Another Athanasius : four Sahidic homilies attributed to St. Athanasius of Alexandria. Introduction, editions, translations

Abstract

In this dissertation, four homilies preserved in Sahidic Coptic and attributed to Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296-373) are presented for the first time in a critical edition, together with an English translation. The edition is made after manuscripts in the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, which originate from a deserted medieval monastery in the Egyptian province of al-Fayoum and date from the ninth-tenth centuries. The surviving fragments of other manuscripts are presented in columns parallel to the text of the main manuscripts.

The first homily, which is preserved in manuscript M 602, f. 89r-98r, is an encomium in praise of the archangels Michael and Gabriel.

The second homily is about murder and greed and about Saint Michael, the archangel. It is preserved in manuscript M 602, f. 98v-110v. The third homily is preserved in manuscript M 577, f. 37v-49v. Its title claims that this homily was delivered by Athanasius in response to the inquiries of clergymen from Isauria who had come to visit him. The fourth homily is, according to its title, about Pentecost. It is preserved in manuscript M 595, f. 118v-140v. The edition is preceded by an introduction in which many related subjects were studied. Published by Peeters Publishers: isbn 9789042940093 e-isbn 9789042940109.