Leadership and Intellectual Humility in the Coptic Orthodox Church Bishop Athanasius of Beni Suef (1962-2000) and the Papal Committee
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Keywords
Coptic Orthodox Church, Bishop Athanasius, Pope Shenouda, Religious Leadership, Intellectual Humility
Abstract
This essay explores the concept of intellectual humility in the context of religious and communal leadership within the Coptic Orthodox Church, the indigenous Church of Egypt. The focus is on the strategies employed by Athanasius, the Bishop of Beni Suef and Bahnasa (1962- 2000) during a period of inner Coptic strife caused by the existence of the so-called Papal Committee (1981 to 1985). The root of the conflict was a head-on collision of ideas between the Coptic Pope, Shenouda III (1971-2012) and President Sadat (1970-1981) that resulted in the Pope being banned to a remote desert monastery. One of the main arguments in this essay is that the character trait called “intellectual humility” was foundational to Athanasius’ leadership style and instrumental in saving the Coptic Church from being torn apart by inner conflicts.
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References
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Soeur Sara avec Sofia Stril-Rever. Soeur Emmanuelle, mon amie, ma mere. (Paris: Presse de la Renaissance, 2009).
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Al Anba Pachomius yihki 'an Anba Samuel, (Bishop Pachomius speaks about Bishop Samuel) posted October 6, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atr-OImgwUU&feature=youtu.be (Accessed October 15, 2016).
Middle East Institute Editor's Blog "Coptic Church's Synod Recognizes Two Modern Saints," June 20, 201. http://mideasti.blogspot.com/2013/06/coptic-churchs-synodrecognizes-two.html. (Accessed October 8, 2016).
Davis, D.E., Hook, J.N., Worthington, E. L. Jr., Van Tongeren, D. R., Gartner, A. L., Jennings, D.J. & Emmons, R.A. "Relational Humility: Conceptualizing and measuring humility as a personality judgment." Journal of Personality Assessment, 93 (2011): 225-234. Dayr al-Qadis Anba Maqar (ed.) Abuna al-qummus Matta al-Miskin. (Dayr al-Qadis Anba Maqar, 2006). https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2011.558871
Diocese of Beni Souef & Bahnassa, ed. Participation in Ministry Through One Third of a Century. (Beni Suef: Coptic Orthodox Diocese, 1995).
Farah, Nadia Ramsis. Religious Strife in Egypt: Crisis and Ideological Conflict in the Seventies. (Montreux and New York: Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, 1986).
Fawzi, Mahmud. Al-Baba Shanuda wa tarikh al-kanisa al-qubtiya. (Cairo: Dar al-Nashr Hatier, 1992).
Guirguis, Magdiand Nelly van Doorn-Harder.The Emergence of the Modern Coptic Papacy. The Egyptian Church and its Leadership from the Ottoman Period to the Present. Part III, The Modern Coptic Papacy (1798-2010). (Cairo, AUC Press, 2011).https://doi.org/10.5743/cairo/9789774161032.001.0001
Hasan, S.S. Christians versus Muslims in Modern Egypt: The Century-long Struggle for Coptic Equality. (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2003). https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195138689.001.0001
Heikal, Mohamed. Autumn of Fury: The Assassination of Sadat. (London: Andre Deutsch, 1983).
Hook, Joshua N., Don E. Davis, Daryl R. Van Tongeren, Peter C. Hill, Everett L.
Worthington Jr., Jennifer Farrell & Phillip Dieke. "Intellectual humility and forgiveness of religious leaders." The Journal of Positive Psychology 10/6 (2015): 499-506. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2015.1004554
McElroy, Stacey, E., Kenneth G. Rice, Don E. Davis, Joshua N. Hook, Peter C. Hill, Everett L. Worthington Jr. , Daryl R. van Tongeren, "Intellectual Humility: Scale Development and Theoretical Elaborations in the Context of Religious Leadership." Journal of Psychology & Theology, 42/1 (2014): 19-30. https://doi.org/10.1177/009164711404200103
Meinardus, Otto. Christian Egypt, Faith and Life. (Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 1970).
Meisel, Anthony C. and M.L. del Mastro (translators). The Rule of St. Benedict. (Garden City, New York: Image Books, 1975).
Reiss, Wolfram. Erneuerung in der Koptisch-Orthodoxen Kirche: Die Geschichte der koptischorthodoxen Sonntagsschulbewegung und die Aufnahme ihrer Reformansätze in den Erneuerungsbewegungen der Koptisch-Orthodoxen Kirche der Gegenwart. (Hamburg: Lit Verlag,1998).
Poor, the, Matthew, The Communion of Love. (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1984).
Saad, S.M., Riegels, N.S., and Westbrook, D. 2014. "Traditions of Selecting Coptic Patriarchs over Two Millennia." Journal of Coptic Studies, 16 (2014): 139-153.
Salama, Magdi. Shakhsiyat fi sama' al-Urthuduksiya. (Cairo: Maktab al-Nasr al-Taba'a, 2002).
Soeur Sara avec Sofia Stril-Rever. Soeur Emmanuelle, mon amie, ma mere. (Paris: Presse de la Renaissance, 2009).
van Doorn-Harder, Pieternella, Contemporary Coptic Nuns. (Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1995).
Vivian, Tim (translation and introduction). Journeying into God. Seven Early Monastic Lives. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996).
Watson, John. Among the Copts. (Brighton & Portland: Sussex Academic Press, 2000). Internet resources
Al Anba Pachomius yihki 'an Anba Samuel, (Bishop Pachomius speaks about Bishop Samuel) posted October 6, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atr-OImgwUU&feature=youtu.be (Accessed October 15, 2016).
Middle East Institute Editor's Blog "Coptic Church's Synod Recognizes Two Modern Saints," June 20, 201. http://mideasti.blogspot.com/2013/06/coptic-churchs-synodrecognizes-two.html. (Accessed October 8, 2016).
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Published
Sep 30, 2024
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Leadership and Intellectual Humility in the Coptic Orthodox Church: Bishop Athanasius of Beni Suef (1962-2000) and the Papal Committee. (2024). Utambuzi: Journal for the Study of the Religions of Africa and Its Diaspora, 3(1), 125-138. https://doi.org/10.36615/n6h09558
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How to Cite
Leadership and Intellectual Humility in the Coptic Orthodox Church: Bishop Athanasius of Beni Suef (1962-2000) and the Papal Committee. (2024). Utambuzi: Journal for the Study of the Religions of Africa and Its Diaspora, 3(1), 125-138. https://doi.org/10.36615/n6h09558