Search Results

This chapter examines the history of the famous Bashmuric revolts and introduces the so-called Bashmuric dialect of Coptic. The Bashmuric revolts were recorded by Coptic and Arabic medieval historians and became known to European scholars as early as the beginning of the nineteenth century. In the eighth and ninth centuries, the population of the Delta revolted very successfully for a longer period against the Arab rule and administration. Historians and the History of the Patriarchs attributed the revolts to the insupportable fiscal demands and unjust treatment of the Christian population by the Muslim governors (walis). The appearance of the Bashmuric dialect is first noted in the description of Athanasius of Qus (fourteenth century) in his Coptic grammar written in Arabic. Early scholars (beginning in the seventeenth century) studying Coptic manuscripts then tried to apply Athanasius' division of the Coptic language to the Coptic texts.

The manuscript collection is a mine of knowledge concerning local clergy. The arrangement and classification system utilized in the manuscript library of the church are identical to the system used in the Patriarchate's library of manuscripts. Many of the archontes (notable persons) of the region sponsored the copying of manuscripts. The duplication of names makes it hard to identify the church associated with a manuscript, if it is not stated clearly. Dialectal pronunciation can also result in mistaken attribution of a manuscript. Another interesting feature, countering the trend at the time in the Coptic church toward imposing celibacy on bishops, is the name Matthias ibn al-Uskuf (the son of the bishop), showing that there was a bishop in the Naqada region who was married and had a son.

Athanasius bishop of the protected city of Qus was the compiler of the rite of the concoction of Myron in 1374. In 1374 he took an active part in the concoction of the Myron, giving a detailed description and full text; his name does not appear frequently in the text, as he left all the Sahidic readings to his colleague Gabriel, bishop of al-Marg, who was also a learned man. The condition of Copts at that time was not good. Many plagues took place in the fourteenth century, especially in the years 1347–49, 1374–75, and 1379–81, which contributed to the decrease of the population, especially in the villages and the monasteries. Historical sources mention the story of a crippled old Coptic woman who saved some of the treasured relics of her church by ceding all her possessions to the marauding Crusaders and thereby deflecting them from pillaging her Coptic church.