The coptic papacy in Islamic Egypt, 641-1517 / Mark Swanson.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Continuity and Reinvention -- Patient Sufferers -- Crisis of Cohesion -- Saints and Sinners -- Transitions -- Chaos and Glory -- Marginalized Patriarchs -- A Burst of Holiness -- Humility in Action -- Epilogue Survival.

"In Volume 1 of this series, Stephen Davis contended that the themes of "apostolicity, martyrdom, monastic patronage, and theological resistance" were determinative for the cultural construction of Egyptian church leadership in late antiquity. Volume 2, The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt, shows that the medieval Coptic popes (641-1517 CE) were regularly portrayed as standing in continuity with their saintly predecessors; however, at the same time, they were active in creating something new, the Coptic Orthodox Church, a community that struggled to preserve a distinctive life and witness within the new Islamic world order. Building on recent advances in the study of sources for Coptic church history, the present volume aims to show how portrayals of the medieval popes provide a window into the religious and social life of their community"-- Provided by publisher.