The Life and Works of Severus of Antioch in the Coptic and Copto-Arabic Tradition Gorgias Eastern Christian Studies 28 Series Editors George Anton Kiraz István Perczel Lorenzo Perrone Samuel Rubenson Gorgias Eastern Christian Studies brings to the scholarly world the underrepresented field of Christianity as it developed in the Eastern hemisphere. This series consists of monographs, edited collections, texts and translations of the documents of Eastern Christianity, as well as studies of topics relevant to the world of historic Orthodoxy and early Christianity. The Life and Works of Severus of Antioch in the Coptic and Copto-Arabic Tradition Texts and Commentaries Youhanna Youssef 9 34 2014 Gorgias Press LLC, 954 River Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA www.gorgiaspress.com Copyright © 2 0 1 4 by Gorgias Press LLC All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without the prior written permission of Gorgias Press LLC. 2014 ܛ 9 ISBN 978-1-61719-738-3 ISSN 1539-1507 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Youssef, Youhanna Nessim. The life and works of Severus of Antioch in the Coptic and Copto-Arabic tradition : texts and commentaries / Youhanna N. Youssef. pages cm. -- (Gorgias Eastern Christian studies, ISSN 1539-1507 ; 28) Includes bibliographical references. In English, Arabic, and Coptic. Original texts in Greek. ISBN 978-1-61719-738-3 1. Severus, of Antioch, approximately 465-538. 2. Coptic Church. 3. Christians--Arab Countries. I. Severus, of Antioch, approximately 465-538. Selections. Coptic. II. Severus, of Antioch, approximately 465-538. Selections. Arabic. III. Severus, of Antioch, approximately 465-538. Selections. English. IV. Title. BR65.S3956Y68 2014 270.2092--dc23 2014031566 Printed in the United States of America To my wife Marie-Therese and my daughters Julie and Jacqueline To my colleagues in the Centre for Early Christian Studies headed by Professor Pauline Allen v TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ................................................................................... vii Acknowledgements ................................................................................. ix Introduction ............................................................................................. xi Part I ......................................................................................................... 1 Chapter I. A Quotation from a Work Related to Severus of Antioch .................................................... 3 Chapter II. Severus of Antioch in Scetis ........................................... 11 Chapter III. Severus of Antioch in the History of the Patriarchs ................................................ 35 Chapter IV. A Contribution to the Coptic Biography of Severus of Antioch ................................................................ 61 Part II ....................................................................................................... 81 Chapter I. The Coptic Catena on the Four Gospels According to Severus of Antioch ............................................. 83 Chapter II. Arabic Manuscripts of the Philalethes of Severus of Antioch .............................................................. 119 Chapter III. A Coptic Version of the Homily 28 of Severus of Antioch .............................................................. 127 Chapter IV. The Coptic Marian homilies of Severus of Antioch .............................................................. 135 Chapter V. Fragments of the Coptic Version of the Sixtieth Homily of Severus of Antioch...................... 153 Chapter VI. Notes on the Traditions Concerning the Trisagion ........................................................ 157 Chapter VII. Coptic Fragment of a Letter of Severus of Antioch .......................................... 169 Chapter VIII. A Letter of Severus of Antioch to Anastasia the Deaconess ..................................................... 177 Chapter IX. Some Patristic Quotations of Severus of Antioch in Coptic and Arabic Texts ..................................................... 195 vii viii SEVERUS OF ANTIOCH Chapter X. The Quotations of Severus of Antioch in the Book of the Professions of the Fathers ............................. 205 Part III................................................................................................... 267 Chapter I. Text Attributed to Severus of Antioch on the Thief ............................................................................... 269 Chapter II. The Homily on the Archangel Michael Attributed to Severus of Antioch Revisited ......................... 289 Chapter III. Recommendations to the Priests Severus of Antioch or Severus of Ashmunain ..................... 305 Chapter IV. The Encomium of St Philotheus, Ascribed to Severus of Antioch ............................................. 317 Chapter V. The Pseudo Severi .......................................................... 377 Part IV .................................................................................................... 383 Chapter I. Severus of Antioch in the Coptic Liturgical Books .... 385 Chapter II The Role of Severus of Antioch in the Dialogue between Greek, Coptic and Syriac Cultures ......................... 395 Chapter III. Severus of Antioch as Seen by Modern Coptic Historians ................................................. 417 Bibliography .......................................................................................... 429 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Duty bound as I am, I hereby acknowledge my deep gratitude to the publishers and the learned societies for their kind permission to use my articles which appeared in their publications. Wherever necessary, corrections and additions to the original manuscript have been made. Part I was published in the following publications: Chapter 1. “An new fragment of a life of Severus of Antioch,” Oriens Christianus 88 (2004) 109–114. Chapter 2. “Severus of Antioch in Scetis,” Ancient Near Eastern Studies 43 (2006) 141–162. Chapter 3. “Severus of Antioch in the History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic Church,” Parole de l’Orient 28 (2003) 435–458. Chapter 4. “A contribution to the Coptic Biography of Severus of Antioch,” Coptic Studies on the Threshold of a New Millenium: Proceedings of the Seventh International Congress of Coptic Studies — Leinden, August 27–September 2.2000, ed. M. Immerzell and J. Van der Vliet, Orientalia Lovensiensa Analecta 133, Leuven 2004, p. 413–426. Part II was published in the following publications: Chapter 1. “The Coptic catena on the four gospels according to Severus of Antioch I. the gospel of Matthew,” Bulletin de la Société d’Archéologie Copte 43 (2004) 95–120. Chapter 2. “Arabic Manuscripts of the Philalethes of Severus of Antioch,” Proche Orient Chrétien 51 (2001) 261–266. Chapter 3. “A Coptic version of the Homily 28 of Severus of Antioch,” Bulletin de la Société d’Archéologie Copte 43 (2004) 121– 126. Chapter 4. “The Coptic Marian homilies of Severus of Antioch,” Bulletin de la Société d’Archéologie Copte 43 (2004) 127–140. ix