanctuary and its lwo
adjoinina c~rs open onlo the /chu....s. thai on
the north now se.....·" as a baplistery; llul on lhe
J(luth gives acCeSl to a new bapllste!)' and ilS ap-
pltnenan<:eJ built in 1901. In ancient lime•• the
sanctuary communicated wilh the north ,hamber
and was wide open to Ihe kltll'm. u.ter it was
divided by a pa.,il1on (ltii<lb) in Ihe middle. Ihe
sanctuary being 10 Ihe east and the weslem pan
be,ominglhe l:1t"r..s.
870 DAYR SIM'AN
.,
~ ~rrili
~--. , Memaire. de l'lnstitnt franvis d'Arch'ologie ori-
lfij';,.A
~'-"""
I
:::~
~.
B:i. ! I
~::-~
Plan of the medieval church and the adjoining secon·
dary church at DayT al-Shuhada'. Coune.y Pel..
Gm.smG~n.
A smaller church, dedicated to the rnanyrs of
Isna, "'.... built between the medieval church of
Ammonius and the nonh sUTTounding wall of the
monastery. This church contain. two ai.les. a naT'
the~. and two sanctuaries with Hurus. Each sanctu·
al)' is dosed off by a recent partition. The north
aisle contained some tombs, The door situated in
the khem,s of the me<lieval church gave access into
this .econda'1' church; the hall in front of this door
i. roofed b}' a Fatimid cupola .et on decorated
squinches, later the aisle!~of this church were di-
vide<! again by a tran,verse.wall and a new church,
, .
the Church of the Three PFms, w'" fitted up In
the western part. From this period dale the two
openings (today walled up)' in the north surround·
ing wall that allowed pilgrims to emer directl)' imo
the churche, from outside the rnon"'tery.
BIBUOGRAPHY
Bock, V, de. MalerialU pour stevir 0. I'archtalagie
de l'El:Ypte chrhie~ne, pp, 71-78. St. Petersburg,
1901,
Clarke,S, Chrjs,jG" A>1Ilquilies in Ihe Nile Valley,
pp, 113-16. Oxford, 1912,
Coquin, R·G. "le, Inscriplions parietale. de. mo-
nastere, d'E!na."' Bullelin de /"Ins/ilu/ fran9ai$
d',(rcMa!ogle arienlale 75 (1975)'241-42. 285,
Grossmann, P, Mille/allerliehe La~gh(lUslc.uppelkir·
chen und v,,"wandle Typen in Ow'iigyple~. pp.
3_7, GlUckstadt, 1982.
Leroy, J. us Pelntur~$ des cauvents du d'sen d'Es-
no, Vol. L La pelnturo murale chez les cople •.
entale 94. Cairo. 1975,
Monneret de Villard, U. 11 monaslero di S. Simeon,
pr"sa Aswan. Vol. I, p, 59, Milall, 1927.
Timm, S. Dos christlich-kop/ische Applen In a,,,·
bisc},er Z~lt, Vol. 2, pp, 811-15. Wiesbaden, 1984,
G. CASTa
PETER GROSS'. ...NN
DAYR SIM'AN, an erroneous name. used mainly
by Enro>",a". for DAYR ANRA HAD"" on the west
bank at A.wan.
PETER GROSSMANN
DAYR SITT DIMYANAH, monastery nea, Bil·
'las. [This entry consisl$ af lwo G"icles; History and
ArchiteclUre,]
History
It is ...,ry probable that the Dayr Jimy;lnah (0<
Dirn}'Anah) d"",ribed by al-MAQRlzl (d. 1441) and
Ihe present Dayr Silt DimyAnah (to the north of
Bilqas) are one and the same place, as suggeste<! by
'ABo Al.-MASII;I ~LIB AL-MNl'UDI (1924. p. 149). The
orthography given by al·Maqrl:zI, Jimylinah. i. Ihe
same as that of the oldest manu.cripts (sixteenth to
eighteenth centuries) of the life of the saint (see the
catalng. cited by G. Graf. Vol. I. pp. 468 and 532)
and of the European travelers of the seventeenth
and eighteenth cenlUries. Thi. orthography was still
auested in 1903 by M. Jullien.
There is also confusion about the geographical
situation, AI-Maqrlzi indicates. admittedly without
orienullion, thai the Dayr Jirnytnah i. three hours
away (on foot or on an as.) from the DAYR AL-'ASKAR,
which was quite near the present Bilq",", The Dayr
Silt Dimy;lnah i$ today about 6 mile. (10 I:m) nonh
of Bilqis. Mor"",veT. al-Maqrtz.l indicates thai the
festi.'al "f the monastery is in the Coptic month of Ba-
shans, after that of the DAYR Al.-MAGHTIS; the festival of
the Dayr Sitt DirnyAnah is on 12 Bashans. It might be
 DAYRSIIT DIMYANAH: History 871

&rJ1.lW Ihal accordin,: I(> aJ.J.bqrW thiJ o.r.)T Jim-

yinah is dediocaled 10 $WI. Geor&c. but Ihe dedjca.
,Ionl lirtn by this author are not ah....,. eucl.
T1w most ancient wil....... as 'ndialed. is aI.
Maql1d (d 14<11). n.e DaY'" Jimyinah was pan of;l
crouP of four ~ the only ones In the ~a
0( lIw wi "",nhes to the ""'alh of !he lab of aJ.
BuNlllll. T.... of thcst, Dayr aJ.'..ubr &I'd Won
Al.....,IY/oIAH, .."en: quit., d06e to Bilqb; thc <Klocr
I
two, Dayr ahl.taab!is and Da)T JimyinaA. were mr'
!her to the north. The fin! ..-as one day's dhtancc
In>m Dayr al·'&kat and me ""ond. Dlyr Jimyinah.
•
Ihl« hours from this $llIne Ib}T aI·'Ashr.
~8(l fIL.JoIAJU.RlM. who WI1Jtc al lite ~Iinninl of
dM: thinecnlh cW""y. does not sptak of h. and TIr,
•
CIr..,cnu ,ond Montmcriu of Etypr, • linle l<>lcr.
does not JlKnlion any moo......ry ". chun;h in Up-
per Ec,ypc dedicated 10 S;>int limytinah/Dimyinah.
O. Mclnardus (1969, PI'. S6. 68) rightly ROles lhal
th. development (Jf the cult of Saini Dlm}'!nah is
no earlier than lhe ~ginning of the 1Ie\'emcenth
century. Her life doc" nol figure in the mOSt ancient
manuscript> of the SYNAXAllON. I-lo--'cver, Ihe dedi·
ca.ion of her church is inserted at 12 Bashans In a
manuserlpl of 170 (Vatican library, Arabic 63). In
a ma'1linaJ note only, hence by a reader larer than
lhe copyist. her feast i5 mentio<t«! on 13 rQbal! In
another manuscrlpl of 171 2 (COpIic MUlt"Um, Cairo,
Urul'&Y 4~a). It is remarkable .....t the Ethlopic Syn--
aurion, ..... kh .._ 1t;iU1!;b.ted from Arabic: al the
bqinnin, of the fifteenth century in lhe morw.tery
of ~nt Amony (Don... JJo::IlA A->q(tr<IYOs), ntakes no
menlion 01 Saini DimyAnaIL
h must, however. be noted that the autno.. 01 the
Ufe 01 s.int JimyinahfDimy:ina!t (the I\I.mt' eannot Plan of tho: c rc"" at Da)T Siu Dimyinah. Co.mu,.
be the feminine of Damian, IS M~nat'"'" a.Ili:rms). PuuG....."" ",
Joltn, bishop 01 ParaJlos. reporu h.>in, found the
5&Ory In lhe Da)T aJ-Maymah. to the IIOOth of &I. traYden to the [)ayr Jim)'itWl In !he sew:nteft1th.
b'farAn. At the bqinnin, 01 the Uk it Is reillm and ei&hteenth. cmtllrles so:rangcly ec:wml:>le tho5oe
thai the WOI al the age o{lfne year was o/fen!<l by described by lhe Elhiop;e IOIJrces aJ. the Da)T aJ·
her f:lIllter to the chwclt olDayr aJ·MJI,.mah, located Migb~, ...f>ich ...-as ICarcely more thiuJ some ')
near 8ilqfd. SineI' Ibis monasu:ry was in ruins miles (IS bn) distanL We may themore ad ",beth.
(probebly before the "'ir1~th ceotury). il Is possi. er, after the deKruetion of Oayr .1·Migh~ io 14)8,
ble thai the life of the saint was composed when lhe ~lion of tlte fahltM was not lransferred to
Dayr al·Maymah was "ill fIouriohing. or before the DlIyr Jim)-anah, which ..... lhe ori&in of the cull of
thine.r:nth century. It is therefore well ro dist!n....i.h the saint wit" ....... honored lhere.
clearly between the expansion of Ihe cult of Saini
Dim)1inah and the origin of her life pfeSef\'ed only BIBUOCRAPHY
In Arabic. (A ~.ume of this life has been InSt"ned
Meinardus. 0, ·'A Crltk.1 Study of the Cult of Silt
InlO the Cairo edition of Ihe Synaxarion at 13 TUb· Dimiana and Her Fony Virainl." Or;et1lalia S,U_
ah and at 12 &shans). ea"a 18 (1969):45*66.
On lhe other hand. it seem. significant that lhe Sicard, C. Owvr.., l vall.. ed, M. Manin. Biblio-
aJ>?t'arances 01 the Virgin tJat are related by the theque d·~tudel 83-85. Cairo, 1982.
872 DAYR SlIT DIMYANAH: Architeclure
Vansleb, J, M. Nouvelle relalio" en forme de journal
d'u" voyage f"il en Egypu e" /672 eI 1673. Paris.
1677. Translaled as The Prese"l State of Egypl.
London. 1678.
RENt-GW~o£S COQUIN
MAURICE MARTIN, SJ.
Architecture
Dayr Sill Dirn}'lnah contains ..,veral large
churches, 01 which only the small Church 01 the
Epiphany !'Os-sesses some claim to antiquity, Lying
in th" soulhwest of the main comple~ and evidcntly
deriving from the Ottoman period. it con.islS of
loor domed compartments (bays) ranged one after
another. The eastern one serves as a sanctuary, .... ith
an ahar of fired bricks, and traces of worl< at the
entrance that indicate the existence of a wooden
ieono.talsi.. The east wall, in front of which is a
.ynthronon. contains ~'eraJ niche•. Northeast of
this chorch lies an irregularly constructed modem
hall church which Vansleb in 1672 saw under con·
struction (1677, pp. 15Sff). It is provided-as is
u.uaJ today-with three sanetuanes, In more reo
cent times it was enJarged on the south .ide by an
additional aisle. On Ihe nonh .ide there i. an en·
trance hall, also added in modem times, Ihe wesl·
em .ide room 01 which was deveJoped into a bap·
tistery.
Entirely modem are Ihe Church of Silt Dimyflnah
I}'ing to the west 01 the hall church, which was
constructed as a four-pillar church wilh an ambola·
tory and quatrefoil..haped pillars, and a large pil-
grim church to lhe east.
The monaslery has become a famous piJgrim cen·
ter, which annually allracts thousands of pilgrim.
.
on 20 Janual)' an<l 21 May.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grossmann, P. Millelaller/iehe ta"ghauskuppelkir.
chm und vuwandte Typen in Oberiigyple".
Gltickstadt, 1982.
Meinardus, O. Monk< and Monasteries of Ihe Evp"
lia" Deserts" pp. 333fT. Cairo, 1961.
Munier, H, "Leo monuments coptes <I'aprh Ie pere
Michel Jullien." B"I/eli',. de 10 SocUt,; d'archialo--
gie caple 6 {l940):141-6S.
a
Sidaw;, E. "Une El<cursion Silti Dim;"na." Bulle·
Ii" d" I" Socib,; de ,'-ographie 8 (l917):84ff.
PETER GROSSMANN
DAYR AL-SULTAN, one of the most important
Coptic monasteri"" in Jerusalem. It lie. between
the Coptic Patriarchate 10 the nonh and the Holy
Sepulcher to the south. [n th" southw""t comer of
the monastery are two ancient churches. On the
eastem sl<le of the counyard i. the re.idence of the
abbot and some rooms for the use of visi.ing E.hio·
pian monks. On the ","'estern sidc of the coun}'ar<!
are two rooms u.ed by th" Ethiopians as a church.
G. Williams, who \'i.itcd the monastery in 1842,
records in his book The Holy City the legend that a
.uJtan offered a generous rewar<! to his Coplic cierI<
in return for hi. long ",,,,·ice. The clerk aske<l in·
slea<l for permission to <eno\'ate the <levastated
monaslery an<l this was grante<l. In memory of this,
it is said, the monasTery was named after the .ultan.
and an iron chain was faslene<l in Ihe wall by the
gate .... a .ign 'hM the monastery was under his
protection.
The .ultan'. messengers and envoys use<! to <e·
side al the monastery while in Jerusalem. One of
th""e w.... Mans;:;r aJ·nJbani, who built a church in
the mnnastery in the <lays of Patriarch CYRIL II
(1078-1092). Thi. is the mmt jikel)' explanation for
the name of the monaslery.
When the Crusaders emered J"rusalem in 1099
they <lismissed some of the clergy 01 Ihe Oriental
churches, among them the Copts, and confi.cated
their holy relics. However, it seems that they later
aUowe<l the Copt. to .tay in Jerusalem, since John
of Wurzberg, who vi'iTe<l the eily in 1165, and The-
odoric, who was there in 1172, memion thai Copts
were among the Christian sects in the holy pJaces at
the time. When Saladin recaptured Jerusalem
(1IS7), he restored 10 the Copts their churches an<l
monasteries.
L Cust. in The Stalus Quo in the Holy Plac..
(1929), remarks that during the Crusades Ihe mono
asTery was occupied by Augustinian monks, but that
the Copts regained it in the days of AnM BASIUOS I,
archbishop of Jerusalem from 1236 to i260.
The connection between the Ethiopians and the
monastery began when they were inviled to .tay
Ihere as they needed a shelter after they losl their
monaslery of Mar Ibrihlm and some othcr holy
places in Jerusalem in 1654, when they were un·
able to pay their lalI:es. In Voyage nouveau dc /12
Terre Sai"'e (1679) M. Nau mention. "a church
.hat was discovered a few years ago and i. called
.he Church of the Apostles. Thi. place belonged
pre,'iou.ly.o .he Ethiopians, but since they failed to
pay the lalI:es 10 the Turks they had to withdraw and

I..ave their possession. to th.. Gre..k.... This story
i. confiTT11ed by other writers, including ehr)'sosto-
mos Papadopoulos (1910) who .tates thai "Ihe
Annenians ... look over all the belongings of the
Elhiopia", in i654." A decree issued by the court
of Jerusalem and registered in its records for 1654
slates that th.. Greeks received from the Armeni·
ans all that belonged to the Elhiopians by the order
of the sultan.
The Copts have carefully maintained Da}T al·SuI·
!'In in their possession. An important docum..nl
pre.erved in the Patriarchate in Jerusalem records
renovations carried oul by the Copts al the monas_
leI)' in 1686, and refers to Ihe monastery as the
"monastery of the Coptic sect in the protectornte of
Holy Jeruulem, known in the past as AI·Sul!an
monastery." An inventory compiled in 1820 indi-
cates places that needed renovation, and a d«ree
approving the work was issued in the same year.
There are other records of renovations undertaken
at the monastery.
Under Turkish rule, despite the Copts' generosity
and hospitality toward them, the Ethiopia", soon
tumed against Iheir hosts and attempted to obtain
rights in the monastery. These attempt~ were in
vain, but in 1878 the keys of Ihe church were stol-
en. Anb.1 e~stuos II, archbishop of Jerusalem (1856-
1899), complained to the Great Council of the
city, which ordered that Ihey should he remme<! to
the Copts.
When it was decided 10 enlarge the gate of the
monastery with the approval of the authorities, the
Ethiopia", attempted to prevent the work from tak-
ing place, but the authorities conliTT11ed that "the
monastery belongs to the Copts" and the work was
completed.
The Ethiopians enlisted the help of Russia in their
anempts to obtain rights in the monastery and Ihey
sent many delegations to the sultan in Istanbut but
in vain. The sultan's order '\lias given in 1905 that
"the demands of the Ethiop4tns cannot be accept·
I'd." A further decree issued by the governor of
Jerusalem in 1901 reaffinnedihe rights of the Copts
in the monastery.
The governmem of the British mandate showed
respect for the stalUs quo in the holy places. De-
spite the repeated allempt, of the Ethiopians at that
time, Ihe~ failed to "btain right, to the monastel)'
and retained only the right (Of lransient hospitality.
During Jordan's rule of the Holy City, the govem·
ment conformed with and preserved the status quo
in the holy places, including Da}T al·Sul!an. Howev-
DAYR AL·SULTAN 873
er, things changed when diplomatic relations be-
tween Egypt and Jordan were broken off. In 1959
the Ethiopian bishop in Jerusalem took a,h-antage
of the political con Aiel and the mCI that the see of
Jerusalem was vacalll following the death of Anba
Yacobos, and asked the government to restore what
he called the rights of the Ethiopians. The Coptic
patriarchate in Jerusalem, however, defended its
right of ownership of the monastery, and the Jorda-
nian committee that had been set up to examine
the issue never mel.
In 1960, when relations between Egypt and Jor-
dan had deteriorated once more, the governor of
Jerusalem attempted to reopen the subjttt of the
monastery. The Coptic archbishop, Basilios IV, who
was present at a meeting called by the governor_
refused to discuss the subject on the grounds that
there was no dispute over the ownership of the
monastery. He nOlified the patriarchate in Cairo
about Ihe meeling, and CYRIL vi sent a cable to the
Jordanian prime minister in which he pointed out
that the status quo in Ihe holy plac,," was govemed
by i'llemalional agreement and could not be re-
voked by any local authority.
Pope Cyril moo asJr:ed the an:hbishop of Jerusa-
lem not to allend any further meetings called by
the governor of Jeru5alem conceming the monas-
tery, lest his presence be intelJlreted as approval of
the eligibility of the Jordanian authorities to deal
with the subject.
In 19M, the go,..,mor summoned the Coptic
archbishop and produced a copy of a decree stipu-
lating that Dayr al·Sul!in should immediately be
taken over by the Ethiopians. The archbishop re-
jected the decree and asked for time to consult
higher authorities_ The governor refused and threat-
..ned to take over the monastery by force. When the
archbi.hop refuse<! once more to surrender the
monastery, the govemor ordered the military com-
mander of the area to break down Ihe doo", and
occup~ il. These orders were carried om, and a
group of armed soldie", was placed inside the mono
astery.
The archbishop had a meeting with King Hussein
to explain that the monastery had belonged to the
Copts for cent"ri"", and thai the Ethiopians had no
rights in the monastery e"cept that of transient hos·
pitality. The archbishop asked the king to revoke
the decision and to restore the status quo in the
monastery. The king promised to consider the mat-
ter. Evidence of the Copts' owne",hip of the monas·
tery ,',as presented to the amhorilies, a"d a docu-
874 DAYR AL-SULTAN
/Ilt'nl thool lisl~ all ~ ~ of \he Copu was
iUbmitt~. In tit;" doeumt'nt Arehbilhop Basilloo
declared thaI the ~ovanor was 'QponJible for any
altft"ations to. tamperings ..,.;th, or Iossn of *J))' of
theK holy pc s=ions thaI moe''' resuh ITom the
~Izwl: of the -elY. ~ archbW>op ocnl a
oop,. of !his declantioll 10 !he Jordanian pr;,-
... InMr and 10 !ftc minislcr of lIM! InltriDe".
Archbishop Ba$ilios. no....'n'ft"..... unablt 10 con-
IaCI 1M p.uriar<:hale in Cairo. due 10 tht political
lituation. Ht was compell~ 10 send tlte $le'o\o"aTd of
tlte Coptic mort3StnYs in Jnusale... to Cairo. car·
rying. _ssar<' rmm himulf 10 Ihe popt. in ..1tic.1t
Itt rtq"ntfll that "'" Egyptian IOVotrnmtnt protesJ:
officWly apinst Int stiuo.t' 01 11M: monastt..,.. can·
cd pllgrimages from Egypc. anti call for an u~nl
mtetlng of the Holy Council.
In Man:1t 1961. a Coptic delegation anivw in
Jt'runlt'm witlt • message l(l lhe Jordanian king
from Cyril VI. The delegation mtl tht kIng and the
prlme minister and discussed tht subject of the
ownership (If the monastery with them, polntlna
out lhat lhe governmen1 had .cled illegally In Utk·
Ing (WeI' the monaslery,
On 1 April. il ....... de<orefll lhat 11M: Stalul quo
should be reslored In Ihe mon~tery, .nd it wu
handed back 10 the Copt:. on lhe ame day. The
lO~mor of krusalem conveyed this dtc:islon to
tltt Elhiopian bishop in Jt'nosale.n. and • copy .....
ocnl to the Coptic a",ltbishop.
Afte. the June 1967 ...... and Isnel·. occupation
of lhe Hoi)' City, trnuble arwe from the b.-or
W>own by the lsBdi authorilic$ 10 Iltt Ethiopians.
with .."bon> ihty maintaine<l cood rd.t>on.. The
Ccpu, on the OIher hand. coT6iderN tbl:m..elvcs 10
be In a slale of "''V "";!h the l.vaelis- A1thouah itte
lsneli pcime minisler annotUlCW 10 aU 1tM' 1'lI1"
,ious ~rs that w Isradi coVotl'ftlMnl 1'lI<XlS'
n.iu<I .he Sl<J.1u5 quo in- lhe holy placa. lhe IJncIi
IOY'Cmment JOOlI ~ punine pressure on the
COIpU 10 live rigIus to ihe Ethiopians in Oayr al.
SulfAn. The Coptio:: arcltbi<hop $Iudfastly I'lISlsted
tltls p~.ssure and i ~ upon lhot pre:sc...-alion of
tilt s~ quo in the monastery_
On EasICT Eve 19&9. the .. raeli JOVemment al·
lempled to ins1all large numbers of pollee insldt
Ihe Coptic Patriarchale and Day< al·SuI"n. but the
Copts pre~tnted them. The Israeli pollet then at·
la~ktd lhe Coptic priests and laymen. and uveral
wtrt Injured. The archbishop p~nted a slrong
prolell again.t Ihe behavior of the aUlhorities, lie·
fort Easter 1971). Archbishop Basillm, being WOr·
ried lesl the .uthoril~ should repeat their allad:.
.....-01<: In various ministries -kine them In I'lISpect
tlte status quo in the holy places and 10 allow the
perfonnanct of the rellj;lo\ol ';1<:!Iin p<:4'Ce. HO¥I"tY-
~. (Nl bso~ Eve homdted5 of poIkc officers and
anned cuardo occupied the ,.lrian:hale and nr,'r
al..suJ!oIn. Tbcy rriuMd 10 Ita~ wbtn ~od and
chan""; the loeb of tilt 600n l-nns: 10 the two
Coptic churcloa In lhe tl'IOOaSIery and to the road
leading from the eltuTChes to the yard of the Holy
Sepulche•. They sriud the rwo churches and hand-
~ them OVICT 10 tltt Eahlopiam. When Iht' Copts
found 0111 ""hal had ~ncd. some priests ..."em 10
the roo.......,.,. but _.e pre>-enled from enlering.
Tbcy !hen inionnfll the .",ltbishop, wlto inlentlpl-
W his I""'YCT'S, and ""ffil to the monasttry "";!h
large numbel'$ of prit$lS. Copt:s. and ChriMia... of
olhe. sects- On arrivlnl al the monastery, Ihey were
thl'llaten<:<l by Ihe so\diel'$, More Inned police ar-
Ii,..,d. and the people were led at gunpoint through
the slreets to the Patriarchale. S<lme who refus«lto
obe~' ...·e.e beaten.
The same nighl the archbishop lried unsucce••-
fully 10 conl<>C1 ao~ernment officials, He therefo.e
brought the case before the Israeli supreme COlIn
in Jenosalem, and On 16 March 1971 il dec~ that
w]w had happened was a Aagl1lnl ~iolalion of so<:cu·
ril)' and public or&er .nd asked the minwlCT of
police 10 restore tlte U5Urped places to the Copts..
Despile this, Iltt 1....11 pemmenl _I.........
lemporary decision aplmt Ihe Copts. ..."'ile ""Hin,
up a commince '0 rteUmlM Ihe issue and In "",b-
mil its .--..conurotndalions 10 lhe cabinet.. 11m com·
mince did noIhinl to rnoI~ !he situation, and the
archbishop "'"all comptlled to 10 once more 10 tht
supreme C'OUI1 In 1m. Ahhoucb !ht 6,.., .iuda<:!l
",-on II(lI unanimous In tlld. findinp. on 1 January
lhcy adopted • unif,ed aUitude critical of the g0v-
ernment.
Aher the signing of tlte puce bUIy boet~n
Egypt and Js~l .Itt archbishop wrote 10 Ihe isnoeli
Itead of SUloI~. iu pcime minister, the minister of
foreign alfain. lite ministlCT of the inl~rior, Ihc min-
iSle. of police.•nd .Ite minister of r"'iglons, assert-
ing that tlte p<'ace bel""tffi the two coun~ con-
Dicled with. the presstll'll t~t'nd by lhe author-itits
.1l$1 th~ Copts. Ht once more requeslfllihal lhe
tempo",'Y decision mad~ by tbe gm'ernmenl
againsl Ih. CoP'S in 1971 should be rcv(lked atld
Ihat lhe Coptk pounslonl should be relurnd to
Ihem. The question h;u sliII not been resolve<! sali.-
bclor-il)'.
 DAYR SUNBAT 875
!

BIBLIOGRAPHY
,
Basilios rv (Anb1). The Unjust AggrLSsiol1. on the
Coptic Holy Places. Jerusalem, 1970.
Cerulli, E. Etiopi in Palestina. Rome, 1943.
,+
Colbi, S. P. Christianity in Ihe Holy Land. Tel Aviv, •
1969.
Cust, L. G. A. The Status Quo in the Holy Places.
Jerusalem, 1929.
Harvey, W. Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Oxford.
J935.
JiIjis PhlluthA'us Awa<;l. Coptic Possessions in ie-nc·
salem. Cairo, 1924. In Arabic. "
Meinarous. O. F. A. The Copts in lerosa/em. Cairo,
1960.
Moore, E. A. The Ancient Churches of Old Jerusa-
lem. Beirut, 1961.
Nau, M. Voyage nouveau de fa Terre Sainte. Paris,
\ 1679. Map showing the location of Dayr Sunba! in relation
Timotheus (Anba). Collection of Documents and to other buildings in the area. I: church; II: store·
Deeds Proving the Coptic Ownership of Dayr 01· house; III: church; IV: room of undetennined reli·
Sultan and Other Places ill Jernsalem. Cairo, n.d. gious purpose; 1-9: cells; A and B: two sites of
In Arabic. potsherds and bricks. Courtesy Rene-Georges Coquin.
Williams, G. The Holy City: Historical, Topographi.
cal and Antiquarian Notices on Jerusalem, 2 vols.
London, 1949. not seem that this was a chapel, for it was oriented
Zander, w. "On the Settlement of Disputes about north and south,
the Christian Holy Places." Israel Law Review 8, The site of the monastery must have included
no. 3 (July, 1973). cells on either side of the large quarry. behind the
ARCHBISHOP BASIUOS monastery. Moreover, the quarries that served as
cells almost all have in front of them an artificial
terrace with a retaining wall.
DAYR SUNBA:r. complex of ruins nonheast of The inscriptions are given in Martin (1971, pp.
the ruins of ANTINOOPOLlS, in the angle of the amphi- 81-86).
theater formed by the Arabian chain. of which the
town of Antinoopolis occupies approximately the
,
center.
The whole complex, established on the spur of +f-'
,
the mountain that overhangs Antinoopolis, includes
Ute monastery itself. two chapels, and several cells.
"
,
.- ,
,, •,, "
The monastery was built of unbaked bricks (see
the schematic plan drawn J!p by Manin, 1971. p.
65). It consists chiefly of I, massive building of
- ,•

about 26 by 13 feet (8 by 4 ;m) in the middle of a

counyard about 65 feet (20 m) on each side. The
building is divided into two s"mall halls, the vault of
which has collapsed, Along the north and south
walls of the counyard. five small rooms 13 by 13
feet (4 by 4 m), all' that remain, are disposed along
each side. To the east of the dayr is a large quarry, ''----'''*"
which may have served as a storehouse, The area Map showing the general layout of the monastery. 1:
around the monastery is full of slighter structures. church; 2- 7: cells; 8: Rupestral monastery; 9- I 1:
Martin counts two chapels, To these he adds the cells; 12: outline of a sculptured stele or cella; 13:
hall numbered 4. Although it has an apse. it does church; 14- 17: cells. Courtesy Rene·Georges Coquin.
 876 DAYR AL·SURVAN: Hislory

Somel","'" rnt §OUrn chu,..,h ..00 Ihe cells lhal
surround II. kmning " complex, are called Dol}'r
..lIta...." (d. Mi~'[l Bahr. 1957. p (07).
BJBUOGItAI'HY
C~. J "'NOles ard~opques el philolociqun..'
Bulk,in tie flub"" /rrrn(liil d·....,..,htoIopt "ne....
,.Ie 2 (1902):41 -70
lolnllni, E. f in Due"p""" tk 'Et:rpu. \'01 4
h.ris. lall.
,.br1in, M L-l..dun ~ lkr.1 o. ilA,,"~ Biblio-
Ihnfue de<; hude:,,; copies S Cain:>. 1971-
MI~',I Bahr. T.ritJ. "'·OiJdj~ ,,1·AnINI YHI)."",~ "/'
O"!ir ..'" II,,,,,..,.., .4nf'''.' A.leundlia, 1957.
RL.. tG£OItG~ Coocu<
M"~.ICl! MARTI" S.I
DA'IR AL·SURYAN, [Tlli< urlicle co"cems "
""''''Wery .Iw' i< Siill /,mc'lwni"s, O"c Stc,ioll dis·
c"sses d,t p"SI ""d lhe more ltCe.lI hislOry' "t ,lie
da~·r. ,ho o,lrer rhe archiieem" ", I',"sem a"d WI"'C
0/ ,ho chang.. rlwr ha," lake" plaa d"ri"g ,I,t
cellll"'os.]
History
to "'hieh 1"'- mrmbc:n of ,he eommuni'~' .. Ito
....,,.., doclnnal follo,,·e ... of Sc,,,,rus rnmTI;!_
E\·cnh.a.ll~. perhaps after The reconciliation of The
Caianite (Julianisl) .,.ny and !he Theodosian (Se,
eran) I"""Y in EcYPc arouOO 710. !he doyr ,,-as
boughl from The Copts and con,-.:nrd in.o a Sn;an
IDOna5l.ery In a Ccrtaul .\lanllha, " man of Takritan
(i_t.• Ea$1 ~-rian. buT Monophvsile) ori~n ..-no had
oi>en 10 high pcl5'itioOn in <he JO\... mmeDI of Ecll'l
It ...... at an" nte. " S>rian _"I)" by 850 .. heD
the buildinp. includ,nJ <he p«5CU' principal
ehu,..,h. "'...,.., alreach tuina form. 'The ~,.., lor·
tifying wall$ of the lale nimh centu')' still 5UlTOUnd
The monastery.
The monastery's m081 ""'ntorabl" abbot ....as .\10-
5CS of t-:i.ibi.. "ltote reign .p;onn,-d moo.< of lhe fi .....
half of ,he 'enth cemu""...'he" the pre.ent ~"yltJ/
(sanc'uary) 1Ie ...... n and ehoir Kreen of Ihe principal
church. the mural deeoralion of its apse, and the
Chapel of Ihe fort,-Nine Many........,re put in place
Abbot Mo"" "'OS ",m 10 Uaghdad around 927 with
a delegation s""kinll tlte c.emption of bi,hop•.
monks, and infirm Chris,ians from ,hc capitation
1"" ~ccn,iy imposed in EaJ-l't. He 51aved on for
some time after thai Kool was allaine<! an<l eollecl'
t<l a choice a'.... v of ",anuscripts in Mesopotamia
an<! nonhem S"ria, ....bi.c .. he brought back (Q 'he
",onas.~ry library In 931-931

This is one of 'ht four monasteries Slill function·

inS'" 'Ud! aJ·>';"triln (!he lUtci.cnt desen of SC£T1S)
lOU,hwCSl of the >,;jJe Dcl",. In the earliest e.lplic.-it
~rerences WI ha,.., ..,,,,;.-ed (in notes wrin"n in,o
,h,e.. S>riac manUSl"ripts .oonly afttr.l D 851). il is
""lIrd 'M "Iona$l:try "'of tbe Moo"'" of God of the
SyriaflS (one note adds ~of Abba Jmhoi") "'hK:h •
In lhe dexn of Ecll'l for "of Sect,,'"':' Fn>m its
hbnf\.. ...,... mo.d~· bul not enTimy in ,he an,osJl
Lobnry,IM 'ialicallLibrarv. 1M Naliona! t..ibn» in
Paml. and elsc",-hcrr in~ropc, ha,... come man.. of
The m05l ;mporlant Syria<: ..... nuscnpu. e.ltant.
The records of its early period ~m To haw ""r-
iWd in The lIC""ra1 devastalion of lhe mon:l$lerics
in Wldr al-NatrUn by Arab marauders ..round 817.
II is not one of 'he original monas,erles of Seetis. It
....as ~Iabli.hrd fa, Thos.c mooQ of the neishboring
monas,ery of DAYR .lSBA BISIIOI "ho ",,,rc dOClnnal
pani$an. of Sl'.\l~RIJS 01' A"'TIOCIl [0 ,he ~rsT de<::ode.
af'er 518. Ii'll' oppo.~ng pany. whiCh subscribed to
ihe Christologinl view. of JUt.'AS of Ilallcamassus.
had pined conlrQl of 'he f"", original nlOna.,cries,
Each ,,-as then doubled by a new and "'pa.... le "'0'" Church of Sill Mary""" Com,.n' The M"rropolrUlII
llSlery dcdkated to lhe TIlEOTOKOS (n>o,her of G<>d). Af"swm of A", N~,,' York.
 DAYR AL·SURYAN: HiSIOf)' 877

The accession of new manuscriptS continued, but

<hei.. limited r;",1C of comen! (rn<l5tl. biblical, lilUl'"
lical. ba~lIica1 and ascclieloll reflecl5 a nar-
......inE of th~ communll.··s inleruts. The Black
Dea1h thu ..rud ~l'l tn 1~8-I}oC9, Ihc lamine
and pe:slilence I,,'ent~·fi,·e ,ftOS bitt. and lhe .......
aces of Tamerbne (Timur) and II.. Mongols in SHU
:u lhe lum of lhc ccnlurv IIdp 10 ~"Plain ",h~' a
\tliung monk from s,-o. round • singl~ monk in
Lhe ml>r>aSleTY in 1412-1413 A I'e'\~,-"l, "'Wenl af·
ler 1434, conlinued Inlo the early 'min of Ihc IIMI
century, "'till -"e Taknl2n, joined br 'In'.,.,.1
monks fmen lLbanOl1, including rIlc adrninisl'3li\"C-
Iy .igOrt>lJ'S abbot (v""c.
The communll~ ...·as &nduallv becoming morc
Coplic than S)'rian or il5 lOn\ -Ihrtt monks in I S I S-
ISlb, only eight«n W~I'C Syrian.... hile tile OIher
,... "nly-6.'e were Cop'" The monks ",·110 left 10 re-
popuhue the monasterics of Saint Anton, (DAYR ASBA

O<'taI1 of door NI""ffn n3V'eandchoor, Ch"reh of Sin

...~ ...._ C(}J<n~y TIo~ Muropohull' AI....."'.. olAn,
Nn.· y""t

The _ReS of lhe monast~,ys incom~ are "n-

known. II is unlikdy lhal II pI'S"=nl endmo..... ~n15
or land ,n lh~ frnil~ pans of ~-p1 in the M,ddk
....es. In 987 Ihc Syrian P'tIriarch orAmiol:h fdl
conSIr~ined to "TTle 10 lhe Copaic pll""rch 10 :16k
lhat the laller be- allenli\'~ 10 the ""~ of lhe
monlc:s of D3\T a1-SuI)-M and !heir nourishment.
The monks C<Nltinued !<) be .-ecruited maml, from
the Easlc", (rahitan) d,oce50'5 of lhe Amiochcne
S.'rian eh"rch "mil at leasl the carly c1cventh een·
lUI"\', and Ihroughout that period thdr recorded
bencfuclors were for the mosl pan Tahilan' of
Mesopotamia or Eg:ipl. In 1088, Dayr al·Su')'!n,
with .i>ty monks, was the Ihird la']tcst of Ihc l14'\'en
monasteries Ihen existing in Widl al·Na\n'ln,
After 1100, Ille monks I14'cm to h\'e comc ..alher Delail (Of panel. h~vkal SCre<:'I. Church of al·'Adhr~:,
from the ",·c.<tern pan of tile Chureh of Amiocll. COli""')" Th~ M~trop()IiID" Mu,,,,,m 0/ An, New Yo_k,
878 DAYR AL-SURYAN: History

Frieze and panel of h">*QI, Church of a1·'Adhri',

Courtesy Th. Melropol'ttl" Museu", 01 !lrl, ........ York.

M,'lir"IYUs) and of Saint Paul (DAYk A.'lDA BOll) in

the Eastem De""n laler in the century werc pre-.
sumably Copts, but the mon.:L5lery r«ei"ed aid
from the Sl'rian palri"rch O~wiId·Sh~h in the late
sixteenth century, The sieward in 1626-1627 was a
Sp-;an, but Ihe COp'lc patriarchal ")'noo installed.
new aboot in 1636-1637, After that, Oayr al-SuryAn
can be comidercd a Coptic monaslery, although a
church in the compound w;lS $Ill! said 10 be for
I/Qyhl. cenm.l pan. easl niche Church of.I·'Adhrio',
Courlu.,- The MelropolitQn Museum 01 Art, "'cw )'0'*.

Church of al·'Adhrli', Detail of • oonch: N'l.lhily

Scene, Joseph in th. foreground, righl of center and
the Three Magi atth. f"r righl. Inscriplions above are Church "f al:Adhr;l', O<:lall of" conch: Annunciation
In Smac, Court<"v InSl;,,,t Fr~",~is d'ArchtolQg;e Scene. Inscriptions in S,'r;ac and Coplic, Counts}
Ori...,Dle, C~m" In«'t,,! Fran,ai, d'ArcHoiogie O"enlQle, Cairo,

Syrian use in 1657, and Roben Cunon, visiting the
mon...tery in 1837, found a group of Ethiopian
monks living in a pan of the enclosure,
Today the monh of the mon...tery, who in 1976
numbered thiny in the monastery itsel£ and ten
active elsewhere in Egypt and in tM Coptic estab'
Iishments of Jerusalem, play an important role in
the current C<>ptic monastic renaissance, Physical
impmvemenlS reflecting the gTowth of the monas,
tery since 1950 indude a building for the museum
and Iib...ry, a small printing press, and provisions
for running water, Pope Shenouda III, elected in
t971, was a monk: of the c<>mmunity.
BIBUOGRAPHY
For what can be Imown of the history of the
cammunity, its buildings, and its library down to
the nineteenth century, the meticulously document·
ed work of H. G. Evelyn-White, The M(m",ttriu of
the W"di'~ N(l/ru~, Vol. 2, The History ollhe Mona>·
teries 01 Nilria and "j Seetis, pp. 232-35,309-321.
337-38,414-16,439-57 (New York, 1932): Vol. 3,
ArchitulUre and Archaeology, pp. 167-220 (New
York, 1933), i. the source of almost all thaI has
been published since.
A new document from the reign af Abbot Cyriac
has been published by J. l.emy, "Un t"'moignage
inedit sur l'etat du monaSlere des Syriens au
Wadi'n Natriin au debut du XVI' si"de," Bulletin
de I'/"SI;lul IN",,;a;s d'Archeo!ogie orie"t"le 65
(1967):1-23.
Brief notices On the Syrian presence in Ihe mono
astery documented by Arabic sources, mainly of the
late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries but as
lale as 1632, mostly unknown to Evelyn-White, can
be found in G. Graf, Geschichle de, chti$l/ichm "ra·
bischen Lite'atu" Vol. 3 (Vatican Cily, 1949), p. 55,
and Vol. 4 (Vatican Cily, 1951), pp. 8, II, 23.
Still una.'ailable when Evelyn_White was doing
hi. work on the churches was U. Monneret de Vil-
lard, Les Eglise5 du mon""I",e des Syrien"'au Wadi
e"_Na!r,,,, (Milan, 1928). ••
Accounts of modem visiloT'$ are of unequal value;
one, in Arabic, is that of Ihe Copt Zakl Tawadtils in
A!-K""",,,h 16 (1930):490-502,
The monastery's history and archaeology. with
some data nol gleaned by Evelyn-White, are includ·
ed, with infonnation on the monastery in recent
years, in O. Meinardus, Monb and Monaste'i" of
the Egyptian Desal5 (Coiro, 19(1). Subsequenl de-
velopments are chronided in O. Meinardm, ·'Re-
cent Developments in Egyptian Monasticism 1960·
1964," Odens chri.<lianus 49 (1965):79-87, and his
"Zur monastischen Erneuerung in der koptischen
Kin'he," On'e". christianus 61 {I977):59·70.
A brief historical and anist;c sketch, b~d entirt·
DAYR AL-SURYAN: Architectllre 879
lyon Evelyn_White'5 work, is given by 0, H. E.
Burmestu, A G"ide 10 Ih, Monaste,;es of Ihe Wa_
dr,,·Natrun (Cairo, 1955), pp. \3-21.
AELRED CODY. O.S.B.
Architecture
The d"~'r is situated barely 110 yards (100 m) to
the ~t of the Dayr Anba Bishoi and is Ihe smallest
arnong the still inhabited monasleries of Wadi aI-
Na!nin. Only in the modem period have extensive
garden~ been joined to the monastery, On its east
side,
The monastery proper, which is enclosed by a
high wall, possesses an easl-west orientation in its
main extension and is aboul 165 yards (150 01)
long. The main entrance lies at the west end of the
nonhem girdle wall. It leads immediately into a
small coun that is bounded on the north by the
doister wall and on the west and south by the
;"W$"4 (keep) and its outer stairs, Adjoining this
court is a larger court thaI includes a garden. Along
the south side it is bordered by the al-"Adhra'
Church and by several monastic cells, To the west
of the church lies the refectory, no longer in use,
and the kitchen belonging to ii, as well as a small
counyan! that also extends to an area wesl of the
;awsaq.
The other buildings are also situated right next 10
the wall. The central area is thereby left dear for
passages and modesl gardens. The row of cells
along the nonh wall is interrupted by the Church of
Sit! MaI)-am. A third church, thai of Saint John
(Evelyn-White, 1973, pt. 3, pp. 217-20), i. found at
the far eastern end in tbe northeast comer of Ihe
monastery. This is a small single-aisled chapel that
is nO longer in use as such but instead now se!'\les
as a kitchen and storehow;e. Along the south wall
of the monastery several uniformly executed cells
ha,'e been set up. A fe", steps to the east of the
al-'Adhr!' Church a modem guesthouse has been
constructed.
The al.'Adhr!' Chu",h (Gros,mann, 1982, pp.
lUff.. fig. 47: E.'elyn·White, 1973, pI. 3, pp. i80ff.)
is the most important chu",h edifice of Wadi al·
Napiln and, in its plan, almost completely pre-
-Se!'\led. Very probably this is the church built by
Syrian monks in the former Theotokos monastery
of Dayr Anba Bishoi. which was sold into Syrian
hands after 710, The church may tbus be dated to
the firs! quaner of Ihe eighth cenlury. Originally it
stood unconnected on all s'des. Only in recent
880 DAYR AL·SURYAN: Architecture

tim~s was lh~south wall of th~ monastery ~rected

along lh~ soulh wall of th~ chur<h.
In its constructional design, lhe chur<h i. a basil.
ica. It was origin all}' covered by a wooden mof and
had a r~turn aisle at the west end and a tripartile
sanctuary witlt an original kit"", •. Th~ laue. has
been combined with the ahar chamber into a tri·
conch. whose center is emphasized by four half·
columns, In the south wall of lhe naos tlte original
sequence of niches has been preserved. Th~ room
to the west of the church that occupies the position
nonnaily held by the narthex is acce..ible only
from wilhin lhe chur<oh. In the southwest comer of
this chamber are the 'lairs leading up to the roof.
The area beneath the stair<oase was made accessible
from the church only at a later stage when il w~
developed into a supplementary vestry.
The grealest change undergone by the building is
th~ transl'onnation in lhe tenth century of the h"y.
k"f inlO a domed area provided with a rich .tucco
oroam~ntation. This is the earlie.t attested in.tance
of the erection of a full dome over a hayk"l. The
dome itself was restored again in the Fatimid peri·
od. as was lhe one over the intersection of the
khUru.. To lhe external additions on the north side
belong a portal building added in the Mamluk peri-
od and originally executed a. a lelrapylon. and a
building set up ;I$ early as lhe temh century and
once richly decorated w,th sluccoed wall niches.
The original pulpOSC and size of this edince are
unknown; in recent times it was transfonned inlO
the Chapel of lite Forty·nine Martyrs.
l1te Church of Silt Maryam (Grossmann, 1982.
pp. 106ft.; Evelyn·While. 1973. pt. 3, pp. 212ft.)
seems not 10 have been constructed before tlte elev·
enth cenlury. Moreover, only lhe naos. designed as
an undivided lrans,erse room. and the khums, of
.imilar shape but more shallow, date from this peri·
od. The two rooms w~re originally connected by a
large central arch and a narrower passage on the
southern side. The northero side passage was
opened only .ub5equenrly. The sanctuary wilh its
tIt"e {,,,yka/s, the celllral one of which protrudes
from the east wall, dates onl}' lTom the fourteelllh
or fift~enth c~ntury. From a deep niche in the north
wall of the north haykallies the access to a cache
(KHIUNAH) placed between lhe church and the oul·
er wall of lhe monastery,
The jawsaq (E,elyn·White, 1932. pt. 3, pp. 175ff.)
of the m<>na.stery is situated next 10 the entrance

Plan of Dayr ai·Sury>l.n. Courtesy PelOr Grossmanll,


p.t. agairur. tht north ....,.]1. and still impar1S an
Ielu cJ. th.. oricinal SCrfn"h of w ~Is. which
d_'~ ha~ bt-m cOl\SisI:~tly fo"lliw 011 1M
Widoe. Jud&in~ from lIS plan. it bdonp 10 tht lo~.
.." ...Iopcd ~ from tht oldn- periocI; it u·
ready II" .... ~, howe-\... r, a mo,"" comple< arran~
mtn. of I'1X>m!.. Lik Ihote o<her enmple5, i. mUS(
be tn,.,.w a' the second ftoor by means cJ. a linw-
bridet hingtd a' W e •• tmU ...."U of the lO'oIo'er and
ludln~ from a separ1I.dy trtclW staircase buildin,
Si'lllllW 10 the cUI. This IIoor al50 con... ins quar-
lers for the monb, whereas lhe rooms in lhe hase·
mtnt and on .ht firsl Aoor for tht m05t 1'3" have
no windo....s and Wtre Slorerooms and archiv....
Only a larger broad room on the firs. floor conlain·
Ins a nlohe in tilt cast wall Wilh a sm,lIl «<en
"I\clerncath i., Slloh as II Is ohen found in the oralo-
ria cJ.lhe monastic cells of KEUJA, probably JC""w
ori&inatly:as a common ""'lOoy. n.c fum;..hlnp on
Ihc third 8oor, with a Ilbnl)' and a chapd, Mlon,
10 !he modem ""noeL A.cc"rdi"ll lO H. G. E.... lyn-
Whil.e (1973, pt. 3, p, 178), the lane..- dNa lO 1M
l\heenth oentury, whoereu the erection of tht t~r
i!$df is dalcd by him 10 _nd ISO.
BIBUQGRArHY
E"e1yn-Whl'e, H. G. TItc Mor"uuri~ of tJr., W4di '"
Ndtri. .., pI. J, The Art;:lri/tcIUre {JJld kcloeoloD,
pp. 167-220. New Yorl<. 193}.
Grossmann, P. Millelallerliclle L4n,h"uskuppdki,...
c},e" und verw"ndte Typm in Ohu~CPle".
Glucbladt, 1981.
Mo"nere, de Villani, t1. Lu ErN"... du mon'l$/~,e
du Syrieru au W4JI cn.M'I""'. Milan, 1928.
PtTEll CM05SMANI'l
DA.YR TAsA, lodoy the name of a Coptic villaJe
on 1M righl bank of the Nilr on the ~e of the
desert, south of A.."O. anil'opposi~ AIlO 11J. The
cemetery and andell' rtlurc:' ha,." been p..............t.
No ancient aulhor mentions iI. S. ct.'.Rll In 1912
nolcd the church and il$ linllar. the arcllaneel Mi·
chael, In his lis! of the CopIic churches (1912, p.
217, no. 21). This ohurch is an .n.....,t~ modem
fOllr-«llurnn building probably of the lale elgin·
eenlh crntul)', ...iltl wall...J...p columns and Sl..e-
cocd capitals.
A lillie farther 10 lhe north $Omr quarries 6ucd
up as orll. and ~onl.lin\ng Coplio ins.;;rip';ons and a
pr:ayer niohe arc lIO,ed by G. Lefebvre (1%8, p,
16l).
DAYR AL·rIN 881
BIBUOGaAPHY
CIarU, S. CluUli.. ~ .4""iqui'ic~ ... rhc Nih V..lle,-.
lm>don, 1912_
Lefcbrrc, G. "NOIr $U1" Kha...':lolw. Ann.. l~ dOt !>cr·
H
vicc du .4nriq"i/b dr I'EDP'r 9 (I9lNl):161.
RD<6-GEOIt(;Es COOutN
MAuRIcE MAUl.. , $.'.
DAYR AL·TlN, Ttl!. monastel)' .....as menllon...J
for lhe lint lime by .I·$hlbushti (AIIya. 1939, pp.
25, 26), who died al the end of thr lenth oentury Or
thr bcginnins of the eleventh. He callw i, Mir·
l:Ianni and sllu.led il on 1M rdge of Lake al·I:I:t.b-
ash. near Ihe Nile, The HISTORY OF THf. PAUI.....CIlS Of'
mt £CYI'TIMI CHYlCH (Vol. ), pt_ J. pp. 34 [lUI], 55
['nn...]) menllons under lhe patriarch .....Ull!l. II 11
church dcdiCJIlecI 10 SainI Geo~ .ulllltod al DI)'T
at·lln.
k w bct:innin. of the thineenth ccatu')' ABO
~ THE oUllDiIAN (tINS, pp. 128-30) diRin·
",ishcd two monasteries.. those of Saint Jotln (Mit"
Y~ni) and '" Saint John the Baplisi. the lim
Coptic and the second Melchile, boIh south oi Old
Cairo b .....-.. tab al'l:Iabash and the Nile. NeaT
obis mGna$lCt)', Kcording 10 thr "'""'" a.,thor (I'.
Ill), w,", a Chu«:h of SainI George, belonging 10
Ihr Copts, which has .inc.. been deslre)'rd b). Ihe
Nilr. Beforc: 1400. Ibn Duqmlq (1893, pp. 107-108)
Silualed the lWO ehurehes al Dayr ai-Tin. This au·
Ihor oalled Ihe ehu«:h of lhr Copu lhe Chun:h of
AbU Jilj_ AI·IMOll.lzl (Vol. 2, p. 503) repeated al·
Shibushti and added lhal the monastcl)" was lben
oalled Dayr al·Tln.
Tht IWO monasltrics and thr Coptic church be-
oame Muslim under !he ruipb:a1e of al'l:I~ and
Ihc patria.-ch Gabriel II, Il«:ordin, 10 Abil ~i~
(l~95, pp. 127-30).
Sc,... raJ malWSCripU ....m: wrinen for Ibis mon»-
tt'Yor this rburch: Simaybh (1942), CaWocue 2,
no. 298, is und;.,w and, ac<:ordi"lIO era( (1934. p.
U6), dates &om lhe founeenth century. Another
manuscripl of lhe founcenth CC11twy, National U·
brary, Paris, Arabc 18. ClIniCS a copy ora Iener
datW 1591 and In!ended for Yii!:tanni cJ. lhc
Church of Saiol GeocJe aI Dayr ai-TIn (Troupeau.
1972, VoL I. p. 21), AnOlher manuscrip., Nalional
Ubral)'. Pari., Arabe 181, oonlain. a nOle of lhe
sale of lhis manusoripl 10 ,he ,uperior of lhe Mon·
astrry of SainI Viclor al Birbt al'l:Iabash In 1318
(Troupcau. p. 156).
The two manuscripls of lhe lisl of thr Egyptian
-
882 DAYR TON ETHIOPON
chur<:h.... men.ion "Apll Vielor in ."';toabaih." E.
AMf.utlEAU (I89J. p. 161) did not full)' ",nder&tand
this lell1. "t..ich ""'" been e1..ddlo.ed b)I P. Casimo,,*
(1901. p. 112).
~ manOl$Cripl datin, from 1638 mtntlons ..
MOnaloleIY of NIlZhah.. This is a uT~ifica~ namm,
the Slevo;ord of Day,.- a1·'Adawiyyah and of Oa)T aJ.
.,;whah r>eaJ" 0..)1' aI·Tin. II is probable IhaI this i.
anolher n&ln<' of Da)T aJ.TIn (SWM:. 1&&3-1895, no.
JI9).
BIBUOGLU"HY
Am~Uneau. E. u. GiO('llphie de rEeple. ripoque
top'e. PlilrU. 1893.
Aliy:a, A. S. ''Some Egyptian Mona3.erXl According
\0 .he Unpublished MS of al-5haobush,l's 'KiU,b
a!·Oiyir.lt:'" Sullelirt de r.. SlxUlt d'",d,k1ori.
tOpic: S (1939):1-28.
Cuanon, P, "us Nom. ceptt> du Caire etlocalith
voisine.:' Bulle,;" de /'/n"II..1 fron~lJls d'AreM",
togie arl"nl"l" 1 (1901):139-224.
Ibn I>uqmAq, Ki/lib az.rnU~M, ed. C, Vollers. Cairo.
1893.
Graf, C. C"ralog~, de I1M""S,,';I. ",rahts cllrili"".
cvnurvi. au Ca;,e, Studi e leoti 63. Valican City,
1934.
Sl;>ne, W. MacGuckin, Baron de. C"t4Iogu~ d~
m4"uscriu "'''M de /11 Bibliorht:que ""m"."le.
Paris. 1883-1895.
Troupe.u. G. C",.J",..e de "'''''uKrilS ",,,,,,,"s. VoL
I.P.... I912.
Ru<tG6OU;f.S COO!.IIS
MAUQCE MAlmo. SJ.
DA YR TON ETHIOPON. Su ~)T al-
Mut>-rnoq.
DAYR AL.TURFAH.lb;' d"Y" has d~ppeared.
M, Ramzt (1953-19b8, Vol. I. p. 260) situated it in
Ihe disn-;cl of Sa""""'t. The SI,,/, of lite Prov,,,ns in
.... 11, 777/A.D. 1J75 still ment;on, h. h Is nOI known
on which bank of lhe Nil~ il was. Ihough Rarnzl
say, th.1 it wM ,iluated on Ihe left bank..
lll8UOGRAPHY
'''bd al·Lallf. Rdal;011 de l"E!.gyple de ,...bd .. I wI'"/.
Iran•. and e<l. A. L S. de Sacy. In R,IIIrio" de
I'Eop/e. Parii. 1810. L '£Jill des prminces .. In_
1",1ed in an appendi~.
Ram:zt, M. A/,Q.I"'lls aUughrilfi IiJ-BiJ4d .aI.
M4rf"..u.. Vol. l. Cairo. 1953.
RoiM>1'oORGE.S CoouiN
M.ooUJI.ICE MARTlN.. SJ.
DAYR UMM 'AU. Se, Dayr a1-Rfunini,.,-ah.
DAYR ALWASTANI. Sec Da)'r a1-Shuhadi'
(AkhmIm).
DA YR YOI:IANNA (Damanhiir Shum). mon_
lery. celebrated for pHIrima,es to lhe body of Saini
Jobn lhat auracte<l many faithful. menlioned by al.
Shaoo$IUI at tbe end of Ihe lenth or beginning of
the e1e.'enlh ~enlury.
ABO AL-MAMRIM (1177-1204) devole. a short pas·
sage 10 DamanhOr Shubra (1984, p, 25). Accordinil
10 Ihis aulhor, lh body of SainI John of Sanbiil was
preserved in lhe dtun;h of SainI Theodorus al Shu.
bra. It was lranmrre<l to Ihe Church olOur L>dy in
the SllltW' lown.
AI·IlUQRltl (d. 1441) devoces a chapin 10 lhe feasl
of Saim John, which wU 6~ed al 8 Basb.... (Vol. I,
pp. 68-80). This ...... a Ire-al feast. 10 which peopk
came from e,"t:TY Q\Iilner. 1'be least was forhid&n
from IlO3 '0 1337. Ihen aUiboriud again. and final·
Iy prohibiled in 1354. In lhal ,.,.... !he ....,iT 'Ali'
aI·Din ibn 'All i!m al·Kurinl, governor of Caim.
came 10 Shubra and cleil..."....:l !he Chriuian
churches and. takin, a....ay !he ...mt', Ii.r. ha.d it
burned in a public pbee and Ihe;W,e,; Ih"""... in",
the Nile. lhal the Chrisfians mip;ht not ~oYet" it.
From dtac lime 10 lIIe preKtll, adds a1~rtzI, the
kast of lhe many.- has no 1onJfl" bttn celdor.ued.
In an ei&h.«nllH:emury 10iI of churches. of
which . _ n'lal'tUiCripu are extant (publi~ed by
AlMlineau. 1893. pp. 518. 580) the church of Saini
John of Sanhill is slill mcnlioned al Damanhiir Shu·
bra.. We do nOI know at what period Dayr Yill:lanni
aclually disappc'are-d.
BIBLIOCR.\PHY
Am~lineau. E. La Giog,"phi" de I"Egypre iJ. l'ipoql<e
coplt, Paris, 1893.
CI$anOVa, P, "Les Noms copies du Caire e1 localilh
voisin..,:' Bull,/," d, I"lnstilW f'~"';(l;S d'......
chiD/ogle Drie~lale I {l901)'ll9-224.

MMpero, J., and G. Wiet, Ma/iriaux pour seIVlr iI /0
g;ographie de I'Egyple, Memoires publies par Ie.
membres de l'Institut mm~ais d'Arche.>logie ori-
entale 36. Paris, 1919.
REN~GEORGES COQUIN
MAURICE MAl'TtN, SJ.
DAYR YUI;IANNIS (AI-Minsh;\h). On the right
bank of the Nile, about 6 miles (10 km) >outh of IMYR
ANB~ B!&\l>AK, and hence of the town of al·Minshah
(the ancient PsoijPlolemai. HenniOll), are the ruins
of a village, a necropolis, and a Coplic monastery
nam"d for Saint John. A little farther to the south,
in the quarries at the foot of the Jabal Takh, some
Coptic inscription. indicate that hennilS lived
there. Some invoke among others an Apa Johannes;
one may consult Morgan and Bourianl (1894, pp.
370-1) and Sayee (l9C8, p. 18). More recent exca·
''''lions are de.cribed by Klemm (1979, pp. 103-
<OJ.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Klemm, D. R. "!kricht ilber die erste Gelande-
kampagne im September(Oklober 1977." S/udien
;:,,, altilgyp/Ischen Kulwr 7 (1979),103 - 140.
Morgan, J. de, and U. Bcuriant. "Note sur les car·
rie~ antique. de Ptolemais (Menshiyeh):'
M,-,noires de /'lnstiwtfranfo;s d'orch,olog,e orien·
tole 8 (1894):370-71.
Sayee, A. H. "Notes On Assyrian and Egyptian Histo·
ry." Procoedlngs of Ihe Society of Biblical Archae·
ology 30 (1908):13-18.
RENt-GEORGES COQUlN
MAURICE MARTIN. S.J.
DAYR YUI:IANNIS KAMA. Amid a '1151 fidd of
ruins soulheast of DAYR AthlJRYAN and DAYR ANBA
BISH01 stand the remains of Dayr Yuhannls Kama in
W5.dl al.Nalrtln
. (sceTls) in~'\he
, we;tem deselt of
Egypt. This monaste!)' was bUilt in the ninth centu-
ry (c. A.D, 840), Tradition has il that Ihe founder
himself. Abh~ Yu~anni" buili Ihe commanding (Ow-
ers and the strongly fortified walls in addition to the
church that was dedicate<J to the Virgin Mary. Actu·
ally this church ';'"as called after Ihe Holy TIlE.().
TOKOS as she appeared to AbbA Yul:annis in a glori.
ous vision. Sh" th"n ""pressed h"r desire to have a
holy communily and a convenl built On the site.
In the lasl decades of the tenth century the mono
Mtery WM pillaged. The remains of Ihe interior
buildings, however, suggest that they were quadril-
DAYR YUJ:IANNIS AL·QA$iR 883
aterally 51ruclured, leaving the center open for
planu.
Most prominent among these building. "115 the
q4~r, an isolated triple·storied lower adjacent to the
principal church reached from the first-lloor levd
by a drawbridge. lIS major function was to seJ"\'e a-<
a fortress enabling the monks to with.oltand pro-
longed sieges. For Ihi, reason it contained a corn
mill. a well. a few cells, and a chapel on Ihe lOp
floor. MonMtic possessions and rar" manuscripts
W<':re kept there also.
II is belie,'ed Ihal this monastery suIVived until
about the second de<:ade of the fifteenth century
after which il was lotally abandoned. It was .till
flourishing when Patriarch BEIilAMIN II visiled it ;n
1330. The fourtunth·century traveler llldolf "On
Suchem visited it before the tum of the century. In
1430 ;ts monks migrated to Dayr al·Sul)an, tran..
ferring with Ihem the relics of their palron saint.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Burkitt, F. C "The Monasteries of the Wadi'n-
Nalroun." Journal of ThMlog,ca! Studies 28
(1927):320-25; 34 (1933):188-92: 36 (l935):105~
107.
Davis. M, H, ''The life of Abba John Kham~." C,,]>-
tic lext ed. and mon •. from the Codex Vaticanus
60. PO 14, pp. 313-72. Paris, 1920.
Evelyn-White, H. G. The MonaSI"i_s of th., Wadi'n
NalrUn, Pt. I, N,w Coptic Tex" from lhe Mo"as·
tery of St. Macari,,,. New York, 1926: Pt. 2. The
History of the Monasteri.. of NI[ria and Seelis.
New York, 1932; Pt. 3, The Architutur" and Ar·
cheology. New York, 1933.
Martin, C, "Les Monasteres du Wadi Natroun."
Nouvelle Revue ThJologique 62 (1935):113-34,
238-52,
DAYR YUI:IANNIS AL.QA$1R (AsyU!). See
DaYT al.'I:¢m (Asyup.
DAYR YUI:IANNIS AL.QA~IR, monastery in
WMI al.Na!nin founded in the fourth <:entur)' (<:.
Ul, 380) by Abba Y,,~annis accmding to Ihe in·
stru<:tions of his father. Amoi. Tradilion relates that
Ihe latter planted his staff in the sand and asked his
son 10 water it regularly, although the closesl wcll
WM 12 miles (19 km) a,,'ay. It is said Ihat the staff,
known in the tenth century as the "tr~ of obedi·
.nce," bloomed for more Ihan six centuri.s,
884 DAYR AL-ZAWIYA.H
'I1rlo _ e r y Is smwed ..... u-s. cl DiV! ,.u,&uI;.
TAN and DiTll IoNIA IISHOI and had dtpendomt ctlls
that formed uniu ....rTllWKloed by a hi&h wall. These
_Iling hoo.an. as they ....,n called, _re in no
_y fuoilWd III the bt,inninc cl thtir oonstl'\lCtion.
Foni6cations that Included the nucleus or the CtP·
1nI1 coun and the sUrTOUnding buildinp _re Intro-
ductd in the Iat.... dtcadts of the ninth etnlury.
In $pite cl these inlelior and t:Illtrior fortifica·
tions. this monastery. llkt many others In lhe N'i-
trian Valley. ""'as sacked and rebuilt many time•. It
was crippled financially and was totally abandoned
afttr tht crnshlng blow of the Berber incursion in
the middle of lhe fo",nttnth century. AI pratnt
only small pans of the soulhtm and weSlem sides
art somtwhat belter preserved than the encloswe
walls. which had rallen Lmo ruin. The .... Itrials cl
the col.Lapsed walb and ruined enclosures seem 10
haw: been used by 1M monks of the adjaunl Dayr
al-SwyI.n and Dayr AlIbi Bisboi for lheir cells and
otbL-r _ i c bIriIdinp.
~~~
Kffsting. A.. E. ·'The Coptic MOnasltrits of Wadi
N'aUiin:· TM &.Iltli.. {July 1'149):9-15.
WalW$, C. C. MimIlJlk Arclt.affllofl'l ;" Etnn. W....
minsltt. England. 197•.
DAYR AL.ZAWIYAH. The village loday called
al·;Uwiyai> is silualed aboul } miles (S km) from
RIfah and 9 miles (IS km) from ASYUr On the edge
cl the ~n. The monas!try is soulh of the \ill"l".
An ancienl Ctmt1t1)' boo"dtrs lht v i i " 10 the east
in tht desert, wtte.... Oot finds Roman pOUtry.
W_ M_ F. P."rit (1907, p. 1) concluded that aJ·
Uwiyah ..-..sI hayt been an ancitnl Ilorrlan fun. M.
Ramzf (1953-1964. "". 2. pt. •• p. Z7) WeI !hal this
villa&t _ formt:rly calltd MinsIt.i'lll a1-5ha).til. .AMI
~ THt UJ,la.'1A.~ at the btFftIl.m, cl lhe Ihir·
IttDth cenlUry. did flOI seem 10 know LI. Two etn·
IUries later al-MA01O.IzJ (1851. Vol. 2. P. 5(6). Jptak·
ing cl the Monasltf)' cllht Apostles in the districl
of Durunkah. nOlt<! tNt Ihis "illagt buijl Mside II
was calltd Mlns""'·.l a1·Shaykh btcaust a &1ulylh
namtd Abo Bah a1·Shadhll had founded the villagt
and established a sarden there.
The daY' ilstlf is fonntd of a vast quadrilaleral
about 90 by 110 yards (80 by 100m) bounded by an
eneirclins: wall with a vel)' pronounced balltr. The
enlrance i5 10 the wesl. ",ith Slone upnShts. a ct·
IIItd lintel. and a heary dono- «Iced ..ith iron. In-
side. a viI" hal rtpboctd the monb. All that SUT-
viVt:'l of the ancienl <Ittyr is the church. w1Uch is at a
Io\t,..,r ·d. It contains a 1nnS'o"tnC .... hed nanhc..
and a ..., in ..-hid> four massi".., columns (un-
doubltdly tnclosing mort ~ T columns. the
capilals cl which <:an be 0«0» suppon a high dome,
whilt lhe aisles are simpl)" ctiled. In lhe apse. Iht
nichts on lhe ,"on<! rtgi5ltr havt a broken pedi·
ment as al Da)T al·Al)mar (DAU ANM 1I1SHOt) in
1
Sultij. Four have con<hes. the finh .....hk:h occupies
Ihe cePltr. pre>enli a oculpltd colum", In the 1i"'1
rtgiSltr. lh~ arcades ....ilh semicircular arches and
lwo arched dool'w.1)'$ give acce51 10 chapels, The
ptdim....lS. the arcades. and Iht ban<b thaI M'j>arale
lhem art !intly sculpled. EW:l)'IhinS recalls Ihe
grtaI churc"",, of tht monasteries oJ Suhij. DAYR_
B.I. SHINODMt ~ Dayr Anba BisOOi.. One may rea·
sonably cOl>du~ lhal this church of al·Zlwi)"ah
da,es from the samt period as those of Suhlj.
J. V~ said !hal this <burch _ called SaIl·
..it and ..-as dedicated 10 Saint Athanasius 001 !hal.
il pnstIIltd no tract of antiquity (16n. pp. J6S.
118; 1671, PI'- 219. 227). M. Jullitn saw 'I in dilapi-
dated cOndilion (1901. pp. 214-15), which tJ<plains
why ntither V. tit Bod nor S. Clarke ~ any
inleresl in h. O. MtinardU$ (1965, p. 286; 1917. p.
191) ignond the <IllY' and spoke only of the chur<h
of Ihe village. dedicaltd 10 the healinS sainI Abu
TamO, The chur<h of the day. merilS an architec-
lunll sludy.
BIBUOGRAPHV
Jullitn, M. "A 1n.,..,1"S les mintS dt La HaUle Ec'P'-t
.i. La r~herdlt de b grolle de I'abbl: Jean.'·
EttuJ.. 1& (1901):1O't-211.
Mtinardus. O. Chris';".. iIDpI, A..de..' a..d Mo<hrn.
Cairo, 1%5; 2nd bi., 1911.
Pttrit. W. M. F. GI::.th ...d Rifdt. lorIdoo. 1907.
RanuI. tot AI~mi<s .J.Jughr.fj Jil.BilfJd 111-
J.Ii¥1Y1.u.,} \fOb. Cairo, 1951-1%1.
Vansltb••. M. Nouvtflc .tlJuiDn .... /onrtc lk;-'nuJ
d'.... l'07"P ,.it ,n Ecrple , .. 1612 tl 1613. Paris.
1611. T...ns!lItd IS Tltt ,.,..,..", 5",1' of Eop'.
London. 1618.
REII;t·GEokGES Coout."
MAURICE: M.lRlIf<. SJ.
DAYR AL·ZAYTUN, S•• Sharonah,
DAYR AL·ZUJAJ. Stt Enaion.

DEACON, third and lowest rank in the threefold
hierarchy of orders in the Coptic church, being
~ub<:>rdinalc to the presbyter and the bishop.
The term deacon. derived from the Greek diGko'"
os, meaning "servant," signified one who per-
formed menial tasks such as waiting at table. It
occurs in the New Testament with wider and more
comprehensive connotation, including daily minis-
tration 10 the needy. the service 01 the Word. as
well as sen'ing at table (Act. 6:1, 2, 4). In Saint
Paul's epistles, its usage covers both temporal and
spiritual services_
At Ihe beginning of Ihe apostolic age. the apostles
realized that the nascenT Christian church needed
their full anention. So Ihey chose seven men of
good reputation and fined with Ihe Spirit to minis-
ter al tables, allend 10 the poor, and distribute alms
10 widows, These ""ven were Stephen, who was
"full of faith and of the Holy Spirit," Philip, Pro·
chorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus of
Anti<X;h (Acts 6:5, b), Thus the diaconate came into
being ;u a recogni7.ed office in the churx:h, to fulfill
a secondary, albeit es'ential. task in the religious
life of th. community,
The apostles prayed and laid tbeir hand. upon
them. Soon, some of tbese .even deacons distin·
guW>ed themselves in the spiritual sphere, With re-
markable evangelistic enthusiasm, Stephen used to
reason with others in a spirit of inspired wisdom,
perfonoed great miracles, and was eventually d.,..
tined to be the first Christian martyr (Acts band 7).
Philip was active in preaching the Word, proclaim·
ing the Messiah, effecting cures, and accomplishing
miracles among the people who listened eagerly to
his preaching (Acts 8).
The First Epistle to Timothy (3:8~1O) lists the
qualities to be eXp""ted in candidates for the diaco-
nate. To be admitted, they mU$t be men of high
principles, above reproach, not given to It)'POCrisy
or double·talk, not indulgi~1l< in excessi"" drinking
or a~ing of riches, Abo;'e all, they mu.t com·
mand a firm hold on the baSic , truths of the Chris-
tian faith,
I! is noteworthy that th""e qualities are almost
identical with the prerequisites for the episcopate, a
fact that reAe<:ts the high regard in which the diaco·
nate was held. No'less than bishops, deacol1$ must
be subje<:ted to a close scruti'ny as to their charac·
ter, and if found faultless, they may be allowed to
sen'e,
Similar to priests, deacons r""eive their ordina·
tion by the impusition of hands from a bishop. Ac·
cording to the Apos/oUe C~~o~" "l.el a p=b}'ter,
J
DEACON 885
deacon, and the rest of the clergy be ordained by
one bishop" (Apostolicol Ca ..o.., 2, 1956, p. 594).
Ukcwise, the A.postolic Co..stitutions stipulate,
"Thou shah ordain a deacon, 0 bishop, by laying
thy hands upon him in the presence of the whole
pre,b}'!ery, and of the deacons, aod shalt p....y ..."
(Collsri'"tion. of rhe Holy Aposrle. 8, 19~6, p. 492).
The minimum age of a deacon at ordination
should be twenty-live yea", (Callo..s of the COUllcil
of Trullo, 1956, p. 372). Like the presb}'!er, a dea·
con is subject, after ordination, to tbe same rules
regarding marriage, ac~ording to which digamy is
denied to both.
Deacons are, first and foremost, subordinate ....
sistants to priests and bishops, and are not entitled
to perform any of the sacramental services tbat are
tbe prerogatives of the pre.b}'!ery and tbe episcO'
pate. They perform essential dUlies both inside the
sanctuary and outside it during the church servi""s,
A. to the deacons ... let some of them attend
upoo tbe oblation of the Eucharist, ministering to
the Lord's body with fear. Let others of them
watch the multitude, and keep them silent. Bu!
let that deacon who is at the high priest's hand
say 10 tbe people, let no one have any quarrel
against another; let no Ooe ~ome in hypocri-
sy ... , l.et the deacon pray for the whole
church, for the whole world, and for the several
parts of it, and the froits of it, ror the priests and
the rulers, for the high priest and the king, and
the peace of the unive",e ... [The COIl.titutions
of rhe Holy Apostles 7.57, 1951, pp. 4ll. 4llj.
Besides making respon'es to the officiating priest,
the main duties of the deacon sel"\ing at the altar
include the preparation and arrangement of the al-
tar's vessel. and utensils, bringing water for the
hands of the celebrant and for washing the chalice,
paten, spoon, and asterisk (see £VCliAIUSCIC vESSEl.5)
after administering Holy Communion, looking after
the censer, and using a fan (see LmJRGtCAL tNSTRlJ-
MElaS) when necessary to drive insects away from
the oblations,
Outside the san~lUary a deacon lead. the cDngre·
gation's responses during the liturgy. The various
le<:!ions of the day are read by deacons, unless a
priest chooses to read the Grn;pel. A dea~on may
also deli.'er the ...noon, if he is particularly en·
dowed with the gift of preaching, subject 10 permis-
sion from the priest or bishop.
A deacon may also I>e entrusted with the general
discipline of the congregation and maintaining or-
der during the servi~e. "Let the deacon be the dis·
po,er of the places, that everyone of those that
886 DEACON AND ARCHDEACON, ORDINATION OF
comes in may go to his proptr pla«. and may nof
sil al dle enlrance. In like manner. l~ the dea«>n
O-'e,"", lho, fII'OPIe. thao noboe:Iy may "·hisper. nor
slumboor. nor bugh. nor nod; lOr all ouahl in the
ehurch 10 stand wisely, and .....,. and auenlively.
haYl1\Il wi, auenoon liJ<ec! upon the word 01 lboo
Lo<'d" (C~ of.m HoIJAposliu 7.57.1951,
'" 421)_
In eartier centuries, It,., numboor of ckaoons ",.-as
~ 10 """'"ft! ""'en in lhe braeS! mecropoli!.,
apparftlily to ~onfonn with the p~ llel by lhe
aposlles; '"Jhe deacons oullhl 10 be se-,", in num-
ber. according 10 the ~anon. "en if Ihe ~ity be
llffal. Of this you ...ill be pt"l5Uaded from lhe book
of lhe ACI$" lC""""s of lite Holy t1ntl Blesse.J F,,·
Ilrers 15. 1956, p_ 86). Tocelher wilh Ihis limitalion
In number. they were enlruMed wilh cena;n admin-
iSI"l1ive and pamoral lasb, ilUch as auiS!inll Ihe
biU>op and pries" during Ihe sessions of ecd~i;Jl!li·
cal COU!1S, distribulion of Ihe funds belonging 10
... idow$ and orphans, and vi.iling Ihe ,lck and Ihose
In pri.son.
It seems, however. Ihal 01 time, .some de.cons
miwnderslood lhese respon.ibilities and arrog.ted
1(> themselves powers and amhonllu beyond whal
Ihey were enlitled 10. To .Iop sueh lmgulantles Ihe
~nt «umen",aJ Conndl of I'IlCA£4 (325) defined
lIteir pri"ilqes and obligl"ions as follows;
II has cOrtIe 10 tbe knowled&e of the holy IlIId
1'_ S)-nod lhal, in some d"Il'ic1S ;1100 cilia, th..
d9CO administer the E..dwi.1 1<1 I"'" praby-
~ neither canon nor CUSlom penni..
irq
.....1 they ....ho ha•.., no nlhl 10 ofter should p'"
lhe Body of ChrisllO them 1 do ofl'c-. And this
also ' - been made bMN lhal c .. naln deacon.
now louch Ihe Eucharisl rve<t bdore lhe bisllops.
Let: all ....,h prarticlS he wleriy done away, ami
k( m.., deac:oftS ... main within their _ ... bounds.,
k_i"l! chat th..,- are the miniscrrs of lh.. trishop
and lhe inferion <II the presbyte .... lAf them reo
cei,.., the Eucharisl-ace<lrdinClo their order. aher
lhe presbyters, an,,"'el eilher lhe bishop or the
prmyter adminisler W lhem. Furthermore, lei
nol lhe dearons YI ~monl the prrsb,1rn. for thaI
I. Coni""" 10 canon and order [The Ca_s of
,h~ Holy Fa/heN 18, 1956, P. lS).
Oeacons who prove genuinely <k<!ic:atec! 10 Ihe
ecdesfaiti<:al ..,mc~ may be ordained pric~lS. sub-
ject 10 the le"" ...l approval of the ehuKh congrega-
t;on.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
HabIb Jirjis. Asrdr ai-Kant..,}, ai·Sab'alr, 2nd ed., p.
220. Cairo. J95O.
Ibn aVAssAl. a1.~. Killb aJ-Q"wfI"jn. pp. 6l-6S.
~pr. Cairo, 19n.
Mikha'U Mini. 'tI... AJ-Llltul, pp. 54l-4S. Cai....
1936.
William Sulaymin Qibdah. lUlU, aJ·l>UqiUiyIlh.
T,,'jJj... ,,1·RJ.sul, pp. 118. 2(l.1~20S, 836. Cai....
1979.
DEACON AND ARCHDEACON, ORDINA·
TION OF. n.. ordinalion <II a deacon or areh.
deacon usually lakes place aft.,r the Pra}..,r of R«.
oneilial"'n. The candlebole i!. ",""""DIed lei Ihe
bishop (or melropolium or JWrian:h) ....lto is celr-
bratiDj Ihe Divine U!U'l}', ;lind kneels before Ihe
"cps of lhe sanet....,..
Deacon
Wh.n Ihe bishop has ascertained from Ihe clergy
that the c~ndidale ;s WOMh)' of lhe diaconale. he
offen Incense and Sily. the Prayer of Thanlosglvin,
and Ihe Prayer of lncen&e. He then lums loward
Ihe east and SlI)'I Ihls prayer.
Lord. God of hOiU. who hasl broughl us unto th.
101 of thi. ministry. Who .... «'best the hearts and
...,ins. do hearken unlO us according 10 the mulli·
rude of 11ty t..oder nteTCies. and purify us from
all the stains of body aoo of spirit.. __ Fill us ..ilh
"Thy Divine Po_r. lhe Cnu of Thy only-begott,""
Son and the em of Thy Holy Spiril ...• and ac·
cept >he diaconale of 1l>y sen-an' wlto is kne-elinll
here in npec-laIion of Thy hen=ly gifts.
lhe deac<lns respond with the I<Y~E EUl50N
thrice and dte ard.daC<ln sa>s:
""'1 the vace of OUr Lord Jesus Christ...iMch
Ells up ...r .honOOll\inllS, by the ,ood ..ill of God
the Father and the H<lly Spirit. descend upon
(name]. who """rou..... the holy altar in fear
and lremblina. lifti", up tbe eyes of his bran
un'o Tbrr ....... dwellesl in heaveJI. a"",iung Thy
hea...,nly pits. in order lhal he may pass from Ihe
rank of subdiaconale 10 lhe order of I},., diato-
nale in lhe holy church of [narne). Pnty lhal I},.,
ph of Ihe Holy Spiril may corne upon him.
The deacons respond wilh the Kyrie ele;.km. The
bishop turns to the weSt, lay. his righl hand upon
dle ~andidale·. head, and says I},., following prayer.
Masler. Lord God Almighty, who aM ITlIthful in
Thy promise, and ll"nerous to Ihose who c.lI
upon Thee. hear u' as we enfreal Thee. show Thy
COUnfenanee upon Thy servant [name], who halh
l DEACON AND ARCHDEACON, ORDINATION OF
been recommended for lhe diaeanat. through thc
judgment of those who ha~e prt'serned him, fiJI
him Wilh the Holy Spirit, wilh wisdom ~nd power
"" Thou filled Stephen, lhe first deacon and
manyr.... Establish him as a sen'anl for Thy
holy altar so lhat by pleasing Thee in lhe s.",ice
entrusted to him, without blame or sin. he may
aHain to a higher grade. II is not through the
impmilion of our hands lhat grace can b. ob-
tained, bul through the visitation of Thy nch
comp...ssicm to those who dese ..'. ii,
Facing the east. the bishop says:
Yes, Lord. make him wanhy of lhe call of lhe
diaconale. lhat through Thy loving·kindn... to
man, he may become worthy of Thy holy name,
10 worship Thee, 10 serve Thy altar and f'nd mer-
cy before Thee. for mercy and tenderness are
from Thee.... Look upon us, Lord, and upon
our se",ice, purify us of all undeanness. and
send down from heaven Thy grace upon Th)' scr-
,'anI [name] that he may complete his d;aconate
without reproof.
The bishop turns 10 the weSI and CroMes the
candidale's forehead with his thumb, saying, "We
consecrale thee, [name]. deacon in tbe Holy
Church of God," The archdeac<>n announces,
"[name] is consecrate<l deacon in the Holy Calholic
Apostolic Church of God." Here again Ihe bishop
makes the sign of Ihe cross on his forehead, saying,
"We ordain Ihee, [name]. a deacon for the holy
altar of the Onhodo. Church of [name] in the
name of Ihe Father and the Son and Ihe Holy Spir-
it." He makes three signs of the cross Over the
candidate's forebead in the name of Ihe Holy Trini·
ty, and turning to Ihe cast, he says:
We give thanks to Thee, Master, Lord God Al-
mighty, for everything and in every condition, We
praise and glorify Thy Holy Name.... Take pleas·
ure in the imposilion of hands which hath laken
place upon Thy servant J,liame] through the de-
scent upon him of Thy ffi:l y Spirit.
, apostles, namely Stephen, lhe fi,.,.t deacon and
The bi.hop then turn, to tke candidale and places
Ihe onrion On his left shoulder and pas.<cs it under·
nealh his righl ann, saying, "Glory and honor 10 Ihe
Consubstanlial Trinity, the father. Ihe Son and the
Holy Spirit, Peace and edification unto the Church
of God, Ihe One Onl)', Uni"ersal, APOSIOlic, Holy
Church, Amen."
The bishop Ihen delivers this instruclion to the
new deacon:
My .on, Ihou haSl been enlrusted with a great
service of ministration, which thou shouidsl ac-
complish to the full, as Ihou an counted among
887
the children of Slephen, the firsl deacon. It is Ihy
duty to visit the people of the Lord, the wido,,"'"
and o'l'hans, and all those who are in affliction,
to help them as much as thou cansl. Be a good
example 10 Ihem so that Ihey see thy good deeds
and glorify God. Be an assistanl to thy bishop and
thy priest, and take them to visil those who aT"('
afflicted. Honor the presb}1ers, who are senior 10
you in rank. and treat each of them as a falher,
thaI you may be wonhy of the blessing of Christ
who said, "If any man serve me, him will my
Falher honor," and also according to the apostle
Paul, .. F.... they that have u,ed the office of a
deacon well. purchase 10 themselves a good de-
gree, and great boldness ;n Ihe faith whkh is in
Christ Jesos." Be appreciati.'e of the honor ac·
corded 10 Ihee, as you hold [the chalice of] the
Real Blood, which gi\..,s salvalion to the world.
Glory be to Christ Jesus, our God. Amen.
Here Ihe new deacon kneels before Ihe sancluary,
kisses lhe cross in the bishop" hand, and kisses the
ahar, Afler communion, Ihe bishop insufflate, on
his face, sa)'ing, "Receive ye Ihe Holy Spirit," and
la)", his hand upon him saying ax;05 [wonhy]lhree
times.
Archdeacon
When a deacon of proven aptilude has been rec-
ommended for the order of archdeacon. the bi.<hop
says this prayer:
Master, Lord God, great in mercy and righleous·
ness, who, Ihrough Thy only·begollen Son Jesus
ChriS!, hasl eslablished the hea.'enly Jerusalent
and given all the orders and canOns of Ihe
Church, do Thou now, our King who loveS! man-
kind, accept our supplications, and send Ihe
grace of Thy Holy Spirit upon Thy se,,-ant
[name], who hath been called 10 the arc:hdeacon·
ale by lhe recommendalion of those who havc
given accounl of him. Make him wonhy to be
archdeacon in Thy Holy Church, in the likeness
of one of Ihe seven min;slrants scI up by the puT"('
firsl manyr, Fill him with power and undersland·
ing like Slephen, the firsl archdeacon. in Thy
Huly Church [to assist the priest] althe service of
lhe bloodles.< sacrifices and hold the chalice of
the Precious Blood of lhe Lamb withoul blemish,
which is Thine only·begollen Son, thaI he may
minister onto the o'l'hans, belp the widoW'i. at·
tend 10 worshipers, teach the unenlighlened, cen·
sure the ill·bred, chide the insubordinate and
bring back the stray.... May he become a good
example to all ministrants and altain an elevated
degree. 11 is nor Ihrough Ihe imposition of our
hands Ihal this grace is given, bul by the ,';sila-
888 DEACONESS
tion of Thy ....,h compassion, 0 Lord. Now also.
OUr Master, ...e pny and ~ h Thee. Thou
Good One and Lover of Man. on behalf of 1by
",mont [~l. 10 .......e him wonhy 01. die all-
i"l 01. the an:bdr:aconate through the deKent
upon him of Thy Holy Spirit. Do Thou purify me.
a! wdl. 01. all sin and rde.,. me from my trans-
I"ossions. throuct> Thy only-beplen Son. our
Lord and God and Sao'w, Jesus OIrisl. , ..
He..., the n.,...iy ordain«! uehdtacon kneels befo...,
!hoe SiUK:luary. k:iMies II.. Cl'O$lI in the bishop's h.and,
..
and kisoa the allar. After communion. the bishop
lives him the blessi"i- • in the COIlseCrMlon of the
~~
DEACONESS. woman in charge of the sick and
the poor of her own sex. In lhe early church, dea·
conesees were recogniud as a disllnCl order of
women who wert' vowed 10 perpelual Ch.Slhy. They
were, nevenhe1eSll, allo,,"'ed to perform only cenain
duties in Ihe care of wom.n. and no sac.rdotal
",,""icel in the church.
In lhe New Te$\.amenl we ha'e n.mes 01 various
_men who dedicated thek II-u 10 the service of
God durinll and follow;na: Christ·s mlnislry On eanh
.. nd His Resurreciion. bUi they C.nnOI be co...id·
ere<! deaconr:sses in !he slricl IiellM of !he Ittm.
The only _ a n whose name is .... ntlonN eaplicit-
Iy In this capoocily i£ Pboth<.. on ..'hose behalf Saim
P.ul writes; -I comm...,d 10 you our sister I'ttoebe.
.. cIioacon.,.,. 01 the church III Cel\Chrac- (Rom.
16:1). The .UII1oo- of I TImothy speaks implicidy 01.
dtxonesses wbere, after lisllll& the qu.ali~ _
quiftd in .... ndidales for the male dixonate, he
sp...b of women who m1$ be "serious. no dander·
ers. but lCmpenolC, faithful In all !hines'" (I Tm.
HI).
M_ commen::1. au of the opinion thaI ~
words rern to onesses in v-nlcular. Hence
Saint JOIDI CKaY50lmlN .ffinns: "Some ha,'f:
thought !hat this is said of women genenolly. bu.! it
is not SO. for "..tty Should be Introduce anything
..boul .."Omen to Inte~ ..i1l'l his SUbjecl? He is
s~klng of lhose who }'('Id lhe nonk of Deaconess-
es" (Hom;(;u on " " . Timmhy II, 19S6. p. 441).
According to lhe Constitutions of th( HoI] Apos-
tles, .... deacon.1S mUSl be .. chaste ,Irgln or 101.., a
widow who has been but once m..rrled, failhful.
..nd well esteem.d" (Co'tlslilW",,"S 6.17, 1951, p,
431). Canon 12 of lhe Founh Council of Canhge
(398) l..ys do,,'n the duties of widow... nd dedicated
_ (SlIneliJtI<m,~lesl ... 1'10 are chosen lo;m;ist at
the baptism of WOmen: "They ........ Id he so _II
instru<:ted In their office .. to be abIt 10 teach aptly
and properly unskilled and nnlic ""'Omen how to
ar>$Vl'f:r at the time ollheir bapIism to the ~liolls
pIIt 10 them, and alia how to live plIy after lhey
have been J:-pIiud.. ~
Women _ .... IlOl aoclmi11e<1 10 !his office in the
nrly church .."IIOSS they _..., 0\"'" .isl)' years of
age. In Kcordanc:e with the teslimonics of Tenulli·
an (0.. dr.e Veil,,,#: '" Vap.s 9. 1951). 8ASIt.. TIlE
GU'.O.T (TIt( C..JIOIU of 8<Ui1 24, 1956). and othen.
Sozotnen also informs lIS thai the emperor Tbeodo-
5ill$ (379-39S) .....1'10 ....... hV1l)'S zealous In promot,
ing the alory of 11'110 chun:h. issued a law. enllCllng
that women should IlOI be iOdm;l1ed to the diaco-
nate. "nleM lhey _~ upwards of ilil)' ,..,an of age,
Kcordina: to lhe pUC""1 of the Aposlle Paul" (1978,
p, 387). Two CenlUrlQ lOIter devout women of fony
were aclmllle<l by the Council of CHALCE.D<:>N (451).
The female diaconale did not conlinue for long.
and in the WeSlern chu.-ch had virtually disap-
peared by the tenth Century. lhough in the Eastern
church it hnlle~d On until the end of the lwelfth in
the convents of Constantinople (ThomilS$in. 1679-
1681, bk. JI.
TbaI deaconeslies "'ere not to perfu"" any of the
duties ucribN to deacon. wu stipulated by lhe
chu.-ch in .-arious .. postOlic constitutions, and in
paniculJlr their duties duri"l the adminislnttion of
the sac,,"ment 01. BAl'TtSN; " . to ......,..,n's baplirlng.
...., let )'OU know th..t there is no I<nlaiI peril 10
thoo.e thai undertake h •.. _ for if Ihe man be .be
head 01 the woman, ..nd he be oricinally ordained
for the priesthood. it is IlOI ju» 10 abrvple the
oed., 01. the erflllion, and I....ve the principal to
~ to the UlrenM: pan 01. me body.... For if
baptism "''f:~ to be admlnillen:<l by women, ccr·
tainly our Lord would h.o..,., bttll baptized h,r Hia
own mother, and IlOI by Jolin; or- ,,"tlen He sent lIS
to baptizJl:. He would haye sent along with us wom,
en also klr this PU'l'<*. But now He has nowhe...,.
either by constilution or by writin&- deln.tred 10 lIS
any such thing. ..." (Comtimliotts of lite Holy Ap<>.Jo
lIe, 3.9, 1951, p. 429: see .. ha Aptmolic Cotl$/il~li<:>n
2.26. p, 410, and 3.6, p" 427).
BIBLlOCllllPtIY
P.rci..... l, H, R. "Excunus On the Deaconess of lhe
Early Church," In A Sdul Lib,~ry uf the Nic~~e
~~d PO$t.N;ce~~ F~thtr$ uf the Chri.li,,~ Ch~,ch,
2nd $er., Vol. 14, ed. P. Schaff and H. Wact. pp.
41-42. Gl'llnd Rapid>, Mich., 1971.

Robinson, C. The Mlnis!ry of Dea.oness. London,
1898.
Thomassin, L Ancien>le el nouvelle disdpline de
l'egli.e, Paris, 1679-1681.
Turner, C. H. "Ministries of Women in the Primi·
tive Church: Widow, Deaconess and Virgin in the
Firsl Four Chrislian Centuries." Con.t....I;ve
Quarterly 7 (1919).
ARCHBISHOP 8ASIUC>S
DECIUS, Roman emperor (full name, Gaius Messi·
DEAD, PRAYER FOR THE. The Coplic
church, which believes in one final, dedsive day of
judgment, does not recognize the concepts of pur-
gatory Or of a particular judgment to each individu-
al roul at its separation from the body at lhe time of
death. This animde is supported by Christ's descrip-
tion of the second coming of the Son of Man, and
also by the intrinsic significance of His parables of
the kingdom of heaven. Thus, as lhe souls of the
departed awail the resurrection of lhe dead for
judgment, prayers and intercessions may be offered
on their behalf, both by individuals and by the
church as a whole,
In the .-ening service of the raising of incense,
lhe pmye,." for the dead, known as intercessions for
lhe dormant, are recited by the priest, with reo
sponse from the deacon and the congregation.
Similar intercessions are mentioned at the follow.
ing significant points in the <:oUrse of the celebra·
tion of Divine Liturgy. the offertory. the mystery of
the Gospel, the diptych, the prayers preceding and
following the fraction, in the p",yer of ahsolution to
the Father.
These prayers were prescribed among other prac-
tices of Ihe earl)' church. The Al'OSTOUC CONSTIro·
liONS, referring to cemeteries or burial placu as
"dormit<>ries," laid down this command:
". , . assemble in the do1'J!lilOries, reading the Holy
8ooks, and singing for thC:l1"'rtyrs which are bllen
asleep, and for all the sainlS from the beginning of
the world. and for your brethren that are asleep in
the Lord, and offer the a,cceptable Eucharist ...
both in your churches and in the dormitories."
Tertullian (c_ 160~c. 220), the earliest of the fa·
thers wno menti5>ned the prayers of the dead in
their writings, describes their departure as the
birthday into a new stage or'life: "We offer sacriJic·
es for the dead on their binhday anniversaries,"
Reference.to the.. prayers was also made by CYRIL
OF JERUSALEM (c. 315-386), in his Ct>luhnkt1t Lec-
lUres: "After Ihe ,pi ritual sacrifice, the blooJless
service is completed, over that sacrifice of propitia-
DEeIUS 889
tion ....e entreat God for the common peace of the
Churches.... we commemorate also thO!le who
have fallen asleep before us;. , , and in a word of
all who in past years have fallen asleep among us,
believing that it will be a very great benefit to the
souls, for ....·hom the supplication is put up, while
thai holy and most a ....,ful sacrifice is set fonh,"
ARCHBfflHOP B"liIUC>S
us Quintus Trajanus Dedus) from the autumn of
249 to late June 251, Born aboul 200 at Sinnium in
Pannonia, he became an important senator and
married into the Roman noble house of Ihe Heren-
nii. In 248, when the,."coths were exerting intense
pressure on the Danuhe frontier provinces, ned"s
....as charged by Emperor Philip the Arabian to take
o..... r the defenses of Pannonia and Moesia. The
Goths _re checked, and mutinies among the le-
gions were quelled. neel"" was proclaimed emper-
or by his lroops, and after fruitless negotiations
with Philip, he confronled the imperial forces near
Verona in the late summer of 249. In lhe ensuing
baltle Philip was defeate<l and slain. Decius is reo
corded as emperor in Egypt by 27 November 249
(lliyrfJynchus Papyrus XII.1636).
EUSEBIUS OF CAESAREA says thaI Decius "on ac·
count of his enmity toward Philip raised a persecu-
tion against the churches" (HislOria eccle,laslic.
Vl.39.i). This is partially corroborated by the writer
(c. A.D. 265) of Xlii (Jewish) Sibylline (ll. 79-88).
Dedus' aim, howe,'er, may have been wider: a gen·
eral restoration of Ihe virtues associated with the
republic and early empire. His revival of the office
of censor and hi. assuming the name Trajanus, af·
ter the oplim.... prin.eps (Trajan). indicale this. 'Ihi,
oudook also included religion. It would seem lhat
to uoderline the neceosily of rene""ed popular ac·
knowledgment of the role of the Roman gods in
resloring the empire, De<:ius ordered thatlhe annu·
aI sacrifice and vola performed in honor of Jupiter
on the Capitoline Hill in Rome (3 January 250)
should be repeated throughout the cilies of the em-
pire. At least one Italian town, A,,"edona (modem
CO!la), hailed De<:ius as "the restorer of Ihe sacred
rites and libeny" (reslilulOr $acrOrum el liberlallsj,
The co"nte~rt of this policy was the immediate
arrest of prominent Christians, including Pope Fabi-
an, who was tried before Ihe emperor and executed
on 20 January 250 (Libri fX>nllficalis, p. 27). Other
prominent Christians were arrested, including
Sabylas, bishop of AlI1ioch, and Alexander of Jeru-
890 DECIUS
•
salem. l;lIONYSH-'S of Alexandrill, Ihe fourteenlh palri-
arch, e,caped th<ough a lucky accidenl (&!sebius,
His/oria ucl.s;as/ica VI.39.2), and Cyprian of Car-
thage went into hiding (Cwrian, Leue" B, written
by Roman presbyters to him and indude<! in his
collection of letters),
Though lhere can be no certainty. it would seem
that these measures direcled against individuals and
resulling in lrials and executions were dislincl from
Ihe gene,."l <.acrifice Ihal resulted from the repeti·
tion of lhe annual impe<ial vola on an empirewide
scale. The requirement was for all Roman cilizens.
who since lhe Antonine Constitution of 212 includ-
ed nearly all free inhabilants of lhe empire, lQ demo
onst""le their allegiance to the dei publici, They
would do this by offering incense 10 lhe god., pour·
ing a libalion, anrl eating "",crificial meal. The act~
would be supervised by a commission drawn From
the chief cili,.,n. of lhe districl. In Egypt. fony·
lhree certificales (libel/;) given lQ individuals who
had sacrificed ha,'e been discovered, mainly from
Oxyrhynchus but also from Arsinot and Alexander's
Isle in the FaJ'Ylim.
Two examples may be qUOl-ed:
1'1 Hond: To the commission ch05en 10 super-
intend the sacrifices al lbe village of Alexander's
Isle. From Aurelius Diogen,,", son of Sataoous, of
the \'iIlage of Alexander's Isle, aged se',enly·two
)'ears, with a scar on the righl e)'ebrow. 1 have
always sacrifIced 10 ,be gods, and now in your
presence, in accordance with the edict, 1 have
made sacrifice, and p<>Ured a libalion, and partak-
en of lhe ""cred ,-ictims. I reque.. you 10 certify
,hi. bel"w, Farewell. I, Aureliu. Diogen"" have
presented this petilion.
2~d Hand: L A.urelius Syrus, saw you and your
son sacrificing.
3rd Hand: ... ono•.
J" Hand. The year 1 of lhc Emperor Gaius
Messius Quintus T~nus Decius Pius Felix Au·
gustus, Epipb 2 [26 J~ne 250J.
To the commission' chosen to superintend lhe
sacrihces. From Aurelia Ammonous. daughler of
Mu.tus, of the Mooris quarter, prieste,s of the
god Petesouchos, the great, ,he migh,)', the im·
mortal. and priestess of the god$ in the Moeri.
quarter. 1 na"e sacrificed to lhe gods all my life
and now again, in accordance Wilh ,he decree
and in your pre",nce, I have made sacrihce. and
p<>Ured a libation and partaken "f lhe <.acred vic-
tims. 1 requesl you 10 certify this below.
Bolh Melli indicale the solemn characler of lhe
action, obligatory even to thO!le who already held
priesthoods in local culls.
As a demonstration of 'Olidaril)' loward the em·
pire and its rulers. Oecius' measure was extremel)'
successful. Gi\'en the altemativC$ of formally ac-
knowledging ,he empire and its gods and standing
ootentaliously asirle from any outward show of loy·
all)', ,he great majorily of Christians seem 10 ha\'e
chosen the former. Al Alexandria, Bishop Dionysius
painls an awe.inspiring pic lure of lbe mixture of
panic, confu.ion, anrl re.igned "eceplanee of lhe
imperial edict by lhe mass of the Chri"ian popula·
lion (in Eusebius, HiS/orin eccle.<ias/;ca
Vl.41.10.14). Al Smyrna, the sec of the martyr·bish·
01' Polycarp, Bishop EuClemon was among lhose
who sacrificed 10 the gods (Man)'rdom at Pioni"s
15.1), and the confessor Pionius won scant support
for his dellance. Pily anrl ridicule were the princi·
pal emOlions he aroused among the populace "f
Smyrna (Mnn)'rdam 16). A, Carthage, Cyprian ad-
mits that the greal majority of his congregation
lapsed (Lelia, ILl), an assessment thaI was con-
Ilrmed a )'ear laler when he wrote the De lap,i,.
Would·be sacrificers to Jupiter were lurned away at
the temple and asked to relurn "n ,he morrow, s"
ove",,'helming was the re.ponse (De lapsis 8), In
the country areas, whole congregations seem 10
ha\'e apostatized; one, thaI of Sll1unurca, was led to
the pagan altars by the bishop himself (L£l1ers
59,10). In Alexandria, there was some resistance,
Dionysius mentions sevenleen martyrs, six signHi-
cantly being recorded as "Libpns" (Eusebiu., Hi,·
Iorio .cel.sias/iea V1.41.14-42.4). He also describes
vi,'idly h"w in s"me cities and villages, pagans
turned on the Christians and massacred lhem or
forced them to Aee into the desert, where dcath or
slavery at the hands of Saracen lribes awaited them
(Eusebius, Hi,/aria eeclesiaslieo V1.42,1~4). In gen·
eral, resistance came from lhose wh" had Iinle to
iose and little standing in lheir communilies. At
Carthage, Lucianus, the leader of the confessors, is
described as "linle in.tructed in holy scriptu",";
and another, Aurelius, "did nol know lellers" (Cyp-
rian, Lmers 27.1),
Decius dehered a beavy blow to the church, the
more effective because ChriSlianity was slill very
largely an urban religion, whose adherents there-
fore were more easily identifiable. The mystique of
lhe emperor and the empire was still a living factor
in ,he lives of the pro\'inciais. Dehnce. even at the
orders of bishops, ....'as only rarely acceptable.
No one can tell what would have happened if
Decius had lived and his long dud with the Gothic
king Kn,,-a had nOl enrled in hi. defeat and dealh in
the marshe, of Abritlus, near the delta of the Dan-
ube (June 251). C)'pnan's return to Carthage in the
 •
fPrinl of 2S1 IU\d his ability 10 hold 10 council OOt
loot af,er wleT of lha< }eu-. WO~ INdus mel his
end. sugesu lNI lhe..., would }o,-e ~n 10 dow
~. "The reipI or Occius indicaln_ ho\. . L.iln,,')' of Nicmc ""II POSl-Niurrlf. TIL/has of llIe
lhal in Ecpl. as .. Isn.m.., in the tmp~. ChrisliMI·
icy cwld bt (O<l~ lbt..., _,.., Sill! lorcu of
loyall)' .and <k>'tlrion lO Indio;"" thai would Wof...
euard lhe empire From cDsinl~ in the IWftlly
,an. 01 civil war and barl>arian inva'lion tlw 1'01-
Io<o"ed 1M dr.uh of tM tmp"mr".
BlBUOGRAI'K1'
AJR.ildi. A.-n.e Cmis of the Empi..., (A.D. 2_9·
110)." In C....bridge Anc....' Hiswry, \101. 12, pp.
165-230. Cambridge, 1919.
Clarh, G. W ~ ~rvalion$ on the Penecu·
lOon of I>cd ." Amid/hen 3 (1%9):63-76.
Gross. K. "O«ius.'· In Re"l/uih", fur Amih ""d
ChrUlenllim. Vol. 3, pp. all-29. Sluugan. 1957.
Knipfing, J. R. "The Libelli of the !>ccisn Persecu-
tion." H.",,,,,J ThrQ/ogictJr Review 16 (1923):345-
90.
/.,ibn poml(ica1i., ed. T. Momm..,n, Monumenl. Gel'
maniae Hislorka. Ge.lorum ponllficum Roman·
ONm 1. Berlin, 1898.
)do.,yroom of Pi"nius the he./ryle, and Hi, Com.
p''''ions. In Act5 a{ th~ Chn$,i~.. Marty". ed. H.
Musurillo. pp. 136-67. London. 1972.
Oll'llsfel.d. A. T. ''The Mid·3rd Cenlury of lhe Ch...·
llan Eta:· C/<USi<:." PhihJloa 37 (1942):241-62.
398-410.
0.-«"/,, Sibylli"a. cd. J. GeffcUn. ~iPlic. 1902.
S1disbury. F_ 5.. and H. "bUin,Jy. "The Reiln of
Tnjan o..c,ius." J l oj Rom.. n S,,,diu 14
(1924):1-23.
W. H. C. Fll.END
DEFENSOR ECCLESIAE. a b)'TlUln. usw.Ily a
la""Ye... charzed widt 1M- <!d"en.., of the inlerau of
"'1
1'_
the c"'rch in Ia_uils in any conAlclS wilh
secular aulhorilies. Most 01 the evidence for the
ulslence of de/ensore5 eccwiu from Nonh
Atria. ...'here Ihey aTe ~Iloned by Pos.sir!ius.
bIshoJ> of Cab"", In ..03 (Vi'" A",..$Ii"i 12). They
an: .Iso lhe SUbjecl of a la...· of Em~r Honerius
(1S November 407). add"'SSl:d 10 Porfyrius. procon·
sui of Afri<:", mainlaining Ihe inviolability of the
privUeges of Ihe African de'l)' thaI had been reo
quested by Ihe Nonh Afriun bi.hops (Codu: Th~(Jo
d051"""4 XVI.2.38: see also Th. C"'IO"$ of II•• 2/7
BI.ssed F~IIt.r$ ... 1956. canon 97). The instilution
was found In olher churches in the WeSI, induding
Rome (Pope Zosimuo. 1721. Lmus 9.3). bUI no
evidence ~ su,..,i,,",,, of ill ""i<lImce In Egypl.
DEMETRIUS I 891
BIBLlOCRAf'HT
The C"....... a{ tlu: 211 Blessell fruhers who Auem·
bird ,,' C"rtJo,,~. African Code XCVII_ In A &/ec,
Chru,;,." Ch"tdI. 2nd JCI"•• eel. Philip SchafI and
Henry Wace. Gnnd Rapldl, Mich.. 1956.
~. F. ~1A defensores ecdesiac ...... Ve_ eo
Vie. .iecleo.. ~ Ra...c IriS'Oriqu d~ Drotl tr-",is ~l
itT.",~er• .. th set".. (1923):597-622.
W. H. C. Ft.E..;o
DEFROCKING OF PRIESTS (Cud<. ap6-
kli'ros). A""ordinl 10 lhe utanl ICJlIS from Ihe co...
respond~nce of ~ , esp«iaIly th:al of bishop
ABMIIAM of Hennonlhi3 from the period around
600. the J'l"X6S of CJlch..ion from Ihe <:IeTJ)' is ,he
$iOme as thlll of excommunication. AneT Ih. bishop
~ been infonned of trans!V"SIIk'ln by clergy, Ihe..,
offenses are placed on record and Ihe bishop nOli·
Ii.. Ihe clergy of sU!lpension. In Ilddilion. the super-
iors of Ihe.e dergy are Informed of Ihe punishment
of their suOOrdinates. or il i. communicaled to all
lhe de'l)' in circular lellers. Thl. exduoion is not
final; it is in force onlil the pcnx>n excluded comes
10 lhe bishop or fulfills. commission he has fajle<l
10 complele, for which failure he has been excluded
from the clergy. The followin, VOUnds are named
for ""c1usion: disobedience ,nward Ihe bishop,
holdinl .. communion SoC,..;(( .. Ihe "-TOng lime,
iDcorTec, orderinl of divi"", strVice. oIJense:s
againsl !he pmfC$$ional dul~ 01 lhe dergr. lailure
10 Uep nighl ",...Ichn OT 10 hold di,;ne sen-ice.
refus.a1 10 ace.". • church canon. alId failure 10
appear before .. coun, In addilion, Rewards aTe
punished if on Sallmlay and Sun<lay they ha,'t <Ie-
SoCtta:! their monasocriel wilhoul I'"'rious inspec-
tio".
The bW>op up<esIJy Ihrealens cxlusion from
"is
lhe cleqy in cases 01 disobeditnce of inslruc·
tions. for illJlaoncc, if lhe clerk b s tlOI- go to a
pattirular penon and li~e him communion or if he
does not deli'-er a Ieller. CIeI'lY who al'l ... securil)'
for :II man al.., are Ihrealene<l w1Ih adu",on if Ihey
do not TCpO" lhe man', disobedience 10 the bishop.
MJ,XTTN KAAllSlC
DEIR. Sec Dayr.
DEMETRIUS I, twelnh patriarch of lbe See of
S;tinl Marl< (189-231). fie succee<le<l IlJUA.>1 and
892 DEMETRIUS I
was a cont~mporary of ~ighl Roman ~m~rors,
from Commodus (180-192) 10 Alexander Severus
(222-235), through lhe age of perseculions. which
were pankularly harsh in th~ r~ign of Seplimius
Severus (193-211).
Until the tim~ of Ikm~trius, the church had heen
passing through a period of growing pains abo'll
which very little is known beyond th~ name. and
dates of Ih~ su<;c~",iv~ bishop•. The HtSTORY OF THE
PATRIA'-CHS off~", litd~ informalion on th~ ~arly
bishops, who mov~d ..,.,relly in Egypt to nrengthen
the failltful and to appoint the priests who were
entrusted with the surveillanc~ of th~ spiritual wel-
fare olth~ir congregations. Th~ Hi,lOry of the Palri-
tlrchs begins to discuss more events alld detail.
from Demelrius onward, although its statements of-
ten mingle historic events with legendary elements
and milOlCulou. epi.ode.,
These begin with tlte election of Demetrius, an
ordinary person from Coptic £antler stock, botlt ii-
Hterate and married. The H;slOry 0/ the Parri",chs
relates lItat his prede<:essor, Julian. ltad a dream in
which the angel of Ihe Lord appeared to him and
told him that the man who would bring him a
bunch of grapes in the morning would be patriarcb
after him. And so it was, when a ~asant found
some grapes. out of season, and took them 10 the
patriarch on his deathbed. Julian at once told bi.
companions about the celestial ordinance in bis
dream and died.
People took Demetrius, again.t his protests that
he was married, tied him in chain,. and had him
consecrated as patriarch. In reality. he was married
by his p:orents as a child to a cousin, also a child,
who was living with them after Iter parent.' death.
The two children lived together like brotlter and
sister, After their marriage. lItey continued 10 live
togelher without a marital relationship, Nevenhe-
Ie... some people began 10 ...is<: que.tion •. The
angel of the Lord ap~red to Demetrius in a
dream and c"mmanded ,bim to reveal the truth
about his conjugal life.....ccordingly, the patriarch
asked his archdeacon 10 ~"licit tile congregation to
remain after the liturgy, at which time Demetrius
took the embe'" from .ome burning wood with his
hand and placed litem on bis d""k, wilhout burn-
ing it. His wife'then had the embers placed in her
Iteaddre.. or pallium. which also did not bum.
Then he told the .pectat"", about the realities "f his
conjugal iife, and all prayed and gave thanks to the
Lord for their appeasement by Ihi. miracle.
....part fmm these epi.ode., regi.tered in detail in
the Hi.tory of the Pmriarchs, and generally accepted
by the pious Copts, it may seem strange to Ita.'e a
bi.hop wbo was illiterote. Demetrius mu.t have
mem"rized the liturgie., a phenomenon tltat was
customary with the old school of Copts until recent
times. Howe.'er. Demetrius proved himself to be an
e"traordinary p:olriarch, both aClive and infle"ible
in tM defense of his churcb against all heresies.
Though illiterate, be took a great interest in the CA·
TECHETtUL SCHOOL of ALEXANDRIA, which peaked
during hi. reign and be<:ame the Cenler "f religious
.cholarship and lIteology in the whole world.
Internally. Demetrius was indefaligable in moving
throughout Ihe country ordaining priests to m..,t
the .piritual n..,<Is of the increasing Christian popu·
lation. For Ihe first time in the biswry of the
church, he decided to consecrate three more bi,h-
ops to relieve him from the growing pre..ures of an
expanding community in the midsl of rd~ntle"" Ro-
man persecuti"ns. He appointed iIlu.tri"us person·
alitie. as beads of the Catechetical School. such as
ct.E.MENT OF ALEXANDRtA and ORtGEN. the greatest
Coptic religious scholar. witb whom he had a fail-
ing out later Over mailers of doctrine.
On the international scene. he dispatched PAN·
TAENtIS "n a mission to Soutb India in an.wer to a
request from the Indian governor. We are not sure
wbether this was the .econd s""h mission to India,
but it was recorded in the His/oria ecclesia.Slica by
EUSEDtUS OF CAE.SARI'A. (5.10). Demetrius also cOm-
miSSioned Origen to go to Antbia f"r the senlement
of som~ of their theological problems. Throughout
hi. patriarchate he issued epistles on a variety of
subjects, including one to his peers. the bishops of
Antiocb. Caesarea. and Jerusalem, on the dating of
Easter, The aulltc>rity of the bi.hopric of Alexandria
was universally recognized in combating beresies
and heretics.
Throughout his episcopate of forty-three years.
Demetrius led a precario~ life amid waves "f Ro-
man persecutions. The Hi.tory "/ Ihe Patriarchs enu·
merate. martyrs who perished in the persecutions
of Emperor Septimius Severus. Among those ciled
are Origen's father, Leonidas (Hisraria ecclesiastictl
6. I); a WOman called Herai.; Basilidcs. who was a
Roman legionary; a woman call~d Potamioena and
her mollter (Historia ecclesiaslica 6. 5); a patrician
by tbe name of Anatolim, described as "father of
princ",,"; Eusebius; and Macarius. "uncle of Claudi-
us, Justus, and Tlteodorus lite Eastern," who were
all man)'red (see also Hi.Mria eccl~ia'lica I L 41).
Plutarch and S~rus were buried ali.... A virgin by
lite name of Thecla perished at Ihe hand, of th~
imperial executioner.
App:orently the later yea.. of the life of Demelrius
were c"nsumed by his differences with Origen.

Thou&" he ..... re!iponsible for- appointing OIigen
as head of lhe Catechetical School. Demetrius be-
ea_ disenchanled with Origen'. "TiLinp, .nd il i$
undear wbelher !he patrian:h "'a$ able 10 digesl
0 '1 philosophy and theoJocy. In Ihoe heal ol
their menlS. ~ journeyed 10 P.l_ille.
where his profound lcarnill& ...,.. hichlY .pprecial·
ed. He _ made • pritu 1»' the bW>ops of e -
l"C1I and Jcrusaltm (HtlJon. ucWi4stk. 6. I). a
Step dw lnfurialed the inoperioul Oemmius• ....no
prot_ed ~ehemcnliy apirw: the encroachmenl On
IUs ;Uri:lodiction. The hislorian Eusebiutl dcvocu •
IIUm~r of c ....pu-rs 10 ~n and his worb (Hu·
ron.. ccdwaJlica 6.2). ",hich m...1 have m)'Milied a
p.llriaKh wno.e education was SO restricted. The
anoslle sections in Origen's ~liaious philosophy
wcn! readily repudiated by the aUlhorilarian head
of Ihe church. The HislMY ollh" Palri"rc}" Slll.IC$
I....t amona his many blaspncmies ,",'as "his cloctrine
Ihat Ihe Fal""'r c~ated lhe Son...nd the SoJn creat·
cd Ihe Holy Ch06t; for he denitd Ihal Ihe Father,
SoJn. and Holy Ghost arc not one God," The Hisrory
uf Ih. Palri"rch, paints a willful picture of Oril"n,
who is said to have composed "unlawful hooks of
magic:' and Ihat Iherefo~ Dt:melrius excommuni·
caled him, The lreal mentor lhen emigraled to
Caesarea. where he remained unt~ his ""'n pupil
HEUC.... ' ... cceeded DcmCl:rius after his death. In
'''''in Heradll$ altempted 10 ~e Origcn 10 re-
tum after the dca.th of Demetrius.
Sanctified in the Coptic church, Demetr;us i.
com_moraced in Ihe CopOc SYNA.U~OH on 12
HiIQr.
IllIBUOGa.-PHY
Altaner. a. PI_lao, Eng. lrans. Hilda Craef. lml·
don. 19S8.
Ba.rdcnhc-.er, O. Ct<SClridllc ticr ahkir&ltlic/un Ut~
.aIU,. ) \lOis. Freihur'B-;~2-1912,
Duo::heslle. L Earl, Hmo 'he ChrUrilo" Church.
Vol. I, pp. 3-418. u.odoll, 1909.
~n. J. Palmlogy. ) ~"01s. Utredll .nd Anlwerp.
1915.
AnzS.AmA
DEMETRIUS II, Illth palriarch of lhe S« 01
Saim Mark (1862-1870). Formerly abbot of DAn
ANU ,,"OAR. he was e1C<'IW in 1862, In 1861, the
year that saw the cstablishment of Ihe finl Prole5-
Ia.lIt ohurch by lhe missionaries in Asytlt, he mw a
lour of Upper Egypt to rally the Coplic nook round
lhe Mother Church. In 11>69 he atlend~ tM Inau·
IUrat;on eeremony of the Suez Canll and had an
DEMETRIUS OF ANTIOCH 893
audience .nth Sulta.n ·Abd·al··1ulz. "The ... han do-
na!<"d $OI"I"Ie farmland 10 the Coptic chun:h. the pro-
ccedo of whicll DcmCl:rius \&Sed to finance Coptic
schools and OIher charities. He died on !he n"l: 01
!he Epiphany of 1170.•fter occupyins Saint. Marlr.'a
-
throne foe on'en y~, tonI!!> mOllIha, and seYell
After his death. the patriarchate rnrtained ''aCaII1
for four ~n ......,'.... 01 indecision ill the Holy
S)-nod about a worthy SUCCeiSOr. Dwilll \hal peri-
od. Ihoe atChhiW:>p of Aluandria, AMID Murqus.
"'a$ no<nin:atcd as vice·patriarch 10 run the church
umil a successor was e1Ktcd in the penon of
CYlUI. V.
MOWlla SHoucu
DEMETRIUS OF ANTIOCH, a fictitious char·
acler crealed by rhe orlglnaloR of a lilerary CYCLE
during Ihe lale period In Copt\<: liten>.tu~. Demell;'
us was a figure behind whom a later Coptic aUlhor
(or aUlhors) hid in order to ltnd an image of antiq,
uity and authOrily 10 Iheolo,ic.l and moral argu·
ments, A hagiographk.lthread was added by local'
ing Demetrius in Amloch. makiT'. him bishop of
thaI d\)'. and the man who con"""'rated KlIlN CHItYS.
0ST0lII as a presbyter. The ITKIoSI "aul1x>f;\lUi,..," 1<:It1
to affirm Ihia slOry is: an EJoctlOfl;um i., Vier","",".
nprcsoly attrib....Cl:I to John Chrysostom. in which
the suppoK<! author leila 01 "Ihe time ,,~ I was
at Anlioch and stoOd "'itn m, father and loacher,
Apa Dem<:lrim. the archbil.hop" (BOlOn..", 189).
pp. 234-)3). n.., only poNibIe IorerunnCT to sud>,.
....e is: !he _htnLic ma.mrscripl of John Chrysos-
lom'S Ati i>eJoIclJ'iu"l /CI4.v PIUF>mI G.-.au_
4308; PG 47, pp. 319-16). fat. ...t\kh a CoJ>ti<: traJII.-
latiort is 0WI1 (Orlandi. 19'70). Since Fb.\'ian• .....no
in b<::l ~onsecnled Chr)--" was not rccosnUcd.
b)I the s« of Aleundria., the: idn of rephcin& flay.
ian with a ficlilioua person mighl have occurred 10
""eo,,,"
Inall' c,..,nl, Demelri... ia ... pposed to have au-
thored lwo hltftiolraphical lull and two hamilit'$.
The hagiographkal teats concern two martyrs 01
Antioch under D1octe11AH,
l. Encomi"''" ,'., Philorh,,,,". MiTQc"IQ Philo/he;:
The manuscript (Vel'lOle, 1935) has re""hed us
only in two brief na,menll, but we may deduce
lhat lhe ~n1ire lexl des<:ribcd l series of mirac1e~
occurring at the Sancluary of Philothcw in Anti·
och, These UCerpl~ p~nnl a decisive litorary pn·
aile! 10 lhe analoiou~ Mi,,,c,,l~ Col"rhi. and in fact
boch manyrs were ~pccially venerated al Anlino!!
(A."ffiNOClt'Ous) ll$ h.alers.
 894 DEMETRIUS' BOOK OF EPACf
2. Miracu/a Vicroris: The Inr has S\lni."«! only in
an E1hiopian lranslalion. but it is "ery possible ro
poslulate a CtlpIic I.,.t ~ the oric)nal.
1M IWO homilies are:
I, De NalMlale (ed.. Budge. 1915). This is a lone
work ro be rnd. at Christina$. Firs! comes an IOC'
c.... nl. ~ on _II-known apocrypha, 01 the life
oflhe Vi..in lTom her birth 10 her bwuhal Th.en
follows the """..ed '""J of the Incanwion :10$ IOld
in II", Cospds, thod is,the Annuncial:ion, E1iz.abe1h's
vlsil, lbe binh of J"""". me .isil oflhe M:>&t. the
lliihl inro f.&l.p1, 1M Massacre of the Innoccnrs.
and lhe dralh of John the Baplisl. lnterpobled inlO
this I\iOrralioon are interestinl bill! of an apocryphal
natUre, dealing with the 510ry of Salome Ihe mid-
wife, and Ihe dialogue between the father and Son
befon: lhe incarnation. Abo. there is a polemic
againSI SESTORI]J$, and lhe conclU:Sion indudes an
attack again,t cenain theol"llical ide.. rebtinK 10
ChrislOlogy and the ",lvation of laymen.
2. In Isaium 1:16_/7 (c<.l, Dc Vis, 1929), This exe·
guis sen·.s" ~n e,cusc fOT di.cussini many moral
and social i",ues such as .in, wealth, poveny, tho
duty 10 Correcl one's neighbor, and the frailty of
human nature, Unfonunatel)'. the te~t is extremely
mutilated in the principal manusc:rlplthat transm;u
this work (VatiC/On Library, Copik 67, foil. 110-39),
and upon wltich De v.... based his edilion. Anothu
manuscript at Turin (Rossi Ig93-1894) is e"en
more fragmeolaJy.
BIBLIOGUrtly
Bouriam. U. "L'elnge dt l'apa \rlCtor 6ls dt Roman·
06." In AK1fIOiT~ de ,., Mw.- .~Jwolofique
fr.~.ist! u< Caire 8. pp. 145-266, Paris, 1893.
~, E. A. W. Misulh"IO«$ Cl/J't,e Tuts, pp.
74-110_ Lomlon, 1915.
Orlandi. T. ftlkrnelrlo di MOOchia e <iiO'taJlnl Cri-
SOStomo."..tan.. 2311970):175·73.
R.ossi, F. "Di alcuni ,",""""rini copti "'>e $I con·
~ o ""lIa Biblin(<<a nationaJe di Torino."
M,marie delrAccademu d.lle Sci...u <Ii Tori"o,
seT. 2, no. 43 (1893):223-340: 4-4 (1894):21-70.
Ve'llO'!", J. "Le Tnte '~,"jacenl du palimp6eSle
Berlin No. 9455."' Lot MusioJ1 43 (I935),2~5·%.
Vis. H. d ... HomilU!s Copies tie I.. Varica"... Coptica
1,5. Copenhagen. 1929,
TIm ORUNDt
DEMETRIUS' BOOK OF EPACT. SOl Book
Q/ Epact.
DEMONS, See Biblical Suhj«!. In Coptk: An.
DENDERA, See Doondanoh.
DEPOSIT, Su Law, Coptic: Pri....te Law.
DER. See DaY'".
DESERT FATHERS, eJlpreosion <kscribi,. the
first anchorites. It ..,.. lirat .....,;I by one of the first
"repon....." of I~ ptXtitionen al the "Oiiht to
the desen," PAUAOIll5 himself. In fact, he Iwice, at
least in explicit terms, US«! a ronn of this pltrasc to
~te Ihose who chose to live in the <ben. The
61'SI time was 10 describe the companions of ......._
MOsn;s of Kellia: "as the dnoen "'the... atlest con·
ceming him."' A less dear formula is used in tM
second i",;tance: the sIster of Pior, wishing to have
news of her brother. who has gone to the dnoel1,
asks the bi.ho~ to write "10 the Fathers, tho.e who
:lTe in the desen," In the same way. Cyril of Scytho.
poli. (d. after 559) used the same expression with
reference to a monk .....hose biography he wrote: in
the Ufe of &'''1 Saou he <poke of the "desen
fatbe..... (Sch"..nt., 1939, p. 180).
This fonnula "111II popularized by the work of Ar·
naud d'Andilly enlilled V;'u des ...iJ'lls pires des
dUerrs, "'hich appe....ed al Pari. in 1688.. The ex·
pression ..-as then taken up 1»' a numbe.- or worn
in ........... languages.
Numbered .mont the desen lath.... are the ~
foundtn of monastk~ of the fourth and fifth cen·
turies: AJon'OlolY. FoWl. Of' 1ltE.Bt::S. IoIAC.UnlS Al.U.4,'1DRt·
NUS. ~1I$ rut flGYrnJ..N, Ammoni..., PACHOMIIIS
and .... dio.ciples ru1OClOf:tIS .nd ~FS05. and. EV·
AGU\lS. Other eelebnted ~1"e$ lQ be noted are
otOOr'KRfUS and P.o.P'Itl<iU!'tl,lS. The worts that relate
their exploilll or ~t tMir sa-yings include the Af'O.
I'IITlIEGMAU P..UIJO,t, the HISTORlA MOSACHORIlllI IN
td'£;YPTO. Ihe HUlOri. 1."Jiac. of Palladius. and lit<.
lEITER Of' ....... 0101. To th_ may be added. by reason
of their rok in Coptk Christianity. the later names
of SNF./'lUTI! ..nd h~ disciple BESA and of ."'OSU Of
..BYDOS and his disciple MAC~OHIU5-
BIBLJOCUPHY
Andill)". A. d', Vi..s des saim. p~rtS de.• deserts. Par·
...
i., 16Sg.
,
Chitty, D. J. Th~ D,sul " Cily. London and O_,ford,
Schwartz. E. Kyn'lIos..."" SkythopoliJ. TOXle und Un·
tersuchungen 49. Leipzig. 1939.
RENS-GEORGES COOUtN

DEUTERARIOS, a ttrm of Greek origin (from
dtUltr05, S«"ond). which in later Greek and in Cop-
tic ttxlS dtnotes the "dtputy" of the superior of a
monastic community. The term was used ;n Pacho-
mian monasteries. where it dMoted both the depu·
ty of tht superior and the deputy of the head of the
house. Mention about thtm is found also ;n Pacho-
mian Rules and lh'es, The deuterario, did not have
a .pedfic range of activity; his role consisted in
substituting for a given monastic dignitary. At the
DAYR ANBA SJllN(n)AH. a deut"orio. who was the dep-
uly of the superior has hi. presence confirmed for
the Arabic period as well as in a liturgical teM and
a colophon of a manuscript dated Ili2 (bolh texts
published by Cmm. 1905, nos. 154.489).
Apart from the Pachomian monasteries, the oc-
cUlTences of the lerm deUle"l'im are rare. The title
was used in the monastery of DAYR AP~ JEREMtAH al
Saqqara. 11 also appears in Wadi Sarjah. P. Canwen-
bergh mentions the appearance of the titk in in-
scriptions from a monastic center of Al-Mfrul (1914.
p. 121). finally. deuterorio, OCcurs in a list. of un-
known Qrigin, of monastic official. dating from the
sixth and seventh centuries (Cmm. 1909. no. 224).
The small number of texIS in which the term
deutuarios or its Coptic counte",art appears should
not indine Us to the condusion that the deputy of
the superior was a rarity in monastic centers. Prob-
ably in the maj<>rity of such centers. the superior
had fonnally recognized deputies who either went
without tid"" or used others such as pronoele<.
droikete•. and sO forth. In a document published in
Koprische Rech",..ku"de" de, ochren }(lhrhunderts
au, Djeme (erum and Steindorff. 1912, no. 106),
two official. bear the title <yglw.lhedros together
with the "g.eat proestos," In another text, the same
functiQnaries are described as PROESTOS (Schiller,
1932. no. 4). It i.s not by coincidence that the ma-
j<>rity of the e~idence concerning the title de~rerar·
ios comes from monaste~. with clearly delined
rules in which the organi>;ational stmclUres were
mQre distinctly regulated and "named." We can
presume that the deputies of Ihe .uperior were of-
ten stewards especially as regards everything con-
nected with economic malle....
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Biondi. G. "Inscriptions Copies." A"nale< du 51''''''
ic. de< a",iquit<i< d'Egyple 8 (1907),94, no. 26.
Cauwenbergh, P. Er~de SUr les moin., d'Egyple de-
pui, Ie coneile d_ Chnlddoine. Paris, 1914.
Cmm, W. E. Cawlogue of rhe Coptic MOMU<Cript< in
Ih. British Muse~m. London. 1905.
DIACONIA 895
-ecce Calniogue of Ihe Coplic Manuscripls In the
ColleClion of rhe ). Ryland, Library. Manchester,
,""'.
Crum, W. E.. and H. 1. &11. ecis. WMI $Mjah Cop·
IU; ond Greek Text<. Huniae. 1922.
Crum. W. E., and G, SteindQrff, eds. Kopti<che Rechls-
urkunden de< achren }nltrhundens au< Diem~.
leipzig, 1912.
Leipoldt. J. Schenuu von Arripe. p. 135. Leipzig.
1903.
Ruppert, F. Do< Pachomioni<che Mijnchtum und die
An/a.nge du k!1)<reFlichen Gehorsarns, pp. 282-
327. Mlinster«hwal"lbach, 1971.
Schiller. A. A. T~n Coprie Legal Text>. New York,
19J2.
Steidle, B, '''Der Zwe;te' in Pachomius' Klmter."
B....dlklische Monnls.<ehrifl 24 (1948)'97-104.
174_79.
Thompson. H. The Coprie rnscnplioM'. Euovation,
al Saqqara 1')(18-1909. f909-/9/0. Annales dto
Service des antiquit~s d'Egypte 1907,
EwA WIF'SZYCKA
DEVAUD, EUGENE VICTOR (1878-1929).
Swiss Egyptologist, He was born in Fribourg. stud·
ied in Lyons and Berlin. and then was appointed
lecturer at Fribourg University. He made important
contributions to Coptic elymo!<,8Y in variou, jour-
nals, His manuscripts are now in the Griffith Inst;·
tute. O~ford, Hi, Coptic contributiQns includ.
Etudes d',lyma/ogre cop" (fribourg. 1922) and
Psolterii Ve"io MemphilicQ I' RecognitionI' Pouli de
Lagarde. reedited with Coplic t",,1 and Coptic char·
acters in collaboration ",ith O. Burmester (Louvain.
1925). He published S1'\'eral short paper,; on Coptic
le~ic08r3phy and etymolO8)' in Kemi, Zeirschrift {iiF
iigyplische Sprache, Recueil de IravalU Fe/atifs " 10
phi/ologie .1 II {'arche%gie egyprie"n", Le Museon,
and Sphinx.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dawson. W. R.. and E. P. Uphill. Wh" Was Who ;0
EgyproloO', p. 85_ london. 1972.
Kammerer. W" compo A Coptic Bibliography. Ann
Mbor. Mich .. 1950; repr, New York. 1969.
Montet, p, "Eugene Devaud.'· Kerni 3 (l930);20-n.
AZlz S. ATln
DHIMMlS. See AIlI al·Dhimmah.
DIACONIA, a tenn Qf Greek origin with multiple
meanings. The original sense of diaco",'a in cl .....i·
cal and Hellenistic Greek was "sen-ice." In later
Greek. diacoMio practically always denoted religious
896 DIACONIA
service of one kind or another, or bodies that had
to do wilh such sen-ices,
In laler Grttk texIS from Egypt and in Coptic
texIS, we are able 10 discern two lrends in the de-
.'elopment of the meaning of diaeonia.
Diaeonia can be a task to be fulfilled by a monk
or a cleric, for example, "diaconia of the gate." A
spedl1c modification of this is the meaning "good
deed:' as in a I""t referring 10 Saini MACARI~S pub.-
lished by E. Amelineau (1894, p. 167), "God writes
down everything thai we do: whether this is a diac·
onia or an additional prayer."
In certain lilentry texIS, diaconia means monastic
sen-ice, hence monastic cnmmunity or monastery
(Kable, 1954). The meaning "monastic cnmmunity"
appears in documents, for example, in a leller pub·
lished by W. E. Crum (1932): "Ihe whole diaconia
from small to grea!." where the author adopted a
typical fonnula used in leuers written by monh,
"we greet everyone from tlJ<, small to the great." In
Greek papyri that pertain to «onomic problems of
the monasteries, the ... me meaning occurs (Mas-
pern, 1913, Vol. 2, no. 67138; Vitelli, 1913, Vol. 3,
no. 285).
The starting point for a s«ond semantic develop-
ment is a meaning that appears in the New Testa-
ment, "a sen-ice necessary for preparing a meal"
(Luke 10:40), Deriving from this is the use of the
word in the meaning of "alms," hence food or
thing!< used as ahn •.
II is easy to see how, from the previous meaning.
the use of diaermia as a Ienn meaning "place in the
monastery where the food was stored and pre·
pared" was derived, Even today Ihe place where
bread is .tored in Coptic monasteries is known in
Arabic as the daquniyyah, In the spe<:ific conditions
of Egyptian LlURJlS that were located outside the
zone of cultivated land and thaI were composed of
loosely scaltered cells and oratoria, the diaconia
became a sui genett economic center, clearly sep'
arated from the rest, As a rule, it was composed of
a building in the s~pe of a tower in which it was
possible to safeguard food and raw materials
against robbers, The'di"coni" also contained store·
rooms, bread ov~ns, a kitchen, alld a refectory, ai-
Ihough som~limes the brOlh~rs ale separately. nus
is why it ;"as possible to rent out quarters in the
diaamia from the monastic authorities. After a suit-
able reconstruction, they could have been used as a
hospice for guests, as mentioned in a papyrus pub·
lished by J. Maspero (J911, Vol. I, no, 67096).
Moreover, diacon;(l was applied to s~parate ser-
vices connected with «onomic activity in monastic
communities: renting land; making arrangements
about work; dividing tasks among the monks; and
purchasing food, clothing, and raw material, for
handicraft.
In churches the term diaconia was applied 10 a
separate unit of the episcopal personnel that admin·
i'tered property I:>elonging to th~ church. It can be
surmised that the diaconi" also look Care of philan.
thropic work. We still do not know wheth~r the t~nn
was used for analogous bUi obviously much more
modest sen-ices in the lower ranking churches.
The organization and range of activity of the diac·
oni" in IlIOnastk communities depended upon Ihe
type and si'e of community. In large monasteries
the diaco~;a could ha"e expanded into a silable
body that was active in various areas, ""pedal!y in
those instance. when the monastery was burdened
with collecting taxes (Gascou, 1976). The 6scal
product could have been, but did nol have to be,
partially handed ov~r to the monastery and then
used fur philanthropic work. This was Ihe case of
the diaconia in Ihe Pachomian monast~ry of the ME-
T~NOt~ in Alexandria, wbere taxes were collected in
the nome of Antaiopolis and from which grnin was
transported in its own ships to Alexandria, and per-
haps even 10 Constantinople.
It is difficult to know whal the prindples were
according to which monks were .el«ted to manage
the alIairs of th. diaconia, with the e~ception of
Pachomian monasteries where they were clearly de·
scribed. One wonders if the monks belonged to th~
diaconia on a pennanent basis: if il could have
incoll'Ontted lak. and not only monks, or clerics in
the case of churches. These questions remain un·
solved. Some texts contain a spedal tenn used 10
describe people of the diaconia. We may suppose
that the diaconia was headed by the steward, al.
though we find no infonnation about this in the
sources,
J. Maspero proposed another meaning of dia-
conia: "all property belonging 10 the monastery or
church," bul it seems that this interpretation can-
not be proven by sources. His thesis cOncern. the
inscriptions on silver boxes for slOring iocense. The
inscriptions proclaiming thai Ibe boxes belong to
the diac'mia of a church administered by a prieS!
called Praipositos, according to Maspero, can be
explained as referring In Ihe diaconia in a meaning
considered re!;uing 10 separate sen-ices connected
"ith economic activity.
BtBllOGItAPHY
An analysis of th. meanings of the term diaconia
was given by P. Kahle in Bala'izah. CoP/Ie nXls

f.om Del. e/.8a/II'ltalt In Upper Etypr. lip. lS-.olO,
Odof'<!. 195". The chun::h diaconill is discUS$ed by
E Wi~ka in Us !«su:n",:es SI I~ IJCtivilUs
honamiquu du it/ists s" Eo·pts, PI'. 125-.10,
Brusseh, 1972. On the 6,"1 functions of thoe t/u..
""'Ii., ~ J, CascO<! Ind P. fouad, "L.c:s """'.... e"'"
pachomiens et I'mt b)'zImln," B"lleli" de /'f"uir"l
!ra",.;s d'''rc1oi(o/.ogie orie"llIle 76 (1976):173-33.
The .hesis p~ by J. ~ro WIll presenled in
"Sur quelques objets CopIes du M~ <Itt Caire.
...."aloO$ till SeNke tits a",iquilis d'EDple 10
(1910):173-71.
Crum, W. E. T1te A40n4lsury D/ Epiplul"uu III
Thtl>ts, Vof. 2, no. 173. New Yorl, 19)2.
l.Wpero, J., ed.l'lJpyl'US p«s tI'ipoque ~V1 ..""e, 3
yol... Cairo. 1911-1913.
Vi'telli, G., ed. I'.piri Fiou..rfni. MIiaJt. 1913.
E....A WII'$ZYCX.l
DlACONICON, Ses Archlteclural Elemenu of
Churc!>es.
DIALECT, IMMIGRANT. Sse Appsrtdi.t.
DIALECT, SPORADIC. Ses ,(pptuiz.
DIALECT G (BASHMUR.IC, OR MAN-
SURIC). Sse Appertdu.
DIALECT H (HERMOPOLITAN OR ASH·
MUNIC), Sts "pJHtrtlis.
DIALECT I (PROTO.LYCOPOLlTAN). See
Apps"tlu. ••
DIALECT P (PROTO.SAMIDICj. Sse Appsn.
dis.
DIALECT V (SOUTH FAYYUMIC). See Ap-
pent/is: Oia/uis.
DIALECTS, COPTIC. Sse Appmdix.
DIALECTS, GROUPING OF, Sse App."di.<,
DIALOGUE OF THE SAVIOR 897
DIALECTS, MORPHOLOGY OF, SU "pp.",.
du.
DIALOGUE OF THE SAVIOR. " (;n~tic
Christian dialogue Imo....n only I'rom the Coptic (Sa·
hidic) text found at Nag Hammadi in .'MS. n.e
.itle
N
is indicaled botb at tlte l>eci-nning and "' lhe end of
~ .eu. n.e &fth tractatS in Code.. 3 of lbe J<lA(; H.uI·
MAD! u_v. the Di.I0",~ of.1rs Sa...,.,. ~tu',.. ives in
fragmental)' condition. 101051 of illl paces Ire filled
..ith lacunae; some are misosint a1IQCether.
Despire 1M gaps in the ..... t. lbe gm~ and struc·
ture of 1M ,....... is<: are fairly dear. D;.Iop~ 0/ Ilts
S"'..... COIlMwi of a eonvel$Ollion in ..i1.ich the
!Welve di!lciples and Mary MaJdalene interrop<e
the Soo";"'- (also called ll>nl.. but never Jesus) aboul
opiribla! malre.... UnliU simib.r GflOStlc Chrislian
diaJocu.,. (11ot UU" .., 1'"" ro PIIfh". T'Ioe Sophw.
of J~>us CltffiJ. n... Gospel 01 Milry. Tit. Gospel 0/
TIoooouu. and TIt~ Book D/ 11Iooo<il. 1M C.... r~~u.J,
CJMlops D/ tlt~ Scviol" bas 100 literary fnme"""rk
but begin. abruptly wilh quesrions and am_n.
Inlel'>pa'Sed bet:wttn dialOS\'"'. booo;.,..er. dramalk
~p;sodes <KCUI' lhrougtloul .he writing. AI one
point. Juda$ lhrows himseK down In ,..,..t«ftC:e be-
fore ,hoe Lord; laler. 1M disdples ~ a ~p I've
expression 10 lheir fttli"C' 01. lUnlltt~nt evoked
by 1M leachinp of !he Swo·ior. Tltere an a1so
,·i$ions.
Although Dialogue of lire SlJV;o, ad:nowled&es
the lWel•.., discipla. moM of the que:stions are p.tl
fonh by Matthoew, Judas, and Mary r.tagdakne.
These th,..,., IOllowers of ChrUT ficure prornlnendy
in nwntTOUl; GnOStic Christian writinp. Manh.,... "
known from PUlis SopIrfa. T1o~ Fir$! 8""'" 0/ Je",
T1o~ SophN 01 Je51I. Chmt, T1t~ GO$PC/ of Thom....
arwl T1ts Boolc .., T1romIJJ Ilts Conl~ntltr. Judas is
usually called Judas Thotna$ (11re COJp,,1 01 'rItO""1S
and ThL BooJ:. of ThomlJS Ihs Coms"ds,) or simply
lllomas (11rs Sophia of Jss". C1ori3t and PiJIi. S".
phial. Mary Magdal.ne, also known ~ both Maria
or Mariham. pia)" a cem."l role in Ths Gospsl of
Mory, Tile Sophia of hSUJ Chd.l. The Gosp,/ 01
Thoma., and Th. Cosp~1 of Philip-wltere shs II
refe.-rM to lI$ lhe koin"mos. or consort of Jtsu.
($9.20).
E. Pagsls and H. KOSMer (1978) havs .ulie'led
thaI the document may have been used as attach·
ing tool for inlllation intll Gnostic mytteriet. Per·
ha~ it was a catechelical handbook for baplilm. in
which wen:: explained the ....ylngs of the Savior,
uyings !oUCh /1$ thos.e liet forth. for example. in Ths
898 DICTIONARIES, COPTIC
Gv~pd vf Tlwmas. In addition, Pagels and Koester
have drawn attention to a twofvld eschatology that
runs through the text, ACC<lrding to the Savior's
teaching, a limited fonn of sah'ation is attained in
baptism, to be followed at some later time by a
fully realized salvation through spirituali>.ation,
M. Krouse (1977) points to the mention "f two
sacnments in Dialogu. of the Savio" baptism
(134.6~7) and the bridal chamber (138.19-20). Per·
haps each sacrament corresponds t<l one eschato-
logical stage. According to Exegtlli$ on the Soul, a
related Gnostic Christian homily, in baptism the
Father (Le., God) prepares the soul for eventual
libemtion fmm the earthly realm; and the bridal
chamber is the seuing in whkh that liberation is
finally reali ..d. It is in this second sacmment that
the union of the soul and the spirit takes place,
after which the spiritualized soul returns 10 its
hea.enly home.
l1te knowledge gained in baptism will .serve to
guide and protect the soul on its final journey. The
powers that oppose the soul rule by means of rear
(122.14). True knowledge about the nature of the
cosmos and the destiny of the soul-especially it~
origins in a transcendent and undying reality
(133. 15)-dispels fear and serves thus to empower
the soul in its confrontation with the powers or
darkness and death.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Attridge, H. W" trans. "The Dialogue of the Savior
(1lI,5)." In The Nag Hammadi Library i" English,
pp. 230-38. San Francisco, 1977.
___"The Dialogue of the Savior," In The Other
C<lspels: N<ln-Canonical Gospel Texts, cd. Ron
Cameron, pp. 38-48. Philadelphia, 1982.
Facsimile Edi/ion 01 the Nag Hammadi Codices, 10
vols. Leiden, 1972-1977.
Krause, M. "Ikr Dialog des Sol.' in Codex tlI ,'on
Nag Hammadi," In GI'~:>Sis and G,wsticism, cd. M.
Krause, PI'. 13-34. t!iden, 1977.
Pagels, E., and H. Koest.er. "Report on the Dialogue
of the Savior {CG 111.5)," In Nag Hammadi and
Cnosis, ed. R. McL. 'wilson, Pl'. 66-74. Leiden,
1978.
BEVERlY MOON
DICTIONARIES, COPTIC, See Appendix.
DIDACHE, a work, also known as The Teaching of
Ihc Apostles, discovered in 1873 by the Metropolitan
Bryennios in a Greek manuscript written in 1056
(now Codex 54 in the Library of the Greek Patri·
arch in Jerusalem), which also contains the Epistle
of Barn"b"s and the Epistles of Clement of Rome.
The Greek texl is otherwise represented only by
Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 1782. written at the end of
the fourth century, which contains no more than
sixty-four words. In addition, there have survived
e.cerpls of a Coptic version and of an Ethiopic
version. The value of the complete Georgian ver-
sian"" an andent textual witness of the work has
been questioned recently, and il is said thai it is, in
effect, a modern version that probably goes back
only to the first half of the nineteenth century.
The Didache may be described as a church manu·
al. It consists of two parts. The first six chapters
contain a m(>ral treatise based on an andem Jewish
work called "The Two Ways." It sets forth the "'...y
of righteousness and lire, on the one hand, and the
way (>f unrighteousness lind death, on the other.
There are obvious affinities with the teaching of the
Wisdom literamre, the Qumran writings, and rab-
binical teaching. An andent LAtin tnmslation (Doc·
trina apos/Qlornm) of a Greek work no longer ex·
tant contains these six chapters without the
Christian accretions (l .3b-2. I), thus confinning the
existence of an earlier, pre'(:hristian work, which
schnlars had suspecled. This part of the Dida.he,
without Christian interpolation, appears in anum·
ber of andent Christian writings, including the Ap-
osto;;c Church Order, the Epistle 0/ Barnab"s, the
Sheph"d of Hermas, and the Arabic version of the
Life of She""le, while the whole work is used in
the Did"sc"lia and in the Apostolic Constitu/ions.
After the moral teaching of the first six chapters,
there follow liturgical direclions and regulations re-
lating to the ministry of the church. Chapter 7 deals
in some detail with the rite of BAPTISM. Preferably it
should be administered in running water, bm alter·
natively the use of any other water, c<lld or warm,
is penniued, and e"en the pouring of water on the
baptismal candidate's head is allowed. Chapter 8
enjoin. fasting on Wednesday and Friday, not on
Monday and Thursday when the hypocrites, that is,
lhe Jews, fast, and orders the praying of the Lord's
prayer three times daily. The original selling of the
prayers in Chaplers 9-10 has been much discussed,
for it is not altogether dear whether they refer to
the Chri$tia!l ag"pe or to the EUCHARIST. It has been
suggested, with some cogency, lhat the prayers in
9.1-10.5 preceded and followed the agape, while
W.6 introduces the liturgy of the celebration of the
Eucharist that followed. But it $hould be noted that

this Is ol\ly one of .. nllmber of possible inltrpreta-
lions.
Alth.. end of Chapl.... 10, the Coptic ~ adcb
• senlf'floCC dw is lUll all$ed in thc G<ffk. and il is
therefore con,-e~nt 10 introdu« the Coptic ~.
slon at this point" lillie more fully. The I*P)'nI$
leaf thaI conW<l'I the aarpc of !he ~adu (IO.l-
12.2) bt!lonp 10 the British Ubnry (Oril!ntal917l).
II is ~l 10 h.a...., bft.n ...,;,,", in the fifth centll-
1)'. and the Cq>lio: di:Iolcet 01 the lUI Iuos been ~
scribed H Middle Ec,yptiaJI with rl))'Umk lnllu-
lMCe. There is no firm evidence 10 ~ III 10 Ny
"'~her 1M e.. cerpl ..... ~D lI"anIlated directly
flwq ,he Grttk. or ..i>tdwr it b. hlod • hiseOf}'
",thin the CopIic lradiliOD and was lhe""foR """..
laled urii.,•. II has <:\'CII b«n llU8&~ed that thf:
Coplk: ~ersion ... ' ..... nsI.. te<l dir«dy from the Syri.
a.:. Of 5p«:ial ;"leresl i. tbe ~e in the Copcic
~rsio<l ...ilieh II"" no parallel in lhf: Creek. II ;, a
pray<!. of thanksgiving for the "PI'm"m..," ...ilieh
has often been imerpreled "" the fragrant oil, the
myron, Wilh ilS poMible baptismal association•.
More re<:ently it has been suggested thet h is rathtT
• pmyer over incense lhat was burned III ,he com·
munal meal. Not only is Ih.. inlerpr~lion of the
p .... y~r in doubt, bul .., al.., is its aUlh~nlkity, for it
appl'an only in Ihe Copt>c "ersion and In lhe recen·
slon of ,hoe Did~che contained in 'M: A~ro/ir; Co~.
S#I"oo..S (VII.n). ",ben i, mi&hl b<! "coneb.ry.
C.... pters II~U conlain .......bliof!s aboul Inch.
ers, ilineBII' apost!ts. and propltdS, while Chaplu
14 pws irutrueUons abooo, me obK...~nce oJ: Sun.
.by. The celwracion of lbe Eucharlsl Is 10 b<! pre-
~ by lloe con£=iion of liDS. Chapcer IS deab:
wiUt the appoinUMnl of bidlop& aIId ckacons, and
w conduding Chapoer 16 contaifls eKN.loloskaJ
e:morudoons 10 "'~na&
The pnmiuwe conditions rdlecled in 1M DiUch~
~l lhal it was wmten al an early da,e. pet"haps
lbe first half of the se<:oII~""n'uf)'. ahhough earlkr
and lalff da,es haw: t-n'f,ul fono-ard. Th~ pia« oJ:
"";Iing Is generally thoughl 10 b<! Syria, but £cypo.
hu been considered a possible plau of orilin by
..,me scholars.
BIBLIOGRAI'JfY
Adam. "'. "Erwagungen zur Herkunft der Oldache."
ZeJtschrift flir Kirche~geschir:hte 68 (1957):lv47.
"'haner, B., and A. Sluiber. Palrologle, pp. 79-82.
frelburg. 1966.
Audel. J.·P. La Did~chi.: l"str"crio~s Jes a~rrn
Peris. 1958.
DIDASCAUA 899
Gem. S. ''The ~aJJed Qinlmenl Pr:aJer in Ihe
Coptic Venion of 1M Didache: A Re-r;,'alualion:'
HafVllfil Th~I()r;ic4/ Review 70 (1917):67-114.
Kahle. P. E. &/;:l'iT"llIa, Vo!. I. pp. 224-27. london •
,"'.
~. L·T. La Pi-res IIfKJSloliqous copU. CSCO
nI
1J5-36; S<:ripIofes Coptk! 17, IS. lou....m. 1952.
Rordorf. W.• and A. Tu;l~r. LII Dactrilte ths tloute
qOfTU (DilhcW,. Sources chmiennes H8. Paris.
1978.
K. H. KIJHI\'
DlDASCALIA. The eomplete tide of this third-
eemuf)' wort. is Didllscllli4 ill 1st doctrinQ Cdlholic~
""<>decim dpostolomm el disd"..forum sancWrum
&h'd/"'" 1fO.m (InSlNC,iOnt.. Thai Is. Catholic
IJo<:lrine, of the Tw<:Iw. Apo$Cles and Holy Disciple<
of Our Savior). Allhol.lgh originally wrill<:" in
Greek, il is curremly extanr in a Syriac translation
and exten.lve LlItin FragmenlS, Portions of the
Greek te,t are found In the fourth·c"ntury ~POSTOUC
co~rnmONS, for the compiler of lhat work used
,h<: D;d"jc,,/;a eXiensively in the early part of his
work, Connolly has obwrved lhal the Did"""dli"
makes eonside....ble use of the Old Testament. espe-
dally Psalms. Prowerbs. Isaiah, Jeumiah, and Eze.
.iel. The Gospels _n: used as SOllrces. including
!be episode of lbe WOman laken in adul,ery, and
allusions '0 apostolio; sourc:e:s are apparenl. thou&h
!be.., are 110 references 10 them as ...Tillen sources.
The Did4sc"UII makes lIM' ol both Old and N<:w
Teslarnenl apocryphal works. ;n addition lO sueh
works :as lbe SihyllhK Or/JCW and the 0IDACKf..
The ......n. is -.ally elaui6ed :among wminp
dalinl ",ith ecclesiastical offices and ocden. and ;,
purports 10 be: a compUIIlion oJ: il'lSUUClionI made
by lhr aposdes Immedialely after lbe JelU5a1em
Council of AcUI IS. Followinl a brief opening /IIi.
dr<:ss 10 all Chrlslians lO gi.... httd 10 the leaching
of the document lhe 1I'e&1lse ,urns ro the dulles of
biohops. including bishops' courtS fur ta",'SUi.. be-
....-e<:n bdicweTS and lh" COnducl of wonhip SCI'
,ices. There follow inslruelioM on how 10 """I ",ilh
"">do...... how '0 ""ian <kacons and dcaconcs.scs ;n
Iheir responsibilities. and whal to do wilh orphans.
Other subje-cu included in the f)id",ed/i" ar<: mar·
I}'rdom. fa.ting and the Easter season. heresies and
judgmen.. againsl herelkl. and rhe re!;uion.hip of
the Old Tenament rituals to the New Testament
ehureh. Pr:actical advice II slven relating 10 mor:ali·
ly, decency In bnaualle. dielary freedom, and how
10 rr"al visitors. R"ference is alw madl concerning
900 DlDYMUS THE BLIND
the assignment of the apo'!tles to various provinces,
though specific localions are not given.
Because Ihe Didasca/la was composed in the easl,
probably in Syria. its cffect on developing church
orders and regulations in the churche. of Ihe re-
gion .hould nol be surprising, and indeed. refer-
ence to il in a gloos 10 a Coptic version of a letter of
Athanasius argues for its presence in Egypl. Later
references 10 the DiJasc"lia are surpri.ingly nre,
howe...er. with Hpiphanius being perhaps the earli·
est author to cite Ihe work in his own writings.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Connolly, R. H. Dida$calia AposIQlorum. Oxford,
1'129; repr, 1'169.
Funk, F. X. Die aposIQlischen Kon.titwionen. Rot-
tenburg am Neckar 1691: repro Frankfun, 1970.
___ , ed. Didasca/ia "1 ConstUwlones Aposto-
forum. Paderhom, 1905; r"pr. Turin. 1970.
C. WtURED GRlGCS
DIDYMUS THE BLIND (ca. 313-3'18), the laOl
great h.,a<! of Ih., OTECHETICAL SCHOOL OF ~LE.l!AS·
n"'IA and on., of it' .,minent and moot prolific Ih.,o·
logian•. Although he had lost his sight at the age of
four, he was able to command Ihe admiration of his
contemporaries by his extraordinary erudition, the
amazing mass of hi. religiou, wrilings, .nd hi' cre·
ati...e theological acumen, He manage<! to keep
away from the prevailing heretical Icachings of hi'
da}', and thus ATHANA$Il'S I did not hesilate to ap-
poim him 10 the pre.i<kncy of the greatest theologi·
cal in.litution of hi. lim.,. He induded among hi'
studems mch illustrious figures as GJtEG()RY Of
NAZIANZUS, J£ROME, and Ih" historian RUFINUS. He
was de.cribed by them as thei~ ",,,gislor, a prophet",
and vir "poslOl/cUS.
While leading a .trictly aocetic life, a. a hermit,
[)idymus was Yisiled ~1.~NTONY THE GREAT, who es·
tahlishcd the monaslic'flJle, and hy PA1.L'.D1US, wbo
rendered homage to him in his poor residence. His
lremendou. OUlput in the field of biblical exege.i,
and theological studies' "",ms to have .uffere<! at
Ihe hand. of Ihose who cast dark shadows of Ori·
g.,nist suspicions on his work at the Second Coun·
cil of OONSTA>lTlNOPL£ in 553, His suppon of ORI·
GEN'S creed of the preexistence of Ihe soul was
condemned as unorthodox.
The discovery in 1941 of papyru. document, al
Turah, soulh of Cairo, reve.led a con,iderable num·
ber of hitheno loS! wrilings from his Iileral)' heri·
tage. Now it can be cenifie<! thai the works of Didy-
mus indude the following wide range, On the
Trinity (three books), On lite Holy Spirit, IIgalnJl the
Manlchaeans, Commentaries on Jab, Zechariah,
Ge""is (",d Ecclesl"stu, and A Com",,,,,,ary on
P."lms XX_XLX!. Th" work "ntitle<! Discourse
Against Atius (",d SabeUius ;s also ascribed to him,
Ihough its authenticity has }'el to be proved. E.'en
Ihi. monumental Iheological production doe. nol
.eem 10 cover Ihe work of Didymus. Palladius stales
lhat "he interpreled Ihe Old and New Testaments,
word by word, and such allenti"n did he pay 10 the
doctrine, selling out hi. eXpo'!ition of il subtl}, yel
.urely, Ihal he .urpasoed all the ancients on knowl-
edge." Even if we allow for the cxaggeration of
some of his admirers, Saint Jerome condud"s the
listing of the works of [)idymus by ...ying, ".. , and
m.ny olher things, 10 give an account of which
would be a work of itself,"
Although his tremendous ""egetical output is
bound to I""..e the door open for doubtful stale·
ments in minor details, Ihe orthodoxy of Did}'mu. i.
entirely abo"e repr""ch. His lheological and pasto·
ral teaching i. identical wilh Ihe doclrines of Atha-
nasiu. I. a fact lItat clears him from the taint of
heterodoxy. Throughout his lifetim" and e.'en be-
yond, his works w"re freely <:i~culated by his un·
questioning admirers.
BIBUOGRAPHY
Quaslen, J. Palra/agy, Vol. 3, pp. 85-100
We.tmin.ler, Md., 1963.
Roey, A. ,'an. "Didyme l'A'·eugle." In Diclle'",al'e
d'HislOire et de Giographie ecclhias/lques. Vol.
14, col•. 416-27. Paris, 1%0.
Roncaglia, M, P. Egyple. Hi,l"ire de Ng/ise copt.,
Vol. 2, Le Didascalie: Les Itommes el Ie. doc·
trine., 2nd rev. and enL ed. Beirul, 1987.
M. P, RONCAGUA
DIFNAR, a collection of hymns for the whol" year,
commemorating the saints asoociated wilh each day
of the month, One of th~ is .ung in the .ervice of
the I'$ALMOOlA that follows Ihe o!ftce of OOMPUNE,
after Ihe LOBSH of the TIlEOTOKIA of Ihe day. But if it
has already been sung in Ih., ... m., service of the
psaimodia aft"r lite o!ftc" of midnight prayer, and
aft"r the TheOlokla and its labsh and before Ihe
hymn (TARl;t) of the day, it i. omitted.
n."re are usually two di{>lM h)mn. for lhe same
...int, one wilh a .honer meter for use when Ihe
commemoralion falls on an ADAM day, the olh..

with a longer meter when it falls on a wAllIS day.
Occasionally, the saints are different, as Oil 3
I
Ba'unah when the ad~m hymn commemorates
Saint Manha of Egypt, whereas the wJ!US hymn
commemorales SainI Alladius the Bishop.
The actual date of the compilation of Ihe di!"1ir i,
nol known, but rderence 10 such a book occurs as
early as Ihe eighth century. Apparently its contents
are based mainly on the Arabic lexl of (he SYNAXARI·
ON, beeause many of the proper names included in
the Coptic lext of the di/nlir are, in met, translitera·
tion. of the Arabic form. not lhe proper Coplic (d.
erum, 1909, p. 213),
Copieo of the d;f~t'Jr are very rare. The text of the
manuscripts in lhe John Rylands Library. Manches-
ter (Coptk 21 and 22) i. dated 1799 and contains
only a recor<l of lhe first four months. The manu-
scripts of the library of lhe Coptic Patriarchale (lil.
26S, 269, 270) are dated 1790 and con ....in a com-
plete series for all the months of the year. The
Vatican manuscripts (53, 54, 59, 6(1, 104, 1(6) also
are of the eighteenth century, but claim to be cop·
ie5 of a codex of the foununth century.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Crnm, W. E. C~Mlogue of Coplic Texis in Ihe 10h..
Ryl~ ..ds Library. Manchester, 1909.
O'leary, De L. The Daily Office a"d The%kio of Ihe
Coplic Church. london, 1911.
___. The Difndr (A"liphonarium) 01 the Copllc
Church. London, 1926-1930. Coptic text only.
EMILE MAHER ISHAO
DIGAMY. practice of remarriage after the death of
one's spouse. In the event of the dissolution of a
Christian marriage through the death of either
spouse, the suIViving panne. may, if desired, be
married again in the chu'"£f. Nevenhdess, it is not
strongly recommended hy !he church, in hannony
with the Apostle Paul'. teaching.
The early church fathers exp,,"ssed their qualified
approval of digamy and maintained the superiority
, of widowhood over second marriage. Within this
general framework, they had varying degrees of res·
ervation. Tenullian (c, 16(1-220) addre>sed An Ex·
hOr/alion 10 Chastity to a friend who had been re-
cently widowed, discouraging him from remarriage
and ""plaining that, although second marriage ""'"
tolerated by the church, it was merely an objection-
able expedient to safeguard the weak against temp-
tation. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (c, 315-386), how·
DlKAION 901
e"er, .hows more leniency towards digamiSI$:
"Those who are once married, let them not hold in
contempt th""" who h;>ve accommodated them·
selves to a .c<:ond marriage. Continence is a good
and wonderful thing; but still, il is pennissible to
enter upon a .~cond marriage." (Calechelical Lec-
lurU 4.26). $aint Amb= of Milan (c. 339-397)
strikes a note of reserve in hi. altitude toward.
digamy: "What we suggest by way of counsel we do
nol command as a precept.... We do not prohibit
second marriages, but neither do we recommend
them" (The Widows 11,(8).
Digamy is thus considered to be le.s meritorious
than the first marriage, as is reflected in the follow-
ing features: (I) the seventh canon of the Council of
Neocaesarea (315) prohibits prie.ts from allending
the marriage feast (.ee Cumrning5, 1957, p. 512);
(2) the Coplic se....ice of digamy omit. the crowning
of the spouse who has been married before, and
include. a J>l'tition for forgi,'ene.. and ahsolution;
(3) penance""'" imposed on a digamisl in the early
church; (4) a digamist cannot be ordained to any
rank of the presbyte')' or diaconate. According 10
Canon I of the First Council of Valence (374):
"None after this synod, .. be ordained to the cler-
gy from among digamists, or the husband. of previ·
ously married women."
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cummings, D, 17Ie Rudder (Pedalian). Chicago,
1957.
Fulton, J. Index C~nonum, pp. 29, 294. New York,
1982.
J:lablb Jiljis. Asrar al-Kan'sah al·5<11>'"h, 2nd cd., p.
173. Cairo, 1950.
Ludlow, J. M. "Digamy." In Diction~.)' 01 Chri.tian
Antiqu;Iy, ed. W. Smith and S. Cheetham, Lon-
don, 1908.
Persival, H. R. Excursus On Second M~rriages,
called Digamy. In A Select Li1>rary ollhe Nice"e
and Pvst·Nicene Fathers vi Ih. Christ jan Church,
2d ser., Vol. 14, ed, P, Schaff and H. Wxc. Grand
Rapids, Mich., 1971.
ARCHBISIIOP BASIUOS
DIKAION. a ten!> of Greek origin, encountered
from the .i~th cemul)' on in many Greek and Cop-
tic document. connected with the economic activi-
ty of monasteries or, more rarely, churches and
philanthropic instilutions. It is to be found predom.
inantly in introductory fonnulas that describe lhe
addressee or the institution issuing the document,
902 DIKHAYl.A.H, AL-
fo~ Hample, o'lh~ dikaion of lh~ holy monasl~t)' of
the holy Apa Apollo lhrough me, Apa Abraham, th~
priesl and prior" (Kahle, 1954, p, 1(9),
II is not easy 10 d~t.rmin~ the sense of the lenn
dikaion, Scholars inl~rpret~d it at firsl as <knoting
the ~oun~il of a monastery, However, lhey aban-
doned this interpretation, ~onside.-ing lhal the lenn
was also us~d in conne~lion with ~hurches and
phiianlhropic inSlilutions Ihal had no council•.
Therefore, allempts were mad~ 10 inl~l'J'rel it as a
tenn <knoting a legal person. The inlerprelation
off~red by A. St.inwente~ appears to be the most
precise and ~on,'incing. A~cording 10 him, the key
is to be found in a comparison of th~ Gr~ek and
latin versions of the s<>-<called Edict of Milan of th~
year 313. The expresllion "oikia Itai ch6ria ha IOu
dikaiou tou tOn ChristianOn etygkhanon onla" (Eu·
sebius of o.esar~a, Hislaria uclesiaslica 9, 10, 11)
corresponds 10 lhe latin "loca ad ius corporis
rorum id esl ecc1esiarum pertin~ntia" (lactantius,
De mortibu, puseculorum 48). To dikaion thus cor·
responds the iu, corporis. Examples of an analo·
gous usag~ ar~ to be found in Justinian', /IIovellae.
In all lho,~ cases dikaion means th~ righl of a
certain inslitulion 10 poss~ss a legal subj~clivity and
hence th~ righl 10 all sorts of aClivity, particularly
of an e<;onomie nalure, It cannot be said how lhis
SUbile legal tenn, ""hich emerged in Romao law,
found itself in lhe lerminology of notaries preparing
documenlS in Egypl, jusl a, ~xplanations are diffi·
cull of its being used only in the domain of rdi·
gious institution•. In the Edict of Milan, it was ap-
plied also 10 the fi",us, or the slate treasut)'.
Probably lhose who used it were not aware of il.
ex""t signif.cance; for lhem it had become a sancti-
fied fonnula. A lis! of texts in which dikawn occurs
was provided by C. Sdmidt and laier on by P.
Kahle,
Th~ lerm dik"i<m was .us~d inconsislemly. Among
the documents issued b~trr addressed 10 Ihe sam~
monastety in ~ ,ingle ye.r some contain it olhers
do not, as, for example, ihe p~pyri published by J.
loIASPERO (1913, nos. 671.70, 67171). This did not
change lhe meaning of lhe documents. It is also
impossibl~ 10 capture a conn~ction belw~en the
type of a giv~n !'"'onaslic community and lhe occur·
renee of the term. P. Kahle W3S of lh~ opinion that
one could determine ils topographic mnge. He indio
cated thai the lerm was used predominantly in the
~nvirons of Aphrodito, Balayzah, and 10 a .maller
extem in al·Ashmiinayn. llis hypoth~si., howe.'er, is
not acceplable. New documents have increased lh~
number of oc~urrenCes from lhe area of al·
A.ltmiinayn. There is also evidenc~ thai lhe lerm
was used in Ihe region of Memphis. More",'er, one
musl keep in mind lhat the majority of known papy-
ri comes from those vel)' regions mentioned by
Kahle.
IJIBLtOGRAPHY
Khal~, P. Ba/a'iw". Copric Texts from Deir eI·
Ba/aha" In Upper Egypt, vol. I, pp. 31-32. lon-
don, 1954.
Maspero, J, Papyrus grees d'''fXJq"e by<",lIine.
Cairo, 1913.
Schmidt, C. "oas Klosler des Apa Mena." ZeilSchrill
fiir Agyplische Sprache 68 (1932):60,
Sieinwemer, A. "Die Re~htsslellung der Kirchen
und KloSler nach den Papyri." bilschri/I der Sa-
vigny Sliitung lur Rechtsgeschichle, Kanonislische
Ablei/"ng 50 (1930):31-34.
___. D", Rechl dt!r koptischM U,kunden, p. 18.
Munich, 1955.
Till, W. c., ed. Corpus P"pYn)mm Raineri 4, no. 34.
Vienna, 1958.
Vit~lli, G" ed. Publica!ioni della Socielii Italian" per
10 ricere" dei p"piri, Vol. 4, no. 284, Fiorencc,
)911.
Ew~ WlPSZYCKA
DIKHA YLAH o AL_ o See Enaton.
DIMAYRAH, name of two "illages located n~ar
one anolher in the middle of lhe Della in the pro,,·
inc~ of Gharbi)Y3h. There e~ists loday a vilJag~
called Dum~rah (or Dimerah) about 4 miles (6.5
km) wesl of al-Baramiin and 5 miles (8 km) north
of Talkhi. North of this Sil~ is a "illage called Kaft-
Dimayrah al·ladid (earlier Dimayrah al-Bahriyyah)
and to lh~ southwest is a village known as Kafr
Dimayrah al-Qarum (earlier Dimayrah al.Qibliyyah).
The 1""0 "illages known as Dimaynllayn were locat·
ed somewhere in this sam" ar~a.
Th~ SY~AXAJtION for 14 Bashans relales that Saint
Epimadus w~nt from al·Fammi 10 al-Bakrug,
where !he Roman gov~rnor lortured and killed
him. Aft"r his d~ath, 1,150 inhabitants of the two
villages named Dimayrnlayn consoled his parents
and became Chrislians. Th~ HISTORY OF THE ~~TRI·
~JKHS slates that the patriarch Cosmas II (85 I -858)
O~d 10 Dimayrah, which was ~ompletely Chrislian
at lh" time, to avoid Ihe attempts of th" Muslim
aUlhorities in Alexandria 10 rob him of hi. wealth.
In the Synaxarion for 19 Baoiinah is lhe story of the
martyr Jirji. al·MuzAhim whose moth~r was born in
Dimayrnh. Though hi' falher was a Muslim, Jirjis
1 DINUsHAR
adopted the Chmtlan faith due to thc arona: inllu-
~~C' of his mother. 0 .. ac~ouDl of his wnvn'$ion
1M: was behtaded near the Chu.-c:h of SaInI Mk.....l
in DiINlym, al-Oibliyym.
Dim3ynh was !he """,t of. Copl:ic bOlhop al lc~1
as uri)' as thc oeln-ntth coenl\lry.
BlBlJOCRAPKY
AnWlil>nll, E. LiI Gmgr-qhj~ tl~ l'EDP'oe.ii l'lpoqru
copu. pp. 1111-19. PMil;, 1193.
Timm. S. Ih3 chrisllicl..loprisdte ~ploe" ;" .,..b;.
Jehu bit, po.. 2. pp. 510-23. Winbalkn. 1984.
RANDAU. SlEW....T
DIMIQRAT. Su Da,T MiT Jirji. (Dlmlqrll): J>il.
,rima,e$..
DlMVANAH AND HER FORTY VIR-
CINS. Dirny<\nah. or Damiana, i, one of the mos_
highly revere<! and deri$hed female Nints and
martyrs of the Coptic church. She was m.")'t'W
,.,lIh forly vi,.;n comlJ'lnions in the 1Mrd cenlury
durl"8 the reian of Emperor mOCLEnAll (284-lOS).
Their >tQ<y i. detailed in 1hc: Arabic SY"'UAR10'"
....der the date 01 13 Tiibah, \.,., date of lhcir mar-
tyTdom for Wln<!i"ll finn by Ihrir Chrialian faith
aplnsllheir pen«uton. She ..-as the sole daugillu
of Man:...., Ro..... n S0venM>l" of the dislrlcu ol Para-
II"" (al-Durullus). z..'bnn, and W6df al.s.~ in
the- northtm Drlta of the Valley of the Nile:. Sbo:
'"'as hom " ... unk_ date in the third cenlUry
in. Christian bmily. and at the qe 01_ yUT she
"'2!i IakEft by her DIne.. 10 the InOnMtCfy 01 aI-
Maymah 10 ra:eiw th~ b1tsSinp 0I1he boIy blhoon.
Whtt> s~ rr:achrd the ag~ 01 lif1~, her father
"''allied htr 10 get married. bu1 she nl\astd and
Infonned hi... 1hlot she hall already made • ¥ow of
beeominc lhe hride of Jesus Christ, • decWon !hat
ck1ichied her pK>us father. She I$U<I hi... 10 build a
~da1 p~ for her reli........,nl wi'" Mr Yirein
companiofu, wheti' lhey ~I u.e;r days in nading
1M scliptul'eS and in prayer.
Olodetian bfOU.ihl Marcus 10 Rome and tl'quest·
ed him 10 offer inc~n"" and libation 10 hll Idols.
After $Orne hesilalion. 10 save hi5life, Marcu. dedd·
ed 10 accepl lhe imperial command by worshiping
his Idols, and lhus was l~ft free 10 nlum 10 hi$
provio<:e. On heanng Ihi$. Oimytnah ...enl 10 her
falher ar>d chided him For abjuring lhe fallh of Ihe
crnlor of all Ih~ world 10 idolalroU$ beli~fs. Sh~
903
abo rold him that Jhc WOIJId have rather secn him
dead than apoosUoWing. ~ua was dttply moved
by his dauchlet". proust and relumM 10 [);ocletian
10 declatl' the realicy of Ms Ch.....ian bilh. When
the emptror &iW 10 dd«l him from Christianity
In ...., idob of Rome. he ortkml him dtt...,na1ed.
Diod~tiaJl diKO>"ered lhat Marcus' affinnation of
hi> Chrislian falch had been enrrounoged by M
daughler. So he senl _ of his cenen.b with a
balalUoo 01. a hundred ~ n 10 her n:Dde<Ic" in
I'.clpl. n.es.. _ n arme<! ",ith iOSlrum~nl$ of ~
cUlinn. but lhey lried lil'Sl. withoui ,",*il. to ..~n her
10 the SUIl~ ...,Iigion by means of .,.,..uasioll. Ubi-
maldy. me ~""ral ordered four or hi!. men 10
plac~ her MI""",n t_ iron !!heeb equipped ..iIh
poinled >pikes and ~ her hd~ th"m unlil
her blood nn. Her fo")' vt'1IO$ walChed this alroci-
ty. crying. When she was conlined 10 plison. lh~
ang~1 of Ihe L::>r'd appeared to her and remedic<!
her wounds. Con...quently her body "''M dipped in
boiling oil and lard and her flesh W"$ lorn by in·
Slrumenl$ of tOrlur.,. and every time lhe Lord re-
lurned her safe and lOund, When ;n the end the
gene...1 despaitl'd from for<:ing her In apostatize, he
ocdered her and .11 Mr companio"" decapitated,
and tho.... all of lh"m won Ihe crown of man)Tdom.
Dimylnah's story is recile<! in lhe IilUrgies of th"
Coptic church on me da.y of h"r commemooat;on,
and lhe u.... itional Ate or her residll'l>Ce. now a
nunnery. is a pilgrimage 'Ira for Ihrongo of Copu
every year.
[See .uso, Pilrilmies.)
AHz S. ATlYA
DINOSHAR. 1000"0 'ocate<! in Ihr: middk of IN
Ikha about 3.5 miles (5.5 km) southwt:sl 01. aI-~­
allah al·KubTlln the Gtwbiyyah prorin«. The HI$-
TOIlT or 11tE FAIllWl<:HS apeab in lwo d,ff~t plac·
es about lhe building 01 a church to the martyr
Ptolemaus in D;nQshar. The account or the lik of
lhe patriarch 00SI00AS II (3~1-8S8) <ks<orihes bri~
lhe """,.ion of lhe church and sw"" lhal Cosrn.
was inlerred lhere. But lhe life 01 uu.1~ III (880-
907) $la1C$ Ihal lhe pltriarch Khi'll dedicaled "
church 10 SainI Ptol~maU$ in Din(l.har. 1he SYHAX·
1ll0N for 20 Baramh" recounl$ a confl.icl sur-
rounding Ih. dedkallon of the cnurch al Ihe I;me
of Ihe palriarch Khl.11, Though Ihese accounh are
.omewhat disparate, It 1$ clear Ihal ;n lh. ninth
century th• ..., were Chri&l;an. and a chur<:h of Ihe
marlyr Plotemaus in Din~har.
904 DIOCLETIAN
The name Diniishar "I'Pt"'n in rnedieo-al eopro.
Arabie scales. bul in me ab!oenu of other e>idence
It is uncertain whe1hn- this means the cily was at
one lime lhe seat of a CopIk bishop.
BlBUOCRAPHY
Amtline... E. /.II Ch>rrcphi. tk rEfypt, • Npoqu
'''Plt, p_ 143. Puis. 1193.
nmm, S. D,u dtrist!id.·l:opti>eh. ADPfDl ill cuubi-
Mho l.il, pt. 2, PI'. 170-71. Wiesbloden. 19&4.
lloulo.w. ST£wAllt
DIOCLETIAN, Roman emperor (full name, Val-
erius Diodetianus; also called Diocln) from 20 No-
~.mber 284 to May 303. H. was boom In 245 of
humbl. parents in lhe pro,ince of Dalmalla. He
.nll,ted in the anny and pined admlnlstrall~e v;-
perlenee in minor posts in Caul und.r Aurelian
(270-215), .nd in 282 became lo~emor of Moe.ia
under Carus. The nexl year h. was made ,0mTDllnd-
or of the .m""ror-. bodnuard, and in thai capacity
accompanied CaTU$ on his P.rsian campaign.
Caros died on the campailn (8 SepI.mber 283),
and On the "'Nrn man::h of the Roman army from
P.nia in 284. Diodes brgan his rite to .mine""..
Carus's JOUDler son, Nume:rian. died in suspicious
dlnll'f\>.tlln«s in the au'Umn of 2..... Diodes .......
appoimed emperor by ,,_council of otricen and
..-enged his pTedecessor'l doe by killina the prae-
lorian prefecl, ~r, who suspeaed of the mur·
der (11 Nowmber 2M). 'l'hree days Iat.r Diodes
.... lOnnaIly procbimed emperor lOll Nkomedia in
Bilhynia.
Meanlime. Carus', dde<- son, CariIlUS. had proved
hi..-lf incapable of governinl the ..."Qtftn pm~in·
ca of the empire_ Diocln mel his army at HOrTa
M.argus in Pannonia ~ Much 28S. In lhe ensuing
balde Carin.... prevail.d, bul Diodes was re5Cutd
from the C...-que1lCCS of defeal Ihroup the mur-
doer of Carinus by an· officer whoeoe ...iFe he had
seduclO<l. 1be leaderl.... army lhen al;c~1O<l Diod.s
*' sole emperor.
At thios moment ,here was no reason to belieYC
thai Diocl.lian. as he now styl.d himself, would lasl
any longer Ihan hi. militarily mOre able predcc...·
son. He was, howe,'c<, 10 rul. for twenly-nne yean.
to abdiCRte, and then live for almO$t a decade in
retirem.nt in Ihe majeslic minuuuro prd",u)rium
that he had built for himself 11.1 Spalalo (Split) ,'"
lh. Adrialic coast.
The reasons for the success of DiocI('1lan were his
ability 10 del.pte responsibililies 10 I1\I5Ied subo..--
dinales; 10 anchor his adminiunuive rdonm. lirmly
on principles of JO¥emmn>1 that rttal.Ied the vir·
lues, ~ or jmagirled, ollhe Rorna.n pas1; and 10
,;h.., his sysl.m of ....·emmenl a tradmon.al rei..
pow; haW throuch ao;ceptanu of the Roman gods
Jup;.tr aDd Hernales _ its patrons.. He _ an able
and ,tsjA:c~ If l'KIl panicubrty beIo>-ed. lieure, a
"ec.....
rir rei public..", ,.,as
ri.. J . . . he caIlod by ttue
writer (or ... rilen) 01 the Scriprora hi.<lori... A..-
,..Sl""'~. ruler required by the times.
Dioderian quickly foll_'ed ttue example of Caru:s
by delep.in8 his aulhority in the WtsL In Man::h
286 h. elevaled an old comnodoe in arms. MaJlimian,
10 Ihe rank of AUIUIlUS and dispalched him 10 Gaul
to deal wilh an Upo;.inl of peasants (B.gaudae)
apinsl Ihe Gallic landownertl and im""ri.l authori-
Iy (Aur.liu. Viclor, UbI' de C"",... rib,.. 39.17), Mu·
imian was ouccessful. as he was laler in three cam·
paigns against the more formidable K<lbyle. in
Nonh Amca (Z87-289). Meanwhile. Diod.ti .. n was
,'ictoriow; in a campailn against Saracen Arabs
threalenins Syria, and in 292 apins.! rebel. in Cop·
tos and Busiris in Upper Et,ypl. The cause of the
rebellion is not known, The O<lly <event suffered
by Ih. emperon in this Iinl de<:ado: of lheir rule
...... lhe revolt of Cera........ Muimian's command-
er of the fleet ill lhe EnSlish Channel, in 287. He
proclaimed ItimieIf emperor, but throughout his
...1. of .. ~ yean in BriUlin (he ....... murdered in
293) he soughl in >'ain 10 ..in acc.ptance as a
-third emptn:ll"" nther than all.mp1 I(l ....'t:rthmw
his -colkacues--
Carausius' IlUCCtSS m maintainin« himself may
"""" eon,ri:luted to a further delqation of p""'"
by the '''-0 e...",'on.ln March 293 each nominated
a deputy Or Caesar. DkKI~ cho6e Galeri..., and
Muimian d-... a proven adminislralOl", CoIU<8J1li.
us. To UilKnl mutual IoyBhic5. TDllrriage contracts
bound memhen of the "'...... hy logether, aDd the
reliJ;ious elemen' was plaeed 1(1 the fu", in Diode-
tian and Galen....' am,IInins the .Iyle "Iovii" ",hile
M>uimian and Constan'i.......... -Herculli" (ScSlon,
p. 'f1), abl. li.."~nam. of their seniors in the hie....
archy." H~rcul.. was 10 Jupiler in Ih. hierarohy of
lhe gods. To lhe imperilll biOV<'phen (or their
sources) lhe emperors Wl're "courageow and wi••,
benign and open-m.nded, conc.med for the welbre
of th~ sillte. respectful 10 th. Senale, friends of the
people, serious-mlnd.d and pinus lo....ard Ihe lod."
(Scrip/ores Io~rorin, A"i"stae, Carus and Carinus
XVlIl.4).

Measur"O$ to restore the MellSe5 and adminis....
lion of the em",", noIwd dowty, ... if they _re
..........,. 10 .ituIOons ncM chan che produc:t of
ow:noIl plans. Tbe army, amounting to tl1irty.,~ le-
gions und.-.- the Se>'efi (19J-235)....... s10wty In·
creA5ed until aboul double the ef(ecti~'CS _re un·
doer- arms. Dioc:letian" policy _ deknsift. The
fifth...,enlury hiscoriln Zosimus wrote, "By lhe for.,.
siJ,l" or Diod",""', the f.-onlien of the Roman Em·
pi", "",re evttywhere sludM<! with cities and fons
and towers _.. and lite whole amty was stalioned
".IonJ Ihem so lhal il was impollsible for lhe barba'"
ians 10 break Ihrough, .... the Inlc!<ers we.... every·
where wilhslood by an opposing fo.-ce" (His/orlo
MY" 11.34). TItere is plenly of archaeological eY!·
de""" from Syria. Nanh Afrin. and Britain, 10
t'laJDe Ihree p.....i""es. to demonstrate the 1.... lh of
Ihis. Diodelian', conc~ for frontier ~ had
one: df..a on EcrPc the OodebsdlO"nos, the area
auribuJe<!. to the <find IO'"~ of the sodde-
!$is. south of M-........ Ii""'" up and the frontier
hrou,hl baoc1l: 10 the rtnt UwxL Defcnse spirul:
the manudin& Bkmmyes (see tlEI.. TlJBf.$) was "II-
tnIRed. he""ftonh to the friendly 1inlOOm of
~M~
Provincial reorpnwllon I"olkno.'N the .Iow, de-
Iih.cn.l" pan"m dUI had applied to the anny. In the
previouo thiny yean 100 many pnniocial ~""mors
had sought supreme pow"r in the "mpire. Grad..... l·
Iy the numbers of provinces and theiT go""mon
was increased from {ot1y·lhree 10 over One hun·
dred. Th" reorganlzallon affe¢led Egypl as it did
other are.... l1te Thebald was de1<lched from Ihe
unitary province of AeJ)"pliUl! before 302. and from
Libya before 3Oi. The remainder of Egypt was des-
lined. 10 he subdivided imo ,_ funher pr",inces,
laria and Hm:ulia. in JU. New provin<:c:l entailed
new p<ovincial orpnization and a re¥ised s~m of
tasation and coinqe. Thr-ot>dtoul lite ,.,.,pire tau·
tion ,"-as !>Ow based on m~tu"' of a poll tall
(~.piI.. tio}... fim probably.llpplied only [0 the rural
population and later Inc:luding town dwellers (Lac·
canli... De ",onihou :u.iii.7). and a tall on land,
based on ideal and arbitary uni.. calkAt iMp. ,ra(!.
ed according '0 oIIieiai _men.. of pn:>ducti.ily.
In Egypt lhe _ment ""tended to ~ lied
t"",l"" (Jones. p. 51) and Ihe urban poll tlU! was In
foree b~ )(II (Jones. p, 63). The land tlU! cOrttlnued
to be levied on the lradltlonal me..uet' of acreage,
the aroura, of arable vineyards and olive lreeS.
To match lhe... fis<:.l chanie!. the coinage ,"'Ill
drastically Tefonned, The massi"" inRat>on chal had
deslroyed. the value of ,he "",'"";ni..,,us had aiM>
DIOClETIAN 905
destruyed the r.hIe of the local "rban and provin-
cial C\lTTendes tllal had ~ one of the sources of
pride in the cily-stalft. especially in the eoutem
MedilernneM.. E"".. the Alaandrian teln>dTachm
had become reduced '0 a sm:aIl dW; of ail"" of ..
cir-cumf.,,-ence no VOler lhan one centimetet. In
295-296, perhaps inlluenc:ed by Cantus,i.... cumn·
cy reform in Britain. Diocletian in....ituted an em-
pire:wi"" CUlnr>cy with gold. oil""r. a"'" silveN:Q'i'
ered pieces. lhe last of these mimed in Ihe lens of
thousands al mints from Alexandria to Lyons and
bearing the same inscription on lhe reverse: (je"io
Populi Roma"i (to lhl: genius of Ihe Roman people).
Jupiler ",as shown lIanding and holdin, a sa<:rlfi.
cial dah in his hand. Roman religion ",-as rterer far
from Ihe emperor's mind
Religious '.-adition and uniformity ~re foremost
amoni balh the n>otives and lite colUeqtloences of
Diod....i...·s R'Orpnw,liOli of lite empiTe. Both are
in nide=e in the lepl de<:isio... of the period.
Justinian's code and minor colJe<:tionI presene
about 1.300 otlnS!i'tuticn. of I)iodetian that rattle
from simple mallen of private law to imponanl
enactments concerned with social eus.to..... and reli-
gion (Jones, I%'. p. 37). The spirit of the empe!'
or'. 1<"Polal>on On be understood from the horror
that he ~ressed when made aware of ,he CustOm
in ~t of lrIIrriaJe betw",en brolher and Si....er. In
ha deer« D. nupilis (c. 295) Ite deelared Ihis WIlS
COnttary 10 "the discipline of our limes:' "barbari.
an savagery:' and "displeasing 10 the immonal
10&:' who would [a.'or the empire, if the people
would percei"" bow "all under our sway were liv·
ing lives of piety and religious obsen-ar>c.e in quie-
lUcie and chasthy" (CoJ.... Gr~"" .. v. MoS<lic",...
..... 01 Rom"ItoOrIol'" Ie,...., col/«tio ~i.4. ed.
Ric:cobono, Vol. 2, pp. 553-60). Roman re!ili"""
observances were to ha"" uni~-ersal applic.'ion.
Anothu imperial .....,rip!:. addressed to Juli.anus.
procol>SU1 of Africa. on 31 Mar<:h m (or 302).
fo.-esh.lowed Oioclnian', Ialer aD<1S aphw the
Christians. This time the eoemy was the Manichae-
ani. Iswed pt obably a' Ihe 0UISet of Ihe ..... widt
Persia, the edk1 combines anger at the protelytiz·
ing ac.tivit;..s of wha' ..... considered a religion
...,n-ing the inlerests of the enemy with resolve '0
defend the traditional religion of Rome. "The wid·
edn.... of allempling 10 undo paSI tradilion" reo
quired the emperor to ""t wilh get'at z..1 "10 pun·
ish lhe obstln",,~ of the pelVened. menlaHt~ of the...
mosl evil m.n." Th. leaders of the ..,~t and Iheir
boob wer" 10 be bumod. Other adlte",nu were to
be pul to dealh by beheadinl (Mo."ic..",m el Re>-
906 DIOCLETIAN
...",,_ ltKum coIlutio v.4, V"I. 2, pp. SllO-81).
OIhu dissi~Trt$ ~ould .,xpea .....11 mony.
111., all.,mpc 10 ~n ~ ~,""ueJ m;oy 1Ia~ in·
ftuencltd anothox <If Dioclelian's policliea: lhe 1'eS1G-
l3lion <:Ii the cil'" "ilh Iheir public buildinp, and
noc lust lheir .~t:S. All M'e>" the empire the IU'lI
of 1M tetrar<:hy "itn<'$$ed a Ueal dFon 10 bnathe
new life inlo Ihe cilieJ_ lnacripliofls p ~ ~­
den« lor 1M ~or.ttion <>f let't"lplet in dch: North
Aftil:an 1(lWna, aod public .......u an allelOlltd In
many olh.,rs.
H.,.,.nn ~ and oppreM"~ in Ihek .,r.
ruts 10m., of theM: ttX'aOUl'eS were, Ime ia nO ~.
nyinl lbe idealism thai inspired .,...,n lhe 11MlIU fu·
dl." The Edi~t of Pricn of JOI "'-as prd~1td by Ih.,
pnwindal gmemor 01 Caria, Folvius Astko,. wlIh
Ihe statemenl ''Tha. is also a "In of lhe divine
!omighl [of the "mpero.-j, namely, lhal. fair and
fiat<! price should be laid down for e,erythinl:'
The aim was a plentifui livelihood for all an" lhe
conailing of the gre<:<! of a few (see Crawford and
Reynoldi, 1973), Similarly. Ihe census of 297 that
preceded Ih" inSlilution of the new or~r of laXa·
lion was justified by lh., pref.,ct of Egypt, Arisliw;
OptaIUS, on Ih., ground that 10 date "lOme lax?",y·
.,n are un<krcharged and OIhen o...,rourdened··
{&o.k and Yout;", 1960, no. I; Salon, 1946, PI'.
283-84).
Oiocletian's rneasur<$ of .-donn were, ""-""r.
immensely coody_ The buildings a1o_, nOI Ieasa the
new imperial palaces, mUSI llave consumed ..ast
rQOUrteS in manpower and wealih 10 yield linle
pnxlOCCM ~-aIu.. Gradually, a<><:iIety wu reduced 10
a siege economy in which people and orpniz:at.ions
were rlpdIy 3'lrati6ed, and social mobilily "'-as re-
duced 10 a mirlimurn- Apart from dDda.ls lhe _
fa.....-Itd were "m., hononble ooldioen-." ior whom
.....""" (1aU00tl in kind) musl be ~ (O.oy-
,1rY"cIrU$ P.~ 1'W3•. datM 10 ....1). 299); the least
consiclered "'ere Ihe . . . .ta. ....00 by nOW ",'ere
practically bound 10 Ihe""'!. In beI....,.,n w.,re the
orban middle clasoes, once !he backbo_ of th.,
empire bul now increasingly a,,-,ious l<:I avoid tht:'ir
lradilional reJpons;bilil;n of goVetTlin, lhe cilies
and ensuring that lh"", mtl the qOota oltaxn 'm·
posed On IMm.
Though many hf'nefiled from Ihe .,,,,peror·s mea·
,ura, th.,rf: was also biner crilicism, f'Speclally
from Ihe Christians, of whom Ihe writer uClanliu •.
who spenll.,n years (293-303) as professor of (Lat·
In) rhetoric al Dioclelian', coon at Nicomedi&, W1l!l
the mOSI an,cuiale, in his pamphlet QH 11r, Deallr.
of lire P,,.'CUlO," (0, m(..,ibu. "...eculor..m), writ-
lC:n aboul 31S, aner lhe vIc1.oty of Con.bulline.
practically ewry 0_ of o;ocldian's major rdiJnns
"'. al.lad,e<i. T1le red~tion in m., numbt:r of pn>V'"
inc,,", ",-..a "choppinl the prtnincltS inlO slices"
(vii"). The tighl.,nine of admlniauat''''' control by
diminishi"ll lhe areas for ... hieh indi>idual <>fiH:iaI.
W<"l'f: responsible "'-as criticiHd as p.-oduc:iDg more
officials and -..-..on ~men~ in each diatria, ...
""'" uo;ua1 in cilia (vil4), Ev.,n more vitriolic _
his denunciation of !he census: ~Only beogpn; from
whom nmhine could be e-:laC1e<l acaped the mea·
su.-eJ of this pioua IJIan [Diocletian]. Ndthe:r ~
nor in6rmity _ accepted ... an 6CUS<. Old men
and !he sick we-re forced to appear land re-gisIU].
"The ag" of each _ eSlirnaled, yean bt:'ing ad<Ied
10 thai of children and d<dueled from thai of lhe
aged" (llXiii.4). The number of official recipient,;
exc""\.,,, Ihat of lnos.. payin8. Tbe country folk
were oppressed and l",poverWJed in p;>-nicular. and
the .,"ravagant building progntm added 10 Ihe uni-
ursa! distress (llXiii.7).
I'.:taggeralion, perhap" b011.$ Eutrapiu, (Brtv;ari·
urn ix.23) pointed 001. laution wl.$ oppressive, and
n<:lt least in EJypt. where a new revoll brok., oul in
296, Thi, lime Ih., rebell proclaimed a rival emper-
or, Domiliu. Cel,u... with an effecliu fidd com·
mander, Aurelius Achil\eu$. rnocletian "'35 com·
pelled to ",take AieJWIdria from the- rebels Ihroogh
th., "inlC:r and into the sprIll& of 296{m_ ".,nee--
funh he bad lillie 10"" for u.., Egypcians. This epi-
sode: onirllntlionally led 10 !he grealest crUi! of h ••
,..,ipI: !he final dFort 10 dntroy orpnized Christian·
i1y in the Crul Persecution of 303-312.
The .......It in EuJ>t pve the fenian. the chance
10 eqoel u.., pro-Roman kine 01 Armt:nia, T1Ddata.
and esUobl.ish their OWl! ca.ndi<late on Ih., Ihron."
Ihus provoltine: ........ ",ilh Rome. In m., first cam·
paign durinl 291, Cakriua, Diod",i;on's eae-s.a.--....-as
dd'eatltd: bul in the- .prine: 01 298, reinfurttd by
lepollS from the Danube and $lung by Oioclflian·.
unconcealed displeasure. he won a ded.......; \iC1t>rJ
over I"" Persian kinl Nanes. The Iauer was fore"'"
10 sun-.:nder five small provine,"" nonh of Ihe upper
TIgris 10 Ihe .,,,,pire, amounllng 10 a protectorate
O\'er Arm,..,i.., when! he ac:knowledj!ed Roman ~n·
le"'sts. Gal.,rius n!tunH!d in triumph (May 298).
Th.,re is 110 "'ason 10 dl,believe Ih., t""limony 01
Laclantio .. and Euscbio, of Caeserea that hence·
fonh the ..ilualion gradually wonened for Ih., Chris-
tians (Eosebius C~""HicD ad annum 302). NOl only
",as Galerius slronlly a"'loChri.tian (LaClanli"" D_
rnoTlib... 9), bUI lhe Christi"n church now stood out
as th" one 8.-...1 orpnitalion llIat was outside Ihe

I
uniform "!\let"..., thaI Oiodetiaro had imposed on
the empire.
"Unle by lillie poef5e<:Uoon agalnSl us ~ ..:.
wnI'" EuN'bi... (el"""''''Q ad annum 30Z). Diode·
'W moved auliously. At first, only Christian sol·
die... _re fo«,ed to ~ from imperial soeni«.
but by 302 tM Cl'i.A!i point ....,;,s approKhinlJ. Coo....
ld _ Mid Wilh GalCrNs and ..eng official..
p....... inerll among whom ""'" SouianuI Hienlclq.,
fO""Cnlo, 01 Bith)·nia. n..., ad~ action. A ,ifit in
~ ...imu or Uw ~ to 1M onode of Apollo a.
DldyJNo near Miletus brought" simib. result. ,he
ol"lCle rep'yinc !hat ••..n enemy of .he di¥ine rd'"
ciOn" (i.e.. Ii.. Chrisliam) ~"ented him from ul·
lerinl (JJe mortibus :0.1). The d;., was now ct$l.
Dloddi.an·S up"';n! beint: conlin«! 10 his insis·
tence ,ha. no blood should be spilled.
The: feu. of Terminali•. Zl February, was I.e.
l«ted .. Inc day ,hat would _ Ihc ,erm for the
Chn•• ia.. failh. On that day. soldi"... IC1 about de·
~lrQyinllh" cathedral of Nicomedia. which ~lood in
full view of .he imperial palace. Diodetian signed ...
decree orderi", the Chrislian -.acted books to be
handed over For burning and the churches '0 be
de5troyed. Christians wue 10 be dismi»ed £Tom
publ;,; office. In civil life Christians of Ihe upper
I dasses, ,he h€J"el/inTeJ. w","e to Ioo5e their privileg.
es; and Chris!iam could no longe.- act as accU$e1'$
in cues of personal injury. adultery, and thelt. Only
their lives were .pat"'d.
In Egypt: tM pt;rSttution <:au$Cd constenucion
amon, the Chriuian leaden. Bishop Peter (300-
311) eed AJoandria 10 (byrh}"J>Ctws, aDd thence
probllbly &-om E.cYPt- ODe of the leadina intellectu·
a1s, the presbyt.... Picrius, ...·hose fame as a I~
pa.. and I«f:'Iic I-' urr>ed him the title HOri.cen
the ¥OUntu," ~ 10 "",'" <:onformed. So £aT as
tIM: eltureh of Ak<andria ...... conccmed. he there-
II, disiracN himRlf. Iola!oY Chriotians, however,
laCrificed to the Roman ~ with him, In the
eoontryside. ch~ were; destroyed or disman-
tled. bul in &l'nenl 1M p=leCution caused more
inconwnience I""" suJJerin, 10 Chmlians (01<)'<11",,·
clt", Papynll 2673).
The 5«000 and third edi.eu of perse<:\ltion, in the
"''''mer and aulumn ef 303, were aimed at cnfort:·
lng Ihc conformity of Ihe dCTV. and a great sen~
of lriumph ""IS feh when they .ucceeded. However.
up to Ihe time Diodelian celebrated hi. vice.ma!;a
at Rome on 20 No,'ember 303. only Ihose who de-
libclll,ely defied the aUlhori,i« Or otherwi,e roshe<\
'0 • manyr', death had losl ,heir lives (thU$ Eusebi·
..... Mar!)'rs of Pa!eJ/i"c Ll. coneeming Procop;u, of
D10CLETIAN 907
Gaza, Ctt\lted on 1 June 303). In the winkr of
303fl1lo1, ~r, D>oclf:'lbn b«ame ill &-om a lin-
gerinc malady, peritaps malaria. and power- passed
10 Galerius. Up to then the Jl'CfWCUIIon twI affcaed
"only the pruidenl.s of I"" chllrclocs" {Al... rl)'rS of
P..!c:<tifte iii.l) or at IuIt only pn:>minent Christi2rt£.
but the bulb edict thac Galeriw promulpted in
the sprint: of J04 requiMl all '0 ACri6<:e 10 I""
~ on pain of punishment. includin, dcalh. ODe
nncable martyr, Phika5, lmhop of Tmuis, "''as ar-
f'eSled »<"Oblr.bly at this lime. Even 50, E«rPt does
""t seem 10 ....YC wffered more heavily al thi5 S!a&'"
!han othcT paru of the ernpiu. One reads in II...
account of the oripns of t"" Uelilbn schism (pre-
ocrved in Epiphanius PQnoriQn 68.1) ofclergy and
monh imprisoned bill not executed. The eittt was
that all Coptic Cllristians now found thern.eh·cs
dl1l,.;n inlO a situalion of oppasilion 10 the imperial
aUlhorilies. 1bc many manyrdo"", recorded in Eu·
sebiu. belong, however, to .he reign of Maximin
(3(15-313).
Diodelian recovered suflidendy to resume au-
.hori.y for a shon lime in ,he spring of 3(15. But he
had de<:ided, perhaps willie In Italy, to abdicate and
had per.;uaded his colleague M""lmian 10 follow hi.
example. Accordin, 10 Aurelilt. Viclor, wri.ing h.aJf
"century after- the evenl, he may have been plagued
with lorebodinp over the IUIUrc of lite empire. or
he may haY<: y;elded 10 pressure by Caleri..... In Illy
event, on I May 305, before a crea' par.odc of
troops III Nicomedia. D>ocletbn laid aside Ihe pur-
ple and stepped down &-om the dai5 a pri,-au citi-
-=. dw: 0<J1y Romiln emperor C\'Cr '0 ~re.
Dioclcrian ...-as one of the &JUl e<>n5enI3livc re-
fonners of ltistory-the ~ dhctiw, pcrl>aps, be-
"'...., his .do."", were in the nalure of rc:spon$l$
10 silJlations ... thn than lhe resull of lon&-P'"tton-
eciwd policies. His reip saw a Jloo:-crinc of a new
bul .authentically Roman ron.. of an. panK:ularly
Ihc- impnial portrailure On the coinage, and "rch"
ICCIUTC suc:h '"" the A~h of GoaltrillS III Salnnib, as
well as Ihe empNtsn oct lradilional religious and
elhic.al ';o\IIes. 1bc onsl&u&ht aplnst the Ch....u"".,
though it ""tpriscd conlemporw;es ,,'ho saw ;1 ""
III "acl of madness" (Eusebillll tk vi/a COI1<fo"/i,,i
1.13), can be understood in relr<1Spetl as an almost
inc.'itable result of the emperor'. drive fer uniform·
ity throughout the empire, The two serious revolts
in Egwl durin, his reign indicalC, howe".,r, a deep
resentment against the tetrarchy and il5 rule. Wi.h
Christiani,y becoming increasingly strong, the em·
peror'. initiation of the policy of pence"tion, and
the involvement by 304 of Ihe whole Egyplian
908 DIOLKOS
Chriatian p"pubtion. was enou&h 10 aux the
Copl$ ro brand him the supreme pert«.. lor. and I<>
tble Ihe UA or mE "Auns /Tom hif K~ion. It
was nOl m altogelhe.- just iI;,;.....
BlBUOCRAPHY
No fun-Kale study oi Diocktian wsu ~
W. Salon did DOl write the pn;eeted totCOnd ."01-
lime of Diodilicr. ~/I" Tlw.rchk (Paris, 1946). but
a full "count of the rri«n will bf lOund in the
C _ ~ AII<:;ePlf HisrorJ, Vol. 12, c~ 9-11. 19
(CambridBe. 1939); in .... M. M. Jones. n.~ U.IU
R.:>ot.... EmpU~, chap. 2 (Oxford, 1%4); and in W.
Eiuslin. ~V"erius Dioderian...," in P....I]-WislDWtl.
5oer. 2, Vol. 2. c<>b. 2419-2495 (St.. 'tpn, 1948).
Se~ also Tunothy 1>. Bamu, Con.ll.."ti.., a..d E..·
mi"s (~mb"'. M-., 1981). and Ilia comptln·
ion volume, The New Empir. of Diocleli.... " .. d COlI·
41.... /i"e (Cambridg., MM$.. 1981).
W, H. C. f~nd, Martyrdom a..d P~ruc"lio .. i.. lhe
Eari, Church (Oxford, 1%5; and 2nd .d.. C~nd
RapIds. Mich" 1981), chap. IS. is useful on Ihe
.mperor's religious policy; .e. also C. E. M. de St•.
Croix. "A<;pects of lit. Great P.n.eeutlon." Harvard
Th.ological R.vi.w 47 {l9S4)"S-1l1: and 1, Mo-
reau. ed.. Lacl"nc•. D. I" mO'1 des pcrdc"I'''''. 2
voIs. Sources Chreli.nnes 39 (P'ria. 19-54).
On Diodeti.an'o abdication. r.« G. S. R. Thomas.
"L',bdicalion de Diodnien." Bna.. /i().. 43
(1973);220-24.
On the public .....rb ..ndertaken in Diodel;an',
reign, sec C. R. _-an Sickle. '11Ie Public Worb in
Afric:a in the R,o,ign of Diodelian," Clusic..l Philolo-
D 2S (1930)'173-79.
On lhe Edict of Prices su M. H. Crawford and
Joye. Ro;ynoIds. -no. Publica1ion of the 1'I1ce!I
Edioc1, , New IllIlCrip60II fro... Aeuni,- Jo"mll/ of
R"",." SI"diu 65 (1975):160-&4. and K. T. Elim
and loye. Reynolds, ''Jhe Apftrocli... Copy of 1);0.
cletian's Edicl on Maxi...... pn.c.. ,~ Jal/mll1 of ~
m... SIIIdia 6J (1973):99_110.
for the martyrdom pf Phil.-, au H. M..swillo.
«1., ~ AclS of 1M ltris/;"n ltI..rlyrS. PI'- JUI-3SJ
(Oafon:l. 1971).
Vi. H. C. f1U.ND
DIOLKOS (provinc. of Ghlrblyyah). plac.·morn.
ciled by lite g.ographer Ptol.my in the expression
"false mouth of Oiollros." J. BaH (1942, p. 117)
thinks that Ihi!i W;J$ nol lhe mQUth of a branch of
the Nile bUI of a small Slream, perhaps followin,
Ihe preS.nl couroe of Ih. Ba!)r Bssandllah, which is
aboul 15 mile. (25 km) 10 the WC$t of Dami.na.
Ball situa'es Diolkos to the w.st of the '\lbat A<;h·
tilm lamaoah (p_ 127).
Many anchori~s liv-ed in this YlC,DJty in the
founh century, and seve'" monas!eries of ceno--
biteS .. ~ buill, as is wilnessed by Jolln CASSWl
(Colla.'ioJIe. 18.1; /Jurirwliorlu 5.36), Ilt. IltSTO.....
~UN IN AEC1'I"1O, and the AJOPHlHECMfoTA
URIIM. '1M erm Itiotorians Sommen {His1ori" £C.
cI....uic" 6.19} and Nic~t\lI CalIm.... (Hislon",
Ecek.s;tUlic.. 1135) u.k. oYtt from u... HUlon..
JifofI/Zcltonoro ;., MDPfO lhe JIOric! conc:cnina:
John and Pi.smm6.... of DloIkos. The IlEWNUiOS of
,anobium of Diolkoa 1$ cited. in "2, '" one of the
monks ..ho rehIsed 10 ..... oe:nae PeI.,r Ir.l~.
(I'EIU til) ll$ patriaKh ~ he had signtd the
llEMOTJC(lS of the emperor Zen<> (Liber.totus Brt";"'...
;"m IS). Ancr Ihis menllon .... have no Nl1h••
allcswion ...,blive 10 Ihis rnonaotk sit•.
A fairly prtdSO' description is liven by John C......
an (lnslit"ticmts S.J6), This "desel1" of monks wa!i
h.mmed in between Ihe M.dit.lTIInean ,nd •
b~nch of the NUe. the only ..,ure. of drinkable
water, which was more than th...,. miles awa,_ Un·
fonunalely, 10hn C.uian does nOl tell 10 which
branch h. ~fers, Ih. Sebennytic (today diup·
peartd) or Ihe Phatnl1lc (i.... Ihal of Damieua).
BLl'IUOCJlAJ'HY
AlUlin...... E. "" ~og'aplti. d. rEc!ple" I'ipoql/c
cop/c. Paris. 1S93, Th....Ihor V.TOngI,. pI:acn 01·
olko$ near hneph)'Sl!.
Ball, J. £11"1'1 i.. llu Clu,it:1J1 ~pN",. ~im,
1942.
Rep>.u!t, L l..u .se"tencIU de. pbe. d.. Jiurr.
N_." RuueiJ. So1~ franc•. 1977.
RD:t--GWl:GES CoouIN
MA.IJIua MunN. SJ.
DIONYSIUS THE AREOPACITE. Acc:ordi"l
10 the Acts of the AI*-'les (17;34), Dion)'5ius and,
_man named Damw _~ rooYCrted by Saint
Paul. His ......esake Dionysi.... bishop oiCorinth (c.
....D. 170)• .....eru lhal h. became lint bW>op of Ath-
..... Lal.r literatl/re 1endtd 10 confuse him \Oilh
&nOlh.. Dio")'!"', otherwise Saini Denis of Pari~
(c . .... D_ 2.50). whose wri/inp in m)'$lieal thn>iogy
ar. oft.n described as pseudo-Areop;>.j:ite or ~ ...
do-Dion)'llian. This litenuu..., aimed al a combina·
lion of Chri!lian doctrine and NeoplaloniSl philo","
phy. B)' ouch synthe~is the author arrived al tho
crealion of Chrisllan mystici!im, which found its
way 10 the Coptlc rellglouo discussions of the lal.r
medi••al works of Abu al·Ba..uil IBN KAlUlI and
Abo. LsI,\Iq ibn aI·'AMlI in thoeir search for ...ppon

of their monophyslle belim in ancienl dacumen[a.
rJ eridence.
BI8UOCaAPHY
Cross, f. L. 11te 0%/«11 Die""""". of Ute ClIri,srill..
Clu.n:h. London. 1957.
AZIz S. Ann
DIONYSIUS THE GREAT, fourteenth ~Iri'
arch of the See of Saini Mark (247-264), ",hose
Jette~ dealt with Ihe major rellgiou. i.sues of Ihe
lime. Dionysi... was oom al an unknown date,
probably in I"" llO$l decade of Ihe ..,.,ond eenlU')'.
The son of a wnlthy pagao family, he was convel1·
ed to Chrislianil)' at • mature "I" Ihrous't Ihe read·
ina of an """,d" of Paul Th" slOf)' of his convenion
is dcuiled. in W III$TOllY OF THE rA'RlARCH$ (Vol. I,
PI.. I, pp.. 175ft.) uno;kr ilEa .... AS ",ho . . . wn Ilill
at !he head of the CATtOlEfICAI.- SCHOOL OfF AI£XA.'oj.
0R1A- His .-epudialion of the old pap!> sods led to a
brucb w1Ih his bm~y and the lou 01 his parenti'
&Teal ",'eaItb. AfIer his acceptance 01 !he ,.,apel ""
wenl directly 10 Bishop ilOIIl!TUlIS I...f>o bapIi«d
him. Thn> be enrolled. in the Calechetical School,
",-litre be comple~d. his Ih~ education u",
der OUGal And Heraclal, whom he eventually re·
placed in th" presidency of the school ailer lhe
elavalion of He",dM 10 Ih" thron" of Saini M.ri: in
231. He became pre.byter in 233, and, in his tum,
",as eJecled 10 Ihe episcopale after Ihe dealh of
He",cbs (H;$I""''' tccl'S/UIIc" 6.35). AI Ihls time
he ap~an to nave be-en a man of some age. He
remained as ~trlarch unlil his dealh in 264. lIil
~opate coincided wilh lbe reigns 01 emperon
Philipp"" (244-249), DISCIIIS (249- 251), Gall... (251-
253). VAUau..""U$ (253-260), and ~lienUl (260-
"".
The )'eal'S of his episcof:u were fujI 01 lrOUbll!l
and pen.ecutiofts. which In "\oqurnLly described
in his letl~ and lilerary mn.;J'II.. In the )'QT of his
s..ccession, riots broke OUI in Alexandria, durinl
which the p;ogan populaloon allackd!he Chri>.l.ia....
and pillaged their hom..... Soon after lh<: riots _,.
qU;"'led, !he rtt.tively mild reign of Philippus was
rq>lac:ed by that of Deelus. ",-1>0 i~gunoted one of
lbe mosI ferocious waves of Christi"" pene<:UI ionl.
The prefecl of Aleundria, Sabinm, al once sel
OUI 10 alTesl Ihe palriarch, ",hom he pursued. ev~')',
",here except in his house, hom which h~ did. nor
lIir. Finally, after four days, Ihe palria",h decided
10 Ret: from Ihe cily IOl'!lhu with a group of Ch.....
lian companions. .Bu.! tb
DIONY$IUS THE GREAT 909
broughl back 10 Tapo.im (Hisl«y of 1M ".";'11',,11$,
Vol. I, Pt. I, p. 179).
In the rMafllim~, TitnO!heus, !he purian:h's pu.
pil, ~ 10 escape and ~ lI(lllS$ a peasat>1
on his "''a)' 10 a -.ldina: party, 10 "'ham be re-
eounled Ihe IlOty of lbe patriarch'l ~. The
peasant and the W~nl pany thtn s ~ lbe
police q~rs, mm"l a lot of noise ""d shoUlins,
wh...-eupon Ihe frightened soldiers lOOk Rls'tt, and
the group enlered lbe pia<:<: ...ilere Ihe palnareh
"'01$ re£l.ina in • linen Ihin, He though! they ...'ere
brigands and otnred. Ihem his doa!<, which wal all
Ihal he po.selsed., They beckoned him to rile and
folio", Ihem, Al first he re.i>ted and offered tbern
his head if Ihey mean! 10 kill him, On Ihe conlno')',
Ihey meanl 10 sa."e hIm. So !hey carried him hand
and fool, placed blm on a be'e-backed donkey, and
wem away wi him 10 a peaceful spol In tbe liby-
an Desen, wile he IIayed until !he persecutions
abated. Th. <!Bmac;'" laic "'"as lOId by Dion)'lNs in
his Letters. and h~ ruome<l ... wit" 55 , c;.;UI, Fa...,.
IUS, PC\nIs.. and hulus (Hu-u. rcclesi<'wII 6.40.
179-80).
In an epistle 10 F.bius, bishop of Antioch, Diony-
siIIl recoumed specific incidenlS depiclinl Ihe hor-
nDle lortures 10 which !he bithful were sub;ec.ft1
aI Alexandria <lurina lbe persecutions of Decius. An
elderly person by lbe name of MeITas, who refu$ed
10 obey hi!; captors and "",<ship their idols. was
beaten, and hil face and eJ".'S were poked ...ilh
sharp styli. He was dragred outside the clly and
stoned 10 dealh. A Christian woman by Ihe name
of Quinta ",as taken to a lemple and ordered
to pol)' homalP to an idol. When she refused. IMy
d~d "", 011 Ihe cobbled ~1lI of Ihe metropo-
lis. beal her body againSi millsoonn. flogged her,
and look her to the same place ... Melras oullide
the: cily, wMre lbey ;ICIned bet- 10 dcalh. 1lle hous·
n of !be bithNl "'"'" plut>dcred and !heir precious
conlent:s .....re Nined and ..... ablau. 1lle llrects
-..: suewn wilh broken anides and looted like a
M.IUq:round A cmain Paul 01 Alaandrla wM .......
dtred and m:eived !he mart}"'s crown with jor.
Olhers followed ..;Illngly_ Only a r- rteanted 10
escape a fcarlul file. An llIed ~'irgin by Ihe name of
ApoIlonia had he, bones fnctured, her leelh bl'O'
ken. and was Ibrealenftl wilh buminll in a blazing
fire. st.e responded by prayinjt. and Ihen zealoo5ly
jumped into I"" fire and "'01$ bumed alive. A man
by Ihe name of $crapion was arrested and tortured.
hi> bones broken, and he was finally thrown from
Ihe top of a high buHding inlO Ihe Slrffl.
All Ihose who refused to rtnder homace to t""
910 DIONYSIUS THE GREAT
bUTTIed alive. All Ihis went on incessamly, day and
night, withoul respile, A cenain Julianus, who was
old, anhritic. and unable 10 Sland on his feet or
walk, .....as taken wilh two Christians for lorture.
One of Ihe two men recanted to escape Ihe agony
of lonure and was spared. The other, named C1"O'
nin, remained in Ihe failh. He and Julianus, wilh
much re\'iling and beating, were carned On two
camels rhrough Ihe city. In the end both were
thrown imo Ihe bla>:ing fire outside Alexandria,
wilhin sight "f Ihe populace. A mililary byslander
who chided Ihe mob for their behavior was seized,
tried, and decapilated, A libyan by the name of
Macarius was also burned alive. A cenain Epimach·
us and Alexander, who remained long in chains,
were tortured by severe flogging and had their skin
scraped by a sharp implement before they were
thrown inlO the fire. Four women, including "-
chasle virgin by the name of Ammonarium, were
tried before Ihe prefecI and severely lortured. A
\'el)' famous old woman by the name of Mercuria,
and anOlher called Dionysia, who was a mother of
numerous children and who defied the prefe<:t and
refused to bow 10 Ihe idols, were all put 10 the
sword and died, along wilh othen. A company of
three men and a youngSler by the name of Dioseor-
us we,.., tried. The men were killed, while rhe pre-
feel lried to lu,.., the boy and sel him free in antici.
palion of gelting him 10 reeam. The boy did not
recam, but simply awaited his lum for torture. An
old man by the name of Theophilus, who .<tood
trembling befo,.., the court, was almost frightened
inlO lapsing, just as a group of legionaries named
Ammon, Zenon, P101emy, and Anginus stormed the
coun shouling Ihat they were Christians. The pre·
fect was taken by surprise and fled from whal
looked like imminent danger, while the captives in
court were saved, Numerous Chrislians were cuI 10
pi""es by infuriated pagans in Ihe cities and the
villages. One such wu.Vkhiron, who w"eked for a
pagan governor and refUsed , to OOW to Ihe idols and
was instantly killed by his master, Many Christians
fled 10 Ihe wilderness and either perished from hun·
ger and thirsl or were 'taken capti,'e by the fierce
nomads,
Finally the dawn of a new era of peace began 10
break, and those who had lapsed for fear of 10rturn
and dearh staned returning to the fold of the faith·
fuL Consequenlly. rhe church raced Ihe problem of
the returned apmtates and their acceptance back in
the fold, Some "ealots in Carthage, R,m-.e, and Anti-
och hardened towanltheir acceptance, bUI Dionysi·
uS took rhe lead in a posilion of clemency toward
all who ,..,pented and wished to return to Iheir
mother church, To thi. effect, he enjoined all his
bishops and p,..,sb)1ers 10 welcome Ihem. Further-
more. he circuiated epistles to all the other bishops
outside Egypt including Rome, requesting "Ihe reo
ceplion of tBOse who had apmlatized during the
persecution of Decius." In the end, his eloquent
appeal prevailed over his brother bishops, and hal"'"
mony reigned again in rhe church.
Conlingent with the readmission of apOSlates was
the problem of their ,..,baptism. Here again, Oiony-
sius played a prominenl role, in which he was sup"
ported by Stephen. bishop of Rome. ln his epistles
he professed moderation and self-restraint with all
heretics and apostales: in other words he opposed
the idea (If rebaptism, and his views seem to have
b.,.,n accepted by other bishops in spite of the ob·
scurity "f the Histor)' of Ihe Patriarchs on this
matler,
As soon as these comroversies were '-C111ed and
the peace of the church was reestablished, Ihe al-
mosphere again became clouded by a new edict of
persecution issued by Valerianus. This time, Diony'
sius was summoned by' the prefec:t Aemelian for
trial. He came with a number of clergy, and though
some of his ardenl companions perished in that
encounler, Dionysius himself was only banished to
a pagan dislricl called Kefro in the libyan Desert,
where he succeeded in gaining converts. LIter he
w3.$ removed from Kefro to Coilouthion in Ihe dis·
trict of Maceoti. near Alexandria, and ultimately he
made his escape to the metropolis.
Throughout Ihe period, which was beset with im-
mense hardships, Dionysius managed to sa'''' him-
self from martyrdom, This was counted against him
by a certain Bishop Gerrnanus, and Dionysius was
c"nstrained to come 10 his Own defense in an epis-
tle where he ""counted the details of his arrest,
trial, and exile, ultimately leading to hi. liberation
and retum '" Alexandria at a momenl when Valeri·
anus w3.$ distracted by a barbarian in,-asion of the
empire,
With the acce,;,sinn of Gallienus to the imperial
Ihrone, thc church regained a breathing space. Pal"'"
ado,ically, the peace was reinforced by an outbreak
of the plague, during which the pagan popuiation
was distracted from harassing the Christians, In
facl, the Christians rendered a positive service to
their enemies by helping to bury their dcad and by
comforting Ihe sick. Furthermore, Gallienus issued
orders for the return of churches and ""clesiastleal
propertie. to the bishops, who were then left to
wonhip their own God undisturbed. At Ihi. point,

the patriarch ....a s a,h'andng in yean, and his he.llh
" .. &iling ,,,.d,... the weigbl of Unffmiltinc hlord-
ships. His q)tscopal" ...... drllWinC 10 .n ,..,d. N..""'....
cMl"'5l, h.. conlinued CO handle church crises ;n
wrilin& by th.. issuance of his epistles.. ..-hereby be
Iri«l to KIlve all ~nu. both ~t~1 iUld inle....
lWiona.l. Perh:lop the _ diflicvh problem be had
10 face ..... the ocanda.low aJb.ir of P... I of s.-
au.. bishop of Antioch. "f>os,c shacIow'y life ..... cou-
pled with serious lhooIoc>caJ crroB. A council .'
Amicxh _ convmed by ..,...., sewnI)' bishops,
including chose of ~ Ncocauvu, JelU5"-
lem. Tanus. Pon..... !conium. lUJd Bollra. 10 con-
sidCl' Ihe si'.... ion- n.c con"",ncd bishops wrooe,
Inviling lbe panic:ip;l1ion of Dionysn... Bul Ihe bilh·
op of Aleundria ...as roo old and COO weak 10 ap-
pcM in person•• nd consequently he ... rote 10 the
cound' giving his ,·Ie...... on lhe situalion, which
ended wi'h raul's deposition from the bishopric: of
Anlioch.
Throughout his episcopale. Diony$iu~ continued
to .pon5Or Ihe Calechelkal School. where he had
prevlowly sludied under Origen and over ...hleb he
had presldtd after Hel1tdas. His succeuor as head
of lhe ""hool was n.cognOSIUS, who is known to
h.yt wrillen a lrealise enlided Hypolyp<1lti, in scv·
tn books, a kind of dogmalic summa, wilh an ele-
pnl .Myle and Origenisl leanings. This work is un·
fununa,..ly t<.I, nctpl for a fragmenl of Ihe second
book discQ.ycred in the 1980s in a founcenth-cenlll-
ry manuscript at V,..,ke. On rbe other t.nd. Ihe
mOOl: brillianl liter.H)' work.-..rvMnc from lhat age
!>don.. 101M"""" hu.-If. In spit.. of his im·
m..1l5e 'rials and heavy burdens. he was able to
de--o,t _ of his time and encrcY l<l rd~
...Titine and !hrologiatl contmftniu. main" as
pa;n d his pHtoral dutit$. This 1:1 ...... ealed in a
numbtr d enmpIes.
The spnead of the heresy of SIoBuw..,,1SN In rbe
Penl&pOlis, ...hich he ~ • pan of his din-
c..,.., call"'<l for his allention. Sabellius. • p~",r
of Ptokmais, maintained thai godtcad was rev.ealed
In Ihree functions and nol lhree pc~ Dian>"i""
Immedialdy "'roIe an ~Ie l<l refutt Ihis "",..Ikal
'eachin, (HillOri" u:cl.esituli£" 7.6). Another in'
Slance nearer hom.. occurred undcr Nepos. bIshop
of Arslnol.', who wrote a book emitled n" RtfUl'"
lion of AllegoTi'I'lhat gained Irem",ndOUI popularilY
Imoni the citizens "nd villagers of his 1«. who
reprded II alm"SI as a Gospel. The book m"ln.
lalned that Ihe ."'Iemtn" in the book of Revelation
_re not allegoric"l. Diony.iu. beCllmol uneasy
aboul I"'" moyement, which began 10 _urn. Ihe
DIONYSIUS THE GREAT 911
"""pe d a schis.."'uic .sKt. Comcq.... ntly. he <Jedd-
"'<110go 10 Al'$inof himsdf 10 discuss lhe t"'''1 with
lhe pries... and their congrepdons in an all.empt CO
~ify !he siruallon. For Ihre.e days and thrc.e
ni#>ts. be conti""""" the discussion and ""'" able: l<l
"in the faithful back CO his si<lfc: ewn Kontkion. !h..
leader of !he group u1led Milltnarians. ended by
",pudiating thac erTOrS. Out of Ihese n>oounlen..
IMnysius Ialer rqi$tued his thouchu in a lreali5c
....Iitled "On !he f'rorttises. ~ this led him 10 dism..
the ..,thonhip of Jl.eveJaliool, In which he main-
lained thaI the booIr. .... wrillen by another John,
not th", C':VUtl"'lisl.
The lilenI)' cenius 01 DionysiU$ ;. best repr.es.em·
td in his epUtl~ Kn' to council, and the bishops of
ChriSlCndom on Imponam ......ll.rs "'.....rgina: in his
lif.,ti...... EIlSEilIUS Of CAESIlIlEA .... enumcl1tled and
summariztd MOS' of th.m in Ihe Hiucri4 udu;/u-
lie". Th~e epmles are hislorical documems of
getal imponance in lhe ec:deslastical history of Ihe
thinl century. There \$ hardly a major mov.,menl in
lhal age lhal doe. nbl figure in Iheir It"... From Ihe
refutalion of he .... si..s 10 such burning qu",slions as
Ihe f.o.scH~L CONl'IlOVERSY. all were treated with
lreal aUlhority and IheolOClcai oh.lulivily. There i$
hardly a contemporary bishop ""itlt whom Dionl"li-
II' did not connpood. The e,\$lles uc.....nged with
the bishop of Jl.omc re'·....llh.1 ht .... writing 10 a
peer and lhal A1..xandria was not undtr lhe authori·
ty of Rome, nor did Rome ~n any claims of
&uperiority 0 ....... Alexandria. Hi& q)isrle 10 Fabiu5,
bishop d Anlinch, on the Alexandrian nta.rtyn in
tht Pftlol'cutioo of Decius is a mast<'Tpicce of hi:s1O....
ical ~ording.
Dionysius' .2S1 bowledee of GTttk plillosophy is
dtmonstraled in a IetlCO' "On NaUl",," ~ to
a &piritual &On by !he name of nmochy. Hert he
~ OUI to prove rhc ordn' of tht creation by di'line
pn:widtJICe apinst the Epicurc:an malerialistic: CJt·
planation of the universe and lhe alommie discus-
lions of DtmocritUL
Another work NCn"btd 10 Dionysius by Eusebius
is entitled Relultloon /1M .voloc. This ""'" ad·
dressed 10 his namesalce d Rome in lOur boob, in
,,"'hich he deall with the t';nll";an doc"'ne. He
"""'Chi to pn:Ive 'hal tht Son coni.cod with Ihe
Fal","," for all elernity just IiI... I"'" sun and Ihe day.
whose co<:xisience was ,,110 eternal "nd insepal1t-
ble. Another ,,"'Ork, On r ..mpl/l/io..., addressed to a
cenain Euphntn"., is known 10 have e"isted bul i.
now Iosl. Hi. Lollers, moS! of which have been
quoted by Euscbius, 31"'" considered masterly works
of ,..,Iigiou. wrilinK, .nd se....... as basic hislorical
912 DIONYSUS
documents of the age of pen.cculiona. One le'llcr
was addrascd 10 NOYIlIian the anlipope. llyin, 10
conciliate him and a""id schism. Anolher 1oeIte••
~ '0 Iboilides. bishop of the Pengpolis. lUI·
swen his qUCSIioll!l about the duration of Un. and
lhe physical condition. ncc~ for the r'«qIOOn
of lhe Euthari$l. The ,uoO£nw:fuioned cpftlle .0 fa·
bius. bi!.hop of Antioch. pleaded iof kclffl<:y on
behalf of the apostales who ",...., mlims of lO<1un:
duri"l the pcn.cculions. Dion)'llius is possibly the
flrsl bishop to issue pB$UIral cpisl:les to all lhe
chur-=hes moninl!he bilhrulto obune lhe Lcnt·
en and Etilcr dales carefully. His cpi$1Je to C...i....
Domilius, and Didymas 5<:1 forth a canOn based on a
cycle of eilhl yars. with the Paschal ulebralioo
OC:CtlrrIDl al any lime other Ihan alIer Ihe vernal
equi1\OJl. In this way, he aMUmcd a Iead;nl n:>le in
the Chri!.l;an world of his <by.
Dion)'$ius is mOSl highly re\'ued in Ihe Coplic
ekurek. and he is annually comnlCmOClued in lhe
Coptic ~'''AXAIlION on 13 Baramlldah. He II recOll'
nlzed as one of the principal fathers of the whole
church. and he is universally a<:elaimed as "Diony·
.;UI the Great."'
BIBUOGRAI'H¥
Fragments of his wo,k were edited by Simon de
Maplris, Rame, 1796; 5t:e also PC 10. pp, IB3ff.•
IS7SIf. A modem crilical edilion was pre""red by
e. I.. fellOe. Cambridge, 1904; lhe Entlish tnnsb·
lion by FdlOe ...... publi!.hr>cl by the Society ,."
Promo,;", Christum Know.o/ed~, London. 1911. See
a1so S. O. F. SallOOnd in AIt'c-NkeOK CItri.ui".. U·
"''''1 (EdinburJhl. Vol 20, and AItI.,.Hice.., F,,1Iten
Series (Bulblo and New Yort), Yol. 6-
Altanc1", B. 1',,'~e, p. 17S. Freibu.ra. 1950.
&rdenhewel', O. Gucltidfl, de< .lrki,.dll",h.1t Uu·
nil",. Vol. 2, pp. 167-91. F ~ 1902-1912.
8uriel. J. Dmys d·Ak..."uI'": StJ I'M. _ I~mps. S'S
oe"'7U, Paris. 1910. ~
Dittrich. f. DwltysUu d.i"Cr-oue " ..d AIU4ndrie...
f~ibu ... 1367.
Manu, P. Denys d'AIu.t",drie. Paris. 118!.
Miller, P. S. "Sn.dieo in I>ionyMus lhe Glftl of Ala-
andria:' Ph. diss., Erlang.n, 1933.
Owosten, J. Ptlirology, Vol. 2, pp. 101-109. Ulr«ht
and Antwerp. 1975_
Azrz S. AYlVA
DIONYSUS. Su MytholOlical Subjecis In Coptic
M,
DIOS, SAINT. or ~)'U$, a $Oldi.r wOO ""'"
marl)Ted commemorat~d by 1M CopIs (fea§! day:
25 roibah). He is bul unbt""" in e-m-r traditio.....
The leX' of his Passion has surri\-.,d in only a sina:1<e
Sahidk manuseripl (RaMi. 1l193, pp. 116-90). In lhis
the man,Tdt>m is "ted 10 the lime of Emperor
Mniminus (B5-ua) in £l)pI. and a p'lUposUw,
[);oparipe, and pri>tc.p., , ..... (olken of the Tenth
Legion). are named.
T1w: stor}. of lbe l'assion is as lOIkno$. Wbc:n !he
edict O<'derinc sac:riIic~ 10 the papn lods arrives,
the soldier.< an: paraded. ~ of them, Dios of Pel·
coi. steps forward. rem"';n, his miliwy bell and
reflWng 10 oller sat:ri6e~. When lhe pri"co/tl thn:-ao:-
l'T'II him, DiO$ prophesies the death of th~ princeps',
!1011 and is Ihereupon tonuroed. He then foreldls the
death of the wife of th. p,.t1.pasill,. w; well. Both
pn>flhed,," an: fullin~d.
The legion is d!ltu~d by all this, and Oios Is
imprisoMd. The empnor amves. and lh.re is a
long di$cusslon between him and Oios. Pios is then
killed. His body Is protected by God and is buried
by a holy monk from the vil::inity.
The lexi belongs to the type produced in epic
slyle (Ie<! IIAGIOGIVd'Il'). bul its style and conteDl
indica!. thaI it if nol of the la~r fio:tilious Iype but
dates back (probably in Greek) to lhe d.ssica! peri-
od of epie pasio'\I, in OIher words to about the
6fth eenlUl)'.
BIBUOGAArtn
Bawnrister. T. J,Y,.¥ J"viCI1U: 0.,. MIUfyr tI1s SUr,,·
Wd de. &I&.IIt, in dv lAIr,," "ltd im Ju.11 de.
frkJoen loptisdw" /(ird,e. MUnsler. 1972.
Jl..-i, F .. ed tIor ",,_ eOt1it:~ e"Pla del ""'500
Epn<> di T......... pp.3-136. Rome. 1893.
TJTO QaLu.'Dt
DIOSCORUS I, saim and t_nty·/ifth pauiarrh of
!he See of Saint Marl< (..... -458). He ow::ettdoed
Saini CYalL TN!; GRVoT .nd IOU" be reganlcd ... one
of Ihe chiJ architects of CopIic Christian'l)' and lhe
EllYPlian dn>n:h. Utile III known aboul his early life
beyond Ihe supposilion lhat lie ...... a ""live of Aln-
andria. born in Ihal city possibly at the dose of the
fourth c~nlury or the dawn of the fifth. ()v,.. ing 10 his
devotion to the fahh and 10 his sterhng chamete, in
the defense of his Itllh prindples. he was chosen by
Cyril I to be Itis dose companion in hi. religious
meetings. Cyril made him an archdeacon. A.pparent-
Iy Cyril became Dioseo"",' chief memor. and to--

gnh.... \hey IllltDded tilt famous tcuonenk..l Coun-
cil of Epftesu$ I of 431 wht'" Cyril's Chrislolocical
fonnulas wt.., :acttpled ... !he onhoodox definhion
ol tIM! ....w.., ol JCSII!I Chrill. And htn: ...., onU$l
assume thai rht ardodtacon [);os.roNl. as a JIO"o'ft
behind tIM! "'-rone ol Cyril. wt.o pnsirkd owr tIM!
council. could .... w contribuled oomc shan: u)ward
!he fonnubtion olt!'>c>5e conciliar decisions. II ......
DOl IlUCh ocasions thaI tht p"nonalily oi Dios<:orus
bK-arne ..,cogniud ...iIhin h;s own chu~h and
"'-roushout tIM! Byzantine emp;u. a bel thai u·
pliins lhe ease and tm<1lJlimily wilh which he "'lOS
e1~red by Ihe Al~dri"", prcsbyrery to sue«ed
h~ menror in 444.
At lhal lime. !he Alexandrian _ bad rnched
gnal neighl$ in !he Christian world. A1lhough il had
bet:n acknowledged as se<:ond only 10 Rome by the
Council of NiC<1lt.. in 325. mrough the InAuenee of
Saint ATH""'ASl~ and Cyril. it was regarded at. pa,...l.
It I 10 the Rom..n ..,e. wilh which it had rem.iDed
in .mie.ble and mutual relalionship until Ihe .c·
ctssion of Pope Leo I. Diosco.....s conveyed the
ntWS of his assumplion 10 Ihe throne of SainI Mark
by dlspatehlnllto Rome a special messengtr, P06ll;.
donius. will. .. brid addressed 10 Pop. Leo, ...110
answered by "" epistle declarinll the uniformily be-
I...ten tl>e two SttS in .U malters of s.ar:rarrnontal
discipline. lhe ordination of the presby1tR, .nd Iht
handlinl oi Ihe liturgy. This seems to have bet:n the
hich mom.. nt of ostensible unily between Rome
.n
and Alell"",dria. NI!:\'f:nhelea. behind Ih;u formal
facade. the .spirit of jeal0U5y and suspicion mlUl
ha""" lurkin. III the Curiis of Rome, lIS ...·ilI be
_n from papal behavior in subsequenl nents.
Whal led 10 conYeninjl: the Council of Ephesu, II
were the riraurtSUIrtUS _odllled ...ith a fonnula
devised by WTYOIES. a pious mook mel ",",himan·
doire of • latie rno:>IWIery "" Comu.nlioople, who
'""" no t~ s<hoIa•. In his kten o,>p05ilion
10 NoslOria....m. he ~d thai the ....tun: of Je-
6\l$ "''as only diyj...,. and con..,queotly deprivtd the
Lord ol His human ......ure. ThUl in 448, Et.llyches
was a«:u..,d by EusebiU5, ~Wtop of Ooooyiaeurn, of
loinl 1(1 the OIhe~ exlreme from Nestorius by eon·
foundinl lhe I...., natures of Chrisl for Ihe sake of
His unity. In Ihe meantime, Pope Leo ..,nl Fla"iotn,
archbishop of. Cons\.lnlir>opJe. his letter or lome
known as Ihe T"mus um.is, anacking this Christo'
J"Iical misconceplion. Dio.corus, whose fritndly
n!lations wilh Eutych"" simply exprtl$ed his own
misunderslanding of a confused silualion, ..,mained
IlOn.lIgned. In the meanlime. Flavian took courage
and deposed Ihe archimandrile EUlycht5 as • s)'m.
DIOSCQRUS I 913
hoi of disapp.-.:w.ol of his views. Thus 10 all appear·
an"""S.the Chlislian world be<:ame divided imo lwo
cam!"'. wilh Leo and Fbrla.n on one side:and Oio-
S<onIS on lite omer. 8uI E•.uyches happened 10
ha...., ......... influ.ence a1 the Byzantine coun of Em-
ptrOr n-dosius n (~-.30) !hf'OU&h a highly
placed lCUIIuch named Chtysapltius. 1'heod<><!i"s ..-as
thus penuadoed 1(1 call • seneral coun<:il to reton-
sides the ax w>der the cha.i.....ruhip ol Diosc:OIUS,
a fact Iha! ml$ ha\'e further enllamecl Leo's jeal.
0taSy. The EcPUan bishopt, rocnher ...ilh the Anti<>-
chene :and Greek bishops. con''f:<ged on Ephesus in
459 ...i!h a .mall Roman rkkpl;"" ....irich came
armed with a new lome from Pope Leo tJu,. record-
ed hi. posilion. EutycheJ ....'IS summoned by Oio-
scorns 10 spe3k for him"",l/. Moyinl from his earlier
position ol incorporating lhe human enlird)' inlO
the divine nature of Cbrisl. h.. proclaimed in wril-
inl Ihe safer approach of his adherence to the Ni-
cene Creed and to the formula of Saint Cyril. which
.re both recognized as the onhodo~ d<>ctrinc, Thu.
he was acquilled by Ihe council and returned 10 his
former p""'ition uns<alned. The result of this ver-
dicl was the depOf.ilion of flaYlan fmm Ihe See of
ConslamillOple l<)gelher wllh his wppor1e~ .....·he
we.... ahuse<! by lhe imperial IU"nI through the in·
R""nce of Chrysaphius.
Th;s proved 10 be a n.nher Slep 10wanilhe asse....
lion 01 Alexandrian supn:macy in ('Cde$iaSlical
maUers viH-vjs 1>o!h Constanlinople ..nd Rome, ..
siluation lJw could hardly be s.....,.jl.....-ed by Leoo.
"""'"" Tome _ not prnented for consid..ralion aI
tIM! (OWt<:iL This ...-as probably an un...ise ,""lion by
DioS<oruo and an unntcessary pl'<WOCl.tion of Ihe
Roman pope. DiOSCONS pcaeued a strong and
rather impassioned penonalil)", and he inherited
the <upremt twritar of AIha""SNs and Cyril, his
p,-e.w,~. boo.. he was their unequal in \Xl and
«c1esiasrical diplotrlKy. Pope Leoo'.....·r:sth was pre-
cipitaled by !he ostensible ne&l«t of h;s Tome aI
Ihe Council. and he could no loneer coneeal his
_JagOIl;s.... '0 lhe Aklllndrian preble, whom he
descnUtd openly lOS • "new Pharaoh" in Ihe
Church. In a leller 10 the emperor, he des<oribed!he
second Counell (If Ephesus in lhe abusiV<': term /..II.
trocinium (robher synod).
Hitheno the unity of Ihe Easlern and Weotern
churches remained Intacl. Eph..su. II lolled tl><:
death knell of this unity, and Ihe rupture belween
Alexandria and Romt was scaled by I...co·. letter 10
Emperor Theodosius Il, But lhe whole<ome altitude
of 1heodosiU$ lowanl Alexandria ....... soon imer·
rupled by h;, dealh In 450. He was succeeded by an
914 DIOSCORUS I
old senalor and ~ of ,he R.o....an anny cn:dil-
ed for lhc quellinl al II rt'~lIion in UpP<'~ f.&)l't.
Ma"ci." (450-451). . .-ho became empero" afte'
rn.rryinll'\ll.CHnLI.. a sm.... oi n.eodosius. She ..;os
.. fonncT """. a .... Iigious bill 1mpt"tU0U$ woman.
"'110 harbored ~mendom hatred for Aleundri:an
supn:macy OYeT Constantinople t i well as fur the:
occupanl of the throne: of Saint MarL From his pasl
upe';"nc... ru.r hl'p.·nd. 100, aIOJld noc sunain
muc:h sympathy for th.. Akundrian 5ft or Ecpt.
where he h.ad jusl £ouchl 10 curb Iu mrbulenl peo.
pk. Tltc: result of these unfonurtal.. dreum.... nces
_ lhc reYersal of the Ieni..nt polic:y of Theodosi...
and its ''"PIattm..nl by an at""",*""re of hostilil)'
lowa,d th.. Euty.:hian party in (o...nantinople ."d
laward OioscolU$. Thi, n...... situation wP"""bly wil-
ed Leo and Ihe Roman pan,. whkh could nOi bn-r
the growing influence of Al.....ndrb and Dios<:<>rU>.
Whil.. th.. ..,cond Ephe.ian Coundl marked ,he
peak of glory and uni.,........1 inn""ne.. of the Alexan·
drian patriarrh, the Roman lepte P.rch.... inus, an
Invete",te adversary of l>oth Oi",co.,.. and Alexan-
dria, On 17 (ktobe~ 451 dedared the act. of ,hat
coundl t" be null and void. Rome requested ,h.
is.... ne.. of a special dec ...... f~lddinl ""en the
mention "f the Council of Ephesull n, Thus the
.tage was ..,t for lhc nexl mo"", in lilhtinl AI"""",·
drian JIlOnoph'l"ilism. Leo suggesled lhc con,..ning
of a new counc:il in Italy. away from Easlern pr~
sures. In the: .. nd. Emperor Marcbn, or rather his
"'ife Pulcheria. deeKkd on Chalcedon (...ithin reach
of the Byzantin.. capil:al) for thai flnt meetin... and
Rom.. appcm-.:d. Conoequtntly, Marcian WII..d th..
IonnaI inviwion 10 the lmhOflS of the Easl and the:
We5ll ft>O" 1be Chakedon ..--tina 10 be inaugur.a'ed
on I October 451.
Wllen thaI innwion n:ac~ A I ~ tlw: ad-
Yiw", and tM alltndanu of DioscOl'W ~
lhe palriard>. as. a .-II of God. saying tM Ihe
l..u"" """,Id bri~death. meani", tha. i. implied
W end of Cyrillian :and Aleundrian onhodo:>s.y. In
Rome. '-- inslJ'U<:l his new leple. 8onif.ac:ius.
whom h.. entTUSl ilh .nOlller famous lome. 10
be linn in opposlnl Ihc At.,,,,,ndrlan polny. In fac•.
the Roman lega'e refuHd uleJOrically 10 be Kaled
with Diosemus and e"",n dengnded hi. up.llsion
from the assembly before any verdict was reached.
How.."",r, th.. bishe>ps who were galhered 10 d~uM
"Eu'ychianism" "'er" defleCted by the Roman I..g·
ate, in conjuncllon wllh th.. imperial commission·
..rs, to a trial of Diosconl~ Aher numerOus discus-
s!e>I1S, • c()fllpromis.. was nached 10 I..t the
patrilln::h ",main in lhe ...""mbly hUI 10 take a
pbc.. only ..ith .he 1'esI of ,he bishops. After that.
Eusebius of Dol)'b.. um declared his list of charge<
agains' ~ru.. "'bich wen: confinn.... by Bishop
Tb<:odorr:I of CyrTbuo.
In ...,If...tefense. l>io5eonos 'ritera'.... thai 1he ~
..... for Aa...... n·. condemnalion ...... h.. as.senion 01
the 1_ natures after lhe Incarnarion. QnoIations
were made from the hell...-. Albanaius, G~.
:and Cyril. 10 1M eft«l that afttr the Incamalion
there wen: IlOC tWO nawres. but the ;nc.ama'e na-
ture of tho: Lotoa. H.. Yld mal if b.. were 10 be
upend. th.. Fathen ..'OU1d be expdl.. d 100. H..
claimed fIOI 10 de-vial.. from lhcir doclriM, but 10
defend il. Tltc: UlrlIe1S. h.. $lid..."ere nor: gath.........
car..lessly hul verified by himself. Though none
conlested him, the disc lon of the Iwo ""lUres
con1inued, .nd Dioseo topped funher at'1""
ment, b«au5e he <.tivin~d ,heir mo'i'.....
DioseOt'Us refrained from att..nding the third SC'S-
.ion that was convened " .....nlially againsl him, The
assembly dedded to send. delegation to him with
the purpo~e of oblainlng hi••ignalure on Ihe Tome
of Leo In <eXchange for hi. rehabilita'ion and ,eln-
sla'em..nt to the patriarchal see of Alexandria, But
Dio6c:OtUS ....'as not a man of compromises. Though
he ..-as !\OI against Leo'. ChmlOlogy, he was ada·
mant apInst lhe mlnute5ll change ;n the lerm. Or
....... of lhe Nicen.. Creed. He ",,,"s summand
Ihnee Urnes, according 10 .,aDOnica! rules. 10 ac<:'"JlI
the Roman ~lnnOYlllions.·· and thric.. he refused 10
confoon 10 lbelr IlUftlmOns. Conoequendy. I)io.
!KOI'U!I was cleclared fall..n. A "erdicl for his r~
aI from th.. ....triarchal see "''38 foIl....-.ed by his
baniohmenl 10 ,he is\and of Ganp In '&ph""ia.
Deban", :and ..i1h di",ity. he aocepld me ....rtliel
d lhe «>uncil rather lhan _ from his saand.
n... council .... tenn;nated In the wual solemn
cerem<lC1yon 25 Qcu>b.,r 451 in ilS mth and 6na!
wssIon. ~ all.."dina bishops departed afttr lhe
sigJw.urt' of lhe creed olfered in Lco'$ TO<ll'" and
afttr ........mlnl"l lhal in wbstance iI ....... in con-
fonnily wilh lhe ~hin.. of Alhanasius and Cyril.
Paradoxically, Ihis implied uniformity with f);o.
S«)""$. the delhroned bishop.
Though formally d"'JXf6"'d al Chak.,don. l»o.
""orus remained fur ,he Copt\( penple lheir legal
palriarch until Ms dUth in nile, Even If some of
his clerl)' ~ilned th.. Chaleedonian verdict of hi$
removal und.... Imperial and Roman pressures, the
Coptic nation itself as a whole r..fused to acc..pl
this dedsion, and thl! cong,eg;t,ion "'';IS never re~·
ondled 10 the con51demtion of Chakedon &j; an
ecum..nical council. For Ihe 1..-0 centuries preced·
,
ina: the Arab conqucst of Egypl. the Egyptian nation
deprecated Cbalcedon as an infamous satherinl of
misguide<! bishops. To the COplS, ,he last ecum",n;-
cal council was Ephesul II in 449. They unerly
conleAed the nomination by Consgminop!e of •
Mclehile Greek palriall:h of Alexandria and, after
the dealh of Dioos«>rus. eominued 10 elect Ih"ir
own Monophyslle pauull:h In oppolOilion to any
Mckhi,,, nominee. until the .etw-nt of "r,ob ",Ie
..... had ~ precipiwed in pari by this disunily In
the church ranks.
The dale of the dealh of Dioscorus is staiN in
lIIOJl SOUIl:f:S as "SolI. ,hat Ii. approximaldy ro"..
)'<:'lI"S alttr his ulle. AcCOf'dinc 10 the Hl$TOJll' Of' nn;
PATllUCIIS by SIo..·frus ibn aJ.Muqa!b', his dealh
o«urred in the year 45•• which was aho the year
of tho: election of Iris successcN' n ...onn II (45J1-
410). DiOKONS ~ canonized by the Copc$, and
IUs name appears in lh1: SYIWUlJUDW ronlainin, the
nartIfi 01 ~;nu and manyn TeCOSni=! by the Cop-
u.e church.
IU8UOCIlAPHY
Amtli~... E. C. ~""'~II ".,. . V".
de fEDP'e ";,,in.....'" " .... IV.,
JuvF ~ /'Iri>t<>in
Vie e' Vile
Jiidu. M"ion Arc:~ f~ix ...
Cain-, ~"' ... I"a",. 1583-1'9~.
BanknMo.""I'. O. Cudrid.le de"ulc#tristlid.o. Uu",-,
r"" Vol. 4, [)as runne
Jahrhunden mll Eil1KhIuss
«~ ~~hen UI"",I\I~ des vienen Jahrttundens.
F..,ibu.. irn 8reispu. 1924.
Camelot. ...·T. Epht$t t/ ClutklJoine. LoBdon.
"51
Crum. W. E. '"Coptic TexIS ~l.alinc to OiosclHUS of
AlexandrUo:' f>roctt.JinV of Iltt Socitty of Bib/ic.1
A.dttuoJory 25 (1903):267-76-
Dalhnll)T. H. Die IftUH" ~~; J(<mtil~". Nic..td-
J(t»uldn'inopt.I-EpM~I<S-Cltd/etdon, 2nd ed.
Munich, 1%3.
F..,nd. W. H. C. Tin Rut o"ht Mtmop}rysi't Mow-
"",",. Carnbrid~. 1979.••
GriU"",;"r, A.• and H, Bacln. bo, Kontil ...... CIt"l1.e·
rkm. Gt",hieltll und Gt'~"Wdrl, ) vols. Wlin-
burg, 19S1-1954.
Harnack, A. ~on. Lthrbuth 'der Do,molgneltieh...
Vol. 2. Darm~l, 1964.
Htfek C. J,. lind H. Leclel"(:q. HislOirt du e"ndlu
d'"prilles documtnlt o'i';""..... Vol. 2{2. pp_ 469
-857, Paris. 1908.
111>on. J, "Aulour du cas de Olosco", d'Alex'
andrie." Lt M"llon 59 (1946):515-28,
Maspe,o, J. Hil/O;" des P"Ir;"rth" d·A.lu""dr;e de·
puis J" mOri de I'emp"tur """sl"St jusqu'il I"
deoncillarlo" des "JiStS j"cobiles (SIS-M6!_ Pal'
is, 1923; repro Pro~ldenu. R.1. 1975.
DIOSCORUS 915
Nau. F, N. "Hisloire de DiOloCort. pelriarche d'Alex'
andrie. «rite par $OR diJCiple Th~isle," )ourn,,1
A,i.tique, ""r. 10, no. 1(1903):5-108.241_310.
RQncaglia, M. P. "Quel'l.UCS 'l.ueAions ecclbiaM'
iques et d't<:cJesinlogie au lIle sikle • AIt... nd·
lie." Pr-ocIt,,·Onenl Chririen ro (l970j:lO-)().
Stile"" R. V. The C"..ncil of Ch,,/eedon, II Historl·
~a/ <Utd Doclrin,,1 Sun'eY. london. 1953.
~lAIcnNtA"~ P. RoNtAGI.IA
DlOSCORUS II, thiny-first patriarch of the S«
of Saini ~tark (515-517). II nephe.... of TlMOnlY 11
Aelull'S. DioscOJUS II had a britt" but dramallc
Ielen. He ...... first in_lied IlJIkr ohIo IlUiplc:es of
Ihc go>'emm""11 authorities. bolt "'M-n this roused
proItslS. be Sttl1red a I'IlO<e prnpn- "",e~al
mthroatmf'nL N~enheJas. ri<>U followed in
which the Prehd Thcoclmi,. ...... lUlled. This
brough, down tmpmaJ punMmmI on Ihc city lIIId
a number- of e....cut........ ~ _nl 10 Con·
stanlinople to intercede ",!Ill Etnptr'(lr An .......;,."
:IIlld obuine.d pan:lnn for Aleundria. A vUitin,
Wt:Slerntr, Ma>:imian. later bishop of Ra~enM.
p.-aised him as a """'" shq>/lerd who was ready to
lay 00..... his life for his hI<. H~r. III Constan-
tinople he was h.....ed al by oupport~ of the ct.1·
udonian party aAd had 10 lea,.,. the capital '-':ily.
SEVEJltlS 0.- A!'lTlOOI had senl m - IP"ft1lnas
,..,d aMUrattCe of his pra),",'" on his way 10 ConsUln·
linople. also urginl him 10 join in Ihe policy of
securing a formal anaIh....... on CH~I.CmO" and the
Tome oll£O I TH£ (;ROT from Mekhi~ con.em.
especially bishop".
BIBlJOGRAPHY
Frend,. W. H. C. The RUt. of Ihe MoJtOpltysiu Mow·
menl. pp. 73, 229. Camb,;., 1972.
Hardy. E. It Cltrisli"" Egypr, p. 120. New York.
1952.
E. R. HARDY
DIOSCORUS (bishop of Damanhdr. c, 392-402).
The dale of birth of Ihis person is nOI lenown. II is
known only lhat he became a monle in Nlnt~ and
then became a priest, This look place around 191.
when Ille cdebrale<l monk of Nilrla. Benjamin,
died" Iiule aft"'r the .. ri~al of '~u.oUtUS in KEu.t~.
AI the urging of the patriarch TIlWrlltlU5. Di,,"oru.
agreed 10 become bishop of DamanhQr, in whOle
le<' Nitria lay.
916 DIOSCORUS OF APHRODITO
Theophilus, at first an admirer of the writings of
ORIGEN and hence ~e'1" fa~orable to the intelle<:tuals
of Nitria, who lhri~ed on these books (it w"" from
the dese" of Nittia that he chose se~eral of the
bishops of Darnanhur), changed sides in 39'1, He
pro~ed himself a relentless opp(ment of Origenist
tendencies, Dioscorus, before acceding to the epis·
copate between 390 and 394, was one of the Tall
Brothers (see AMMONIUS Of KE.LLI~ and TIlEOPHlLUS
Of ~l.EX""~DktA) at Nitria who were persecuted by
Theophilus.
Dioscorus, although by then no longer al Nitria,
was a target in the persecution by Theophilus and
indeed appears to ha~e been evicted by him from
the administration of his diocese (Chiny, 19M, p.
58). It is said that driven from his see, Dioscorus
rejoined the Tall Brothers in Constantinople, where
they were welcomed in Iheir exile by John Chrysos·
tom. For this, Theophilus was ne~er 10 forgi,'e him.
It does not appear that Dioscorus recovered his
see at Damanhlir, and he probably died in Con'tan-
linopk
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chilly, D. J. The DeSUI" City. London and Oxford,
1966.
RE.N~GEORGES COQUlN
DIOSCORUS OF APHRODITO (~. 520-after
585), jurist and poet. Born to hellenized Coptic gen·
try in the Upper Egyptian town of Aphrodite (later
spelled Aphrodito) in the Antaeopolite nome, Dios-
corus received the classical education of his time
and station plus training in the law and, presum-
ably at Alexandria, in philosophy (most likel)' under
John PhiloponU$). He followed his father Apollos as
prolokometes (headman) of Aphrodite, and eventu·
ally became admini~lrator of the monastery Apollos
had founded befo";"his death in 546. In 551 Dio-
s~orus tra•..,led to cOnstantinople to defend Aphro·
dite's autopragi" (self-responsibility) rights of tax
collection, a journeY rec"lied in his earliest pre-
served poem (Heitsch, 6; Ma~Coul1, 1988, Pl'. 63-
66). From 366 to 573 he re.ided at Antinoopolis,
seat of the duke of the Thebaid and administrath'e
celller of Upper Egypt. He practiced law, from
which activity many documents in hi. own ""nd, in
both Greek and Coptic, are presen,ed, and com·
pr:osed numerous Greek encomiastic poems in hon·
or of duke. of the Thebaid and local officials. After
573 he returned to Aphrodite and continued to
write and administer hi' lands. He lived into the
reign of Maurice (after 585).
The archive of Dioscorus is a rich source of infor.
mation about the ~ultural and e~onomic life of late
antique Egypt, As • kletor (landowner) he was in·
,"olved in numeroU$ transactions invol\'ing both lay
and monastic property. As a bilingual man of let·
ters, he ~ompo.ed a Greek-Copti~ poeti~ glossary
that is of great interest for both lingui.," and histo-
rians. His poetry i. a rich blend of pagan and Chris--
tian imagery, especially in praise of the emperor,
epithlarnia (wedding 5OngS), and descriptions of
Egyptian scenery. As a poet he owes much to the
Periphrasis of St. John of Nonnus and to the philo-
sophical vocabulary of PhiloponU$. In language and
in piety, Dioscoru. was Cyrillian: in matters of taste
and in his sense of the maje,ty of the law, he re·
Aected his age's acute sensibility and lo"e of splen'
dor and display. From his work we gain our fullest
picture of life in Coptic Egypt at the time of its
highest cultural Aowering.
BtBLIOGI{AI'HY
Heitsch, E. Die griecltischen D;chterjragrnente de' r6-
much." Kaiserzeit, 2 vol •. Abhandlungen der Ak.
ademie der Wissensehaften in G(jllingen, philolo-
giseh·historisehe Klasse 49. GOningen, 1964,
Kramer, R, and D. Hagedorn. Pap)"rologische Texle
u"d Abhandlungm, VoL 31, pp. 185-86. Bonn,
1984,
MacCoull, L. S. B. Diosco,us of Aphrodi/o: His Life,
Hi' Work, Hi' World. Berkeley, Calif.. 1988.
___ ''T1te Coptic Archi.·e of Dio$Corus of Aphro-
dilO." Chronique d'Egypte 56 (1981):185-93.
L. S, B. M~ceOULL
DISCOURSE ON THE EIGHTH AND
NINTH, Sixth tractate in Codex VI of the N~C H~"·
/Mol lI6RAH. The name of the tractate is deri.'ed
from its cOlllems, since its ancient fOlm has not
been preserved at the opening or ending of the text,
although title, for parts of tbe treatise may appear
in 53, 24-26 (''The Discourse on the Eighth and the
Ninth") and in 61. 21-22 ("The Eighth Re\'eals the
Nimh"). The interest of the document rest. On
the soul's arrival in the divine realms that lie be·
yond the se~en malevolent spheres surrounding the
earth. It is through these latter that the departed
soul must pass before coming to region. controlled
b)' the God who gives life.
The Coptic text. doubtless a translation from a
Greek original, COnstitutes a rite of initiation into

lhe l1l)'SIerits of HU.. .fS T21SN.aoasnJS ..... at>pIoys
lhe I«.hn~ of teachl", through rilwot In tnr' * :al SIaIUl; La...
mal 5"n5". the pit:c<: consists of. <Ii........ ue bet,.;«n
• le""her Or mystagogue. who n:""","ntl F... ther
Hennel, and a pupil who il termed. 5On, an e~·
change lhat leads Ihe latter to an eCllatic e~peri.
enee of t"e divine. ",., litull;.....1 charaetu of the
docum~t ... ~ in * number of fNltu.... ouch ...
1M a_'e<l goal of divine rebinh; the 1111n "'fa1M".
and ~1On.~ ..i1kh *'" joine<:! to «her ·'brothns..
..... ~clmil'1U~ in the otd<:*l. or eiahth realm;
ritual embnoce (51. 26·27); the J»otlern of pl3Yer
(55. 23-51. 25, "'hieh lNly M" Inenry Innw.ion);
and Ihe final oath lworn by Initiates to guard the
se<:n:1S of Hennes.
The lext exhibill seve",1 Ullb to Egypt. Among
them. the Egyptian god Thoth, whose functions in·
cluded Krving as ..,ribc for the divine child H~
Harpoc:no'co. had become Idenlified wilh Hennes lIS
early as H ~ Tholh _ ll$6OCialed ..tlh ""'Il-
k. medicine. wrilinl. and vafto:Mu QIh,.. teehnol...
p:r.. For (;neb. Hennn ""'" the I"ick for depan.
ed ooub as wen "" SClc<lli$l and inlel'Jlft'er ollhe
11l)'SICOet.. Second. the .... ll'bo:rs eiaht and ninc om-
play lies to Egyptian theolocY. for pIIntheons typi.
cally _~ rmde up 01. eilhl Or nine de-i,ieo (ogdo<od
CK' ennead), The interC5t in preoervinl: the text In
"ierualyphk <ha""'teT! illult"'tes a third point of
contaCI.
The tra<:lale io plainly bonded 10 Ihe larger ,...1;.
~ lite .......... derived from the YCnenMlor\ of Her-
IIXS. But it emboclico • hl!heno unkno..... litulp
that lNly IW>d indcpmdent of 0IMr Hennftic doc·
umenl$. In :addition. the tttt exhibits affinities ..ith
dwoli.llc i<leu that may be poMic. as _11 ... with
other mystery rdigK>ns.
BI"UOGRAPHY
Bnshler, J.; 1'. A. Olrkse~ and D. M. Parroll. eJs.
and tran....",., D\s(:OOIpe on the Eil:"th and
Ninl .... (V!.&). In The N"I Ham",,,di Lib,,,ry. pp.
292-97. cd. J. M. Roblnton. New York, 1m.
Dirbl:, 1". A.• el :aI. '11le Di§coune On ,he Eighth
and Ninth..·· In N.o.t H_"di Codieu V, 1-5 tmd
VI .-Im Pal'J"'S s..n>lirte>Uio 85()1. J ,,,,d 4. pp.
141-13, ed. D. M. Pam>n. Ldden. 1979.
Kelzn, L S. The Eit/uh Re.-l. tne NUl/if: A New
He....elie 1"iru.tWn Dioclo.Jun. ~ide. Calif.,
1974,
Maht. 1.'P, H,m,~s en HallM.Egypte: Lu Te.x.rt<$ 10,,·
mltiq~es do Nal Ha",mad; 01 Ie".. paralleles
,rus ,I l"lins. Vol. l. Ouch«. 1975.
S. 1<£1,.,. 8P.0\0,·N
DOCETISM 917
DlssournON OF MARRIAGE. SU Penon-
DJEME. S.. Madinal Hibil; Memnonla.
DJINKIM. See AP1Undis.
* DOCETISM. The lerm ·'docec"""· rome frolll
the Grttk ..'on! tloho (I sean, I appear). and was
lint used by Se-nopion. bishop of An,ioch (l90-:Ml8).
10 refer- 10 ceruin heretics of the early church. In
ils earlM.51 expression. docetism apparently Vew
OUl of the difficulties of e,plaining how the Son of
God could be lubject to the vici..,itudes of humani-
1)'. ir..;;1u<!inl: suffering and dealh. n.e earliest D<>-
cecio", would eIpbio that Chrisl only seemed o'
appe:an:d 10 suffe., for He only seemed 10 "'" mortal
and 6~ as oth.e-r humans. In lUIity. tho-y would
ur;ue. He is God and. the~, no! lruly sub;KIto
the problem. of humanil)'. It is generally assumed
11...1 the emplwis on the JUli!)' of Christ·. physkal
body in John 1:14, I John 1:1-4 and U-3. and 2
Jo"n 7 '" • refutalion of t"il incipient beresy. Dur-
Ing the second century, tbe position. of Doceti".
were mulliplied and amplified into various gnostic
l)'SIem•. including ""me that denied the SUMI3-ntive
mlil)' of Ihe Incarnate Christ. and 0Ihen that SIal·
ed lhat the hNl,..,nlv ChriIt deocwo;lcd upon Ihe
mortal Jesus *' His' bapIi$m and depaned w","n
k:su5 was !>d'ore !"itate. 1M crucifiJ;;on Kene de-
ICribe-d in me AJOOCIILTl'5E Of nru is an example of
the laltel', ponr3)'ing the spiritual Savior l.o.ughinC
abo.... Ihe cross "'hile soIdien nail !he mooul J~
to the tree,
Among lhole especi...lIy charged wilb doceti.m
....eT(! Cerinthu$ and Marcion. There I• .0.150 a docet-
k port",yal of J",,," in ""me anti.Christian writings
of the Mandaoean Gnostic:$. IrcnaellS and Tenullian.
bolh wrilinl in lhe late second cemury. au"c.Ud
th~ he«oy. and Tenul1ian cbimed that some VaI-
enllni.ano ..·ne guilty of do«Iism. PbatiulI (ninlh
cenuu)') charged ClEIolEKT Of .u£lW<DIUA with doc·
e-tism, but CIemcnI rebuked lhe denial of Chri5l·1
flesh in his own wrilings.
BIBL(OGRArHY
Udzhanki, M. GinV'. Der Selo"l. oder d(J,s grosse
Such der Mondi:ler. pp. lSI -204. Gottinl:en. 1925.
C. WIURID GlIGGS
 918 DOLPHIN
DOLPHIN. Su Symbols in Coplic An.
DOME. Sa Architectural EJen>nllS of Chu.-chft.
DOMINICANS IN EGYPT. In 1928-1932 the
Dominical:l frian founded I COnvenl In lhe Abbaslr-
,all d..1lia of Cairo. whe.., they lol&rtrd to Iorm •
Ilbnry around ..hieh.;n 195). they eslablished the
Dominkan Instill"e of onm...l Scudies. It ......
opened 10 both Copric and MwJilll scholars undet-
lhe: dlrec10nhip of G. C. "na_i. 80m InlO a Chris-
lian lamily in Egypt. An.......li di!olinguiJhed himself
as a specialist in MwJilll thoughl .nd Anob tultu.e
and civilization. He partidpaled with Ihe Copts in
1M Organi..,IKm of the e.;umenical m~menl, Nu·
merous Dominic."" of IMt cOn.'ent 'uch as de
Beaun:cueil .nd Ibrahim Khou..m have fOUVll for
the reinslatement of Ihe Coplic rite in the liturgy
offered 10 their followers.
DOMITIUS. See Maxi...... and Domitius. SainlS.
DONATION OF CHILDREN. CU$t0fll of gi..
inc a child "I' to a ...........ery for one of lwo ,..,a·
loOnS: ......ing lhe child become a /DOOk or makinl
lhe: child a serf of the monasIe<y.
I ~ of donating childcen who were inltnd-
eel to become monks are known from lilerary IlJId
apecially hagiognopbic 5OUTCe$. The absence of
soun:es other than li~rvy ones limits our Informa·
lion. We do no! kno& whether the donations _re
accomp;mied by a fo';""l acl Ihal defined the duties
«1M panles involved .nd Ihe quation of Ihe pri.
vate belongings ofth'; Nture monk. This could have
been quile possible. laking into cons>denllion tM
Custo..... of the period. It is not poiSlble 10 tell ...hal
happened if. upon growing up. tM dild did nO\
actept the dedsion made by his p;lrents, The
thurch mw.l h"'e had unfOr1unale uperlences wilh
dOMtions of small children. since during Ihe Coun·
cil in Trullo (691) it introduced a prohibition of
monUlic; vows taken by children I"Slhan len yean;
old (canon 40).
The preu-nce of children In montiteriet is _II
pro~-en as .-..prds f'achomlllJl cong.-egatiom: i. is
men,ioned in "Rules and U'·es.'· The educ:alion of
chil.!ren Wti lhe object of special concern on Inc
pan of the founden of the eonlJ"<:Plion....i>o ·e~
ako dls.rurbecl by Inc e>'<:ntual homose>: lity
aJToOlll lhc brothen. We alio come :t.CT0i5S childnn
in lhe rnonas.Ie<y of Shenule. The Coptic inscrip-
lio"" in lhe nUll AlA JEIlDI1..H at Saqqara mention
• anain "'Victor. he that belonp 10 <he cell of
clrildren.'· Th;. cell could ha•.., ~n the !ivine
quanen of chlkl,..,n or, U the editor suggests. a
school mom (Thompson. 1912. no. )14). Child"""
we,.., also presenl in odie' m_erie>;. although
praclioolly nothing Is known about the circu ...·
SIaIlCes in which they lUTl.-ed. Perna,," there were
.lIIOn« Incm orphans whom the monasleries weJ'e
enlrusted 10 rear. when Ihe,.., were no righlful
guardians or when deslgnaled guardian, ""ere un·
able 10 ful61t their obligations. We also do nOI
know whetMr those child,..,n who were to become
,en. were sepl"'stcd in e~eryday life from those
....ho were to become monl<$,
A g.-oup of dotumentS from DAY>' "NII~ ?HOIllAM·
MON. of which the oldest dale. bad to Ihe begin·
ning of lhe eigluh century and the Ialest one Is
daled "I 781-791, was published in KapliJche
R«hls~rk,,,"du des /lell/en Jlllrrlr....den. /IUS D~",~
(Crum and Steindorlf. 1912, nos. 78-103). It sl>o"'"$
the e:o:isIence of cIonatiorts of ano<her naIu,..,. P....
en15 donated their thl~-as a IUle boys-so
...... !hey would se",'<: lhe monuleries. The act>.
inIonn ... in detail aboon the ciTCUJrl5larloC<:s In
...ilich such dec,...,ns ...·e.., made, mosl frequenlly
durinc a serious iIlneu of 1M child. wh.,., the ........
enlS turned '0 Salm l'hoibamrnon fur Mlp. Only
one leI' makes no menllon of an illness. In some
lOIS the ~ p~ In additioaal .....civation fur
their dcc.,ion. ll.cy say thai they want 10 make a
pNUpItM/I, offerina. for the sale of !heir souls. J.c.
conti"l to .he Customs of the period. one was m0r-
ally obliged to make an olfnin& to a church or
lDOIUlS1ery; after lhe OOnor"s death. mass ...-as said
on c,"ruin da)"1 in his behalf. Some ten. also men·
lion punishmenl in the form of Illnesses brouglll by
lhe saini if tM pa,..,nts neglecled 10 fulfill their
duty. There is nO reUOl\ to diOlrust the .incerity of
lhose declarations. although the possibility edsts
of OImr tconomlc and social mali.·.,. on Ihe plU'1 of
the parenl&. The ~el')l poor could have ",anled to
en,ure (Ilr their chlld,..,n a mode.t bU!. in their
e}'n. secure eXiSlenCe. They could aiso have hoped
Ihat lhe monastery would protecI ilS awn people
againsl viol"'"e tommitted by oflkials. After all.
Ihrou&hout lhe el,ghlh eemu!)' Ihe Saini Phoiballl.

mon monastery remained inOuemial and prosper·
ous.
The parenu claimed thaI their children became
slaves similar to "lhose purchase<l:' but this was
obviomly inexaci. Certain documents state that af·
ter attaining maturity they were able to dedde
whether they wanled to remain in the monastery or
to work ouUide, and lhen pay a certain sum (see
Crum and Steindorff, nO. 96), ln one instance, the
parents e.'en fixed the amount of this payment (no.
78). Evidently the children offered 10 the monastery
became its serh.
Tlte age of the children differed. In one instance
the child was tltree years old, but it i, uncertain
whether he was handed over to the monastery im·
mediately. II is lar more likely thaI tltis look place
some years after, when he could be useful as a
servant. In one case the boy grew up and confirmed
his parent" duision.
Tlte deeds of donatiolI$ defined tlte nature of the
work to be performed by the children. They were to
keep lhe monastery clean, 10 carry water, lake care
of lamp. in the church, administer bread for guests,
and in general do everything that the olko~omos
told them to. No mention is made of their tasks
outside the monaslery.
One que.tion might be whether the offered chil.
dren became monks in the community which they
previously served. The """rces offer no direct an'
swer to tltis question. The unmarried state was not
lantamount 10 taking monastic vows. There may
have existed a separate calegory of lower·ranking
brothe,", in monasteries of the Arabian period, who
were recruited from among the sem. of lite monas-
tery. This is a possible explanation of a group from
lIAYk A!'l1lA !'lAlIRA in Aswan whose members were
known as "the Faithful" (Munier, 1938). Unfortu·
nately. the modest source materials at our disposal
are not easy to interpret.
Be.ides donations of chUftren there are instances
of self·donalions of aduh men to monasteries. Such
a donation is atteste<l by K~plische R.chtsurh"de"
de. achte" Jahrhu"derts at.. Dieme, no. 104, where
the reason adduce<! is the ;"'covery from a serious
disease. Evidence of similar donations occurs in
literary text/; concerning the saints George and
Claudius. Sinneri, who had been punished by the
saints, offere<l tltemselves ai .oon as tltey obtained
forgiven"", (Till, p. 105: Godron. pp. 655, 663).
A separate calegory about which there is practi·
cally no information is composed of the children
donated to prie.ts, or the bishop", to be hrought up
as clerics (Till, p. 66, menlions Mmes. the future
famous monk).
DONATISM 919
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Amelineau, E, "Vie arabe de Schnoudi."' Mem,,;res
pub/iis p"r Ie. memore. d. I" mission "rchiala·
lique f,a,,~aist au Caire 4 (1888):331.
Bacht. H. Das Vermiichl11is des Ursprungs. p. 231.
Wiirzburg, 1972,
Crum. W. E.. and G. Sle;ndorff, eds. Koplische
Rechtsurkw,de>t des ach/eM Jahrhunderls au.
Diem •. Leipzig, 1912.
Godron. G.. ed. Second pa"tgyrique de St. Claude
par Co"slanlin, eviq... d·Ass;out. POj35, pp. 655.
663.
Munier, H. "'Le christianisme it Philae:' Bulletl.. d.
la Sodil< d'arcMologie cople 4 (1938):46.
Steinwenter, A. "Kinderschenkungen an KOplisclte
KIBste,."' Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stl/tung fur
Rechl<geschlchte, K,,~o,,;.lische Abui'''''1 42
(1921):175-207.
11Jomp$On, H .• ed, The Coptic !rlscriplio~s. E.>:cava·
110"s "1 SaqqMa j908-/909. 1909~/910. no. 314.
Annales du Service des antiquite. d'Egyple.
(1912).
Till, W. C, Koprische Heilige,,· u"d Mlirtynrleg.
e~de", VoL 2, Rome, 1936.
EWA W'P$ZVCKA
DONATIONS. s.. Law. Coptic: Privale Law,
DONATISM, a schism in Ihe church in North
Africa that grew out of the Great Persecution under
DlOClETJ.o.N and in some ways resembled the Meli-
tian movement in Egypt. While the more profound
causes lay in Ihe puritanical elhic of the North Afri·
can church, its opposition to the secular world, and
its enthusiasm for the cull of martyrs. the immedi·
ate cause arose from differing altitudes adopted by
clergy durin~ the Greal Persecution. In contrast to
the persecution in Egypt, the repression of Chri.ti·
anity in North Africa was short and sharp. lasting
only until the abdication of Diocletian and Maximi·
an in May 305, During that lime. however, many
members of the clergy had lapred and handed cop'
ies of tlte Scriptures and other church objec~, 10
the authorilies. l1tese clergymen, dubbed /radllor..
(traitors: from tradere, 10 hand over) by their more
intransigent brethren, were regarded as apostates
incapable of administerini a valid sacrament and,
hence. of retaining their clerical office.
The simmering conflict erupted in 31 I. In that
year, Bishop Mensurius of Carthage was cited to
appear before the (usurping) emperor Maxentius
920 DONATI$M
(306-312) 10 answer a charge of concealing in his
house a presbyter who had published a libelous
lracl againsl the emperor, Mensurius vindicated
himself but died on the return journey from Italy.
There "'... at once a dispute over his successor.
Aside from the problems caused hy personality con-
met<, the church in Numidia had acquired Ihe right
during the previous forty years to conse<:rate each
new bi,hop of C,rthage, and there was an element
of rival!)' between Carthage and the bishops in Nu·
midia. Before the latter's representatives could ar-
rive in Carthage, Men.urius' archdeacon, Caecilian,
had been consecraled bishop and accepted by at
least part of the congregation 01 Carthage.
There were, however, strong objeclions against
him. It was said that during the perse<;Ulion Cae<:oili-
ao had forbidden food to be sent to Ihe imprisoned
confessors who had been arresled in Ihe lownship
of Abitina in western Tunisia, He also had offended
a wealthy member of his congregation named Lue-
ilia by forbidding her 10 kiss a bone, allegedly of a
martyr, before receiving communion. There were
additional rumors that one of his consecrators,
Felix of Aptunga, had been a traditor during the
perseeution, thereby rendering Caedlian's conse-
cration invalid,
The various bet ions united with the Numidians
in opposing Cae<oilian. Ang!)' that he had been d...
nied participation in CaecHian's consecralion, the
Numidian primate, Secundm, bishop of Tigisis, ap-
pointed an imavertlOT (interim administrator) for
the see of Carthage pending settlement of Caecili-
an's position. On the murder of the i"lerolrllor, Sec-
undus summoned a council of seventy Numidian
bishops Ihal condemned Caecilian 10 deposilion.
This situation confronted Constantine after his
VicIO!)' o.'er Maxenlius at the Milvian Bridge on 28
October 312. For reasons thai are unclear, the new
emperor of the West took Caecilian's part from the
outsel, Funds were plol;ed 01 his disposal and his
enemies threatened wit);, judici31 penalties (Eusebi-
us H;Slona eccle.i«stica' 10.6). Sub..e'luently. clergy
loy"llo CaecHion were released fromobligalions 10
undertake municipal duties and pay municipal lev-
ies. This stung the opposition into action, and in
April 313 its members appealed 10 Constantine to
sel up a com'mission of Gallic judges to arbilrat•.
Gallic judges were sought because Gaul, they &aid,
had not suffered from Ihe pe=cudon (see Augus-
tine, Letlers 88,7, for the text of the petilion). In his
role as chief magislrate of Ihe Roman people, lhe
emperor remitted the case to the bishop of Rome,
who happened to be an African,
The hearing on 2-5 October 313 went against the
opposmon. now led by a Numidian bishop named
Donalus, from Casae Nigrae (Black HUIS), on the
edge of the Sahara. His vigorous leadership lasled
until his death in ""ile in 355 and gave the opposi-
tion tbeir name, DonalislS. However, a council of
the western provinces of Ihe empire, assembled al
Arles on I Augusl 314, also decided in favor of
Cae<:oilian; and after his consecrator, Feli~ of Aptun-
ga, had been cleared of the accusation of being a
tradilOr (Februa!)' 315), Ihe emperor himself p1'O'
nounced judgment in hi, fa"or on 10 November
316.
Nevertheless, DonalUS prevailed. His rulhles<nes.-~,
hi, self.confiden~, and the conviClion with which
he inspired his adherents bear some resemblance to
Athanasius. According to Jerome (De viris mumi-
bu. 93), he "deceived nearly all Africa." E.vidence
of Ihe success of his movement is that Donatu. won
Ihe allegiance of 270 bishops who attended a coun-
cil over which he presided about 336 (Augustine,
Lm". 93.43),
Donatism remained the major fonn of Christiani-
Iy in North Africa throughout the fourth centu!)'.
This was due not only to the personalities of Donat·
us as bishop of Carthage and of his successor, Par-
menian (355-391) but also to Ihe fact thai the Don·
alists continued the North African ecclesiastical
tradition developed by Cyprian. combined wilh re-
newed acceptance of the role of martyrs and mar-
Iyrdom in the church. Integrily and purily we.e.
Ihe)' claimed, the hallmarks of a Chrislian in the
exclusive body of the e1ecl who fonned Ihe church.
This church was continuously directed by the Holy
Spirit, a conviction that involved complete sepam-
lion from the secular world and denial of Ihe au-
thority of lhe emperor in lhe affairs of Ihe church;
thus, Ihe rheloncal '1ueslion of Donatus 10 emissar·
i('$ of E.mperor COJIStans about 346: "Whal has the
emperor to do wilh the church~" (Optatus On the
DMlatist Schism lilA), In addilion, the Donatisls
were practically supreme in Ihe pro.'ince of Numid·
ia. especially in the rural areas (Optalus lilA;
Frend. Donatisl Church, chap. 12). In Ihese areas an
e~treme fonn of Donalism known as the Circumcol-
lion movement emerged. It combined devolion 10
the shrines of martyrs (hence Iheir name, derived
from c;rcu", cellas, "around shrines") with acts of
revolution and lerronsm direcled against Ihe
wealthy, whom they regarded as representalives of
the devil (Optal"s, 111.4; Augustine, Loners
185.4.15).
The DonalislS, Iherefore, became a br more for.
midable movement of dissent Ihan the Melilians,
and were more succes,ful in retaining lhe loyalty of

nali.'e Christians. Their weakn= lay in the fact thaI
Ihe l"<'st of Chrislendom accepled Caecilian and his
successors as tme bishops of Carthage; con~uent·
Iy Ihe Donatists were not recognized by the emper-
Or>!. 11 was only when prominent Numidian Dona·
ILsts supported the rebellion againsl Emperor
Flavius Honorius by Count Gildo (397-398), and
IOSI, lhat their Catholic opponenls could destroy
Ihem. Between 399 and 412 Augusline of Hippo
and his friend Aurelius. bishop of Carthage. led an
intensive and successful campaign against the Don·
alLsts. Propaganda, imperial legislation, and per>!e·
cution all played Iheir part. [n May 411 the Dona-
tists Wel"<' forced into a conference at Carthage with
their opponents, and after three sessions of debate
"""l"<' condemned and proscribed under imperial
legislation againsl heretics ICod~ Theodoslan"s
XVI.5.52 of 30 January 412). Donatism wtJJ; scverely
weakened and showed little sign of activity during
the Vandal occupation of North AfrH;a (429-534).
At the end of the sixth century, however. a seri~ of
leners by Pope Gregory I (590-604) allude to a
strong revival of Donatism in the heanland of
southern Numidia. The movement may nOI have
died out until the arrival of the Arabs in the seventh
centul)'.
Uke Ihe MELm"", SCHISM, the Donatisl movement
illustrates Ihe sll"<'ngth of feeling among native
Christians in the Meditemonean lands agaiml col-
laboration with the authoriti"" during Ihe Greal
Persecution. With a strong provincial base in Nu·
midia. the DonatislS combined powerful leadership
and adherence to a traditional biblical th"Ology,
For his pan, Caecilian was no Athanasius, and in
North Africa Ihel"<' was neither Antony nor Pachom·
ius to swing native Christianity into conformity with
the orthodoxy represented by the church in Car·
thage. which had remained in communion with Ihe
reS! of Christendom. Unlike the Melitians, the Dona-
tim had to be suppr=e~ by coercion. Only tnc
combination of imperial p?wer and the astute poli·
cies of Augustine and Aurelius p",,,enled Donalism
from permanently becomi~g the authentic ""ice of
ChriSlianity in Nonh Africa. Its d~tmction may
h."e COnlribuled to the downfall of Christianity it·
self there, ln North
, Africa the", was no native
"Coptic church" to with.land the onset of Islam in
the sevenlh century.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Serthier. A.; M. Martin; and F. Logeart. Le. v",tig",
du chri<lianisme antique dans la Numidie an·
Ira/e. Algiers, 1942.
DONGOlA 921
Brisson. J. P. Auionomisme el christianis",e d"ns
l'Afriqu. romaine de Seprime Sev~r. it {"invasion
vanda/e, Paris. 1958.
Brown. P. R. L "Religious Coercion in the Ulter
Roman Empire, The ease of Nonh Africa." Histo-
ry 48 (1%3):283-305.
Diesnt!, H. J. Kirche "nd Stadt im spmT(Jmisehen
Reich, pp. 78-9<l. Berlin, 1963.
Frend, W. H, C. The Danali." ChuTch: A Movemcnl
of Protest in Rom(", North Africa. Oxford, 1971.
Lepelley, C., ed. Les Lettr.. d'Augusline decouvertes
paT), Divjak. Etudes Augustiniennes. pp. 251-65.
Paris. 1982.
Monceaux, P. Histoire Huhai", de l'Afrique ehT"
tienne, Vols. 4-6. Paris, 1912-1921.
Ten~'trom, E. Donatlsltn und Katkolilen: 50<.lal.,
wirt.chalt/iche "nd politi.ehe ASP<'b. tin.. nord-
afrikanisehen Kirehenstreil, GOleborg, 1%4.
Willi" C. G. S.int Augustine and Ihe Donali.1 Con'
troversy. london. 1950.
W. H. C. FltI'.NO
DONGOLA, often referred to as "Dongola al·
"Ajll'," th. capital city of the medieval Nubian king·
dom of MAKOURtA, It was situated on Ihe easl bank
of the Nile about halfway bet"",.n the Third and
Fourth Cataracts. The name is said to he derived
from a Nubian ,,"'ord for a hill or high place, per-
haps retlecting the mct that the lown occupied the
top of a hluff overlooking Ihe river.
Nothing is known either of Dongola or of
Makouria in pre.(:hristian times. and the excava-
tions thus far carried out at Dongola have not un-
covered any ",mains of pre·Christian dale.
Makouria is first mentioned in Ihe ecclesiastical his-
tories of John of Ephesus ~nd John of Biclamm
dating from the sixth century, but neither of these
sources names Ihe capital of the kingdom, Dongola
is firsl mentioned by name in medieval Arab histo·
ries dealing with the attempted Muslim conquests
of Nubia in 641-642 and in 651-652. On each of
these occasions th. ne",ly established rulers of
Egypt allempted to extend Iheir dominion o,'er Nu·
bia, and both military expeditions culminated in a
battle before Dongola. On th. first occasion, the
invaders ,,"'ere successfully repulsed: on the second,
Ihe batrle ended in ~ negotiated truce, Ihe JJ~OT·
Under its terms the Nubians were left free from
foreign domination for O\'er 600 years. As a result,
Dongola and other ChriOlian communities in Nubia
grew and prospered.
The Fatimid envoy IBN S~tJM AL-~SWASi has left a
remarkably vivid acqmnt of his "isit to Makouria in
Ihe Icnth century, but unfortunately he gives no
922 DOORS
spe.:ific information about the capilal city. Howe>'·
er. the information in ABD $AUI:!'S Churches and
Manasleries of Eg)'pl and So",e Neighbouring Coun.
tries is probably derived largely from Ibn Salim. 01
Dongola he writes: "I! is a large cit)' on the banks
of the blessed Nile. and Con rains many churches
and large house. and wide streets. The king'S house
is lofty, with several dome. buill of red brick. and
resembles lhe buildings in Al·rrak. ..." From an·
other Arab source we learn lhat lhe royal palace
was the only building of red brick. The other hous-
es were of mud, reeds. or straw,
There are many references to Dongola in late.
medioval documents, dealing mainly with the Mam·
luk military campaigns in Nubia, but no descriptive
information aboUI the town i. gi>'en. Archaeolog)'
shows, howe,'er. Ihat the place had a long hislOry.
with many episodes of rebuilding. Even the destr1Jc,
tion of lhe kingdom of Makontia in the four1e<'Mh
century did not spell the final downfall of its capi-
tal, for Dongola became the soat of .. local chieftain
of the Bedayria tribe. However. the French visilor
Poncet described the houses as ill·built and the
streets as half desened and fille<! with .and when he
passed by in 1698. Tribal chieftains, locally known
as meh, conlinued 10 rule at Dongola until their
power was finally extinguished by lhe Egyptian an-
nexation of the Sudan in 1821. The new rulers es-
tablished an administrative ceMer at al-UrdL about
100 km downSlream from Dongola, and this place
later came to be called Dongola al·Urd! or New
Dongola. and finally just as Dongnla. After its estal>-
li.hmem, the old city was finally abandoned. hs
ruins, which are still very conspicuous when .een
from the river, are today usually designated as Old
Dongola or Dongola a1'AjLl~. to distinguish them
from the newer administrati'"e town,
The most conspieuous surviving building at Don·
gola al:Aju~ loday .is a two-story brick structure
whose upper Aoo. haj. be-en fitted out as a mosque.
A stone tablet sel im? one of the walls proclaims
that the mosque was'dedicate<! in 1317. Prior to
thai time, and perhaPf subsequently also, the build·
inll is believed to have been the royal palace. Ar·
ch..eolog:ical excavation. by a Polish expedilion
ha"e also ullcovered two impressive churches. one
having sixt""n columns of Aswan granite arranged
in four rows. and the other having a cruciform plan
like some of the dlurche. in Syria and Armenia. Up
to the presem there has been little excavalion in
the townsile remain. at Old Dongola, although the
excavalinns are conlinuing,
The name of Dongola lives on in the lribal name
of the Danaglah (sing., Dungullwi) Nubians-the
most southedy group among whom the Nubian lan-
guage .till ,u,",,'ives.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adam., W. Y. Nubia. Comdar f() Afnea, pp. 464,
526-30,583-84. Princeton, N.J" 1977,
Jakob;"lski, S. "Poli.h Excavati<Jn, at Old Dongola,
1969:' In XU",j ~"d G~schichle Nubie", in chn,l.
Hcher Z'il. ed. E, Dinl:1er. Recklinghausen, 1970.
Michalowski, K "Les fouilles polonaise. a Don·
gola.'· In Kunst und Geschiehte Nubie", i" ehri,t·
Heher Zeit, ed. E, Dinkier. Recklinghausen. 1970.
Yantini. G, ChnsriaNily iN In" Sudan, pp, 63-64,
137-3S, 171-90. Bologna. 1981.
WIUJAM Y. ADAMS
DOORS. Su Woodwork, Coptic.
DORMITION OF THE VIRGIN MARY,
FEAST OF THE. SU Thootokos, Feast of the.
DOTAWO, a small, late medi"""l kingdom, proba·
bly the last surviving Christian polity in Nubia. The
name in Nubian means "below Do:' a place usually
identified with the J;>aww of medieval Arabic manu-
scripts and the JAB~L 'IDD~ of modem time•. It is
nol certain whether "below" is to be read literally
(since Jabal 'AddA was on an elevated hillt"p) or
figuratively ..... being under its administration, but
at all e"enls Dotawo was evidently a principalit),
centered on the l"wer Nubian selllement of Jabal
'Addl.
A certain KinS Siti of DOIawo is mentioned in
two documents, dated in the year 1331, found at
the monastery of IdfU. Apart &-om thes•. all known
references to the kingdom are in documenls in the
Old Nubian language found in NUBlJI itself, at Jabal
<Addl and al QA$R !BRIM. These are presumed to
ha"e been lhe only two major settlements wilhin
the kingdom, the former beinll perhaps the royal
capital and Ihe laner the religious center. The .ur·
viving documents, which number more than twen-
ty, are mostly of a legal or administrative nature:
among other thing. they contain long lists nf civil
and ecclesiastical functionaries. The lack of differ-
entiation between the two suggests that church and
state may have been more or less merged, wilh the
king of Ootawo at the h....d of both in this milight
era of Christianity in Nubia.
Man)' of the Ootawo document. are dated. and

they ,..."ge from 115510 1484. The earlier docu-
ments fall wilhin Ihe period when Lower Nubia ....'as
slill clearly subject to Ihe kingdom of ~~KO\IR'~ and
therefoTe raise a queMion as to lhe Telalionship of
the two kingdoms. Since ABO $l.UH TIlE ARMENIAN
states thaI the "great king" of Nubia had lhirteen
lesser kings under him, the usual assumption is lhat
the kinll of DolawO was one of these. It is dear.
however, lhat Dotawo outlived lhe parent kingdom
and became fully independent after Ihe disinlegra-
lion of Makouria in lhe fifteenlh cenlury.
A second problem cOncernS the relationship of
the kinllS of Dol4lwO to the eparchs of NOBATtA
(called "Lords af the Mountain"), the ,'keroys of
Lower Nubia appointed by lbe king of Makouria,
Both king, and eparchs had lbeir main seats of
power at Jabal 'AdelA and Qasr /brlm. ~ON~ERI!T DE
VILURD suggested that lhe dynasty of Dotawo was
founded when the eparchs dedaTed lheir indepen·
dence of Malouria and eslablished a heredilary rule
in Lower Nubia, In the earlier Dotawo texIS, howev-
er. lhe king and the eparch are named mOre than
once as separate individuals. It has been suggested
that lhe kings of Dotawo and other feudalories were
responsible far local administralion, while the pri-
mary responsibility of Ihe eparch was for Ihe con-
duct of relalions with the Muslims, bolh in Nubia
and in Egypt.
Altogelher lhe lexlS ha,'e yielded the names of
eight kings of Dola",o, the lasl of whom was named
Joel. His name appeat"$ in a number of documents.
of which lhe latesl. nol yet published. beat"$ th.
date 1484. After that time nothing more is heard of
Datawo, and we remain ignorant as to the circum·
stances of its nne. It seems already to ha.. disap-
peared before the Ottomans took possession of Nu-
bia in Ihe sixteenth cenlury.
-,
BIBLloGllAPHY
Adams. W. Y. "The Twilight of Nubian Christiani-
ty," In Nub;a. dantes r~cherch"" ed. K. Micha-
lowski. pp. 11_l7. Warsliw. 1975.
___ Nubia, Canidar 10 Africa, pp. 531-36.
!'Tincelon. N.J .. 1977.
Monneret de Villard, U. Star,,, della Nubia cri,r;a"a,
pp, 140-42. Orientalia Christiana Analecta 118.
Rome. 1938.
Plumley. J. M. ''The Christian Period al Qasr Ibrim,
Some Notes in the MSS Finds." In Nubia. reo
ce"le, recherches, ed. K, Michalowski. Warsaw,
1975.
_ _ . "New Ughl on the Kingdom of Dotawo:'
ElUdes nubie"n••. colloque de Chantilly, 2-6 iui/·
let 1975. pp, 231-41. Cairo, 1978.
DOXOLOGY 923
Vantini, C. Chrisrianiry in ,he Sudan, pp. 194-200.
Bologna. 1981.
WIWAM Y, A[)A~S
DOXOLOGY, an acclamation ;n which glory
(Creek, d6x4) is altributed to a palticular person or
persons. The earliesl Christian doxolollies are ad-
dressed 10 the Father Or to the Son. bul with Ihe
development of trinitarian theology, lbey began to
express glory 10 the Father through the Son and
Holy Spirit, or lhrough the Son in the Hol~' Spiril.
The subordination;st sense which Arians ga,.. 10
fonnulas expressing glory (0 the Falher through the
Son (and Holy Spirit) led. by way of Teaction. to the
use of fornlUlas expressing trinitarian consubstanti-
ality. The fourth-century Syrian fonnula "Glory 10
the Father and the Son and the Holy Spinl'" was
e,'enlually adopted in the church generally. The for-
mula "Glory to the Father with the Son and Holy
Spirit," which appeared in foulth·century Egypt,
may have in its background lhe Coplic use of
"with" as the copula "and."
The foll<:>wing d"xologies may be nOled in partic-
ula<:
L n.e Greal Doxology. the doxological hymn be-
ginning "Glory to God in the highest," which in
Coptic Egypl is called "The Hymn of ,he Angds."
In the tradition. of both the Copts and the West
Syrians it is attributed 10 Saint Athanasiu •. bUl the
antiquity of this anribution is not celtain. One re-
cension of this doxological hymn is found in Book
8 of lhe Apaslolu-' Cansliluti"n•. and so it was surely
composed before lhe last quaner of the fourth cen-
tury. In its Egyplian fonn, as in the fonn used in
many other churches (but not in lhat of the West-
ern mass), il was expanded with a second pan.
beginning Iypically wilh Ihe Creek hltu;"son. Cop-
tic arikataxw;n, whose various verses, differing
somewhal in various recensions, are drawn mainly
from the Psalter. In established Coplic usage, pan I
(the original doxological hymn) is used in Ihe
morning office. while pan 2 is used in compline
(and was formerly used in vespers). There is some
evidence suggesting lhat in Ihe Coptic morning of-
lice as il was in lhe Middle Ages. pan 2 was still
joined to palt I, as it is in Byzantine orrhros today.
2. The Minor Doxology, "Glory 10 the Father and
lhe Son and Ihe Holy Spirit. now and forever. and
unlo lhe ages of ages." In Coptic. Syrian. and Byz-
antine usages its lwo parts are often separated. lhe
lirst palt ("GIOl)' to the Father .. :') being ilt!lelted
before the penultimate verse or stanza, lhe second
924 DRAGUET, RENE
part ("Now and forevcr _, ,") before thc final one,
in a scrics of verses or slanzas,
3, Doxologia (Arabic, tomild), a s!",des of Coptic
ccclesiastical hymnic composilion, in sian ..... usu-
ally addressed 10 the V;<g;n, to the angels, to indio
vidual ",ints, or to a particular categot)' of saints.
Thc daily use of such doxologies, found in the litur-
gical collection called the Psolmodia, is prescribed
at a certain point in lhe evening and morning of·
fices of incense and in the sung offices, drawn from
lhc Psalmodia, which follow lhe midnighl office and
lhe morning office as they are in Ihe horologion.
S!",cial doxologies are prescrihe<! fo< use on the
greater feaslS, on Lenlen weekdays, on the Satur-
days anti Sundays of Lent, and in the month of
Kiyahk. Whilc certain stanzas of Coptic Theorokia
exisl in G,ee.k, no Greek or Syriae equivalent of a
stanza of a Coptic doao/agia has been identified,
From this, one may infer thaI the do.ologies are
original Coptic composilicms. Comparison of ,-ari-
ous collections, andent and modern, revcals a few
instances in which the same stan", or series of
stan:<as appears in a doxology in one place bUI as a
sUnza of a Thwraldon (see TIlEOTOKlA) in another.
Thi. !"'nnits one 10 conclude lhal a Coptic doxolo-
gy in lhis sense is definable nol by its literary fonn
bUI by its hymnie eonlenl and by the piace of it<
use in the stn.oeturcs of lhe Coptic offices,
BIBUOGRAPHY
Capelle, B. "Le Texle du 'Gloria in ueelsis.'" Re·
vue d'hisrolre hclesiasliq,," 44 (1949)A39-S7.
L.edercq, H, "Doxologies," In Dkllonnaire d'ar-
ehi:orogie "h,iilie"ne ~I de lil"rgie, VoL 4, pl. 2,
eok IS2S-36. Paris, 1921.
Que"ke, H. Un1ersuchu"ge" <urn koptijchen Stun-
aenge""', pp. 52-56, 80, 174-90, 274-99. Lou-
vain, 1970.
Yassa 'Abd al-Masih. "Doxologies in lhe Coplic
Church." BI'lIeli>j,l,d~ la Sociili d'archio/ogie
cop" 4 (l938):~-113: 5 (1939):17S-91: 6
(1940):19-76: 8 (1942):31-61.
AELREn CODY, O,S.B.
DRAGUET, RENE (1896-t980), Belgian theolo-
gian. He "'as ordained a prieS! in 1919, became
professor of fundamental theology at Louvain in
1927, and succee<!ed J,-B. Chabot as editor of the
CO'l'US Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium se-
ries in 1948. During his lhiny·tWO")'ear tenure as
edilor, more than lhree hundred volumes of the
series appeared. In 1960 he was mad" vice-
president of I.e Museon, and in 1975, president. His
academic specially "'as early monaslicism, and he
produced works on lhe Vita Anlonii, Histon" lal'si-
aca, and Asceticon of Abba lsajas,
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Garille, G. "L.e Profess"ur Rene Draguet, President
du Mu'''''n,'' Le J.jl'seon 94 (1981):3-4.
M~RTIN K .... lfSE
DRESCHER, JAMES ANTHONY BEDE
(1902-198S), frequent contribulor to lhe Bullelln
de la Societe d'archi%gie copte. He was also the
editor and translalor of Thru Coptic Legend." Hilo,_
i", Archelliles, The Seven Sleepers (Cairo, 1947) and
Th~ Coplic (Sahidic) Version of Kingdoms I, !lISa'll-
uell, IT), CSCO 313-314 (Louvain, 1970),
MrRRIT Bo\!1'RO:S GHAll
DRIOTON, (CHANOINE) ETIENNE MA-
RIE FELIX (1889-1961), French Egyptologist.
He sludied Egyptian and Coptic in lhe Ecole libre
des Langues orientale. al the Catholic Inslitule of
Pari•. Ultimately, he taught Egyplian phil"logy and
Coplic al the same institute. He produced a Co"rs
de gra'll'llaire ,-gyplienne (Paris, 1919).
Driolon worked with Charle. Boreux al the Lou·
vre in 1926, and in 1929 he unde,1ook lhe epi-
graphic survey al lhe Medamud excavali,,", of lhe
tn'litut fran,ais d'Egyple dire<:ted by G. F<>ucart, [n
1936 he succee<!ed Pierre Lacau as Director of lhe
EIDl'tian Antiquities Sen'ice and leclured at lhe
new Instilule of Egyptology of the University "f
Cairo. After his retum 10 France, he was appoinled
dircctor of the Centre national de la Re<:herch~
.dentifique and professor al thc College dc France,
His works in lhe field of Egyptology are numer-
ous, but he conlribuled also to Coplic studies in
many journals and review's. Most tille. are lisled in
A Coptic Bibliography (Kammerer, 1950, 1969)_ The
last was published a year before hi. dcath, Boisene
COple de slyle pharaonique (Paris, 1960).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dawson, W. R., 3nd E. P, Uphill, Who Was Who in
Egyptology, pp. 88-90. London, 1972.
Kammerer, W., compo A Coplie Bibliography. Ann
Arbor, Mich .. 19S0: repr_ New York, 1969,
AlIZ S. ATtn

DUCHESNE, LOUIS (1S43-1922), church hi.·
torian. He was ordained 10 the prie5lhood in 1887
and completed his theological ",udies at Rome. His
interesl in the hislory of the early church was inten-
sified by his travels in Greece and Asia Minor. He
be<:ame a professor "f uclesiastical history at the
Institut cath"lique in Paris in 18S5. though he was
forced to re.ign from that position for some ten
years on account of his out.poken lectures on the
history of doctrine, which were contrary 10 the ac·
cepted views of Ihe Catholic hierarchy. In 1895 he
was nominated director of Ihe French School at
Rome. a position he held until hi. death. He was
elected a member of the French Academy in 1910.
His major works concentrate on early church hi.to·
ry. t'H;$toi'e ancie"ne de I'eglise ellritim"e (3
vols.. Pari., 1905-1910; lranslated as Ea,ly His/ory
01 Ille Cllris/ian Church. New York. 1909- 1924) i$ a
classic. but w... put on the Index for hi. critical
views. He .upplemcmed it with L 'Eglise du Vie ,ii!·
cle, publisned po.thumously under the editorship of
H. Quentin (Paris, 1926). Other important work.
include Liber Ponlificalis (2 >'ok, Paris, 1886-
1891), Origines du culte cllrdk" (Paris. 1920; trans-
lated by M. L McClure. London. 1923), and Fas/e.
Jpiscopaux de !'a"de''''e Gaul.. (3 \..,1." Paris.
1894-1915).
BIBLIOGIt,\PHY
Cabrol, F. "Mgr, Loui' Duchesne; Son oeuvre histo-
rique." Journ,,! of Theo!ogiJ:al Stud;... 24 (1922-
1923):253-82.
Dupont, E. Mg,. Duehes"e ehe.. lui on Bre/agne
1843-/922. Renne., 1923.
Ha"laville, C. d'. G'ande. Figure$ d. I'eg/ise comem·
poraine. Paris. 1925.
A. S, ATIH
DULAURIER, JEAN~PAUL
LOUIS FRAN·
COIS EDOUARD' LEUGE (1807-1881),
French Orientalist. He Vi"" born in Toulouse and
studic<! under Silvestre de Sacy. He published de·
scriptions of the stelae in the Toulouse Museum
and "aricus C;oplic texts (1833-1835), He visited
London in 1838 and copied the manu""ript Pis';,
Sophia. with a view to complete publical;on of the
text, but he issued only a general account of it in
1847. He also published an examinalion of the doc·
trines of J.-F. Champollion (1847). He was elected
10 the Acad~mie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
{l8M).
DUMYAr 925
BIBUOGRAPHY
d'Amat, p, In Die/lo""a!re de biographie Irtm<;aise
12. pp. 71-72.
M. L BtERBRtER
DUMBARTON OAKS, See Museums, Coptic
Collection. in.
DUMYAT, city in the northeastern part of the Nile
Della juS! west of lake aJ·Manzalah. Dumy!! was
the seat of a bishop at least as early as 431 when
Bishop Herakleides of Tamiathi./DumyA\ took part
in the First Council of EPHESUS (Munier, 1943, p.
17), In 459 Bishop E1pidi05 of Tamiathis signed the
judgment again,t Eul)'chius (Munier. 1943, p. 23),
and in 553 Bishop Bassos represented the city at
Ihe Second Conncil of OONSTA~'TINOPlE (Le Quien,
1958. Vol. 2, p. 589),
The Coptic community in the city of Dumy!!
.eems to have n.'rnained inlact during the Arabic
conquest, for Bi.hop Piamot of [tumyA! provided
greal suppon for the A.lexandrian patriarchate in
the reign of tSAAC (686-689). Barely fony years lat·
er. however, the city w... declared heretical. In the
palriarchate of AlEXANDER It (705-730). Bishop
John of llA reunite<! the heretical churches of Dum·
yA1, BanA, Ab~jr, SamatlOud. and R",hid with the
main Coptic church. Undu authorization from the
Islamic aUlhorities, John had infonned the Chris·
tian inhabitants of these cities thai they would have
to pay a double poll tax if they remained separale
from the main body of the church. The threat was
cenainly a motivating mctor in their reunion.
There is no evidence to indicale tnat Ihe Coptic
inhabitants of DumyA! suffen.'d in the various at·
temp" of the Byzantines to capture the city in the
fim half of the eighlh century, But in the renewed
attacks of the Greeks in the ninth century COplS ""
well as Mu.lim$ were subdued and captured, Then,
in the persecutions of al'l;IAKtM around 1010, the
Church of the Virgin Mary in Dumy!!. generally
considered one of the most beautiful churches in
the world, was destroyed and a mosque was built
on the site. The Crusaders al,o inflicted heavy dam·
age (tn the city in the eleventh through thineenth
centuries. but shonly after their depanure in lnl,
Bish(tp Christodoulos of [tumy!t regalhered the
members of hi. church and led them I" prosperity.
In 1249, the Crusader Loui. IX, king of France.
captured and destroyed DumyAl. The new Dumya!
926 DURR AL-THAMiN, AL-
was later rebuilt to the south of its fonner location,
and the city continued to be the seat of a bishop,
Around 1300 Bishop Mark administered in the dio-
cese of Ashmlln and Dumytl!. He was present at the
selection of the patriarch JOHN Vlt (MuJS"r, 1944, p.
ISS). From at least 1320 until LBO the metropoli-
tan Gregoty served as bishop of [}umy~! (Munier,
Pl'. 38~39).
DumyA! was known in ancient times as an impor-
tant center for the production of quality textiles and
the copying of manuscripts. MikhA'lI (end of the
e1e,'enlh to the beginning of the twelfth centuty).
one of the most famous bishops of the city, WTole
and copied a number of manuscripts himself. Man·
uscripts were still being copied in Dumytll as late as
1769 (Oraf, 1918, p. 139).
Around 1450 al.MAQRIZI reported that Ihere were
in Dumytl! churches of Saint George. Saint John the
Baptist, the Virgin Mary, and Soti"t Michael. I" the
seventeenth century, J. M. Van.leb wrote that there
were about lwo hundred Greek Onhodox families
ill Oumy!!, but only alx>ut eight Coptic families. He
said that the Turks had confiscated the Copts'
church because the Copts had not paid the la,es
(1678, p. 68).
II111L1OGIlo\PliY
Amelineau, E. l.o G;ogrophie de ['Egypu iI Npoque
cople, 1'1'.116-17. Paris, 1893.
Craf, G. "Katalog christlich-arabischer Handschrift-
en in Jeru... lcm." Oriens Chrislianu., n.s., 7-8
(1918):133-46.
!L Quieo, M. Oritn.< ChriSlionus, 3 vols. Uta.', 1958.
Reprinl of the Paris edition, 1740.
Munier, H. RecueU des Usus 'piscopo/e, de I'igUS2
copu. Cairo, 1943.
Muyser, J. "Contribution A I'Mude de.listes episco-
pale. de I'oglise cople." Bulletin de fa SoditA
d'arch'%gie cople 10 (1944),115~76.
Porcher, E., ed. Vie d'!<adc, palridrche d'Alexondrie
de 68.i a 689. PO 1'1, pl. 3. Paris, 1915.
Timm, S. Christlkhe SUitten in Agyplen, Pl'. 81-82.
Wiesbaden. 1979.
___. Das christlic;;'koplische Agyplen in arabi-
sch" Ze;r, pI, 2, pp. 530~38. Wit,baden, 1984.
Vansleb, J. M. The Pruenr Slare of Egypt. london,
1678.
RANDALL STEWART
DURR AL-THAMIN, AL· (the Pearl of Creat
Value), the tille of lwo work•. The lirsl is ascribed
10 MURQUS IBN QANBAR, and the second 10 SAwlRUS IBN
Al.-MUQAFIW.
G. Gmf (1947, pp. 331-32) ...ys that it is likely
that a commentary with this name on Ihe Penta-
teuch (covering Ihe firstlhree books) is the work of
Murqus ibn Oanbar. 1\ exists in pans in a number
of manuscripts including an American Bible Socie-
ty edition. The work include. Ihe biblical texts wilh
their explanations foT Genesis divided into lessons
for evening .ervices for all working day. of Ihe
fony day. of Ufl! (that is, "ithout Saturdays and
Sundays). The Exodu. commentary has a few les-
sons of the total nineteen for holy day., while'lhe
!Lvilic,," commentary, with thineen lessons. relates
none 10 holy days. The whole is largely inSlruction
on the origin, necessity, and fonn of the confession
of sins and their penance.
S:l.wlrus ihn al·Muqaffa' i. suggested as the proba-
ble author of the next ordered series of dogmatic
anieles subtitled "Expo.'!ition of Faith in Religion."
Graf (1947, Pl'. 313-15) says Ihal by its content it
sets fonh a Monophysile theology a"d Christology
based on texts from the Bible and patristic litera·
ture. Anicles of faith are given a basis and ex-
plained in Ihe fifteen chapters; the subject mailer is
the lrinitarian dogma, the hypostatic union in
Christ during his life from His binh to His ascen·
sion, and the Holy Spirit. Grar goes on to say that
the sources are Coplic texts, some nol trus{wonhy,
collected by the author for his own purposes and
translated inlO Arabic. ATHANASttJS I (326-373) and
CYRtL I of Alexandria (412-444) appear frequently,
and tbe late.1 authority referred to is the patriarch
BE.NJA!.I1~ (622-1>61).
VII'CENr FREDERICK
DURUNKAH, city in middle Egypt located on the
leli bank of the Nile about 5 mile. (8 km) south of
AsyO!.
The area south of Asylll in which Durunkah i.
.ituated has long been a center of Christianity.
Howeyer, the attestalion. of Christianity in Duron·
kah itself do nol begin until the medie\'al era. Th~
Churches Qnd MO","leries of Egypl lists a number
of churches and monasteries found in the region.
Though Ihi. account doe. not give .pecific loca·
tions, it is reasonable (0 assume that some of the
siles were in or near Duru"kah: The fifteenth·
century historian al'MAQRlz1 called the area around
Durunkah one of the most Christian districts of Up-
per Egypt and he ...id that the Christians li\ing
there were schooled. in their religion and used Cop-
tic as their spoken language. He reported further
that there were man)' monasteries in the mountai-

nous ,..,gion just south of the city, though moot of
these were in ruin•. Among tho$e still 'landing in
hi. day were Oayr Abu Jirj, Dayr An;! aJ.l;lajiz, Dayr
MiU'il, Dayr Karfi'inah (I>, AL-MlJITlN), Dayr Bii Bag'
Mm, and Dayr Bii Samms. He also !jaid there was
a church in Durunlah of the three )'{)uths cast into
the hery furnace. The church is still .tanding.
Colophon. in Coptic and Arabic manuscripts ac·
quaim us with two founeenth·cemury scribe. from
Durunkah, Shenute (John Rylands Library, Man·
chester, Coptic manuscript 423) and Peter, who
call. himself a calligrapher, monk, and presbyter
(Crum, 1909, no. 423). It i. likely that there was a
school for scribe. in the city.
Apparently lhere was considerable persecution of
Christian< in Durunkah by the Muslim civil admin·
istration, On 2 Bashans, the SYNAXARION commemo·
rate. Philotheos from Durunkah wbo was martyred
in 1396 beeause of his Christian faith,
From the time of Philotheos until the sixteenth
century atteslations of Christianity in Ourunkah are
wanting, Then ;n a manuscript from DAYIl ANlt\ MAO-
All. that describe. the renovation of the church and
the dedication of the keep in 1517, we read that
Bi.hop AnM Yu'annis from Durunkah a!lended the
proceedings (Leroy, 1971, p. 228).
From the end of the .c,'cnteenth ccntury many
European travelers journeyed to DI.\Tllnkah and
ga\'e descriptions of the city'. Christian buildings,
In the last third of the sevcnteenth ccntury J. M.
Vansleb descril>ed the church of the three youth.
cast into the fire and a "Monastery of the Ble.sed
Virgin" located on a hill behind the city (1678, p.
219). This monastery was probably Dayr al·'Adhrti',
Ihe ruins of which are still to be seen next to the
recently conotructed Church of the Virgin Mary in
the mountainous region wesl of Oumnkah (Meinar-
dus, 1965, p. 284). Vall$leb also !jaW the Monaste,,'
of the Virgin, which along with its church was cut
in the rock, and he visited t1lt: ruins of DAYR ANBA
sAWIRUS (1678, p. 228). , of Nantes could still see a church with some texts,
A linle more than a "enfury iat.. S. CLA.RK~
loured the area around Dumnkah and described
the Church of the Archangel (Michael). The church
thaI e~i.ts today with its altars fOT Anbi Pshoi and
the archangel Michael was built in the nineteenth
century, but it rests on mueh older foundations.
Ome also gave a description of the church of the
Monastery of the Virgin Mary located in the moun·
tainou. region west of Oumnkah. This church, as
opposed 10 the Church of lhe A'rchangel, was \'ery
old and was built on the foundations of an e,·en
older church (Clarke, 1912, pp. 175-76), In the
DiJSH 927
years since Clarke'. visit, the appcarance of thiS
area hu changed con.iderabl)'. Next to the churd
in the rock, the bi.hop of As)'u! hu built him,"]f a
re.idence and many new buildings have been con-
structed for the people who come to the area for
the annual fC!ltival (7-22 August) in commemora·
tion of tbe 'i'it of the Holy Family to AsyU! on their
fUGIIT IImJ EGYPT (Meinardu., 1965, p. 285).
BtllUOGRAPHY
Clarke, S. Christian A"uiquities in the Nile Valley.
Oxford, 1912.
Cmm, W. E. Catalogue of the Capric Manuscripts in
the Collection of Ihe John Rylands Library, Man-
chesuT. Manche~lcr, 1909.
tern)', J. "Complement :I. l'hiSloire des couvents du
Quadi Natroun d'Eyelyn White." Bullelin de tin-
S/ilul f'an~ai$ d'A'chiologie orimtale 70
(1971 ):225-33.
Meinardus, O. F. A. ChTi't,an Egypt, Andem and
Modern. Cairo, 1965.
Timm, S. Das christUch-koptische Xgypten in orabi-
.cher Zeit, pl. 2, pp. 892-99. Wiesbaden, 1984.
Van.leb, J. M. Nouvelle Telation m forme de journal
d'.m voyage fail en Egypte en 1672 et1673. Pari.,
1677_ Tmn.lated as The PY"ent Siale of Egypt,
London, 1678.
RIlNDALL STEWART
DOSH, In Ihe e~treme south of the oasis of Khar-
gah, at Dilsh, the ancient Kysis, the papyrological
dossier of the gravediggers reveals the existence in
the .s«und half of the third century (between 224
and 306) of one of the most ancient Christian com·
munities of Egypt. This communily, headed by the
priesl Apollo, was to receive Ihe mummy of a cer·
tain Palilice, sent there for burial.
The Christian traces at Dush are in.ignificant. At
the beginning of the nineteenth century, Cailliaud
bUI it has not been possible to identify this monu-
menl until now. The excavations of the [nSlitut
fran~ais d'Archeologie orientale in the hypostyle
hall of Ihe temple ha"e brought to light a Christian
impre<:ation lhal calls down the punishmem of
Chrisl on anyone who blasphemes against him. A
deeply cut cross has been subotituted for the uraeu.
that overhung the enlrance gate of the sanCluary.
The cemeterics exca"ated by the institute are pa.
gan, and to date it is not known where the Christian
cemetery was. The names on the Greek and Coptic
ostraca from WC!l1 of Dt1sh testify 10 the presence of
 928 DUWAYR, AL·
numerous Chri.tians among the inhabitants and,
more panicularly, among the wldie... stationed at
or in tran.it through Kysi. in the founh and at the
beginning of the fifth century.
BIBUOGRAPHY
Naldini, M. fI Cr;s/ia"uimo in Egil/o, no, 21, 131-
135. Florence, 1968. utest edition of the letterto
lhe priest Apollo,
Sauneron, S" et al. "Pouch, Rappons Preliminaires
1976." Bulluin de I'lnstitul {ranfais J'Archialogie
orientale 78 (1978):1-33.
Wagner, G. "Les OStraca grees de Donsh." In Pr0-
ceedings of Ihe XVI Internal;o"al Cong'ess of Pa·
pyrolagy. Chico, Calif.. 198L
Wagne., G., et al. "Doueh, Rapports Preliminaires
1979," Bulle/in de I'lns/itat francais J'Archeologie
arimtale 80 {l980):287-345.
GUYW~GNE~
DUWAYR, AL·, village south of ASYlrT and site of
e~eaV3tions in 1914 carried out by Claudiu. Labib
thal brought to light a necropolis of the Ptolemaic
and By>anline period, Se... eral STEUlE were found,
two of which mention a list similar to those of
Saqqara o. BAWl!, and name the famous triad of
these monasteries: Apollo, Anub, and Phib (see
Munier, 1922, pp, 49-59),
In a nearby ...alley two Greek inscriptions ha... e
been found on the wall. of a ca...e and a tomb,
which appear to re""al monastic occupation (A~'
mad KamAl, 1902, pp, 32-35, and lefeb...re, 1907,
p. 45, nO';. 235, 236).
BIBUOGRAPHY
Ahmad KamAl. "Exploration dans 10 province de
SiUt." Annales da Servke des at1l;qu;/es de
rEgyple 3 (1902):32-35.
Lefebvre, G, Ru ..eil des inscriptions grecq..es chre·
tienne< d'Egyple, Cairo, 1907.
Munie., H. "Les r~ultats ~pigraphiques des fouille'
d'a1-Qarioh bit Dudr," Annales d.. Service des an·
tiq"itos a. I'Egyple 22 (19221:49-59.
RENt·GE(lRGES CooutN
MAURICE MARTIN, S,J.
DYEING,
Techniques.
S.. Textiles, Coptk: Manufacturing
EAGLE. See Symbols in Coptic An.
EASTER SUNDAY. SU Feasts, Major,
EBIONITES, Judaizing Christians who developed
into a separate """t by the last quaner of the sec,
ond century and had some influence on the early
history of the church in Egypt,
The term "Ebion" is probably derived from the
Heb",w eby<m (the poor). It is an attribute of those
who serve the lord, in conlrast ",ith him who
"would not male God his refuge but tru,ted in the
abundance of his riches" (Psalm 52:7), The Coven·
anters of the Dead Sea regarded themselves as the
"Congregation of the Poor" who would inherit the
earth (Comm"ntary on Psalm 37 in Vermes, 1975,
pp. 243-44). Among the Es..,nes-who, If not iden·
tical with the Covenanters, were closely allied to
them and had settled near Ale~andria (Eusebius
His/oria wdes;as/ica 2.18),--C(juality in wealth and
community of property "",e ,(rictly adhered to.
The description of Josephus;(Jewish War 11.8.3), "Jt
is impossible to find anyone amongst them exceed-
ing others In possessi"ns. ','. ," is that of an ideal
that was to pass into Egyptian mon""tici,m.
Jesus' ideal"" recorded in the Gospels was close
to that of the Ess5nes and Covenanters so far as it
concerned possessions. "Take no thought for the
morrow," "Ble=<! are the poor" (Lule 6:20), and
the dispatch of the Twelve to teach the Kingdom
and heal, "taking nothing for their journey, nO staff,
nor bag, nor bread, nor money" (Luke 9:3) are
entirely in harmony ,",'ith those who equated the
Congregation of Israel with "the Poor." The ideal of
929
po,'eny, however, was one of those that did not
.u",ive the Pauline revolution. Paul's hearers were
not to be found among the rural poor but were
recruited largely from the literate congregations of
the Hellenistic synagogues in the larger to",'ns of
western and southern Asia Minor and G""ece. Jt
may well be that proponents of poveny in the sixth
and .sennth decades of the first century were to be
found among Paul's opponents, the "Judaizers."
That the two !>egan to be equated is evident from a
statement made by Ignatius of Antioch ab01.l1 109 In
his lener to the Philadelphians. Criticizing the Juda·
izers, he assens, "such a man is poor of under·
standing as he is by name an Ellionite" (Ad Phila·
delph""..s 6).
With the triumph of Paul's interpretation of the
Gospel. the ElIionltes gradually became reduced to
the le..1 of a sect. From the writings of 'rcnacus,
Tenullian, and Hippolytus, it would .seem that hI'
the end of the second century, they could be identi·
fied as tho.., who insisted on strict Jewish ritual,
including the ob..",ance of the Sabbath and dr·
cumdsion for their members. They accepted one
Gospel only, that of Matthew, and rejected the Paul.
ine Epistles. They belie\'ed that Jesus was born a
man by ordinal)' hirth, hut became exalte<l to a
statu, g""ater than Moses and higher than the
prophets through his outstanding ..inues, because
Gnd's angel dwelt in him. They practiced strict as-
ceticism in their lives. In the founh century Epi-
phanius (Panarion XXX) describes the ElIionites as
having their own Gospel, which .seems to have bun
identical to that described by Origen (Homiliac in
Lucam 1.1) as the "Gospel of the Twelve Apostles."
The Ebionites' link with Eg)'jlt apan from the
Alexandrian E..<.senes continued but i. not easy to
930 E(;(:AGE
follow. One may diocern it Ihrotl8h Ihe numerous
lnpenlS of Mauh..ws Gospel found s' Oxyrflyn-
ehus and !he association of !hote with fracmen.. of
I.... Go~1 at n..-u (Ott Oxyrltyrfcl"u 1'<lp7ri I
and 6S4). 11>0 I",=" praise of abstinence, poyen,.,
and the so/ilar)' life (d. l.Dfia 49, 69. 75) ;. in line
wXh Ebionile leacAing. If """ accepts the Gospel oi
n.omas .. one of the infIuenCQ lhal COlllrib\lle'd 10
Ef;yptian monastieism. thf:n the Ebionkeo rnUSI be
induded amnng I.... moYCmenlS IhM lay bdIind!his
fall.,re of lite Copl:ic chureh.
The mona<lK ancem.,. of lhe CopIi<: c.......-eh u-
lendc-d bad: Ihrnugh 'Jl>omas '0 Ihe Essenes and.
I ..... -edic rn(>Y<"nlenl$ ",i,hin Judaism al ,he lime
of Jesus. and included lhe E:l>ionhfS lmong i.. fo,..
ma'ive influ....ces.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
DrlJye,.,. H. J. W_ "Edes.s.a und das jlldische Chris-
lenlum.'· Vigili•• Christian", 24 (1970):4.)3.
Schmldlke. A. "Zum Hebrliereyanselium." Z,il-
sehri!1 m, die nemtslomenliiche Wiuens~h.ft "nd
di. Kunde du iiltu,,, Kirch, 35 (1936):24·44.
Schoepo, H. J. Jewish Chris';."i!)': Fa~tiQn.1 Di•.
pur,s in Ih, Earl)' Chu.ch, 111ml. D. R. A. Hare,
Philadelph.... 1969.
Vermes, G., ed. Th. /H,,,J ~" Sc.olls i" E",lUJo,
2nd ed. Harmondo....mh. 1975.
Waiu. H. MNeue Un<eT$UC'hungen ilberdle sogenann·
len jiidenchristliehen Evangelie-n." uilschrij, fUr
die ne"'Ul"ltIDtlliche WisH"SCJoDII .. mI die
K""de de' iilleren Kirche j6 {l9J7):60-81.
W. H. C. f'D;D
E¢¢AG~ The title and office of the ~~qi (irldl
church di,nitary-) have beftI of national imporunce
in Elh;op<o. foe sewn! cen".lrie.. Insofar lIS the
AWN _ alien to tI>e Ianaua. and cullure of lhe
coon...)'. it .... nec~ lor an Ethiopian diylitilry
10 be appoinled :as chief administrator of the
churd... The Nebur:a'ed ofAxum ha.d filled th" office
u ...illhe lhirteoenlh c"",-lul)'. and the Aqqlbt Sa'al of
Hayq lIIOnaSIery in the fourtterllh alld fifleemh. fol·
lowed 1»" Ihe ~~I:l in lhe ,ubMquem centuries.
The philological ooiilin of Ihe ,ille e~~..,l i. 0b-
scure, and a f"w incOIlclu.iY" opinion' have be"n
e.pressed about il. It ""'" in any c~ used as II",
lill" of rh. abbol of Oabca lJWnos, a famous mon-
ast,,1)' in Sh"",a al '"aSl sinc" rhe ,i.l"enlh c"ntul')".
According 10 some church rtadltlon" SainI Takla
Htymtnol (lllS-013) WM ,aid to have be"n the
fil'Sr '0 bear- the tille: but th" royal chronlcl,,' do
nol alleu: to Ihis. 111" abbots of Dab... l.ibJ.nO& in
the fourteen!h and fifteoenth centuries ........, melTed
10 by such 1"111I$ as .b<o _ ..II (hnd of the monas--
tery), obbil (lather). and "'..""'"' (m....er)_
"The dignitary ,,","ms '0 have gained special im-
portan<:" fin! 'hrott&h !hoe; CRICiai mJe of "~~,,tt
Abraham durirIJ !he: rrip 01 Empe.-or ~n)'O' In
!hoe; bt" ....Iterllh and otlIrly ..........Ieenm c""'-Iurift.
Th" "ff"-tl r-eslOed near 1M imperia.l coun wba--
ever il milht bot. and his residence was a "'D<:twIl)'
""here criminal and political fu&iti.-es alike could
take '''mpolW)' rel\aae ....llI he brotlp,1 them 10
juMice or permilled Iheir escape 10 ...!fly oul of Ihe
oqion_ The oe«a~ was lhe higllesl chun:h dil"itilry
and a.s alIeh hoe p.... l-ide<l 0'..... church COlIncil. In-
gelber "'i1h ,he sow....il" and the "bun. He abo
panicipaled in othorr councils IIlat deah "'i,h ma'·
lers of "ate.
He act«!, besides, lid the liaison officu between
Ihe imperial coun and lhe clergy.
In Ihe spirilual sphere, Ih" e~~.IlI's aurhoriry did
not exceed Ihal of a pri",I. He was a monk. chos""
from rh. order of Oabra lJbtno. regardless of his
origin. bul perhaps on grounds of his learning, in·
legrily. and "'isdnm, He could be dismissed from
office al any time by order of tile sovereign or at
rile demand of tile ilQCiely of munu in Dab'" U·
bin.... H" cOl.Ild by no rneaM .... bs.i,U(f foe the
41b.... as !he spirilual head of lhe church, .hou&h
Inldilions all ...e WI SainI Tub HJ.ym;1inol: had
combined bo'h func'ion.. Abuna Si.wil"O§ and Abun
BUJyos ha...., ctnainly do"" to in lhe .",n"inh ~ft·
""y.
Bl BUOCItAPHY
Cerulli, E. MGli ~i eli Oalmo lJbanos. cap; dr:I
mollKhil.mo etiopko, --"lido b. 1iw. rimaUl'
(sec. XIV.VIII).N Orie"t,,1M n.s., IZ (1943):226-
S3: 13 (1944):137·82.
''GIl abbali <Ii Dab.... Ubanos, ClIpi del
tmlnacbismo aiopico. secondo Ie Ii"'" l'eCen.i
(!ICC. XVIII-XX):' OribltdU" n.s., 14 (l94S): 143·
".
Da5IJ. Tub Wald. 'AJdis Y<lm,},el'bid- M"l.8"'b<o
Q<lIM. &l.It"Me"". 8,,1t.8"'" S"b o...dnqw<l
T"¥!,,, p. 916. Addis Abab<a. 1961.
GuHlri: Sell,..;... C".oniq~e d.. r~"". de M~ .. ~lik II,
m; des rois d'Ethitlp;e, cd. M. de Coppel, Vnl, 1,
PI', 279-82, PaMs. 1930 1931. M
Guidi, I, Vo.;dbol.rio "m~ricu·jt"I;(Jno, p, SI I.
Rome, 190I. Repr" I9SJ. Suppl"menl. p. 148.
Rome. 1940,
HenlY Walda Selltst-. Wdtlmd. B""'dgdtt< y,,';ly.
opey<ln Nd~o~l<lr Yar<lrik 8,,'<lI1"m<lkb"r. pp. 101-
120. Addu Ababa, 1921.
Kidina Wald Keflt. Mdfl]",,, Sa..·,}...... W"S"u

Wama<gaba Q~II" !faddis. Neb~b" Bage'ez Feaew
BolmJreiiM, p, 457. Addis Ababa. 1948.
Mahtama SelJast Walda Masqal, Zekra Nagar, Addis
Ababa. 1942; 2nd ed., Addis Ababa, 1962,
B~lRU nfLll
ECCLESIASTES, See Old Testament. Coptic
Translations of the,
ECHOS. See Music, Coptic: Description: Music,
Coptic: Hi",ory.
ECTHESIS, "statement of the faith:' a formula
is.ued by Emperor Hcradius in 638 as a substilule
for "energies" (lhe Creek ."erg;a;), which had been
prohibi'ed from use in relation 10 the person of
Jesus. According to lhis formula, the two nalU=,
human and dh'ine, are uniled in the Monothelete
doctrine fonnerly accepted by Sergius, palriarch of
Constantinople. and Honorius, pope of Rome, as
.....ell as the Council. of Constantinople held in 638
and 639. The immediate successors of Honorius,
Severianus (638-640) and John IV (640-642), on
the contnry affirmed lhe rejection pronounced by
HencHus,
AZlZ S. ATln
EDUCATION, COPTIC. The origins of Coplic
education may be lraced to the period of lhe intro·
duction of Chrisli.nity in lhe second half of the first
cenlUry, when ancient educational lradilions in the
lemples became colored with the doctrines and tra·
ditions of the new religion. According 10 Eusebius
of Caesarea in his Hist"ria Ecclesiastica, wriuen in
the founh century, Christian dignitaries established
Chrislian schools where,"er~tey scttled in their hi·
uarchical dioceses. MOSl luminous of lhese educa·
tional bodies in lhe earliest centuries was lhe c~n:.
CIlHICAl SCHOOL OF ~LEXANDRIA. Its leaden;. such as
P~NT~ENUS. ClEMENT OF .uEX~~DRl~. ORlGE.... , and DlDv·
MUS TIlE BLIND, proved 10 be the great Christian
mentors, nol only of Eg~pt but al50 of the reot of
the Christian worliL It wlLS here thaI the religious
and moral culture of the Copts flourished and left
its indelible influence on all future generations.
The Catechetical School began to dwindle from
the fourth century. followed by the rise of Coptic
MON01HVSlTlSM as against Chalcedonian dio-
physitism from the year 451 and ending up ,,'ith a
wave of Byzantine pensecutions in Egypt. However,
EDUCATION, COPTIC 931
Coptic educalional policies were persistell1ly reo
tained in the native churches, and more especially
in monll$tic institutions. In fact. the heritage of the
Catechetkal School was preserved or perhaps con-
centraled in subsequent cen'uries at the mOnll$tery
of Saint Mac.rius (n~H "JOllA M~oAR) in the desen
of Wadi al·Na!riin, It was here that the Alexandrian
religious traditions found a pennanent home and
where they flourished. In the Nile Vaney. however.
the educalional .radition persiSled near the church·
es in more modest institutions, the equivalent of
the medie>,,1 scriploria or writing places. These
new establishments were founded by both Copts
and Muslims.
While the Muslims concentra'ed their procedures
on the Our'~n under the lead<'rship of a Muslim
shaykh. generally a blind scholar who had memo-
rized the holy book, the Coptic kUllolb, or scriptori-
um, was principally Nn by the church can'or. or
'arif. who taught the children the church liturgies
while training them in the art "f penmanship. Some
cantors were blind, in which case the an of writing
and the training in mathematics and accounting
was confided 10 another person hired by the c"m·
munily of Coptic families. Coptic educalion in the
kUlllJ.b revolved primarily around religious instruc·
tion beginning with readings from lhe Bible, panic·
ularly the Psalms, and church hymnals. Howe"er. it
was in the secular SUbjeclS such as arithmetic and
accounting that the Coptic scribes later excelled:
they ,'inually monopoli.ed all the related activities
in the Egyptian stale, especially in the fields of fi-
nance and agriculture. All training in lhe kuUdb
was conducted on metal plates or slate tablets ow-
ing to lack of paper material.
Parallel 10 lhe instruction practiced in the kUlIdb,
technical training in various professions played a
prominent pan in lhe educational process. Coptic
anisans excelled in all manner of trades. notably
those associated with the building and aoommen!
of their chuTChes. Exqui.ite woodwork, iYOl'i inlay,
and all manner of anistic accomplishments were
executed b)' skilled laborers whose lraining as chilo
dren must have taken place OV('r the yea... in the
workshops of master anisans. This kind of 1l1lining
exlended to the fields of agricuituTe and commerce,
where the children usuall)' followed lheir parents in
hereditary vocations throughout the Middle Ages.
The history of modern and contemporary educa-
tion in Egypl extends from the termination of the
French Expedition in 1801 to the oulbrea!: of the
revolution of July 1952, This centul)' and a half
witnessed a multilude of radical changes in educa·
tion, and may he roughly di\'ided into three periods,
932 EDUCATION, COPTIC
Th" first period covers the years from the <lepar-
ture of the French in 180) to the end of the reign of
khedive &\'Id, sOn of Mul)ammad 'All, in 1863 (see
MUI:IAMIM]) '~u DVNASTY), The year before had Seen
the death of the I 10th patriarch, CY1\lL tV, who WM
r«oilni~ed '" the father of Coptic church refonn,
espedally in the field of education. Though the
kUllilb or scriptorium system persisted in Cairo and
the provinces, the educational reforms that took
place during this period at the hands of Cyril IV
were significant. It would, however, be wrong to
minimize the contributions of the scriptoria, which
produced some em;nent personalities who occu·
pied high ranks ;n the ilovel11ment administration,
In fact, Cyril IV himself was the product of tho..,
scriptoria, as was the hegt<menos PHILCtTHAwus IBRA·
HIM who first headed the CLERJCAt CO!.l-£CF. at Its
foundation in 1893.
The f"" for attending a kUllilb varied from five to
len piasters per month, although the teacher usual·
Iy rece;ved the more substantial reward of a gold
.-o,·ereign at the completion of a 1Io)"s educalion,
There was, of course, no Hmitto age for acceptance
in a kUllilb. On Ihe suhject of Arabic ilJammar, the
Coplic kul1f1b supplemented its activities by nomi·
natinil an Islamic shoykh who taught children in
Coptic homes for a fee. Among Ihe notable Coplic
kUllabs in Cairo were those of I;IAril a1-SaqqAyfn,
!;Mrit al-N~rn in the A<bakiyyah dislrict, and
others in Old Cairo and al-Ghuriyyah as well as in
Ihe provinces.
Around the middle of the nineteenlh cemury,
during the reign of V;ceroy &\'id, the foreign mis·
sionary schools began to emerge with an impact On
Ihe antiquate<! kutI~b sY"lem. Asyu] College took the
lead of these institutions under the leadership of
American an<l British missionaries. Owing, how",,·
er, 10 Protestant doctrinal differences taught in
lhese schools, the Sludents began to have second
lhoughts about particiJ;alion In their religious activ·
ities. A solution to thi! simatiou was soon found in
the educational refonn. carried oul by Cyril IV.
In 1853, Cyril IV founded in A.bakin-ah the palri·
archal primary schoof for l>oys, which was inaugu·
rated in 1855 and laler supplemented by a secon·
dary section. Another primary school was
established in f:larit al·Saqqayln and two girl" pri-
mary schools were starte<! in both the Azbaliyyah
district and ':larit al-8aqqA)·ln. The pope made sure
10 introduce progressive programs and foreign Ian·
guages such as English, P<ench, italian, and Turk·
ish, in addilion to Arabic and Coptic as major disci·
pline,_ He appointed teachers, both foreign and
native, to take charge of teaching all subjects. The
disappointed heads of the old k"l1~bs were concili·
ate<! by the (lffer of a pension.
The pope himself lOOk 10 attending some of these
classes and participaled in their diSCUSSions. As 10
girls, whose education in schools seemed a novell)'
at the I;me, he instrocted the heads of girls' schools
to visit Coptic homes and encourage families to
enroll their daughten in their inst;tutions. He slart-
ed a boarding arrangement to accommodate stu·
dents from Ihe country, In lhe provinces, he estab-
lishe<! a similar school at a1-Mansilrah along Ihe
same pattern of the One he had founded al Blish
during his primacy at Saini Amony's monastery
(D~VR ANBA A~NtYOs). All his schools were open to
Muslims as well as Copts, without distinction. Ulti·
mately, on graduation, studenlS were subjectc<l 10
the state public e~aminations, which gave them the
right to punue their higher education in the high
schools preparatory to the university.
On the cultural level outside of education, the
greal patriarch established the first Coptic priming
press an<l secured pennission to have Coplic youths
receive training in the art of printing al the old
gov'emment BulAq prinling press. He started wilh
the publication of a Coptic grammar, and soon a
flow of religious publications poured out of this
press. He founded numerous libraries, which helped
many authors in Ihe publication of their works,
Khedive Sa'id (1854-1863) was impre5$l'd by the
patriarch's achievement and granted Cyril IV land
in Ihe al·WAdI area of the Sharqiyyah province to
help him cover the e~penses incurred in his
schools. The pope offered free educalion and even
paid students, both Coptic and Muslim, a slipend to
help them with their living e~penses. And for the
firsl time in the hislOry of modem Egypt, a great
deal of attention was accorded to female education.
The 'econd period dates from the accession of
Ihe khedive [smA'n, in 1863, and extends to the era
of the establishment of the new conslitution of in·
dependent Egypt in 1924.
The most significant feature of this second phase
was Ihe open discussion of the educational system
in the parliamenlary meetings of Augusl 1866.
Among the memben wbo conducted the discus·
sions was MikhA11 AlhanAsiu., a COpt. The problem
of reliilious education was amicably setlled on a
nonsectarian basis, allowing the Muslim. to study
the Qur'an and the Copts the Bible under the guid·
ance of a Coptic priest. In the end, special legisla·
tion was issued on 7 November 1867 under the
minisler of education, 'Ali (Pasha) Muharak, in forty

ankles orpnwna education undt-r thrft calep
riel: pr1lN1ry. weondaIy. and higher. Candidates
&om Cyril IV's Copeic schook were pcrm~led to
tab public: euminalions on a par with lO'~lMnt
school SlUdoents.
Owil\&. howe'o"ft. 10 the British Occupation or
1132. the numm of ~rnmenl xhools became
limMd: lite, WUlO suppkmntlftl by the emoorgena
01 nacionaJ ..,hools where the Copes ~ I",·
mc:ndous efforts. notably in ~ 10 lechnical cd,,·
calion both £or boyo and foo- Oris. Pope CTlO.ll v
sponsored the foundaIion of a leehnical coUqe al
BOHq In 1900. while the Tawflq Coptic Sociefy
founded another in the FajIW> district u. 1904.
Sc.hooh for girls ,,"'re ope~ by aUlm'i}yah aI·
Khayriyyah a1·""bri at Azbaki)')'llh and t~ Ta....fIq
Sociely at :f.ihir (see Bf.NEVOl£HT !iOCJmllS. COf'TlC).
Of more pennan.nl stature was the ct.tlI\>l.iWment
of a se<:ondary girls' college in 1911 in 'Abbasiyy~
by Ihe sa""" Tawflq Coptie Society. Other schools
followed In Aluandria. Tan!l. and the FayyOm. as
well as in other cities in the valley.
The third period deal. with more recent times.
Apart from Ihe eontinuous p~rns in the realm of
,eneral educalion, perhaps the """in feature In lhe
de~lopment of Coptic education was Ihe fo5t:eril'lll
of the C~l cot.I.fU for prepari"1! a cultured
teneration of priesthood. Conccr,ed orilinally by
Pope Cyril V in 1874. this collet'!' .... de>'eloped
InlO an Instil1...ion or reliJious schobnhip in
1193, lIS orpniution emnmed 10 Phlltlthi.......
IbrAhim, to yohuf (Bey) IobnqariyUs. and to arch·
do:acon l;IoU'tB JtallS, ........ assumed its headship in
1918 and improved Ils swure of enrollment from
prlmary""""es 10 1<"OO<>dary. He further adopted
many PO<lC' ',,,, 1'"'I<am!I &om Jimllar imtilu,
lions In Europe and founded u. 1931 the Church of
Our Lady at the College. where he c:onduc1ed p<ac'
licaI liturpeaJ lnoinlng. III. 1945.... inaul"noled
spe<;ial night classes for tlt;: benefit of unn..rsil)l
.......
sl"denls and pdual~ who ,intended 10 we holy
A ,-l1IlIel feature in the sp'read of reli/POuS t<lu·
alion aMOnllhe Copcic youth in schoob ...... inatl·
I"rated by the Holy Synod as early .. 1891. This
movement ""as buer known as !he Sunday School
Movement. 1n fact. its role e~panded and it. laoors
multiplied amona Coptic children. and It became
One of the landmark. of the Coptic church.
To this movement must be added the ~tDblish·
ment of the Coplic Education Society in Gita and of
Ihe OJaconate of th.. RTf (Rut;ll Areas) In Ihe 1950s
by Bishop SUlua n.e, diaconace consisted mainly
EGERTON GOSPEl.. 933
of Yol"nteen in many se~led ";I~ where
Copcic families had live<! In complece oblivion of
dtelr cburclt for It'neralions and oftelltlmes l'C-
malned unbaptized. Under the leaodenhip of Bishop
Samuel, thae """'nteers broke the soIiludoe of su.:h
families and euendcd to them lhe rdipous educa·
lion that tMy needm .. acli"" mc:mben of the
Copck cilurclL
Finally. au<! l>I'I a sec...bT level, menlion must be
made of the establishment oil'" CopIic College foo-
Girls in Cairo in 1932. It pn>'"i<lecl an ah...-..ativc to
the IIW11etoUS Catholic and ProtaWlI fore\grt mJs.
sioo ..,hoots in Ihe COllnlry.
Afte. 1932. the Ministry of Education e;t2bli1Jted
public schoo," throughoul ee".. 11v:se we:rt. of
cou,,;c. open to the populalion in "",e"d. On 21
January 1954 the Hilher Inlli'ute of Coptic Sludies
....... found<'d ..-ith lhe apPt"O"al of th.. Community
Council. Althoulh nondenominational in enroll·
men,. it has been for the most pan sponsor<'d and
supponed by the Coptic church.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
As'ad, Mauric.. M. Education In th" Coptic OrlhodoJ<
Church: SrrDlegies for Ihe FulUre. New York.
1970.
~ Sobh,. "Educa'ion in EcYPI During Ihe
Chrislian Period and AnlO"ISl the Copts:.
Bulleli" de I. SoeiJll d·.rcltlnIOl'" "Ople 9
(1943);103-22.
Heyworth Dunne, J. f .. ,'OducltotI 10 tlte History of
Educ<Uion in Modern EcPr. London.. 1939; 2nd
ed.. 1968.
Mabry al--Swyani "Andent and Contemporary
Christian Educalion In the Coptic Church of
~"Jll-~ Ma>ler"s thesis. f'rinc¢lOO> Tht:oIngicaJ
Seminary, 1955.
Rad>o.-aJt. A. A. Old ...d .,'ew FDl"Cu ... EDJ1riml Edu·
u/ioft. New Yort. 1949,
Sulayman Nasim. TllriU .J-T.~ al-Qibfiyyoh.
Cairo. 1963.
Af-AqN! .....'·T.·/bn It MifT aJ-H.tliJluJ..
Cairo. 1984.
Sulayman Nasim and Bishop Blman. fI ./·T.,biyyah
al.Al,,"~. Cairo. 1980.
SuuvMAN NAsIM
EGERTON GOSPEL, Ihe most Impotlllnt of the
papyrus f....gmen.. of apocl)'llhal gospels becau.e of
its early date. its ",lent. and the chat;lCler of the
text; acquire<! by the British Libnory in 1934. It
con.i... of two leaves of a papyrus code:< logether
with a .mall fraa;menf. Bolh leaves a", Incomplete.
934 EGYPT, ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION OF
but in many lines the number of missing lelle,,; is
small enough for the text to be restored with con~­
dence. It is ",'riuen in a literary hand but with
marked docnmentary features; the judgment of the
original editors that it is nOl later than about A,D.
150 has found general acceptance. Its place of ori-
gin is unknown.
The work in question is neither a collection of
logia nor a harmony of the canonical Gospds; the
differences are quite as striking as the resemblan-
ces_ It appears to have been a straightforv.'ard ac-
coum of the lile and teaching of Jesus with no
theological reconsiderations and no relation to any
known apocryphal gospel. Of the four incidents de-
scribed. the first relates a confrontation between
Jesus and the la""Yers. and contains some striking
verbal resemblances to the Gospel of John, al-
though the selling c>f the incident is synoptic in
tone. Tbe secc>nd and third incidems comain an
accoum of the healing of a leper and a debate on
the payment of taxes. recalling passages in the
synoptic Goo;r>els with both additions and omissions,
The fourth incident apparently describes a miracle
on the banks of the Jordan that symboli,e. the Res-
urrection and has no parallel elsewhere. The writer
probably drew on both wrinen and unwrinen tradi-
tions. If. as is likely, his sources included the synop·
lic Gospels, he must have been re<;alling them from
memory. It is possible, however, that both they and
Pap)'''•• Egerton may draw on a common source or
SOurces. A scrutiny of the language in the first indo
dent suggests that either John was using the Eger-
ton Gospel and a<lapting it for his own purposes or
both were relying on a common source_ One or
two details indicate that the author had no close
knowledge of the Palestinian background and was
writing for a Hellenistic audience.
BIBLIOGRAPtlV
Bell. H. I.. and T. ~. Skeat, eds, Fragments of a~
Unk~ow~ Gospd. London, 1935.
___ , The New Gcspel Fragm"1!S. London. 1935,
Jeremia., J.; E, Hennecke; and W, Schneemekher,
eds. New Testament ....p<xrypha, trans. R. MeL
Wilson. Vol. I, pp. 94-97. London, 1963. Con·
tains bibliography.
C. H, ROBERTS
EGYPT, ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZA_
TION OF. In pharaonic tim"s E-g)pt was divided
into two main pans, Ihe Delta in the nonh and
Upper Egypt in the south. The fonner was subdivid-
ed into twenty administrative units, and the laner
into twenty-two_ In a<ldition to about sixty major
towns, the number of villages totaled about 2.500_
Under the Plolemie. the land was divided into
three main regions; Lower Eil)pt with thiny-three
administrative units, Middle Ell)pt with seven, and
Upper Egypt with founeen. Each of these units WM
called a nome, and was governed by a nomarch.
With the Roman occupation the country was reor·
gani,ed into thirty-six nomes: twenty·two in Lower
Egypt, six in Middle Egypt. and eight in Upper
Egypt.
later, following the division of the Roman em-
pire into Eastern and Western halves, Egypt be-
came part of the Eastern empire whose capital was
Constantinople; the country """ di,'ided inw si..
major sections, The Delta consisted of two major
sections, Augustamnic I and II, subdivided into
thirty-three units. Upper EIDPt consisted of Arcadia,
Lower Thebes. Middle Thebes, and Upper Thebes,
and was aiso subdivided into thirty-three adminis-
trative units.
With the ARAB CONQUEST of EGYPT (A.r'. 641). the
Delta was called Asfal al·Ar4 (low land) and Upper
E8)pt was calied al·Sa·ld (high land). The former
was di,'ided into two regions: al-J:lawf, comprising
fourteen units, each known as a kijrah (Arabic,
from Greek kht-ra, district), and aI-RTf (rural area)
comprising thirty-one k"rahs:. The southern part of
the country, al~a'ld, was divided into thiny kurohs.
In the nimh century. Lower Egypt (Asfal al-Ar<;))
was reorganized imo three regions: the land east of
the Damiella branch of the River Nile called 0.1·
!:lawf al-Sharql, with the city of Bilbays as its capi·
tal. consisted of eleven kurahs; the land I)'ing be-
tween the two branches of the Nile was named
Ba!n al·Rif, and consisted of twenty kurahs; and the
land I}ing to the west of the Rosetta branch. called
al-Hawf al·Gharnl, with Alexandria as its capital.
consisted of fifteen turahs, Thus the total number
of kijrahs in Lower Egypt was forty-six, in addition
to four others: Libya, QulzulTl (Suez), al-Tur, ;>.nd
pan of J:lipz in Arabia. The ~a·[d, on the other
band, comprised thiny k~rohs, thus bringing the
total number of kurohs in the EIDPtian territory to
eighty, each under its own local governor.
The Fatimid caliph al-Mostall¥ir (1035-1094) re-
distributed the kijrohs, grouping them into tweh'e
in the Delta and ten in Upper Egypt. The total num-
ber of villages was 2,148, of which 1,601 were in
the Delta and 547 in the ~a.'Td. in addition to the
main cities and pons. Under the An'Ubids two more
kurahs were a<lded, bringing the tot;>.l to twenty-
four.
 EGYPT, ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION OF
In tM founeenth ~entury. a"N~ir ibn Oala..1ln
norpnil.ed lhe dmnbution of EcJ>t.ian provime:s,
rq>lacin,lhe term l<imJh with 'Qm4f (administntive
distrk-I). The bnd rqisler isoued by him, and
k.-n u ,"·Ra! ,,1-N4.fjn (land .........,y). included
I_I,,,, .·",yl (pl. ol ·.......1). in lower Ec:YPt. and
ni"", in Upper E(ypI..
With the Onoman oclNplltion (1517) lhe tem'l
'."'<11 IUbslllUled by wi/,:,." lotale), and the
~ounuy divided inlo ihin.,.n ..'I1t1J<lIu, M'\",n in
the Deluo and six in Upper f.&yp:, 1lI fellows: in
the Delta ~biyyah, ShafqinWl. DaqahlirJ.-ah.
Gaf1)iyyah, Minu!iyyah. Behein, and Ciu; In Upper
Egypt "'!f\I:Ilyyah, F"Y)'llmi),ah, Bah.-lwiyyah,
"""mUnaY!', Manfi.h:qiyyah, and Jirji.. In addition to
the above ""11t1,.,,lu, the..., ..... the upital, C.iro.
and si~ other lO,'emorates: Ale;<llndria. Rosetta
(Rashid), Oamietla (Du"')'t~). al··Arfsh. al.(Ju~yr.
and SUeL
Under the F...,nch e.pedition of 1798, Bonapane'l
scientist, made a thorough sUl'ley of the country,
and re~orded the followinB provinces in the De-
JCriplion d. "EflYpl. (Jomard, 1809-1828), stanlng
ITOm the SOUlh to Ihe north: I: Thebes (Luxor),
liljA, AsyOl. Minyt. Bani Suef (Suwayf), al·Fanilm.
I!m;., ar>d Giza; and II: Qalyiib, a1·Sharqi)')'ah, al·
Man¥lnh, Damietta, a1-Gharbiyyah. Minllf, Rashld,
8cheira,
In 1805 Mul:oammad •... 11 reo'Kaniled Ihe adminis-
trative divhion of. the country into J:h1l{!J (distrieu)
ftlCh conSUlin, ol a nwnber of viJlqcs under a
kw;al ,ovemor. He also ... bdn.Wd Bahna1Jwiyyah
and AshrnQnayn each inlO four lOdministratiw dis-
trk-IS or .... r.kil. and l:;wc.- ;ntrtodu<:ed another land
partition in SNrqi)ph, Daqahliyyah, Charb/yyah.
.nd Beheira.. In 1826 be rtpIaced the term ""i~,u.
....-i1h -r"'",,,riyydh (a district nul by a IUl"'rinten·
den. 0( poilu). In 1833, ""-vcr, he in~
the lelTll PN.. J/riyyfJo (p!"O"'ince) in..ei'd of
m<l'",ariyyoJr. and redlstribulJd Ih. counlry In'o
founeen ",,,dlriyy<lJr in Lower Egypt and len in Up-
per Eel". which ;. identical with tJMo distribu.ion
of provinces undl;r!he Falimids. the "')')\Ibid!. and
the Mamluu.
In 1871 K/ledi"e 1$m;I.'i1 adopted the use of II...,
term .....rhl lor the ....bdi'i.ion of the mud/rin"Jr.
Acwrdin, to a census carried out In 19)7, the
n\Om,,",r of ",,,,akit was ",~enty-he. in~luding
4,188 ntn.l uniu. in addition to the 1l0~emOr,llles of
Cairo ....Iuandria. Suez, Oamielta, and Ihe Canal,
When the Arabs conquered Egypt they recnJiled
a vast num"",, of Coptic seli,,",. and mIDslators to
draw up a comprehensh'e li,t of Ejyptian town,
and villllCf. In carrying OUI their laSk. these tran..
935
bton had «<OIl"'" to the following metl>o>dJ;: re-
taining!he oriKinill f&yptian name ,hrou,h I"""lit·
eration; IranslariJll names Inlo """""'; or modif}ing
.he original <UlIt>C into a liorm that could be easily
pmoounc.-d in "'rabic.
~ the followina untune. ,-ar1ous An-
bic ....,rds "'"et"C adopted 10 desia;nale ,'iJlagcs and
hamlets of diIIe~nl siut. In hi. m.()4rrvH <I~
J..,JrrfJ.{f. Mui:'am"*' 1Umll. who bad m.adoP: an ex·
tCMi\e IU'"''CY of. .he ent;..., land In the cou"", of his
dulie. 1lI inspeaor ol land ta>.alion in the early
19400. came to the conclusion that the lerms
qary<tJr (,ilbge), baltWo (.mall town), ,,~iyuh
(small district) had been in use since the early days
of the Arab conquest. The term luifr (viii.). of
Syri"" deri'-ation. was adopted durina the Fatimid
period (969-1171) and is u..ed frequently by the
thincenth-century wriler ABO ~UH THE ~1lME.NLo.N.
r
7ltc term n.. aloo ,,",Ionp to tbe same period. In
th. si~l.enth century. lhe lerm " .. tlo", al5l1 mean-
ing a small village. w.... introduced duringlhc Otto-
man ;>"riOO.
Some of these and many olhen are always used
dually to indicale a town or villaBe. ibe Ii". pan of
the name remains un<;han~d; the second indical"!
a place named after a pt'non or person< (Abli. Aw-
lAd); a tribe (B;onl A!)macl); • loc.,ion or " seide'
menl (Mal,Ialhu, nazial); an establi,hmenl (Ma'.sanlt
Hajjai, probably an oil pl"C'S5); and Tall or Kom,
designating an cJcva.ed ground (Tan 1Uk. Kom ai·
Shahid).... I... oll-he constants that appear in many
,geographic n;unes an:: ... bU (falher) ~r or A~r
(house of or temple ol); .....·Iid (5Ons); BanI (tribe);
Da)T (mo.....1er')' or eclMtery); 1:1-""1 (area. 01); 'b-
bat (bnn); Jazlrai (ialand or pcniruub); Kam, Tall,
and Sbubri (hillock); Ma'flIn. (oil pres$); Mit (u-
renine '0 a ~ery ancient .ite); MaJ:t.allat, Minshah, or
Manshi})"h (se1Ilemftu); ManyaI. Mi~ or Mun~
(location cloK 10 a ",,,ter.o-ay); N4Inh (administra-
tive localion); Oa¥ (named aftu. pabce or a tem-
ple); and ~ (...-all fo.'tt'~ ..).
In 1890 the capital of each ",,,dfriYJ',,Jr ..".. sep;a'
.....e<! lnb) a city admlniSirali~lyindepcr>dl:nl olthe
.maller 10...... and "ilIages. In more recent time.
the te<m ",,,J,nY1<''' was substiluted by mllJ"ift1ili"
(co,'emoT3ie). At prescnl, th<! admini51ntiv. organi-
...Iion of Egypl is as folIo......,
Lower Egypt Go.'emornles
;l.l·Daqahlinah
al·Buhayrah (Beheira)
al·Gharbinah
ai-Minufin...h
al-Qalyiibi))"h
 936 EGYPT, ISL\MlZATION OF

a1-5haf1liyyah elseum... ",-nh , _ basic obje<:.i>~ in mind. Ont

Dumy;l! (Damielta) "'"a5 intpOl$ina thri!" autborily on Ihe foonerly Byz·
!:.air al-shaykh antine and Sassanid IUbjects in the lenitOl'it'$ Ihey
con~ and lhoe other _ c:slablishing an effi·
Upper £«ypt Governon.leo.
denl and orderly adminislnol>on that ",'OUld y;eld
_-0;,.,
al·fayy\im
~lial I.U re"lOmle.. We ha>~ """"I evidence

...
a1·Min,io

AsyUJ
~
thaI they Wffe nIOC".. ted by a fIera, ~ 10
conven !he people. they rncountend. in their line
of much. Neiwr M..slim nor Copcic $IOU"'es inodi-
cale that reliaioos compulsion. ""fKcially at the
.....
Bani Sucf (Suw3yf)

Suhli
Uri>an Go>-enJ<ml.eo.
Aluandria
al·bnd'linah
Cairo
'"a
Port S\l.'1d
Fronliers Administration
Soulhern desert province, KhaTi"h and Dalhlah
WeSlern desert province: Dah.riyyah Oasi., $i ...'a,
MaryOl, and Matl'lln
Sinai Penin....la
BIBLIOGtAnlY
Jomard, E. H,. orI, D~criptio~ dt fEDPle, 19 ""I..
In 23. Paris, 1809-1818.
M .. ~mad Rarnd AI,OiJmf<t a/.lwgltrlfi Iii 8iUuJ
al-ldi.!riyyflh min AJ,,1 O..d<Jml' .1-M4riYYI" ild
S"""I /945. Vok. I and 2, in 5 pu, Diro. 1953-
''''.
EGYPT, ISLAMIZATION OF.I5bmization, or
convenion to I$lam. is one 01 !he lcul scudiod
interp.-;"~~.... in Islamic nisIOf}'. Due to a
~ily of pri~menwion.n«:ably fo~ me
early periods, why; when. and onder whal oocial
and political conditions Iht majority of the inhabi-
tants 01 SoulhwMt Asia and Nanh Africa !>«ame
MOdlim are is.sues !hal ha>~ ~t 10 be addrased in a
de6nilive manne<. We canROI 'f>'"lIk 01 a 110.........1
hi!torical process of blami..uiof! in medieY,llltimt'$.
The ",te and iRlemily of conversion \'lIried Mcom·
ing 10 local and regional drcumSlallCes in Ihe DM
G/./sIJm. In Ihe case of Egypl, our su""ey will reveai
two peak periods of conve",ion: during early Abbas-
id time., in particular the s.ccond half of Ihe ninth
ceRlul)'; and Ihat of Ihe Bal)rf Mam)uls (l250-
1390),
The Arab. purs""d their campa1llns in Ei)'pt as
point of <he sword. played In)"thing more dtan I
vel)' minor role in lhe mc:teoric pn>grns of <he
Ar.>b$. T1le Iluft" ...antorl to rule and pmfilably 10.
..... ile .....inlalnin. lheir ethoic solidarily and privi-
Iqorl 0I11US. Th~ aUilude rnna1ly remained lhe
norm un<lt:r the Prophet's immediale successon.
1M -.:a11orl RlahlWUS CalipM (632-661), tbfOllSh·
oulthe period ollhe Umayyads (661-750), and into
the early decldel of the Abbasid, in Egypl (750-
868).
Ho,,"'ever, while Ihi. altitude may have Temained
no~mative, at lea~llheoretically, the actual ciTeum·
stances of Arab·Musllm rule during Ihe Ii"'l IWO
centuries .rte~ Ihe con'luest of EgypI rendered i,
increuinllY obsolete. Tensions bel.wun the "'!lime
and ,he Anlb tribe1men who settled in >'lUiOU"S ran,
0{ Egypl, especially lhe ~11l1 regK"', Ihe onerous
I.U burdens lhat non·Musll"", had to bear, lhe ill·
traction 01 ,he new Mu.ilim urban selting-orif:inaJ-
ly meroely an "'nib pnilOn town-of al-Fus!'!. and
the prominent role 01 Coptic oflicials in .hoe jOVem-
ment bureaucnICY...~ all inftuential bcton in
this JWOC"'"" Ea.ch Kn"ed JlI"'l!uaIly 10 =luce lho:
rigid dislina;om bet..'eUI conqueror and con-
~ and 10 enoou,.e a mingli"l ~roc. . that
'"''entually I"e$Ulted in the conwnion 01 ~ bulk 01
the Egyplian population to hbm.
Now that KYenJ ~nJ £acton lhal conlribuled
to the Wamizallon JWOC05 """" !>ttn idmlili...t. a
more delallorl inlt.,.roeti>~ analysis of the problem
ohould be ~red. lndividu<>ls. communitie...
and M>Cieties acCepl innovarions-spiriNal. inlel·
l<:c1ua1 ......en.l. or lechnological-Ior a variety of
..."...,.... Some tmbrace something ...-w because
lhey are spolllat1oeOUily dl"llWrl to ii, while othen
reel compelled 10 do SO to survive. A lhird and
quile praclkal t"(:.ll6On is to pres.cn-e or even cn·
hance one's Io<:lal 'latus, In the wale of the Anlb
conquest, EiJptI.ns were undoubtedly moved to
accept [slam for one or mor. of these reaoons, The
major tonundrom here is that sources are rarely
precise in d15tlnsul.shlnll amonll them.
The ..~Il·lnown narralivn of the early Mu>lim
historians, Ibn 'Abd .1·J:Iabm arid al·Dal:ldhurt. a~e

conctmO'd primarily with the ""enlS of tht Arab
CotlqutSt and its major figuru. battl~, t~atits, and
ntw fiscal arr.on~rMnl.$_ Tht princip<ll Coptic
-.Kts in Arabic: are two: Abu ~li'-"s (tarly thl....
lI!:enUt-«ntul'JI nu Clt.. rdt~ .. nd Mon_ttUS of
Em', ....d SlWllus ibn al-Muqatfa"s (d.. betW«ft
979 and I~) Hislory of th~ PtUrilIrrlu of 1M Em>-
Un Clturclt, 80th contain m\ICh useful infonnadon,
tht fonnt. 01'1 Copcic buildinp and monumtnlS.
the btttr 011 thit i~itutional changes 01 tlw! Coptk
church and tM relationship 01 tlw! pat,;"rc~e to
its Muslim overiord5 in .-ditval li~ Both gl~
us a sense of lhe >"';"g Ionunts 01 the Coplic:
tonIn1OJnity and dixu"," the dfects on ilS membeo
of the bilure of the Nile lIoods. diminution of ara·
bit land:!:, and pl'W""'- But neither e''tn ...,uely
pinpolntlllle Iteady, coll~live progrell ()( Islamba·
lion, ahhoulh individualtalts of COfIven;lon appear
here and there throughoul each worJr..
ef ,realer but It III limiled value: arc the papyri.
The work ofG. Frantz-Murphy (19$6) and Y. R.:tghib
(1982) haa amply demonstrated the utility of Ihese
documents for the economic hlltory of early Mus·
lim E,ypt, Tht papyri Ihed conlidcnble llghl em
commercial acthity, land use and yield. and, most
IISnilieant for our study here, arabizatlon. Intended
10 .t'Con! commcreial .... d agricultu<\\1 affairs of Ihe
day. the papyri teach US not about cOt1Yers~ 10
Islam as sueh but about the process of linlluistic
and hence cultural cbange. WheI'"l!:a$ many 01 llot
...rly papyri arc composed titlw!r compltttly In
Coptic or ltaIf in Copt:k and half in Arabic. the latC'r"
eumples arc usually only in Arabi<:.
Ar1Ibbacion ii, in bet. of crucial impolUnC:t lor
the IsbmiDtion of Egypt. especially in COfI~1 to,
fer .,,_plt, Iran.. In Iran. IsIarn btaolT1t' the lNjol'
it)" bilh ... i!hou, <ht ilr>IbUalion of t\~ life.
lranbns aec:epted lhe Arabi<: revtblion eontainO'd
in the Our''''. while develop'!g a PtnO'ls1amk cui·
lurt 01 their own making. ArnltoJellltn in Iran Wl!:'rt
>'try much absorbed into tht 111lnian ... ,lint, where-
as In Eg}l" ab$orplion also meant the an>blution of
tltt cooque~ 1iOC~. Indee<;!, the early appear·
ance of Muslim names in the papyri oripna!in,
oulloidc of al·Fus~!. ,"""",dally In the Eastern Dol:lta,
an: ~nce of Ihis phenomenon_ As A.. ~ IribtJ.
mtn took up a&ricultu,.., and lived in dose pro~imi.
ty 10 the Copts. ar:abizatlon acted as • catalyst 10 (he
tvenlual aeeeptance of 111.m. In this re,lard, Ihe
arablunlon of the admini.tmtl(>n and coinage dur-
Ing the caliphate of 'Abd al·Malik (685-705) may ~
Iten, in the Ejyptian cast al least, a. a harblnll~r of
con~rsion. 'Abd ai-Malik'. decrtel Wert a reo
5pOr1St. in p<l11, to the increasing arabization of the
EGYPT, ISLAMIZATION OF 937
Copu, a process in no small way due 10 the padua!
anh-al of Arab tribesmen in areas otiCI' ""holly Cop-
,i<: and Christian.
rrom
Hou.......... the e>i<knc:e Ihe ~. signifi-
canl as it is, is ins<lfficltm 10 eqllain the sprad of
Islam in Et;ypI. If anbtntion _ one: fundamental
factor. it ....2$ 110 beeause it Kltd in tandem with
.."."r:aI otht...... notably ~utOon and the anitudc of
the Mushm ,...thoritlts t ~ iht soclo-religious
inlcgnWon of thcir b;tas durin, Ihe initial ctn-
tutits of Muslim ru wt ....11 set below. both
the anitudt d the 1l0000rnnttni toward the con>"I!:T'
sion of the Coptic masses and tht tffieae,' of iIS
!aUt..... policies cbanged O\'eT tlmt.
........·e noted aboo·e. the Aoo. from lhe lime of
the conquest observed a strict policy of ethnic soli-
darity lllld exclusivity that precluded con,-.,rsion
and Inltgnui()<l on lhe part of their IlUbjecm. During
tl>(, Um.yyad period. convtnl..,n ....... officially di..
coumgtd and whtn it ...."lOS pt1'71'llntd, It did not
always entail releast from the II~YAH (poll tax) lhal
had ~tn impoltd by the Arabs, Ihwretically al
leasl. solely on non-Muslims In the conquered terri.
(ori.... But Ar;\h att;tudtl and tht ability of Iht gov·
ernment to ;><\m;n;sttT effecth·tly a centraliztd t"",,·
tion sysltm d" ""1 fully nplaln wby connr.t"'n did
not <>ccllr in great numbeTs a••hls tlme.
It is tkrdore instnlctive to consider lhe gfO"'1h
of Muslim lIrlr.>nism, namely, whtn and how al·
~! ctaSed to be a mel"tc pro>indial Arab garrison
town and btaome a Muslim cil)' thai would Itrw as
a magnet for new converu from tlw! Coptic commu-
nily. In Uma.nad times. a1·f~ was not the dewl-
opinJ M.... lim llman ICPt)meBlion lhe oources re-
.eat by appnu;r1lately the end of tht ninlh cenlUr}-.
Gn"n UmZ)')OId allltt.ldts and official policits. at
Ieau llI1til veJ}' late in the history of tht d)nauy. ic
ill no wonder that a1-FIISliI ..... not a rr--ing 101...·
lim ......"]\ auraet"'" to ntW con>'trU from elstwhere
in EcYPt- It mighl bao't beto w if thel"tc had been a
1Iood, r.othC'r" than a ttlckle. of topic con\'t1'Sions.
CopIs remained o,rislian SO IonJ as conversion u-as
officially frowned upon and the loCI itself ......nt
loOCiaI isoblion if not I(llal pariah IUlIUS In one'l
£onnet" <:onfesslonal commllnil)'. AI·Fu'~l'l liz.t and
characler in Uma)')'lId timts. lhen, al"tc indicalive of
the fact that lhe bulk of tM Coptic commllnity did
l>Ol )'et see any advantages to conversion. The
growth of Muslim 10wnS was pl"tcdicated in part on
the migration of ntw eOnveru from their pre>'ious
confeoslonal home.. Umanad al·Fu~l!! did not be·
come a Muslim city and rtmain.d 11ldt more than
.n admin;stratiyt OUtpost beeause rna» convt,.,;;on
!lad not yet found Its immediate impttm.
938 EGYPT, ISLAMIZATION OF
Under Abb""id nJle, the f"''tune. of the Coptic
communit)" lOok a different turn, C"pt. occupied
important posts in the administrative bureaucracy
and nOl infrequently intervened on behalf of their
church with the Abbasid governor, However, unlike
the Umarrads, the Abb;lSids did nOl frown upon
conversion to Islam and, in addition, inadvertently
provided some very good mundane reasons for
doing so. The fifteenth-century historian al-MAQRlzl
tells that the Copts converted out of belief, to im,
prove their employment proSpeCIS, to marry, and to
lower their tax burdens, Aj,Maqrlzi also observes
that the .."dement of Arab tribes in once enlirely
Coptic areas and the new agricultural oriemation of
these newcOmers hastened both tlte breakdown of
Coptic communal .olida';ty and tlte social ostra-
ci.m that had once been applied to converts, partic-
ularly in the eastern Delta, BOl, it i. taxation that
seems to have ultimately been the most pressing
i..ue for the Copts, as well a, the one that provided
tlte moot powerful moto. for mas, conversion and
the grov.1h of a new Muslim urban cuhult in al-
Fust"-!.
n.e Copts had not objected to Arab Muslim rule
so much as they resented tlte tax burdens placed on
tltem. In fact, unlike the Umayyad., tlte Abba.ids
taxed both Coptic fanners and tlte Coptic church
itself. Tltere are accounts of re,,,l1s against taxation
and not Muslim political sovereignty as early as 693
and On .several more occasion. during the Umayyad
period, usually in the western Deita and not Upper
Egypt. This pattern continued with even greater in-
tensity under tlte Abbasids, The Copts, while still
the majority religious community in the counll)',
balked at mass conversion and chose tlte ahernate
path of revolt as a means of pre..,,,,ing their identi-
ty and registering their dissatisfaction with wltat
were often ",paeiou. Abbasid liscal measure•.
Coptic revolt. against the Abbasids reached a cre-
Th~ revolts must '*
scendo in the first~(luarter of the nimh century.
understood within the con·
lext of larger events and trends in Abbasid histol)"
Abl>asid Egypt itself .was frequently b~et not only
by Coptic unresl bOl also by a .ucce..ion of gover-
nors dispatched from the imperial center in Bagh-
dad to adminisler a pro"ince in which tltey had
lillIe \>eyo";d a financial intere.t. In addition, these
governors often had 10 deal with tlte disobedient
tendenci~ of the Arab tribe.men in the Delta. Uke
their Christian neighbors, the.e tribe. men bitterly
resented what they conside.ed to be the ""cessive
tax burdens imposed by the provincial government
in al-Fu.tlil.
Politics in and around Bagltdad it..,lf also greatly
affected Egypt'. stability. The (it"ah (civil war) be-
tween al-Amin (809-813} and al-Ma'mun (813-
833), brotlters and rival claimant. for the caliphal
th.one, had repercussions in Egypt. A source of
great divi.ion witltin the empire, this civil war la.t-
ed for two years (811-813)_ Though al-Ma'mun was
victorious, Ite Itad difficulty making his writ strong
in Egypt, where al·Amin had been tlteir favorite.
This fact only exacerbated an already unstable pro-
vincial sening, leading eventually to the nto<1 serio
ou. of the Coptic revohs in 832 at Bashmur-(see
O....HMURtC REvOLTS) in tlte western porti"" of the
central Delta. Thouglt the revolt was opposed by
tlte hierarchy of the Coptic church, the Copt.
neverthele.. fought the Abbasid troops sent against
them to a .tandstill in the marshes and swamps
which dOlled their lands. At last, the caliph Itimself
arrived to take command personally, and the re"olt
was put down with fire, sword, and deportation.
With the failure of the remit, according '0 al-Ma-
qrlzl, the conversion of the Coptic population of the
entire Delta region was assured,
Our belief that Islamization in Egypt took a deci·
sive step in the second half of the ninth centul}' i.
buttressed by two additional bodies of source mate-
rial which. umil recently, have nOl been throughly
explored. Tltese are biograpltical dictionaries and
tombstone epitaphs, each of which pre.erves im_
mensely valuable infonnation on obitual)' dates and
Arabic naming p;>1terns. Though still tentative, the
conclu.ion. reaclted by R. Bulliet (1978) on this
material indicate a striking cltronological conver-
gence between traditional nanati"e texis and these
more unconventional sources on the problem of
when Islam became the majorit)" religion in Egypt.
II would ..,em obvious from our discussion tltu.
far that the Delta was the first region of Egypt '0
Com'en, Periodic revolts since late Umayya<! times
and fraterni",tion with Arab tribal elements .enling
in the region undoubtedly gave the Delta a Itead
.tart in tlte process of I.lamization_ Though Upper
Egypt remained suh.tantially Coptic for a longer
time than Lower Egypt, evidence from the tomb-
slOne epitaphs indicates that Islamization there did
not really follow a much slower pace. Withoul
more primary data, however, it still remains ,'ery
difficult to ascertain definitively which region of
Egypt first embraced lslam in large numbers.
An additional interpretive problem that merits
brief attention here i. the connection between Cop-
tic "",ial class and Islamization. Peasant cultivators
oppressed by the iizyah ,,"'ere almost certainly the
first to conven. They simply made what they
thought was the be.t of a bad .ituation_ Excluding

th......Il:clous hiet:arthy, many ollhe upper !1I'll1a of
Coplk socie1y con"'rted in order 10 ~n their
p<lIloIs In an admini!l<3lion in ...-hieb se......... inc:rus·
incfy o.pendal on bring Mlt'lim, thouth Copts did
5<'1'\"" in u..polUnt administr.oli"" ~ities
lllrouth Mamluk Ii"'<'$. The bote of \he: Coptic bollr·
caXslt-lhe boa.kn, oli¥«lil mc:rehanrs. carpen.
lers, .nd acMdtmilhs, who ...-u.. a1 .....ys the bac.k·
bone of the CopOc community-mo.y be indicated.
once ;>pin. by the Arabic <>noJn&Sli(on re>'ftoled by
the tombsl_ epilaphs: lhoe people eJlchatI,.ed
oM past, on.. community, and one rdipous tradi·
ti<m fo,- another-Warn. In so <loinl,lhey Ionned a
0..... M.mim middle cbo& in Egypt, conc:reie <"Vi,
dence of ....hlch may be found in pan in the bio-
Ill"3Jlhlcal dictionaries ~ted 10 Shlifj'l and Mlilikl
'''/Q",,4' (.....iKious ochobn).
The bloody $lJJlPf"CSSion of Ihe Coptic ....volt in
Ihe Delta in 8)2 and lhe ""b""<lUenl convenion of
Ihe bulk of its nali", inhabilanls signaled Ihe end of
one era lnd lhe beginning of anOlher in lhe history
of Muslim Egypl. The Copts would now pennanent·
Iy occupy Ihe Statu. "f a religious minority, In a
lal"i"r 5<'OlIe, the ..,rlous numerical reduction of the
Coplic communily during Ihe Iauer half of the
ninth cenlury meanllha.1 Egypl had now be-come an
Islamic 'Ociely with its own '<'Iiona.1 character dis·
tinct from d", ha"ian oriemalion of the lmperilol
capital at BaJhcbd. Egypl: bad made impress;",
ptOgl"ns as a local center for Muslim education,
especially in the li.eld of law, and a co.... necwo.... of
'"1",,,1' had be..... to establish an en.iabl...eputa-
tion in North Africa and Spain. TlLUlion appea!"$ as
a br Ins ,"O.&tious issue now in our n.uTalli",
sources, a11n05l cnuinly b«auS<' n>05t """"nues
_.... coIlec,ed for i"t.emal \ISCS rathe. than the
Imperial tU&SUry in Iraq. Al,mad ibn lUlun (161-
AU). £cpI'. linl M~im ruin- independent 01 t....
caliph and foundrr of. cIyna.s!y WI ruled umil9115,
buik 1llOSQ and palaeo. ~ed schol...... nd
impro.·ed I g~eQ1 economic """ll-being 01 the
country ..i1h .............. he did not send to !bJ:hdad.
From the ABb Conquesl of Em'Pt in the MO•..,nth
century to 1"" official end of Abbuid rule in 969,
th( Copt~ oommunily had unOortOn( • l\"m.>t"kably
...pid .nd (ndunng tmnsfonnatioo. Historlc.lIy lhe
mos1 .nelent and c..lebnuw of the early Ch,;,tian
church(l, its hislory ,..,plete wilh taln of pauion.te
bith and martyrdom. the Coptic church now minis·
te ....d 10 • minorlly communil)". one proteCled by
MusUm I.w from forcible convenion, but n..venhe·
leu wbitet to the circumstance. of loc.l polilK.I
.nd (conomic life. lJkc Egyptian l(wry. the Copts
ha.d &lSUmed lhe status of the Ohimmis (prol~led
EGYPT, ISLAMIZATION OF 939
people). which pcrmltted aUlonomy ...'ilhin the pa-
Dmelcn of their ....Iipous bw, but which left them
."U.lncrable 10 tIw: wmm of • Muslim n11~ or th..
""5<'n1rnent of a disJ,runtJed. perhaps even hysuri-
cal IIl<lO .... presenling fus",/Cain:l's undo-rei......
And e¥cn if no! physically Iltratencd. Dhimmi
communilies no! infrequently labored under vari-
ous discrimillatory l~ pro.irions appM:.d spttili-
call)' 10 them .-eprdin, draa. the eonstruction or
repai, of houses of won.hlp, the vocalions Ihe,
could ptaClke, the animal$ lhey could rille, and the
public ob:scnranee of ,(liJious rites or ft:Sliva1s. 11 1$
in Ihis OOnleu-. a minority community living i"
a thoroughly Muslim SOCiel)l-lhal ...... muM under-
$I&Od the l>bmizalion of t.... Copts1 under three suc·
ce..i.... dynasIles: the Shl'l fatimids (in Egypt. %9-
IHI), the Ayyubid$ (1171-1250). and the ~rt
Mamluks (1250-1390).
'The th ...... cemu';". of fatlmld and A)')1.lbid hi.lO·
ry in Egypt "'..re, for the Indi8enous Chnslian and
Jewi$h communities. an era of rtlalive peace, pros-
perity, and 'lability. While MUIlim .ourc"" do .... -
cord incidents. rome limn of • Iie,ious nalure, in·
volving the live. and p~ny of non·Muslim•• we
do not read of concerted effOTU to conven, eilk.
IhTOlJih propapnda Or force, "nlir( communities.
We could list severa! mall(n lhat did indeed lead
10 outbreaks by Muslims aaail\St CopU, for example,
their COJllinued promlnenc.. in ~",I of the gov.
"n..nent scn.ices. especially fi""nu; the turmoil
lhal .o.coompanied the tBnsi'ion from Falimid 10
AJ)"bId rule; and the Muslim 5U$picion, zrnuine ex
inup;ined. that the Copts ....,re collaborating with
the C..-lers (see COf'T5 "''0 nlf CIIUS0\0E:5). 0...,.-.
all, incidents ......... poUtlcal ...u.er than confesaon.al
in nalure. and the traditional di5crimiJWory ntoea-
lUres ....ere oceaoinnally revived. bul only indifftt-
enUy enfort:e<l.
n... o.oIe period of sustained perse.cution and
forced oo......nion 10 Islam suff.. red by the Copes
under I"""" I""" dy....... ies _ during. the rule of
the Falimid caliph aJ.l:tlkim Bt_II·IUJ,H ABO 'All
M.t.Np. Variously o.ocnbed as paranoic. mad. or
~ by inlense ....ligious wisions, al'l:Iakim 0r-
dered the dC:'Illuclion of churches•• nd in general
peneculed fint: Ihe Cop" .nd lhen the 1e" .......ith a
ferocily p....";.ms'y unknown, The polilicsl disorder
thaI characteriled hi! ....18n I..d to Ioectarian vio-
lenc.. Ihrougkout EJypI and Ihe conversion of thou·
san<b of Copl" It is only wjth al·J:Il1kirn·. disappear-
ance tkal ten.ion. subsided. Gi,en the recent
......,arch of S. D. Goitein (1%7-1988) on lhe Geni-
l.II. papers.....e can nO long.er. oowever. accepl A.
AliY""J .tatemenllhal "Ihe ...allt:andeur and subse·
940 EGYPT, ISLAMIZATION OF
quenl decline of the Coptic natl(lo in Islamic limes
lOOk place underlhe Fapmld c..liphJ~ (1980. p. 87).
ThoolJh the Geniza papers deal primarily wilh Jew-
Ish .albIn.,. they noncdwlcu <C>'Clll much aboul
M..... im ~. and majoril)'-minorily I'Cfations In
!he period &om 950 10 1250). For Gol1an. !he Gent-
D papc'" speak to .... 01 !he flCltibiHI)'. loltnnce.
and ,itality of Islam"" 5O<'icty in £crpc duri". lhcK
IWO centuries mb« than 01 • ccncn! mood of
reliciOOs repression. Though prcjudia: alld the oc-
usional incidcnl il prow>l<M did opc'-e apinsl
boIh Copb and JCW$. !hey "'~rc. '0 USC Gaitan's
phrase. "local and sporadic ra'her lhan setM:nl and
endemic (1971. Vol. 2. p_ 283). It Is no accldcm
N
lhat Ihe """'ailed Genw. period ends with Ihe .....
ftnt of the Mamluu, for polilical and economic
conditions in Egypt under their ",Ie Imperiled Ihe
get>e....1 securil)' CopI$ an<! 1ews had known under
the falimklo and A»'Ubids,
Ho....'ever. inlolenmce and oppression of r.:llglous
mlnorllies did nol begin and end with the Mamluk
dynasty itself, In later Ayyubid time$, • change can
already be di50crned. Slavc troops of foreign urigin
(Mamluk.) had played a !'Ole In islamic political
and mlliul)' life from the middle of the nimh ecmu·
1)'. BUI. the re<:ruitmenl and deploy_nt of these
tro<>JlS in laI"l':c numbcrs became CUSlomJol)' under
Ihc Ayyubid$ in a manner unkno"'n in pno. ep-
oehs. They came to r.:plUCnl a mJIIIIl)' elite jeal.
ously mindful of I", privileg~, b,.ely alicnalcd
from Ihe people lhcy ruled. and scomful of 1IoCaPOW-
«and !he imponancc of militarily mno_'3II"e tcch-
nolou. 'Tbc gra<k...t lriumph of ,..,ch a mentalilyat
!he ~ ... 01 the staIC came at a time ..'hen q"pIian
soclcly - . ~f Icss iDclincd to be IOlcnonl of
IIOfI·Muslims. As !he Mamluk en. pnlpC1' in E«>l"
lWo histo<y is reached. this 5IaIC 01 alf.inI became
only too commonplace. The Mamluk ..,ltans ....,!"C
001 a<dcnl ad'iocaI~ cI. convcnion thctnSClvc$.
They enjo)'ed the cll>oifncy and prosperiI)' thal thei.
CopIJc officials brought Ihtn>, and unlcu coerced
inlO doing so, did nol reacllo individual dio.plays of
Coptic ...eallh and poJilJcal in8uencc. These poli-
cies cn~ Ihcir ~l'tian Mmlim ,..,bj<cc:ts. whu
already bitle.ly .esented lhe SIIIO$ of the CoplS and
d«ply mi.lrusted the often arbitral)' nalure of
Mamluk ",Ie.
We nOled abm'e that the C"'sades may have ~on­
ditloned Muslim auitudes and responses to the
COptS, In this regard, the Mon801s should be me,,·
tloned. Fie",c encmies of the Mamluks, favo...bly
dispooiCd at onc time at le.."t to ChriSlianity and
bclicved to bc in league wllh the CNsaders. the
Mongols rn... c also been i(\cntified as an clement in
the intensification of EcPtiJIn '-tilily "",,-ani the
Copts. Howt:'l-.:-r, by the end of Ihe r.:ign 01 the
Mamluk suItan al-ManJOr Qaljwiin (I280~1290).
ncilhc< Crusadcn nor Mongols represented .. Ih.cal
10 Mamlul aoverciplly. From L Nonhrup's re-
st:arclt on this problem (1974). _ learn, in bet,
that Nu<llm sources record bul IWO iJ>slanc,c:s, boIh
in Damascus, w!lcrc .. linble miJlll be assumed
bct_ pt<$CC'Illlon of Olllmmis and lhe Mamluls'
SIrup ..ith the Montok and Crusadcn. One ..-
the onlcr, on the ~'C of the baUle of l,Iims (1281),
thai Chris,..... offic:ials ~onftl1 or be uceutcd. and
the oohcr .. decree tlw Chrislians in &OVCnlmcn,
scrrice be dismissed as lhe Maml"ks p<epared fo.
lhe sqe cI. the Crusade. S1l'Onghokl at 'Alli In
1290- 1291. As N,mhrup observes, in neither case is
lhe conncclion nplicitly stated.
The impact of UtemallhrcalS on Mamluk policy
to"'..ro the Capos docs nOt thereforc proYide uS
with much insilnl, Sult8n Oaliwiln did at times
take certain measures against them, bul these werc
in rcsponse to protests against Coptic officials. often
by Muslim counteillans. in certain key financial
posts or in the O'ClVlce of I'o'\amluk amirs. At no lime
did QaltW\ln .pply hi' dec:rec. to the entire Coplic
communily. nor we<"e Muslim outcrics dlre<:te<I at
all CopI.. Indeed, Qaliw\ln', behavior established a
paradi8m for hi, ,..,ccessoo.. He fca""<:l social strife
and ~tarian ~iolelKe and. to placate his Muslim
subjcclS....... nOl adYCI'5C 10 ordcrin!! the dismissal
or lhe convc".lon of Indi"idual Copu in hi!; scnice.
When a promi....nl CopIic WI official appeared
OYCrzcalous and arropnI in lhc pt,foolliance of hiJ
dulies. fo. cumple. a sulilln had 10 acl ..pins! h.im
or risk Ihc "'"falh cllhc Muslim mas5CS. Deena
agaiml Copts, the... were dir'cclod agailtSl. .. select
p-oup within !he Cop<i<: community and nOl a,;airtst
lhc commllnity iuclf. This 5COIe of albin. xcnenlly
'Jo"""", of I'Cfations bcI~ Muslim. and non·
MO$lims in mcdtcYai Islamic Ecpl, cha"ged nodi·
caUy durin8 Ihc half·centuty following the death of
SuI.... OaU...... n. a chance which prompted "'ha' D.
Little ails "Ihe second grtal lJ1lnsfonnahnn 01
Ef;yptian I"l:"liJion" (1976. p. 569), .ince Ihe Arab
conquCSl of EIYJ>!.
Thi!; """ond peak In the Islamization of Ihe Copu
occurred fur sc'-.:-ral related reasons. Rescntment
against Copts ran deep in thc historical. theological.
3Ild polcmic"l work. "'rltten by Mu.lims in Mam·
luk limes. At the mundane Icvel, inAamed public
fceling in Cairo. gal~.ni~ed by thc religious propa·
ganda of an cmooldened corps of Sunnl •.. I"m6·.
forced the sovcmmeDt to pu",uc foil. diffe<ent
campai!!ns, in 1293. 1301. 1321,IInd 1354, designed

10 humble and CnRVen Copts in g(r.-em~n\ "1"0'
ice. However. such campaigns _roe ~fikd by
outbrnb of s«tarian ";"!eno::e, the likes of which
had 001 bun ~n pre-iouMy in Muslim Ec:,pt.
Wl.ether il concantd tht t.ughty m~ of a Copl:ic
officGl in dw sind, • Coptic fw>enl procasion,
!he charl...hal Copts w~ lUlla"..fully rrituUding Or
repeJrln, I churc:h. 01'" the ouspicion that Copu
were dicutin. o:>r'&n 10 Muslims in tlw:i. 1l000"ffno
mtIIl posts, tho; Muslim 'olmm..Iz (lIlllSIeS) repealed-
ly n~ their fuOoui discomenl 10 the Mamluk
aUlhoriciolS and Io~ !hem to take actions !My
would not ordinarily ha...: taRn.
n... impelU'l for a g=eral pt'n«Ulion of non-
Muslims in this p"riod came. Ihcn:fou. from be-
low, not .bo~. We muM also rulize here thai pro-
leslS by the '....",,,,, 2pinsllhc Copts _no I .....yoi
voidnllM;r disconTent with an alien regime ",hClie
polid". ""'Ire o(un roundly disliked. Compdllng
,he Mamluk mlers to I~cl churches. expropriate
pious endowments, (UnaCI .umpluary laws once
rarely in effect regarding non-Muslims. and destroy
the careen of Copts in government service. wen:
potent ways for Muslim Egyptians '0 exprns thelr
di$Slllisfaclion.
n... hostili.y ...'iden' against Cq>I. dunnatlle rule
of the B~r'I Mamluk.$ is matched only by lhal
acain!l Coplic «ln~ens (MwjU",..Ir) 10 Islam. Con·
ve",1on in tllis period unfonunalely did nol ~move
Ille 51icma of brin!!. a CopL Copts cor"'ened be·
caus.e of physical lhual ~ because Illey "'Wiled 10
advance I.... ir earN'" in BO'<erTImenl servlce. but
the acl of conversion often did noc make them any
less suspecl in Muslim eyes. The npmnoce of
these converts is Rrikingl)· remmisc~1 of lhac of
.InristI converts 10 etllistianil:y in SpaiD in lile four·
\ft'nlll and fiftNllth Cftllurioes.
In both casQ. it often .-de little dilferenu 10
the majoril)' community "'f>et!>cr converts ..",re lin·
ure and cut all Ii"" with tb4r prntiol.as reliPOUS
conllnunily or II'" conwned ~ PlaClica.l motl~'CS
and scill harbored I)"JDPlthic5 for their former core-
liponists. Given lhe continued proximil)' lO con·
vcrti of U- ...·00 had rema~ IImbsl in llle
ori&inal billl. con'"erts in both Ec;ypt and Spain
were suspect. In hcth case... <>oce again. Ihere a",
numerous el<amples of new Muslims and Christians
wieldin& subountial polilical and economic influ·
ence in their go.'emmenl posts or business affairs.
while acting In th" Int"re.ts of Ih"lr old religious
confreres. OIlier convert.'! sever"d all bonds out of
fear Ihat their palh. to co,"","r mobility would be
blocked. In the CIS<' of the Copts. con~erslon be·
can><' an addllional bclor to he weighed allainst
EGYPT. ISLAMIZATION OF 941
them. especially for Ihose who pla)'ed a major role
in lhe .shapinc of Mamluk policy for collection and
distnDUlion of "'"' revenues.
Dcspile tlte otigma that Mulolim oI6c:iak of Copcic
origin apnienced for some ,,,_ions, we can
say. n.,....,rthea. lhal the: lslantizalion pn:ocess
...·hich bcpn ""'"en centuries earlier .... completed
dwi"8 the period of I.... 8al)rf Mamlub. Wh~
~ and rnoollS apinot Udtion had enc<lUr-
~ con'~n in the middle oi 1M ninth tenn..)".
lhe alieD, arbiU'al'y. ..,d frequenlly tutbulcnl nalure
of Mamluk ru'" combined wilh a groundliwell of
popu.b~ senlimenl apinsl tM Copu 10 funher lhe
pn>ce56 and reduce lhe eo,:.u 10 t.... small minnrily
communil)' lhey remain to Ihis day.
BJBLlOCItAl"HY
The smdy of Ihe genei'll prob.Iem of convenion is
heSl begun, e.peci.lly for those inleresled in com·
parative hislory. wllh /II. 0, Nock, Co....usio.. (0..-
ford, 1933), In ad<lltlon, Ihe recent work by R. L.
Fo, on early Christianity. Pilians lI"d Chrislia".
(New York. 1987). COnt.,,!ns a lengthy and important
chapter on the socl.l ....ting of conversion. /II pi<>-
neering work on islamization is R. Bulliet. Convu·
slon 1<> I,iam In die Mtdievill Penod (Cambridge.
Mass.. 1978). His ..ill lenull'"e. yet alnordinarily
waluable conclusions are carefully ..... ioewed by C.
Dkob.... in St..<1ll1lsl",ml,,, 57 (1983)'182-87. and
R. S. Humphries, lsl..",ic HISlOry: A F.... mework for
Inquiry (Minneapolis. 1988). Also "",lui is S, Vryun.
Is, The Dec[i= <1/ Medk~~ Htll.... i$In In A.... MinOT
IInJ 1M Pnxus of IslII"":I'liott from 1M EJeo......11r
rJu_,1r 1M FiflUlIllI Cem"ry (Delhley and I..os An-
~des, 1971).
For COfI• .,nion to Warn in Efypt up I<> the Fati·
mick. one should stan with t.... U1ides by J. C.
Vade-!. "Lwacwh.....tion' des sud·arabiqu.r:s de Fus-
Iat au lendemaiD de b eonqum anbe:' Bui/Dill
d"iluGes orientalu de I'/"slilut 1.... ~IIis "u POTl"K"1
(1969):7-14; I. LapM:I..... "'The Co"...,.-sion of Qypt
10 Wam.b J5Tlld Oritnlilf Studks 2 (1972);2-I8-1>l;
...d M. Brtu. ''The Spread of Islam In E~'p1 and
NOAh Africa." in NDrrh Altie", Is"'", ""d ModemkJ,-
fioft. ed. M. Bren (London, 1973), U5efu1 comments
JIUly still be found in mOl"lOlJ'l9h form in A. Atiya. A
History of &ISle'" Christi.."ily (London, 1980), On
the papyri ...... G. Frantl·Murphy. Tit. "graria" Ad·
m;n;Slr"lian of EgyPI/rom lit. AM!>S 10 the O"ama".
(Cairo, 1986), and Y. Ra&hlb. Marclta ..ds J·ilaffe.
du Fayyoum a.. flf4lXe .'~c1e d·apr•• I..." arch"'e,
(acles el lel1"') (C.iro. 1982). On Arablzat;on and
the ....'oll. in the Delta. the reader should con.ult
the unpublished Ph.D. dlsseAalion of M. C. Dunn.
Tit. Srr"u1e for .tb!>uiJ Etypl (Georielown Uniwr·
sily. 1975).
942 EGYPT, ROMAN AND BYZANTINE RULE IN
For the Fatimids and AJ'YUbids, one need go no
fuAher than S. O. Goitein's A Meditemmean S",,;.·
I)" Th. Jewish Cornmunit;u ot tk. Arab World as
Po,lTay.d i/1 lhe Docum.nt. ot the Cairo Gen;z.a, 5
.'ols, (Berkeley and Los Angele., 1967-1988). For
our .ubject here, Vol, 2, The Community, is of ines-
timable value. A Geniza study of more limited bUI
exceedingly convincing ""ope i5 M. R. Cohen, Jew-
;5h Sell·Governme"t i/1 Medieval Egypt: Th. Odgim
qf the O{fit:e: of Hend 01 the Jews, co, 1065-1/26
(Princeton, N.J" 1980). Cohen'. work is especially
valuabl. for its review of Coplk sources and its
discussion 01 relations between th. patriarchat.
and Ihe Falimid government.
For the Crusades,..,e tho articles by N, Faris and
P. Hilti in The Impact (illhe Crusades on th. Near
£"Sl, ed. N, P, Zacour and H. W. Hazard, which is
Vol. 5 of A Hi5fory of the Crus"des, 5 .ols., ed,
K.nneth M. Senon (Madison, Wis., 1969-1985),
There hal; l>een some recent and very ..,lid re--
",areh On Islamization during Ihe period of the Ba·
/.In Mamluh by D. P. Unle and L. S. Northrup, One
.i.,
should .tart with Northrup's unpublished M.A. the·
Muslim·Christi"" ReI"tio"s duri..g the Reign of
the Momluk Sultan ,,1·Malik "I-M(m~"r Qal,run
(McGill Uni•..,,,ity, 1974), and liule'. ankle, "Cop-
tk Conversion to Islam Under the BaJ:orl Mamhlks,
692-755/1293-1354," Bull.ti.. of the School of Ori·
emal a"d Afr;<;a" Studl'" 39 (1976):552-69. Eaeh
has al.o eontributed an anide, Ihe onc b~ Lillle on
th••tatus of Coptic converts 10 Jilim, to Convu,
sion and Co"tlnuity: Indigenous Chdsti"n Commu"i·
tie. in Islamic Lands, Eighth to Eighteenlh Centuries,
ed. M. Ge",'e,.. and R J, Bikhazi (ToronlO, 1988), 01
further inlere.t is the work of S. Ward On juridical
problem. of eonversion in thi. period. See, for ex·
ample, his "Sabbath Observanee and Con.'e",ion to
Islam in the Founeemh ~mury-a Fah..a by Taq!
al·Din al-Subkl," in Procudi"gs of the Ninth World
Congress at Jewish Studies (Jeru...lem, 1986), Final·
l~, for an understanding of the "learned d",""s" in
Mamluk Egypt, C. F, Petry's The Civilia" Elite at
Cairo in tlte Latu Middle Age. (Princeton, 1981) i.
indi.pensable. ~"
S,w I. GEUEI>:S
EGYPT, ROMAN AND BYZANTINE
RULE IN. The ,'idory of Octavian (Augustu.
s'nce 27 B.q over Cleopatra VII, the last ..,vereign
of PlOlemaic Egypt, and her proteetor Marl< Anton~
fi,..t in Aetium (2 September 31 B,C.), then in Alex-
andria (I August 30 B,c.) brought Egypt under Ro·
man rule. Thi. new epoch, eonvenientl~ subdivided
into tho Roman and the Byzant;ne periods (respee·
tively from Augustus to DIOCUITMII [30 a.C-_A.D
284/5] and from Diodeti.n to the Arab conquest in
641), h,.ted nearly seven hundred ~ears and came
to an end only in A.D. 646, when the lasl Byzantine
soldiers lef' the soil of Egypt. Often depicted as a
period of misery and decline and", a funher step
downward in the long decay of late period Egypt,
the centuries of Roman and Byzantine rule deser""
fairer consideration: Egypt was not only one of the
eeonornkally most produeti"e provinees of the Ro·
man and B)"llltltine reaim, it was al", a domain of
greal intellectual fenility for pagan as well as for
Jewish and Christian culture. Late antique Egypt
""t only produced a lowering ehurch leader like ATH-
ANASIU5 but also inspiring figures of monastici.m
such as ANTONV, PA(HOMtUS. and SHENurE, The spirit·
ual influence of Egypl was probably never greater
than in the Byzantine period, when the fathers of
the de..,n and the Egyptian monasteries attraeted
vi.'IO" from all O\'er the Meditem>nean world,
from the Gallic West to the Greek Eas!. At the end
of the founh century, Alexandria, though predomi·
nantly Greek and already largely Christian, still pro·
dueed an outstanding pagan poet, Claudius
Claudianus, writing Greek ,·erse. but famous above
aU for hi. great works in Latin, The Egyptian choF"
(eountr)'side) of the fihh century was home not
only to a mas. of toiling peasant. but al.., 10 Greek
p<)<:'IS like NOIIIIOS OF PAIIOI'OUS, author of poems
drawing their in.pirntion from both pagan and
Christian traditions. By that time and under the
influence of Chmt;an teaching, the popular culture
of Egypt had alre"d~ assened itself finnly, elevating
the Coptic language to a literary level and thus
enabling Chri!itian Ihought and lilUrgy to survive
after the depanure of Ihe Greeks. Late antiquilY in
Egypt is not predominantl~ the last phase of a long
decline but in many re.peel' a brilliant, engaging
period, witnessing metamorphoses and generating
new developments of long·ranging impact.
Polllkal Hlslory
The second half of the third century A.D. was a
period of cri.is Ihat brought Egypl, among other
things, foreign invasion by the Palmyrenes (270-
272) and a string of civil wars, Other province. of
the Easl and of lhe West, especiall~ along the Rhine
and the Danube, also witnessed inroads by "barbar'
 EGYPT, ROMAN AND BYZANTINE RULE IN
ians:' economic di>nlplion. and social unre$t. This
,enenolile<l ~we of disorder It:d 10. ~riQ of ~r·
~Iion~ b:Y pn:t..n<krs 10 tht empire, one of 1M bst
.nd mott succotS$ful being PIOC1..EfJAl'{ (284-)(15).
Dnwint: on lit.. l..->I1s of tht puc, he ina.....nlW
a set of rdonn$ 1""1 "'...,..., 10 affect the emp!,.., ;11$ a
wtIole .... d c-reat~ t>l:w condilions esj>Kially lor
fcypI, 'J1lae refornu we"" pani..Uy coru;nued by
COIIST.vlTII<f. t nil! cauT (JOO-JJ7), bul whh some
imponant changes, the me>§! prolound beifll toleno·
1;00 (JU) and $<lOA privil'"ie:5 for the Chrisaian
chun:h. After viClory """ licinius. hi. 1;IISl ri....1. in
JZ4. Con,uonline .efounded Dyzantium ;III '" 10000'n
bearing h~ nune, Comlaminoplc. and made il h~
£a\'Ored resioknc:e. Constantinople npidfy ~ ..me a
new. a §oI!a>nd Rom.. and I.... capital of the eUlem
half of ,he empin:. dkplacing boo:h AI.....ndna and
Syrian Antioch, which had I>..en unlil th..n Ihe l....d·
ing mell'Ol"Oli$e$ of the Roman East. poHI~.lIy.
economically. and not least ecclniaslically. In the
hiel1llchy of episcopal see•. Nolwithslanding the
con~tant drifting apan of Ihe two hal,es of the Ro·
man empin:. its unily was uphdd in theory and in
programmatic dcclal1ltions. But East and We~1 each
had their own emperors (i..,p."",o,. "ulokr"lor)
who. thooCh fonning a colle:;".., (collugunhip),
IIp!raled SoCI"''''I..ly in Iheir n:>p«live residences
.nd defended Ibcil own, nOl seldom dilfuem or
"ffi conflicting, interests. P~"ely u... coM·
lion of lhe empire dnsoIvnI., the ~isft-e blow be·
in& deall by the Genn""ic invasions of the West.
Rome """ng cO<ne under Ih.. domillal'lCe of the
Tattons in 416 and II>.. Iasl West Roman emperor,
RomuJu:s ~l .... ""villI: been depo6ed, lhe un-
lei' of va'ity aAd impm.a! authorily shifted corn-
p1e1ely 10 1he EasL n.e Roman ~mpi... had In bet
become the Byuntin~ empire. ConsuJllinopie "-as
now the undi>.puled cent.... of whal _ kft of the
GI"KO"Roman world, but thaI did DOl S!OJI ri...Jry
and conlliCl with tht two otIicr meln.>pOl~ of the
Oriel'll, Ale>:andria .. nd Anl~. Especially In the
caae of Aluandna, n:lalKms ",ilh Constanlinople
were 'ense .. nd onen acrimonious. Polilical as """II
U ecclesiastk'" ~t continued and llrew ..... ~n
stron...r after Ihe Council of CHAlCWOtl (45 I), unlll
lhe A",bs conquered bolh Anlloch lind Alenndria
in lhe lil'$t half of Ihe ..,venth cenlury.
In slrictly lll"bnical terms, Ih~ Byunline period
could begin only wilh Ihe ref",ondal;on of Byzanti·
urn IS ConSlanlinople (Slaning in 324) and ita ulab·
I~hmenl 11.$ Ihe pri,,;leged irnperialn:sldence In lhe
Easl, Bul fTequenlly, and nol leasl in f~PYIlOt.OGY,
Ihe Byunline period;s rll"kon~d relrw,clively {Tom
943
Ihe ... ign of Oioclell..n, I>..glnning In ZS4. Indttd,
m"",y of I"'" f..aturcs considered ,ypieal of 1he By>.-
amine sial.. _re crcalW Ihrough ,he refOrms of
Diocl""ian and his call"""," in Ihe let~rchy estab-
lished in Z9J. Gal..rius ("im Dtocldian) in lite Easl,
Maximianus and ConStamM In lhe WesL
f.«ypt bad had its 0'0n Wr-e of the """,y rcbc~
lions and. tzI<Ol"pIllions r:A the third cenlUry. '" 293.
Calerius had reduced a revoIl that ....... hed in tht
destruction of Coptos (Oift). Stl11 rroore far-.-.....chinB
"'ere the eonsc:qucnc.... _ e ~ 1..ler, of the
......-pation of. lucius Dornilius Dominan..., pro-
claimed empe",r in m. D1ocle,ian in pusan rt-
copqueM Eg)"pl: and. I~ Aleundria after .. siege
of .. ighl monlhs. He .ft.......·.rd proceeded 10 Upper
Egypt. affinnin. his contro! of I.... ~ilUalion and
establishing lhe s",,,hem border of Egyp! .0.1 I'hilae.
which m..anl thaI Lower Nubia (Dodekaschoenus)
was left 10 lhe Noball.ns. As In lhe ""I r:A Ih.
empire. Diocletian _plil Ihe old pTovinces in ord.. r
10 establish stneler conlrol and to rna";h,,l rnor.
efficiently economic and milila,.,. n:$Ollrc..s. The
pmv;"d" Aegypl"s was thus divided inlO Ihn:e prov-
inces: AeoPtu, IIwia (Aleundria and weslern
Delta), AeOpiuS Herr:"/i,, (eUlern Della and Middle
Eg)'P!), and Thebai" the n.Bmes of II.e former lwo
pmvinces echoing tl.e lut~lary deili... of the lel"'I'
ehiea! eol ....~, Jupiler .nd HerC\lk$. New admlni5-
1...ln-e .uuclUr.... the dioceses and lhe prdttlurr::s,
were crealed abo'"C the level of Ii.e prov;nus. Each
of lhe 1..II.. r was h...ded by 4 pr.e/ecr.. ~ p.elori<>
(prdorian pl"Cfccl) al1ached 10 Ih~ penon of ""'" of
Ihe emptrors. the prIOffecr.., pr...oorit> Orielliis (prt-
lorian IJ""fect of the Easl) mIlS beinc ~ished. ;II/.
COfIJlarl(;nople. Thr.. pr~feaure ~Md in thf
founh eCllury as the odrnlnlstratiw he.dquanen d
lite Roman East. Each prefeclure inc:luck<! .. num·
ber d dioc_ mc,h in tum Wfl'I: made: up of
sewn! pro,inc (see nO\'IJ'OAt OIt(..I.I'IIZATIOS OF
ECYP'J). At lim, and probably unlil llboo.n 381, the
pm"inces of Ei)-pc "-ere pan 01 lhe dmcesu Ori_,
(eule... diocese), "'hQ5e regetlllvk.riu<) rr:sItkd at
Antioch. As .. consequence of D1odetian's .donn.,
Egypf had thus 1_ ill former .spe<:ial 5UlUS. II .......
suIodivide<l inlO leyenl pnwince:5 and firmly imen·
ed inlO Ih~ restnJCI"re<I adminlSl:....li'.. nelworl: of
the ROf\\an Near EaS!. Above all, Egyp! had ~n
pul into line I>..hin<! Constantinople ;lind Antioch.
The alTllngemenl of provincial lerritories in Egypt
as conceived hy Diodeti.n did nO! prov.. ddinillve
and ....... ,evised seven>l llm~s during 1M founh
century.
Anoth..r imporlant conSoCquence of the adm;n;,'
944 EGYPT, ROMAN AND BYZANTINE RULE IN
I",tive reseukment of E",vpl concerned the posiTion
of the p'ac{ecl"s Mupti (prefect of Egypt), The
laller had been. during the past centurie~, Ihe di-
rect representalive of Ihe Roman emperor and the
highest ranking official in Egypt. His competence
was now confined to Aegyp"" lovia and he losl hi~
military allribUlion~, as did Ihe provincial gover·
nors (priMs;de,). Mililary command resled now
with the dukes (duces), whll:S<' area was not always
confined to a single pro>'ince, A sel of Latin inscrip-
tions in Luxor records one Aurelius Maximinus
who, in 308, held the position of dux Aegypt; eI
Theb~idos utra,,,mque Li/'Jarum (duke of Egypt and
Thebais and both Libyas). This single mililary com-
mand w.... later split, but the principle of sepamting
ci,il and military aUlhority was observed during Ihe
next two cenlurie~ unlil il was abrogated by Justini·
an (see ARMY, ROMAN). Diodetian look one funher
step to put an end to the special slatus of Egypt' the
mint of Alexandria lost the right 10 Slrike ilS own
currency and staned to produce .tandard imperial
coinage,
Bdore Oiodetian'S reforms, admini~tralh'e docu·
men15 in Egypt had been daled b}' regnal years of
the emperors, but from now on they adopted the
consular dating practiced in all the olher provinces
of Ihe empire. The transfer of the imperial resi·
dence to Conotantinople, the development of a new
and 5trenglhened bureaucracy both there and on
the I..'els of dioceses and provinces, and a revived
detenninalion to unify Ihe compo!lite empire and to
reaffirm Roman disciplioa and mos ma;orum (an'
cestral custom): all thi~ ga,e a fresh impeTus to Ihe
U$<! of Latin in the Greek East. The anny had al·
ready been, and still was, a vehide of Latin and
romanizalion, but much less so in the Greek East
Ihan in the Roman West. Nevenhde,", Lalin mili·
tary term~ infilTrated Ihe Greek language and sur·
vived in Arabic, For example, the Lalin {ossa/urn
(ditch) became the Greek (o"aloo and the Arab
{uS(al, and the Latin cas~'a (camp), the Greek kaSl'a
and .he Arab qa". ; Melehites and Monophysites in Alexandria and
There ""as, in the beginning of Ihe fourth century,
a further disruplion of old traditions when the
nomes were replaced by dly·terrilones (dvirales,
poHleia;, pole!s), which put them on Ihe same root·
ing with adm(nistrative subdivisions elsewhere in
the Roman empire. Many of these changes took
place or were at leasl initialed under Diocletian,
Galerius, or Lidnius, that i~, before ConsTamine the
Great established himself at BYlamium/Con~lan­
tinople, thus inaugurating wha. is traditionally
called the Byzamine age. For the reasons surveyed
ahove, it seem~ legitimate and ..en appropriate to
date the beginning of the Byzantine period of Egyp-
tian hislory wilh Diodetian.
E<.:c1ulasllcal HIstory
These developments. though nOt without conse-
quence for the everyday life of people. were mostly
conlined to the realm of politics and adminisTra·
tion. But at the same time, other changes were
going on Ihal len a much deeper and lasting mark
on men and society. Christian belief and church
were aiready wen entrenched in Egypl and had
surv,,'ed the ordeal of several persecution~ during
the Ihird cemury. The victory of Constantine was
perceived and heralded as a triumph of Christ and a
new epoch for the church by ~uch writers tIS Lac·
tantius and {-,.!SEDH)S OF CAESAREA. But it was a lri·
umph beset with numerous difficulties, many of
Ihem arising from the very privileges now \>e$!owed
upon Ihe Christian communities. Thwlngical de-
bate, hierarchical dispnTe, and schismatic move·
ments were hencdonh freer to develop and they
often involved the imperial authority and political
insTitutions. As head of th. Egyptian church, the
patriarch of Alexandria faced an extremely difficult
task. On the one hand, he WtlS expected to defend
the unity of his church, which proved nearly impos-
sible in face of Oppo!lilion from Arian~, Melilians,
and other Christian faction. both in his own coun·
11)' and abroad, On the OIher hand, the patriarch
had to 5ccure the po~ition of his church ve,."u5 the
pretension~ of Con~tantinople, Ihough he had no
intention of breaking away from the Byzantine state
and from the emperor in Con~tantinople, The ten·
sions and compromises of this complex relallon~hip
fonn an imponant chapler not only of the ecclc~i­
astical but also of the polilical history of Egypt in
late antiquity. The situation was funher aggravated
when Alesandria was humiliated and monophysit·
ism banned by the Council of Chakedon in 451.
Thi~ new developmem and the clashes between
Egypl have been held chiefly respon~ible for Ihe
alienation belween Egypt and the Bpantine slale
and lhu~ for the easy conquest of Egypt by thc
Ambo. Matters, however, were much more compli·
cated and delineatio,," not W clcarcul. The Egyp.
tian Monophysites had at some times strong sup-
port in Con.~tantinople, the best·known example
being Justinian's empress, Theodora. On their side,
the Byzantine emperors, trying to ~eep logelher Ihe
Catholic and Monoph)'site pans of the empire and
to maintain good relalion~ with [taly and the bishop
of Rome, were ,",metime~ anxious not to offend
 EGYPT, ROMAN AND BYZANTINE RULE IN
Egyptian sensibilities. This proves true al least for
$Orne emperors, for instance, ]"'tinian (529-565).
The estrangemenl belween Egypl and the Byzantine
state was a slow and sometimes violent process. but
seri"u, though it was. it never led t" complete dis-
ruption and sepilratism.
Besid.. Ihe prevailing polilical and dogmatic is-
sues opp05ing Alexandria and Constantinople. there
were olher frictions often involving the relation be-
tween church and stale. So the judicial functions
once conceded to the bishops by Constantine the
Greal (see AVOENTLIl EPtsCOI'AUS) were later sharply
cunailed by a series of imperial decisions_ To up-
hold the running of towns and to ""cure the imple·
mentation of fiscal obligations, the stale had an in·
terest in the continuous functioning of the
municipal class and would not readily allow.",·
iale. (municipal officers) to enter lhe orders or the
monasteries without due safeguards regarding
curial propeny and obligations. When political or
economic pressures boiled over. functionaries of
the Byzantine ,tate in Alexandria often had to bear
the brunt of popular discontenl. One famous exam·
pie is Ihe death of Theodo!;ius (I\ugustan prefect)
killed by the people when Dioscorus was consecrat-
ed bishop in 516.
Ikonomy and Society
The ,tate of Egyptian economy and society during
late antiquity has often been described by modem
aUlhorities as a most d..olate one and has been
held partly responsible for the liule prestige of the
Bp.antine Slate in Egypl and thus for the apparent
ease of the I\rab conquest of that count')'. There
ha,'e been, in the past. reservations aboullhis ,'iew
of things (Johnson, 1'151), and opposition to it has
been growing (Winkelmann, 1'179), NOtwithstand·
ing a plethora of source materials, it is extremely
difficult to pass a ",·ell.docu~med overall judg-
ment on the degree of disaffecuon, with Ihe Slate of
social and economic conditio']s in Egypt. Papyri,
numerou. as they are, mostly 'ilive a fragmentary
picture and are not without rilk ,ubmined to gen-
eralization. Laws, regubtion., arid other official
statements are precious insofar as they ili"e infor·
mation On the sect,{rs in which state authorities
perceived difficulties and on Ihe means applied to
remedy them, But these are normative texts, where-
as the papyri often give a "e'1' different piclure,
.howing the difference between ideal and reality.
Important question. therefore remain frequently
without an.wer, For instance, was the common
Egyptian of late antiquity beller off than hi. ance,-
945
lors in the pr«eding centuries? One cannOl, of
course, give a simple. undifferentiated answer, but
the long·prevailing ,'iew of a constant deterioration
from Roman to Byzantine limes has been seriously
challenged (Bowman, 1986). Did the Byzantine
state effect strict rigidity, confining people to Iheir
Slatus, making trades and professions hereditary,
rendering economy and society essentially immo·
bile? This was once the cOn""n.w of opinion, but il
is no longer taken for gDnted (Keenan, 1975). Eco-
nomic plight and Ihe raids of the "barbarians" have
often been considered as having seriously contrib·
uted to the reduction of the number of inhabitants:
the depopulation observed in the fourth·century
Fa'ryllm has frequently been adduced as proof, But
gradoal, not ne<:e5'arily man·made desertification
might also, and at least partly, offer a valid explana-
tion. Other regions of Egypt, with the exception of
Oxyrhynchus and its territory. are not nearly as
well known as the Fayylim. We are ignorant of the
total number of Ihe inhabitants of late antique
Egypt. It is therefore extremely difficult to assess
the effects of the social and ec"nomic conditions
"n the overall e,·oluti"n of the population through
the Byzantine age.
The taxation system introduced by Diocletian.
hard as it may ha"e been, was nonetheless meant to
be fair and to reduce inequality. It evolved in a way
thai took account of both personnel and land. As a
rule, local magnates and big landowners held at the
same time state po5itions and were charged with
tllx collection; hence fraud, collusion, and Strong
influence was exened on minor landholders. The
Ialler often sought an end to their tribulations, sell·
ing their land 10 big possessors and becoming ten'
ant farmers in Ihe hope of finding prot«tion as
client. of their patron., Whole villages and commu-
nities thus became dependent on big landowners,
as, for instance, the Apions. The latter were often
viewed as some sort of feudal landlords, recruiting
their Own troops, building private prisons to defend
their authority, and challenging Ihe interests "f a
declining central stale, This interpretation has been
nuanced or conteSled (Carne, 1984: Fikhman, 1965;
Gascou, 1985). Among other things, the position of
big lando,",,,,e,,, has been reexamined in the light of
their state obligations, which they performed, ac·
cording to this new approach, well ,,;thin the
framework of the central "dmini.tration.
ReligIOn
The end of the persecution. of th. Christians and
the triumph of ConMantine in 324 did not mean the
946 EGYPT, ROMAN AND BYZANTINE RULE IN
end of paganism, not ev-en the end of conflicts be·
tween pagans and Christians (ef. SUl"\leys by Mas-
pero. 1923: Hardy. 1952: Rl:mondon. 1960; new ap-
proaches by Pearson and Goehring. 1986j. Both
cou;sted. ohen very uncomfortably. in the society
at large as well as in the army. Comroversies in Ihe
Chrislian camp. e,pecially between Catholics (Or-
thodox) and Arian. during Ihe fourth century. made
it sometimes easier for pagans to sUl"\live. and the
allempted restoration of paganism by the emperor
Julian (361-363) showed that Ihe cause of pagan·
ism was nol yet entirely losT. In Alexandria. pagans
had a strong following throughout the fourth centu-
ry. as shown. for example, in the pagan vendetla in
362 and the riots preceding the deslruction of the
Alexandrian Serapeum in 391-392 (ef. Thelamon.
1981). Notwithstanding these pagan allempts at reo
sistance. Christianity conquered a majorily of Egyp-
tians in the cou'Se of ,he founh century. BUI the
pace and si•.e of Ihis progress, and its regional diffe-
rentiation, are still debated (Bagnall. 1982: Martin,
1979; Wipszycka. 1986). hen less do we know the
exacl and re,peetive strength of the various con-
Hicting Christian communities in fourth--cenlury
Egypt: Catholics, Arians. Melit;ans. not to speak of
Gnostics and Manichaeans. ]t may have been op·
portune 10 become a Christian, confotming oneself
to official policy and imperial preferences, be Ihey
Arian (ConSlans III Or Catholic (TheOOosius I). But
many men and women in Egypt went far beyond a
fonnal affiliation 10 Ihe church and flocked to the
hardships and promises of monastic life. Social care
for the poor. the sick. and the captive gave fresh
impulse 10 new fotms of community life. ruled by
the love and fear of God and by strict obedience to
the superiors of the monasteries (Bacht. 1984:
Rousseau, 1985),
Greek civilit.ation had certainly proved very al·
tractive to many native Egyptians. but it never
achieved in depth arid eMent the success of Christi·
anily, There was a "';.li identification of the popular
masses with the new religion and an awakening of
spiritual aclivity in the various manifestalions of
Coptic cullure_ Tn the' fourth centu',,-. this Egyptian
",,'ivai occurred under Greek·speaking Christian
leadership. (For a qualification of Ihis v'iew and the
complexitieS of the relationship between Alexandria
and Egypt, See Krouse~ 1981: regarding Ihe authen-
ticity and inte'1'retation of Athanasius' Vila Amon;;,
see DOrries, 1966: Barnes, 1986: and Louth. 1988)_
Throughout the Byzantine period. Greek contln·
ued to l>e spoken and wrillen not only in Alexan'
dria but also in the higher strata of the population
of the chora_ E\'en after the Arab conquest. Greek
was still used. besides Coptic and Arabic. for ad·
ministralive ptltpOSes and it disappeared only in the
temh century, Bm Coplic was on the rise since the
fourth centu!)'. evidenced first in religious writings
and in private correspondence_ While the Greek
language maintained itself in the face of Coptic
progress, Hellenic culture in Ihe .ense of pagan
conviction was in decline, The gymnaSium as the
traditional locus (If typically Greek formation and
communal actiVITies did not survive the crocial
changes of the fourth cemu!)'. nor did Ihe famous
Serapeum in Alexandria, But there held out,
throughout the fifth century, some stronghold< of
pagan culture even deep down in the Egyptian
chora. for example. in Panopolis, home to a .u~ces·
sion of Greek poets such as Pamprepius. Nonnos.
and Cyrus (cf. Cameron, 1965). The position of
these literates between paganism and Christianity is
nOi always easy to determine. They lived in an age
of transition and each <-ase .hould be examined
individually_ That also lesser figures could be Chris'
tian without abandoning classical Greek culture
and poetry is demonstraled by Ihe sixth-century 0Cfi-
dal DlnscORUS OF APHJ<ODITO (MacCoull. (989). One
also can observe Gr«k·educated aristocrots turning
a"...y not only from paganism but abo from Bpan.
tine "nhOOoxy and emering the ranks of Monoph}'·
sites, Ihereb}' pulling down one more banier that
could have separoted them from the mainstream of
the population in the clrora_ Among Ihe victims of
Coplic fel"\lor were not only the Greek pagan cults
bm also the old Egyptian deities and their lime·
honored sanctuaries. These were abandone<l.
burned down, or turned into Christian churches.
The temple of Isis in Philae, first dosed, later be·
came a church. and so did many ,'enerable sanctu·
aries in Thebes and all over Eg}pt, ceding the place
to Christian cults (Krause, 1966, col•. 72-78),
The End of Byzantine Rule
During the las. decades of B}'lSnTine rule (ef. BUI'
ler, 1978: Winkelmann, 1979), Eg}pt. while comin·
uing to be the thealer of serious internal dissen-
sions. was also caught up in the tunnoil of
Byzamine and imemational poIiti~s. Alexandria.
though being 10m between MeJchite and Monophy·
site patriarchs, was nonetheless instrumental in
bringing down the emperor Phocas (602-610) and
contributed much to the success of Heradius' gen-
e...l. Nicelas. In 619, the Persian invasion of Egypt
effectively separated the country from the Byzan·
tine realm. But when they had to leave ten years
later. the Persians had nOt made many friends in
 EGYPT, ROMAN AND BYZANTINE RULE IN
Egypt, At least Ihere are good reasons 10 helie,e
thai the occupiers did nOl accord special favors to
the Monophysite church. Nor did the emperor Her-
adius (610-641) when he installed Ihe "Caucasian"
Cyrus as patriarch in Alexandria (Ihe tradition that
Cyrus ,<,as also appointed al<ct<sla!is must probably
be rejecled; Winlelmann. 1984, pp. 21-26), Being
of Mekhite obse........nce, the new representati,e of
the Byzantine emperor met wllh fierce resistance in
Monophysite quaners. abo.'e all from their patri·
arch, BENJAMIN 1, who finaU}' hod to flee from Alex-
andria.
In the wale of the Arab conque$l. the country
was thus in a state of ulter ~onfi.,sion and agitalion.
Su~h a situation was in facl nothing new to Egypt,
but uncler the prevailing circumslance., it surely
mllilt have facilitaled Ihe tasl of the invading Arab•.
Nonetheless. the conquest of Egypt was nOl easy.
The CoplS were not a monoli.hic group welcoming
wholeheanedly the Arab arm;"•. After the fall of
Pelu.ium in 639. tho troops of 'Amr ibn al"A~ met
strong resi.tance in the towns of the Della, whereas
the countryside was no match for the conquerors.
The military stronghold of Babylon (Old Cairo) fell
only on 6 April 641 and Al.~andria even later, on
29 September 642, after the Byzantine troop. had
left the town, Dyna.tie strife in Constantinople after
the dealh of Heraclius on II February 641 and the
re.ulting confusion had greatly helped the Arab
~ausc. When. on the other hand, dissensions in the
Islamk camp led to the clemi.e of 'Am•. the ByLan-
tine gweraJ Manuel availed himself of the oppor·
tunity and recovered Alexandria in 645, This in tum
provoled the reinstallation of 'Amr and the defini·
tive occupation of Alexandria by the Arabs in 646.
It was the end of an epoch thaI had begun, nearly a
millennium before. with the ~onquesl of Egypt by
Alexand~r the Great in 332 B,C. But the tennination
of Greco·Roman rule did nOl bring about tOlal dis--
tuption. Continuity can be Wrved in many im-
ponant field., such os the cnpf,c language and the
Coptic church. In short, the D,p" , as a social and
~ultural group .urvived, as did" for a time at least,
the Greek language and late Roman administration.
Notwithstanding these links with the post. Egypt
was now set on an entirely new course and pre--
pared to take its place within an AralHlominated
world.
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lUm f..uhen M6nchwm. 2nd ed .. 2 vol.. Wiinburg.
1984.
947
Bagnall. R. S. "Religious Converoion and Onomas·
tic Change in Early ByLantine Egypt." Bullelln of
the American S<X'lery of Papyro!ogl$l$ 19
(1982),105- 124.
___. "Con"ersion and Onomastic", a Reply."'
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(1987):243-50.
Barnes. T. D. "Angel of Light or Mystic Initiate? The
Problem of the Life of Anlony."' Journal of Theo·
logi~al Swdies. n.'. 37 (1986):353-68 (contests
Athanasiu.·' authorship: d. reply by Louth).
Bell, H. I. EgYPI from Alexander Ihe Groat 10 Ihe
Arab Conquesl; A Srt<dy In the Dlffu.ion and De·
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Bowman, A. K. Egypt afler Ihe Pharaohs: 332 BL_A.D
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Butler, A. J. The Arab Conquut 01 Egypt and the
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Cameron, A. "Wandering Poets: A Literary Move·
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Carrie, J.·M, "Figures du 'colona!" dan. Ie. papyrus
d'Egypre: lexique, conlexte.:' In Alli del XVll
Congrosso /mernazionale di Paplrologia, Vol. 3,
pp. 939-48. Naples, 1984.
DOrries, H, "Die Vita Antonii als Geschichtsquelle."·
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Klrchrngr5chkhlr des vierlen Jahrht<"'derrs, ed. H,
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El-Saghir. M.. cd. Le camp romaln dr Louqsor. Avr~
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muknnih I remesl~n"yl "t<d v IV_seredin~ Vl! v.
Moscow, 1965.
Gascou, J. "Le. grands domaines, la cite.t I·etal.n
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Johnson, A. C. Egypt a"d the Raman Empire. Ann
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01 EVpri"" Christia"i'y. Studies in Anliqully nnd
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d••"iri,u"lil_. Vol. 6. pt. I, cols. 532-48. Paris,
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Tt>ebmon. F. Par.....t chrhuns "" IV" slick L'ap.
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q"Uh. Paris, 1981.
Winklmann, f_ "A&>l',en und ByzaI1l. vor der arabi·
SCMn Eroberung." BrJlnrinosJavic" 40 (1979):
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_ '·Die Stell"n!!: Aa>pcens 1m O5Irtimisch-by-
:tanlinischen Rcic:h.. .. In Gtuo-Coprica. GriuJoan
..nJ KOp'l7l int ~"nn1r<:"Joan ACYI'I.... ~ ,..
~1. pp. 11-35. Manin·WIhu-tlni.·.nrw
fbJl...Wit'enberl!:. !Wle, 1984.
WipIZ)'Cha. E. "La Vakur de l·onomasl;quc pour
l'hlsloire de la ch"',;"nisation de l'Egypt•. A
fik Paf71ro1ogic u"
PI'Op05 d·.... ne Mude de R. S. Bagnall, ~il3clrrjft
R
EPWaplriJ< 62 (1986): 113~81.
_ _ '·La christiariisa,ion de I'£cpr. a...... IV'-Vl'
'ittl..... Mpccu oociau> lOt ethn>ques," AavPllis
6' (1988);117-65..
HEINZ HEn<U<
EGYPTIAN CONFERENCE OF HELIOP-
OLIS, conferellce held from 29 April 10 4 May
1911, an.nded b)' rwo thou~nd delcplc" to di.-
cuss issues of national .ignificancl!, induuing de-
mands made by Copr. in their col"nc OOIfG~ES/; OF
~SYVT Mo.q.!lIfi Ri~ Pasha, a former prime minis-
ler, was chairman, and Ib~lm al·Hilbliwl wu sec·
retafy. AmOl1. I.... speakers _re AIunad w!fl al·
Sa)')id, 'Abtl aI·'ALi>. Ja..f$h. I:I~ Rama<lin, and
'Ali Yilsuf.
The ddtpteJ drafted the foI1O""ing re!lohnions:
I. Pol"i...1 ri&h1S dIould nOl be based 011 reliVous
consiMntioo!s.
2. No rdigiow cO<tlmunily may claim a national
day of l'UI.
3. Ability should be lhe soIc crilerion for officilll
appoimments..
4. All cilizett5 should haye an .,..ual ri&h' 10 .-ote,
Hilhly qu:ali~ penons may. ho-we>oo~, be ac·
corded rnQU WOIes.
5. A5 a community Copu should not be .ntitled 10
special 'nancial aid for ,beir O"n religiOU$
am.... iries.
n.e repon was concluded by urging harmoniollS
and tolerant coedsrence,
SAMI""" BA/:IR
EGYPTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY. SU Po·
lirieal Pani".
EGYPTIAN NATIONAl. IDENTITY. A sense
of 'hek unOqueness, of their Stpantlenes5 from rhe
rt$t of the ...'Ond. has been pennanenl in Ihe people
of Ee"J'l, bill apln from this deeply ingrained feel·
ing. no thou&hts or nalional ideTllity troubled the
Egyplians unlil 1M end altho: eighteenth cen,uT}',
"n.... 1M bey 'All al·Klobtr 100. up arms against 1M
Turks and w.... n Geflmll y,,'QOlI planned inck-pen.
den« roo-- ~, The quesricm nf national identi1y
" .... not really broached brio<-. 1M French Expedi.
tion made its l~ndous u...;-<:I on f.«ypl and be-
for-e Mul;t.amrnad ·All became lhe unq""'lioned
nlln- of f«)l'l-aher brukina: the resistance of lite
Mamlub.
All ,hrou&h 1M ninCl~tlt century, 1M history of
EIDPI ....as lhal nf an openina: Np 'A WCSlem inAu,
en~n, a ...dual modemil-lltion imposed by Uu·
.....mmad 'AI1 and his SUcCCS!IOJ3 Sa'id and !smj'U.
Thil ~nally had ilS impac, on islamic rhinkeJ3. wnc.
were brought to i<it... 01 reform ill order 10 come
ro rerms with the II'IOde-m;UlIg process, JamAl ai,
Oin al.Mgh;inl, Mul)ttmmad 'AlxI", and <}J.slm Amln
were in the forelronl of • moyemenr thai aimed al
refonning Islam Wilhoul weakening the deep faith
of irs Followers IIlId its pervasive prescllce in every-
day life.
At the same ,Ime, lh. ,,,",ness of th. E/D-pti.n
culrur.ol h.riUlIC and il!i greal antiquity w.re

opened up 10 a culTured minority of Egyptians
through the work of informed and devoted foreign.
ers. BU! the imponance of this heritage only pene·
trated-or appeared 10 penetrate-the conscious·
ness of the people during the i919 uprising against
Ihe BIUTlSIl OCCUP~110N. when an inspirational reo
lUrn to the past glories of E.sJptian history was in
evidence; this w~ e~emplified in the pharaonic
character of the sculptor Mukhtar's monumental
group of the "Awakening of Egypt." But this turned
out to be only a 'hon phase in the histo!)' of mod·
em Egypt.
Meanwhile, the promises of Westernization WeTe
not kepi. mainl}' because the king and the British
fought so hard to reduce the power of the main
pany, the Wafd. which alone could ha"e imposed
tnc n«essa!)' adjustments. Also, the Wafd's outlook
was too exclusively political. so that it did not give
enough auention to social and economic pToblems.
For these and other secondary reasons, there was a
reve.....l in the WeSternizing tenden,,')'. People reo
mained willing to accept the Wes!"s science and
technology but not ilS moral and intellectual ,'al-
ues, without understanding that the West's technol.
ogy could not he separated from ilS value•.
Growing disappointment with the opening toward
the West led intell«tuals to turn back to the East
and 10 Islam. Great writers disowned the We,terniz·
ing fervor of their younger days and the libel"lll
beliefs of Iheir mature age. Some imagined an Ori·
ental culture opposed to Occidental cultuTe; they
advised people to resist European innuences the
beuer to preserve genuinely Oriental values. Others
sought Tefuge in traditi"nal nOlions representing reo
ligion as a sufficient font of political and social
principles; the~' thought that Islam could supply the
inspirotion for remaking Egypt and restoring hope
to the Egyptians.
After the failure of the libeml and democl"lltic
experiment, revolution came' in 1952, fostered as
always by selfi.hness and lack" of foresight in the
ruling minority. The military r~ime started by de·
claring ilS faith in an essenlially Egyptian national·
ism. As a token of this assenion: a colossal statue of
Ramse. II was moved from Memphis to a main
.quare in Cairo. and an obelisk from Tanis was
erecte<! in a public ga"Tden on the banks of the Nile.
But a factor in the background of Egyplian con·
cems, arobi.m, suddenly surfaced. This new depar-
ture from EgJptian nationalism was the result pan-
ly of the Arab awakening. panly of Ihe failure of the
liberal and demOCl"lltic experiment. It was also a
result of the establishment of the Slate of Israel as
an alien, WeSl·supponed body in the Arab world.
EGYPTIAN NATIONAL IDENTITY 949
This situation aroused inordinate ambitions in
Egyptian leaders. who aspired to be at the head of
an Arab empire.
So the Arab contribution was inflate<! to the point
of constituting alone the whole ("(mtent of the Egyp-
tian cultural heritage, The Arabic charaeteT of
Egypt was officially established as the dominant e1e·
ment of the Egyptian nalional spirit-which was
therefore lost in arabism. This orientation was
pushed to such a degree that Ihe venerable name of
Egypt, as well as its name in Arabic (M;~F).....'as
stntck out from the title of the state from 1958 to
1971. It was called the United Arab Republic until
afteT the death of President Nasser.
Young and old alike became confused hy the"",
repeated changes, which were immediately imple·
mented in $(:hool curncula "" well as in the press.
radio. and television. The .udden changes in orien·
tation were renected in the "iolent oscillations of
policy that inflicted so much damage on Eg)vt in
the thiny years between 1941 and 1971.
After President Sadat came '0 power, a more
thoughtful attitude prevailed for some t;me in the
councils of state, but since about 1978 Ihe call for a
return to Islam has come back in full force. This
movement was allowed to grow by President Sadat.
who was more afraid of communist .ubo'eTSion than
of Mu,lim extremism. This was a gea"e mistake on
his pan, and he paid for it with hi' life.
Besides the imponance of a stable national or;cn-
lation for Egypt itself, Egyptian national oricntation
is of capital imponance for the wholc Arah world,
of which Egypt is truly th. hub and the axis. the
center of gravity. Egypt's geographical position
makes it either the link that unites the Arab world
OT the rift that divides it. The cullUral and political
orientation of the Arab communit~', the degree of
union or disunion among its mentbers, the form of
its international institution,. all these depend on
the Egyptians. This was amply pro.'ed during the
furor caused by the Camp David agreements. which
ended wilh Egypt being unconditionally invited
back into the Arab fold.
Egypt's contribution 10 Arab chilization has been
greater than any other; in tum. it was deeply
marked by Arabic civili2.lltion. Egypt is thus pan of
the Arab world. but it Tetains ilS nati"nal identity,
just as the other Arab countries relain their nalional
identities.
BIUUOGRAPHY
Anawati, G. C., and M. Borrmans, Tendrmct' d
courants de I"Js/am aFab. conternpomin, Vol. I,
950 EGYPTIAN NATIONAL UNITY
EDP/~ ~t Afriqu~ d.. "otd. MunOch, 1982.
Berger, M. n.~ Areb Wo<l<I Tod"y. Ne..., Vort, 1964.
8wtros Boul...... Chait "AI Shoo'b al·W~id _.
W~ al·W~" Paper PITK1lled at Abram ec..
ler for Polilical and Stnlqic Studict- Cairo,
1912.
AI·Far d-M.. '~ SO (April 1969). Special issue on
the EcPtian penonality.
fll' id Ni'maIl\t1mad. SJI<>kJI,,,,, Mi¥". Cairo, 1975.
I:lanlli Milid. N,,'.,., ... A.qlr.oI!, Wiro •• . MifriyWI.
H..,
Cairo. 19&0.
$It". T.hditlt aJ-'AqI "I-'Arllbl. Beirul, 1969.
,....
lam£! A. BadawI. FiMa!< a/·r,,'ifu'-h" Mi!r. Cairo,
JamJl al Din Mal\mild I:bmdin. SJI.llhfiy"t M4"
f);,. . .h /I 'Abq<l1iy<lI "1·M"kll,,. Cairo. 1970.
Kall,ky, R. lA ",_d~ " , . , It rtwil tI I" q..ite d~
r ..nili. Venit"'. 1968.
Khllid, MuJ:>yl al-Din, eI aJ. MMa,'"I"h a'·ra·/ftyy"h
/I Mj~r. Beinll. 1980,
l.trntr. Daniel. The P"..'", of T.adMomd Sod~'"
Modtll1,ting Ih~ Middl~ E,w. New York, 1958.
Majid Khaddilr1. AJ.ltlii"h~1 a/·Si'~'i,,,h (f·ol 'Alom
al,·"-',,/>I. B~inll. 1972.
Mim' HaUl"'" Ghali, ''Th~ Emlian Na,i<)nal Con'
sclaIlSone..:· Middl. Eas, Jo..rnal 32, no. I (Win'
'er 1978):59-77.
M,!hamrnad 'Abd al·RaJ:lln~n Stnj. DirlJ<ah fI ,,[-
1I",";'"h "/.W,,!a,,iy<>h AI.M'~riyah. Cltlro. 1980.
Richmond. J. C. B. Egypl 179&_/951. Htl Ad""..""
Tow.td. " Mod.rn Ithnlily. London. 197?
Safnn. Naday. EDP' in Se"n:h of Political Comm..·
nity. Camhridge, Jobss., 1961-
Saml"'" BaJ:>r. AI·Aq!>II! /f al'lIa)'<Jl .1-5;yll"71"h "I-
M~. Cairo, 19M.
Al-Sayyid. Yasln. Shdh~ ol.'A,,,IJiy.". Cain>.
1983.
TAriq aJ·BisIlri. AI.Jlwslim"" .../1 aJ-Aqb4,. Brinl!,
".>
Wtndell. C. 1M. E>'Oiunoo. of 1M EDplldn N"tiDnd
/rrulp. Hertel.,,-. Calif.. 1972.
William Sulayman. AI-lImr BaY'll aJ·Ady.J ... Cairo.
1976.
EGYPTIAN NATIONAL UNITY, the greal
a,hicy~",enl 01 I~ 1919 national uprilillfl apinM
British O<:,upalion. It wlos the hi&hcst ~ptf:SSlon of
harmony and undentanding !:>ctwcen M~lims ami
Christians in Egyp!. Expressions of this harmony
wcre n""'o:'rou. and varied. Th..ir beSI exemplifica·
tlon could be found in the speeches given by Mus-
lim shaykh. in the Coptic churches and by Coptic
priests in mosque•.
This national undtrstoondin8 ""1$ more notable
since it had bt= pt'«fiIed righl yean; earlier by
Ifoharp uehangt$ between M .... lims and Copl!-. after
~ morrder of 8OlIl1lOS GHAU. 'The agitation culmi·
nated in the holdine of the corne cot."GllESS OF
ASYU!' in 1911, and the EG'I'mN< COI<fUf.:NC£ or MW·
(If'(lU'; ld which dIe demands and the alkptions of
me Coptioc Con&Tf:K _re refutod.
The main body l'QfIOft'ibIc ro.. this DeW under·
0W>ding ","'U!he Waid pw1y• ...nidI. from its fornu-
rion in 1919. upheld. firm poliq of coopcnlion
betv.ffIl A.lllSii_ and Chtislians. When George Kh·
ayyi! Ned 5'''11 ZACK1..CL.. th~ found.". of dot Wafd,
......iIl
the future of the Copts would be after in<!,..
penden«. ,he answer ...., ",hen- .... nu will be OIIr
stahlS. they ",ill have Ihe same rip,u and the :sa",e
dulin. with nO difference between any of us. ......,
;n penona! ac:hi~menL"
The Wa/d also had a mark~d K<'lIlar .endency
and thi< helpe<l !oJ IT_liN: the COpls on their po';'
tion in the party. The Sl.l<:C~SS of the Wald exceeded
the hopes of ilS founders. All ..ctions of the popula·
tion, landowners, peasants. and townspe<Jple.
flocked to it5 m~mbership. The WaN adopted a
~rong nationall., attitude, This auncte<! the enmity
of the kin•. ...,ho did nex ...,Ish his own authority to
be ",-e;tkened by tOO ArollS a political pany. and of
the BntM.....'no had (heiT O""·n TeaSOOS for I>(){ hay·
ing an Ejypcian pany with llronll popular b:tclins.
n .... lhe W<tfd. in JPile of bein. the largest and
most popular pany..... in po;noer ",lali,~ly few
Jf:'ITS from 191910 19S2, as II .... constaJIlly foucht
by the oth~ paniel. In their figill for J'O"""T. I""
ocher POUt1Co\t. 'UTIU did plIy lip sen'ice 10 1Ialion·
a! unity. but lhey ......... oEten actNated by diff...-..nt
mter-eslS and paid las ."...,Iion to the Cl.uK of
natioDal unity.
An importalU issue ...... that 01. lIIiDOrity rights.
Tltis ",,_ion
had already been broached when the
Lqislx....., ..u.embly _ cstabli$hed. bul il """"
again disaJissed aI much ~cr length in the Cons·
lilUtion Committee in 1923. This was bee...... the
British Deelar.alion of 28 February- 1921 had men-
tioned minority prot«1ion as Ol1e of the rncn."flI
points. In order 10 Invalidate lhe BritM ~mcnl
for minori'y protection. th~ prim~ minist~r at the
time. J:IU,,"yn kushdl. tried to Influence the Con5!i·
lution CommitlCl! to tle<:ide for minority reprt:l>t:nra·
lion in both eltamben of Parliament.
Minori,y protectlc", was opposed by th~ w"fd
party and (he National pany, TItc Constitution Com·
mi(lCe finally decided againsl minorit}' reprel>t:nta·
lion, after protr.acted diso<:ussion.
Despit~ all subsequent events.. the Copt5 U a

whole have not regretted lhi~ decision. They sl~nd
steadfastly for a society where religion is a maner
beTween man and his God. They undersland thaI
minority rights prot"ctlon eould have branded them
a. not being an integral pan of the national com-
munily.
Th ••"n for Egyptian national unity is slill at the
forefront of all official declarations. bUI it is now
being wmewhat obscured by various extremist Is-
lamic movements, the call for Islamic legislation (0
be applied in Egypt. the increase of Islamic pres-
SUre againsl the Christian minority, and the vio-
lence perpetrated by Islamic p...,,,,,ure group•.
These last d<S<'rve special menlion, becaUS<' they
are directed not only against Christians but also
against the Muslim religious establishment, which
they ""euse of laxily and indifference in their call
for Islamic legislation. in fact, it could b.. $aid that
they are directed less against Christians titan against
their own establishment, Christian rights are always
carefully recogniud, in W(lrd$ if not always in
,"".A blow to the cause of unity among Egyptians
was the alliance of the WQfd with the Moslem
Brotherhood during the electoral campaign for the
People'. Assembly in 1984. What Christians fear i.
once again to become second·class citizens in a
country rol..d by Islamic law, as they had been ever
since the Arab conquest of Egypt up to the enlight-
ened nineteenth century role of Mul)ammad 'All
and his succe.sors.
The eumple of the Sudan, wh...r... Islamic law i.
string... ntly appli..d in the North and where it has
caused a renewal of the civil war in the South, does
not augur well for the future,
Early in 1985, President Numayrl of the Sudan
was overthrown and a n",w r..gim... came inlo pow·
...r. Apart from the Muslim Brotherhood, most of
the Sudan', political parties demande<!the abolition
of [slamic law. This had a sn'-mg influence in Egypt,
where the People's Assembly aisregard..d
, th... p.-..vi·
ous ...laborat.. codification of 1~lamic law and dedd·
e<! that only provision. in direct contradiction to
the Qur'1n w(mld be amended. For several months
following, the daily and wukly papers WeTe full of
calls £Or avoiding haste in applying Islamic law and
for preserving good understanding between Mus-
lims and Christian., as spelled oul in th.. Constitu·
tion of 1923 and subs..quent revisions.
MIRll.lT BOUTllOS GHAU
EGYPTIAN PARTY. See Political Parti....
ELEPHANTINE 951
EIKOSTON, <Jne of the monasteries in the coastal
strip separating Lake Mareotis from the sea, w....t of
Alexandri<t. The site has not been located. Like the
ENATON or the OKTOKAIDEKATON. it was so calle<!
from the number of milestones (in this ca..e twenty)
separating it from Alexandria (Raabe, 1895, Pl'. 64-
65). According to the Life of PetNs TheNS, its
monks took pan in 457 in the election of the "Cop'
tic" archbishop TIMOTHY AEWRUS.
John Moschus places at the Eikoston the UlUIlJ> of
Kalamon. H... visited Ihere the holy man Ab~ Theo'
dorus in company ",ith Sophronius (Pralum Spiri-
IUQle). This monaste,)' is most certainly mentioned
by JOHN or NIKIOU. Timothy Aelurus is said to ha.'e
been a monk there.
If we follow the Gruk te~t of Moschus 10 the
lelle., we deduce thaI 2 mil... (3.2 km) west of
aJ·Qalamun was the place calle<! Maphora. Accord-
ing to Ihe undated STEU (Lefebvre, 1907, p. 14) Ihc
Byzantine monk George, from the cenobium of
Maphora, was buried at DiUtaylah. Ihe probable sile
of the PEMPTl]N.
BIBUOGRAPHY
Webv"" G, R.cueil des inscriptiO''' Krecque,·
chritietllMS d'EgypM. Cairo, 1907.
Raabe, R. S. Petru, der rber.r. Leipzig, 1895.
2.<)tenberg, H, "Memoire Sur la chronique by>antine
de Jean, e.'~que de Nikiou," Journal osiarique,
ser, 7, ](l (1877}:451-517; 12 (1878):245-347: 13
(1879):291 -386.
JEAN GA$C()l)
ELEPHANTINE, an island at the level of Aswan,
and Ihe most southerly town in Egypt. In the pharo
aonic period it was Ihe capital of the Elephant
nome, b"t from Ptolemaic limes it ",as reduced to a
temple town and the administration was transferred
to Syene, loday Aswan, on the east.. rn river bank.
The two main temples co..er almost the whole of
the fanner ",wn area of Elephantine, and are dedi-
cate<! to the god Satel (a place of worship on th.
sam. sile can be traced back to the Thinite period;
Kaiser, 1977, pp, 63fl.) and Khnum (Ricke, 1960).
Aher profanalion of the Mmples in the Christian
period, the forecourt of Ih... t.. mple of Khnum was
convened into Ihe barracks of an infantry cohon in
the second quaner of the fihh century (Grossmann,
1979), For ...,asons of chronology, however, this <;p-
hon cannot be identifie<! with the Cohort I Feli~
Theodosiana mentioned in the NariciD Digni/DlUm
Orie~tis 31.64. A church insened into the pro~QOS
952 ELiANO, GIAMBAmSTA

IlJId MaroIIite churches, He ".,." born in Rome to a

,""""'1'""";
,, ,'
.
,, ,
, ,
,,
, ,
Jev-ish Eantily and educated by h;" bfnou5 maternal
grandfather. ,he leamed EIiaI Le>iu.. at Venice and
at l511y, Germany. His family $eltkd ill Venice and
he 1r2,.... ed with his father in the Middlt East.
;::~~:_j :.:.~:::' ". ....hen: durinl a Ihree-,...... suO)' in E«l'J'l he learned
~ '0 speak Anobic. A Iona.. unsuccessful anempc by
:, ,, him .... d hi' family 10 eonvince his brother. YD'
loria, who had be<;ome a Roman Catholic. to ~Ium

r
,
to the Jewish faith. reouhed ;lUlead in E1iano tum-
.odf beinl baptilJed a Roman Catholic in 1551.
Shonly after. he ",,,,red the Jesuit order, he be-

., """'" a priest in 1500. The Coptic patriarch G.ulaIEt.

VII (1525-15611) had sent a ~e of ltcrommoda-
lion to Pope Paul IV (15'5- 1559) ...tlo5e .... c~r.
l:!:-J Pius IV (1559-1565), "",nlln em~y to the palli·
arch in 1561. Eljano ":as sent as companion Ind

..u "'r""" 'I"'! -_.----

Plan of the ruins at EJephant;ne. Cour/uy
GroJm"m~,
of the Ume temple in the late '''th century was
formf<l as a cent...Jly oliented build;nl with an am·
bulatory and lour comer pillJln. Of a 5«<)no
church that once 1Il00d in the northwesl ~ of the
town and probably had ,he fOim of a basilica, only
a few fallen column >hafts and thelr bases ha,"C
",r..hcd. n.c apse appeal' 10 havoc been provided
..i\h an inl>Cl" ring of column... n.c buildinl iudf
..... destroyed by the utbh.lUi" ImartII~ diucrs).
interpreler fur the p8]»o1 leple. Chri5lophoru$ Rod-
riquez. There were no practkal ~ ...Il" from lhe
embllMy. "'" Elian<> returned to Rome in 1563.
where he look up a professonhip in Arabic and
Hebrew at the Jesuit colle,.,. He founded one of the
P~IU first Arabic prin';ng establishments there. In 157B.
Pope Gregory Xtlt (l572-1585) se,'1 Siano 10 rhe
MarOll;leJ. and he allended Ihe Maronite synod of
15-17 Aull.l" 1580 It Oanniibin (Kannobin) and
t...nolated ,he pr-<>«ediflll for thc apprm.,,1 of the
participants. The Coptic pltriarch JOHN XlV (1510-
1585) had ....., a lett« of allepce in 1574. anti
Eliano lor a second time ....,nt '0 f.cl.pt (1-S32_
1584). Again n<>thl... Iov...rd a union of the churclt-
es ..._ ""b~d.

BlHUOGItAJ'HY
Gr'OWTUlIn. P. EkpJum/me fl. Kircloe ..",I Jpal."til:~
H.... ~"f.f:O' .... Clminf'll_p~lJr,of. Ateh»oloclschc
V~rMentlichllllun :it Main, 1930.
kaiser. W., eI aI. ''Swh Und Tempel won EIq>han-
line."' Mi/lei!ultgelt lIu lIeU/:seIt." .. ,eltioloti:sc"en
IItJlI/ufs-Abuilu"l: KpUo 26 (19?O):8?ff.; 27
(1971):18111'.; 28 (1971):15711.; 30 (1974):6511.; JI
(1975);3911.; J2 (1976);6711; (1977);63ff.
Ricke. H. Die Tempel Nd'....eIN>J· If in ElephiJ.. rine.
Beilrlll" Zuf ~mti$chen Baufonchung uno Aile ..
lumskunde 6. Cairo, 1960.
PETu G~OSSMANN
ELiANO, GIAMBATTISTA (1530-1589).
member of Roman Calholic emllanleJ 10 the COl'll<::
ELIAS OF BISHWAw, SAINT, monk ...ito
lived wilh acepcional WJ.!erity (feul day: 17 lei-
yahk). He is moWtt thro.oah the notice in the. recen-
sion of the SyNAJt.U/ON from Uppet- EcYP'. Two Ara-
bic manwcriptl .00 presen-.., the Ufe of Ihis ""inl
(Coptic Museum. Hist. 475. lois. 156~57 [Cear. Cata·
logue no. 718), and National library, Paris. Arab.
153. foIs. 112_14).
Elias was born at Iskhlm in ,he district of Qo~ 011
the east bank of the Nite. While still young. he
crmsed the ri...,r and went 10 the mountain of Bi,h-
wlw. This sire is located by Ihe roth of Bishop
Timotheu•. for the monaotery of Saini VIera" """"
afterward buih on this ,pot (cf. Coquin. 1977. p.
145). He learned by hean Ihiny books of scripture.
Hi' habir. in conformity ...ilh the custom of lhe
monks. w;l$ to read e~ery morning. bul he did not

stop before he had finished the books. Then he
devoted himself to manual labor. Often he redted
the one hundred and fifty psalms. with hi. hand.
raised 10 hea"en. He lived in a 10mb in the midst of
bones, emining such a foul odor that his disciple
John became sick and could nol dwell with him.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Coquln, R. G. "A propos de' rouleaux coptes·arabes
de l·h~que Timothee:· Bibliotheca Orientalis 34
(1977): 142 _47.
Crum, W. E. The Mona$lery of Epiphaniu$ at
n.eIJes, Vol, 2. New York, 1926.
Graf. G. Catalogue de manuscrit' aralJes chretiens
conser",!< au Caire. Studl e Testi 63. Vatican City.
1934.
Troupeau, G. Cawlague des manuscr'ts araIJes, VoL
I. Paris. 1972.
ELIAS OF SAMMOn, SAINT, a ,i,th·century
(?) monk whO!le binh was foretold by an angel
(feastday: 13 Kiyahk). Hi. Christian parents, who
lived in Ihe Fayyiim, held a momhly agape (meal)
for lhe poor as well as widows and orphans, and
were reportedly visiled by the Old Testament
prophets Elijah (Eli~) and EliSha. Despite their
prayers, h;,; parents remained a long time without
children. AI last God sent the archangel MICHAEL to
Ihem, in Ihe semblance of a monk, 10 announce to
Ihem the binh of a son. whom they were to call
Elias and in whom Ihe .pirit 01 the prophet Elias
would dwell. Shonly aftelWard his mOlller con-
ceived, and after nine months gave binh 10 a boy.
When he grew up, Ihe child was the target of jeal-
ousy from his lellow pupils be<:au~ of his success.
Some of his fello.....-s .tole a gold ~e<:klet from one of
Ihe children and hid it under Elias· bed. When ac-
cused, he prolested his inn~ence in vain. Afler
class, One of the pupils was bilten by a serpent and
died, but Elias restored him 10 life, which uused
his holiness 10 shine fonh in t~e eyes "f his teacher
a~d the olher pupils.
lAler he desired 10 become a mon\:, and joined a
hermit who enjoin~ him 10 go inlO Ihe monastery
of Saint UC)-I()Mll!S. He went to Pbow, where he
received lhe monaslic habi!. After dissension. arose
there he left for Djeme (wesl bank al Luxor). where
he stayed for lwo yean, Ihen lived at Banhadab
(wesl bank opposite OifJ) for some lime. Finally he
went to Hiw (D;ospoli. Parva), where an angel
commanded him 10 go 10 Farshii{, nonh of Hiw.
ELKASITES 953
The lext of the Sahidic recension of the SVNAXAR·
'ON. which is the .ole source, has unfortunalely lost
its ending, and consequently the rest of his life
remains unknown; bm since Ihe beginning of Ihe
notice indicates Ihat he died "in Ihe mountain of
SamhUd:' it is probable that he settled in Ihat re-
gion. J. [)oresse. like J. Muyser (1943. p. 226. n. 3).
di<l nol see lhat the continual ion of the texI after
the lacuna is part 01 the life of the Syrian saint.
Hanham and Sara, and Ihat Ihe "monastel)' of the
''aull'· mentioned Ihere is not in Egypt bul in Iraq.
in Ihe neighborhood of Mosul (Coquin, i978. p.
360).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Coquin, R,-G. "Le synaxaire des CopieS" Analecl<l
Bol/onJiana 96 (1978):351-65.
[)ore.,.e, J. "Elie de Samhud:· DiC/iO/maire d·hls-
loire el de giagrophie ecdi,ioJlique,. Vol. 15.
col,. 1%-97.
Muyser. J. "Enoite Peregrinant et Pelerin infatig-
able:· 8ulldin de 10 Socibi d·archOologie <·opte 9
(1943): 159-236.
RU<t-GWROF.., COOn'"
ELKASITES, name occurring in variant spellings
in several patrislic texts and referring eilher to an
allegedly revelalory book or 10 a religiou.< .cachcr.
Dclails about a book connected willl Ihe nam<:
Elcl1asai or Elxai are found in Hippolytus' Rejula·
rion and in the Panorion of Epiphaniu._ In Hippoly·
IUS, Elchasai is assigned a role in the lransmission
of Ihe book, while Epiphanius states thai Elxai was
the author of the book. In addition, the book i.
briefly mentioned in Eusebio.' Ecclesiastical Hi,lOry
(VL38) and in patristic lexts thaI are dependent
upon Eusebius,
From Hippolylus (Refutotion IX.13 and IX.16),
we may conclude that the book in queslion was
wrillen by an anonymous Jewish author in Mesopo·
tamia during Trajan·s Panhian war (114-117). On
Ihe authority of an angel of gigantic proponions
and his female companion. "Ihe Holy' Spiril," Ihe
book announced tllat a war of much larger dimen·
.ion., a final "ruggle among all for<:es of evil.
would break oul within Ihree years (Refulation
IX.16.4). Funhermore, Ihe book slipulaled how
men should a<:1 in view of the forthcoming Day of
the Greal Judgonent. TItey should formally deda<e
before seven nonhuman witnesses (beaven, water.
holy .pirils. angels of prayer, oil, salt, earth) Ihal
954 ENATON, THE
Ihey would keep Ihemsel •.." free from all kinds of
.in. (Refutalion IX.15.5r.). The book also indicated
how cUlain sins (idolatry, fornication) could be
avoided.
Ahhough Ihe book was originally wrillen in Ara·
maic, Ihe le~t quoled in Hippolytu, and Epiphanius
is thaI of a Greek ven;ion. In the Greek texl, Ihe
eschatological features of the book ,,"'ere obscured
while Ihe esoteric, myslerious fealUre. were slrong·
Iy empha$ized. Missionary represenlalives of a
Jude<>·ChriSlian communily residem in Syria, who
appeared in Chrislian churches in Rome and Pales·
line bel ween 220 and 253, were in po......ion of
this book and proclaimed thaI whoever listened 10
Ihe book and believed in il would be forgiven his
sins (Hippolytus RefulaliJ:m 1;(.13-17; Eusebius Ec·
clesiastical History VI.38).
The leader or the above·memioned Judeo·
Christian missionaries in Rome, a certain Akibia·
des, referred 10 Ekhasai as a "righleous man" who
had broughl the book of revelaliom from Parthia to
somebody called $obiai (or, ralher, 10 a community
of sobiai [baplists]) in Syria (Hippolylus Refutalion
IX.13.lf,; apparently Ihis was all Alcibiades knew
about Elchasai).
In the fourth century, a oj/neretiS/ie seel of Elke·
seans living in lrans·Jordan areas referred to Elxai
as lheir teacher (Epiphanius P'mari,m 53.1.2), The
Cologne Mani Codex includes four slOries aboul a
baptiil authority, Alchasaios, supposedly told by
Mani. In al·Nadim's Fihri.I, al J:!aslh i, reported 10
have been the head and founder of a bapllsl sect in
Babylonia. Curiously, Ihere are no clear indications
Ihal the lrano-Jordan Elkeseans of Epiphanius' Pa,,-
ario" and Ihe Babylonian baptists of Ihe Cologne
Mani Code~ and Ihe Fihri." .... ere acquainled wilh or
influenced by Ihe book.
In all likelihood, Ihe name Elchasai (lfayil kesai,
Aramaic for "hidden power") originally belonged 10
Ihe manlike angel wh~F said 10 ha.'e re,'ealed
Ihe book. It is possible t~ condude from Hippolytus
and Epiphanius that the name of Ihe angel W3$
menlioned in Ihe litle ohhe book. Since readers 01
the Greek version could no longer relale Ihe name
Elchasai 10 the revealel'angel, \his lille is liable to
have given rise, 10 misunderslandings. Thus il would
seem Ihal Syrian Judeo-Chrislians believed Ihal the
name bdonged 10 Ihe one who had puI Ihe hook in
Iheir possession, This may have been the basis of
Ihe idea of Elehasai as a religious leacher.
In the course of time, lhe book was 1"'/ and Ihe
supposed leacher became more and more a legen·
dary figure, In the ColOllne Manl Codex, Alchasaios
is a precursor of Mani and \he p.otolyPe of the
Manichaean oIecl.
[See also, Manichaeism.]
1I1I:1UOGRA.PHY
Brandt, W. E!chasai. Ein Religkmsslifler u"d sein
Werk. Amsterdam, 1971. Reprint of 1912 edition,
Cirillo, L. "la lradizione eresiologica di E1chasai."
He"och I (1979}:371-95.
Henrichs, A. "The Cologne Mani Codex Reconsid-
ered." HaYVard Studies i" Classical Phi/ology 83
(1979):339-67.
Henrichs, A.. and L. Koenen. "Ein llriechischer
Mani-Codex (P. Colon. inv. nr. 4780)." Zeitschrift
/ur Papyrologie ,md Epigraphik 5 (1970):97-216.
___. "Der Klllner Mani·Kodex, Edition der Sei-
ten 79, 8~99, 9." ZeilSchrift fur Papyrologie und
Epigraphik 32 (1978):87 -199.
Klijn, A, F. 1.. and G. J. Reinink. "Patristic Evidence
for Jewish-Chrislian Sec..." In Supplemems 10 No·
vum Testamemum 36, Leiden, 1973.
___. "Elchasai and Mani." Vigiliae Chrislia"ae 28
(1974):277-89.
LUllikhuizen, G. P, The Rev.lation of E!cha.ai, Hi·
bingen, 1985.
Slreder, G. "Elkesai." In Reallexikon fur Amike
"nd Chnstenl""', Vol. 4, Slullgan, 1959.
GEJlARD P. LuTrIKHUIZEN
ENATON, THE, one of the chief monastic cen-
ters of Bynmine and medie>'al EllYPt. near Alexan-
dria. It was called in Arabic Day. al.Zu~j (Monas-
lel)' of Glass) or Dayr al·Zajjaj (Monaslel)" of the
Glass Maker). Although Ihe whole complex of mon-
asteries at Enalon was completely ruined at the end
of Ihe Middle Ages, numerous Greek and Orienlal
sources give evidence of me high qua];ly of ils mO·
naslic life, the profundily of ils religious conviclion,
and the diSlinclion of many of its members.
Location
The Bnaton (from Ihe Creek en"ea ["nine"]) de·
rives ils name from its location near the nimh mile·
stone west of Alexandria on Ihe eoaslal road 10
Libya. 11.1 the beginning of the twentieth cenlUry,
archaeologisls discove.ed funerary stelae, on which
one of Ihe monasleries of me complex appeared,
and Ihe remains of a church. As a consequence of
those discoveries, Ihe tendenc¥ is to locale lhe Erul-
ton in lhe neighborhood of the present village of
Dikhaylah, on Ihe fae"ia (coasUiI Slrlp) separaling
Ihe sea from lhe weSlem lOngue of Lake Mareotis.

But nothing is less certain, and the forceful discus-
sion of the epigraphic data by E, Schwam in the
1920s show. that Dikhaylah i. more likely to be the
site of I~ ancient monastery of Ihe PE.MPTON. and
that we must look for Ihe Enaton on Ihe tae.ti~ but
wme miles west of Oikhaylah on Kom al-ZujAj. Uke
olher communities on Ihe I~e",i~, Ihe monastery
had at its disposal a sea anchorage and acces, to
the lake. These geographical £ealUres were favo!"'"
able to the vitality of economic and religious rela-
tions. We must bear tltem in mind in the light of
human factors when we examine the hi.lorical role
of Ihe Enalon.
The Mareotis region, and the taenia in particular,
was considernbly more populate<! and more pros·
p<:'rous in late antiquity than it was only fihy years
ago. Religious establishments abounded. lndepen.
dently eSlablishe<! but intimalely linked with the
Enalon were the Pempton. the 0K10KAIOEKATON. the
E1KOSTON. and others. Travelers and monks mingled
on the coastal road and occasionally made a SlOp at
the Enaton with their beasts. The monaslery provid-
e<!lhem with appropriate quarters for the night. On
crossing Ihe lagoon, travelers arrived in the rich
domain of the sanctuary of Saint MENAS (see AB~
MtN~). The devotees of Ihe great martyr could en-
hance their pilgrimage with a visit to the Enaton.
Fanher to Ihe soulh lay the monasterie. of Nitria.
Kellia, and Seem, whose relations wilh Ihe Enalon
are wei! re<'orde<!, Close by, to the east was the
populou. civil and religious metropolis of Alexan·
dria. Even though Ihe monks of the Enalon did not
always have permission to go to town, news as well
as local and foreign visilors circulated rapidly be·
t_en the city and Ihe monaslery, Finally, heyond
Alexandria there flourished the M£TAN01A, whose
monks in the 480s lent .....i.tance to "sympathizers"
of the Enaton on the occ...ion of an expedition
against a clandestine shrine. of lsi. at Menouthis.
Orlglni
"'
The date and circumstances of the founding of
the Enaton are unerly obocure. The Passion of Sera·
pammon, bishop of Nikiou manyred under DTOCLE-
TlAN, says lhat he embraced the monastic life Ihere
(Hyvernal, 1886-1887. pp. 304-333), which would
dale the firsl aueSlalion of lhe monastery at the end
of the third century Or the beginning of the founh,
But the Passion is unreliable, so one hesitates 10
accepl this testimony. More creditable i. the Coptic
Ufe of longinus, a great figure of the Enaton, the
hisloricily of which is nOl in doubl. This lext pre-
ENATON. THE 955
sent. a picture of a prosperous and celebraled Ena-
Ion in the mid-fihh century that has already existed
for a long time, since there is reference 10 monks
buried in ilS amelery. But Ihi. does nothing 10
clarifY the questiO/1 of its origin•.
The Enaton at It$ Height
The period from the mid·fifth to the mid~\'enlh
century, in the Byzantine period, w... the mOSt ani_
mated in the history "f the Enaton. During that
time its "rgani:>alion and monastic life are besl
known.
0'llanlzal1on, The fact that the Enaton was
called both a laura (a monaslery in an Eastern
church) and a mOMs/enon ("monaslery") should
not mislead one inlO lhinking of it as a single mono
astery, In fact. the Enaton "'liS a conglomeration of
autonomous establishments of ,'arying size and pop-
ulation, sometimes no more than an iwlaled cell.
The~ establishment. also were called ",o"asteria
OT above all f«,j,wbio (Latin, """"obi"",. or "mon·
...tel)·"). Each 1;oinOOioll had its own "hurch and
holy men, who instructed disciples, The ~eral kOi_
noMa of the Enalon were sep;o.rately identified by a
name which mighl recall that of a particular HEGU·
MI'1'lOS or PROESfOS or "falher" or illustrious "ceno-
biarch," a personage .sometimes confused wilh Ihe
founder himself. There were, for example, lhe 1;oi,,·
obio" of the cenooiarch Apa Gaiu. in the middle of
the fihh century and that of Abba Salamah, known
in 551 and again at the beginning of the seventh
century; Ihe eponymous head of that koi",obio", is
perhaps lhe "great Solomon" mentioned about 482
to 489 in lhe life of Severns (PO 2,15.24-27,36
and 39).
A numher of olher components of the Enaton are
known. The Three Cells (end of the fiflh century)
was Ihe dwelling place of the ascetic Abba Zenon.
The M"n...tery of lhe Fathers was one of Ihe most
celebraled. The Monastery of the Epiphany appears
about 567 to 569. The Koinobion of Tougara ap-
pears in the beginning of the seventh cemury. The
Monastel)' of the Antonians appears about 615.
There was a1.so the Monastery of Dalmatia,
Infonnation about other monastic foundation. at
the Enaton is uncertain Or confused. The Monastery
of the Patrician founded in the reign of Justinian by
the patrician lady An...tasia, mend of the theolo·
gian SE\'EIl.tJS OF AmlOCH. is placed at the Enaton by
the Syriac life of Ihis lady and at the Pempton by
the Greek versions. 11 is not improbable, however,
thai this monastery h... been confused with Ihe
950 ENATQN, THE
monaslery of Ihe patri~ian Caesaria, another friend
of Severos, the exa~1 localion of whi~h we do nol
lnow,
There are still more uncenaimies wilh regard 10
Ihe various "oitlobia or mOno; mentioned by ep;·
graphic material from Dikhaylah, su~h as those of
Abba Eu$lathius, Abba John, or laslon. Excepl for
the /winoNon of Abba Salamah mentioned ab<we,
theTe is nolhing 10 prove Ihal Ihese monasteries
were anached to Ihe Enaton. Mor""ver, the "o;no,
biDn of Maphora is placed by one source near the
OktokAidekAton and the Eikoslon.
Ac~ording to Ihe IfISTORY OF THE pnRIARCHs.
there were six hundred of these monasteries at the
Enaton in the lale sixth and early sevenlh ~enturies,
but thl~ figure is difficult to accepl, A~cording to
the Arab Jacobite Synaxarion and the Ethiopian Sy·
naxarion, Ihis figure more likely refers to the total
number of monasteries in the region of Alexandria.
However lhat may be, the man}' eslabllshmen~ al
the Enaton must have given it Ihe appearan~e of a
large lown with irregular SlreelS, houses wilh te,...
ra~ed roofs, and dogs running aboul.
The EnalOn was a son 01 federal institution pre-
sided over by a hegum.nos as Ihe supreme aulhori-
ty and an assembly of the ~ommunily. From Ihe
beginning of the sevenlh centul")' Ihere was also an
oikonomos, Or sleward, which shows Ihat Ihe sepa·
rale monasteries had ~ommon material inleres~.
Nevenheless, we ha\'e only a very summaI)' idea of
their form and exlem. The wealth of the Enalon
was in any case considerable enough 10 have excit·
ed the greed of Ihe Persians under archbishop An·
dronicus in Ihe early seventh ~enlury. We can just
see the pan taken by the offerings in ilS ~Q[lstitu·
tion.
Mon""Uc Ufe. Life at Ihe Enaton can be recon·
slrucled w;lh the aid of numerous edifying anec·
dotes. Cenain features ~tand oul. One- is Ihe large
propenion of foreign.~ monks. Apa Gaius, Ihe
hegurn~nO$ of the Enaton, in the fifth century, was a
Corinthian, and hi$ disciple, lhe Future hegurnenos
Longinu" ~ame from Lycia (in Asia Minor), like his
friend Lucius. Laler Ihere is Teference to Carians
and a Cilician. The slrongest ~ont;ngent, howe,-er,
was from Syria and Palestine, which is explained by
Ihe pro~imily o'f these countries to Eg)pl and above
all by a political and religious conncotic", wilh
Egypl.
A second fealure is the importll.nce accorded,
alongside asceticism and praye., to manual work.
As in many other Egyptian communilies, the work
.....as chiefly the production of baskets and rope. This
practi~e gave rise, according 10 the Ufe of Long;·
nus, to a regular commerce, notably with lbe sea-
farers, from wbich Ihe monks derived some person·
al profi~, which they could dispense as alms,
A final feature is a high ;ntellectual level. In the
4&Os the Enmon rivaled th~ pbilosophical school of
Alexandria. The "great Solomon" laught there "Ihe
lrue philorophy" to an audience of educated disci·
pIes like the "sophisl" Stephen and many sludents
from Alexandria and elsewhere. These disciples
tben formed their own schools at Ihe EnalOn.
According to John Moschus, Ine Enaton wel·
corned Ihe "philosopher" Abba Theodorus, The Ihe·
ological erudition of Ar~hb;shop Damian, of Syrian
origin and a former monk of the Enaton, is men·
tioned by several sources. One of the Enaton's fin·
eSI claim. to glory is to have been the sening in
615-616, at the Monastery of the Anl<)nians, for the
philological aClivily of two Syrians-Thomas of
Harkel, bishop of Mabbug, made a collalion of a
Syriac translation of the New Teslament wilh Greek
manuscriptS and Paul of Tella made a Syriac tran,..
lalion of the Sepluagint after Origen 's HCXllpla. By a
rare chance we possess <eyeral colophons of Syriac
biblical manuscripts compose<l by these two schol.
ars that mention the Enalon.
Rellglouo Hlltory. The religious hislory of lhe
graton is marked by a strong hoslility 10 Ihe Coun·
cil of CftAI.CEOON (451) in ilS insistence on the dual
nature of Chris!. The monks Ihero rallied around
Ihe energetic hegume""s Longinus, and took the
side of OI0sc0RUS, Monophysite palriarch of Alexan·
dria, whom Ihe council had deposed. He senl them
a slatement of his failh, and Longinus on the Spol
roused resistance againsl the emperor Marcian and
his reprosenlalh'e. l1Je same Longinus pla}'ed a de·
cisive role in the eleclion of Dioscorus' "Coplic"
successor, TIMOTHY II AELUkUS. u.ter on, at various
peri<.>ds, persecuted "Mon<lphysiles," notabfy Syro·
Paleslinians, lOOk refuge OT established themselves
at Ihe Enaton, either as individuals such as Thomas
of Harkel or in a body such as lhe mOn"stel~y of
which John of Ephesus speaks. Notorious ami-Chal·
cedonians such as Zacharias $cholaslicus or John
of Ephesus visited Ihe Enaton or sojourned there.
The mosl iIluslrious of Ihese guests was certainly
Severns after his deposilion from the ar~hiepiscopal
see of Anlioch in 518. After the dealh of the great
Monophysite theologian, his relics were relurned 10
the Enaton and were buried there in a mausoleum.
Miracles followed. Several "'Monophysite" bishops
~ame from Ihe ranks of the Enaton, such as John of
Hephae,IUs and Peler of Smyrna. There .....,,.e also
palriarchs of Alexandria, JOftN n, PETER tV, and $aim
DAMlAN. Since the emperor forbade access to Alex'
 ENATON, THE 957

anatia 10 Ihese lasl1W<> pontiffs. Ihe Enaton. where
lhey continue<! 10 liv·e. be<:ame praclically Ihe Holy
.se.. of lhe Coplic church. 11 was perhaps in this
monastery lhal. in 6 16. lhe reconcilialion belween
lhe Jacobile churches of Alexandria ana i\ntioch
was seale<!.
Nevertheless. Ihis presentation of an RnalOn
monolithic in it. opposilion 10 Chalcedon requires
some emendations. Al some poims, a spiril of com·
promise seems 10 hav'e prevailed. In Ihe mid·sixlh
cenlury lhe emperor JUSTINIAN. in a dogmalic lrea-
lise addressed to the monks. congralulate. lhem On
haxing returned to the communion of lhe "Mel·
chite" archbishop Zoilus. To replace Zoilus. Justini·
an chooe at the EnalOn a docile archbishop. Apolli·
narius. John Moschus. in Ihe course of his visits to
lhe Enalon. does not appear 10 have mel any "here-
lies." In the early seventh century the "Melehile"
archbishop John the Almoner (John of Cypf\lS) en·
trusted to the steward of the Enal"n a mission of
conftdence in Palestine, then occupied by lhe Per-
sians, which implies thaI the,." ",as communication
belween lhem. Note also that Nkephorus Callistus
implies lhal Theodora of Alexandria. a fifth-cenlury
saim recognized by Ihe Greelt church, live<! at the
Enaton.
The Enaton after the Arab Conquest
, Sacke<!, as it seem., by the Persians in 619, the
Enaton must have recovered rapidly. It passed safe·
ly through the ARAB OONQUEST OF EGVPT in 641. e",n
benefiling on occasion from Ihe favor of the Mu.~­
lim authorilie._ It ouTVived thereafter and ew,n
prospere<! for seven or eight cenluries, perhaps a
millennium. But for this period the sources are nne
or me<!iocre, The final phase of lhe Enalon remains
as obscure as lhal of its origins.
Several features of the earlier period survived for
a long time, nOlably the federal structure of ,""vera!

,
,,, , ".-
- -- -, ,, , . 1·, ,-- - " .', ,,..,...... -.,
,, ,, ,,
, , l
............. ,, ' .. ' , "._ _._----
,
\ " . _____ __"k

" ,,
,.
, ,,
," ,
,
,, .. , "
.... "

,',
;"
.. <~:
/
" ... ,
... ,
•...' .--,,--'
Plan of Ihe remains disco.'ere<! neaT Dikhaylah, presumed 10 fonn pan of Ihe Enaton.
CO~'lc>y Pele, Gro"mar",_
958 ENCRATITE
ko;~oh;(J. presided Over by the It.gumenos, Nonelhe·
less, one has Ihe impression that from the eleventh
century on, lhe Enaton was no longer more Ihan a
single monastery. We ~now thaI this kind of evolu·
lion is typical in medie>,,1 EgypT. The foreign ele·
ment continued, howe>'er, 10 hold its place; there
were Syro·Paleslinians such as SIMON 1. a former
oblale of the mausoleum of Saint Severos who be·
came patrian::h of Alexandria. and even "Greeh,"
The monks still dislinguished Ihemselves by .'irtue
of thek "erudition" or the sanclity of Iheir lives.
despite a few black sheep,
The mosl noTable change is the exclusive reli·
gious domination of the Jacobit~, .ymboli~ed by
Ihe cuh of the relics of Saint Severos. which is
anested down to lhe eleventh century. The Enaton
is place<! at this period under the invocation of
Severus, the great doctor. It was thus able to cOn·
tinue to provide the Coptic Church with patriarchs
such as Simon I and AlE.xANDE... II. Other holy men
were sounded out for the pontificate.•uch as the
hegumen<>1 AbM John in 689, or his namesake John
ibn TItUS in ](166. If e>'ery patriarch did nol come
from the £naton. a custom auested for the first
time un&r MARK Jl in the late eighth century that
was extinct in the fifteenth cenlury required that a
newly ele<:led patriarch should make a visil to or a
STay at Ihe £nalOn.
AI-MAQRlZl is the last author to treat of the Oayr
al-ZuPj. which >'''as then dedic..ted to Saint George,
as if it were still "Clive. It is true that the monastery
appears in various WesTern maps daling from Ihe
foulleenth to the seventeenth century, but perhaps
it was reduced to the status of a place name. It is,
howe>'er. impossible 10 fix the date and circum·
stances of its disappearance. Perhaps it was the vic·
tim of an atTack by those bedouin seule<! nearby in
the time of the palriarchs SIIENIJI'E II and CIIRISTO-
OOl'WS in the elev~nlh century. At this period the
Enaton numbered scarcer more than forty monks.
a figure certainly much lqwer than that of its popu.
lation in the late Roman Period. Perhaps we should
see at work here the mO',1 likely cause, in the long
term, of its decline: Ihe- d~populalion and progr~s­
sive "reTurn to nalure" of Ih~ Mareolis region. as a
consequenc~ of drought and of the insecurity of the
coast from the 'time of the Crusades,
1I111L10GRII.PHY
Cauwenbergh, P. van. Elude sur Ie. mo;~," d'Egyple
depu;s Ie co~cile de ChalcMoln~ (451) jusqu'ii
['invasion arabe (6401· Pan"·Louvain, 1914; repr,
Milan. 1973. The most exhaustive sTudy,
Cosson, A, de, Mareolis, London, 1935.
faivre, J. "Al.~andrie:· DHGE 2, 347_48 (valuable
collection of sourc~s).
Honigmann, E. Evique. el ."toh" monophysiles
d'Asle Mlneu," au 6e siede, CSCO 127. pl. 2, p.
144.
Masp<ro. J. Hislo;re d<s palriarch.. d'Alerandrie de·
puis la mort de /'empe,"ur AnaSlaSe jusqu·iJ. la
ri-concilialion de. i-gUses ;aco/>;te, (518-616). Par·
is, 1923,
JEAN GASCOU
ENCRATITE, member of an ascetic group arising
in the second cenlUry Ihat abstain~d from marriage.
wine. and meat, The name "Encratile" is derived
from the Greek word enkrateo (to be in control of).
hut it is well to distinguish al the oUlset between
encratela. which is Ih~ villue of temperance, and an
excess of it, whkh characlerized cellain heretics.
It seems clear thaI the Encratite t~"ts were not
the work of Egyptian authors, and that those of
which ClEMENT of ~lEXANDRlA, for example, speaks
(see Chadwick, cols, 3S8~60) were foreign~ like-
wise, Ihe clearly Encralit~ documents such a~ Ihose
from Nag Hammadi (in pallicular Ihe ExEOESIS ON
THE SQl)Lj existed on Egyptian soil only ill transl ..·
tions. If the need was felt to make Coptic mlllsla·
tions, this ,how, that the Egyplians had been won
over to such ideas. Bm it remain, clear lhat Ihey
were no more than impom.
Beyond doubl. the virtue of encralela is extolled
by a number of monastic writers. but they did not
by any means aspire to impose upon ,,11 whal ap-
peared to Ihem an e>'angelic "counsel." offered 10
the most perfect but not imposed as a condition
,ine qua nOn for baplism and hence for admission
to the ranks of the Christians.
There is no lack of texts that expre.. a pessimistic
conceplion of the body. bul it would app<ar that
their authors addressed themselves t" ascetics and
wished to underline the necessity for a monk to
hold in check all desires of the body, including Ihe
sexual. If he wished 10 be truly a "monk."' But there
are also a number of wriling. thaI display an opti·
misTic conception of Ihe flesh: Ihe hody musl be
consid~red an inSlrument will~d by God. Thus
Ev,\(lRt1JS P(lNTICUS rises up against th""e who di..
parage the body, such as the Manichae..ns, and in
.0 doing blaspheme against the Creator (KephRlaiR
gnosllkR IV.60j, John CASSIAN, also a foreigner, but
one who no doubl hand~d on Ih~ leaching of Ihe
de"ll fathers. says in rep<lrting the precepts of
Macariu. that one must behave toward one's body

as if one had 10 live wilh it for mall)' a year.
Evagrius reports the same remark, placing it on the
lips of Macarius the Egyptian.
Whal characlerizes Ihe Egyplian te~ts, in conl...,;t
with those deriving from Cappadocia or Mesopota·
mia. is lhat they are very pragmatic and do not seek
to give their leaching an anthropological basis, a
particular conception of man and of his relations
with God; hence Ihe absence of what one mighl call
ideological mOli,'at;ons (in contrast with wrilings
from Syria or fram Palestine). Il is perhaps for this
reason thai we do nc>1 find any Enc"'tit.. in Egypl
except for those who had been won over 10 cancep'
tians from oUlside,
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chadwick, H. "Enkratein." In Realluikon fur An/ike
und Chri$un/um. Vol. 5, cols. 343-65. Sluugart.
1962.
Coquin, R.·C. "Les Vertus ('aretai) de l'espril en
Egypte," In Melanges d'hi$IOir. des religio"$
offerts II H.-Ch, Pued,. pp, 447-57, Paris. 1974.
RENt·GEORGES COOUIN
ENTOMBMENT. Su Good Friday.
EPACTS, See Book of Epaet.
EPARCHY, lhe equivalent of the Latin province
from the lime of republican Rome. Whereas most
provinces of the empire were administered by sena·
IOrial governors at Ihe beginning of Ihe imperial
period, the province of Egypt was the first 10 have
at its head a governor of equeslrian ran1<, the
"parchos or pmefulus Alemndrtue " Aegypli. The
administJative unily of the ~Iian province was
to some exlent dissolve<! by;'lhe refonns of Dio·
clelian (see PRovINCI~L ORGANIZATION OF EGYPT for
the details of th",e reformsJ: The newly created
provinces covering the territory of late Roman
Egypt (Aegyptus lo,·ia. Aegyptus Herculia. Thebais.
and others) became, now eparchie•. Their civil ad-
ministration ",as directed by a governor. In sixth-
century Egypt the civil governors of the provinces
were subordinatooto Ihe duces (the dux was origi-
nally the military commander of the province). The
fonner p<ovince. or a plurality of provinces, could
thus he conceived as ducal lemtorie•. Bul eparchy
continued to be used officially as the designation of
a province (see. for example, Justinian's edict XIII).
EPHESUS, FIRST COUNCIL OF 959
whereas the frontier provinces of Thebais and Libya
",ere termed limiles (boundaries). Changing desig-
nalions. minor rearrangements, and the random na'
lure of our documentation must not obscure one
hasic feature: In the face of the fluctuating attribu·
tion. of their governors and other adminiSlrators.
Egypl and its territorial divi.ion. maintainoo are·
markable continuity throughout late antiquit)',
As far as the ecclesiastical use of eparchy is con-
cerned. canons 4, 5. and 6 of the Coundl of NtCAEA
(325) refer to ("h'il) eparchies in order to ddimit
the juri,diction. of .ingle churches. Canon 6 of Ihe
Council of OONSTAHIJ<OPLE (381) and canon 9 of the
Council of CHALCEOON (451) recognize and recom-
mend the institution of provincial synods as bodies
of ccdeslastical jurisdiction. That the ecclesiastical
statu, of communities ".-as directly linked to Iheir
political or administrative stalus is clearly shown by
canon 17 of the Coundl of Chalce<!on, specifying
that the ecclesiastical "order'" has to adapt itself to
the public one. Canon 9 of the same council puIS in
evidence the ascending line from the bishop of the
single bishopric to the synod of the province (el'ar.
chia), directed by the metropolitan, and from there
to the exarch (patriarch) of Ihe diocese.
BIBUOGRAPHV
!.allemand, J, L'Admini>tr"tion civile de f"Egyl'le de
I'avenemenl d" Diodelien a fa uealir>n du dio<:e.<e
(284-382). Contribution ~ /'hude des rapporls en-
Ire /'Egyple el /'Empire a la fin du fir el "u IV'
$'ede, pp. 4t-57. Brussels, 1964.
Mason, H, J. Gruk Terms lor Rom"" los/;lurU",s: A
Le.xie<>o ""d An"lysis, pp. 135f. American Studies
in Papyrology t3. Toronto. 1974.
Rouillard. G. L 'Adminislration civile de /'Egypte byz-
antine, 2nd ed. Paris, I92B.
HEINZ HEINEN
EPHESUS, FIRST COUNCIL OF (431), third
ecumenical council, summone<! by Emperor Thee·
d<)sius 11 in order to seule the Nestorian controver-
sy. The period from 3BI 10431 wa.' dominated by
lhe efforts of the bishops of Rome and Alexandria
10 undo the ","ork of the second ecumenical coun-
cil. that of Constantinople r (381). The rivalry of the
three sees came to a head in the conAict between
ORR OF ~lJ'.XANDRtA (412 -444) and NESTORlUS, arch-
bishop of Constantinople (428-431).
Nestoriu. was a monk of Antioch slrongly influ-
ence<! by the principles of that city's school of the-
ology. He acquired a considerable reputation as a
960 EPHESUS, FIRST COUNCIL OF
preacher, and when the 'ee of Constantinople be-
came '",cant in 428, Theodosius 11 appointed him
archbishop, o,'erriding the daims of local candi,
dat"". Nestorius, who had a fanatical streak and was
eager to rid the city of \.Chismatic, and heretics,
posed as a zealo"s supponer of orthodoxy, He fully
supponed his chaplain, Anastasiu., who had
preached against the use of the word Theotokos
(Mother of God) as .... oring of APOlLINHtMltSM. A
violent contro,'ersy arose o,'er the use of the tenn,
which had gained popularity with the growing de·
votion to the Virgin Mary, Nestori"s' opponents
gained the suppon of Cyril and the Egyptian monks,
The antipathy between Aleundrian and Antioch,
ene theology and Cyril', love of conOict and intoler·
ance of diS5<nt added fuel to the Aames, and led to
hi. defending Theotok", in his p~hal letter of 429,
Cyril's agents in Constantinople spread the idea that
Nestorius did not like Tlteotokos because he did not
believe that Jesus was God, E>ccerpts from Nestori·
us' sennOns were equatcd with the utterances of
the third,century heretic Paul of Samosata, Cyril
thus succeeded in building up an atmosphere of
suspicion in Constantinople against Nestorius, He
then persuaded Celestine, bishop of Rome, to sum-
mon a synod at Rome in 430; it wndemned Ne'tor-
ius, as did Cyrir, OWn synod in Alexandria. Cyril
then sent notice of both condemnations to NeslOri.
us with a covering leller and twelve anathemas. The
twel,'e anathemas condemned the "two natures"
theolol\)' of Antioch-the division of the words and
actions of Jesus between His di,'ine and human
natures-and required Nestoriu. to agree that the
Word of God suffered in the flesh.
Meanwhile, Theodosius [J had summoned a coun-
cil, to be held at E;:ph~us, for Pent""o,t 431. Nes-
torius was confident that he could prove that the
twelve a""themas were Apollinarian in tendency,
but he undere'timated the ability of Cyril to sway
the proceedings to his o\lli views, and also failed to
appreciate the distress thaI his remarks concerning
Theowkos had caused, lI(estori". had enemies in
Asia Minor who were jealous of their own libenies,
and Memnon, hishop of Ephesus, became a violem
opponent, throwing in his lot with Cyril. NeslOrius
had the support of John, bishop of Antioch, and
other Syrian bishops, The scandal caused by Nestor-
ius' remark that "God is not a baby two or three
momhs old" continued unabated.
The third ecumenical coundl finally met on 22
June 431, when Cyril and his suffragans assumed
control of the proceedings and deposed Nestorius.
The Syrians am,'ed four days later, ha,'ing been
dela}'ed by severe weather, and on hearing the
news, held a rival synod and deposed Cyril and
Memnon. Finally the legates of the bishop of Rome
arrived and joined lhe main council in accordance
with Celestine's wish, C}"Til's dubious action. thus
had Western ratification, and he went on to con·
demn ~flJ\GI.\NI"', to grant Cyprus ttdesiastical in-
dependence, to appoint Ju"enal patriarch of Jerusa·
lem, and to prohibit any addition to the Nicene
Creed, The two rival synod, had, however, cursed
each other; and the emperor, nol knowing what 10
make of the impasse, I<Itified the depositions of Nes·
torius, Cyril, and Memnon as if these were the aclS
of a single coundl. Cyril was, however, a master of
bribeI'}' of state officials, and the position of Nestori·
us began to wealen. His offer to return to his mon-
aste')' at Antioch was accepted, and Cyril's p""ition
was strengthened by the suppon he received from
the papal legates and by his ability to escape pun·
ishment for hi, overbearing behavior, At Alexandria
he was greeted with triumph on hi, return,
The breach belween John of Antioch and Cyril
was healed in 433 by large concessions On both
sides. However, this re<:ondliation was maintained
only with difficulty and broke down complelely af·
ter the deaths of the main protagonists. The third
ecumenical coundl was not really influential as
such in later centuries. It "'as subsumed under the
authority of the Coundl of NlCAF.A (325) as "'pre·
senting an orthodoxy' from which no deviation was
possible, However, the formal approval that it ga,'e
to the lide Theowkos was significant for Greek Or-
thodoxy. In Coptic Christianity it i. accepted, unlike
CH.\LCEOON, as an ecumenical council.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bathune·8aker, J. O. Nesto";". a~d hi. T<Qchi~g.
Camhridge, 1908.
Chadwick, H. The Early Church, pp, 194-200. Har·
mondsworth, 1967
D'Alh, A, Le Dogme d'Ephf:se. Paris, 1931.
Fliche, A., and V. Manin, ed•. Histoire de {'iglise,
Vol. 4, PI'. 163-196. Paris, 1939.
Frend, W. H. C, The Mrmophysile Movemem, pp.
1-49. Cambridge, 1972.
Herele, C. J., and H. Leclercq, Histoi,e des CDnciles,
Vol. 2, pt. I, pp. 287-317. Paris, 1908.
Kraatz, W" ed. KOplische Akten mm Ephesinische~
Ko"vl vorn Jahre 431. Text<> und UntcI"$uchungen
26, no. 2, Leipzig, 1904,
Lon&;, W, Nutorius and hi, Place in the History of
Chris/ian Doctrine. Cambridge, 1914.
LEsUf W. BARNARD

EPHESUS, SECOND COUNCIL OF, COII-
.o~ed on the "rder of Emperor Theodosiu. II (408-
450) <>Stensibly to heal the rift that had de,-e!oped
between F1avian, patriarch of Constantinople, and
lhe archimandrite ElJrYCHES. It met 31 Ephesus in
two sessions, Sand 22 August 449.
Fla.ian had ac~us.d Euty~h~ of pTeaching a
ChrislOlogy thaI denied that ChriM was true man,
and assened thaI the Divine Word itself p"nicipaled
;n the sufferings of the Passion. Behind this dispule,
howe,-.,r, was a les' of strength among the four
greal see. of Christendom: Rome, Constarninople,
Amioch, and Alexandria. Jerusalem, under it. ambi·
tious bishop Juvenal (422-458), was in the ..... ings,
~king ;ts own advantage wherever possible. TI,e
outcome was a triumph for Alexandria. which
place<! il as lhe foremost see in the Christian wodd,
before Ihe Council of CIIALCEDON in 451 restore<!
the primacy to Old and New Rome.
£tIlyches had l:>een condemned by bishops at the
.ynod 01 Con,tanlinople on 22 November 448, He
w"'" declared deposed from his position as archi.
mandrite of an influential monastery' in the capital.
Immediately he appealed to what he called '"the
councils" of Rome, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Thes...-
lonica, .nd R.venn. (the imperial residence)_ He
received the support of Alexandria, whose patri·
arch, Dias<:orus I, was already engaged in a grow·
ing controversy with Domnus, patriarch of Antioch
(441_44\1), and Flavian on the issue nf the alleged
persistence of "NeslOrianism" in the ea>1. H. w,,"
also finding support from the emperor, who had
once upheld NESTORll'S but now feared Nestorian·
ism, as though it were a reversion to paganism. In
February 448, The<>dosius II had ordered the burn.
ing of "Nestorian works"' along with those of the
ami·Christian Neoplatonist philosopher Porphyry
(Codex Ju'linianu$ 1.1,3).
Events in lhe spring of 449 fa.-ored E!Jtych"".
Dioseorus receh'ed him into.:I:Iis communion_ The
emperor expressed dissatisfacfion wilh the manner
in which Flavian had conducted the proceedings
agains' Eutyches and Mmanded a eonfe,sion of
faith from Fla.'ian_ There were violent anti-Ncstori-
an outbTeaks in the cily of Edesia, which alarmed
th~ emperor funher. On 30 March, Theodosius pub·
lished a decree ordering a council of bishops to
m""t at Ephesu•. [{ was to be a judicial council
de.igne<! to try the single is'sue of the rightness or
wrongness of Eutyeh"'" condemnation. 11< numbers
were confined to met.opoiitan bishnp. 8-'Sisted by
'en other leame<! bishops from their own respective
provinces. In omer to represent monastic opinion"
EPHESUS, SECOND COUNCIL OF 961
a supponer of Dioscorus, the Syrian monk Bar·
saumas, was added to the bishops' numbers; an
imperial nfficial, Count Helpidius, would represent
the emperor at the pmceedings_ The task of enn-
.'ening the council and presiding over its delibera·
tions was entrusted to Dioscorus.
The main point in doubt was the altitude <>f the
pope. In the p.eviou. dispute involving Constantin-
ople and Alexandria over the views of Ne,torius
(430-431), Pope Celesline had supported Alexan'
dria, The questinn was whether Pope LEO THE GREAT
would ,uppan l.'.utJ"'hes and Dioscoru,. Flavian',
tardiness in infonning ko of the decision of the
Home Synod-he did not write to ,-",0 until March
(110, Leiter> 26)~may ha.'e cost him some sympa·
thy at Rome, for Leo's reply on 21 May 449 (LeI/US
38) indicated no particular urgency in the malter.
Leo's considered response, written on 13 June-
Ihe famous Tome-was not sent diTect to Flavian at
Constantinople but taken to Ephesus by Ihe pope's
legates. The Tome, wbile forcefull}' assening the
necessily of acknowledging Christ "in two natures,"
came too late to help Fla.'ian.
On 8 August, about 135 bishops assembled at
Ephesus. At the first session <>f the council, Dioseo!'
uS took every opponunity 10 humiliate his fellow
archbishops. Flavian was accorrie<! precedence not
only below the papal legates (l3i.shop Julius of Pute-
oli and the deacon HilalUs) but also below Domnus
of Antioch and even Juvenal of Jerusalem, The
pope'. tactical error in not addressing the Tome
diTectly to Fla,'ian became crucial, because Dios-
coru. could assert with some show uf propriety that
its discussion must tah place after the main busi-
ness of the council as Slated by the emperOT-the
case of l.'.utyches, It was thus moved to the bottom
of the agenda and never read at ali.
Elllyches w,," able to cile d""uments allegedly
wriuen by Pope Julius, Gregory "the Wonderwork·
er," and Athanasius to suppan his case. In fact,
Ihese were among the "Apollinarian Forgeries," but
at this time they were accepted as genuine docu-
ments. Having listened to these, the council had nn
h""itation in acquilling Eutyehes, "Two natures be·
fore the union, one afterward. Is that not what we
all believe?" Dioscorus' question was answered
wi'h an enthusias,ic affirm alive. Eutyeh"" was de-
clared guiltless and restored to office.
Had the mailer stopped there, Alesandria would
have gained a great triumph to. bo,h its doctrine
and its ecclesiastkal status, Unfortunately, Dioscor·
us wa.~ no moderate. Disgraceful scenes ensued.
Flavian found himself condemned for "causing dis·
962 EPHESUS, THIRD COUNCIL OF
turbana: in the holy churches" .nd "-.:Idlnl with-
out authorizalion to lhe teachinl of lhe creed of
Ni<;..... ~ Ht and the ftlk>w acCW<l!' of Eul)"ehc:s,
Eustbius of lloI}iatum.... tre dtcb«d dtpostd.
Fl",iu1 himself .._..., bn.nally manhandled !hat he
died soon afit.....-ani ThO' ~ Ieptes wtn iJUl.lh·
eel and Hod from tht awombly••'&inly pt"(lI$in&-
Bishops pr..... nt w,.,.t Oft.....~ by ~I"S and
monks. and fvrced to $il" bl...k fonns on "'hOch
the condemnation of fb>Un .nd his wppor1tn
could Iat,.,. bt wrilttn.
On 21""'&US". the council coropltted iu won. by
dq>o$ing Domnus of An.io<:h. Thtodotet. bishop of
Cynbus. and u-. bi$hop of Edeua. It p~nctd
JOltmnly the acc~nct of CYJ:ll OF At.£XAllD...... ·$
,.....1........ hemas '"" canonical. Diotl$COrvs pined
...IIa, appe.tNt to l>e a final triumph ~r Ra.ian by
haoin,l hi> rep~ntatiYe I",pocns.ori"'J. Analolius.
consc.c....ted archbiohop in hi. st.. ad, Th.. lille of
panurch now becamt nonnal lor th.. holders of
Ih.. ireat ""e$ of Christendom. Juv.. nal of J..rusalem
was admitt..d 10 the company of palriarclu. He ""'"
10 Oversee six provinc... (thre.. of Pale.lin.. and
three of A....bia) carved out of th.. p&nurchate of
Anlioch.
Ephesus II is lhe high-waler mark of Ih.. po_' of
th.. see of A~"'" So long as 'IlEOOOS'US 11
lived.. Iu decisions "....,.., proal aplns. prote$n by
.h.. papacy and a sr:ction of I .... im~rial coun. I.
..,.. "the cily of the onhodox." Ho",.... er. conlinutd
opposilion of rhe Roman ...... and the i"nate
strength of CollStanlir>opl.. as eapltal of.he tmpin:
mill1l wdJ. bave prtvented the consolida.ion of Iha.
_thority. As it _ , the ahock of the di$or"derty
procffding. (d. iheodtwd of Cyrrt.us. lAtru. 1 n.
PC. col,.. 1J1!J-jJ2>1). so _II as the I.I't'OpnCt ef
DloJoorus, conlrib<lted ro the n.pid c. . . . of polio
cy M the imperial. couM aft.,. the dealh ol Thcod<:.si.
US II as th.. r8l.l1t of a huntiflg accMknc on 28 J..ly
>ISO. The ......-01.. ~ that thtn took plact in tilt
eccles....ricaI policie at th.. ..-t Roman world ee·
sured .haI Ephesus II ""enl . . .·n in hislory in Pope
Leo', description (I.!n£rJ !J5l as .h.. u.lroc;n;um
(Robber Synod).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cam£let, T. "De N..storim' Eutych ..,." In Du K.,,,.
til ven Chalad.,,,, ed. A. Grillm..i. and H. Bacht,
Vol. 1, pp. 213->12. Wil~bu'T!. 1!J53.
Chadwick, fl. "The Exile and Death of Flavian of
Constantinople: A Proloiu" 10 Ih.. Council of
Ch:aICtdon." Jo«...41 of Theoiogic<JI Su.diu. n.... 6
(I !J55): 17 ·34.
Frend. H. C. n,£ Riu of m£ Monophysil£ Mov£.
w.
_m. chap. I. Cambridce. 1979.
HaMt. F. Np,.'fiaKh DM:>skut: Nar:h monopll)"Sislis'
eben Qu.. lIm.· KirrlK"p..,hidulidlt AbIo4>1i·
/U"I:£>I 6 t19O&J.
Honiproann. E. "Ju''eNJ of Jetusaltm. ~ D"m1Nmorf
O.d:.. Plfpu$ 5 (1950): 211-79.
Sellen.. R. Y, no..
C"""dl of Chal....i"". chaps. 2
and 3. London. 19S3.
W. H- C. "-E.... D
EPHESUS. THIRD COUNCIL OF. Ala....
I)'nod of bishops from Ih.. pro';lKts of Asia MinOT.
Ephesu, III . . . preslded ""... by ll\OOTlfY II AU.tJlt·
US in >176. 011 his way from Constantinopl.. 10 Alex.
andria. durini th .. lallt• .Itallts of Ihe ",urpa.ion of
Basili.lcu$ (>175->176). The convening of the synod
...as Timothy's 6nal ..fIon to gain the ernpirt', ac·
ceptance of .h.. anll·Cbalc.. donian view. of the ""t
of Alexandria.
The council pdilion was nOt "Eutychian:' as has
betn sugge$le<l. It <lid. hewevtr, reque51 Baoiliscus
t<) lil-and firm in his condemnalion of Ihe TOI1l£ of
Pop" t£O rn~ GREA' and the CouncU of CHAI.CIDOS.
,.. .... out In .he "lKycllcal publ;shW the prtvicrus
)"Car. Chalcedon. il ...as declared. had cauud
"dtaths and slau~ten" and "the blood of .he or-
thod....:· and mould .......;0 condemned (Evagriu.
Hi.olOriJ> uclui",wca 3.5). Th.. council also .....ed
Bastliscus 10 confirm its deposilion of Acacius, th..
pa1rlan:h 01 Constantinople (>l71_4!9). and. in ad<ll·
lion. 10 nn~ ito opposi<ion to the poI;cy of the
,.,., of Conwootinople. It aJ.o r=ore<I 10 Ephesus
~~riarchaJ righu" (meanifla: the righl kI cona·
croue tho: bio.hop 01 tht pr<>"ince of Asia). which
ha<l been 1<$ ro Com.tantinooplc under the 'enns of
Canon 16 of Chalcw..:.n. It also rtSlored Bishop
Paul • ..no ha<l t-o deposed (perhaps by Acacius),
ro Iht ...... of Ephesus.
Tbt rt:'It<)..... tion 01 Emperor Zeno in Augw;' 476
",nden:d the dect"U$ of th.. council inwalid. By thts
lime TImo.hy ha<l Iume<l to Aleaandria. where h..
died under ren d .hrea. of exile on 31 July 477.
BIBLlOGI\APHY
Frend, W. H. C. Th~ Rise of the M.,,,ophyj;t~ Move·
",e>1l. Cambridge, 1979.
Hole, C. "Paulus (31)." In DeB. Vol. 4. p. 261.
Repr. Ne.... York, 1974.

Sinl~l1i, M. "Elesi:' In rn~k,""rio pruri,tko ~ di
.nllchll. COs';"n•• Vol_ 1.1'1" 1099_IIO}, R~,
1913.
W. H. C. Futlo
EPHRAEM SYRllS, SAINT (c_ 306-373), om
of 1M mosI prodI.K-tin opiritual wrilen 01 lhe
fourlh c~nnuy. UftS of Saint Ephncm (Bibli«heca
Haciol"f'hica Orientalis 269) an: We and P'"O"*
WI with no ob;ectiw information aboul him, His
PO""'>' can best be !lace<! throuah the COOlSide....
able quamlly of his works. He "'"as born al Nisibis
around 306 and must Rill have known and been
subj«t to the influence of lames of N;,ibi, (30)-
)J3). The portm he ,wn of the Ialler is lhat of a
paslor and a saim. an "",elK and a churchman,
whose relia prol~cled the IOWII agaimt the P~r·
,ians. Bishop Vologesus (346-J61) is a~o the sub-
ject of the mQst lively <:Ulogies. Through InnumeTll·
ble hymn, it is possible to compile a Lable of the
lIumer(lUS dO<:lrinal d",ialions on lhe periphery of
Christianity In the founh cemury in Me$OpQutmia.
In J63 lhe IOwn of Nisibis was handed (l,'er 10 the
Penians following the defeat of IUUAN TH~ ~I'OST"Ta
Ephnaem lhen went to Edes£a. whe..., he ceruinly
utucht l>1 its famous school.. He apptars lW"'ff 10
ho.ve bun other lhan a deacon. "The hymn dedlcat·
ed to Julian Saw (d. )67) bears th~ t~ of a
f.,.".,nl diociple. Accontinglo the Clrronic:/~ of E4~.
$<I, Eph",~m dioed in 373.
The WOI"k of Eph,..m appo-and ar the some lime
in 5)''''''' and in G~k. and il is not easy 10 est.IIb-
IWI the priority fOO" his thought, which -s certainly
Jim p.oen uprrssion in S)riac. The l:he<>Ioc>cal pro-
fundity of his _rb ,,,,,,11.-.:1 in hi$ brin. declen:d.
doc_or of the "n,venal chun:h by the Roman c.th·
o/ic Churdlln 1920. ille all prolific wrile.., Ephn·
ell'l irupil'C<l a large number of pseud<opilnpha.
Other WOI"b aouaftl the $1IppOn,of $Uch a «Iebrat·
~d nanw. Siftinl me aUlhenlic from the apocryphal
has mainly been the labor of D. Hemm..rdinle.·
Iliadou and J. Kin:hmeyer, as publ;,hed in lWO
anic!"" in Ihe Die/ianrla;", de <piri,... /itl.
In Coptic, under Ihe nam~ 01 Ephraem Ihe~ re-
main the followina eighl lext£:
I. An ""'elie <115<'00,.,.. (Clavi~ Palrum Graeco-
rum 3909: Brit;sh M~um, Manuscript, Or. 6783,
wrine" In 973 al D~YR MloA MAQAIt [Monaslery of
SainI Macalius of [dIU]. fols. 45-63). It was pub-
lished by E. A. Walli. Budge in 1914, The lext ooxi~t·
ed ;n Syriac, Creek, and Ul;n ",lmOISI from Ihe Sian.
EPHRAEM SYRUS, SAINT 963
:z.. Sennon on tlw: palnan:h JO&eph, in lhe Pier·
ponl Morgan Sc"", (Vol. 31 of the photographic
edilion) and in a codex of Day< Anbi ShinUdah
(CIa\is Patrnm Graeronun )933).
J.. A $e'f"nlOft on the lransfi&uratlon (Cia>'" Pat·
rum Graccorom 3939). This sermon is variously
anribuled in lhe manll3CripU.. It......, inlerpolaled in
....rious _yo by thE CluIcooOoniaJu in Gnd.
whenor ... auribulion by varicIu. ~riSllc 5<'~
10 Eph"..".. of Anlioch. bul in Coptic II is interpo-
lated in an anti-Cbakedonian WlI)'. As the..., is an
o:lanl GeoqiI.n ,·enion lhal is nOl ;n thE ,.,,,,'ice of
eilhcr of the lwo faction" OM must ask ...-betl1eT the
homily is not prior to Ephnem of Antioch, and
therofore aulht:rllic.
•• A sennon on the \1Io;n life ar>d on penitence
(Clavis Palrum Graecorom 4031: Vatican library,
Coptic manuscripu, 57, lob, 66-74 [Bohairic) un-
der the name of John Chrysoslom: also in PC 60.
col •. 735-38; bul II can also be found in Greek in
Ephr.w:m·, name).
S. The sermon on the aduhere~~ (Clavis Palrom
Craeeorum 3952: there ls a Bohalric Coplic ve",ion
in Vatican Library Coptic manuscriplO, codex 68:
this has been puhlished by l. e:;.,idi {I 897).
6. A Icner altributed 10 Eph .... m. which exisu
only in Coplic (Cla\'iI Palrom Craecorum 4!lS) was
published by E. A. W.lIi1 Budge (1914) from .he
...me manuscr1pllhat contains the Ash/ikon.
7. Some ~lS from lhe White Monastny
<:onLain the remains of De ... ,,/Whri>1O (Clam ~­
rum Graecorum 3944): others have the remajno of
the CGl«heKS (T. Orlandi, 1910, p. III).
I, A to:l pubOshed .mona lite CopIk fotaI Jet.
lrn of Saini Alhanasius by L T. Lftort (1955. pop..
121-l!) cOl'n':SJ'Oflds to ... Do"'""u for Cm,,""
MOOIh. published In Georpan by I. Imnadi',,~1i (Cia·
.... l'atrum Coooerorom 4145, ilem 16). Auth...llicily
<::IInnot be ruled oul. Epltnem's influence In EcYPt,
though Iale, ' - beaI analyzed by H. J. Polotsky
(19B).
BlBUOGRAPKV
Beck. E. "E.pbum Ie syrien," In Dictionna;", de
spirilualite, Vol. 4, cob. 788-800. Paris. 1958.
Budge, E. A. W_ Coptic Ma.".doms in Ihe Dialeu of
Uppe. E/lYpl. London. 1914,
Guidi, I. "u. ITlIduzione copla di un'omelia di S.
Efrem."' Busariorl~, IoCr. 2, 4 (1897):1-21.
Hcmmcrdingcr·lliadou, D. "Ephrem (Les ver·
sion.).'· In Diet;01mai.~ d~ spiril,."lil'. Vol. 4.
~<>Is. 800-SI9. Pari$. 1958,
 964 EPICLESIS
Kin:hme)'er, J. "Amres versions d'Ephrem." In Dic-
tiD~~Di,e de spi'-;r~Dlire. Vol. 4, col•. 819~22. Par-
is, 1958.
Orlandi. T. Elernmri de IinguD e letlUDI~,a COpID,
Milan, 1970,
PolOlsky, H. J. "Ephraem'S Reise nach "gypten:'
OriemaUD 2 (1933):269-74.
MICHl'.L VAN ESB~O&K
EPICLESIS, Ihe invoking of the name of God
upon a person 0< thing. Ahhough in the hapti.mal
liturg)' the Holy Tnnit)' is invoked upon the bal"
tized pe=n. and in the rite. of confirmation and
ordination the invocation i. of the Holy Spirit, this
al1icle i. limiled 10 the lilUrg)' of lhe Holy Eucha-
rist. In the liturgy. the pnest petitions the Father to
send in the 6rst epiele.i. the Logos and in the
second epiele.is the Hal)' Spirit upon the bread and
wine to make them the Body and Blood of Christ.
However, in the Coptic lilllrgies it is also extended
to invoke the HoI)' Spirit upon the people and to
sanctify lhem through the Holy Eucharist.
Whether the full con.ocralion is accomplished
through the epiclesis of the Word or the Holy Spinl
0< the words of institmion is a point of controve",)'
between the Oriental Ol1hodox and the Roman
Catholic churches. The Coptic Orthodox church,
being of Ihe Onental Ol1hodox family, belie,'e. that
the eucharistic lilUrgy is one inseparable unity and
that the full conse<:<ation i. a proce•• that requi<e.
all the element. of the Divine Ulu<gy; the ANAMNE-
SIS. the words of consecration. and the epidesis.
The Roman Catholic church beli""es the words of
institution are lhe onl)' requirement despite the fact
that reference to the epidesis of the Holy Spirit. or
rather the Logos, has been traced in its early can·
ons of the mass. However. SOme prayers included
there are interpreted as being forms of epidesis.
According to Ihe Copti"tPmrgy of Saint $erapion
{d. after 360), which is not in recent use. the epi-
desi. take. place before ,be word. of institution,
though with lhe invocation of the Logos fthe holy
word), probably to presenl the divine nalUre of the
Lo<d Jesus Christ at Ihe time of the Arian heresy.
The three usual Coptic divine liturgies-Saint
Basil, Saint GregOl)', and Saint Mark-contain e,-
plieitly a double epidesii before and after the
words of institution. The first epielesi. is inaudibly
prayed by the priest and i~ petitioned 10 the Holv
Logos. being the spotless lamb. as a request for Hi~
presence on lhe altar and is in concurrence with
lhe Old TeSlamem paschal figure:
o Lord and Master, Je,us Christ. the Co-Pal1ner.
the Logos of the undefiled Father, the Consut.-
sumial Wilh the Holy Spirit; Thou art the life-
giving bread that came down from heaven; ThQU
hast made of Thyself a spotless lamb for the life
of the world. We beseech and implor<: Thy good-
nes., Thou lover of mankind [pointing with his
finger to the bread). to reveal Thy divine visage
unto this bread [and pointing to the chalice] and
this chalice; [and pointing to the Altar he sa)'s]
both of them are placed on the priestl)' table
which i. Thine. [He then crosses the bread and
wine thrice. sa)'ing] Bless them. sanctify them,
purify, and lransform them. (He then p<>ints to
the bread in pal1icular saying] So that lhis bread
will be Thine Holy Body; [and to the wine saying]
and the mixmr<: in this chalice will be Thine
Honorable Blood. [He then cominues saying]
May Ihe)' be fur us all a .ource of exal1ation, a
balsam, a redemption for Our souls, our OOdies
and our spirits too....
The .""ond epiclesis comes right after the words of
in"itution, when the officiating priest petitions for
the in"",ation of the Holy Spirit nol onl)' on the
bread and wine but also on the congregation:
We beg Thee, 0 Lord. our God. we ar<: Thy sinful
and unwol1h)' servants, to permit uS through the
pleasu<e of Thy Goodness 10 worship Thee; And
dUll Thine Holy Spirit may descend upon us and
upon these oblations; purify, transform, and man-
ifest them in sanctity unto Thine holy people.
(The priest the" crosses the holy bread thrice
saying] and this bread is made into Hi. Holy
Body. [Then bowing with stretched arms he says]
Our Lord. God. and Savior Jesus Christ, this is
given for the remission of sins: whoever pal1akes
of il is granted eternal life. (He does the same
with the chalke and says] And this chalice too
halh His Honored Blood of Ihe new covenant
that is His. (Then he says while kneeling] Our
Lord, God. and Savior Jesus Christ, this is given
for the remission of sin.; whoever partakes of it is
granted eternal life.
According to the Coptic Divine liturgic. Ihis d"".
not mean that the mystery is al this time also made
complete. After the pmyer of the fraction. which
follows. the priest offers the inaudible pmyer that
explieitly indicates the CQmpletion of the m)'stel)'.
BIBU(JGRAPHY
Atchley, E. C. O~ the Epic/es;s of the E«charistic
Lit«r8Y and On Ihe CQ~SeC,,,I;on at the Fonl. Ox-
ford, 1935.

Deiss, L Springtime of the Uturgy: Uturg;cal TUIS
of Ihe FirSI Four Centur;es, lrans. Mauhew J.
O'Conndi. Collegeville. Minn .. 1979.
Jasper. R. C. D.• and G. J. Cuming. Praytr$ of the
Eucharist, Early and &fom'"d. New York, 1980.
Lee, R. D, Epic/esis and Ecumenical Walogue. Dia·
konia 9, Bronx, N.Y" i974.
GABRIEL A.BDELSAHED
EPIGRAPHY. Su Inscriptions,
EPIGRAPHY OF THE KELLlA. See Kellia.
EPIMA, SAINT, manyr in the perseclllions of
DIOCLETIAN (feast day: 8 Abib). The text of his Pas·
sion h,.. come down in a Bobairic codex (Vatic.n
Library, Coptic manuscripts, codex 66, fols, 96-123;
Balestri and Hyvernat, 1908) and a Sahidic codex
(Coptic Museum, Cairo; Togo-Mina. 19.H),
The beginning of tbe Passion is connected with
the CYCLE of Basilides and forms an introduction
nol necessarily linked to the Passion of Epima. It
tells tbe story of the war belween Diodetian and
Sltapur, king of Penia, the capture of Shapur's son,
Nicodemus.,.. a hootage. and tbe beirayal of Bishop
Gaius, which provoked the anger of Dioeleti.n
against the Christians. The fiNI martyr is a soldier
whose name is nol known (d. Hom. 1982). Then
the famous edict demanding sacrifice to pagan gods
is promulgated and sent to the prefect Annenius in
Alexandria.
Here begins Ihe real Passion of Epima. who came
from Pankoleus. near Pemje (Oxyrhynchus). He h<IS
• v;.;on and goes to the dux Culcianu. at Pemje,
who orden; Bpima to bring the prie!lts and .acred
objects to him. Bpima refuses and is imprisoned
and tonu,..,d. He has a 'lisio...,f the archangel MI·
CHAEL, who heals him: he is ,tortu,..,d .gain. and
Ihe" .em to Anneniu. in Alexi",dria. Here he per·
forms various miracles in prison. Julius of Aqfa~
visits him. and his sister is healed by Epima. In
coun Ihere is a fresh argumem with Annenius and
also tonure. miraculpus healings. and \'isions. The
duus Rucellianu~ and Sebastianus come to Alexan·
dria. and Epima i, handed over to Ihem 10 be
killed. Julius bids him farewell. After his many,..
dom. the se];lants of Julius take the body to Shmum
and then to Pankoleus, and return 10 tell Julius
what has happened. Julius ·'signs" the text of the
Pasoion.
E.PIMACHUS OF PELUSIUM. SAINT 965
Thi. lext, therefore. ~Iongs to the Cyde of Julius
of Aqfahf. and the lively inventiveness and Ihe in-
troduction would indicate that it is among the old·
est in Ihe q'CIe, dating to abolll the seventh
cemury.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Baleslri, L, and H. Hyvernal. Aaa Martyrum, 2 wis.
CSCO 43, 44. Paris. 1908,
Hom. J. "Der enile MlirtyTCr. Zu e;nero Topes de.
kopti.«ohen Mlinyrerliteratur (mit >:Wei Anhling-
en):' In S",dien w' spiUamiken und fmhchrist-
lich~n K"n,t und K"lt", du Ori~nts, ed. G. Koch,
Wiesbaden, 1982.
Togo Mina (J. MUY5<'r). L. Mart)',. d'apa Ep;ma,
Cairo, 1937.
TrIO ORlAND!
EPIMACHUS OF PELUSIUM, SAINT, a
martyr in the great persecution, of l)\oelETIAN
about 3m (feast day: 14 Ba~hans), He was of con·
siderable prominence ;n Christian Egypt. Sa'ld ibn
al·Bi!riq (876-939) write, in hi, Annals (Cheikho,
1906. Vol. l. p. 16): "In the daY" of both Dioe]etian
and Maximian 1housands of martyrs died; they tor·
lUred Mar Jirgis in all sorts of ways and pUI him to
dealh in Palestine although he W3S of Ihe Cappado-
cian nation. and these two killed Mar Men,... Mar
Victor, Vincent, Epimachus and Mercurius:' For an
Egyptian of Ihe nimh cemury, Epimachus oecupied
quite na1urally a place close 10 Ihe most ,..,nowned
figures. The Oxyrhynchus papyrus calendar. dated
535-536, notes a lilUrgical synaxarion in honor of
the martyr. in the church founded by PllOlB.o.MMON
on 3 Hatur. Only four mutilaled pap)'rus leaves now
preserved at Turin remain in Coptic on Saint Epi-
mac:hus. They have Mn published by f, Rossi
(1888, p, 235). The reading of the text of the fin;1
fragment of a column was improved by O. von
Lemm (1910, pp. 1461-64), The Coptic fragments
are panicularly Urildng because of the large num-
beT of EiYPlian toponyms and because of the date
they imply. These fragments. which belong 10 the
fihh-,ixth cemuries. show in their title 14 Bashans
but give 3 Hatlir for the execllIion of the martyr.
It would hardly be possible 10 imerpret these
fragments without Ihe help of the Arabic parallel
preserved in Ihe notice of the Arabic $YNAXARION,
which .ummarizes in detail the contents of the
longe't Coptic legend, We should also consult Ihe
ra,.., Greek Passion~ of which an Arabic version also
exists (Esbroeck, 1966. pp, 399-442). These parallel
966 EPIMACHUS OF PELUSIUM, SAINT
accounts allow us to affinn that Epimachus was a
weavu at Pelusium, and Ihat he was twenty-seven
years of age when he voluntarily offered himself as
a witness to his faith before Polemius, the gO"ernor,
who had set up his coun of justice On the dried-up
ri,'e< near Naucmtis, whe..., the altars for pagan
sacrifices were also ereeted, When he <eached the
place of tonure, Epimachu, comfoned a girl called
EUlropia, fonified the prisoners in their prison, and
brought them the comfon of pm}'er and of faith.
When he himself suffered man)'Tdom. a drop of his
blood was responsible for cures.
The Coptic fragment' also make it possible to
state that he brought the Eucharist (five loaves and
two fishes) to his brothers Kallinikos and Dorothe-
os. leaving the golden key (perhaps for the taberna·
cle) to them, The two latter names are in factth"",,
of the two bishops who succeeded one another af·
ter Constantine in the see of Pelusium. The Synax-
arion alw speaks of a translation at Pelusium that
has been completely preserved in Arabic and has
been published b)' M. "an Esbroed_ From this it
appears that Epimachus was first of all placed in a
convent and that because of the peace of Constan·
tine his bod)' was transferred to Pelusium, where,
thanks to the emperor. a large church was built.
There is no ground for disallowing this item of
information. fo< the cult very soon spread beyond
the frontiers of BroTt.
At Rome the cult of Saint Epimachus was later
mixed with that of Saini Gordian. A Latin text plae-
~ the Passions of these two saints in the <eign of
Julian the Apo.tate (B;bliotheca hagiographica lati-
na 3612). However, the end of that text and the
oldest topographical notices in the Latin world
show that Gordian was, in fact, buried in the
Church of Saint Epimachus, who therefore antedat·
ed him.
For both of them. however, the feasl da)' has
continued to be May 10,,*,,,bably because of the
initial commemoration of Epimachm of Pelusium,
At Constantinople a relic of:Epimachus was brought
by Constantine and placed jn his palace. According
to a Creek synaxarion of the t,,'e1fth century. the
sainn day was celebrated in the manyrium of Saint
Stratonikos.
In Egypt itself, the cult of Saint Epimachus suf·
fered a fate paral!ellO the pr'ogressive sanding up of
Faram~ or Pelusium. The episcopal seat gradually
moved to Tinnis_ The bishops finally Came to be
designated bishops of Tinn;s and Damirah_ Epi.
machus of Pelu,ium acquire<! a counterpan in the
person of Epimachus of Arwat or of Shubra MinslnA
-a disciple of John of Arwat under the patriarch
ALEXANDER Il (705-730). Eplmachus of Arwat seems
\0 ha"e been called Moses when he was at Soetis,
When he became bishop of Faram~ in the patriar-
chate of KKA'IL I (744-767) he assumed the name of
Epimachus. undoubtedl)' because of the great mar-
tyr of his epis<:opal see. The HISTOR\, OF THE PATRI_
ARCHS OF AlEAA~DIUA records thai he performed two
miracles to the di,a,h'antage of the Chalcedonians.
The location of Damirah in the Arabic translation
and in the Synaxarion-halfway between Faram!
(0< later Tinni,) and Nau<:ralis-corresponds to the
spot where Epimachus was laid before being moved
to Pelusium. It would provide a "alid IOponymical
explanation for Miamyris, the place transcribed in
the Coptic Passion. where the dried-up river was On
the route !Tom Pclusium to NaUCralis.
Epimachu, also has an ancient liturgical canon.
preserved 001)' in Georgian. More than one detail
makes il possible to recognize in tbis Passion pa5'
sages of the type we find in the Arabic Synaxarion.
The hymn was probably composed in the Greek
Palestinian period prior to the activity of the mon-
astery of the Studium at Constaminople, when a
great quantity of hymnographical literature was
preserved for us in Georgian lranslations.
The Arabic "translation" of Epimachus tells us
that the <:hapel of Epimachus, built by Constamine
before the large chur<:h, was the work of a certain
Sophronius and of Anniaous, At Oxym}'nchus, too,
a church was founded by one Annianus, before the
J'('rs('(:utions ended. in honor of Saint Colluthus.
The<e is nothing odd in the rediscovery of such
ancient hints relating to Epimachus. To the nonh of
the famous temple of Abu Simbel there is a fresco
that shows Epimachus on horseback: it is a work
dating from the eleventh or twelfth centur), (Le<;-
lant. 1965, p. 203). Finally, in Ihe hean of Nubia a
STELA has been found, dating from around the
eighth century and with an inscription in Coptic
that reads: "On this day the commemoration of the
blessed Epimachus. the third da)' of Paoni [8a'-
unah]." This is the southemmost evidence for the
cu1l.
BIBUQGRAPHY
Cheilr.ho, L.. ed. A'ma;s. VoL 1. by Sa'jd ibn al·
Batriq. Paris and Beirut, 1906,
Esbroeck, M. van. "Saint Epimaque de PeluS<', Ill.
Les fragments coptes." Bibliotheca Hagiographica
Orientalls 274. Ana/uta Bollandiana 84 (191)6);
11.85 (1967); Ill, 100 (1982):l25-45.

Ledant. J. "Fouilles et tt3vaux en Egypte et au
Soudan. 1963-64." Orienta Ii" 34 (1965).
Lemm. O. von. "KOplische Miszellen XCI." Bullelin
de I'Aeadimi. Imperial. de S"int·Peler.oourg 4.2
(1910).
Mina. T. Inscriptions COpMS el grecquu de Nub••.
Cairo. 1942.
Rossi. F, "J mal1ini Geoore. Heraei. Epimaco e
Ptolomeo." Memon. d.lI" Reale Ac"demia delle
Scien.e di Tonno 38 (1888).
MICHEL \'AN EsBROECK
EPIPHANIUS, CANONS OF. SU Canons of
Epiphanius.
EPIPHANY, FEAST OF THE. See Fe...ts, Ma-
~,
EPIPHANY, LITURGY OF THE. The eel ...
bration of Ihe Epiphany. One of the seven major
fe...ts (see FEASTS. O/l>\iOR) of the Coptic church.
takes place on the eve of 12 Tubah. It commemo-
rate, the manifestation of the divinity of Jesus
Christ as He was baptized in the river Jordan. There
are four se"'ices on this fe... t.
L In Ihe e"ening prayer and the psalmodla. the
priest conducting the se"'ice says the prayers of the
raising of incense for the evening of the feasl. These
are followed by a hymn in glorification of Saint
John the Baptist. beginning ....,ith: "A glorious name
indeed is thine, 0 kinsman of Emmanuel,"
Meanwhile a special tank. or basin. called laqql'm,
is filled with water. At the conclusion of this hymn
the clergy and deacons, carrying crOSSl's and light-
ed candle•. proceed to lhe middle part of the nave
of the church, and say the pr;oyers of the office of
midnight. Then the psalmodia.~ said over the laq-
'Ian waler. , The people say Ihe wrd', Prayer. and the priest
2. In the laqqdn service, the laqqdn basin is a
symbolic repre.entation of the Jiver Jordan. scene
of Chri.t's baptism, The Coptic 0l1hooo' church in
Jerusalem holds this particular service of the
Epiphany festival at t~e riverside. while the resl of
the prayers are conducted in the Monastery of Saint
John the Baptist close to the riv'er,
In some of the older churches in E8YPt. the 10'1'
'If'" basin, which i. made of marble. stone. (lr met·
al. is u.ually kepi undemeath the ncor in the mid·
die of the nave, covered with Ooor boards. marble,
or flagstones. It is used only on three occasions
EPIPHANY, LITURGy OF THE 967
throughout the year. f(lr the service of the sanctifi·
cation of the waters, for the footwashing on Maun-
dy Thursday, (see FEASTS. MtNOR) and for the foot-
washing on the fe... t of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
The priest begins with the words. "Have mercy
upon us 0 Goo Father almighty. All-holy Trinity,
have mercy upon us. Lord God of powers, be with
us. for we have no help in our tribulations and
affliclions save Thee," The people say the wrd's
Prayer and the prayer of thanksgiving. This is fol-
lowed hy lcelions containing rele.'ant prophecies
from the Old Te.tament. in this order. Habakkuk
3:2-19; Isaiah 35:1,2; 40:1-5; 9:1,2; Bameh 3;36-
38; 4:J_4; E1.ekiel 36:24-29; 47;J-9.
The Pauline epistle is taken from I Corinthians
m 1-13. The hymn of John the Baptist follows. af-
ter which the people recite the TrL<agion (see "'OJ-
SIC), and the priest says the intercession of the G0s-
pel, and reads the Gospel (Mt. 3:1-17). The priesl
then says "0 God. have mercy upon us." etcetera.
after which the deacons sing "Kyrl••Idson" twdve
limes, Then follow the ""'en great intercessions, for
Ihe sick. the lravelers, the winds and the fruits, the
head of Slate. the dormants, the oblatio,,". an<l the
catechumens. The priest then recites the petition
an<l lifts up the cross of lighted tapers, and the
people say "Kyne ele;son" one hundre<l limes. This
is followed by the lhree great pra)'ers (for peace.
the fathers. an<l the congregation) and Ihe celebrant
says the prayer for the sanctification of the waters,
at the end of which he signs the waler three times
wilh the cross, saying, "Sanctify this water. impart
to it the grace of the Rher Jordan .... Thou dillst
sanctify the stream. of the Jordan. having drawn
upon them Thy Holy Spirit from heaven. Do
Thou now sanctify this waler. May it become the
fountain of blessing, a gift of purification. an absolv-
er from sin, a purger of sickness. that it may be a
purification of the soul. body an<! spirit. for all who
shall <lraw from it or partake of it.
recites the three praye,.. of Absolution. followed by
the benediction.
At the end of this service. the ....istant priest
takes a white napkin. calJe<l shamlah (see UTURCICAJ.
VESTME..'lI'S). dips it into the water, and signs the
forehead of Ihe chief priest with it three times, an
action symbolic of the baptism of our Lord Jesus
Christ by the hand of John the Baptist, After this. it
i. the chief priest who takes Ihe ,hamlalr and signs
the priests. lhe deacons, and the congregation on
the forehead. Meantime, the deacons sing Psalm
J50 and the priest says a prayer of thanksgi>'ing.
968 EPIPHANY TANKS

3, In Ih.. lC..... l.::.. of morning offering of inc..n ..... Ban. Majdj (soulh of Manfalu!) wh...... 1M Epiphany
pray.. rs a .... resumed from lh.. !lInc'uary, and dea· lank is local ..d in a sid" room bchinillh.. sancluary.
cons 10 back '0 lheir U5u.a1 place at the choi •.
4. The Divine Liturgy. as is usually ,he c.... in all BIBLIOGRAPHY
major feti's of ,h.. chu~h, is cel..bra,ed according
Bunnesle., O. H. E. Th.. EOPlitm OT Coptic Churelt,
10 ,he: Anaphora of Sooin, e,;uc;oRY. with Ihe follow-
pp. 250-56. Cairo, 1961.
ina: >",riationa appropria'e '0 the Epiphany: (I) fol· Butle•• A. 1. Th.. AMi<'n' Copti.. Churches of Et:fPl,
"''''ing ,h.. ~ading from the SYI")l.lRION. ,he dea- Vol. 2. pp. 346-49. London, 1970. R~nt of
cons sing !he hymn of Saint John .h.. Bapli<.l; (2) IllSA edition.
,he psalm "",rsic1c it Psalm 117: 25. 17; (1) !he VIIln$Icb. J. M. N....vell.. 'elel;o.. ell f _ de ~nt..,
Gol.pol is from John I; 13-),,(; (4) after ,he xnnon d'ull l'a]<J~ fGil en EDP'" .... 1672 el 167J,
th", ~ sing the ~I hymn for the Epiphany: p. 342. ram. 1677.
Illis is the Lamb of God """0 (:8~ ,he sins of
the world. H.. ""he brough, a hom of sah...lion 10
sa,.., His peopI",. Hallelujah. .."Ilch••jah. HallclujAh.
Iia1lelujah; J~ Christ. lhe Son of God..... bap- EPISCOPACY. S.... Bishop.
tiud in th", Jordan"; and (5) 1M lheme of the fUC.
TJOfl pf'I.).... is rq"Mration of man Ihroudt bap-
tism: ''Thou hast vantcd lit lhe grace of 6li,nion
EPISTOLQGRAPHY. anciiciud Grftk '"'Of'd
th...... ct\ 1M I~,,~ of thc M'W bl"h and the ""neo.o...J
clel'lo<)tinl the "'Tiring (vllplte) of a IClter (epistol.. ).
of lI.e Holy Splm:'
The snody of let,er wrhinll has as ;ts mal dia;n·
~ aDd c...... q.<... lhe various kindII ullew:rs,
anooIyring 1M form and funClKw> of Ibc Componclll
",lcmen.. (mtrodo.oction. body, conclusion) of
lcoen, leaminc of and deocribinc tM mcchanlsms
I""'"
EPIPHANY TANKS, ."'la'i..... Y Iarp: basins.
0. powiI S)"lems th.-ough ""hieh ,hcsc communica-
mca9llri", Silo 1II 9r. fff1 (2.4 1II 3.0 m) in !he
tions moved to their destinationa, and cumin;n,
church of Sain' Mcn:urius a. 'M monast.. ry of ... va
the theorie$ of !he ancicnts on the an of lette•
• BO $AYFAYN and S1J.l IC 31J.l1eet (1.7 IC 2.0 m) in !he
"-"riIi,,&-
church of SainI Scrgius. As a rule !hey art rectan·
AWMen""" of the leltc. as a unlq..... and sp",dal·
gular and may bc 41'0 f..... (1.4 m) dttp... in Saint
ized fonn of communication. som""lmes nen an
Sergius. Epiphany IInu arc panlcularty 10 bc found
an fonn. is aidenccd in Ih", worb 01 anclcnt iiI...
in the media...1 churches of c.iro. [Jo..,n lO the
noli and rhclOricians. Demetrius. for uample. in
bc&inning of mo<km 'imes, they we"" uoed for the
discussing IC'lter writing;n his "''0"" Oro SIY/e, ami-
ceremonl." of lhoc feast of EpOph.o.ny, II Tiibah. The
bUI"'" to Anemoll. !he editor of Arlslotl",'s I"".ers,
tanks we.... filled to ,he brim wi.h "'....cr. and any- th.. Slal..ment that the sttbject of a I",u... should bc
one ""he wi:l.hed COt.Ild plu ....'" in. cralL III ibn liq-
conw..rsational (223). An EcPtian letter from lit'"
laq (1215-1243) prohibi'cd ,he wnil;nl of a public
Nnw Kincdom ",ilb the hcadin, "Belinn;nc of lhe
bath on ,.... same day. F.o. conwenience in dimbinc
\..cssool in Letter (writing)'" altC$l$ tha, inS.....Clion
0\11. ""weral Slep$ "'' 'N:
~cd 1.1 the come...
in ,he an of Vo'riling lettcrs was availabl .. '0 Ih",
Originally 1M fCUI look p1ac", by night on ,he
would-be ..pislolograph.. r. "Practlcc" Ictt"'rs of Ihis
banu of thc Nil"" SirK:~ Ihli "'''' assoda'ed ""m sorl in G...... k and $<'ve.....1 G...,.,k len,..·""ri'ing hand·
much noise and disturnanc:e, and probably aIU"IC"
boob ar.. still «Ianl. ThcSt' ue~i""s and hand·
ed 100 many Muslims, it had 10 bc lnonsferred ".·i\h.
boob not <>nly >how lhat epislolegraphy was • mat·
ill the thu«,hcs under ~L-l$Aro;;IM (996-1021). In ac·
Ie. for study and practice bul .Iso h",lp 10 ~pl.ln
cordance with Ih.. importance of the Epiphany
the promulgation of lhe formulaic phrascs SO ewl·
feast, Ihe Epiphany tank is placed in th" vicinily of
dem in anci.. nt I..u ..... ,
th", ",n'nonc.. , usually in th.. mlddlc of Ih", narthex.
Tn Ih.. church of Anbi Shinudah of Dayr "bU Sa)'·
G .....ek Corrl'5pondence
hlyn in Cairo. i, is ;">\:ated in a side room in Ihe
w,"hern scctlon of tha, church since Ihat had In<>smuth as Ih", sludy of Greek epistologl1lphy ;s
served lit lhe 11I1.......enln8 period as an ..nlrane.. far more advanced Ihan Ih .. sludy of Coptic .nd
chamber. An unusual c~ is th.. small church of Arabic I",uen. and has gi,en rise 10 an approach

and a terminology that are used in the investigation
of both Coptic and Arabic epistolography, an over-
view of letter writing in Coptic Egypt should begin
with Greek correspondence. Greek lellers are gen·
eraily divided into four categories.
Familiar Letters. These communications are
usually h<:tween relatives or friends, but other let·
ters that emplOji expl"<'$Sions of familiarity are al""
included in this group, Such letters almost always
have a greeting from the sender (Al to the recipient
(B), with the sender's name first, such as ·',1.·8
greetings." in addition to a wish of health: these
salutations often include .ome men lion of the rela·
tion,hip of the tWO correspondents. In this func·
tion, the words "brother" and "sister" occur regu·
larlyas telTl1s of friendship and equality. even when
the correspondents have no blood relation. hip.
"Lord" and "lady" appear as deferenlial terms for
parents with increasing frequency during the Ro-
man rule of Egypt. lhe phrase "h<:fore all things,"
followed by an expression such as "I pray you are
well" or "I greet you," is "hen found in lhe open·
ing of these leners. The same phrase is used in
Coptic lellers (.ee below). As a closing th<:se letters
have simply "farewell" or, more elaborately, "I
pray for your health." In the first century A.D.. sec-
ondary greetings to friends or relatiyes in the recip"
iem's vklnity, such as those found at the end of the
New Testament Pauline epistles, h<:came common
in the closing of familiar leners, In the second cen-
IUry and afteno,ard, such secondary greetings be-
came pan of the opening.
Petitions/Applications. Under this heading are
not only petitions and applications (usually for reno
tal or purchase) but also other legal documents
addressed to officials, such as birth and death notic·
os, census registration., and complaints. In docu·
ments of this class, the addre.. fOlTl1ula regularly
gh'es the name of the recipien.t h<:fore that of the
sende<- By placing the recipi"'lf's name first, the
writer acknowledges his inferiori,y to the official he
is addressing. Greetings mayor inay nOt be inelud·
ed with this addnss. Among the,variations are "To
B from A," "To B, A," "To B from A, greetings,"
and "To B, greeting., A" The designations that ac·
company the greetin~ in such letters are usually of
a mOre formal and definitive nalUre than those in
familiar lellers, giving such information as patro-
nymic, age, occupation, place of residence, and dis-
tinguishing physical characteristic,. Petitions nor·
mally close with "farewell."
Business Leite .... Many of the texts in this cate-
gory are not letters at all but commercial docu-
EPISTOLOGRAPHY 969
ments drawn up in epistolary folTl1. Their opening
formul"", usuany in lhe fOITl1 "A to B, greetings,"
generally include much identifying detail aboul
both the writer and the recipient, including occupa-
tion, age, physical characteristics, and names of
parentS, 5POUses, and guardians. Tlte opening for·
mulas sometimes contain a health wish. Many of
the leners in this dass have no special dosing for-
mula, bm "farewell" i, used frequently.
Offidal Leu..... Administrative and business cor·
respondence wrinen or received by official persons
comes under this rubric. The opening formula in
letters of this category is usually "A to B, gr""l-
ings." This opening som<:time. include,; <Orne men·
tion of the relationship betw...." the writer and the
recipient. Most of these lellers end with "farewell."
in those varieties of letters tltat used "farewell"
as a closing, the expanded formula '·r pray for your
health" began to sopplant the simple folTl1 after the
first cenlury. Tn all but familiar lellers, an illiteracy
fOlTl1ula was appended to the end of the leller if the
sender was unable to write and had the document
drawn up by someone else. In the standard f()Tmula
the scribe, after writing his own name, declared, "!
wrote [this] on behalf of X since he does not know
letters." In the body of leners from all four of these
classes, standard phrases or cliches were common
(see Steen, 1938, pp. 125-72, and White, 1981, pp.
98-102).
In the study of Greek epistolography, as well as of
Latin, Coptic, and i\rabic epistolography, letters
from the four categories ahove are usually labeled
"real" or "nonliterary," while letters that were in-
tended for the public at large (though perhaps ad·
dre..ed to an indiYidual), as well as treatises and
essa)'s wrinen in epistolary form with an opening
and closing, are called "nonreal," "fictitious," or
"literary." Use of the leller form as a vehicle for
philosophic or didactic thought has a long and rich
tradition. The classical authors Plato, Aristotle,
IsocTates, Demosthenes, Epkurus, Horace, Seneca,
Sallusl, Pliny, and Ouintilian all wrote treatises in
the fOITl1 of epistle•. The tradition was continued by
Saint Paui, Saint B;l5il, Saint Gregory Nazianzus,
Saint John Chrysostom, and Saint ShenUle.
Despite the fact that most studies of ancient let-
ters deal only with real lellers or only with fiClltiou.~
epistles, many of the same fOlTl1ulas evident in the
four classes of real letters are found in li,erary let-
ters. Accordingly. a numher of scholars ha,'e found
it suitable to apply the same kind of anal)1ical ap"
proach to both varieties of communication (see, for
instance, Bet,-, 1975, p. 353).
970 EPISTOLOGRAPHY
Only r«,.ntly haW' Coptic I,.u,.", beaun 10 ..njoy
lhe kind of Cllmoive and detailed _1)'Sit lhal has
been Iariihed on tlteir GreeI< COUIllet'p*lU. bul
BOen<k1>.loopf-Zithtttr'. UnuO'll.d.....tet UI"l Icopfi.-
Jd,.... 8riefJ"""w- is a .ipi6a.n1 and ,.,.]u"ble
first SI~.
The brtlOld a1epieo fur Coplk correspondm<:,.
are (I) privale kuus; (2) ollicial 1,.11.... (docu-
ments. businos ku.. rs. adm'niSl",liw,. corn::spo...
dmc,.. and such); :ond (3) epiolles (IM"'I)' or non-
rul knen). The Coptic kucn 1....1 .... ,~ su"""'"flI
dale from lhe period bel ....,n II". Ihird or founh
....nlul)' 10 dI.. lenth or nth C.. nlUry. The vari·
0\1$ parts of lhese I""""" with dI,.ir compon..nl for·
mulas are Ih.. following: polile p~e (apology.
Imroduction formula. gr.... ling, hrallh formula. I....·
I"r receplion formula, opponunity formula): body
(inlroduclory ph .....e): and dosing (pray.. r rOMPula.
remembnlnce formula. confirmallon. dosing fo ....
mula. dale, odd"".).
This paradigm represem. diachronically the
rang.. of formulas that were avallable 10 Coptic lei·
ler wril..n. How..v.. r, few of Ih.. formulas w.. re in
UJe fur Ihe enlire period from which ..........ve top.
lic leiters. and it is DOt 10 he ~Ied Ihal II writer
from any given period will ..mploy all of the formu-
las al his ~ Nonelheless, with lhe exc,.plion
of die pr:ayer and ",m,.mbran;;:e formulas, whkh
evince chanles anributable 10 the adwnl or I"am
and Ih.. deeli,", or Greek as the administr:a1i-ve I....
guace. each fotmub renuo.incd ""rpr;.;nlJly stable
IlIrouahooll the period in which it ..... used.
Wrltn'$ .-d the apology wh.. n Inq. were unable
to find a p;ee.. of F""P)'fU5 and wer" for«d 10 pm a
leuer on an 0STItAC0f<. This funnuJ" ma&o its ap-
peanmc.. in the silab ceolury and was quile cOm·
mon in the seYCnlh and ei~ cenlouies< "The .. Yi-
de""e indicales tl\3l: i'''''' u"..;l only in lett..rs to
~rion. In n. simplesl klno il reada, "Forp..~
m,.: I found no piece of papyrus. ~
In its fullest form the: inlroductol)' formula givn
Ihe IUlmes, occupalions, and litk, of "nder ar>d
recipi..nl, and the r..lalionship of the ... nder to the
r...,ipi,.nl: abb;e~ia.ted forms•• ucll ... "if is X, who
wril'" 10 v:' lea'", out much of this Information,
Variation. can indud.. a ... If·ab..inl ref. renee 10
the ...nder as a .ervant: gr..etings; addilional ,'ecbs
(e,g" "it i. X, who ",rile. [and] greel' Y:' "il ;. x.
who dares il [and] wrile. to Y"), and pr..po,ed
.. lem..n!$ ..,ch as "before all lhlngs" and "farewell
in th.. Lord."
Th.. greetin, usu~ly .tands in th,. pre&« of the
letl..... bul il is lKIftW1im... lOur>d in the conclusi01l..
Its stal'ldan:l form Is "X trtetS v:· Frequently lwo
or man verbs are combined in a single greetin,. In
many lell..rs the name of the ""nder aAdJor mcipi-
enl is u:p1aced by pronouns 01" epithets such as:
~s-er4JlI" (uostrl of ,he sender). ·'""n.~ an<! "holy
bther_~ To the simpl.. creet1llf, many writers add
modifiers such u .'1Ia)' mud,·· and .-wilh my whole
bean." Often cne1inp ar,. .,..,1 to othfts in the
home or viciniry of Ih.. recipient.
With the heallh formula th.. sc:oder inqui..... after
the _libel.. of Ihe recipN:ot. The simple fonoub·
tion of Ihit inquiry i, "1 .10 aboul your heallh-··
Oft..o Ih.. qu.. ry is followed by an ass..r:ance ,bat Ih..
... nOer himself is in Sood Ileallh. In many I,.u.. ~
th.. inll00UClory and hullh formulas are combined:
for instanc... "1 am X [andJ I write and inquire
after Ihe welfare of Y."
T.... leu..r recep,ion formula indical'" lhal an
..arlier leiter has been rec.. l~ed: for ..xample. "I
[we] have received the leuer of Y." This .imple
form was uoecl mOSlly in officia.1 corre.pondence.
which deall wilh mundan,. mailers and wa. stnt
bel....''''"'' persons of equal rank. In OIlier lette ..., Ih..
formula is ...ually npanded 10 indude ...,me ex·
pression of joy al lhe n"_ contained io the previ·
ous l..u...., ~ially the news lhat iI£ sender i•
......11. 5I>Ch as .•, (wel .... ~ received the Ietl.. r of Y; I
[......J ....... [w..re) ""')1 pleased because I Eu.... J
learned th,.reby dial Y i. well." Th.. ku.. r r=eplion
fulTDub occurs in lell..... ",Tillen beIv......... lhe
fourth and ninth cenluries.
With lhe opponuniry fannula 111,. ...Tiler ,.:>plicilly
SWO;$ lilt ob--lou5: lhat he ...Tiles becaU5C: hr ..... 1M
oppoilunityandjoe 1M need 10 ...Til.. ("I round an
opponunily landj it is a duty and a consln.int m
..... 10 ....rll.. ~). Greflinp ,,",.......-Ily aU:aclttd 10 this
fonnub; for instanc... "I kJund lhe opportunily. (soJ
I wrote. in order 10 I"«'l Y.N Somelim... a wril....
expreMe!l this notion in oeptiw: fadlion. such as
"",;!houl any indlH:emenll Ireel Y.~ n... opporr.....
ily fonn..la was US«l In lhe 5i~lh. ~rnth. and
righth centuri.... lr occ..... primarily in papyru5 lei'
toe .... Often the conl ..nt of llle kite", in ",'hich i,
appea is " combinalion of bu.ine.. and private
mall : III...., lelte~ were ...ually senl to eqwtl. or
superiors.
In ...,me lelle... the body follow. the preface im·
medialely without any inlroduction. bul in man)'
oth.", lhe actual communique is introdu"ed by a
form ..la or a formulaic "~pl....ion. The ,'ariollS
kinds of introductions fall Into six cia.....: (I) actual

inll'OCluetionl; (2) thole ,,·hich contain a rO'que$l;
(3) l'-'e whkh c""lain a command Or a summons;
(4) those whkh <:onuin .. "",test; (5) thooK whidt
contain a con6mution; and (6) lhose ..tlkh int.v.
duc:e a repCln.
I""
In pr3)'ff fo....ula, ,,·hkh can <:ome at eiwr
the be&innin. or the end of the !elll'T, the sender
asks 1M recipienl 10 pray foe- him. Simply fonnuJ.a,·
cd, il re:adJ ')w2y lor me, but addenda are oom-
N fronl, at the begionin& of the leuer. In \etten on
mon: "In Ioo-e:' "in your ho!ineu:' and Min your
holy pnyen. More o:>mplicated fonnJ are a1so at'
U ,he leuer or sometimes omitted a11OJe1her, its pul'"
teRedo SlId! as ''be so dear:' ''have the soodness
[to] pray lor me:' Ind Saini Shenute's "we ask your
spotleuneM 10 p...y foe- us lhac we may be capable
of complaing our "''aY in peace as our holy
brother :' Moll of lhe letten in ,,'hkh the
prayer fo ",11 occurs ITe dated 10 the s~Ih, xv·
enth, or eighth cenlury.
The remembrance formula asks lhe recipient 10
keep the tender in his thoughts, such as "Ihlnk of
me.'· It il of,en prefaced by the phrate "be 10 dear
[IS to]" Or follo..ed by such phTa$C$ as "in your
hoiy pnyers" Ind "in the uplifting of your hands."
The formula Is anested belween the founh and
ninth centuries from the Fa)yUm to Thebes. While
II appears in lellen on bolh oslracI and papyri. Ind
in bolh pr;vale and businn,s lommunicaliom, it
wlS used primarily in correspondence ..ith persons
of ecdeslastiocal standinR,.
The «>nllnl'lation fonnula occurs aim",.. CAdu·
lively in papyrus Ittren of the SCVftlth and eichlh
centuries. It is normally bipartile in form. with the
fint pan always being "by writing these lhinp."
The second pen admiu « some variation. Some·
limes it is I .rteti..,.sud as '" veet y." Some-
limes it is I health wish. web as "remain _II in
lbe Lord." or an apresMon of hope thaI the sentler
,,·m fan _II through the COrKern of lhe recipienl.
such as "I hope thaI I will be well Ihrough your
pnyen.." Combinalions of ~ a greeti", and a
health wish (eid•.". ror the recip>enT or for the send·
er) are liso common in the oectmd pan,
The cl<»inl fomtub, like the health ",Ish, ad·
drn.ses the _I~ of the recipienl. In effect It Is I
panin& sal~lation. Somt:times it is as. simple U lhe
command "be _II." More often it ;s modified by
ph~ ~ch u "~nlil "'.., come:' "aI",ays.'· 100 "in
Ihe Lord:' In the leners of Saint Athanaslus and
Sa.inT Shenule Ihe dosing fonn~la somelimel Ulkel
Ihe form "I pray that you a..., well in the lord:·
In Copllc letters. the date is often given in Creek.
The writer nonl'lally specifies Ihe month. day, and
Ihe indk:lion year, for example, "it was wriuen on
EPISTOLOGRAPHY 971
21 BibaIt, 81h indic1ion yelr. Only DUly doo one
N
fi"d number __ cis instead of numenk and com·
pkte words. Instead, ..Ip....betk symbols ... oumer-
;ok and abbre\'ial.ions ~ the norm in dateS.
The address is normally written on lhe back of
lilt letter. If the leue' ;u.,1f is continued on the
bid. the ~ is "Po.all)' pbt:ed abo-.'f: the co<>-
linuation. Occasionall)' lhe address is ""'''en on the
OISlnoca the address is oftCfl atlxhed 10 Ihe body of
poH bei... fulfilled by the introductory fonnula.
The standard fomt of lbe addresJ is "it (the ",Tilinl!!
letter] is 10 be gh'f:n to X from Y."
Arabic Correspondence
The Sludy of Arabic epi$lolOintphy ...... no{ ad·
vanced as far as lhal of Gruk and Coptk leiters,
but ~""ral ~rvations on the natu..., of Arabk
corTC$pondence ..re .....orthy of mention (tee Jahn.
i937, 1'1'. 157-73).
The p...,race of Arahic lellers consiSIS of either Ihe
bdS,'MI.. ("in Ihe "",me of God. the Compassionate.
the Merciful'·) and the add...,SI. 10 which ,ariolJ$
htlhh wishes can be allKhed. or Ihl b4Smdla
..lone. In the address, Ihe name of either lhe sender
or the recipienl Cln Ippttr tint. Writers lJ$ing lhe
rormer !;lyle foIlo.....ed the precedent established in
Mut:>ammad's «'tTespondmce, ..bile lhose who
placed the recipiCfll's fIIme finl did 10 in acco"'"
ance wilh the urginz of Caliph JI-Walid, who ~
paused the principle thaI .... in~rior ou,ht 10 be
subordinated to the~. Ofte1l the me of tht
Jend,er is omiuw a~"t."., Amon, I formu1aic
..w.es lhat appear in the preface 01 Anobk leuen
are Ihe fo/min&: Nmay God pnxe<:1 you,N "may
God prolong your 1i~." "may God make me for all
eril your ransom:' "may God cauw your might.
honor, and SUflOph 10 comiooe." Of'ten h•• o or
more SlId wi.J>es ITe combined in lhe ....me prd.
ace. An especially daborate prebce from a letler of
lhe mid tCflth cent."y rnels. "In the name «God,
the Compassiooale, the Mert:iruL I am writi"ll, Q
Ahmad h. Hudayy-may God prolonl )'OUr life and
may He cause )'Our mighl Ind Itrenllh to conlinue
-from Qus in safely and good heahh-praite and
thanu he 10 lheir giver-on Thursday ..hen eight
(nights) hd passed of Ragab-may God male it
honoured for hi. favourite-and blessings On all
Ihe years 10 come: alld praise be to God. the lord
Qf all c...,ated beings" (su Grohmann, 1955, le~t
306. PI'. 66-75).
972 ERA OF THE MARTYRS
Arabic lCllers a~ often undated. In th~ th;tl do
bear dates. the formulu normally SQ.t. the month.
day, and year or the Hegi",; for exlmple, "{and] he
[name missing] _ole il in the month Gumad.a I.
127" (s« Jabn. 1938.00.3. pp. 177-78).
The phnsoe "and afterward" is often used 10 in·
lroduce the body oflhe leu....
MO$I oi the formul.l.$ that occur in I'"
Arabic leuet'S can appnr in the cor.dusion. Many
preface of
Iollers close "ilh lhe ph~ "hail 10 JOU" or with
"my (<HJr) ..fficiency is Ood. alone."
Uk<: th..ir Gud< and CopIie counlet'pllJU. Arabic
"'I.. rs wr'in..n on pap)'R11 ......... kIlded tiO thai the
had of lhe ~ sh«t 5O"rved .... an ",",..,lope
and bore the llddress.. Occasion.aily the addn:M " .
wrillel> on the fronl Ilboo1: lhe lener. and lhe ohee1
....... lhen foIclecl in weh • _y t....t the addl'C!iiS "'....
on the ",,!$ide. What "'"a$ ~id -bo\.., about l.ht: form
of the il>ttm.aJ IIoddra.s in thO' prof...,.. 01 Arabic
I...... rs awlies abo w the ntemal ~ Eithtr
the wnder', or the r~dpient'l ........ can he rfwn
lin<
In all periods. priVIIle leiters in EcP! 1nI.vckd
mainly by messoencer. Wealthy indi<riduals ,.",re
able to ~ slaves. servants. or emplojeeos .. c0uri-
ers. bul the a''''nee penon !lad 10 rely on can,.......
rriends. Or II.......,n ,,'bo happened 10 be lOil>S il>
the direction or lhe leller'a intended deslinalion.
E&YPliul .nd G~ documtnts lUges! tM .n
orpniud poslll S)'Slent Ihrough ,.-!lieh offieilli let-
ten I'IlO\'N bet"""en dilllic" _ in eaislence ;II
laM ... early IS the New Klft&dom. This S)'SIem
used bones for ~nl e<>mmunicalio and camel!;
for ordin&ry posl. A separIIte 'JSIem ndled leu......
within each dislliel. Wilnesses for lhe Roman peri-
od .... Kallly, bul lhe nidence IUIl!CSIS Ihat the
Romam incOlJ>Of1lted bolh s)'Slems into lheir posI,
the " ...,.., publicu..
In lhe Byunline e.ra. there was • " .. rs"I velox
(Iwift coo .....) and a.~u,...s clldml"ris (t""nsport·
waC"" course). The elf"'" .,.1..... auesled illS early
.....D. 322. at ~n;t madi! use of donkeys, hones, and
mules 10 move Ihe mail. bUI after a funding cutback
in the reign of Juslinian it ..... limited to donk~.
Beginning as early as 470. large landholder"!. the
weallhy, and the church established Iheir own inde·
pendent postal SYSlems. O<:caslonally ~vc131 land·
holder"! joined together 10 form a mail delivery
~rv!ce.
In islamic states lhe offielal postal service was
known as the barld (from latin v...dul/Greek b,,·
.dOl, po!lt l'll)~). In Egypt. the slages (markoz 01-
barid) were approximately 4 f",S'<k11$ (13 miles)
apart. Horst:< and camel, carried 1M m.il belween
these stageS.
S,BlIOGR.4.PHY
BolZ, H. D. "The IJterary Composition and fune·
lion or Paul's Lcucr 10 the Gal.I;"ns.·· N....• rlSla·
m.'" SludUs 2' (1973):)33-79.
Biedentopf-Zichner, A. U."e....chun,l... tum *01'1;'
SChDl 8rieiTo""...I"r ""'er S.riidskhrit""11
(jgyplische, ..... gried.ische, P",,,Ue/,,... Koptische
Siudien I. Wilnburz, 1983.
Demarius. 0.. Sryk, ed. w. Rhys Rooms. Cam·
bridge, 1902.
Doty. W. G. Ulle.-S in Primi/ivf C/vuf,,,,,,i'y. Philt·
delphia, 1913.
Ed.., F. J. TIoe Form o/l~ A,..,i."1 GrecJr. ulle, gf
rhe Epi$tl)/~ PqyrI. R.epr. Cl!ic....o. 1976.
Grohmann, II.. Aldbit: ,."pyri ,.. ,~ £1»""'" LiImIry,
Vol. S. Cain>, 1955.
Jahn. K.. "Vom &uhis1amisch.... Briefwncn.~ ArcJriw
oriml"bli 9 (1937):15)-200,
Malherbe, A. J. "Anc;;""l EpisZoIary Tbeorisu." OIlio
Joun,,:1 of JUIiti-. Stud;".s 3. no. 2 (1917):3-77.
Sourdel. D. "Baric!." In TIoe £ttqelopoc<IUI 0{ lsltlm,
nc...· cd. Vol. I. L"e;den, 1960.
Steen, H. A. "Us Clichts tpts.tol.tira da .... k$ 1tI-
IreS ..... p.av.,'I'VS p-ccqua.." CU.UK. el AktiUlewl-
I... I (1938):' '9_176-
Whit., John L '"The Gred< Documental'}' Leu...
T.-.dition. Third Century B.C.E. 10 Thin! Century
C.E.·· &mrio (1981):19-106.
ERA OF THE MARTYRS. or En. of 0l0CI.&
TlA.. .. rcckOfled from the accession of Emperor Di....
c1etian in lite lau.... pan of 284. Since lhe """'nlh
~.OtW)' lhe Copts have regularly ~allt:li it the En. or
lhe Many..., in memory of lh. peneCUlion of Chris·
tian. launched by Diocletiul. lIS use h.as ,,"n aI·
most emi...,1y con~ned to £&ypt, where It O!1sillOol'
ed. and 10 Christian Etbiopia, tbe ~UI year of the
en, ~nnO m",IJ'n<'" (.. . loI.) I, boinSlhe Ale:candrian
year running from the Julian 29 4uJ!\I$t 284 to 28
August 285, lsobled dating according 10 the era of
Diocletian has been detected in the latin West (Am·
brose in Milan, Bcde in Nonhumbria),
[S.. "Iso: Cal~ndar, CoptH::.]
AUIlEO CODY, O,S.B.
ERICHSEN. WOUA (l890~1966),
Danish
Egyplologi51 and demot!cl$l. He sllIdi«l Oriental
languages but .peciali,.ed in demotic and Coptic,

His most important work, a dictionary, Demotische'
Glossar, was publW."d in Copenhagen in 1954 and
reprimed in Milan in 1972,
BIBUOGRAPHY
Dawson, W. R._ and E. P. Uphill, Who Was Who in
Eg)'plOlogy, p, 98. London, 1972.
MIZ S, ATIYA
ERMAN, ADOLF (1854-1931), German EgyplOl·
0lps!. H" was professor at !krlin University, a
founder of the !krlin school, a teacher of W. E.
CRUM. c.,org sTE'NOORFF, and others, working in all
fields of EgyplOlogy and Coptology. He published
Coptic lit"rary and nonliterary texts.
BIBLlOGI{"PHY
Dawson, W. R.. and E. P. Uphill. Who Was Who in
Egyptology, pp, 99-100. London, 1972.
Erman, A. Mein Leben und mel" Wlrhn. B<:rlin,
1929.
MARTIn KRAIISB
ESCHATOLOGY, the study of the last thinll'" of
the destiny of individual pers<>ns, and, more broad·
ly, of society, of the world, and of the uni"erse, In
the culm"" of the pagan Greco-Roman world, cOn'
cern with the destiny of the individual after death
r<OCeived comparati,'dy );1I1e anemion outside th"
mystery religions, but Hellenistic speeulation on
successive eons of the world and on the return of
all things cyclically to some sort of starting poim
were to have their inAuence in the elaboration of
Christian views of history leading from one age to
the nUt. Eschatology is al", concerned with .epre·
sentations of futu"" life, its conditions, the ways in
which the dead can be helped lu"their survivors in
this life and Can themselv",", helP th05<' survivors,
and whether such ""presentations are primarily a
matler of popular religious imagery or of a mo.e
sophisticated metaphysical theology,
In Judaism, eschatological expectations, usually
associated with the advem of the Messiah, were
centered on the future Of the chosen nation Or of a
'mall group faithful to God, and were increasingly
expre""d in apocalyptic descriptions of radical
transformation of the world in an imminent or dis-
tant future. In the earliest years of Christianity, a
chronological ten'ion arose bet..... een an eschatolog·
ical mom"n! of salvation already realized by the
ESCHATOLOGY 973
Incarnation and Christ', saving actions, on the one
hand, and a future deliniti'''' moment to be realized
at the time of Christ's return in glo<)l, on the other,
A view "f the time between Christ', first and second
comings as the time "f the church became apparent
in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and the ""SUI'
reetion of the dead (I Co<- 15) be<oame an imegral
part of Christian tbeology and hope.
The concept of two eons-one of the esehatol"gi.
cal httu"", though present now as the condition of
the heavenly realitics of salvation already realized,
and the other identilie<l with the world perceptible
by the senses-became evident in Christian
thought. Thanks to the union of the divine ;Ind the
human in the [ncarnati"n of the Word of God and
to tbe saving actions of Christ. already available in
the church by participation in the mysteries or sac-
mments, the indi'idual could gain access to the
heavenly eon of supernatural realities and thus be
sa,ed. At the same time, that e<>n remained rulU"";
and perfect, definitive access to it was to be had
only at the end of the present eon, Metaphysical
intere,;t in the last things .....as mingled with ethical
interest, for acces, to the supernal world of salva-
tion wa, to be had only after a judgmem of the
individual on the basis of his or her behavior in rhis
life, Anthropological questions of the respeeti"e
conditions of body and soul (and personal spirit)
aher death had to be raised, and thcy have been
answered in different way•.
As offieial theologies developed, there was by the
end of the fourth century rdati"e1y little that distin·
guished the eschatological views of one pan of
Christendom from those of another, if one dis-
counts ideas rejected as more or less alien to gener·
al Chri.tian consensus. Metaphysical minds have
continued to stress the vision of God as the ultimate
pelfcetion of .--ational creared beings. The Origenist
doctrine of aplXaras10515, that is, of the ultimate
return of all rational beings to their (lriginal condi·
tion of purity and perfection (itself an extension of
the Hellenistic idea of all time and hi.tory as cy-
clk), was ""jected as incongruent with the doc-
lrine. of definitive judgment and of eternal torment
of the damned, although the idea that all rna}' final-
ly share in the grace of salvation was p<oposed in
other waY' by CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRtA and GREGORV
OF NYSSA, and traces of it ha,.., remained in subse-
quent Christian thought. including that of Coptie
Egypt.
In the Coptic church, doctrine on the last thing,
differs linle from that of oth"r ancient churches,
Specifieally Egyptian concepts of judgment and of
974 ESDRAS
the condition of the dead are more easily found in
popular piety, evident in anciem Chri.tian narra,
tiv"" and in Ihe reJigiou. practice of more recent
times, wilh ito popular and lradilional interpreta-
tion. In the acts of ESYl'tian martyrs, Coplic apocry·
pha, and popular .torie., image. of the otherworld
from pre·Christian lilerature, particularly in the
Eygptian Book of the Dead, are often found. Amulu,
basically Ihe Wesl, bot in pharaonic cosmology also
the place 10 which Ihe dead go, became Ihe Coptic
word for hell. ~ dark roads and Ihe ri"er of lire
Ihrough which Ihe dead must pass recur in Chris·
tian imagery, as do beings wilh animal heads, ready
to devour .inne" in the judgmenl hall of Osiris,
which became the judgment hall of Christ. The
pharaonic iconographic scene in which the heart of
a dead p ....on is weighed on a balance in order 10
see whelher Ihal person's good deed. or hi. evil
one. weigh more, with Anubis observing Tholh an·
nouncing Ihe results, is reOected in Coplic lilera·
lure, with the pre·Chrislian gods replace<! by Saint
Michael.
As in pharaonic Egypt, the activities of the jost in
Ihe other world lended in popular representalions
10 be envi.aged as .imilar to those of daily social
life in this world. In more properly Iheological iiI'
eralure and its liturgical expressions, however, the
condition of the dead is represented in imagery
drawn more exclusively from the Bible. AlIu.ion. to
the story of Luarus and the rich man fU. 16:19-
31) and 10 Ihe bos.om of Abraham (and Isaac and
Jacob) are frequent, and so are biblical intag.. of
walers of refr..hment, of a paslure, of saints sing.
ing praise with angels. In thwlogical and liturgical
texIS, transference of earthly sociely to the world
beyond is minimal, and paradise is emphatically Ihe
kingdom of heaven. While Ihe direct vision of God,
according to tradilional popular !iterature, i. en-
joyed only by a few, particularly by Ihe Mother of
God, Saint Michael, ~nl George, the twenty·four
elders, and the four livmg beings of Revelation (4:4,
6), in theologicallileralure the saints do see Christ
in his glorifi"d humanity bul, 'wilh Ihe exceplion of
Ihe Mother of God, Saint Michael. and perhaps
some favored others, Ihey will nol perceive lhe di-
vinity of Christ or the Trinity until after Ihe Last
Judgment. '
In legends and nnonical literalure of the early
Egyptian church, and also laler, Ihe opinion can be
found that judgment of lhe individual does not take
place until around forty days after death. Through_
out Coptic tradition it is held thaI the ultimate fate
of the individual is .ealed only in Ihe u.sl Judg-
ment, al the end of this world, and Ihal before Ihe
Last Jodgment Ihere i. still hope for deliverance
from torment. The ulholic doctrine of purgatory
as a place or condition di.tincl from bolh heaven
and hell, in which the individoal is porified from
venial sin and from Ihe temporal punishment due
10 sin, is nol accepted by the Coptic church, In
Coplic lradilion, the dead who suffer lorment are
considere<l to be in hell. NevertheleSli, by Ihe eu-
charistic offering and by prayer, by good works,
alm.giving, and fasling, members of Ihe church 'On
earth can alle.iate Ihe lonnents of those who have
suffered for Christ or ha.e shown charily for his
sake, The old popular idea thai lhose in hell are
freed temporarily between Easter and Penlecost
may be related to the faci thaI a Coptic inlercessory
prayer for Ihe release of the Orthodox believers
suffering in hell is recited on Pentecost. The state-
ment within that prayer lhat "we have the great
hope thaI all who are in the depths of pain will be
freed" may be the remnanl of an idea of "pocat",·
fa';S, of the ultimate salvation of all rational beings.
In the theology of Ihe Copti<: church generally,
howe"er, hell wilh its lorments is eveduting, al-
Ihough those who die with unforgiven sins that are
nol deadly (I In, 5,16) .till ha,'e the hope of being
freed from their .ins and Iheir lormelll in the final
judgmenl of the world.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bietenhard, H. Die himmlische We/t im Urch';,un·
lum uod Sp~tjudeolum. Wissenschaftli<:he Unter-
suchungen zum Neuen Testament 2. Berlin, 1951.
Bouyer, L. Ch ......liani'me el •• chat%:ie. Paris,
1948,
Doresse, J, De, hiiroglyphe. il la croix, pp, 45-56.
Vitgaven van hel Neder1ands Historisch-Archaeol-
ogi$ch Instiluut Ie Istanbul 7. Istanbul, 1960,
Florovsky, G. "Eschatology in the Palristic Age: An
Introduction." In SlUdi" P",.;..V:a, ed. Kurt
Aland and F. l. Cross, Vol. 2, pp. 235-51), TeXle
und Untersochungcen zur Geschichte der altchrist-
lichen LJleratur 64. Berlin, 1957.
Kopp, C. "Glaube und Sakramente der koptischen
Kirche." OnemaliaChristian" 25,no. 1 (1932):
51-74.
Piankoff, A. "u, descente aux enfe... dans les lexle.
egypliens eI dans Ie, apocryphes coptes." Bulle/in
de la Soc/h. d'archeologie caple 7 (1941):33-46,
AELRED CODY, 0_S_8,
ESDRAS, Se~ Old Testament, Arabic Versions of
<h,.
 ETHIOPIAN CHRISTIAN UTERATURE
ESNA. Su Is"".
ETHIOPIAN ART. COPTIC INFLUENCE
ON. Coptic inAuence on Ethiopian an, comparable
to the Coptic influence in the eighth century On
Nubian an, would have been probable because of
the dependence of Christian Bhiopia for more Ihan
a millennium upon the Coptic p,uriard,ate of Alu-
andria. We must perhaps allribute the general abo
"'nce of such an influence to the power of native
traditions,
One nOiable exception, however, is the Bieta
Mariam church at LAUBUV. in Ihe province of
u.sta between Addis Ababa and Axum, Of some ten
churches of the twelfth and thineenth centuries
grouped in Ihis provincial capital. it alone is deco-
rated with themes and details of Coptic an of the
Falimid period on Ihe ceilings and On the lower
curves of the arches that rest on columns. On the
ceilings, within quadrangular companments divid·
ed into four and also in a band separating them,
circles are occupied by roselle; of eight petals-
such as are found in the mOJ,que of tbn Tuhin in
Cairo and in the fabrics of the following centuries
-alongside meandering pallems inteITUpled by "
cross pane; some of the.., are inscribed in a Solo·
mon's seal (du B<",rguet, 1968, fig. 87; 1980, p,
240).
In the central nave, on a venical panel adjoining
a pilasler adorned with rosenes in circles, are busts
of both bearded and beardless saints. They suppon
a parchment On each shoulder with the hand of the
same side. Their expression is close 10 Ihat of Ihe
Coptic monks. without an}' relationship to the style
common to representations of Ethiopian vi""ges
(Gerster, 1968, figs. 61-63).
This unusual fact confirms the tntdition that un·
der the Fatimids, some Coi?iic monks who had
come to Bhiopia were amoil"g the counselors of
King U;libal~, This coincided \.iith the perseculion
of Christian. in Egypt by the, <ultan al-f.Ukim, a
circumstance reputed to have caused th.. flight of
Copts as far as Ethiopia.
The first known biography of Mu~ammad. a trav·
d narrative by an Arab woman, mentioned the mu·
ntl paintings decorating the first cathedral of Axum.
No other detail is supplied, although the first Ethio-
pian liturgical decoration imitated models seen by
Ethiopian Christian travelers in Egypt, whence the
Ethiopians look their faith (du Bourguet, 1980, pp.
240ff.)
975
W.. cannol repoll any other Coptic impressions
On the Christian all of Ethiopia,
BIBLIOGRA.PHY
Bourguet, P. duo L'Arl COpl~. Paris, 1968.
_ _ . Peimures chr.li",,,e,, coule,,"s p~l<ochr•.
lie""n, copus 'I /ryv>n'ine<, pp. 239-48, Geneva,
1980.
Gerst.r, G. L'ArI hhiopien. u. Pierre·qui·Vire, 1968,
Leroy, J, L'Elhiop;e_ Archiologi, 'I cuilure. Paris,
1973,
PIERRE 00 BoURQUl'T, $.J.
ETHIOPIAN CHRISTIAN LITERATURE.
The literature of Christian Ethiopia was, and $lill is,
wrinen in the ancient Ethiopic language called
Ge'ez, which is supposed to have ceased to be a
living language around Ihe tenth or eleventh centu-
ry, when it wllS superseded by "modem" Semitic
languages. This literature is related to lraditional
Ethiopian culture, which was born and devdoped
as a scion of Oriental Christianity, spread in Ethio-
pia from about the foullh century onward. It covers
almost all aspects of SOCial life, so its content is
either Slricdy doctrinal and catechetical (po",ibly
unconsciously preserving ""me rare vestiges of
Gnostic literature) or else profane (historical, juridi·
cal, magical, etc.) but inspired by Christian princi-
ples. It began ""tween the founh and seventh cen-
turies and was at first mainly a literalure of
translations_
Translated Literature
Translations undoubtedly began with the Bihle
and apocryphal and patristic worh. Although other
branches of Oriental Christianity (mainly Syriac)
may have contributed to that activity, from the very
be-ginniog the bulk of the translation into Ethiopic
apparently was done under the direct influence of
the Christian church of Egypt and ito literature, In
fact, rhe Ethiopian Christian church was an off-
spring of the Egyptian church, under whose official
leadership it survived, Until the twentieth cenlury.
tho head of the Ethiopian church was selected by
the Coptic patriarch from Egyptian monks and sent
to Ethiopia. Paleographic evidence clearly suggesu
that the Ethiopians must also have leamed the art
of writing their manus<:ripts On parchmenr from
th.ir Christian forebears in Egypt.
Cellain tran.lations include works nO longer ex·
tant in the original Oriental Christian literature,
976 ETHIOPIAN CHRISTIAN LITERATURE
Therefore, Ihey presen'e te~ts otherwise unavailable
or even, al time., different version. of texts known
in other ChriSlian lileratures of the Orient.
Until ahom the seventh centu'1', translations
came mainly from Greek, since Greek prevailed in
the church of Egypt, Although no concluo;ive evi·
dence exiSlS 10 confirm this, some lranslations rna)'
ha.'e been made from Coptic, seemingly between
Ihe seventh aod the twelfth centuries. When Arabic
became Ihe dominant language in the EIDplian
Coptic church around the Iwelfth cenlUry, transla·
tions were made from Arabic, Among the works
translated from Greek, ~ides the Bible, are books
such as M"'fhaja He"<>k (The Sook of Enoch),
M"'iha'a K"falil (The Book of Jubilees), 'Ergaw Is,
aylyas (The Mcem of Isaiah), and Henna Nabiy
(n.e Prophet H~rma), Of these me lirst two are
preserved in their emirely only in the Ethiopic ver-
sion. All four hook. are reckoned as part of the
biblical canon of the Elhiopian church. Te~tual
him. lead one 10 surmise Ihat Ihe translalion from
original texts-especially Enoch and the Jubilees-
was performed in the presence of, if not upon, an
Aramaic version and that .ome or all of Ihe lransla·
tors may ha"e been religious men, possibly from
the Monophysite church of Syria.
Mo.t of another work of great rele.'ance to the
theological teaching of Ihe Ethiopian church was
also translated al this lime, This is O~relos (The
Book of Cyril), a collection of homilies, mostly be-
longing to Saint Cyril of Alexandria. Since the lirst
of these homilie., the "Prosphonetikos:· addressed
to Emperor Theodosiu. II, was a work by' Cyril, it
has provided that collection with its Ethiopic title.
Still anOlher wor!< of high iospiralion for Ethiopian
monasticism is $ehu wa/e'~a~ ;;tJ'abba I,'akw"'i,
(The Rule of Pachomius). ". far as is known, t...n.·
lations from Greek include a few lives of saints, a
pious genre of paramount impollance 10 Ethiopian
litera.ure to this day, .•
II appears thai when G;&k ceased to be the Ian·
guage of the Egyptian church, coumle. . .ran.la-
tions were made from Arabic tex," of Coptic litera-
lure, The tr~nslations f«;m Arabic are tbe most
numerouS and include a revision of the books of
the Bible. The H.'ely activily that moti.'ated such
tmnslations weni on from lh,e twelfth cemury to the
eighteenth. The translations of that period include
•e""ral notable works. Senodos ($ynodicon), is a
basic collection of canonical regulations, beginning
with those of dilferem church councils (sa.'e that of
Chalcedon). A work of similar contents, Didesqelya
(Didascalia). is the revered source of the internal
regulations of the Ethiopian church. Both works
might ha.'e found their way into Ethiopia in the
Iwelfth or thilleenth cemury. 11 ,,"'M apparently lhe
Ibilleenth or foulleemh cemury thai saw the trans-
lation of the Siory' of Mua"Ju, a widely known
narrative about Ale~ander the Great, which in Cop-
tic literature possessed peculiarly Egyptian chara-
cteristics and in Ethiopic literature look on other
features of its own. In the foulleenth century oc·
curred the translation of some liturgical books,
such as Mat~afa genzal (Sook for Ihe Preparation of
the Body of the Dead), a ritual for fune",ls; the
widespread Mashafa Sa'alal (Sook of Ihe Hours),
the horologion of the Western church; Gadla sa·
",.t'/tII (Contending. of the Martyrs); Cadi (Meritori·
ous Ac,", I.e" of saintly perso",; d, Greek alhltsi,):
Cadla ha",Mytll (Comendings of Ihe Apostles, i.e..
their apocryphal acts); Cobra l)em~mt1l (Acts of the
Passion), a lectionary for Holy Week; Wudd~st
Maryam (Celebration of Mary), derived from .he
Copto·i\rabic TheolOkias from Ihe Psalmodja, to-
gether with some lives, or comending. (gadf). of
Egyplian saints, Some of these wom-as well as
olhers, for e~ample, the Filfuy", (Philoxenos),
wrillen by Philoxenos of Mabbug, regarding monas-
tic life, and Uha Maryam (Bewailing of Mary)-
were translated directly by, or with the aid of, a
highly reputed Egyptian Coptic metropolitan named
AbbA Sal;Im!, who became the head of the
Ethiopian church as Abuna Sal~m~ n, during the
.econd half of the fourteenth century. He i. known
to have been in Ethiopia between 1348 and 1388,
which was probably the year of his demise in Ibat
country, since metropolitans were supposed to .tay
in Ethiopia until the end of Iheir lives. His brisk
literary activity mUSl have resulted in Olimulating a
lively movement in Ethiopian literature within the
church.
The fourteentb century is probabl)' the lime when
Ihe translation of Z.na "b,,'" qedd"san (Stories of
the Holy Fathers) was made. This contains the re-
nowned Apophlhegmala Parrl<m, a work of great
resonance in the thought of Ethiopian monks, [t
seems likely lhal between the fourteenth and fif·
teenth centuries, another Egyptian monk undertook
the translation of a different liturgical work of para·
mount importance to the cburch: the S)'naxarion.
[n the course of the following centurie<, Ethiopians
made their own contributions to it by adding com-
memorative lives of Ethiopian holy men, who in
thi$ way began to take their place be' ide the foreign
 ETHIOPIAN CHRISTIAN LITERATURE
."Ims, Another .ddi.,on was maIk in the form of
snon in honor of..", ...;01$ of the day. Slill
potcll1$
another. ,'",lliar wo...... T,,'anmr.rg Mlry<l... (Mi"".
c1Q of Mary), ' ......lau,d in the founecnth or 6£·
I«nth c.,n",,'Y. enjo)oed an eoonnous diffusion in
the ElhlopU.n church. on ,""count of tt.., topic 10
...·hich ;\ ",u ~-n:lII'ld}'. the Vi..." Mary,
....hose cull ... iaI_,s b«n SlTOn& On the Ethiopian
church, • ,ra" it o.hand wYIh the Ef;ypIw. cho,an,h.
rTht ~eriab of lI,i. wort. had been d""..-n from
Onema] as ",ell as Occidtnw Chliolian sourcei-)
Latc. additions i""ludffl original miradQ ~rrin&
10 the Ioeal milieu. The: tran$Ia'ion from an Ami<;
oricinal, now loot. of an .apocalypIk work in the
same: ~riod cnlillN RlJ'ytJ Sinot//i (The Vision of
SlIe",,',,) is lh only kn<no,'n leltl .,...ibblc.
Allribuled 10 ,"'" fift"",,,,.. ctnlUl)' is the tnIml.-
lion of anod>er rewred boo!< of juridk;tl rell'v;lnct',
Fet~" "at"jl (The Code of Ihe King.). Unlil modem
,imn, ,his work ~ con.idered the basic legal lUI
of Ethiopian high "'<>UI1. of justice, It i. a version of
the thh1eenlh'ccnlury Maim,,- al.Q"w<lnln of .1·
M'ad IlIN u:.lss.\t.. a n"moeanon wrillen for the
Christians or Ec)l'l.
In th~ sixteenth c~ntuty Ih~ COI1><" of monastic
work! unde,.".,.,nl a substantia.! ~nrichment Ihrough
lhe translallon of lwo r~m,.. ned l=tise5 of ascelic
life. The first I, entitkd Ar":dwi m""/,,.tJ"'; (The
Spiritual Elder), !he Ethiopic oequ;~alenl of AI.
S""~ ,,1./fflJ,tJnl. a work by Yul)anni ibn SiW,'.
Accordin, to Ethiopian lradition, the Egyptian me..
ropolitan Mirqas I, who died in 1510, contributed
to that lranslalion, dong ",;m an Ethiopianiud
monk of ramI" ori:cin {perhaps Yemeni} named
'EnbIqom. lhe second work ....,.. Addr Y~«<i' (Mas·
ler ~), Ihe .q....Ilm ..."OI"Ir. of Isaac of Ni~h.
Both of these worb, 'OCttntt with FilkSJO". COf$i·
lUte a JOf1 of • IriIOJ)' in the ochoob of the Ethiopi·
an church under the colle<:ti"e title M"~eft. ",,,n·
dosots (Boob 01 dx Monks). ~.
In lhe sIxleenth and stW:11tce;.n.. centune., ocher
theolockal ....rb ...~"' lr,ln(,!"led inlO Ethiopic. in·
dudin. H"Y""n<>I"""w (Il>c I'llith of the hthers),
which ~iterated Ibn bjIo's Ar3bic treatise entilled
rlirtJf .1·AbtJ'. This and mulo. umained lhe mOSl
aUlhorhali,~ Ihcological leXl.. in lhe church. Other
works duMnl from Arabic arc Tilmidh (The Pupil),
Elhiopic Talmid. and M,!sJ,afa Ifa"'; (Book of
Hlwi), Ihe orilinal Arabic lide of which "''as JU"
M·';dwr. Anolher book. Faws ma"fasAwi (The Splrll·
ual Medicament), was translaled by order of Queen
SabIa Wlnl~lln lhe scvcntMnlh cenlury.
977
So br, worb d purely rellp...... conlent Ita•..,
been li5led. or those: mare probne, or, mon: pre-
ciscl;y, Christian-probne. _r21 tnn$btiom de·
scn-e menlion. In the fuuneemh cenlury, the ZlntJ
"yIr.. rJ (Story of the J~), luribuled In tt.e £d!iop>c
U'2I1.Ia,ion 10 yoocf ben Goryon, ..... tranolaled InlO
EllIiopic fmcn an Arabic onJinal, possibly On<' fmcn
Egypt. Other nonrcfipow WOfb rendnocd inlO
EllIiopic include tt.e unMnal his.ory M~fIu>f" lbik
of the: F.«w!ian Jirjio ibn ti-. Amid aj./U.l<I>':. possibly
lranslaled in w ouone! t.1f of the .hineenth ceo-
lOllY, at ..'CII as Atm ShikirJ work appcv;nA under
the &hopio:: tiLle ~"f b".... tJOd"I1J$" Alb" StJkcT
(Blessed Boo' Composed by Abtl Slklr), IraMbled
in lhe si~tc<:mh cenlury. Slill more i",po"""l was
Ihe transllllion of the chronicle of IOH'" Of SUIIOU,
n:lalinS to the ~""'1I CQ!;OOEST OF EGyn, a lransla·
lion ...cculed b)' an fsyJHian cleric namc<lOcbtyil
(Ghubrlyal) in the scycnteemh "emuty. T1te original
of this unique work i. lost, and the Elhiopic ""..ion
i. Ihe only one lhat ...rvivel,
T1te bulk of Elhiopian ChriSlian lilerature. it ap-
peal'!!, i. draw" from Coptic sourt:es. It is wonh·
while 10 recallihe facl lhal no.... and IMn the Elhio-
pi<: translalions of foreign works either offer a
.'ersion of their o n. dilferem from the one exlant
fn Olher literalu or append o"lnal Elhiopian
contribulions 10 the body of lhe Inn.lated work,
Ihus producing new picees of purdy local li,era·
lure, as in the ax of the Rule of Pao::homi....
Some d thc:sc U'1lnSlationl were made ou!$ide
Ethiopia. either in Eel'! or in the Holy land, by
Copts or Elhiopian man"" on ptl.......... ibc rcsI
mU5l ba'"e been done in Ethiupia by !OreiA" monks
(mostly Copts). who It\/ly NoH had the ......t.nce of
EllIOopians ill performinl their .....,n. Yet SU<'h
tnNblot"!l ...'en: 1>0< confined 10 thai tao.It and
n..... and lhen became 1lU1'-'s in Gc'C7., dispb)ing
OUISUlnding skill and kno"..Icd«e, like the alread}-
mentioned McuopoIil/ln SaJjIttfi or ,he monk
'£nbiQom.
Original Ulerature
The O'o·erwhclming mass of Copli<: Ilteratu,.., pass-
ing inlO Ethiopia stimulaled I vigorous movemenl
of pu,..,ly original Ethiopic lilenry production. U is
difficult 10 li~ the l;mc of ils beginning. The oldest
surv;'ing works seem 10 date no funhcr back lhan
Ihe ,hiMcemh or founeemh century, a period whe"
Ihe aClivity of Egyplian clerlc~ In Ethiopia 8S trans-
lators and original ....riters in Ge'ez wI.' al 8 peak_
918 ETHIOPIAN CHRISTIAN UTERATURE
Original Elhioplan litel'1lll,lTe emulatea the parent
genres of the Coptic Christian lite ....lure of Egypt. In
chancIer. it was theological (dogmalk and p3$tG-
raJ). didactic and lnOfUISlic, as well as apocalypli<:,
eoch.alolopeal, and hagjographic (pull is lhe 1l")lical
Ethiopk lenn lor such narTailvn). Illalnl, cO""'en-
IBlln. on Ethiopian Mmin'S" and historical material
(based on Chrislian principles and lelling about
evenlS in lhe life of Ihe rulers of Ethiopian aociely,
such as kinll5, high officials, and dlgnilaries of The
chun:h). Other lopics included in this prolific lilera·
rure were grammar, magic, ""d chrooolo&y, The
conlentS. as a "lie. drew 011 die models oIf~d by
the Christian literature 01 Ec;rpI. E.-en to. the Ethio-
pic ",rilen dewloped an impressive decree of <>rip-
Nlily, NotC"'Onh, ...., lhe gntmmatkal worb,
called sawdj"'" (ladder), deri"ed from the Copllc
works knov'in 8ft sc~l~e (Arabic, .,,/I"m), which de·
vd(lJted a pttuUar an of lheir own and seem 10
have emerged in Ihe cour5e of the fifteenth cenlUf)',
No one knows ..-by il is called ladder or, more
pr«isely, why Bishop Yohann~ of Samannud
(E&Jpt) called it «de$ia$lical bdder (Grat. 1947. p.
372). In Ihi$ connection. it Is wonhwhile 10 men·
lion an original Ind thriving meth<>d of commen·
t.ary On lhe Sc.riplure, and paTrislic ledS, which
de,'el(lJted In I"'" traditional 0 ....1 leaching in chur-ch
schools, "'here the .....'41$"... was ...gtn. 1be lan·
~e ...... the lio>ingl)l'le, called Amharic. empl~
abo as a leachi... langua~ This an of commentar-
ies is usually called Qtuk""., or ftIurntralion in
!lUCeession, one aft... another, ollhe various inter·
pretalions.
All the literature SO far laken into Iccount "'IS
...rillen in prose. but JlOClf)' ....."" Illso .....idely cultl·
''Iled. Allhouah ~ .. nO direct e>icknce of Cop'
tic poelry Innslatod into Ethiopic (the mymed
liturpeal lexts conslilute I "P"'Ciai case). the
Ethiopians e·..<:nl\lally ~loped II lIourishlnl poel'
ic litmolure of on.....1 stock, some IJPCI of "'''kh
are lhoughl 10 have:; been inspired by CopTic mod·
el •. Such is The ~Tic form called ",alb' (effigy,
imale), a eompc>5i(ion made of stanu,s. "",h ol
lhem praisio~ with symbolic lan&ua&e, lhe ph)'Slcal
pans .,.. .....:II IS n>oral q..alilie5 of I saind, pel"SOll
(Olli». the Virgin Muy, etC.). Sometimes it dealt
....Ih iaCred iuma. 1be earl~ of che$e poe:Iic com·
"",ilions may be Irtlced 10 the fiftttnll> cenlUry.
The pme may be said of allOlher lype of poelry,
•imllar in form and conlem 10 Ihe rnalh'. which Is
lI.iCd 10 pBise holy perlOns: Sll.ch poems are called
s,lItm (J>exe. equal 10 1M an-:eci", Mhail"), tahn
from the word with "'hi<:h they bejin. The ..It",
al~ seems 10 dale from lhe be~nning of lhe fifo
leenlh century. Another Iypical poelic lenre is lhe
'1'""1, ",hich i5 metllpholical and ""'~ a hidden
meaning. This Iype of ori&inal comJlOl'ition may
have been inspired by Copclc models, II has a Jti&h
dqree of ebbon.tmen and Is considered by Ethio-
pia... the hicJ>es:t genu of poetry. All !hex compo-
sitional fonn, and styles $Hm 10 &<:> back for lheir
beginning 10 Ihe ~heenlh cenlury, so II may be lhal
itrtlmmar and poetry were Introduced iMO Elhiopia
at tl>e same time.lhe schools bejnit the place ....· here
they ...,re studied and pracliced.
In cooclusion, a final case des,nes menlion.
Somdimes oriIinal worts of Ethioopian lilenture
appear 10 ha.ve b«n rran,L",ed inlO Arabic, «<m'
inaly for Ihe use of Ihe Chliscian ehur-ch of fgypt. A
cerain Arabic narrnli~ 8IC:ribed 10 lhe .i~tttnih
cenll")' deals with lhe widespread legend of lhe
quttn of Sh"ba. II is Illnitedly I translation of a
portion of a famous work ",Ticl"n in ~hiopia in Ihe
Iouneenth «nluf)'. beari... the litle Kef..... n ..,dt
(The Nobility of the Kinp). AI", i<t the ""teeollh
century there ..... made a IBnsb!lon. or rednh'"l.
from E1hiOJlie inlO A.... bic of the Ilk ol one of lhe
molIl Importanl (poillically and religio,,"y) ...Inu,
Tlkla HaymAnol. Again In the lwentleth century, In
Ethiopian monk whose IIame had been Arabidzed
10 Y\ll;w>nn.t al·Mu",waI)~id II"J:Ia~hl published a
nC"W Arabic wrsion ollhe miracles 01 1M saini. The
monk died in I ffi in f.cypI, after thing In lhe
con..en! of _Yl AUoIIJIjAllUO. when! a COP.\' olthal
publicalioon is 10 be found. One WOIlden if he him·
sen uecuted Ih" lraMlalion.
BIBLIOGIlAJ'HV
comprebe....hre TreatlHs
Cerulli. Eo- L.. le/lu"'lire ~tiopica. lrd ed. Florence
and Milan. 1968
Colin, G. La Prof~j$;on de fo; chr;jtolo'''q"e d" TM·
"'I'd: Mik"'zu U~g"i.<liq"u offem /I Maxi_ Rod·
""0". ed. Chri5lian Robln, pp. 161-163. Paris.
1985.
Ooruse, J. us be..... _lUIne, "'P'U de Ii>
Moyenne £cpfe el Ie"" influrnces ' ..r r£Jhiop..
chrih'''nn" ,.,idiilldl", Docllme"" poIIr Mn.>ir "
I'hi'lOire des civili,.. /io". ilhiopienn". I. Paris,
1970.
Guidi, I. Staria d.lla r.rl••al",a "nopica_ Rome,
1932.
Harden, J. M. An fnlrodllction I.. £Jhiopic Christi....
Li,UQlwe. London. 1926,
 ETHIOPIAN CHRISTIAN LITERATURE
linIN E. "Gn.chichte de. ;;tlUo:)pildle'" Ulen·
lIor:' I Guchichle de" clrri5r!i,c/ten l.i'...."I"'en
du Orients, ed. C. 8rockdma....... 2nd t:d. Ulpzig,
'''''.
Ricci. L "Leneralun: deWEiiopia:' In St0ri4 de/le
ktte.... I...,e d'O.,;enu. Milan, 1969.
ItllMlni. C. N<He ptr I. Jlari4. Id~r.ritJ .bUsi....
flo...." 1900.
MonoJnopN .twI. Ankles om Sputal TopkI
CtnllIl, E. J/libr.. eli..pico dei MiT.. coli d; M.ritJ e It:
Stte tonri nelle leun.,we del AWi.. Evo /.moe>.
Rc>me, 1943.
_ E!il;>". '" Palulin•• 2 vcoIs. Rome. 1943·
1~7.
_ Serilll fec>lotici etiDpid del >t:et>li XVI_XVtl,
_
Vol. I. Tre <>p..>roli ,l,f'k"elill. Vatican City. 1958.
SIQ,i<l dei O"<lftrO Conc;!i, Rome. 1960.
ChojnlOCkl, S. Mo;o. Themu in Elhiop;,," Poinl'n,.
Wieobaden, 1983,
Cowley, R. W, The Trod,',o",,1 J"urpretalion ollhe
Apoca!yp>e 01 SI. Johu in Ihe Elhiop,,,,, Oflhodox
Chu,ch. Cambridge, 1983.
Devos. P. "lei Miracle. de "'ii'll Men... en ethi,,'
pien." In Alii dd C"nvep", IltIem":jo",,le de;
Slud, Eflopid. pp. 335-43. Rome. 1%0.
D<ln1el. E. van. Enb.dqom-A"q,,-1<' ami" (La Porle
de III Fol): Apl;>/Ofle /Iloiopit:"ne du ,,/trilli"ni....e
co",.,,, /'lslam II JUlrl;-, du C.,."n. uiden. 1969.
F"$Clla. L "!..ibro del Gi.. bile~lJbro di Enoc." A,.,.
crill dtlrAnlic<> TeJlaMltnlD. Turin. 1981.
Getatch¢w Haile. Th., Dif(e",,' COU.,Cf;oru of Nir.'
Hyrorru '" Etloiopic Luoal'''C " ..d 111m Clmlribu.
OOou. OikOllOmia 19. &bngen. 19&).
1mbakon Kalcwold T-'.11imuJ1 ElhWpilt.n Chun:h
Educa,;';"", I....... M.... gestu L.emnta, pp. 33-38.
Ne'" York. 1970 (contai'" an appendix by tran~'
101' on Ethiopian C/as.$icd Poury}.
Knibb, M. A.• and E. U1lendorft nrc EJJriopic Boool:
0/ Enoch. 2 vo... Oxford. 1978.
LanlSChool, A. van. AWrd Sa/41rtot ~l7Dp(>Iue d'ElU
opit: (J)f3.IJ88J t:I """ rol... ~e. t7adue,.,,~. ~I!i
del Con~"" Inlemazionale ae, Sludj E,lOplC"
pp. 397-401. Rome, 1%0.
Meinal'du•. O. F. A. "Ecdesiaslio Aelhiopica in Ae·
gypto." JO<I",'" of Elhwpu.n Studies 3, ser. I
(I96SJ:H-3S.
Metzger. B. M. Tlte Earl, VC7Sio". '" lloe New TeJla·
mcn" Their (}-rig'n, TrQM"""'ssi"n and Um;lalllm>.
Oxford, 1977.
Moreno, M. M. SlruU",a e Icnni"olog'Q del Sa·
w4.e.... Ra~c8n& di studi eliopici VI11-1949,
Rome. 1950,
M..rad Kamil. Du Josef Ben Gorion (Jrnlppos): Ge·
schl'chle Ju Judelt-Z'''4 "ykud. New York.
19J8.
979
_ -r"","lalio... from ADbic in Elhiopic: Liler-
llIure:' Bulk"-n th Ii> Socii" d'QfChic>/oP copt.,.
Cairo, 19012.
_ AJ.OirIi: ""..... "" .. aI.SJI,·, .'lIaIN.hi. M:ajaI-
br. KulIi:)')401 aJ·At:llb. Cairo. 19"8.
P.o<limon. ""_ "N",,,,, our Ie tt:1U de Jean de Niki-
....... I" IV C""gruoo /n'trnatio..../c di Studi Eti·
op;"~ Vol. 2. Ro<ne-, 1974.
Saugc!. S. M. "Un unlple lypique cia nd.. tionl
C\Ih.. relles entre I'~bretien t:I I'emiopiocn:
Un htericon ~e-.nmenl publle." In IV C0ftVt>-
j(I Jnltrrl~'C dl Slud. £tio9id, Vol. I. Rome,
1974.
Seh"'l. A. lur ii1ltiopist:hc1 Ve.-.kwnsl: Eim S'ud'e
;.;~ dlL Mar''' d.,. Qed " ..1 C..."d tk' Airloand-
lung "Q/~Me la.." mi" "'61', .I.~aboa •• •• von Dr.
Murad KIU7ri/. Wiesb.den. 1961.
Uhlig. S. Da> iUlriopi.cM He"ochbuch. Guter$loh.
'''''.
Ulkndorlf. I'.. Etltiopia and the Bi/r/t, London, 1968.
___. "Hebrew. ADmaie, and Gr«k: The Ve... ion
Underlying Ethiopic Translalion. of the Bible and
Interte.tamental Lilen-ture." In The B,ble World;
Essay. in }louo, of Cyrus H. Gordon, cd. G, Ren,;.
burg, R. Adler, M. Aria. and N. H. Winler. New
York. 191>0.
Vergot." J. u. Ul1t,alure cople ct SQ diffU$;on en
Orienl. Aui del COllvegno l11temazioD/lle ....1lema
L'onenle enslRno .....lla slona della ci,·illa.
Rome. 1964.
Weischer. B. M. "Der DialOC '0_ Christ... Einer
;,,' del; Cynl[ ,-on Ale..andrien," pt. I, Or",..,
Chri$1i4TU," 51 (1961):130-&5: pt. II, Orie".
Ch~1i4.. u. 52 (19611):92-137.
''Die lIlbiopiKhen hainten und ~os­
mo.""""'" in E.r-ev;ul/Armenien,'· Orit:ltJ Chmli-
."... 53 (l969):II3-SlI.
Qtrel101 I; Du Prospltoltelikol 'Ober de..
,celllelt C.....bm· du Kyrillo, __ AJeJI:IVUlric .. "n
n.eoJo.oo II. cd. J. Lukas. Afribnischt: For>
schungen 1. C1ocbtadl. 1973.
_;::;-,OtuRos /l1: DeT 0;.1", "lhu ClrriJlu. Ern.,.,
ul~ Ile> Kyrillos ...... AIU4ndrie". ed. I'.. Kammer·
....hmidl. Ath;.,p;stischc fOf'Khull"",, 2.....~oc:sba­
den, 1911.
- 7 - QUeIIos IV I; HomiJicn 'md Brief., :tum KOft-
{il """ EpIoews. cd. E. Hammenchmidt. Alhi<>-
p8ii""ht: FOI'sch,mgen a. wiesMcl..... 1979.
_,,--: Otrell... IV 2: Trllilllre du Ep,plraM'bs von
Zypern u"d des Prol:/", ....It Kyt!ko,. cd. I'.. Ham·
menchmidt. Alhiopi'IUche Fonchungen 6. Wies-
baden. 1979.
___, Otrello. iV J: Trak,ale dCI S"'er;anos von
Ga1><tla. G,erorio. Thau",all<riOs u"d K)'rillos VO"
A!cxa"drien, ed. E. Hammcr'Schmidl. Alhiopi,;.
lillChe Fonchungcn 7, Wlesbadcn, 1979.
LoNFItANC() RICCI
980 ETHIOPIAN CHURCH AUTOCEPHALY
ETHIOPIAN CHURCH AUTOCEPHALY.
In the m>ddlt 01. Ih.. foul1h nmlllY. Saint ATHA."ASI·
us. the l>O.'tn,itth palriarch 0{ Aluandria, appoinled
Frumc:ntiU!i (SaUII\II) 10 bt the lint primale (ABUS)
of Ethiopia. From thn unliJ tM ni"",~nlh «mllry.
n"&Qlialions ~n lhe two churchts were ~ ...
aUy r~ttd to Elhiopian ~ for a new orb.."
10 be: cOll$«J'lllltd and sc:m 10 E1hiopia by tht Cop
tic palriarch afttr the dtalh of lhe prerious ol~n.
These: reqUt,.s -... usuaJly made throu&h an tm·
baMy sent '0 Egypt with pr"Sf'nlS for lhe Coptic
patriarch and Ihe Musllm ruleT of Egyp" withoul
whose: approval the new .I><m could nol lravel to
E,hiopia.
The qUe51ion of providing a grea,e. number ()(
b;';hops than lhe one dbun fo. W Elhiopian see Is
repontd to have b«n brooched .. early as the
lwellth cenlury. ",'hen Em~lO£ Haile ()(.he Zlfwt
dynasly asked for ,en bishopa '0 as.si<1 Aburuo Mio
U·tL "".ria",h ~£L II (1I11-116$) e<>nsic:loend
the reque:M 10 be justified, but the ruler 0{ £c)lJI is
rq>aned 10 have p.........nted the appointmen' of Ild-
dilional bidoops. in order 10 kttp the <:hurch of
Elhiopia under the ch"",h of Egypr. and COMe"
qU<:ndy unde.- the rule. of Egypt-
Whal""'''' ,he lrulh of this report. it ..." not until
the laner pan of the ninetttnth century. after lhe
death 0{ Alnk~""OS. 1M IOBlh archbi:o;hop of Ethio-
pia. Ihat Emperor YCll:!anne. Ned tile palrla.ch of
Alexandria, CYRIL v, to Ippoint ,hree Coptic blshGpS
ICl assist Ihe new obit". In 1881 ,he synod of lhe
Coptic church deerew thaI an archbishop and
Ihree bishops would be appointed for ElhiCl?ia. One
of th"Sf' bishops ""as Mit~"""", who "''llS appolmw
bishop of Shewa province. When Em~ror Meolelilr.
II acceded to the thl'OM .. King of Kinp, he ......
qo.>e!Ud "'" palriarch to appoint M.lltwos as the
db.." oJ Ethiopia.. Abu"" J,WN05 died in 1926-
Rb Tabri Makonn~n (then rqtftt of Ethiopia.
later Entptn>r Haile ~ie I) asl~ Pauierch Cyr.
il V 10 ~ a new archOishop and to aoppoint
-....t Ethiopian bisioops to assist him in his ~riI·
uaI miosion. Bul Ihe dnoth of Cyril V in 1921 left
the question in sus~nsc: lIntil the elec.ion of """".
arch JOH~ XUI (Yu'annis) in 1928. The synod in
1929 appoinled Ardbishop O<:relo. to be tM Illlh
obu" e>f Echiopia. IGCt'lher with fou. Elhiopian bish·
ops. When I'atriarch JOOn XIX visited Ethiopia in
19:>0. a fifth Elhioplan bishop. the f(:(:AO£. was ap-
poinled. Thi. was the first time {hat Ethiopian blsh·
Clps wtre appoinllW by lhe church of Egypt.
lkfore leaving ElhlO?ia after Ihe italian OCCllpa'
tion in 1935. Emperor Haile SdlS$ie ul<ed Abun.
O/:r<:105 10 stay in £thio?i.o 10 take c..... of che
church. The Italians tried 10 persuade hIm tCl do:-
dare the ehllrch d Ethiopia mc\epe>odenl From It",
church 01 EcrP:. T1lil Abuna O/:rel.. naturally re-
fu5ed 10 do. OespK~ Ihreau. blanlfuhments, uwi a
sronny interview with MllSSOlini in Rom... H.. was
then broupn back 10 f«)1Jl. and the Il&lian MllOOn.-
lies proceeded with their plan to detach the church
of Ethiopia from its parent chur<:h. Abraham, lhe
Elhiopian bishop of Gojam. ",:as appoinled patriarch
of th.. Ethiopian church. with lhue archbishops
and thue bilhop$ tCl assi.1 him. By a decree <hIed
28 December 1937. Ihe Coptic synod ncommuni·
cated Abnham and his assislants, ",ilh the appro,'al
or lhe emperor. who was then in exile in England.
Aile. Ihe emperor's relum to EthiO?la, Abuna
O/:relos I"",<,led 10 Addis Ababa in May 1942, ac·
cOmplOllied by " mi..ion of three Coplic layman 10
discuss church mall,...,. and poIi.i",,1 qllalions (not-
ably Ihe resumption 01 diplomatic ul..ions bt--
tweeJl lilt two Cel.mlries). A r.:.-.la "''loS fllOJnd \0)
validalt sacramenll pe,focn",d by "'" ll~ paUl'
arch aJKl bishops as if they had b«n ~ric>nned by
N
1epI1)' appointed ecdesiasl;cal aulhorilies,'· Abuna
Qm:105 stayed in Ethiopia. and "'" three laym....
ulUmed to £c)'p1 on Ihe day folkl""in8 lhe death Clf
Palriarch John XIX. They bore ",ilh lhem new reo
q..esu frnm Ihe Eihiopian church WI an Elhiopian
be appoinled as .b.." afttr the dealh of lh incum·
hent and thai allthority he immedia'cly granled CO
him ICl cQn&OCi'lte bishops for the Ethiopian
chu.ch.
By a decree da-led 26 June 1942, the Coptle synod
lifted the «communicalion. but made nCl menlion
d the Elhiopi.n ~qUts,"- Jkcause of Ihis. the de-
c~e ....as nOi published in Elhiopia. and lhe Ethiopi·
an church proclaimed lhal the ~":l would hence-
forth be en.;I\ed 10 eonsec....le priesa The Coplic
..0........ pracclcally 1ft aside.. When Patriarch
MACAMlS III _ eJ.ected on J2 February 19". his
name _ noc mentioned in ElhioPan church sotr-
vic<'$. as required by trtodition.
A new mission ....... senllO Elhiopia in June 19«.
It confe.....,d with an Elhiopian commi"«. which
made known the Elbiopian church's wishes in ,.
letler 10 lhe palri1rch dale<! 28 June 19<14. The
wishes ,,'<'~ the fClll"",ina' (l) thai His HolinlOM
choose from amOlIll h;'; sons of the Ethiopian ckl"lY
a man of meril and com«rale him archbishop Clf
Ethiopia: (2) Ihlt an Elhiopian synnd be eSlablished
as counterpan to the .ynnd 01 Ihe Alexandrian
church. this synod 10 have Ihe right ICl choose lhe
bi.hops to be CCln5eCrated by the archbishop ap.
pointed by lhe pIIlria",h; {3j thai the Egyplian oyn·
00 "''tlco...., ~presenwi'"... of the EthiClpian
 ETHIOPIAN CHURCH AUTOCEPHALY
church to take pan in the election of the patriarch
of the See of Saini Mark, Alexandria: (4) thaI the
Ethiopian synod ha.., a permanent seat in the Alex'
andrian synod and be invited to atlend all its meet·
ings; (5) that the excommunication be lifted from
Ihe bishops whom the Ethiopian church ....'as fOTced
10 ch<><:>se under the Italian occupation. 10 save the
bith when the church had to break its relation with
the churd of Alexandria; (6) thaI an ecclesiastical
college be founded at Addis Ababa and be placed
under the high authority of the patriarch, and dUll
an exchange 01 missions be established between
Eg)pt and Ethiopia.
An argument oflen used by the Ethiopians in
their discussions wilh the Egyptians was that Iheir
numb,," was much greater than that of the Copts in
Egypt and that. moreover, they we,.., not a minorit~
in their country, as are the Copts in Egypt, but a
majority in a state that officially proclaimed Christi-
anity the state religion.
A delicate question was that of the patriarch's
position 3$ head of the ....hole See of Saint Mark
and, at the ...me time, as dire<:t head of the church
of Egwt. At one time, the idea ....as broached that a
position similar to that of the ecumenical patriarch
of Constantinople couid be established, whereby
the patriarch W<)uld retain the tide pope of Alexan-
dria and become the superior of a patrial"Ch of
Egypt and a patrial"Ch of Ethiopia, and perhaps lat-
er, a patriarch of the Sudan and other regions.
The idea never had much succe!lS, mainl~ be-
cause of the long historkal identification of the
Copts of Egypt with the head of their ehu",h and
the difficulty (If imagining that u.is head could be-
COme two persons, Also the idea smacked too much
of Greek usage and could not be accepted by the
Egyptians.
Patriarch Macari .... called the synod on 29 Janu-
ary 1945, and a committee was entrusted with the
study of the requests fOJ1Ilulated b:,' the Ethiopian
church. On 16 June 1945 th';fs,'nod approved the
commillee', findings. which (1) refused to give the
~bu" the right to consecml<' bishops; (2) refused to
appoim an Ethiopian abun; (3)"apprO\'ed of Ethiopi-
an panidpation in the election of the patriarch; (4)
approved of Ethiopian representation in the Egyp-
tian synod; (5) confiJ1Iled the lifting of the excom-
munication; and (6) approved of an exchange of
mission. and of the establishment of an ecclesiasti-
cal college in Addis Ababa.
Negotiations stopped at thLs point. Patria",h Ma-
carius III died on 31 August 1945, and Athan""ius,
archbishop or Bani suer, was appointed as locum
tenens. In December 1945 a congress of Ethiopian
981
church repn-sematives made s.....eral decisions, in-
cluding one to .end delegates to Egypt for funher
discussion of the Ethiopian demands. The work and
decisions of this congress were published in the
Amharic-language Ethiopian Church Review in its
fi"t issue, daled 10 KheMr 1938/19 November
1945 and its ,econd i!lSue dated 30 Tlikhs.u 1938/8
January 1946. It was stalOd Iherein that the
Ethiopian church would be forced 10 ""pante from
the Coplic church if its demands were nol '""t.
The mission brought a lener from the emperor to
Athanasius, Ihe locum tenens, urging thai the d.,.
mands be accepted for the good of the two church-
es. Eight demands were fonnulated. The synod, in
ils meeting of 31 January 1946, ",ith the locum
tenens presiding. answered thai (1) it accepted that
the next archbishop of Ethiopia should be an Ethio-
pian; (2) it denied the archhishop of Ethiopia au-
Ihori....tion to consecrate bishop.; (3) it approved
increasing the number of bishops £Or Ethiopia; (4)
it would peJ1Ilit delegates of the Ethiopian church
to take pan in the eleclion of the patriarch; (5) it
would pennit Ihe church of Ethiopia to be repre-
sented at Ihe meelings (If Ihe s)'flod at the patriar-
chate: (6) it appro.'ed exchanges of missions be-
t....een the churches; (7) it would allow a .eminary
to be founded at Addi. Ababa: (8) it refused to let
the Ethiopian church have a special synod at Addis
Ababa, bul allowed the archbishop to call a region-
al congregation of bi.hops,
The Ethiopian church sent five monks to Egypt,
asking Ihat Ihey be consecmled as bishops. During
their presence in Cairo, Palriarch y(lsAB II was
elected nn 26 May 1946. He called the synod on 2(1
June 1946 to examine onc," again the Ethiopian
demands. The most imp<>rtant, Ihat of the archbish-
op'. right to consec",te bishops, was again refused.
In addition, the conditions put forv.'3ro by the patri·
arch for consecrating the five Elhiopian monks as
bishnps (namely, that they should formally under-
take a solemn oath nev,"r t(l con.ecrate a patriarch,
an archbishop, or a bishop) was refused by the
Etbiopians, as thLs would have precluded any possi-
bility for the Ethiopian archbi,hop to conS«l1Ite
bishops in future.
On 30 June 1946, RAs As"'te Kassa proposed m.,.
dialion to end Ihe eonllkt. He asked the Coptic
church to .end a mission 10 Addis Ababa in oroer
to resume the talks on the following bases: (1) the
patriarch would ordain the bishops proposed by the
Ethiopian church, and the bishops would individu-
ally take an oath of allegiance to the Coptic church;
and (2) the patriarch would examine with palernal
benevolence the other requests of Ihe Ethiopian
-----------_. --
982 ETHIOPIAN CHURCH AtITOCEPHALY
church. and anr ~"ion taun would tulw ;I ""'<0-
aah-c cllcci and thus lIf>Ply to the bishop!- al~/Idy
ordained. n.e Coptic miMion len for Addis o'\baW
on 2.) July and returned on 3 AUfU$l without bon'
i"'l ot>1<Iined a resulL n.., Elhiopian ccdesiastics
mumcd to Addis Abooba 011 .. AuJWl 1946.
In June 1947 the empcn>r IoId the pllriarU1!hal
he desind I<> n>d IN di"'~I. The pIolriaTch
Ippoinie<l a comminN. W rq>On of ..mieh '""""
IpprovN b)' the ~ynod on 24 July 1947. n.., Ethi0p-
ian archbishop ........1<1 """' the n,hl to onbin bish-
ops by spKial ddeg21ion from the ~uiarch. Ii deI-
eplion .._Id be gin'll for each individual
candKlate. Fume......"...,•• Coptic bishop would be
Ippo:limcd as «patriardlal ddepu for African ~
lions:' with residence al Addis ANba. He wvuld
urry the delegations !'rom the patriarch 10 the "bun
for or....ini"$ the biohops. On 29 Milf'l:h 1948 the
p;llliarch sanctioned the Elhio:lpian lIoI:cepll>nce of
the synod', decisions, e~cepl for the patriarchal del-
e&flte, who ....... absolutely refused by the Ethiopi.
an •.
On 2S July 1948 fi~e Ethiopian bi,h<:Jp:s we..., or-
dalntd by the patriarch. They were 8islyos of
Sltewa, Mika'el of Gonder, Uwoflos of Harar,
Yt'qob of !..eqemt, and TimOl~ of Yerga Alern.
On 12 October 1950, Abuna O!relos. Ihe lUI OJptic
archbiohop, died in Cairo after a long illness. The
bishop of Sh"",-a "''35 ordained ... archbishop of
Elhiopia by !he patrian:h on 2tI June 1959 and thllS
became !he Iir$I Ethiopian tlbu... On 2 ~I!:mMr
1951 five other Elhiopian bishops """'''''' ordained by
the .110... by , .. mae of. deltplion for Ihis purpotoe
from the paIriarch. They -"I!: foUrqoI of Erina.,
Fileppo$ of JI!:rusaJom, Gor&o<Jos 01 Jimma. Tide-
IKOS of Go",. and Gab",,'el d Wallo.
In 19S6 1M Coptic dlutdl b«d a aiais brQU&ht
allow by lhe ",-eak_ of the pacriatdl and Ihe
~ned aclS of simony commilled by hls secretary.
Meld;. Tho: ~IJ.'-' Iir$I abdlKtl!:d by a croup
of young bnatics ;;'Ii!:d Group of thl!: Coptic Na-
lion. Laler. 1.1 the req~1 of pan of 1M Communily
Council and of Coptic public "",nion, he .....
lOrced by thl!: Egypiian goftrnment to recire 10 a
monaslery in l/ppI!:r Egypl. Thit draslic ml!:aw'"
was caniood oul <!espile Ihe protests of OlMr mem-
~n of the Communily Council, who belleved IIlaI
askin. govl!:rnment help in sellinl al.ide a patriarch
"'ould constitule a dangerous precedenl. The folly
of such an aciion was amply proved by subsequent
events connected with Patriarch SHENOUl>A III
Iwenly·five years later,
flOm t.... DAYR AL-NUl:IARIUoO, 10 which he had
bun reJegaled, the pal .... n::!I. in a letler 10 Emperor
Haill!: Selassioe. asked for I...... ..--lialion of Ihe
church of £IMopia. In June 1956 a deleption of
snnI Elhioopian bW>ops IefI fur Cairo and v;siled
..... pAtrian:b .. lbe ~ery. It proved unable to
"soh., !he crisis and murned 10 EIlriopi:a. The pA-
Ir\arch then became Ul and ...... taken 10 1M C.",..io::
HospiuJ in Cairo. where he remained for aboul fi...,
month$.. HI!: died on 13 No."mber 1956. III the ace
of ri&h'Y'I"''O. and 1Oo"M burJed in the (]>urc" of
Saini Marl< al Cairo. Anbi Athallao.i.... ..-as apin
appoinled locum re-ne1l$ by me synod.
On the p"' .... rch·s dnlm, the qUl!:Slion of Elhiopi·
an pAr1icipadon in 1M elKlion of his successor
aruoc apin, cornplkaled by Ihe lacl thai on 3 NO'
~..,mber 1957 a new la", had been iMued by pres;.
denlial dccl'l:"', al I~ requesl of the S)-nod ami Ihe
Communily Council, "'a:"latina: the procedure for
Ihe elKlion of Ihe patriarch. A. Ih.. patriarch is a
public official. the proccdure for his declion ;,; reg-
ulaled by la.... Ind supeT\'ised by Ihe Office of Elec·
liono al the Minill!)' of Interior, The same applico
to the eleclions (Of the Coplic Community Council.
The new la'" fi~ed the representation of the Elbi.
opian church and people in the electi"" of Ibe
palriarch. with YOles 10 be given eilher in pet'OOn or
by proxy, The repreaoentaliYes of Elhiopia were to
be (I) IIIe archbi$hop, I...... bishops. and the "~~,,tl
(2) Ihe deleple of lhe emperor; and (3) I",,,,,,nl)"
four noubles of the empi.., 10 be chosen by the
omperor.
In Nm-emher 1957. AnWi Yu'ann;,; (loon), arch·
lmhop of Ciao .nd secre1lU} of the S}-nod. ,,_ dele.
pled 10 Adem Ababa 10 Imile I...... Elhiopian N!Jtrt!-
senlalr.'es 10 pankipate in !he election. but the
EIhiopIan chUl"Cb repJied thaI ....oce the plan of
the Ethiopian Church in Ihis mailer has apparmtly
no!: bcom clearly stipulaled In lhe order of prIX"'-
dun:. and in view of ..... facl thai the lqitimlUe
rights and privil~es of the Elbiopian Church "..,..,
no! acco«led Mr in Ihe decision made concerning
!he pTe\'ious palria..,h, il h.. become nece5$ll!)' lhat
this breach of our prhilqe be discUMed and a de<:i·
$ion reached befo~ "'C can p ..,icipale in I...... el«-
lion. If il ""Ollld be your p1l'3$u", 10 di:scUM Ihis
matleT with us. we shall be happy 10 l'Cnd our dele'
gates for Ihis purpoille."
The patriarchale made another e/fan 10 persuade
the Ethiopian church 10 panici""te in Ihe eleclion
procedure, Anbl Yu'annis again went 10 Elhiopia
for Ihi. purpoille, bUI to nO a,'aiL It was finally
agreed thaI negotiations with the Ethiopian church
would be carried on concurrently ....ilh lhe eleclo",1
 ETHIOPIAN CHURCH AUTOCEPHALY
proc~. An Ethiopian mission com~d of 1"10
bishops and lh~ layrnm alTh'ed in Cairo on 24
May 1958. and afte.- prOl"",,<e<:i nqoo.ia,ions. , pro-
Iocol _ signed on 21 July and .~d by the
synod 011 23 July.
This "'"as an un........J docu.men' in cbu",h bislory.
lis mlIin clllusc ...... thai the P"',"",",h, ..-no _ld
aJ"'"aY!' be an E,;yptian onhodoll Copt. would be
~ed by an Nl,ua1 number of mc~ on die _
day In Eg)'pc "",<I ill f.thiopi.a (Uoul $e\'ft1 hulOdnod
_en In eao:h c:ountry)_ Accessory dlll.l5eS _re
,h" the arc:hbishop of Edtiopia would be sran,flI
th rank of ril:e-palrian:h. at the ~nt opponuni.y
afler the elfttioo of til<: patriarch and lhal the palri·
arch. _lei ~ " $late ",it 10 Ethiopia aftu his
C«IS«-I'lldon.
This pl'OlOl:ol, had il been implemented. would
have Jmlty enhnced ,he slature of tho! Coptic plio'
triarc:h. and ensu.red him a practically unassailabl"
poshlon. The EiYJ>lian gcvemmcnl naturally did
nOI want the position of the Coptic patriarch to be-
strengthened 10 such a degree. and it refused to
implement the protocol (i.e., 10 modify the newly
tHued electoral Law in accordance witll tile cl.u~
01 the protocol). The Ethiopian delegates 10 the
ncgollatlClns, who welT 10 Sl.O.y on in order 10 ~h
pan In the de<:ton] pn>Cudinp. ~turned to Elhlo-
pia 8t me end of Ocwber 19S8.
Pauvrch CTIlJL ~'I wu "~lly ele<:led on 19 April
19'59, IwO and a half)"CilR after lhe dath of Palri·
arch YCIsIIb II, and consecnled on 10 May. The
Ethiopian chllnh and go>'emmtnl .taiMd from
alll.ndinl ~ ~onsecration. On J May and again on
16 May. the " ...... ~~" "'TOle 10 the emperor
and sem a mission of bishop; a.nd laymen to Addis
Ababa to invile an E.ihiopian deleption 10 nsume
cfucuq..... in Cairo. This """ accq>ted. and lhe
Ethiopian delep!ion arriwd in Coiro On II Ju~
A new p<OtOC:ol ""'" quickly dtafled, and after
arduous disctUaion. il ""as 5ined by the tWO dtlep
Ilon$ On 25 June. lu main CbUM is lhe provision
for Ihe ele\llltion of 1M Eth;opian ....,hbWlop. the
otbu". 10 lite .....k of patrianh. His in~eslltuJ'le and
cOnsecrallon shall be perfonned "by the Pope and
patriarch ....ho oc:cup;e:. the ~halr [Ihrone) of s..inl
Mark of Alcxandria:' Hc is authorized 10 ordain
archbishops and bi$hops.
This was the filSl lime ;n Christian history that a
church granted independen~e (10 U$e a political
term) to another church, OIhern';.." the Ethiopian.
threatened to 110 10 Armenia or Syria to be ~Qnse'
cn.t«l. This protocol remains the basic document
thai hal since then gOV<:rtled the relation. between
983
tho: lwo chUTChes. On 26 June the emperor in-
ronned Patriarch Cyril VI that Abuna Basl}us, arct..
biohop of Ethiopia., had been chosen ... !he lint
p;olriarclt of Ethiopia. He was ConR<'nued in the
presnlce of the emperor at Ihe CopIic Cathedral m
Sooim MarIr. io Cairo on Sunday, .za June 1959.
Pauiar'Ch Cyril VI made a state risit 10 Elhiopia in
Oci<>ber 19150. He IlpIn visited Elhiopia in January
1965 to anend the Conference m on.mtaJ Onhodoa
C"""'' ' '
l'ittrianh Bti/yos m Eth;opia died on 12 Oclober-
1970. Palriaf'Ch Cyril sent a del~lioo 10 con,'eY
the condolences m Ihe Coptic church, as he could
not allend lhe runenl hirNelr be<::aux of his illness.
Ttwo8ns. the bishop of Harar, \O"IS chosen to be the
""""nd patria,."h of Ethiopia. Meanwhile, Patriarch
Cyril VI died in Cairo On 9 March 1971. The ques-
lion then arose as 10 ,,'hether the locum tenens of
the C"ptic patriarch, Archbi.hop An!un;yus of Su·
hlj. could tUte the place of the palriarch at Ihe
consecration of the patrian;h of Ethiopia, The ques-
tion was quickly resolved, and the locum tenellJ
traveled to Addis Ababa for the investiture and con·
secnlion of the new Ethiopian palrun;h on 9 May
1971.
On 29 Oclober 19J1. Patriarch Sheoou.da III was
amons: the tb,..,. candidates IOlected to the Se<: of
Saint Ma.-L The lot was dra....n two days Ialer, and
he was consecrated on 14 November 1971. In Sep-
t,"",ber 1973 he made a SIlIle visit 10 Ethiopia.
After the Elhiopiao f"IOWllUliOTl of 1974, Patriarch
T~os COD!;nuo:dlO dirKI the albin of lhe Ethi-
opian church until he w;tS &mated and imprisoned
by 1he p-..n>metlt in 1975. His fate is unmown.
The Ethiopian church eIecled Pa(riarch Tak!a
HiymboIlo nopbclO him, but thl, ellOCIion was not
rlf'C~ed by Patriacdt She.-.da III I+. de<:i5ion of
the Coptic synod dated 141+.ll1US' 1<;76condemno:d
the aTTesl or the previous piunan;h of Etbiopi.a and
!he ekction of a new ~uiarch as iIlepI, btta""" il
did nO' respecl canon law, by ""hich a patriarch can
be ~ved only by a synodal d«ision after he has
been allowed to pruent his defetlSlO.
TIte I"a..,lullonary covemment of Ethiopia dises--
t:>blished the church of Ethiopia and confiscate<! all
ilS pr-t>peJ1i1Os. It organi~ed indoclrination classe:s
and campais:ne<! against rellgious praclice. bolh
Christian and Muslim. The older archbishops in
Ethiopia were plll "on ~nsion" in 1980, and
younger ecclesiastics we,.,. chosen to lake their
place. pn.'SUmabl)' in order to be mure in tune with
the gm'emmenl"s views, An ecclesiastical opposi-
tion led by some Ethiopian bi$hops ouuide Ethiopia
 984 ETHIOPIAN HERESIES AND THEOLOGICAL CONTROVERSIES
took shape, with the aim of infonning public opin'
ion of the situation of the church in Ethiopia.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
EdiCl of bco",,,,ul'I;coti'm, dated 28 December
1937 (in Arabic and Amharic), Government Press,
Cairo, 1938,
Mu~d KAmiL "La Dernihe phase des relations hi·
storiques ent,.., I'~glise copte d'Egypte et celie
d'Elhiopie (jusqu'en 1952)," Bulletin 01 the Socie.
ty 01 Coptic Archwlogy 14 (1957):1~22,
_ _, "AI-'lI!q~t Sayn al·Kanisah al·Mi~yyah wa·
al·hhyiipijoyah." AI.Siy~s"h al.Dawliiyyah, 3, no. 8
(April-June 1968).
Yolande, M. The Church <J/ Ethwpla' The National
Ch"rch In the Making. Asmara, 1972.
MIRRIT BoVfROS GliAL!
ETHIOPIAN HERESIES AND THEO_
LOGICAL CONTROVERSIES. Although
isolated from the Christian world umil the twenti·
eth centul)', Ethiopia has had knowledge, and even
followen, Qf the major heresies that caused schism
and cruted e<:cIesiastical minorities in the early
histol)' of the Christian chur"h. A letter from the
emperor Constantiu. II (337-361) (Athanasiu.,
1857, cols. 636-37) shows a reasonable line of
communication between Ethiopia and the outside
world. The Arian emperor wrote to the rulen of
I'.I.hiopia to demand that Frumentius, or Abuna Sa'
lama I (cf. ImllOl'lAN PR,EV,rns), the fint metropoli·
tan bishop of Ethiopia, be sent to Egypt to be in·
structed in the Arian faith by Gregol)', who was
made patriarch of Alexandria when Saint ATHAN.o.sI·
US (326-373), the legitimate patriarch, was in
forced e.ile because of hi. refusal to embn.ce Ari-
anism. Constantius thought that Athan...ius himself
was hiding in Ethiopia.
Church history kring the reign of the zagw;;
dynasty (1137 - t 2701 and the period preceding it is
too sketchy to incl~de Ihe controversiu, since the
panies invQlved destroyed each other'. evidence. A
scholar, Giyorgis o( Sagl!. who died around 1420,
has left a voluminous work, Mll.!elJaf~ Me.!lr (The
Book of the MyMery), refuting heresies such as
th""e of OltlGE.... ARIUS, ElJTYCHES, Bitu (a local theo-
logian), and NESTOlttUS. and even tbe religion of
tslam. The he..,sies refuted must have had rele-
vance to Ethiopia, Indication. are that pTIilctices by
Christians, such as celebrating certain religious
holy days in the form of orgy, taking advice from
$Orceren, or praying with magic words, created
conflict in the church. Howe\'er, this treatise deals
with conflicl. of Christological or theological
imponance.
The EstlfAnOlilte.
The earlie" recorde<l heresy of the Ethiopian
church stemmed from the extreme re.'e,..,nce ac·
corded the icon of the Madonna and Child and the
c<on by the established church. Sources do nol
name leaders or state whether the objection was
related to the ICONOCV,SM of the eighth and ninth
centuries in the Mediterranean world. In Ethiopia it
started during the reign of YAgbe'a $eyon (1285-
1294), when a group of clergy maintained that the
icon was mere slate and the cross a me,.., pie<:e of
wood frQm Golgotha. These dissidents c~te<l great
schism in the church.
Since Ethiopian leaders suppressed dissidence,
another such movement did not appear in the rec·
ords until the fifte<,nth centul)'. At this time a
monk named EsJUanos (Stephen) from the Monas·
tery of QwaY)~ in Tigre questioned the worship of
icons, crosses, and worldly rulen, espedally the
monarch. h is not clear whether the movement was
a continuation of the earlier one or not, At first
Es!ifanos' critici.m w... directed against lax ascetic
rules in monasteries. His defiance of established
monastic life and hi. decision to establish his OWn
monastery attracted many whQ preferred strict as·
ceticism and was a threat to the church. Failing to
dissuade Es!iftmO$ from his views, the authorities
brought him before the royal coun with ac"usa·
tion. of disobe<!ience,
His experience al court strengthened his position,
since the king expttted his subjects to prostrate
themseh-es whenever they saw him or heard his
name mentioned, even in his absence. &!ifinos
and his followen held that Christians should pros-
trate them,e1ves only before God the Father, God
the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
It was during the reign of ur'a U'qob (1434-
1468) that the Blessed Virgin was wonhiped
through her icon. Many miracles that she worked in
Spain, FTIiln"e, Italy, Syria, and Egypt were translat·
ed into Ge'ez, the church language of Ethiopia. At
that time, the rule from Mu"allaqa, Ma~elJafa set'a/,
ordaining thirty-three holidays in honor of the Vir-
gin, was brought to Ethiopia. The Estifanosites hon·
ored her as the Mother of God, but they considered
the reverence the king demanded for the icon, the
cross, and himself excessive.
They sulfe,..,d se.'ere perse<:ution, including mas.
 ETHIOPIAN HERESIES AND THEOLOGICAL CONTROVERSIES
uust, execution, amputation (especially of hands
and tongues), and i.olation. Metropolitan. Mik<\'el
III (Michael) and Gabre'el (Gabriel), both of woom
lived near the middle of the fifteenth centu!)', wel"<'
sympathetic, but the political leade... wer... con-
c...moed ,,'ith unity of the nation through conformity.
Litlle mol"<' is known about the &\ifanosites bef"l"<'
the war with GraM (1527-1543), but their ceuter,
the Monastery of Dabra Garnn, in Tigre, is still an
important holy plac... of Ethiopia. Ahhough its
monks still revere their founding father, the mon",,·
tery has been under the church of Ethiopia since
the middle of the sixteenth century.
The £wo.~tewosltes
Probably since its beginning, the Ethiopian
church has observed Saturday as the first Sabbath
and Sunday as the Christian Sabbath. As one of the
Ten CommandmMts, th... observance of Saturday
Sabbath should be practicoed by any people woo.e
book is the Bible, they helieved. Funhermore, the
Synodicon, one of the canonical works of the Ethio-
pian church, states that Peter and Paul di.....ct...d that
these two days be obs...rved as holy days. During the
l"<'ign of 'Amda $<'yon (1314- 1344) a controversy
arOSe On the question of omerving the Jewish Sab·
bath. The Coptic church in Egypt had objeeted to
Jewish customs practiced by Ethiopian Christians
and decl"<'ed the aboliti"n of Saturday obsenance.
Abolishing an age.-old religious custom was, how·
ever, difficult, although the decree had come from
spirilllal and political auth"ritie•. The choice in the
monasteries was to obey temporal authorities Or to
foUow the Scriptures.
]';wosj!!two. (&lstathius), a highly ..... vered monk,
led the oppo.iti"n, His appeal in person to the pa.
triarch in Cairo did not bring results. His followers
at home withd.....w from the .church to live in orga-
nization. strictly controlled ~the lead...rship_ Some
attempted to COnv n th... Falasha, who a ..... call ...d
Jews and who a an EthioPian community, and
who, judging from th... ir Iileralu ..... , confuse Judaism
and Christianity. When lar'a YI'qob ascended the
throne, he decide<! to end th... controversy_ Befo.e
Ihat time, h... himse~f did not k...ep the Sabbatlt, but
he saw no harm in allowing Chrislians to obselVe
Saturday if that could unify his kingdom. AI the
famous Council of Dabra M...!mliq (1450), O' Dayr
al-Magh!"S, the king que.tione<! metropolitan. Mi·
chael and Gabri...l aboutth ground. for abolishing
Ih first Sabbath: Ihey we not foun<l in th... Scrip'
tur s, in th... Octat...uch, in the hooks of the Proph-
985
ets, in th... Gospels, or in th ... writings of the ap""
tle._ He reminded them that Peter an<! Paul, the
head of th... apostles, handed down th...ir r ...doning
in the Syno<!icon, that being 10 work for fiv... days
and not 10 pufonn any work on Saturday and Sun·
day. Th metropolitans reversed thc duree of their
pred...c ors Salima 11 (1348-1388) and Bar-
talomewo. (1398-1436), and abandoned the po.i·
tion decre...d by the church in Egypt, In the Ethi"pi·
an church, obse....·ance of the two Sabbath, stan. 31
sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on Sunday.
The Zamlka'liites
The writings of th... emperor Zar'a Yi'qob (1434-
1468) .....fer to schotars who objecte<! to his r...ligious
,'iews. The most serious controversy <leah with the
unity and trinity of God. Since Diwit (1382-1413),
or ...v... n befo..... , the church had taught that each
Person in the Trinity has an imag... re....mbling man,
who was created according to th... imag... Qf God
(Gn. 1:27). SOurc .... maintain that wh...n the Son was
incamaled, h... appear...d as before the Incarnation
and that after his Resurrection h... sat on the righl
sid... of his Fath...r in th....am ... image_ For the Last
Judgm... nt the Son will join the Father and th... Holy
Spirit, each one appearing to all nations in his
human-<!ivine imag.... lar'a Yi'qob compared the
unity and trinity of God with three suns whose
lights ar... unite<! when th...y appear .id... by .ide,
three suns (persons) with on... light (divinity).
The oppon... nts of this .'iew, the Zamikii:elit...s, so
caned after lamiU:~l, an aniculate monastic lea<l-
... r, proposed instead, as Fre Mikhebar did, on... sun
,,;th a disk (Goo th... Father), light (God the Son),
and heat (God the Holy Spirit). Funh... nnore, th...
ZamikA'tlit.... rejecte<! the vi...w that tbe Father and
th... Holy Spirit will appear with th... Son at his
secQnd coming, They opposed the emperor's pro-
motion of Inn.lat...d and newly composed versions
of th miracl ...s of the Bl...ssed Virgin and opposed
the d dication of SO many days to her. They also
disagreed with tile constitution of Ihe canonical
books of the church.
Controversy Concerning th... Pr...exlstenc... of
Souls
During the reiso of Gallwdewos (1540-1559), af-
t...r lhe war "ith Graili\, th...re a.ose a group who
taught that the..... is a stQr... for lhe supply of souls.
According to its views, when a child is conceiv...d, a
soul is infu.ed into the embryo; only the body de-
sc... ml. from parents 10 ellild. The controversy may
986 ETHIOPIAN HERESIES AND THEOLOGICAL CONTROVERSIES
have been related to the teachings of Origen, bUI
sourceS make no m... ntion of other groups "'pous·
i"g Ihis variely of Ne<>plato"ism before this time. 11
does not seem to have made a lasling impt"<'ssion in
Ethiopia.
The JesuIts and the Conlroveny
Concerning the Unction of Chrisl
This was a more lasting controversy, also started
during the reign of Galawdewos. When Islamic
pressut"<' threatened the extincticn of Christianity in
Ethiopia. Ihe rulers of Ethiopia tum...d to Portugal
fo. help. Th... Ponuguese r...sponded favorably. be-
Ii...... ing that the Ethiopian church would come un·
der the sway of the Roman Catholic church when
the war ended. Emperor Galawdewo., seeieg no
other way to sa.'e his country. favored such a reli-
gious alliaece, The Portuguese, who fought the ...n ·
mies of his counlry and the church, pro"ed th...
importance of such an alliance. Ne>'enheless. the
Ethiopian clergy was filml)' committed 10 Alexan'
dria. The Portuguese were finally either di.missed
from the country Or settled in a non-Christian reo
gJOn.
The desire of the Catholic church 10 have the
Ethiopian church ,ubmit to the authority of the
Roman pope has a long history, beginning Wilh
Pope Julius 111 (14g7-1555), or even hefore. Jesuit
missionaries finally succeeded i" eon>'erting fun·
peror Zadengel (1603-1604). The impact of royai
conversion was greater when Emperor Suseneyos
(1607-1632) officially embraced Catholicism and is-
sued a decree that hi. subject. follow. The arrival of
Alfonso Mendez. the Catholic patriarch, in Ethiopia
and his decree thai the people abandon their reli·
gious culture and adopt the Latin rite caused social
unrest and disruption. Metropolitan Sem'on (Simon
or Simeon) was amqng thousands martyre<! in wit-
ness to the Alexandr"", faith.
Stiff resistance and the fuct that the kinil had
suffered a stroke ca~d him to abdicate in favor of
his son Fiisiladas (1632 - 1667), Thereafter, the Doth·
olios left, leaving behind a Iheological controversy
that ga>'e a local color to Dolholidsm in Ethiopia
and to the ,teaching of the two natures in Christ.
Thi. expresses itself in the theological meaning of
qeb'at, ,>r unction (Acts 10'38). and bakwr, or first-
born (Rom. 8:29), when applied to Jesus, the Christ,
or Messiah (masi!) who is the only Son of God.
Raising these questions was meant to show to the
Monophysites the inferior human nature of Christ
compare<! to his divine nature.
The contr<wecs)' divided the local church il1lo
three se<ots; (1) Ihe Unionist', or Tawal).edo: (2) the
Unctioni.t., or Oeb~tocc: and (3) the Adoptionist',
or !i>aggocc or Ya-!i>aggA ujoU. The Tawii~edo
laught thai "b)' the union [of the two natures,
Christ] became the Onl)' Son of God and, by lhe
anointment, he became King, Messiah, Prophet,
and Priest." The QeMlocc believe that God the Fa-
ther is the anointer; God the Son, the anointed: and
God the Hoi}' Spirit, the ointment. For a lime they
inte'l'reted "He made himself poor" (2 Cor, 8:9) 10
mean that Christ al a given time was solely human.
Through unction or the anointing of the Holy Spir-
it. he warne a natural Son. this time in his human-
ity u welL The ;>aggoN. claiming to be successors
of the Tawa~edo (u did all these schools) of the
Monastery of Dabra liba:nos, accept "the only Son
by union" of the Tawii~edo. In inte'l'reting this
formula and in an effort 10 explain the place of the
human nesh of the Word Incarnate in his Sonship,
they teach a third birth for Christ-aftu the elernal
birth from the Father and the lemporal birth from
the Blessed Virgin-at which time, in hi, humanity,
he was adopted as Ihe Son of G<Jd by the unction of
the Holy Spirit. In opposition 10 this pro-NeSlorian
herew or e<)"pto·Dotholieism. the TawalJedo (later
called KaJTO<'c after Kaml, the leader of the move·
ment) developed their formula of faith, which rec-
ognized Christ as the natural son of God by Ihe
ueion of his humanity and divinity_ In answer to
the inferior role lhey Ihought the othe. schools
gave 10 the Son in the proce.. of unclion. thC}'
developed the fOlmula wald qeb' (the Son is the
ointment). In this, Chn.t actually hecomes "the
aeointer, the anointed. and the ointmeet," Together
with the QebatoU. the KArroU reject the ~aggocCs
idea of speaki"g ahout Christ's divinity and humani·
ty separately. because after the union of Ihe Iwo
natures thet"<' is only one Christ of one nature.
The OeMtocc, who occasionally held the polilical
upper hand during the Condenle dynasty, are no\<'
disappearing. The ~aggoct wet"<' influential in
Shewa until Ihe late nineteenth century, but lost
ground at the Council of Born M~dii (WaJlo). which
was summoned by Emperor Yo~annes IV (1872-
1889), a Tawal).cdc zealot. to decide th... number of
births of Christ. Th ... decision againsl the ~aggoct
was made after a letter from the Coptic patriarch
cnm V (1814-1927) ",..as read, although the transJa·
ticn of the Arabic into Ge'ez was questioned. Anoth·
er important theological decision mad... by this
council was that the sente"ce "Worship and pro.·
tration at"<' meet to her [Mary] together with her

Son" be chanled 10 "Wonllip and proslr:ation an
mttl to lIer Son."
TIa- ](Arrott and tlte ~'Iott lIave botlt conlrib·
uted something toward wickning th",i. di/fe...,ncocs,
tM Ka.roU ..::cu~ng the ~ott of NC$lorianism
and thoc -tMouoU accusinll the KI..roU of Eutychi·
anism. Today ..... number of the 00cb61ott and
~ t is insilltificant.
BIBl.IOORAI'ffY
Alhanasius. Ail im~'''lorem CONS/antialm "poIofis.
In PC 25. cols. 595-642. Paris. 1157.
Cerulli. E.1f Iiboo eliopi(;o ael m,,-uoli Jj Moria e Ie
...." 1_6 nelh lelte,a/..,,, a,,1 M"tRo E.... ",lin<>.
Rome. 1943.
-cc-c ~ritIi '~I etiopici aei suo/I XVI_XVII.
SCudi e lQti 198. Rome. 1958.
Crumm~. D. Priesu .Na l'oJiticUtN1: J>rote3ltuU .nd
C.th<Mje MiuOons In OrrltodoJr. EtltlopilJ. laJO-
J86&. O>.ford. \912.
Dillm;mn. A. Uber & Relie"' .... ;.obe-.t",,, diL
Kin:lrmora" .."t des /(Ihlip z",".·JM:oh. Abhand-
... ~ du KIlfIipichnl AUdem;" der W.-:n·
ochahen III Berlin, I'h~OIOpb&h.ftiOlorisc:he
Klao6e 2. Berlin, IW.
Gefatc........ Haile.. ''The Lett.er cJ Archbkhops lola·
a'd and Gabr'el Concerni", Ihe Obl.ervtonce cJ
s..uniloy,M 10"",,,,1 of SeJoIilic $n<dies 16. ""r. \
(1981):73-78.
_ _ "Relipous Conuoversics and the c.ro..,h of
Ethiopjc Liler:a'urc in the fool1eenth and Fir-
tttnth Cen'uries." Qriens ChrUrianus 65
(1981): 102-136-
_ Ille Homily of Ale lir'a Ya.'qob of Ethio-
pia in HonOtl. of Sa'urday." omnta/i" .tovanif:n-
ria Periodic" 13 (1982):185-23l.
_ _ '11Ie Homily of Zir'a Ya'qob in Honout of
51. John the E.....nsdist." Qrie"$ ClrrisfitJ"..S 67
(19831: 144 -66.
_ _ '"The Cause of lhe ~llflinosiles:
A Funda-
mental.)! S«I ;n the Ch...,-h of Ethiopia." P"I-
a"..m" 19 (1983):93-119.
Giyorgis of SaSll, M~feJ,~'~ MUlir, Unediled; see.
fo~ e.ample. Eth, MS 113, H, ZOlenberg. CQI"·
10'"'' au mo>! ..>cnlS "Ihiopi"ns IGhut ., A",ha-
riq.. e de 10 B;bliolh~q .. s N~rio"ale). pp. 127-31.
Paris, 1877.
Guidi. I. "Oi due rr1lmmenli rel"livi alia ~toria di
Abissinia." R.>!aieo>!I' della Aec"de",'" N"tWNQ.i.
d.1 Lineti, CI"sse ai sc;ute ",o,,,li 2 (1893):579-
""
Hammerschmidt E. Sldl"n:. II>!d B"dtUf"":, de.
Sab;'al. in ,(,hiopiu, Stunprt, 1963,
He)'er. F. Die Kirch. ,(rhlop,e>!s: Eine Bwan,)sa,,"
""hm•. Berlin and New York, 1971.
ETHIOPIAN LITURGY 987
MuDd Karnil. "Locncrs 10 Ethiopia from the Coptic
Patriarchs Yo'annas XVIII (1770-\796) and MOl'
qoo VIII (17%-1809)."' B..lltlin d. /a SociCf.
d'",chiologi" COplt 8 (1942):89-143.
RosJ.ini. C. arM! L RiccLlllibra della Illee d.1 Ne,.. J
Z.. r'" l'",'q<rb IMaf,!afa Be,"/. ..), In CSCO 250·51.
26\-62. !kripto,eJ A.tJo/opici 47-48. 51-52. Lou·
....in. 1964~1965.
Taddeo.se Tam..", "SorlIe No'es On tlte fifteen''''
Cenlury Stephanito: 'Heresy' in lhoc Ethiopian
Church." RIiIssep.r dI
(1966): 103- 1\5.
s,.. di" .fiopit:l 22
UU.-Jorff. E. "Hebraic-1ewish Elemenu in Abyssin-
ian {Monopllysilel Christianity."' JOI<Tn4I of SeJoIil-
Ie Sl"diu I (I9S6):216-S6.
Wendt, K. "Die thco1opschcn A~denoeuun­
sen in der alhiopiJchocn Kird>oc ZUr Zeit der Re-
formen des XV. JaJuflllndocru,."· Alii d,,1 COtlvepo
t"'.nr.atKt....1e di SUuli Etiopfci. pp. 1J7-~.
Rocn.t, 1960.
DiU ""f/1a'a Mu/ld (l.iher N..,Ml.IisJ ..""
1.liUJI.,..&t~t rLiba Trinila"~J UJ K.wn
z..;.~ l'I'qob. In CSCO Ul-222, 235-236, ~
rores Auhiopiri 41_oW. Louvain. 1%2-\963,
_~ "Dcr Kampf um den Kanan Hrilie"' Schrif·
len in <St. Ithiopisdwn Kirche de. Ro<fonnen del.
XV. Jahrinmderu." jrn<maJ 0/ Semi/ic Siudies 9
(1964); 101- Ill.
Yacob Bqenc. I. ... ":jon,,
ai Cri3lo "ul" leolorld
eliop;e". Orientlllia Chrisliana A/U.l«\.ll 215,
Romoc. \981.
GEl41C1lEW HAILE
ETHIOPIAN LITURGY, One 01 ,he key bcton
in the history of the Ethiopian Orthodcu< Church has
been 'ts ecclesiastical dependence on lhe Coptic
church of Alexandriro. This has been so great lhat
for most orits kno....n history. il has been headed by
a bishop of Egypt;"n binh and educalion chosen by
the Coptic patriarch. This dt:pc:ndenae has ine,·ita·
hly be<:n a powerful fo~. 'endins 10 ma;nu'n the
conformity or the Elhiopian liturgy with lhat or the
moIhe. church of Alexandria. A c105er look at the
lilurgies of 1M tW<l churches, howe~r. reveals that
the cooformity is by no rneOJls complete, II lums
out. in fact. to be notably less than tile liturfll<:al
confonnity 10 be found in tile <!aU"'I'" churches 01
the churches of Rome, Conllantinople and Seleu·
cia-Ct""ipllon.
The explanation of lhis curiau. par:ado~ may lie
in tile fact that tile Egyptlan metropolitans who
headed lh. church of Ethiopia, being foreigners at
the lime of IlIei, appoinrmenl. lIad lillie knowledge
of Ethiopia. its prople. and lheir lan,uase. II nI!'
988 ETHIOPIAN UTURGY
quired, therefore, metropolitans of mure than ordi-
nary force of character and ability to exercise much
inAuence over the church confided to them, Some
such metropolitans there were during the course of
history, such as SaJ~ma II and 111 (see ETHtOPIAN
PRELATES), but the impression one glean. from the
chronicles of Ethiopia is that these were relatively
rare exceptions. The stronge't inAuence on the
church of Ethiopia was clearl~ exercised by the
emperors and their eccle'i""tical advisers who
carne from the world of Ethiopian monasticism.
It must be noted thai knowledge of the history "f
the Ethiopian liturgy is severel~ limited by an al·
m""t complete absenu of documents antedating
the fiheenth century and by a lack of in-depth stud-
ies of Ihe rnaterialthat is available, by scholars with
a competency in comparati"e liturgy. The collec·
tion and descriplion of materials is stilL for the
m""t pan, in its preliminary stage. Any conclttSions
that may b-e drawn as to the significance of these
materials is tberefore merely tentative at this time.
In general. the conformity between the Coplic
and Ethiopian liturgies i. greate.t in sacerdotal ce,..
emonies and least in office' of prayer and chant.
This is what one might have anticipated. Priests, of
necessity, could be ordained by the EIDPtian metro-
politan alone, and he would be in a position to
insist lhat candidates for ordination first leam the
ceremonies that he judged proper. Offices, on Ihe
other hand, consist largely of chant Ihat would 10 a
great exlent be govemed by the exigencies of Ge'e>.,
the liturgical language, and of Ethiopian music and
would be executed by dergymen, called dab/ards
or "'ribes, who, as ,uch, would not receive ordina·
tion and whose education was obtained in certain
monasteries, without refuence to, or control by,
the metropolitan.
Turning to particular ceremonie'_ one finds a
substantial conformity wilh the Coplic Iilurgy in Ihe
qerldllsl, the eucharisiji service or mass, but rather
surprising differences 10, detail. The principal cere-
monies found in the c;optic Ordinary recur in the
Ethiopian; for example,.the preparation of the ahar,
the preparation proces'ioll and blessing of the gifts,
the absolution, the incensing, the reading of Ihe
four scriplurallessons, Ihe prayers, the recitation of
the Creed, the washing of hands, the kiss of peace,
the use of Ihe euchalistic anaphOr:>, and so on.
Similarly, one finds all Ihe properly sacerdOl2lI pra~­
ers of Ihe Coptic liturgy faithfully repeated in the
Ethiopian liturgy and in the same order, such ll$ lhe
prayers before and after the preparation of the al·
tar, prayer of thanksgiving and offenory, the Abso'
lution to Ihe Son, the prayers for the different read-
ings, and so on. Nevertheless, the differences to be
found in the Ordinary are confined to secondary
prayers or ceremonies that the Ethiopian liturgy
has bm Ihe Coptic lacks, or much 1= frequently,
the Coptic h..... and the Ethiopian lacks, or to minor
variations of order. Some points deserve particular
mention. At each m.....S the Ethiopians bless the rna·
terial objects that come in direci contact with the
Eucharisl~lhal is, the paten, the cbalice, and the
spoon-and have e"en added in recent times at the
very heginning of their missals the prayers by which
Coptic bishop. consecrate these instruments. For
the procession with Ihe gifts, the Ethiopians also
have a cham not found in lhe Coptic liturgy, "How
dread is this place," which is chanted by both Syri-
an and Chaldean deacon' at the solemn epidesis
(petilion for Ihe consecration of the bread and
wine) of their liturgies. Did Ethiopian pilgrims to
Jerusalem encounter this chant and hring it back
with them to Ethiopia? Again, Ihe prayers procede
the scriptural lessons in the Elhiopian lilurgy, but
follow them in lhe Coptic. If one may judge from
Ihe texts of these prayers, which are the ....me in
both churches, they were originall~ compo.ed to
prepare the hearers 10 profit from lhe lessons, so
that the Ethiopian order would seem to he more
ancient. The same i. clearly also lrue of Ihe formu-
la f"r dismissing catechumen., which the Ethiopian
lilurgy has preserved but the Coplic has long since
discarded,
When one turns 10 the anapbora, the central
prayer of the eucharistic service, the differences
",em a'lOnishingly great. Where"" the Coptic
church today has only Ihree anaphoras, the Ethiopi·
an church has in its printed missal no Ie.. than
founeen, only Qne of which, the Anaphora of Saint
BASIL TIlE GREAT, is found with Ihe Copt,. Six other
anaphoras call be found in manuscripts (including
Ihe Anaphora "f Saint MARK. used by the Copts), bm
with the exception of the Anaphora of Saini Mary
IMa'a~ qedda.l) they are not commonly used by
pn"ent·day orthodox church«. Th" Ethiopian Cath.
olic" on the contrary, have adopted lhru of them
in their mis....l. the anaphoras of Saints Mary, Mark,
and James.
The anaphora mosl frequently used in Elhiopia is
the short Anaphora of the Apostles, which is the
one found in the Tradi/io apo./olica of Saini Hip-
polylus (Duensing, 1941>, pp. 20-30: Quasten, 1935,
pp. 26-33), expanded somewhat to provide inter-
cessions and adaple<1to conform to the Ethiopian
liturgical order, This is the anaphora thaI i. always

incorporated in missals, both manuscript and prim-
ed, in the Ordinary, It is usually assumed, therefol"",
that this is the orisinal anaphora of the Ethiopian
church, much ... Mark', is the anaphora of Ale,an-
dria and James's that of Jerusalem, but the a""ump-
tion seems rather dubious, It simpl~' ~. nol suit
the ch"""'teri.tic order of the Ethiopian anaphora,
wbich has at least twn notable pe.;uliarities, The
order of the second and third e.changes betw~n
the celebrant and the people in the prefatory dia-
logue is the opposite of Whal is obsen-ed in other
churches ("leI u' gi~e thanks to Ihe Lord," "It is
right and just," "Lift up your hearts,'" "We ha~e to
the Lord"), and the anaphoral prayer is di~ided into
thrtt parts, If the Anaphora of the Apostle, weI""
the original Ethiopian anaphora, one would e.pect
that its opening words would refer to the last ex-
change CLift up your hearn." "We have to the
Lord"), but they actually refer to the pre~iou. ex-
change, Thi. suggests. that the actual order of the
Ethiopian prefatory dialogue was imended to intro-
duce not the Anaphora of the Apostles but some
other, Furthennore, this anaphora is so shon that
dividing it into three parts makes little some, and
the di~isions occur at point. that awkwardly inter-
rupt the Aow of ideas. One i. led by thi. to the
conclusion that the anaphora has heen made 10
conform to a pl""existing pattern,
The church of Ethiopia has two anaphoras to
which the,e objections do n01 apply, the anaph"....
"f Saints John, Son of Thunder, and Cyril. Their
incipits ("To thee, lord, we ha\'e lifted up our
eyes," and "To Ihee, lord, God of gods") refer 10
the final e.change of the Ethiopian prefatory dia-
logue, and the two bl""aks in these anapho"," occur
at natura! pauses in the thought, It would he tempt-
ing to think, thel""fol"", that one of these was the
original anaphora of Ethiopia, Howe~er, Getatchew
Haile has pointed out (1981, ?p, 116-33) that bolh
anapho"," reAecl doctrinal 4'ntro~ersiO$ that were
rife in Ethiopia during the f""neenth century. Per-
haps, then, both of these anaphorns were composed
in the pattern of another anaphora ~ow lo.t; per-
haps one of them is the ancient anaphora, but its.
lext has heen reworked; or possibly the founeenth·
century contro~e~ies merely continue or repeat
much earlier comroversies of a time when the an-
ciem anaphora would ha\'e heen composed,
This raises the question of the origin of the Ethio-
pian anaphoras. Clearly the anaphoras of the Apos-
tles, the Lord, and Saints Basil, Mark, and James
are tmnslalion. of anapho,.,. deri~ed from other
churches, presumably all Ihrough Ihe Coptic
ETHIOPIAN LITURGY 989
church, All the others seem to be of Ethiopian au·
thorship. This is true even of the popular Anaphom
of Saint Mary, which i. amibuted in the manu,
scripts to Cyriacus, bishop of al·Bahnasa, for, as
Getatchew Haile has again poinled out (19it3, pp,
376-89), it, like the two anapho"," mentioned
abo"", I""OeelS strictly Ethk.pian theological debates
of the Middle Ages and may with probability be
ascribed to Abba Samuel of Wall. The liturgical
.tructure of these anaphoras is remarkably ~aricd,
Some include unusual elements, such as exhorta·
tions and eschatological contemplations; in others,
tbe anamnesis does not explicitly mention the Pas-
sion and Resurrection of Christ; and in still others,
the epiclesi. does not petition tbe transformalion of
the gifts into the Body and Blood of Christ.
The Ethiopian liturgies of the other sacraments
have been much less studied than that of the Eu·
clulrist. Howe~er, tbe close relationship between
them and their Coptic counterparts is obvious from
even the m06t casual comparison. This is especially
true of the rite of ordination, which was translated
from Coptic into Ge'ez only in ,'ery recent limes
when the church of Ethiopia was at last granted an
indigenous hierarchy, Similarly, the MatefJofo
qed,r, the rite of penitential bapti.m for apostates,
seems to he a direct translation from the Coplic
church. With the rite of baptism, on the other hanJ,
one finds at least two noteworthy diffel""nces. The
Coptic rite, which Ethiopian Catholic. follow, has
three oiis Ihat are used 10 anoint the baptized and
to mix with the baptismal waters. The Ethiopian
Orthodox, on the contrary, now use onl}' two oils,
the)' do not anoint the baptized after their confes-
sion of Christ (fonnerly, according to manuscripts,
they did), and do not pour oil into the baptismal
water b<.fore Ihe scripturallessom, The other pecu·
liarity of Ethiopian baptism is that the neophytes,
after communion in the Eucharist, are gi~en milk
and honey, following the prescription of Saint Hip-
polytu, in his Traditio aposlOlica,
Ethiopian cham and the composition of the Ethi-
opian antiphonary, or Deggwd, al"" attributed to
SainI nJi;d, who is suppo.scd 10 ha~e lived at the
time of King Gabra Masqal in the se~enth century.
lJnfortunately, the relalionship between the Ethiopi-
an Deggwd aod Ihe Coplic D1FN~1l. has nOl been
studied. Velat has done ,'aliant spadework on the
Me'ril!, Ihe Ethiopian Ordinary, but its relationship
to its Coptic counterpart is again unclcar. The Cop-
tic horologion, on lhe other hand, was translated
into Ge'ez and, judging from surviving manuscripts,
seems to ha\'e been e"eusively used during the
990 ETHIOPIAN MONASTICISM
Middle Ages (the Ethiopian Calhollcs haY<: revived
ils "'Sf: in re<'efll times); buT It was Sl.Ipplamed by an
indigeoO<l$ horologlon comJ'>Cl'Kd around 1400 by
Ci)'J'1iS of SaCI'. Ce.alchew Haile has anaJ)'2Il'd
bam ('"-C', 1982. pp. 4-10. 176-8)). bu. a ClSwll
comparison of 'he .wo reY<:als almOST nothing ill
common. At lellS! Ihe ,isTrum .hal E1hlopian clergy-
,nen use while Chanlill& lheir di"ine office U clearly
derived From Efypl. One SlIspeclS a priori lhal !he
inlluence of the Cop.ic on Ihe E1hiopian divine of·
fice MUS! be ''8Sdy crealer than juS! lhat.. bu, ... nfor-
",,,-,ely. lhe Jllldie5 lha....i11 idenlif}' the elenw:nl$
011"'" infloJenee ha,.., Joel '0 be made. On .IN, OIher
hand. lIN, S1auly li.ul'Jic'al darw:e .hallhe Ethiopians
perfonn during Iheir fali,.., offices seems '0 be a
JlricLly indigenous creallon.
B1BUOCaAPHY
CoHn. C. V~ d~ GooOl'ZU .I.~ 5<>,1'. In CSCO 492.
&"",oru Auhiopici 81; CSCO 493, &ripI(X~S
MTIliopki 82. louvain. 1981.
Daoud. 101 .• and M. Hazen. T~ Lit..,.". of 11K Bhiop-
.... Choucll. Cairo. 1959.
Dc1mncer. H. Ritus arKnllllillm. Coplorum. Spw-
..... ~, A",.."O.II"', ... Admimst.aruiU S-.cTa"",,,IU.
Vol. I, pp. HI-H. 411_14. Wiirmurg. 1863.
Duen,i... H., ed ~. ae,hiopisdM'- Tu.l d~r Kadre,,-
o>dft..", des Hippolyf. Abhano;IIunre" der Ala-
dtm~ der WisM:nKlWten in C~uineen. P'hilolo-
ph.Historische KWK. Vol. J. no. J2. pp. 2O~lO.
GllnillF n• I~.
Ce.... <~ HalH:. "ReIipous Controvft"Jies and the
C...,..,h of Ethlopic LIlenolure in lhe Founccnth
and Fihccnth Cenlurin." arK"s ChrisM""s 65
(1981): 102-136.
_ . A CQUlw,..e of E,1tiQp..... M""'d.c"pU A1ic..,..
film~d for Ih~ E,hiopiQ" M"" ..smpt Microfilm Li-
br,,'7' ..• Vol. 6. ColIeC~"';lle. Minn.. 1982.
_ . "On the ldenll,y of Sllondis and Ihe Compo-
silion of the Anaphorao of Mary Mcribed 10 Herey·
aqof- 0( ~henlo/l:' 0,,",",,1i.. Christi.."" P~.iodic"
49 {l983l'366-89.
Hammerschmidt, E. "lur aib1iOSraphi~ lilhiop-
iu:her Anap!>oren," OJlo:ircMi<h~ Swdit" S
(1956):2115-90. .
_ St.. di~. i" ,h~ E,hilJpi( AnQpho."s. &:rliner
Byzan,lni5Che ArbeiTen 25. BerUn, 1961.
,
Mercer, S. A. B. Th~ Elhlop/( L1tu.gy: t.. SOI..C"",,
Dtv~lopm~"T. ""ol PreJ~nr Fonn. london, 1915.
Quaslen. J .. I'd. MQ"u"'~"'Q ~ucJ,,,ri'licQ ~'/;Iu.g;c"
v",ustisslmQ, pt.!. pp, 26-33. Bonn. 1933.
Raes. A. lnirod,,<lio j" L1'urgi..m Ori~"tal~m. Rome.
1941.
_ _. "11 rilO eliopico:' In E..cidoptdi. Calto/icQ.
Vol. 5. cols. 701r, Vatican City. 1930.
Saugel. J. M. Bihlioll,,,ph,e .I.e. litu/'fiu orie"'QI~s
(1900-1960), pp. 94_101. Rome. 1962.
Te<'le Mariam. $cmhanly $clam. De S5. $<>".... '"e../·
is &.c.. ",lW!'! Ri/um Ae,hiopic""". Rome, 1931.
V"W. B. Elude• .... '" J.k'er~f, "OOI'Im,,,, de roffiu
unioplen. In PO J3. Paris, 1966.
___ '''U~r~f, ~om",..ft de /'oflice dlvi.. llhiopie"
,.....
pouT W'"'' /'...."1,,. In PO 34. pp. 59-160. p.ns.
-::::cC SomQ DqpQ. Q"rip1tonQil~ du c"lb.. ~. qu,,·
II" pr"mi;.res unlQ/nes. In PO )2. Pam. 1966.
.....IUJ,Ul MM:oMBD.
ETHIOPIAN MONASTICISM. l'erlIaps .he
most impo"aru asp«'! 01. Elhiopian ChriSlianhy is
its m<>naMicio<m. In.rodu~ io,o .he c:ounu'Y proba-
hi,· at 1M Lime ",-hen Christooity iu.elr ...... first
p,.....,hed. its <en~. the "",""",eries. ha,,,,
loeI 1M
rule 01 conduct fur lhe do~ic and fore,," polity
of 1M Chrisl"n Id,...dom up lO the ""..,nl;erh cell"'"
ry. The moab "'' 'I'O'
the .'oke 01 rhe ch\II'Ch. and
me m<lCl&Jt<"rics w<n: rhe heart ofm~ churciL Risk·
inl their I..·cs and &-equenuy .wII"cri.. mattyrdom.
lh~ "",nb open\)' ca>lipled poIilicai leaders ....!len
they beba,-ed in an un-chriSlian manner. The
monb dictaled !heir ,i.e..., 10 tlw 1eader5 of llw
nallon by various m""f\$, indudinc ucomm"nic.
rIon. The monaSle.riC$. h.eaokd somellmes by abbots
appointed by !he political head of lhe C<IlInlry. "'..,r~
small empiJ"cs. buildin& <buchler dlUrches in their
lC.-ritories and col1ecrinc larp rewnues. They "'..,re
abo places of banishlIUot 10 ...·hich discnoced dllVli-
laries ,"",ere e"iled aher lIt;n, condemned 10 lit
clothed in !he In(In;Il$lic prb. MolII impenaol, the
spread of Chrislianily iOIO ,he interior and lO the
fu"h~SI fromie", of Elhiopia "''a!I the accomplish·
mem soIdy oflhe monu. 80Ih solitary eremllism.
basc<I on lhe Rule of SainI ....\ ITQNy. and communal
<enob;Ii<m. t.as..d on the Rule of SainI P...cHClMIU5,
became pert of Ethiop;an mon~icism. Th~ Rul~ of
Pach<>mius \¥1'; among Ih~ fil'$l boob lranslale<!
imo Ge·a, or Ethiopic.
Early P"rlod
Tradition as<'.ribes the inlrodl.lCtion of mo;>naSti·
ci,m ;nlO Ethiopia 10 monks who entered the toun·
Iry be.....ttn lhe founh and sia,h centuries, Their
number. origin, moti,'e. and even the time C>f mi·
graTion into the highlands of East Mrlea ha~e ~n
points of specula, ion. Broadly ,pe.klng, the~ Came
from the Medi.errancan or Hellenislic world. mOre
specifically from Eg)p1 and Syria. Imem,,1 sourtes

indicate that most of them had oonnections with
the Monastery of Apa Paohomius in Egypt. Tradi-
tion has il lhat Abba Yo!)annes KAmA (10K" KAMA)
and Abba UbAnos, or MallA', were ordered. al dif·
ferenl ti"",s. by Pachomius (d. 346) to go to Ethio-
pia to leach. If Ihis is a hislOrioal faot. it mUSI have
taken place on Ihe occasion of Frumentius' oonse-
oralion by ATHANASlUS as the 6",t bishop ofAxum in
340 (see ETHK)P1AN ~RE.U.TE.S, SALAMA I), In any event,
each of these twa monks taught and established
monasteries that. although Iheir andent ohurohes
have become victims of lime, are slill centers of
pilgrimage, Dabra SinA by Yo!)anne. Kama and
Dab", Libanos by UMnos, both in Ihe provinc. of
Eritrea. Of the monks who are said to have migrat·
ed to Elhiopia in group•. th. so-call.d Nine Saints
are the most celebraled falhers of monasticism.
These are AragAwi or Zamikli'~1 of Dab", Wmo,
I.'an!il~on e>f Asbo e>r B~1a I.'an!al~won, Garima or
Yesl!aq of Madan!, Afst e>r A~im of Ytha. GubbJi
(whose monasl.ry seems ne>lle> have survived), Altt
e>f Al)se'a or Be!)~ e>r Alltlo. Vem'all of Guh. Li-
qanos of Dabra Qwan~l. and Se!)mA e>f Sidey;!, It
is nol certain whether Os or O~ is a name of either
Alcf or Se!)ma, as se"eral source. suggest, or of
another monk, O~ of Dabra Kw,,~.
The tradition, whether written or oral, is 6rm in
asserting that the hundreds of monasteries Ihat
have flourished in Ihe course of Ihe hislory of the
Ethh>pian church wer" founded by indi"idual
monks who traced thdr monastic genealogy to one
of these eleven or twel"e saints. BUI it is quile
posIlibie Ihat there were from time 10 lime other
monastic falhers who reoeived their manastic hab-
ilS in one of Ihe E~ptian monasleries and went 10
Ethi<>pia, where they found"d n"w monasteries.
Abuna Cabra Manfas Qeddus of Zeqwala (d. -c.
1382), for e""mple, wenl to Ethiopia from a monas-
tery in Ne!)isa (Eg>pt) and taught in Ihe regions
of Me<lra Kabd before ~ souled on th. summil
of Mount Zeqw!la, where; his monaslery is still a
oenler of pilgrimage. As: in all aspects of Elhi-
opian history, il is very dilfi~uh 10 trace the bistory
of the spread of Ethiopian monasticism from the
lime of its beginning in Ihe fourth centur~y to the
fan of Ihe Uig'j't dynasly in 1270. But many of
Ih. monaslerie, known only in Ihe literature (e.g"
Kadi!), Ak.... ~n, Aw!)ai, Wasif, Dabra Tabayda, Da-
bra Harasa, Beta Danagel in or near A,um, Dabra
Barah, and ~i'at) must h<tve been famous centers
of worship established by the tirsl, ""oond, and
third generalions following Ihe founders of Elhi·
opian monaslicism.
ETHIOPIAN MONASTICISM 991
Late and Postmedleval Period.
The founders of Ethiopian monamctsm as il is
known today are Abba Yo!)anni, "buna lyyasus
Mo'a, Abuna TaUa Ha)manol, and Abuna Mad·
khAnina Epi'.
No reliable historioal source is known 10 exist on
Abba Yo1)anni. The gad!, or a015, of Abuna tyy;>su,
Mo'a, his spiritual son, describes him as the sevenlh
abbot of Dabra Damo, the monaslery founded b)'
Abba ZamiU'tl, one of Ihe Nine Saints. Geneaiogi-
cally, Ihis filS into Ihe piOIUre of anolher SOurCe Ihat
makes him Ihe seventh abbot beginning wilh Zami·
Id:tl (Zamika'tl, Mateyas, Yose{, Masqal Bbana,
MadkMnina Eg:1.i', MasqaI Mo'a, Vo!)anni). The
cbronoiogical problem with this genealogy, Ihat Vo·
!)anni, flourishing in the Iwelfth century, i. only six
generation. from Abb<> Zamika'tl, who is said to
ha.'e am,'ed in Elhiopia in the ,ixth oentury, may
be related 10 Ihe time when ZamikA'tl and the rest
of Ihe Nine Saints arrived in Elhiopia ralher Ihan
the time when Abba Y(1)anni Ii,'ed. Yo!)anni left Ihe
oomfortable life at Ihe royal court of the Zagwt
dyn;>sly 10 lead an ascelio life in Dabra Damo. [n
the church tradition, Yo!)anni i, remembered as
one who neyer left his hermitage from lhe time he
entered it, and he became lhe spiritual father of
twO inAuential monks of lhe Elhiopian ~hurch, Abu'
na Iyyasus Mo'a and Abuna Takla HAymAnot.
"buna Iyyasus Mo'a was Ih. founder of the fa·
mous monasle,)' Dabra l:Iayq Es!ifanos, in Amhara
(now WolIo). He successfully stood Ihe harsh mo·
nlllitic lest under "bba Vo!)anni of Dabra DAmo,
who e"entually clothed him in monastic garb. An
insignificant Spol before Iyyasus Mo'a, l;Iayq be-
came a center of educalion and pilgrimage even
during the lif"time of ils founder, There is a lradi·
lion that YeI<unno AmJak, the founder of the SQ.
called Solomonic dynasty in 1270, studied there un·
der Iyyasus Mo'a before moving to Oawal and Tag-
welat in the south. According to a lradition of
l;Iayq, il musl be assumedlhal Abuna Iyyasus Mo'a
must be oredited wilh helping the future king to
seize power from the llgwt, though historically
Ihi. conlroversy remains unresolved. As a result of
this, the abbots of l:Iayq Es!ifanos beoame the 'aq·
qabt s<1'ill (adminislrative heads) of Ihe Ethiopian
ohur~h from thaI lime 10 Ihe rise of Dabra Libanos
in Shewa. like Ihe e<i'£afc (high church dignitary)
of Dabra Libanos from Ihe sixteenth centul)' on-
ward, Ihe 'aqqabt .,,'al of Dabra 1:fayq was Ihe in-
digenous head of Ihe church in adminislralive mat·
ters. Dabra J:layq, which al<o occasionally had
992 ETHIOPIAN MONASTICISM
Coptic monks. was a center of education and was
usually an ardent supporter of the Egyptian metro-
polilan in any decrees he issued. The manuscript of
the four gO!lpels that Abuna l))'aSus Mo'a donated
10 his monastery and is "ill found in its library
conlains .....tinen references to >'ishs to !he monas-
tery by the two mO!lt powerful Ethiopian monarchs
of !he day: Yekunno Am);\k (1270-1285) and 'Amda
~eyon (l3i4-1344). Many spititual sons of Abuna
Iyyasus Mo'a established other monasteries.
Abuna TakJa HAymAnot, the brightest luminary of
E!hiopian monasticism. was a pupil of Abba Yo-
~anni of Dab'" Dimo as well as Iyyasus Mo'a of
Dabra ':Iayq before the fonner returned to his
homeland in the south with vigor and emhusiasm
to start hi' preaching. It is through the energetic
Takla HAymAnot !hat Christianity and monasticism
Aourished in Shewa and Dbno. Although his m,,"-
asteT)' of Dabra Asbo (later renamed Dabra LiMnos)
was de"aslaled by pestilence in which many monks,
including TaklA HAJ'TIIA:not and his successor, Abba
101s.!', peri'hed. tbose who survi"ed succeeded in
Christianizing the south and the west and in eSlab-
lishing other important monasteries. such as the
famous Dab", Besr!! of Abuna lenA: MAreqos.
Abuna MadkMnina Egzi' of Bankwal was one of
the earlier disciples of Abuna Talda Hli)'manOl. His
master left him in Tigre when he headed south.
MadhAnina Eg>i' o.....es his fame to Ihe fa"t thaI a
great number of his disciples became celebraled
Sla~, or .l:<Iwdhbl, in Ethiopian monasticism.
Among them are &imu'el ()f WAldeblm, SAmu'el of
QwaY)'~, SArnu'el of Tare!!, &imu'el ()f Saq..... Ar.
Yo~annes of Gun1nqwA. T<\dewos of BAItli.rew:i (or
BartawA), Yassay of Mandabba. nfqeranna Egzi' of
Gwegwben, Aron of Ketur, Marqoreyos of Heha.
ZakkAreyAs of Gefa, Gabra Kre.los of Bit!ney;!..
DAne'el of ~a'd!mba. Enderey!!; of Am!'tA, Demey-
!nos of Dahra Sin!. Krestos BbAna of Ta'amipa.
Himt of M!ya Sakaym. GabJllfhh of zan Megaga.
Gabra Krestos of An!g5e. and Maika ~eq (of D!gi-
!I!), Most of th~se in turn tnlined other nOled fol-
lowers who established their pwn monasteries.
It .hould be pointed OUI here thai, al!hough mon_
asterie. were buill in places "far from this world,"
they were not merely places of seclusion inhabited
by anchorites who devoted their lives to prayer and
worship, They were also centers of education and
evangelical activity for the surrounding regions,
Children came to them from far and near 10 leam.
The monasteriC$ were (and still are) inslitutions for
t",ditional church education in litenture (includ·
ing poetry), music, biblical studies, and canon la......
In them. books were comprn;ed. and t",nslation. of
Chrislian lite"'ture into Ge"ez were produced, and
from there monks went oul in bands of two or
three into the neighborhood 10 spread Christianity.
Many suffered martyrdom in the field. Metropolilan
n'qob (1337-1344) is remembered by tradition as
one .....ho encouraged Ethiopian monks to go and
preach the Gospel in the pagan region•. He seems
to ha>'e contacted the most important monasteries
of his time to organize these missions efficieml}'.
According to the sources from Dabra LiMnos, for
example, he chose twel.'e of its monks and divided
Shea and DAmot among them. Each of the t.....elve
monks (Ihe Twelve Apostle.) was given the litle
nebura ed (appoimed by Ihe laying on of the hand:
pI. neburDna ed) and ordered to Iimil his evangcli-
cal activity to the region a.<signed to him. Only the
abbol Fi1"PJ.'Os, .....ho was considered to be the coun·
terpart of Saiot Peter. was allowed to "isit any reo
gioo he wanted, The list of the neburdna ed varies
slightly from one source to another, But because of
their great success in their apostolic mission and
the part they played in Ihe history of the church,
the)' became recogni>ed among the important
saints of E1hiopia, They included such names as
Adkhani of Dimot. Anor~\VOs (the Elder) of Warab
of Dabra ~gAg!, lyyoseyls of Wag, MA:teyas of Fa-
tagAr, Yosef of Ennare'et, Gabra Kreslos of Dembi,
Hdewos of Selalesh. SAmu'~1 of Wagag. Oawesl°s
of MaJ:laggel, Ano~wos (the Junior, in some sourc·
es identified wilh the famous Zena Mareqos) of
M()r;>t. of Dabra Be.rnt, Tasfa ':I~n of Dawwaro,
and Marqorewos of Marl).a Bete. Metropolitan
YA'qob and the monks could have done more· if
only the emperor 'Amda ~eyon had h«n coopera'
th'e.
Ethiopian monasteries were semiautonomous in-
slitutions. The most important factor that held the
monasteries together was the priesthood that was
received from the metropolitan. The independence
of the monasteries was a .serious problem for the
head ofthe church as .....ella. for the monarch. both
of .....hom saw thai the strength of Iheir authorily
depended on a united church and country behind
them. The first test in recorded history took place
when a metropolitan and Ihe king at the time is·
sued a decree to stop the practice of Jewish cus·
toms, especially the observance of the Saturday
Sabbath. Many monasteries resisted Ihe dec,..,.. 10
the bitter end. One of the leade~ of the opposition
was Abba lO..... o.tal~wos (c. 1273-1352), who was a
disciple and a relative of Dane'el of Gar'alta, a spiro
itual descendant of Lihanos. £wostAtewos left his

mo~lel)' in Sari'", (EriIUll) and _nt to £c)'Pl.
ucornpallied .". a r...... of hi$ disciples. to seek sup-
pon from the pa.rian:h hilR5df. To hi$ diappoinl'
menl, the view of pa.....rt:h IlENJAMI1l (1327-13J9)
_ I>ol dillen-nt from thai of his opponeol$.. E:_
~f'oo'oI; died in Artntnia. In Elh.iopia, his followen
len the church and ~Iished lhei~ _11 Nlly itwle-
pendent I'IIOnastic communities.. l':~twoI' RlOU
importanl lUId ,mml!<l:iate deKendana founded ;..,...
portan. rnonaloterics, indudi."ll Abddi of Dabn
Mlrylnl (Ooba}')'Cfl), ~~ of Dibn Dl:mAh.
8altkimox of Dabn ~, Gabra 1JYMU5 of o.>bsAn
(or tnbno S£n), MlIt'wos of Barbarn, Gabra MasqaI
of MJoy Owerq_r, Buruk Aml<1ok of Mariquz. and
~ Deneel 01 Bur. All Itt.".. discipl~ became
mon.w.ic leade:rs ",;th many fol1~ra. including
lhe celeb",,~ Filepl,JO$, the lOunde~ of Dab... B~
(in Erilrea), which is one of Ihe leadinl ~elilious
and educalional cenlel'S of Elhiopia even l<>day.
Since the coundl or nabra Me!miq (I"'SO), at
which Ihe church accepled their position. Ihe £w,,"
sjAteWO!hes have again bec",me pan of the eSlab·
IIshed chucch.
The spread of monasleries during lhe Sol()lTl{>nic
dynasty can be attributed 10 many factors. such 8$
the re1UMl 10 It>e fur>datno:nlals of monasticism 8$
outlined in the ancient Ii,eralure. But the kings of
Elhiopb and Olher diani",rin felt it 10 be thelr dilly
10 show libenlily in adding new ~nd lranu 10
",hal lhe morta5Ieries a1n:ady po"fCSI"'tI, and weh
_allb apparently became a menac" to lhe rWe of
monascic asc~icism. The moruuuorWs ruled ovet"
, _ t.. rritories Vo"'uod to them by lIM: rulen as
rwh or terril....,. (Arabie...wqdf). They collected
immelUt r~~nuoes &om Ihete ~rri&ories and even
ruled O¥ec thric ;nhabitanls. hearin& aMI. seuHnl
dit.pules, and punishing criminals.. A closer look at
the acts of the E1hiopian IDOnaslic ~ pves the
imprnsion !hat "",ny of them left their molher
mon.w.eries and founded - 0'"" ones in ~
"'Plnsl lhe "worldly life'· J\he.i~ original founda-
tions. Abu"" Es\ibnoo and his mow:mcnl cmbodled
this new Icndency. ~ifinos ....... a disciplc of
Abu". ~u''''l of o.....}~. He Iefi o.... )')~
""'en his crilieal ...,marts brought him inlD conftie.
with thaI brothtrltood. Thc trnets of his mo"",ment
Included Ihc slriel adhecencc 10 the old monastic
",lcI and principl.... He 5poke out againsl any mono
astcry Ihal ...,laxed lhe!!e rule. and professed the
principle of the separation of .tate and church. He
preached the rejeclion of Ihe wonhip of Ihe Cl"O$S
and Ihe Blessed Virgin through her icon. and fol'
bade prostration before an}' man, the emperor in'
ETHIOPIAN MONASTICISM 993
eluded. The rulCB, especially lar'a VA'qob (1434-
1468), used all kinds of persuasion, C<>eR:ion and
per5Ol:ulion to SUPPreB lhe mo~emenl. Their fa·
Ibn, Esli£inos, and many of his follOWC1'!l died in
prison or fro'" other fotms of man..vnlom as leaders
cl a ' ...,Iical ~moenc:' Althou,h their ....(",~-
menl, hich alarmed the mll.re ehurch ol E1hiopia.
<tied out 1O-N !he bepnnine of lhe si:lIccnltt cen·
1Ur)I, their m<>t'IIISteT)' of Dabn Gamn in C...... ,.,d·
.,....ncli (Eritna) is S1itJ one of the imporwu ...,1;-
P>us centers of Ethiopia;, for obvious rca.ons.
however, Ibe calendar of the ch~h does nOi ....,.
~iu the fathen and brothers of Dab... GarUn:
~illnos, ""'<~ Krescos, Abakerazun, Minis, Ga-
~ I'lwlos. . Bemlna Masqal, Ytshaq,. Ezri,
Gab... MasiI.t, and many OIhers.
OIhe< monks .....ho founded famous rnonasteri""
beI_n the thirteenlh and si~teenth centuries in·
clude the un<:ompromiling ~lOla MiU''''' of Dab-
'" Gol (Amha..., now Wollo): Yol;>ann"" of WifAt.
the Apostle of Manz (She.....a): Glyo'lis of G!se~1u1
(AmhalOl), ",ho made lmpunanl innovalion' in the
liturgy; YonAs of Addi Ueri (Till"'): Akila Krcstos of
Dabr:a M!l:hew (l4l1~mdc<): Be~' Amlik of EndlJ.
Seuw (Eritrea): "nb_ of l;l~lo iShewa); Mother
Feqena Krntos of Emma Me'uz (Amha...); Iyylisu
of larr Seltast (Shewa): MaOA'a ~n of Endagab-
~ (She.......): Yoi).annl of Dabn ',f.si (Tiere); Mother
Walat.. ~ras or ()odp (Cojam): Tula l:Ia....... ~~t
of ~mmon;\ (Sl1ewa); Sail" fftros or Dab.. Warq
(Gojam); Sina<a of Semrnon.t. (Go;am); Tak.dta Ber-
hin or Dimi (Gojam); and MoIMr Kresros Samra of
Gwang.....'" Mikl'~l (c.,;.m).
.bcetlclsm
It has been SUA""ed Ittat lIOI1le monast:crics oc·
casionally rclaud the "ricl nUn oJ :ascelism. This
~ a mancr of ...,lath'" deVCC and obviously an e1-
cq>llon 10 the ntIc. 11le importallt fealu<e ol
nlO61
Elh.iopian monaslicis.m, ~ and ~n., .. lhe sell·
imposed tortu..., of lhe body. The body, .....hich is
.emporal. ~.he .."cmy of lhe soul......hich is elemal,
IIJId'l is necesury for Ihe soul 10 be victorious 0''''''
lhe body by tonnentin, It wilh fasting. prMlrlltion,
and ....ndin. fo~ prolraclN periods in one pl:o<;e,
whether in the waleB of Ihe lak"" and ri~eB o~ out
01 doo,.,. in uposed plac~ where lhe lemperature
can be e1lremdy hot or cold. Such deed. of asccti·
cism may have been exa"~rated in Ihe gild/itt, o~
aCI•. of Ihe "'nts. but lravelera, including Alvauz
in the .i1leenth century, have ",iln(~ th( harsh
life of monks in ..... hal IMy eat (Iea~e. and biller
994 ETHIOPIAN MONASTICISM
roOls "f plants) and in what they wear (rough skins,
sackclOlh, and iron gir<!les), The abo<!es "f the her-
mits are so narrow that they do not lie down when
they sleep,
There is the belief in the monasteries that when
an as<:etic reaches the extreme limit of self·tonure,
he will grow wings like an angel's as a sign of
perf«tion, One fin<ls many manuscripts depicting
Abuna Takla Haymanot with six wings, three on
each side, Perfection is also measured by the num·
ber of crowns with which a saint is bedecked in
heaven. An accompli.hed ascetic <!oes not need to
eat or drink, and if he does, Ihe waste is disposed of
miraculously from the stomach. This is the level of
petfection an Ethiopian ascetic aspires to achieve.
The kind of fasting practiced by' ascetics is lama·
mount to starvation, [f two monks disagree on the
number of days of a given fast. the rule is "side
with him who i. for fasting longer." Many caves
have been discovered with the mummified bodies
of hermits holding crosses in their hands. A number
of Ethiopian monks ltave lived in austerity in the
monasteries in Egypt and the Holy Land, impres,..
ing the [ocai monks. And in the New World, one of
them had to be taken to a mental hospital for ex-
lending his standing in prayer into the winter
snows of New York.
Modern Times
As an Islamic jihad, or holy warfare, the revoh of
Al)mad ibn Ibrahim al·Gha,I. or GraM Mul)ammad,
the ruler of the eastern tenitories of Ethi"pia in the
sixteenth century, was primarily' aimed at eradicat-
ing Christianity from Ethiopia by killing the Chri,..
tians "r convening them to his faith and by destroy·
ing Christian religious institutions, including
churches and mon",;teries, which were at that time
excessively rich in solid gold and silver and fine
.-estments. FOT about fifteen years, Gclilil systemati-
cally sacked the churches a~monasteries and set
their huildings on fire. Very ;few monasteries es·
caped his devastations, As a ~esuh, many famous
monasteries, such as Dahra Karb~, are known only
io the literature or as archaelogical sites. The mass
millration of the pagan Galla (Oromo) at the end of
the "",r with GclMi, in about t559, also had its
share in the destruction of the heritage of the Chris·
tian church. One must say with emphasis that al·
though it survived, the church never re«)vered ful·
ly from those two shocks. With the exception of a
very few, the present mona.~teries are those built
anew on the sites of the ruins of the old ones_
Today, the sites of famous monasteries, such as
Dabra ~g~ in Borana (Wollo), are discovered occa·
,ionally and accidentally. There is no ostensible ef.
£on for the restomtion of those archaeological reo
mains of a glorious past. And since 1974 the voices
hear<! throughout the country are clamoring for
cultural revolution and burying the past rather than
digging it up.
There h",; been nO re[iable survey to determine
the number and location of active monasteries,
Even the criteria for determining whether a given
religious center is a monastery ()r not are unclear.
In the local language there are two terms, gada",
and d<lbr. which can be translated as mon<lstery,
although in many cases dab, indicates the size of
the center. In the church register, one fi,n<ls many
churches that are liste<! as either gada", or dabr,
but lack the characteristics of a monastic communi·
ty. For example, the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the
Church of $aint Mary of the Patriarchate, both in
Addis Ababa, are listed ",; gaddm, Dabra Libanos,
on the other hand, is nOW not registered as a dabr.
This may be the re",;on why' d-.e sources on the
presem number of monasteries in Ethiopia differ
from one another by wide margins. As far as can be
determined, a church and its counyard is calle<! a
gadam, or monastery, because it is (1) a mon",;tery
in fact (e.g., Dabra Libano. and Dabm Bizan); (2) a
center Iltat once had a monastic community; or (3)
a church that has been designated a gadam by the
relevant authorities, the king, and the metropolitan,
The last two categories of g<ldam may not ha,'c any
monks other than the heads of their churches_
The nationalization of land by lhe military Marx·
ist-Leninist llovernment that came to power in
1974 h",; left lhe monasteries without material ~
sessions. They may have to find other means of
subsistence, such as the establishment of cottag.e
industries. But at present the future of Ethiopian
mon",;ticism is vel)' dim .
[See also: Ethiopian Heresies: Ethiopian Saints.]
BIBLIOGRA.PHY
Alvarez, F, The Prester John 01 the ,,,die., 2 vo[s.
Trans, C. F_ Beckingham and G, W. B. Hunting'
for<!. Cambridge, 1961.
Arras, V., e<!, Collectio Mo"aslica. In CSCO 238,
Scrip/Qres tlethiopici 45; CSCO 239, Scriptores
Aethiop;ci 46. LoU\'ain, 1963.
Basset, R. ed. Histoir< de la conquile de I'A!>yni"ie
(XVle ,i'cle) par Chihab Eddi" Alimed Be~ 'Abd
El QMer s..rnomm'; Arab-Faqih, Vols. I [text] and
2 [trans.}. Paris, 1897_
Budge, E- A_ W. The Life 01 Takla HJ.y",ii~ol In the
Version of Dabra Ubanos, ""d the Miracl.s 01

Tokla Haymi",,,' in ,h. V."ion of Dabr. Lib&nos,
and the Book ol/he Rich.. ol/he Kings. London,
,""
___. Th. Book of Ih. SainlS of Ihe Elhiopian
Church. 4 vols. Cambridge, 1928; r<:pr. Hild",·
heim and New York. 1976.
Cerulli. E. "Gli abbati di Dabra LiM-nos. capi del
monachismo etiopico. secondo ]a 'Iista rima13'
(sec, xiv-xviii)," OriemoUa n,s, 12 (1943),226-53;
13 (1944):137-82; 14 (1945):143-71.
___. E/iopia in Pal.s/ina: Sioria d.lla Comunila
eliopica di Corasalemme, 2 ,·ols. Rome, 1943-
1947.
___. "11 monachismo in Etiopia." Orien/alia
Chrisliana Anaiecia 153 (1958):259-78.
Dillmann, A. Chre<tomathia Aeihiopica. pp. 57-76.
Rept. Darmstadt. 1967.
GelAtchew Haile. "From Strict Qburvance to Royal
Endowment; The Ca.., of the Monastery of Diibrii
Halle luya." Le Mu,eon 93 (1980):163-72.
___ 'The Monastic Genealogy of the Une of
Takki Haymanot of Shoa," Rassegno di Siadi EI;-
opici 29 (1982-1983);7-38,
___ "The Cause of the Es!ifoJ.nosit.s; A Funda-
mentalist Sect in the Church of Ethiopia."' Pa;-
deumo 29 (1983):93-119.
Guidi. L "II Gadla Arag~wJ," Memorie dell. R.ol.
Accodemio dei Un,,"i. Cia". di "itn;:e motali 2,
pt. I. set,S (1896):54-96.
Huntingford, G. W. B. The Land Chartus of North-
un Elhiopia, Monographs in Ethiopian Land Ten-
ure l. Addis Ababa, 1965.
___. "Saints of Mediae,'aJ Ethiopia." Abba Sa-
lama 10 (1979);257-341.
Kaplan. S. B. "The Monastic Hol1 Man and the
Christiani",tion of Ethiopia 1270-1468."' Ph.D,
di... Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1982.
Kinefe-Rigb Zelleke. "Bibliographl' of Ihe Ethiopic
Hagiographical Tradilions," Journal of Elhiopia~
Studies 13, pt, 2 (1975);57-102.
Kur. S_ ACle, de Iyosu, Mo'o abbe d" cvuvenl de
SI.Etienne de Hayq. In CSCQ 259, Scriptores
Aelhiopid 49; CSCQ 2M'. Scriptor" Aelhiopid SO.
Louvain, 1965. ~.
Ricci. L. V;a di Woiatla i;'ie!w.t,;ln cseo 316. Scrip_
lor.. Ae,hivpici 61. Louvain,: 1970.
Rossini. C_ "U GadJa FiJpos e il Gadla Yohannes di
Dabra Bizan."· Memorie deUa "Real, Accodemio dei
Lincd, Gosse di sd_nze morali 8 (1903):61-170.
___. "n con vento di Tsana in Abissinia e Ie sue
Laudi alia Vergine:" Rendiconti della Accademia
nazionale dei Lincd, Classe di sdeme morali 19,
.er. 5 (1910):581-621-
___ Vitae Sanclorum Antiquiorum: Acto YfJred el
{'an/alowon. In CSCO 26, Scrip/ores Atlhiopiei 9;
eSeQ 27. S"riplVreS .4t'lhiopici 10, Louvain, 1955.
Six. V. Die Vita des Abuna TJdewos von Dobra
M"t)'am im "["nils... Wiesbaden, 1975.
ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH 995
Tadde.... Tamrat. "Some Notes on the Fifteenth·
Century Stephanite 'Heresy' in the Ethiopian
Church." Rassegna di Sludi Eliopici 22
(19M);103- 11 5.
_ _. "The Abbots of D.brii·Hayq, 1248-1535."'
Journal of Elhiopian S",d;es 8. pt. I (1970):87-
117.
_ _. Church and Siale in Elhiopia 1270-1527.
London. 1972.
___ "A Short Note on the Traditions of Pagan
ResislAnce to the Ethiopian Church (14th and
15th centuries)_" Journal of Elhiopian Studies 10,
pt. I (1972):137-50.
Tumiev, B. Viuu Soncwrum [ndiginarum: Ada S.
Aaro~is el Philippi. In cseo 30, Scriplore, Aethio-
pici 13; CSCO 31. SCriplOre, Aelhiopici 14. Lou-
vain, 1955.
___. Vilae Sa~clOrum Indiginarum: ACla Sancli
EuS/alha. In eseo 32, Script<>r" Aelhiopi<'i 15.
Louvain, 1955.
Ullendorlf, E, "Hebraic·Jewish Elements in Abyssin-
ian (Monophysite) Christianitl'." Journal of Semil_
ic Studies I (1956);216-56,
Varenbergh, J. "Studien ror abessinischen Reich-
sordnung IS~r'ala Mong~'I)'" Zeitschrifl fur AS$yri_
ologie und verwandlt Cebiele 30 (1915-1916);1-
" GETATCIlEW HAILE
ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH, The
Ethiopian church was the only state church in the
Orient that remained intact Iron, earl)' times into
the late twentieth century. when it was separated
from the secular state by a revolutionary decree of
1974. With a membership of at least 12 million, it is
still the largest single autocephalous Christian insti-
tution in Africa. In its sixteen-hundred-year history,
it nOI nnll' has su,--...ived de"astating internal and
external wars and dissensions but also has r<:-
rnained a dtadel of spiritual r<:source, formal edu-
cation, local cultur<:. art. and architecture for Ethi-
opian society,
History
Though the church's tr.>ditions go back to lhe
introduction of Christianity in Ethiopia in the era of
the aposlles, Ihe actual establishment of the church
did not occur until about the middle of the fourth
century. The ground was preparcd for it by the
existence in the country of Judaic elements and
small Christian communities consisting of foreign
traders and their local associates. The pioneer was
From.mius of Tyre, whom fate led to Awm in his
996 ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
youlh and who grew up in the palace, where he
acquainted the crown prince an<l other members of
the royal house with Christianity. Aroun<l 3)(). he
went to Alexandria to Sl'i'k a bishop for Ethiopia,
and Patriarch .o.TIt..N..StUS (328-356) ch05e him for
the purpose, thereby laying Ihe foundations for the
lasting relationship between the Coptic and Ethiopi-
an churches. Frumentius thus became the first "bun
of Ethiopia (d. ETHtOP,.o." PREUTES), where he sub·
sequently came to he known as Abba Salama I (Fa·
ther Peace) and KaSate BerMn (Revealer of Ught).
As a saint. he is contmemorated on 26 Haml~ of the
Ethiopian calendar.
That Frumentius succeeded in converting the my·
al hoUS<.'hold and that the sovereign transferred his
divine role of pre·Christian cult to the new religion
facililaled immensel}' the peaceful establishment,
expansion. and protection of the church. Th<ough-
out the centuries. the sovereign remained the pro·
teclOT and Alexandria the source of the failh. " was
because of the cooperation of Frumentius and King
.£zan1 (c. 327-357) that the Ethiopian Orthodox
Church remained pro-Nicene, despite the attempts
of Constantius (337~361) to introouce Mtl..NlSM into
the country. King Jaleb (c. 515-545) also led two
military expeditions. in 523 and 525, on behalf of
the Christians of Najnn in Soulh Arabia, who were
be,ieged by the Jews,
The expansion of Christianity in Ethiopia was fur·
theT aided by an inftux of its followers who had
been pe~uted by the pro'Chalcedonians in the
Byzantine empire in the late lifth and early sixth
centuries. These immigrants brought with them
their priests. books. and church articles. thereby
enriching the institution of the church in Ethiopia.
They settled in various pal1s of northern Ethiopia
and lounded schools, churches, an<l monasteries,
many of which still bear their names. Missionaries
went out from ,hese monasteries to spread Christi-
anity among the pagan·.~mhara and Aga", peoples
bl1her south. Tbeir aCli~ies were encouraged, and
at times required, b)' the:' sovereigns. who gradually
moved their political seat to tbe central highlands
panly because of external pressures an<l panly far
reasons of furtber conquest and territorial gains.
Some of the so\'ereigns were zealou, not only to
defend the bitb against internal and external
threals and to suppol1 the-churcb through bountiful
land grants bUl also to refono SOme of the religious
practices and to impose Christianity on all areas
under their rule, Among such rulers was Emperor
lar'a Yi'qob (1434-1468), wha had aUlhored ,ever·
al works on religious themes. introduced many reo
form" and obliged pagan Temnants to accepl Cbris·
tianity. Emperor SaT¥ Dengel (1563-1597) carried
the religion fanher soulb to Ihe kingdom of En·
narya beyon<l the Gibe.
But both the church and the secular state suf.
lered a ~ries of sethacks in the sixteenth. seven·
teenth. and eighteenth centuries. Comparable in se-
verily to the deY~lating war of the Falasha
(Ethiopian Jews) in the tenth centu!)· was the inva-
sian of the Muslims led by Imam AJ:tmad Mul)am-
mad al-Gha2I of Zeila. aided by a Turkish military
contingent. in 1527-1543. Numerous churches
were burned. books were mUlilated, and a great
number of Christians perished or were forced to
profess Islam. With the help 01 a POl1uguese force.
Emperor Galawdtwos (154(1-1559) succeeded in
freeing the count!)' and reestablishing the church,
This success was nonetheless temporary. as a horde
of pagan invaders known as the Oromo or GAlla
struck lrom the southeast and quickly invaded the
greater pal1 of the empire, burning cburches and
killing Or auimilating the Christians. The POI1U'
guese. 100. demanded compensation in the fono of
territorial grants and Ihe investiture of a Catholic
bishop who could head the Ethiopian church. This
provoked ci\'i1 upheavals. and the emperoT had to
banish the Portuguese. $<lveral auempts WeTe there·
after made on lbe pal1 of the Catholics to conven
the Etbiopians, and missionaries were repeatedly
sent to the country. The most signilicant of the
missionaries was lhe Jesuit Pedro Pae., who am,'ed
in Ethiopia. shol11y after 1600 and began to leach
children and translate books in nOl1hern Ethiopia.
He subsequently gained access to the imperial
coul1 and brought two or more princes un<ler his
in~uence. One of these was Susenyos. who became
supreme roler after killing his reigning cousin in a
~ttle in 1607. in which the Coptic metropolitan
also felL Susenyas and some of his officials were
secretly conyel1ed to Catholicism and entered into
correspondence with the pope of Rome and the
empeTor of Spain. Paez <lied in 1621, and a bishop
name<l Alfonso Mendez arrived in the next year.
The emperor was soon convened, and the bishop
began to exercise hi. aUlhority over the rights and
propel1ies of the Ethiopian Onhodox Church. In
1626 a ci,'il war broke out that lasted aboul six
years and led to Ihe abdication of the emperor in
faVOT of his son. who remained faithful 10 the ol1ho-
<lox religion_ The missionaries were expelled, and
Europeans were thereafter regarded with hostility
for at least a hundred and lifty }'ears. The Ethiopian
Catholics were either execut"'" or obliged to recant

,helr ne", failh. Only 51nce Ig38 ha'"e European
m~ries been apin pennilled 10 ,exh and
lhen almosl aclU5i\-dy in the.so-ullt>d open areas,
...here ,he EUtiopian Onhodo>. Church has bad lillie
or ... inll..enc... !hough Uwy ha,... abo ~
allo.....-.:l 10 conducl Ihrir ac:Ih.. it~ in the Christian
amos 10 10111 .. !My do IXM in<erkr.. with affairs of
!be chun:h and ~r medical and edUQ.lioloaJ se.-.
ricel 10 !be publi<:_
Afte!" 1M ""pulsion af the Jtslliu I" l611, llw:
church could mll have "" pex.., as Chriatolopeal
dispulel brolr... OUI ".;thin the church itseK, Ie~ill&
10 a seriel of inconc!usi"", councils and violent con·
tlk.... I" principl... lhe docuine of ,he church was
already U1 "i,h the Inlnsla'ion from 'h.. Greek of
Qt.t/os (,he Book of Cyril) in 'h.. six,h cenluf)'.
followed by other works from Ihe Syriac and tM
Al'llbic (see !'IHIOI'1AN cHIlISTIAN un;1lo\:nJl1-tl, BUI
,he Il'llnslalions were by no means slandardlud.
SO.... limes the ..ame conCepl was rendered by dif·
ferenl E.hiopic tenn., and somelimes One £lhiopic
lerm was used 10 lranslale differenl conceplS. Time
and again. disalreements broke QU' amonglhe cler-
Ics on SOme poinl of leaching. Often Ihe stale s({·
lied their diff......nc... by force. In tke elgh.eemh
and urly nineteemh centuries, """"'VI,.. the Slale
itself suffered from di.... mions and was scarcely in
a position 10 deal ,,'iUt the problemS of lhe church.
The ,..nous princ,," allied with one or anod"..r reli-
,;0... faclion and lried nOC only 10 auet1 lbelr p0w-
er bul also 10 pn>moc" the lenets of their alliel. The
cOnll'O\'eny revol...... maiDly around the nature of
OIrist-........her the insepar;oble union of his divini-
Iy and humanily too/r; pboc.. at the ti_ of his eon·
cepcion or On lhe ocClr:'l>on of his bapclsm III the
river Jordan and whether Christ replaced Adam ..
lhe 6rstbom ..... of God'. gr:l"'e.
The church was divided into Ihree wlio"s. ncll
dominali"l a .-m.,.,1ar ""llian and exh eontemp-
I....... ly nicknaming !he ~ Hence. a situ.1on
..... crn,ed in ,,·hich three <knomlnadonJ could
Iuv( d....e1oped from the EIhiopian OnhodOJl
Church, Emperor Y~nes IV (1872-1189). who
~li(Ved llul lhe union or l"eligion and Ihe aUle was
as nsenlial as that of the body and lhe .soul. eon·
sulred Ihe palriareh of "Ie:undria and summoned a
nalional eoun<:ilal Born MtdA in 1878. The council
endorsed Ihe lenel lhal Chrisl's divinity ,,"'as from
elernlry and thaI lho inseparabi( union of his divini.
ty and humanity look place al tm lime of Incarna·
lion. "II IhOlle who refused 10 confonn with Ihe
decisions of Ihe coundl VlCI"e dedared herella and
VlCre dealr wilh &C",ordingly. The su~uenl mono
ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH 997
arch,; upheld the same policy. and althouch 50me
differing sentimenu are Mill diocemib!<:'. the church
bas bad no mOI"e ",,,,h di$pul,," since then.
Orpnizlltlonal SlruelU" .nd Hierarchy
The spirilual hetlod of lbe Eth'opian Orthodox
O:turch hMl:>«n the doIlI. who lraditionally had 10
be a Cope ordained by the ~ cl Alexandria.
How(VCr, an £Ihiopian xcedcd 10 the mftf'OPOl;"
UlWe for the Iirsr. ,ime In 1951 and ...... promoted
10 the status or patrian:h in 1957. in acconLmcc
with the diploma'ic arnn,..nwnts made between
the Ethiopian JO""'mmenl and ,he See of A1e!lall-
dna (.... £JHIOf1A1< CHURCII ~l1l'OCEI'WoLl). The coun-
le<pan of Ihe 4b;,,, bad always been an Ethiopian
dignilary from one of the promin(nl "",...... crie.
who acled as lhe ove~r of lhe sener.ll adminis-
tralive affairs of Ihe church, In the last four or Ii,'e
hundred years. Ihis oflie( was dominaled by Ihe
E¢¢AO£ or Dabra liballOll who aCled bolh as liaison
between Ihe church a.nd the Slale and as judse fM
derical cases. His role On Ihe national level dimin·
ished with lhe establ~hment of the Beta Kehnal
(cenlral church adminiSlratiOll office) in lhe IVlCnli-
({h eentuf)'_
From the vic"l""inl of inlemal adminislralion.
the ",hurches and monasteries have always been au·
tonomous, ...,h havl. . belo"lCd 10 the community
that bad founded and maintained il. Their malerial
,.-"ealth "'lU therefoc-e 1e.......1y unifonn un,il th(
Pm.-isional Military Courocll nacionaJized all landed
properties 1». a dcl;ree of 1975. The -:-burch... "'ere
grouped undtr 1_ heada. Firs! "'..... lhe 1Itfb4.ltl
(sift&. J.:br), usually located in monasteries and
large eommunily e.,nt(n: they were full-fledged
churches mjo)i"l rights and privilqes lranled 10
rhe throu~bolll lhe CMIUn... and. 10 a veale!" ....
l ~ extenl.........inS land. alIimal Slock, ochools.
and libraries. Oli(1l they wel"e ,,-..II staffed with
pricw;, ~ns. mU$ieians. alId lexhen, al the
hnd of which "'as Ih( ~11Iq4 (dean). appoin<ed by
th( wverrign or his nepl"eSCn'alive or el.."ed by his
lOClety. The other ~p consisted of Ih( r"!'''. mo-
nor churches Maffcd by ~ve 01" ICyen clerics and
servin! small ",ommunilics d~t.ant from the d"M
Ihal had jurisdiction gv.,. the area. Any of Ihe glll~'
churches could, under spedal clrcuOl.'llances. de-
velop into a dabr.
Educallon and Uteralure
The church was for eenluries Ihe only Chrislian
institution lhal sponsored formal eduealion in Elhi·
 998 ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
opia. The schools were in principle open to both
seus. though the male pupils were by far the rna·
jority at all time•. Basic education consisted of
reading and, 10 a limited e~lem. writing, as well as
reciting the Lord's P",yer, Ihe Nicene Ct"t'W. and
the Hail Mary, and chanting ponion. or the whole
of the Psalterium. Relatively few went to the higher
institulions of learning. whkh were organized in
tht"t'e facuhies: the qcnt btt (school of poe1T)'), in
which grammar. comparalive history. and various
aspect. of poelry could be .tudied; the limJ Mt
(.chool of music). where the elabora.e composi-
tion. of the axumite SainI YAr&l and his SUcCe>sOrs
were offered; and .he lergum btl (school of inler-
pt"t'talion). whore slUdies of the Holy Scriplures, the
works of the ancient fathers. an<! ecclesiastical and
civil law. could be pursued.
The Holy Bible of the Ethiopian Onhodox Church
consiS1!l of fony·six books of the Old and Ihiny-fi,'e
book. of the New Testaments. eighl)'·one books in
all. The various books of the Bible were translated
into Ge'ez at diffe"'nt times before the end of the
sevenlh century of the Christian era from the Septu-
agint .n<l Syriac version•. A.pan from the Inmsla-
tions of ,,,rious works from the Creek. the Syriac,
the Arabic. and possibly Ihe Coptic.• numbe,. of
hagiographies, encomiums, .n<l COmmenlaries were
also pro<luced in the COUnlry itself. The ETHtOPtAN
LtT\lR<)Y is base<! on the Holy Scriptures and the
comp<:>sitions of the early fathers. and the con grega-
.ion panicipates in all celebrations. The mass is
said by a minimum of fi... cdebrams-three priests
and two deacons. fn its teachings. the church lays
• Crummey. D. "Onhodoxy and fmperial Reconstruc·
due emphasis On the seWn mysteries: baptism, the
Eucharist. confession of sin, ",surrection of the
dead, malrimony. priesthood, and exlreme unction.
The last one is scarcely praCliced. The fasts of Nin-
evah, Lent. the Apostles. the Assumption of the Vir-
gin, and the prophel$ are observed, while Chrisfs
binh, crucifixion, re....ection. and ascen,ion, as
well as Pentecost. Saint John's Day or New Year,
and the Day of the HoiI' Cross are among the ma-
jor holy days celebrated with elaborate church
services.
Architecture and Paintings
The church has also been the Ethiopian inslilu_
lion richest in archit""ture and paintings. Because
of the political circumstances that prevaile<l in the
country for centurie" very few secular edifices
were erected afier the Axumite era. instead. much
investment went into the churches, thousands of
which were built and rebuilt as well a.~ decorated
with painting, and ornaments. The majority of the
church buildings are round. though ,orne of the
oldest ones have rectangular or even polyangular
form,;. Every church is divided into three parts.
each with a spe<:ific purpose. Entering from the
porch. one reaches the qe~~ ",Jkhl~/ (choir). sepa:
rated from the inner circle by a wall concentric
with the exterior wall. This passagelike room ex-
tends ar<)und the entire building and i. devoted to
the laymen as well as to the ritual dances and sing_
ing of .he clergy. A. few doors lead into the inner
circular room known as the maqdas (sanctuary)
where the mass is celebrated. The lay members
enter it mainly to receive the Holy Communion. In
the center of the maqda, is a square room, likewise
separated by walls and known as the qeddesra q.d-
dusdn (holy of holies). [( is accessible lhrough a
small entrance. and only the celebrant pries" may
enter it. The Moot (the ark of the Decalogue) and
the holy books are dep<:>sited here. Almost all the
wall, are covered with paintings that depict motives
from Ihe Holy Scriplures, lh'cs of saint. "n<l mar-
t)'I"s. and paniculars from Ethiopian hi,lOry. Many
of the parchment book. are also illustrated and
ornamented.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bonk, J. An An~o/ated (md Clas.sified Bibliography of
English UrerOlure Pertaini~g 10 lhe Ethiopian Or·
thodox Church. Metuchen, N. J.. 1984.
tion in Ethiopia 1854~1878:' Journal of Theologi-
cal Studies 29 (1978)'427-42.
Geddes, M. The Church-Hislory 01 Ethiopia. london.
169/>.
Gerster. G.• et al. Kirchen im Fe/<: Enldeckungen in
Jithwpien. Zurich. 1972.
Gutb~ Sell""i". ehra'llque du regne d. Mbrilik ll:
Roi des rals d'E/hlapie, 2 vols., ed. M. Coppet.
Paris,1930-1931.
Heiler. F. Di. O,/kirche'l. Munich, 1971.
Heyer. f. Die Kirche Alhiapiens: Eine Besra'ldsaul_
'lahm•. Berlin and New York. 1971.
___ "Die orthodoxe Kirche Alhiopiens in <ler
krisenhafien Zuspitzung der Lage de. Landes."
Okummi,che RU'ld",ch~u 26 (l977):196-204.
"Die orthodoxe Kirche Athiopien! im 5_
Revolutionsjahr:' Oku",enische RU'ldschau 28
(1979):327-33.
Hyatt, H. M. The Chucch 0/ .4byui'lI~. London.
1928.

Rossini, C. SlOria d'Eliopia, Vol. l. Africa ita.liana 3,
Milan, 1928,
&rgew Hable &la..ie, Anciem and Medieval Elhio-
pian Hislory 10 12m. Addi. Ababa, 1971.
Tadde~ Tamrat. Church and Slale in Elhiopia,
/270_1527, Oxford, 1972.
Tesfazghi U. C"rrem Christ%gical Positions of Elhi-
opian Orlhodox Theologians. Rome, 1973.
Weischer, B, M. Qhdlo$ lII; Du malog "Dass
Christus Einer lSI" des Kyrillos von Alexandria,
ed. E. HammerM'hmidt. Athiopislische For.
schungen 2, Wiesbaden, 1977.
Yocob Beyene. L'um:ione di CrislO nella leologia
eliop;ca. Rome, 19B I.
BAtRU TAFt.<
ETHIOPIAN PRELATES, The abUM (metro-
politan bishop) was a Coptic monk chosen by the
patriarch of Alexandria ttl head the Ethiopian
church. The metropolitanate started in the middle
of the fourth century whon Pope ATHANASIUS ap.-
pointed Frumentius as the first metropolitan, with
the name of Abuna Salama. This custom remained
in force until the agreement reached in July 1948
gave the Ethiopian church full autonomy,
SALAMA I (c. 3OO-c. 380)
More commonly known as Frumentius (Ethiopi·
an, Fremrull°S), he is considered a saint in the Ethi-
opian church (festal date 26 J:1aml~ [Ablb]), as well
as in the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox
churches. He is said to have been born at Tyre.
Aller hi. consecration as bishop, he took (or was
attributed) the name Salama (peace), a tenn proba-
bly derived from Syriac. In Ethiopia, he is often
referred to as Abba Salan'lI- KaMte Bemll-n (Father
Salama, Revealer of Ught), for he is credited, in
both historical and religious record., with having
officially introduced Christianity into the coumry.
Details of the historic oifnt were first wrillen
around 410 by Rufinus T)"ranniw, bishop of Aqui.
lea, who heard the tale directly from the aged Aed·
esiu., companion or brothe'r of Frnmentiw. The
.lOry has since heen recorded, with minor varia·
tion., by other writers such as Socrates Scholastic-
us, Theodore!, and s,>zomen in the fifth oentury
and Nicephoras Callistus in the fourteenth century,
all of whom depend entirely on Rufinus' text.
According to this account, a certain Meropius, a
citizen of Tyre, undenook a trip to "India" (actually
tbe empire of Axum, but called lndia because of its
location on the long sea route linking the Egyptian
ETHIOPIAN PRELATES 999
ports on the Red Sea to tlte markets of India). It
was e~ntially a cultural voyage becau.e Meropius
took with him Frnmentius and Aede.ius, two chilo
dren for whose education he was responsible, On
the return trip, they stopped at .an "Indian" port
(probably Adulis, near present·da}' ZUllO), where, be·
cause of a breakdown in relations between Axum
on one side and Byzantium and its allies on the
other, the ship was pillaged, and Merepius and his
crew massacred. Only the two boy. were spared
and handed over to the king of Ihe country (un'
named by Rufinus), who made Aedesius his cup'
bearer and Frumentius his secretary.
Upon the king's death, the queen regent asked
Ihe Iwo young men to aid her in the duties of state
while her son was still a minor, and thus, Frumenli·
us was able 10 have some churches constructed for
Christian merchants trading in Axumite lands.
When the young prince came of age, he allowed the
two foreigners to lea,'. Axum. Aedesi... returned to
his relatiVC$ in Tyre, where he became a priest, and
Frumentius journeyed 10 Alexandria to request thaI
a bishop be named for the Christians in Ethiopia.
Upon receiving Frumentius' petition, Saint ATIU.IUl·
StUs, twentieth patriarch of Alexandria (who, ac-
cording to Rufinus, had recently been consecrated
10 this posilion). ordained Frumenlius a priest and
then consecrated him as bishop and sent him back
"10 the land whence he had come." Once again in
;;'thic>pia, Frumentius was able to convert a great
number of pagan" and thereby the ChriSlian
church made its beginning, in "India."
Accordini to Rufinus, Bishop Salfunll-, as Frumen-
tiu. ""as now known, must have arrived in ;;.thiopia
between 32B (Athanasius' election to the &e of
Saint Mark) and 335 (Council of 7)'re; I.e., tbe be-
ginning of Athanasius' first exile). This date may be
further confinned in the 8.hiopian traditions, for,
according to the abridged chronicle of Ethiopian
kings (Beguinot, 1901, p. 2), Salama i, supposed to
have come to the country 333 y.ars after the birth
of Christ (333 of the ;;'thiopian calendar =rre-
sponds to A.D. 340-341). This same chronicle notes
that during this time, the ruling kings in Ethiopia.
were Abreha and ~l)a, nameS that modem Ethio·
pian specialists consider 10 be the crown names or
,urnames of the Axumite king '£zana (well known
thmugh pagan and Christian coins) and of his
brother and coregent, $e'uAnll-.
Precise knowledge is lacking concerning Sal-
ama's religious activities in the Axumite territories.
However, his name appear:s Iwice in relation to an
1000 ETHIOPIAN PRELATES
epiS<><k imponanl in the early history of Christiani·
ty. as follow", Emperor Constant;"" II (337-361),
son of Connantine I, who favored the heretical doc·
trines of ARJUS, wrote a letter 10 Aezanus and Saun-
as (i.e., king 'wna and his brother Se'azana), rul·
ers of ,hum, wherein he severely criticize<! the
doctrines of Athanasius and his light against ARlAN·
ISM. and called upon the two Axumite princes 10
send Frumentiu. (Salama) back to Egypt for severe
judgment and l"(!ctification of his failh. This missive,
daled 356 and probably never answered, shows that
Abuna Salama I was still alive at this time, that he
had presened the church from Arianism, and had
kept il close to the onhodox dogma cholmpioned SO
brilliantly by Athanas;u•.
The names of the immediate successors to Sa·
lAm'" I remain unknown. After him the first Qbu"
mentioned in hi.torieal documents as metropolitan
in Ethiopia is Yol)annes l. who held the episcopacy
toward the middle of the ninth century, However,
the Ethiopian tradition lists a bishop by the name of
Minb as the immediate successor of Salimi, and
attributes to the fonner the authorship of a number
of homilies.
BIBLlOGMPHY
Ahheim, F. Gesclticltte der Hunnm, Vol. 5, pp. 157-
80. Berlin. 1962.
Alhan;osius. A.d impera/orem Comt,,,,/;"m opoiogla.
In PC 25, col•. 635-638. Paris. 1857.
Basset. R. "Etudes sur l'histoire d'Ethiopie." Jour'
nala.latlque ser. 7.17 (1881),411. 421-22, n. 30.
Beguinot, F. La eranaco abbrevioto d'A.bu.;nio, p. 2.
Rome, 19'01.
Bettini, C. "Per la storia del cristianesimo in Etio-
pia,S. Frumenzio." Nuava Rivi.ra Storico 21
(1937):359-65.
Budge, E. A. W•• trans. Tlte Book of tlte Saint. '" the
Ethiopian Churclt, Vol, 4, pp. 1IM-65.
Dombrowski, B. W. w.lt and F. A. Dombrowski.
"FrumentiusfAbbi Salimi, Zu den Nachrichten
Uber die Aof!lnge des Christenlllms in Xthiopien."
Ori",s C/tri,/ianus 6S ('1984):1l4-69.
Cetatchew Haile. "The Homily in Honour of St.
Frumentius Bishop of hum (EMML 1763, If. 84'~
86')," Ana/ecto Bollandiana 97 (1979):309-318.
Monneret de Villard, U, "Perche la chiesa abissina
dipendeva dal patriarcata d'Alessandria." Oriente
maderno 23 (1943):308-311.
Rossini, C. Storia d'Etiopla, pp. 146-54. Bergamo,
1928.
Sergew Hable Sellassie, Ancienl and Medieval Ethic-
pian HislOry to 1170, pp. 98-104, Addis Ababa,
1972.
Ullendorlt E. "Note on the Introduction of Christi-
anity into Ethiopia." Africa 19 (1949):61~62.
[The nexl section on Min.!. was written not by
So/vatore Tedeschi but by Getotchew Hait.. We
place it hore, rather thon a/ th. "nd at Ihis entry or
<IS a .. pomle enh")', to mointoin the chronoJogical
order of the Ethiopian pre/ates,-Ed.]
MINAs (II. sixth century)
Ethiopian sources list Bishop Minb (Men..,,) as
the successor of the first Ethiopian metropolitan
bUhop. SaIAm~ or Frumentius, and call him SalAm!
II. He flourished. according to tradition, during the
reign of Anbasa Wedem, before the Arab conquest
of Egypl. Howe,'er, in the chronologies ofAxumile
kings, no less than twenty·five kings are listed be·
tween the king who ruled during Frumentius' met·
ropolit-anate and the reign of Anbasa Wedem (his
dates are uncertain). This may indicate that the
chair of the metropolitanate was vacant for a long
time after Frumemius or his immediate successors.
Minh's designation as "the second SalAma" could
simply mean a fresh start of rigorous Christian ac·
tivities in Ethiopia with Buhep Minas as its leader.
The literary heritage he left Seems to support this
explanation.
Although the information Oil Minols is skelchy, he
did enrich Ihe literary tradition of the Ethiopian
church with a number of homilies. At least six of
these are extam and are read in Ethiopian monas-
teries at designated times in the year. They include
the homilies on the aposdes, donnition of the Vi,-·
gin Mary. the holy cross. ,eason of spring, the sev·
enty disciple. and the 3111 Orthodox fathers of the
Council of Nicaea. and AbbA Yol)anni. The transla·
tion of the book of Revelation into Ethiopic or
Ce'e. is also ascribed to Minb. It is also possible
that the translation into Ce'.,... of Rufinus' work o~
Frumemius. "The Story of How the [nteriars of
Ethiopia Came to Christianity." is this bi,hep',
achievement.
BIBUOGRAPHY
Cowley, R. W. The Traditiono/ Interpretot;on ct the
llpoco/yp,,, of SI. John In the Ethiopian Orthodox
Church. Cambridge, 1983.
Celalchew Haile. "The Homily in Honour of SI.
Fromemius, Bishop of hum (EMML 1763, If.
84'-86')." IInaleeta Bollondiono 97 (1979):309-
318.

Getalchew Haile and William F. Macomber. 11 Cata·
/o&ue of EthiopiaM Manuscripts Microfilmed fOT the
Ethiopia" Ma"uscript Microfilm Library, Addis
Ababa, and for the Hill Monastic Ma"uscript L/.
brary. Collegeville. Vol. 5. Collegeville, Minn,.
1981.
Guidi, 1. "u: liSle dei metropoliti d'AbiS!linia,'·
Be"arione 6 (1899),2-16.
GITA1'U,eW HAILE
YOHANNES I (fl. second quarter ninth
century)
ThiS is the first metropolitan whose name is re·
corded after lhat of Sal:lln! 1 (Fromentius). evange·
list of Ethiopia. According to the HISTORY Of THE fA·
TRIARCHS Of Al.EJ(ANDRIA. Ihe only source 10 memion
him. Yo!)annes I was named to this posilion by
Patriarch Jacob (819-830) and serve<! duting the
patriarchates of SIMON II (830) and YO$AB I (831-
849), Ouring the laner period. Yol).annes I was
obliged to leave Ethiopia and return 10 Egypl,
where he wilhdrew 10 DAnl. Al.-BA'-AMOs. It was the
qn~n of Ethiopia who expelled him, and in order
to do so. she had had 10 wail for lhe king to absent
himself from the coun, on lhis occasion to lead h;"
tr<>or>' imo bank (The names of the king and
queen are nol mentioned in Ihe "Tabic version of
the History 0/ the Patriarchs.) With Yol).annes out of
the country, another prelate, chosen and appointed
in Ethiopia againsl all canon law. replaced him.
Ethiopia then suffered many disasters, epidemics.
and military defeats. which induced the Ethiopian
sovereign to write to Patriarch YUSlib, renewing his
allegiance to Alexandria and requesting the return
of Yo!)annes to his counlry. Thereupon. Yo!)annes
left his retreal in the desen, and in the company of
a few fellow dergymen. returned to Ethiopia and
reoccupied his episcopal throne. ProSperily then
reigned anew in the land. .~
Later, however. Yohannes had to face another
difficulty. In 838. certain Ethi~ian factions claimed
thaI the bishop was uncircumdsed and insisted lhat
he submit to thiS operalion o~ be banished again 10
Egypt. aut. upon examining him, they discovered
that he had already been circumcised. The Hi.tory
of Ihe Patriarchs treats this event as a mi ...cle. How·
ever, il may ralher be explained by the progressive
spread of circumcision among the Copts after lhe
ARAB CONQUEST OF t;CYP'T and by the facl that in
Ethiopia this practice had been followed since lhe
mOSI ancient times, even before lhe introduclion of
Christianity.
ElHIOPIAN PRELATES 1001
The immediate SuCceSSOr to Yo!)annes I remains
unknown. The next person listed as holding lhis
office is "buna J.'tJros I in the lenth century.
BIBUOGIUPHY
Budge, E. ". W., ed. and l...ns. The Book of the
Saints of the Ethiopian Church. 4 vols. Cam'
bridge. 1928.
Renaudot. E. HistoT;a PatTWrcha",,,, Alexandrino·
",m Jacobi/a",,,,. pp. 283-87. Pari., 1713.
Rossini, C. Staria d'E/;opU>. p. 284. Berpm<>. 1928.
Tedeschi. S. "L'Etiopia nella Sloria dei patriarchi
alessandrini." R<usee"" d; stud; eriopici 23 (1967-
1968),262~69.
J;'£TROS I (II. fint h.lf tenth century)
"ccording 10 the History of Ihe Pam.rcks. P~ros
(Bu!rus in Arabic) was chosen and consecrated by
Patriarch Quzma, or Cos",as III (920-93Z). duting
the reign of an Ethiopian sovereign wh~ name is
not mentioned in the "rabic text. As metropolitan,
I;'t\ros stood al lhe very center of an episode impor-
tant in the history of anciem Ethiopia, Before his
death. lhe king confided his lwo sons to I;'~""'.
asking Ihe "bun to choose whichever one would be
Ihe better ruler. ff!fO:S selected the younger broth·
er and placed him on lhe lhrone. However. at this
time, a monk by the name of Minb (Minj) carne
forth from the Monastery of Saint "ntony (DHR ANBA
A/fTONtYOs) Wilh another Coptic m"nl lnown as
Victor (Buq!ur), The two approached I;'~ros and
asked him for money bul were refused. whereupon
they began to pl"t against the prelate, The angry
monl:$ succuded in forging a letter, pUll"'rtedly
written by Patriarch Cos mas, in which lhe pontiff
declared that I;'f!fO:S was an imposter and should be
replaced by Menas and thaI lhe election and crown·
ing of the younger brother as ling "'-ere illegal and
he should be dethroned and replaced by the elder
son. The lauer. upon seeing Ihe false missive. im-
mediately assembled an army, conquered and elim·
inated his younger brother. and occupied the
lhrone. The new ling then deposed I;'f!ros, relegal'
ed him to a distant place. and gave the see to
Menas. However, soon thereafter, Menas quarreled
with hi" old friend, Victor, who then pillaged the
bishop's headquarters, fied Ethiopia. and converted
to Islam.
When Paltiarch C"smas leamed of the conspira-
cy, he excommunicated Mena., whereupon the king
executed lhe false pretender and haslened to find
J.'~ffO:S. who had already died in exile. Meanwhile.
the patriarch, still greatly offended by the usurper
1002 ETHIOPIAN PRELATES
king's ill treatmem of "('t'1r05, refused to name a
new metropolitan bishop for Ethiopia. Thereupon,
the Ethiopian ""vereign commanded the coadjutor
to assume the functions of metropolitan ad interim,
which he did to an advanced age, Because the king
was afraid to lei his country be without a bishop to
perform the necessary ordinations and blessings, he
never allowed this man, who remains unnamed in
the Hi"lory of Ihe Patriarchs of Alexandria, to jour·
ney to Egypt for his official consecration.
The four patriarchs who succeeded Cosmas-MA-
CARIUS I. THEOPHANES. MINA n. and ABRAHA/II-also
refused to name a metropolitan bishop for this reo
gion. Not until the patriarchate of 'HlLOTItEUs (979-
1003) did Ethiopia receive a properly consecrated
bishop, Dan'e!.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Budge. E. A, W" trans, The Book of the Saints 01 the
Efhiapian Church. Va!. I, pp. 233-34; VaL 3. pp.
666-69_ Cambridge, 1918.
Perruchon. J. "Vie de Cosmas. patriarche d'Alexan·
drie de 923;\ 9J4," Revue s'mltique 2 (1894}:78-
"
RenaudOl. E. Hlslorin Pl1.Iriarcharum Alexandrino-
rum Jacobitarum. pp. 339-41. Pari., 1713.
Ros.ini, C. Swria d'Eliopw. p. 285. Bergamo, 1928.
Sergew Hable Sellassie. Andem and Medieval Elhio-
pian HislOry 10 1270, pp, 215-18. Addi. Ababa,
1972.
DAN'£L (f1, late tenth century)
Dan'''1 is con.idered to be the dir«t .ucce••or to
"('''l!"OS I, despite Ihe decades that separate their
episcopates. According to the Hislory of !he Pam·
Qrclts, an unnamed Ethiopian ruler wrote a leuer to
King George II of Nubia (who acceded to the
lhmne around 969), informing him of gra"e condi·
tions rampant in Ethic!?ia. His kingdom had been
invaded by rehds led -!t' the queen of Banil al-
Hamilyah. whG brought ruin , and desolation every-
where while pursuing him from place to place. The
Ethiopian sovereign attributed all these calamitie.
to divine wrath incurred by lhe ill treatment of
AbuM "('''lros I by one of lhe king, who preceded
him. Since then the <:!lurch in Ethiopia had reo
mained without a metropolitan. The king pleaded
with George II to intercede with the Coptic patri.
arch. requesting his pardon and the appointrnent of
l new Qbu~ for Ethiopia. Gee'lle II did indeed write
to Patriarch rHILOn'"l'S (979-IOO3), whereupon the
latter consented to name a bi.hop for Ethiopia, a
monk from DAYR ABO MAOh by the name of Dan'''1
(lliinya1 in Arabic).
Ethiopia received the oew metropolitan bishop
wilh great Joy. and "God then hrougbt an end to the
actions of thaI woman who had SO severely afflicted
the land" (HlslOry 01 the P~lri~rchs), There i. no
Gther ioformation extant about this abun.
Ho,,"'ever. the episode conceming his appoint-
ment to Ethiopia has given rise to many interpreta·
tions, with the preferred hypothesi. being that of
Carlo Conti Rossini. This scholar suggest. that the
invasion of Ethiopia w;l-S probably a reaction or
re"oh against the Christian dynasty by the queen of
Damot, an independent pagan kingdom; he pro-
posed that Banil al·Hamilyah in tbe Arabic text
should be corrected to read Bam) al·Damiltah,
The Christian kingdom then suffered a serious
crisis that was overcome only by lhe arrival of Abu-
na lliin',,1. wbo succe.de<J in consolidating the
Christian Etbiopian dynasty.
The immediate successor 10 Dan'''l is unknown,
The next metropolitan bishop of Ethiopia named in
history is Al;"ma Fiq!or.
BIBLJOGRAPtly
Budge, 13, A. W.• trans, The Book ol/he SaiM/s 01 the
Elhiopian Church, Vol. 1. pp_ 233-34. Cambridge,
1928.
___. Sioria d'Eriopia, pp. 285-86. Bergamo,
1928.
Monneret de Villard. U_ SlOria ddia Nubia crislim.a,
pp. 125-26. Rome. 1938.
Perruchon, J. "Lettre adressee par Ie roi d'Etbiopie
au roi Georges de Nubie sous Ie patriarcat de
Philotl:e." Revue .I:milique I (1893Pl~79; 359-
n.
Renaudot. E. HiSioria P"triarcharum Ale:<a~dri"o·
rum }acobi/arum, pp. 381-82. Paris. 1713.
Rossini, C. "I manoscrini etiopici della Missione
cauollea di Chere"," Re"dico~li deUa Real~ ,4c·
cad~mia dei Lincei 13. ser. 5 (1904):266,
Sergew Hable Sellassie. A"cie"t a"d Medieval Ethio·
pian HislOry fa /270, pp_ 223-25. 229-30, Addis
Ababa. 1972.
Tadd"".., Tamrat. Church and State I" Ethiopia
1270-1527. pp, 38-41. Oxford, 1972_
FIQTOR (fL second half eleventh century)
Fiqtor (Victo~ Arabic, Buq!ur) is the first metrO,
politan bishop mentioned in the History of the Pain"
"rchs after D~n'el. who had been consecrated near
the end of Ihe tenth cemury. thus indicating a hia·
tu, in the ,uccessian, According to the above-men-
tioned History, Fiq!or was bishop of the Ethiopian
church just before his nepbew SA.wiros occupied
the same position, Since the laUe. was consecrated

by Patriarch CYRIL II (1078-1092), it may be de·
duced that Abuna Fiq!or was consecrated toward
the middle of Ihe eleventh cenlury by Palriarch
CHRISTOOOUUJS (l047-1077). At any rate. it is cer·
tain Ihal nq!or's metropolitanate occurred durinS
Ihe pontificate of Christodoulus.
Renauoot (1713. p, 47) doubted the existence of
Ihis pankular Ethiopian bishop and proposed that
he wall probably confused with a certain Buq!ur
who, at about this lime, was metropolilan bishop
for the church in Nubia. However. there is no proof
of such a supposed confusion_ The Ethiopian Synax·
arion (Budge. 1928. Vol 4, p. 995) does mention
that Fiq!or W3S Ille brother (not unde) of his suc-
cessor, but it is obvious that priority must be given
to Ihe Arabic text, for the Ethiopian leXl is based
thereon.
During Fiq!or's metropolitanate there was a Cop-
tic monk in Ethiopia. by name of 'Abdun, who him-
self assumed the title of bishop and the name Qiil11
(Cyril). and then ploned to have Fiq!or deposed SO
that he might USUlJ> the episcopal throne. Using a
cenain 'Ali aI-Oif!i as intermediary, 'Abdun began
his intrigues before the all·powerful Amir al·Juyiish.
Badr ai-Jamal!. who was vizier (1074-1094) of the
Fatimid caliph al·Mustan~ir. Claiming Fiq!or to be a
ruthless enem)' of the Elhiopian Muslims. 'All aI·
Qifli suggested 10 Badr al-JamAillhat Chri,todoulus
.,
ETHIOPIAN PRELATES 1003
should be forced to depose this bishop and replace
him with 'Abdiin. Ceding 10 the vizier', hea>y p~
sure. Christoooulus decided to send to Ethiopia a
delegalion led by a bishop and charged with conse--
crating 'Abdun in place of Fiq!or, However. before
the delegation could depan, 'All al-Oifl; fell into
disgrace and was executed after confessing his
treachery. This, of course, ended all plans for the
delegation. Although he f;>.iled in his fint attem!'t to
become bishop, 'Abdun merely postponed his plaos,
which he renewed during the episcopate of S<\wir·
os. Fiq!ors successor,
The History of Ihe Palriarchs gives no otber infor-
mation conceming Abuna Fiq\or, who seems to
have died duriog the pontificate of Christodoulus_
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Budge, E. A, W., trans. The Bock of Ihe Sa'>t/s of Ihe
Elhwpia>t Church, Vol. 4, p. 995. Cambridge,
1928,
Renaudot, E. His/oria Palriarchc.rum Alu,mdrino-
rumJQcobilorum, p. 47. Paris, 1713.
Rossioi, C. Sioria d'Eliopia, p. 287. Bergamo, 1928,
Tadd=e Tamrat, Church o>td Slate in E/hiopia
127fJ-/527. p. 47. Oxford. 1972.
{This am'de continues hI V"I"'"e 4.]