When did the Coptic Liturgy become Coptic?

Описание: When did the Coptic liturgy actually become “Coptic”?
In this episode of The Liturgy Desk, Fr. Arsenius explores the historical transition of Egyptian Christian worship from Greek to Coptic between the sixth and eighth centuries, based on the detailed work on papyri by Ágnes T. Mihálykó. Check out her seminal work here: https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/buch/the-...

Drawing on liturgical manuscripts, papyrological evidence, and historical context, this video explains why early Egyptian liturgy was originally composed in Greek, how Greek functioned in Egypt more broadly, and why different liturgical genres—such as anaphoras, prayers, lectionaries, and hymnography—were translated into Coptic at different rates.

Rather than a single official translation movement directed by the Coptic hierarchy, the shift from Greek to Coptic was gradual, local, and uneven. Greek and Coptic coexisted for centuries in Egyptian worship, especially between urban and rural communities.
This episode challenges common assumptions about liturgical language and offers a clearer picture of how the Coptic liturgical tradition developed historically.

Topics include:
– Greek language in late antique Egypt
– The origins of Coptic liturgical texts
– Bilingual worship in the early Coptic Church
– Why there was no universal translation decree
– How language change reflects pastoral and social realities