Coptic fabric, provenance and date unknown
Saint Samuel of Kalamoun[1] is the ascetic on whose lips the Apocalypse of Samuel of Kalamoun was put, most probably not without some credibility. Saint Samuel (597 – 693) lived in the seventh century and witnessed the Arab occupation of Egypt and all the evil that accompanied it. The Coptic Synaxarium says he had many prophesies about what will happen in the age to come after the Arab invasion. Part of his prophesies, to his own great distress, was that there will come time when the Copts, in an endeavour to assimilate to the Arabs and Muslims, will neglect their beautiful Coptic language, and replace it, often with a pride, by the language of the hijra – Arabic. No Copt has spoken in such great passion about the Coptic language, or with such great pain at its neglect, as he did. He must be considered Patron of the Coptic Language!
Saint Samuel’s feast is on the 13th of Apip (Coptic Synaxarium), which corresponds to the 20th of July (Gregorian calendar). Let’s celebrate his feast day every year on 20/7 as Day of the Coptic Language too.
Creation of a Coptic Language Patron and Day will have a strong influence on the revival of Coptic language. Let’s do it! Let’s pray the Coptic Church adopts it, but Coptic activists and nationalists all over the globe can make it happen.
[1] For more on Saint Samuel of Kalamoun, see here, and here, and here, and here and here!
