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CAN THE DEVELOPERS OF ‘COPTIC READER’ MAKE THE ENTIRE HOLY BIBLE AVAILABLE IN COPTIC, PLEASE?

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The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States, headed by its energetic Bishop Youssef, has developed a great mobile application supported on Android 7.0+ and iOS 8.0+ devices (iPhone and iPad), Coptic Reader. This app digitalises texts required in Coptic liturgy and services; and the texts are available in English, Arabic and Coptic. However, not all texts are in Coptic. (To read more about Coptic Reader, and indeed to download it, go here.)

The app has been used in almost all Coptic churches now across the world. It has been a landmark in the history of Coptic Church liturgy and services. Prayers include, but are not limited to, the Coptic Book of Hours (Agpeya), the Holy Psalmody, the Holy Pascha, the three Divine Liturgies with integrated Service of the Deacons, Unction of the Sick, Crowning, Baptism, Distribution Melodies, Antiphonary, and the readings for the entire liturgical year including the Synaxarion.

But the use of Coptic Reader is not limited to prayer: since its development it has been a great learning aid for those who are studying Coptic language, for it makes available the full New Testament books in Bohairic Coptic. This could be displayed alone or with parallel columns of the Arabic or English translation, or both. The reader can go through the Coptic text and by referring to the English and Arabic texts can learn words and expressions in Coptic that are new to him.

The Coptic Bible is the Coptic literature par excellence; and its study is essential for mastering Coptic. But, unfortunately, only the New Testament is available in Coptic. Even Psalms are not available in Coptic. The Old Testament provides a great tool for learning Coptic. It would be a great service to the revival of Coptic if those who are responsible for the maintenance and further development of Coptic Reader can include the Coptic version of the Old Testament books. I certainly wish that they will read this and act on it.


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