Late Antique Historiography

History

Title(s):
  • History
Author:
Period covered:
767-880
Language:
Coptic
State of Preservation:
Fragmentary
Genre:
  • Ecclesiastical history
  • Biography (collective)
Remarks:
The author of the original Coptic text of the Lives 47-55 of the History of the patriarchs of Alexandria is named John II by Johnson (1977) and Den Heijer (1989) in order to distinguish him from the homonymous author of the Lives 43-44 (= John, son of Abba Moses). From three editorial and autobiographical notes he inserted in his text, we get information about the authors of the previous sections of the history (Menas, George the archdeacon, John, son of Abba Moses) and we know that John was the spiritual son, and possibly the secretary, of the patriarch Joseph (830-849).
Edition - Translation:
Fragments:
  • Mawhūb ibn Manṣūr ibn Mufarrij, History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria [Evetts 1915: 359-361, 531-532; ‘Abd al-Masīḥ - Burmester 1943: 49-50]
Users:
Sources:
Bibliography:
  • J. Den Heijer (1989) Mawhūb ibn Manṣūr ibn Mufarrij et l'historiographie copto-arabe: Études sur la composition de l'Histoire des patriarches d’Alexandrie (Corpus scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, 513: Subsidia, 83). Leuven: 118-119; 145-146.
  • B.T.A. Evetts (1915) History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic Church of Alexandria: Mennas I to Joseph (Patrologia Orientalis, 10.5). Paris.
  • D.W. Johnson (1974) Coptic sources of the Arabic History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria. Diss. The Catholic University of America, Washington D.C.
  • D.W. Johnson (1977) 'Further remarks on the Arabic History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria'. Oriens Christianus 61: 103-116.
  • Y. ‘Abd al-Masīḥ, O.H.E. Burmester (1943) History of the Patriarchs of the Egyptian Church, known as History of the Holy Church, by Sawirus Ibn al-Mukaffa‘, bishop of al-Asmunin. Volume Two, Part One. Cairo.