La Vie de Saint Jean higoumène de Scété au viie siècle

Abstract

The edition of an unpublished Life of St. John, from MS. Saint-Macaire, hom. 35 (Inv. DAM, n° 401), with introduction, translation, and commentary. St. John, who was the higoumene of Scete, died on the 30th of Khoiak (= December 26) between 677 and 686 A.D., at the age of 90 years. The original Coptic text, which must have been written immediately after the death of the Saint, is lost; we have only the Arabic version, which is the object of the present edition. The Life of St. John, written in the form of a homily, is remarkable for the spiritual doctrine of its subject, which it transmits by means of apophthegms or edifying stories. The Life thus enables us better to know this personnage who, by his teaching and the exceptional disciples he had, strongly marked the history of the Coptic Church. His doctrine should be compared with that of other grand masters, eastern and western, of the monastic life. Occasional diverse comments also serve to rich our understanding of the Coptic liturgy of the 7th century. A detailed summary (in French) of the Life is found on pp. 280-286.