of churches or altars or fonts.[1] The Coptic Patriarch in 1868 gave the Bishop of Salisbury a book containing the rite for consecrating an altar and Epiphany tank.[2] The service-books of the Monophysites are now being arranged and edited in splendid form by Mr. Gladios Labīb,[3] a wealthy Copt who is doing much for the good of his Church.
5. Coptic Services
The Copts have a divine office divided into these hours: Midnight ((
Greek characters), matins); Dawn (6 a.m. (Greek characters), lauds — more or less); the third hour (9 a.m.); the sixth hour (midday); the ninth hour (3 p.m.); evening service (at sunset, (Greek characters), vespers); night service (before going to bed, (Greek characters), compline). These consist of psalms, prose hymns, lessons, prayers.[4] Only monks say the whole office. An idea of its arrangement can be got from Lord Bute's The Coptic Morning Service for the Lord's Day.[5] They have a special long office of our Lady called Theotokia.[6] There is a special one for each day in the week. It consists of four parts: 1, Psali, an invitation addressed to the people, calling on them to sing the praises of the Mother of God; 2, the Theotokia proper (Arabic, tadākiyah), a long hymn to her arranged in chapters; 3, Lōbsh (roof), an explanation of what has been sung, completing it, as a roof completes a house — this always ends with a prayer; 4, Tarḥ (cry, interpretation), an explanation and compendium of all in Arabic. This is not said, but may be studied by people who know no Coptic while the service is going on. They now sing the Theotokia only during the month
4 Cf. Vansleb: Hist. de l'Égl. d'Alex. pp. 65-71.
5 Translated into English, London, 1908.
6 Plur. of (Greek characters), but used in Coptic as a singular.
- ↑ See, for instance, the list of books in a church near Luksor in Butler: op. cit. ii. 258-259.
- ↑ Edited and translated by G. Horner (London, 1902). The Uniate Copts have more systematic arrangements, modelled on our missal, breviary, etc. See a list of the books of both Uniates and Monophysites in Mallon: Grammaire Copte, pp. 265-267.
- ↑ Labīb's Ḳutmārus is published in four quarto volumes at Cairo, 1900-1902; his Euchologion, ib. 1904 (8vo); Funeral rite, ib. 1905.
- ↑ 4
- ↑ 5
- ↑ 6
