Al-Safie Abu Al-Fadail

• Al-Safi Abu al-Fadail Magid was the greatest Coptic apologist of the Middle Ages, and one of the greatest Christian apologists in the Arabic language.

• He played an important role in the intellectual renaissance of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the 13th century.

• He was chosen to act as the “First Secretary” for the Holy Synod which was assembled to solve a church dispute during the patriarchate of Pope Cyril III ibn-Loqloq (75th Pope).

• The synod entrusted him with collecting Church canons, organizing them and comparing them with the Greek originals. He also added new canons. This work is a comprehensive book on the laws of the Church known as the Great Nomocannon or The Canons of ibn alAssaal .

• He wrote in defense of the Gospel, on Church canons, on the Holy Trinity, on Church history, sermons, etc.

• NONAPOLOGETIC WORKS

1. Epitomes (Mukhtasarat) of Spiritual Patristic Works

The six works in this category were probably written before 1232.

• Epitome of the Arabic collection of 52 hymns of Saint Ephraem the Syrian.

• Epitome of a monastic ascetic compendium.

• Epitome of 100 chapters of Diadocus of Pholticea.

• Epitome of the Ladder of Virtues of John Climacus.

• Epitome of the 35 chapters on monastic life by Isaac of Ninevah.

• Epitome of the Spiritual Paradise in twelve chapters.

2. Epitomes of Homilies of St. John Chrysostom

• In 1232, he summarized and revised the 88 homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of John. A copy is preserved in the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate Library, Cairo.

• In 1237-1238, he wrote a summary and revision of the 90 homilies on St. Matthew.

• 3. Liturgical Homilies in Rhymed Prose This collection is written in Arabic, and is divided into six parts. The unity and trinity of God.

• Christology (covering eight feasts of the Lord)

• Morals (commandments of God and purification of the heart).

Awlad Al-Assaal / Al-Safie

• Homilies on fasting (seven have been published).

• Spirituality (prayers to God, intercession to the Virgin and saints).

• Homilies for various circumstances (advice to newlyweds, letters of investiture of bishops, spiritual letters).

• To this collection may also be added: A letter in honour of the election of Cyril III (June 1235); A homily on the death of Cyril III (1243); and a letter to his brother Al-mutaman Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn al-Assaal consoling him upon the death of his wife.

4. Works on Canon Law

• His great Nomocanon remains today as the basis of ecclesiastical law for the Coptic Orthodox Church. There are four works:

• A small canonical collection of 12 sections, regulating jurisdictional nature between bishops (September 1238).

• A canonical collection of five chapters and 19 sections on baptism, marriage, wills, inheritance, and ordination (13 September, 1238).

• A compendium of the abstract laws or Nomocanon - his renowned work known as al-magmu al-safawi (September 1238). It was published in Egypt in 1908 by Girgis Philotheos Awad, and reprinted in 1927 by Bishop Isidorus.

• An abridgement of the canonical compendium known as Al-Kitab al-awsat , containing short decisions pertaining to ecclesiastical persons and matters, and to questions of morals and discipline.

5. Epitomes of Arabic Apologetical Works

• Book of Questions and Answers by Ammar al-Basri.

• Book of the Proof by Ammar al-Basri.

• Forty-One opuscules of the great philosopher from Bagdad, Yaha ibn Adi

• The great refutation of Abu Isa al-Warraq by Yaha ibn Adi.

• The great Christological controversy between Yaha and al-Misri

• Al-Osul al-Shar ‘iyyah - The Fundamentals of Law or al- Hidayah - The Book of Guidance by Ibn al-Athradi

• The Christological controversy among Quwayri, Ibn al-Tayyib, and others.

• Conversations ( al-Magalis ) of Elias of Nisibis with the Vizier of Maghribi

• Book on the Virtue of Chastity by Elias of Nisibis

• Opuscules on chastity by various spiritual authors.

6. Miscellaneous Works

• Khottab ibn-al-asasal - Homilies of Ibn-Al-Assaal; printed in Egypt in 1887.

• Kifayit al-moptadieen fi ilm al-qawanin : This work has been lost.

• The History of the Church and its Application with Astronomy (also called Magmu al-tawarikh le olamaa al-qibt ). Copies are preserved in the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate Library and monastery libraries.

• Al-saha’eh fi al-rad ala al-nassa’eh

• The Book of Paradise : Printed in Egypt 1912 under the title of Al ferdoos al-aqli (intellectual paradise).

• APOLOGETIC WORKS

1. Brief Chapters on the Trinity and the Union

• This theological essay was completed in Cairo in 1242.

• It consists of one part on the Trinity (chaps. 1-16), another part on the Incarnation (chaps. 7-11), and one chapter on the science of

Awlad Al-Assaal / Al-Safie

theology (chap. 12).

2. Concise Chapters on Trinitarianism and Monotheism

• Written in 1274. Two copies exist; one in the Paris National Library, the other in the Vatican Library.

3. Reply to Abdullah Al-Nashi al-Akbar

• Al-Nashi was an Iraqi grammarian and poet who authored a book of Opinions ( al-Maqalat ) in which he refuted theological opinions of Christians. Al-Safi, in turn, refuted the section on Christianity, basing his arguments on Holy Scriptures.

4. Reply to Fakhr al-Din al-Razi on God’s Inhabitation in Christ

5. Reply to the Refutation of the Christians by Razi

6. Three Christological Apologies No Longer Extant

• Treatise on the Incarnation of Christ by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary.

• The second apology describes Christ with divine attributes

• The third is an answer to an objection concerning Christ made by Muslims.

7. Reply to Ali ibn Rabban al-Tabari

• Al-Tabari (ca. 785-790) (not to be confused with Al-Tabari the historian) was a Christian who became Muslim after more than 70 years of age. Upon his conversion he wrote his Refutation of the Christians which quickly became famous.

• Al-Safi wrote a reply to it in 18 lengthy chapters covering topics such as proofs of the divinity of Christ, the humanity and divinity of Christ, the agony of Christ, the meaning of the word ‘faith,’ Paul and the Council of Nicaea, veneration of the cross, how Christ destroyed sin and death.

8. Treatise of the Ten Fundamentals

• This treatise was presented as a long introduction to the Reply to Al-Tabari .

• Thereafter, Al-Safi constantly used these 10 fundamentals and believed that they formed the indispensable bases for ever discussion with the Muslims.

9. Reply to Al-Ja‘fari

• Al-Jafari was a contemporary of Al-Safi who died after 1239. He wrote a refutation of the Christians entitled Takhgil Muharrifi al-Ingil (The Corrupting Shame of the Gospel of Falsification of the Bible) filled with repetitions and based upon Tabari’s work.

• Pope Cyril III asked Al-Safi to write a reply without repeating anything he had said in his Reply to Tabari .

• Al-Safi’s lengthy reply consists of five chapters: (1) defense of the hypostatic union in Christ; (2) defense of the creed; (3) Christ is more than a prophet; (4) upon the real death, and the Resurrection of Christ; and (5) Muhammad was not announced by the Holy Scriptures (Old and New Testament), contrary to what the Muslims proclaim.

10. Reply to Dimyati

• This is a reply to the Refutations of the Christians written by Abu al-Mansur ibn Fath al Dimyati.

11. Biblical Revelation and Qur’anic Revelation

• This work is divided into two major parts, the first proving the truth of the Gospels and of the Holy Scriptures (chaps. 1-7), and the second showing the needlessness for any new Holy Scripture or prophet (chaps. 8-10).³

Ibn Kabar

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