St. Sawirus (Severus) ibn Al-Moqafaa

• He was the earliest great writer in the Arabic language. He was born to a pious Christian family.

• He started his career as a scribe in the Arab administration, where he remained for a few years until he resigned all worldly positions and enter the monastic life.

• He spent most of the years in his monastery studying and reading the lives of the great fathers. Undoubtedly, this period was long enough for him to complete his religious education and biblical scholarship.

• So profound had his knowledge of Coptic tradition, exegetic science, and even Greek philosophy become, that he was destined to become the official champion of the Coptic faith during the remaining years of his life.

• He was selected to be the bishop of al-Ashmunayn which is the ancient Hermopolis Magna in the district of Antinopolis.

• He may have been consecrated during the patriarchate of Pope Macarius I (932-952) the 59th Alexandrian patriarch.

• Sawirus was the first signatory of a synodal letter of the 63rd Coptic patriarch, Philotheus (979-1003) addressed to Athanasius V, patriarch of Antioch (987-1003) defining the answer to certain theological problems. The letter was dated 987 or 988, and Sawirus was the foremost exponent among the bishops in the patriarchal reply.

• He was the contemporary of three Alexandrian popes after Macarius I; one of them being Pope Abraam ibn Zaraa the Syrian who was pope at the time of the miracle of the moving of the Mokatam Mountain.

• During the early Fatimid period, Sawirus seems to have been popular with Caliph al–Mu‘iz (972-975), during whose reign he participated in a number of religious discussions with Muslim imams and Jewish rabbis. These were conducted in the presence of the calpih who was greatly affected by Sawirus’ defense of the Coptic faith and tradition.

• He was one of prominent personalities not only in the Fatimids’ era but also in the history of the Coptic Church.

• He departed in the Lord at the age of 90, without finishing his book, The History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria , but many people, such as Michael of Tanis, helped in completing this interesting work after him.

• His religious discussions with the Jews, Muslims and the Chalcedonians, even before rulers, showed his courage and wisdom, and encouraged him to write theology. His writings on the Oneness of God and the Holy Trinity are considered as principal sources for the Christian Arab writers, because he wrote them in a style that suited the era and the atmosphere surrounding him. He applied expressions that were appropriate to the culture of his epoch.

St. Sawirus Ibn Al-Moqafaa

• He wrote many books and essays, mastered the Greek, Coptic and Arabic languages, had a vast knowledge in the Holy Bible, Church laws and rites.

• He wrote many saints’ biographies.

• Michael of Tanis and Coptic encyclopedist Abu al-Barakat ibn Kabar (14th century) said Sawirus composed a total of 26 books, all in the classical Arabic of his period. More recently Kamel Salih Nakhlah (20th century) listed 38 works, some of which had been declared lost until they were found in manuscripts.

• Sawirus’ writings fall into six categories:

1. Works on theological science in which he discussed all manner of problems from the Coptic viewpoint.

2. A number of items on Coptic traditions and liturgical practices (including topics such as fasting, praying, marriage, etc.).

3. Exegetical and biblical works, in which he displayed an extraordinary knowledge of the Bible (in one of his works he quoted 1,161 written sources in support of his arguments: 307 to the New Testament and 854 to the Old Testament).

4. Works defending Coptic Christianity and its doctrines.

5. A miscellaneous body of treatises encompassing varied subjects from moralistic works to child guidance, and disputations comprising answers to problems.

6. Historical Works.

Works:

• The History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria :

• This is his most well known book. For it, he extracted material from Greek and Coptic records which were preserved in the Monastery of St. Macarius and the Monastery of Nahya, and then translated the work into Arabic. It includes the biographies of the Fathers from St. Mark to Anba Shenouda V.

• Al-durr al-thamin fi idah al-din : One of Sawirus’ most popular works which is an explication of the Christian Nicaean Creed and principal doctrines of the Christian religion. Published in Cairo 1925 by Markos Girgis.

• Al-durr al-thamin fi idah al-itiqd fi al-din ( idah al-itihad ): A number of excerpted Patristic writings on the Incarnation in an Arabic translation. This book also explains the doctrines of the Coptic Church on Trinitarianism and Monotheism.

• History of the Councils : In 950, he composed his book on the councils in reply to an abusive treatise by Eutyches, the Melchite patriarch.

• Al-Tawhid

• Al-Itihad

• Al-Baher : A book containing a collection of answers in response to questions by Jews.

• Al-Tabligh : An apologetical work in response to accusations by Jews.

• A book containing a response to Sa‘id ibn al-Bitriq, the Melchite patriarch known as ibn al Farash the historian.

• Al-sharh wa tafsil , against Nestorius and his heresies.

• A letter on the faith to Al-Yamin Cosman the son of Mina, the scribe of the governor of Egypt.

Anba Bulus Al-Bushi

• Nazm al-gawahir fi al-rud ‘alqawl bel qada‘ wal qadar : A book written to argue against the idea of fate.

• Al-Magalis

• Teb al-gham wa shifa’al-hozn (Affliction’s Physic and the Cure of Sorrow): A book which deals with philosophical issues on a greater level than his other theological works.

• Al-Magamaa : Two volumes.

• Tafsir al-amana al-muqaddasah : An explanation of the Creed of Faith.

• A letter about the case of believing children and unbelieving children; and about the situation of souls in the Last Judgment.

• Misbah al-Aql – (The Lamp of Intellect); a Reflection on the Tenets of the Christians. A work of about 20 pages which is extant in three manuscripts and was published by Samir Khalil in 1978.

• Tartib al-kahanout : A book about rites.

• Al-Ahkam : A book about the rules of the Church.

• An Explanation of the Holy Gospels

• Answer to the questions of a scribe named Bushaar ibn Garoud.

• An explanation on the faith and the order of service, incense, the signing of the Cross, and the genealogy of the Virgin Mary.

• Al-baiyan al-mokhtasar fi al-iman

• Al-mithalat wa al-roumouz .

• Al-ta‘leem fi al-e‘teraf : A book outlining how to confess.

• Misbah al-nafs fi al ta‘aleem al-rouheya .

• Al-aqwal al-nafissa .¹