Coptic Cairo article June 22 - 2011

Here is an interesting article on Coptic Cairo just published - June 22, by the website emhotep.net

Coptic Cairo: A Complex Design of Many Parts

Posted by: Shemsu Sesen

You can read the full article here:

http://emhotep.net/2009/06/22/locations/lower-egypt/coptic-cairo-a-complex-design-of-many-parts/

Urgent appeal: Coptic studies

From a colleague at Claremont University California Saad Michael Saad;


Coptic studies exist at Claremont Graduate Univ, Toronto Univ, Macquarie Univ-Sydney & AUC because of Coptic community funding. St Shenouda Coptic Society is $8,000 away from meeting 30 June pledge to CGU.

Please read about progress and methods of donation at:
http://www.cgu.edu/pages/5446.asp

For more information on the St. Shenouda Coptic Society - see here:


http://www.stshenouda.com/

Monastic wall Paintings at Amarna Project

Please give some consideration to the Monastic wall painting project at Amarna, where funds are being raised to document the important wall paintings at the 5th-7th century monastic site of Kom el-Nana at Amarna Please view the website for further details - Many thanks. http://www.justgiving.com/amarna-project0/

Jordan battles to regain 'priceless' Christian relics

They could be the earliest Christian writing in existence, surviving almost 2,000 years in a Jordanian cave. They could, just possibly, change our understanding of how Jesus was crucified and resurrected, and how Christianity was born. A group of 70 or so "books", each with between five and 15 lead leaves bound by lead rings, was apparently discovered in a remote arid valley in northern Jordan somewhere between 2005 and 2007. A flash flood had exposed two niches inside the cave, one of them marked with a menorah or candlestick, the ancient Jewish religious symbol. A Jordanian Bedouin opened these plugs, and what he found inside might constitute extremely rare relics of early Christianity. That is certainly the view of the Jordanian government, which claims they were smuggled into Israel by another Bedouin. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote As soon as I saw that, I was dumbstruck” End Quote Philip Davies Sheffield University The Israeli Bedouin who currently holds the books has denied smuggling them out of Jordan, and claims they have been in his family for 100 years Read the full article by Robert Pigott of the BBc here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12888421

Christianity and Monasticism in Upper Egypt Vol 2

The 2008 St Mark Foundation Symposium contribution papers are now published in the regular series of "Christianity and Monasticism in Upper Egypt" - the current one is Volume 2: Nag Hammadi-Esna
Here are the details and contributors:

Edited by Gawdat Gabra
Hany Takla

New studies in Christianity in the Sohag region

Christianity and monasticism have flourished in Upper Egypt from as early as the fourth century until the present day. The contributors to this volume, international specialists in Coptology from around the world, examine various aspects of Coptic civilization along the Nile Valley from Nag Hammadi (associated with the famous discovery of Gnostic papyri) through Luxor and Coptos and south to Esna over the past seventeen hundred years, looking at Coptic religious history, tradition, language, heritage, and material culture in the region through texts, art, architecture and archaeology. Contributors: Iwona Antoniak, Heike Behlmer, Ramez Boutros, Renate Dekker, Marianne Eaton-Krauss, Stephen Emmel, Cäcilia Fluck, Gawdat Gabra, James E. Goehring, Martin Krause, Bishop Martyros, Nashaat Mekhaiel, Howard Middleton-Jones, Samuel Moawad, Ashraf Nageh, Fr. Angelous el-Naqlouny, Elisabeth R. O’Connell, Tonio Siegfried Richter, Adel F. Sadek, Ashraf Alexandre Sadek, Fr. Bigoul al-Suriany, Matthew Underwood, Jacques van der Vliet, Gertrud J.M. van Loon, Fr. Awad Wadi, Youhanna Nessim Youssef

You can purchase the book via AUC press - or if you are in the Book fair at Tahrir you may be able to purchase there
http://www.aucpress.com/p-3739-christianity-and-monasticism-in-upper-egypt.aspx

Tahrir Book Fair Cairo

Reminder - The Tahrir Book Fair Program takes place in Cairo March 31 - April for more information check the AUC website;

http://www.aucpress.com/t-newsitem.aspx?NewsID=114

Egypt’s Christians and Muslims Face Unity and Tensions

As Egyptians shape their political destiny, there are questions about whether the Christian-Muslim unity seen during the popular uprising will hold.

On this Sunday morning, Christians attend mass in Egypt’s Coptic Cairo neighborhood, where they have worshipped since pre-Islamic times. Egypt’s Coptic community is the largest Christian population in the Arab world, as Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s 82 million people.

Read the full article here;
http://www.copts.com/english/?p=1451

Cairo update

Over 50,000 protesters have amassed at Tahrir square despite a curfew in place from 16.00 local Cairo time today.
The military have also surrounded the Giza Plateau (Pyramid site) and have closed off the area to the public.
The Military have also secured the Egyptian museum in Cairo....

Egypt events - updates

Apologies for not updating recently - I have just returned from Cairo, and just missed the sensational events just taking place - if you want to receive regular and live updates of events happening in Egypt in this historic period, I will attempt to update here, and you can also get up to the minute reports on my facebook page - just add me to your list (Howard Middleton-Jones)

Copts retrun to deadly blomb blast in Alexandria

Alexandria, Egypt (CNN) -- Emotional congregants returned to their church Sunday in Alexandria, Egypt, mourning the loss of fellow worshippers in a bombing a day earlier
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/02/egypt.attack/?hpt=Sbin