--- title: "Winter Lecture – Prof Mikhail · St Cyril’s" url: https://stcyrils.edu.au/news/winter-lecture-prof-mikhail description: "St Cyril’s was thrilled to host Professor Maged (Deacon Severus) S. A. Mikhail for our 2018 Winter Lecture. It was open to the public, faculty, and students…" --- 1. [Home](https://stcyrils.edu.au/) 2. [News](https://stcyrils.edu.au/news) # Winter Lecture – Prof Mikhail 26 July 2018 ![Winter Lecture – Prof Mikhail](https://stcyrils.edu.au/_image?href=https%3A%2F%2Fstcyrils.edu.au%2F_emdash%2Fapi%2Fmedia%2Ffile%2F01M5HJ9VXG2TPZN62RQWTYXD88.jpg&w=1400&h=787&f=webp&fit=cover&position=center) St Cyril’s was thrilled to host Professor Maged (Deacon Severus) S. A. Mikhail for our 2018 Winter Lecture. It was open to the public, faculty, and students and was held at our new campus in Carlton, which has become something of theological hub, with lecture theatres, offices, student common areas, library, bookstore, and chapel. His Grace Bishop Daniel opened the night with Thanksgiving prayers, and afterwards gave a speech about the future of St Cyril’s. Afterwards the Dean of St Cyril’s, Fr Daniel Fanous, spoke of the need for history to inform our incarnation of the Gospel today. Prof. Deacon Severus then presented a fascinating lecture: **_“How Coptic Egypt Became Islamic Egypt: What Really Happened in the Islamic Invasion of the 7th Century?”_** The lecture was attended by over one hundred scholars, priests, students, and the public—all of whom were enthralled by the lecture. During his time in Australia, Deacon Severus is also teaching a Winter Intensive at St Cyril’s on “Coptic History in the Middle Ages.” **_Professor Maged S. A. Mikhail_** is and Adjunct Professor at St Cyril’s, as well as Professor of History at California State University at Fullerton, USA. He has authored several books in including _The Legacy of Demetrius of Alexandria 189-231 CE: The Form and Function of Hagiography in Late Antique and Islamic Egypt, Routledge Studies in Early Christianity_ (London and New York: Routledge, 2017), _From Byzantine to Islamic Egypt: Religion, Identity, and Politics after the Arab Conquest_ (London and New York: I.B. Tauris, 2014), and _The Holy Workshop of Virtue: The Life of John the Little by Zacharias of Sakha_, with Tim Vivian. (Collegeville: Liturgical Press/Cistercian Publications, 2010). See Photos of the night below: ## More from the College * [2 September 2026Unveiling Paul](https://stcyrils.edu.au/news/unveiling-paul) * [14 August 2026Sacred Hospitality with Fr Stephen Muse, PhD](https://stcyrils.edu.au/news/sacred-hospitality-with-fr-stephen-muse-phd) * [9 June 2026Enrolments for Semester 2 are now open!](https://stcyrils.edu.au/news/enrolments-for-semester-2-are-now-open-2) --- St Cyril’s Coptic Orthodox Theological College · 6/252–254 West Street, Carlton NSW 2218, Australia · +61 2 9546 6411 · registrar@stcyrils.edu.au Site guide for AI agents: https://stcyrils.edu.au/llms.txt