Author Archives: Alin Suciu

Unknown's avatar

About Alin Suciu

I am a researcher at the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities, writing primarily on Coptic literature, Patristics, and apocryphal texts.

Nitria and Scetis: H. G. Evelyn White,The Monasteries of the Wadi ‘N Natrun

The valuable Syriac documents which came from the Monastery of the Virgin in the Wadi el-Natrun, are still labeled sometimes as “Nitrian.” Similarly, the dialect of the Coptic manuscripts from St. Macarius’ Monastery, situated in the same desert, is called … Continue reading

Posted in Bibliographies, Monasteries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

A Further Fragment from the Apocryphal Acts of John in Coptic: Once Again Concerning the Sotheby-Bolaffi Fragments

I have already discussed several times the ten Coptic fragments which were sold by Sotheby’s in July 2009. I was in Vienna when the auction took place and, as Cornelia Römer was at that time the director of the papyrus … Continue reading

Posted in Acts of John, Apocrypha, Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Catalogue of the Coptic Manuscripts in Berlin

Beshoy Ramzy, a reader of my blog, was kind enough to send me the catalogue of the Coptic manuscripts in the papyrus collection in Berlin, prepared by the late Walter Beltz. The catalogue was published in two parts in Archiv … Continue reading

Posted in Bibliographies | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

A British Museum Fragment Purchased from Christie’s: New Evidence of the Book of Jeremiah in Coptic

A few days ago, I found out via Roger Pearse (who took over the news from AWOL) that the British Museum has prepared a searchable database of its collections. I was naturally interested to see whether they offer access to … Continue reading

Posted in Bible, Jeremiah, Old Testament | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium. Scriptores Coptici series – Online Volumes

I come to know from AWOL and Roger Pearse that several volumes from Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, Scriptores coptici series are available on the website of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago: vol. 1 = series secunda, tomus … Continue reading

Posted in Apocrypha, Bibliographies, Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, Patristics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

About Some Coptic Fragments on the Dormition of the Virgin

(This post would have been impossible without the invaluable help of David Tibet, aka Anok Pe) My friend Hans Förster has recently published with Walter de Gruyter a volume that brings together a number of Coptic fragments on the Dormition … Continue reading

Posted in Apocrypha, Dormition of the Virgin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

An Encomium on the 12 Apostles Attributed to Severian of Gabala: New Sahidic Fragments

(Kudos is due again to Rev. James M. Leonard) Sever Juan Voicu published recently in the journal Apocrypha an extensive article concerning the apocryphal traditions in the Encomium on the 12 Apostles ascribed to Severian of Gabala.[1] This text is … Continue reading

Posted in Apocrypha, Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles, Patristics, Severian of Gabala | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Discovery of an Extract from “De Passione et Cruce” by Pseudo-Athanasius of Alexandria in a Coptic Patristic Florilegium

(Thank you, David Tibet, for helping me with this post!) The homily De Passione et Cruce Domini (CPG 2247) is amongst the most interesting documents ascribed to Athanasius of Alexandria. In a recent article, I showed that an extract from … Continue reading

Posted in Athanasius of Alexandria, Patristics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A New Fragment of the Life of Moses of Abydos (Formerly Attributed to a Homily on Penitence by Shenoute of Atripe)

In the field of Coptic studies, it often happens that an isolated manuscript fragment which does not bear any clear detail as to allow its instant identification, is wrongly attributed to a particular author or work. This is largely due … Continue reading

Posted in Moses of Abydos, Shenoute of Atripe | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

An Encomium on the Archangel Gabriel of Unknown Authorship

In a recent issue of Zeitschrift für Antikes Christentum, Hans Förster published the editio princeps of P. Vindob. K 9670, a Sahidic parchment folio from the collection of the National Library in Vienna.[1] The fragment seems to come from an … Continue reading

Posted in Archangel Gabriel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pseudo-Athanasiana

The draft version of an article concerning the identification of several Coptic fragments that contain writings attributed to Athanasius of Alexandria (including a letter of the patriarch to Horsiesius, the head of the Pachomian congregation). The paper can be read … Continue reading

Posted in Articles, Athanasius of Alexandria, Pachomius, Patristics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Homilies on the Epistle to the Hebrews by John Chrysostom: A Complement to the Coptic Version

The series of the Homilies on Hebrews (CPG 4440; PG 63, coll. 9-236) was traditionally ascribed to John Chrysostom’s last years in Constantinople (403-404). However, this assumption has been challenged recently by Pauline Allen and Wendy Mayer,[1] the two scholars … Continue reading

Posted in John Chrysostom, Patristics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Coptic Fragments from Cyril of Alexandria’s Scholia on the Incarnation of Monogenes

In July 2009, during a research visit at the Papyrussammlung of the National Library in Vienna, Cornelia Römer drew my attention to ten Coptic parchment fragments that were on offer by Sotheby’s at that time. As Dr. Römer was the … Continue reading

Posted in Cyril of Alexandria, Patristics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Notes on the Canons of Pseudo-Athanasius

I recently tried to reconstruct codicologically a White Monastery manuscript on the basis of several parchment sheets spread among several libraries. I have not yet managed to identify their content, but the text suggests that they belonged to certain church … Continue reading

Posted in Athanasius of Alexandria, Canons of the Church, Patristics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

New Writings Attributed to John Chrysostom in Coptic

In an article which will be published soon, Sever Voicu identified the first Sahidic fragments from the pseudo-Chrysostomic piece In Psalmum 50, hom. 2 (CPG 4545; Clavis coptica 0486; Greek text in PG 55, coll. 575-588). Voicu found a cluster … Continue reading

Posted in John Chrysostom, Patristics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Supplementary Leaf from the Ancoratus of Epiphanius in Coptic

The Ancoratus was written by Epiphanius of Salamis in 374, in order to oppose the theologies of Origen and Arius.[1] In this inluential dogmatic work, Epiphanius argued that salvation belongs to the Christians “anchored” in the Apostolic tradition of the … Continue reading

Posted in Epiphanius of Salamis, Patristics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New Coptic Fragments from a Homily by Severus of Antioch (Attributed Also to Gregory of Nyssa and Hesychius of Jerusalem)

Severus, the “Monophysite” patriarch of Antioch, was one of most gifted theologians of his time.[1] He came to the Episcopal See of Antioch in 512, under the rule of the anti-Chalcedonian emperor Anastasius, and was in charge of the bishopric … Continue reading

Posted in Gregory of Nyssa, New Testament, Patristics, Severus of Antioch | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Leiden Manuscript Containing the Apocryphal Names of the Two Thieves

Among the unidentified Coptic literary manuscripts deposited in the collection of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden, there are two parchment fragments that bear the inventory number F 1976/4.31. According to the museum acquisition book, the items were purchased in … Continue reading

Posted in Apocrypha, Evodius of Rome | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Two Coptic Fragments Containing Extracts from Isaiah of Scetis: A New Manuscript Witness of the Asceticon

A few days ago, Dr. Heinzgerd Brakmann drew my attention to a Coptic parchment folio from the collection of the National Library in Paris. The leaf survived dismembered from its original binding and is currently bound as folio 147 in … Continue reading

Posted in Ascetic Authors, Isaiah of Scetis, Patristics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Additional Fragments from the Coptic Version of Ephrem Graecus

In a recent article, I presented two new Coptic fragments from pseudo-Ephrem.[1] They contain portions from the ascetical sermon De perfectione monachi (CPG 3971; Clavis coptica 0860). Some modern authors have mistakenly attributed this writing to Maximus the Confessor, but … Continue reading

Posted in Ascetic Authors, Ephrem the Syrian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments