• Ориенталистика
• 2023 год
• Vol 6, № 3-4

The article contains a translation of the second part of the Coptic text, composed in the genre of “erotapokrisis” (question-answer) and in the form of a dialogue between the Archbishop of the Coptic Church John III and a certain presbyter named Theodore (admittedly real historical characters). The Questions reveals a number of legends and interpretations based on the biblical text, some of them find analogies in Coptic as well as in early Christian literature in other languages and in Jewish interpretations, other ones probably should be considered unique. Distortions in biblical quotations suggest that the compiler often quotes them from memory. In addition, there are a number of quotations from the Alexandrian Physiologus, which confirms the popularity of this book in Egypt.

• Coptic Literature
• Bible
• biblical interpretations
• Apocrypha
• erotapocrisis
• Physiologus
• Pierpont Morgan

1. Lovyagin E. I., Gloriantov N. I., Troitsky I. E. The Collection of the Ancient Liturgies of East and West. Anaphora: the Eucharistic Prayer. Part 3. Сhap. 1. Liturgies from Jerusalem-Antioch. Moscow: Dar, 2007 (in Russian).
2. Parshin A. N. The Mother of God as “Mother Earth” (about three Lectures in the Moscow Theological Academy). Vestnik Pravoslavnogo Sviato-Tykhonovskogo Gosudarstvennogo Universiteta. 1: Theology. Philosophy. 2011. Issue 5(37), p. 71–81 (in Russian).
3. A Eulogy to Abbaton, the Angel of Death (translated from Coptic, supplied with introduction and comments by E. Smagina). Orientalistiсa. 2019;2(4):1038– 1060 (in Russian).
4. Smagina E. B. The Satanological Myth in the Coptic literature and its development. Orientalistica. 2021;4(4):1007–1032. (in Russian).
5. Bibliothecae Pierpont Morgan codices Coptici photographice expressi. Ed. H. Hyvernat. Vol. I–LVI. Romae, 1922. MICH.BC.; clavis coptica 0017 (in Coptic).
6. Brakmann H. Zum Pariser Fragmеnt angеblich des koptischen Patriarchen Agathon. Ein neues Blatt der Vita Benjamins I. Le Muséon. Vol. 93 (1980), pp. 299–309 (In Coptic, German).
7. The Coptic Encyclopedia. Ed. in chief Aziz S. Atiya. Vol. I–VIII. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1991.
8. Coptic Homilies in the Dialect of Upper Egypt. Ed. E. A. Wallis Budge. London: British Museum, 1910 (in Coptic).
9. Coptic Martyrdoms in the Dialect of Upper Egypt. Ed. E. A. Wallis Budge. (Coptic Texts. Vol. IV.) London, 1914. MERC.AC. (in Coptic).
10. The Earliest known Coptic Psalter. The Text, in the Dialect of Upper Egypt, edited from the unique Papyrus Codex Oriental of the British Museum by E. A. Wallis Budge. London, 1898 (in Coptic).
11. Erman A. Bruchstücke des koptischen Physiologus. Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde. 33 (1895), SS. 51–57 (in German).
12. Lantschoot A. van. A propos du Physiologus Coptic. Studies in Honor of W. E. Crum. Boston, 1950, pp. 340–364 (in French).
13. Lantschoot A. van. Les “Questions de Théodore”. Texte sahidique, recensions arabes et ethiopienne. Studi e testi. Issue 192. Vatican City, 1957 (in Coptic, Arabic, Ge’ez, French).
14. Liber Institutionis Michael. Die Bücher der Einsetzung der Erzengel Michael und Gabriel. Ed. C. D. G. Müller. (Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium. Vol. 225: Scriptores Coptici, 31.) Louvain, 1962 (in Coptic).
15. Patrologiae cursus completus. Series Graeca. Ed. J. P. Migne. Parisiis, 1857–1866 (in Greek).
16. Patrologiae cursus completus. Series Latina. Ed. J. P. Migne. Parisiis, 1844–1855 (in Latin).
17. Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft. Hrsg. A. F. Pauly, G. Wissowa. Bd III, 1. Metzler – Stuttgart, 1897 (in German).
18. Storia della Chiesa di Alessandria. Testo copto, traduzione e commento di Tito Orlandi. Vol. I: Da Pietro ad Atanasio. (Testi e documenti per lo studio dell’antichitá. XVII). Milano: Istituto editorial Cisalpino, 1968 (in Coptic, Italian).