---
title: "H8596 Coptic History in the Middle Ages · St Cyril’s"
url: https://stcyrils.edu.au/units/h8596-coptic-history-in-the-middle-ages
description: "This intensive course examines the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church and community from the seventh through the eighteenth centuries. Several themes are…"
---

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4. H8596

H8596

# Coptic History in the Middle Ages

Code

H8596

Level

Postgraduate

Weighting

9 credit points

Type

Foundational

Discipline

Church History

On this page

1. [Prerequisites, corequisites or exclusions](#prerequisites-corequisites-or-exclusions)
2. [Academic Staff](#academic-staff)
3. [Curriculum Objectives](#curriculum-objectives)
4. [Learning Outcomes](#learning-outcomes)
5. [Content](#content)
6. [Syllabus](#syllabus)

Check the [timetable](https://stcyrils.edu.au/timetable) to see when this unit is next offered, then[enrol online](https://stcyrils.edu.au/enrol).

## Prerequisites, corequisites or exclusions

Nil

## Academic Staff

Dr. Maged S.A. Mikhail (Dn. Severus); Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles; Professor of History, California State University, Fullerton (USA)

## Curriculum Objectives

This intensive course examines the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church and community from the seventh through the eighteenth centuries. Several themes are privileged throughout the course: Christian-Muslim interactions, shifting communal identities, liturgical developments, the importance of Coptic-Arabic literature, and the role of Coptic elites.

## Learning Outcomes

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1\. Identify and discuss the major historical events and processes that have influenced the Coptic church and community from the rise of Islam to the reign of Muhammad Ali.  
2\. Gain insight into the various historical issues and difficulties pertaining to the study of Coptic Christianity at various historical junctures throughout the Middle Ages.  
3\. Understand and intelligently discuss various socio-religious shifts and developments in Coptic history.  
4\. Discuss the strength and weaknesses of a wide array of sources and resources available for research and writing about the Coptic church.

## Content

1\. Conquest of Egypt and its immediate and long term repercussions for the church and community.  
2\. The Copts under the latter Umayyad regime.  
3\. The challenges facing the Copts under Abbasid rule.  
4\. The linguistic shift from Coptic and Greek to Arabic.  
5\. The rise and development of Christian Arabic literature in Egypt.  
6\. Monastic development under Islamic rule.

## Syllabus

**Lecture 1** _Introduction, Background, and Historical Overview_  
**Lecture 2** _Sources, Resources, Historiography, and Databases_  
**Lecture 3** _The Conquest and its Immediate Aftermath_  
**Lecture 4** _The Long Eighth Century_  
**Lecture 5** _Developments under Caliphal Rule and Relations with Nubia_  
**Lecture 6** _The Tenth Century: An Age of Transitions_  
**Lecture 7** _Language, History, Ideology, and Identity_  
**Lecture 8** _Fatimids, Ayyubids, and Crusaders_  
**Lecture 9** _Copts under Two Mamluk Dynasties_  
**Lecture 10** _Medieval Theologians and Nomocanons_  
**Lecture 11** _The Ottoman Era up to the Napoleonic Invasion_  
**Lecture 12** _Somewhere Between Ancient, Medieval, and Modern_

---
St Cyril’s Coptic Orthodox Theological College · 6/252–254 West Street, Carlton NSW 2218, Australia · +61 2 9546 6411 · registrar@stcyrils.edu.au
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