This is an abridged adapted translation of the main theme in a talk by Fr Athanasius of St Macarius.
Episode 306 The 14th century [CE] exposes our ignorance of our patristic heritage till now Part III 20 Nov 2018
In conclusion,
1. By the emergence of the 14th century CE the Coptic church has been isolated from its was old past with all what it bears from [literary] heritage either in its Greek writings or the Coptic or also part of its Arabic writings
The greatest catastrophe any nation could experience is being isolated from its past and being ignorant about it.
The main cause was the loss of the language of the ancestors and the ignorance of the successors. So, the sons were isolated from the thinking of their fathers via a double walled barrier.
The first wall is Greek language and the second wall is Coptic language either in its Sahidic or Bohairic equally or any other dialect.
2. The aforementioned explains to us the reasons for the differences in flavour of writings of the fathers who wrote in Greek in the first 5 centuries [CE], from the flavour of the writings of our ancestors who came after them who wrote in Coptic from the fifth to the ninth century CE from the flavour of the writings of our late fathers who wrote in Arabic who wrote from the 10th to the 19th century CE
This is because the change of the language multiple times was the reasons behind the change of these flavours.
The words of Fr Athanasius of St Macarius echoes with a debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr. in Cambridge 1965
Baldwin said
Leaving aside the bloody catalog of oppression, which we are in one way too familiar with already, what this does to the subjugated, the most private, the most serious thing this does to the subjugated, is to destroy his sense of reality. It destroys, for example, his father’s authority over him. His father can no longer tell him anything, because the past has disappeared, and his father has no power in the world....
When I was growing up, I was taught in American history books, that Africa had no history, and neither did I. That I was a savage about whom the less said, the better, who had been saved by Europe and brought to America. And, of course, I believed it. I didn’t have much choice. Those were the only books there were. Everyone else seemed to agree.
This talk together with a talk by Prof Magdi Guirguis titled 'How and when the Copts spoke Arabic language' in Tyrannus Orthodox Theological Seminary on 2 Sep 2026
ماينفعش اتجاوز عن مراحل تاريخية وأقول انا مش عاوزها ... خصامنا مع اللغة العربية عشان عندنا أوهام عاطفية
We cannot simply bypass historical stages and say we don't want them... Our conflict with the Arabic language stems from emotional delusions.
As well as a talk by Associate Professor Ibrahim Saweros
المصادر اليونانية والقبطية - دكتور ابراهيم ساويرس
Tyrannus' Orthodox Theological Seminary
19 Feb 2026
اللغة اليونانية كانت لغة مصر من ٣٠٠ قبل الميلاد لبعد دخول العرب فوق الألفية من السنين وكل كتاب الكنيسة الكبار وكل ال Patristic الكبار كتبوا باليونانية فيجب إن نتصالح مع اليونانية مش معقول تبقى اليونانية مش معقول تبقى اليونانية بتدرس في كليات الآداب والأثار والكتيسة القبطية تضعها في مرتبة ثانية بعد القبطية
اليونانية كانت لغة البلاد كلها ولغة الكتيسة ايضا كلها لمدة الف سنة او يزيد
Greek was the language of Egypt—spanning the period from 300 BC until well after the Arab conquest—for over a millennium. Major Church writers and prominent Patristic figures all wrote in Greek; therefore, we must come to terms with the Greek language. It is inconceivable that Greek is taught in faculties of Arts and Archaeology, yet the Coptic Church relegates it to a secondary status behind Coptic.
Greek was the language of the entire country, as well as the language of the entire Church, for a thousand years or more.
These academic scholars and a monk highlight the importance of linguistic reconciliation. Learning the languages that our ancestors used either Ancient Egyptian, Demotic, Greek, Coptic, Nobiin, Siwi, Arabic, Turkish etc. should not be compromised by emotional attachments about how this language came to Egypt or whether it is associated with a particular ethnicity or religion.
This is all part of the human fabric of literary heritage. Once one severs a language or loanwords of a language, one is cutting ties with its literary heritage.
History and our cultural heritage should not be viewed within a revisionist lens, but rather as a celebration of human endeavours that managed to reach us through these languages
