Friday 23 January 2009

Coptic culture - Ancient Egyptian Literature, Part IX

Ancient Egyptian Literature, Part IX
by Ed Rizkalla
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” Psalm 111.10
(رأس الحكمة مخافة اللة)
As the writer was a child growing up in Egypt, it was common to respectfully address a Muslim as (الشيخ) which means “Elder”, and a Copt as (المعلم), which means “Teacher”. Perhaps addressing a Copt as a “Teacher” shouldn’t come as a surprise, as some historians e.g. the Arab historian Al-Maqrizi (1) noted that the Copts were in fact (اهل علم) people of knowledge. Likewise, Coptic businessmen or employees were known to be (حقانين) which means people who conduct their business with diligence and strive for perfection and excellence. In prior articles of this series, the writer explored several examples from ancient Egyptian literature to help shed light on several Coptic cultural attributes, norms, and values. In this posting, the writer, with the grace of Christ the Lord, will present another example of ancient Egyptian literature, the “Satirical Letter of Papyrus Anastasi I“, to shed light on two Coptic cultural attributes 1) the respect for education, knowledge, and love of wisdom, and more specifically on their predisposition to strive for excellence, and 2) the joy
of life.

See full article via U.S. Copts association - http://copts.com/english1/index.php/2009/01/21/coptic-culture-17/

1 comment:

Waldo said...

Great stuff, I've really been searching out info since late December when I was looking for a new years diet. I stumbled on this site called The Coptic Diet. Ever since I've been increasingly interested in this rich and mysterious culture!