The ''Apocalypse of Pseudo-Athanasius'' is an apocalyptic
sermon
A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present context ...
authored between 715 and 744 during the
Umayyad Caliphate
The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a member o ...
. Very popular, the work was found in multiple
Coptic manuscripts and in
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
translations. The text most likely served as an influence for both Coptic and
Copto-Arabic writings and is also a rare witness to the reaction of Copts towards the
Muslim conquest of Egypt
The Arab conquest of Egypt, led by the army of Amr ibn al-As, took place between 639 and 642 AD and was overseen by the Rashidun Caliphate. It ended the seven-century-long Roman Egypt, Roman period in Egypt that had begun in 30 BC and, more broa ...
. Though Islamic practices of faith are absent from the text, it still provides the author's Coptic perspective to the fundamental historic changes in their country and the everyday-lives of the inhabitants.
Narrative overview
The sermon is addressed to the monks and clergy of
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
concerning the Copt's current condition under
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
rule. The author elaborates that punishments are being sent on the world from God because of the sins committed by the monks and priests; they mislead the people with evil words and deeds. Except for the
miaphysite
Miaphysitism () is the Christological doctrine that holds Jesus, the Incarnate Word, is fully divine and fully human, in one nature (''physis'', ). It is a position held by the Oriental Orthodox Churches. It differs from the Dyophysitism of the ...
Coptic Church, the correct faith was denied by all the other churches after the conclusion of the
Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon (; ) was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bithynia (modern-day Kadıköy, Istanbul, Turkey) from 8 Oct ...
. Only the Coptic Church would prevail.
MS New York, Morgan Library & Museum – M 602
Written in
Coptic and dated to the ninth century, MS New York,
Morgan Library & Museum
The Morgan Library & Museum (originally known as the Pierpont Morgan Library and colloquially known the Morgan) is a museum and research library in New York City, New York, U.S. Completed in 1906 as the private library of the banker J. P. Morg ...
– M 602 is the oldest and most complete manuscript. The ''Apocalypse'' consists of fifty-one pages of fols 51v-76v; Muslims and their rule over Egypt are only present in 68v-73v. Additionally, there are two passages but were inserted later pertaining to
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* he He ..., a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name
* Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
. Despite the damage of the codex which has created many intervals, the manuscript serves as the basis for all editions.
Authorship
Though the text is attributed to
Athanasius of Alexandria
Athanasius I of Alexandria ( – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor, or, among Coptic Christians, Athanasius the Apostolic, was a Christian theologian and the 20th patriarch of Alexandria (as Athanasius ...
, the actual author is unknown. The author can only be identified as a Coptic monk living in an Egyptian monastery in the first half of the eighth century based on the only available evidence, the text itself. The author is knowledgeable in the
Coptic Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the Apostolic see, See of Alexandria i ...
's