Subscribe now for full access and no adverts
REVIEW BY MICHAEL TUNNICLIFFE
This is a paperback edition of a work following the Third International Symposium on Christianity and Monasticism in Upper Egypt.
There is a particular focus on the life and writings of St Shenoute, who was a long-lived abbot at the famous monastery federation in the Akhmim-Sohag area in the late 4th century, and well into the 5th century. The federation comprised the White and Red Monasteries for men, and one for women. The book presents 25 essays relating to aspects of monastic life as Coptic Christianity became the dominant religion in Egypt. They are grouped into three categories. The first deals with language and literature, and includes examination of the voluminous writings of Shenoute, which are being edited from the surviving fragments. It also analyses the various biographies of the saint in a variety of languages, and his relationship with Coptic patriarchs during his lifetime. There are studies of the role of women as leaders in the women’s monastery, and as nurses. The White Monastery once had one of the most extensive libraries in Egypt, and the story of its dispersal is told along with the study of a number of liturgical texts.
A further six essays concentrate on art, architecture, and material culture. The architecture of the Red and White Monasteries is examined, together with some more recent, still functioning, Coptic churches. The final essay is by Elizabeth Bolman, who was in charge of the important restoration of the Red Monastery. It is a brief account of the 2006-2007 season, and so now rather dated. She has since published a full account of the completed work programme entitled The Red Monastery Church (reviewed in AE 97).
This book will be of interest to those who want to understand the world of Coptic Christianity better. It is good to have it available in paperback format as a testimony to the health of Coptic scholarship in the present day.
Christianity and Monasticism in Upper Egypt – Volume 1: Akhmim and Sohag
edited by Gawdat Gabra and Hany N Takla
American University in Cairo Press, 2025
ISBN 978-1-649-03431-1
Paperback, £24.99
