Author: lazarus abboud
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The Parable of Those Invited to the Wedding Feast 2026
The striking thing in this parable is that the invitation Jesus recounts is an invitation to a wedding and not an invitation to the king’s table, to show you that the gain in this invitation is the king himself — that is, Jesus — and not what the king gives. Thus the invitation itself becomes…
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The Sunday of Orthodoxy 2026
The first Sunday of the fast is the Sunday of Orthodoxy. Even though the prevailing meaning here is that it is the Sunday of the triumph of Orthodoxy, the uprightness of faith, and the restoration of the icons, it certainly never means a triumph in the sense that we know. The first Sunday of the…
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Grant Me the Beloved Homeland
The question that Christianity asked is not: what will we find there? But rather: whom will we find? This is the essential question that concerns all of life. This answer is bound to our life here and now; it touches us in our present and our thinking, our repentance and our prayer; this is the…
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The Feast of the Cross
You enter the great church, and you behold in its great nave two thrones: the throne of the bishop on the right, and on the left the throne of the Byzantine emperor, according to the tradition of Byzantium. Carved upon them are birds about to sing, and roses about to waft their fragrance; above them…
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The Identity of Egypt (A Research Paper Submitted for the Diploma in Arab Christian Heritage)
The paper discusses the problematic of Egypt’s identity and its fragmentation among the different currents (Coptic, Pharaonic, Islamic, Mediterranean), presenting an analytical vision that holds that identity is not rigid historical roots, but rather the final outcome and the latest development of an integrated historical becoming. The ideas of the research revolve around the following…
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Saint John Climacus (A Research Paper Presented for the Diploma in Arab Christian Heritage)
The paper discusses the figure of Saint John Climacus (the author of the book “The Ladder of Divine Ascent” or “The Ladder of Virtues”), shedding light on his essential contributions to Orthodox monastic thought and his profound influence on the liturgy and Christian spirituality in the East and the West. The ideas of the research…
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A Model of the Arabic Heritage among the Copts: The Family of Awlad al-Assal (A Research Paper Submitted for the Diploma in Christian Arabic Heritage)
The paper discusses the project of the four sons of al-Assal (al-Safi, al-Mu’taman, al-As’ad, and al-Amjad) in the thirteenth century AD in Egypt, shedding light on their pivotal role in establishing an intellectual and cultural renaissance within the Coptic Church amid the political and social challenges of the Ayyubid and Mamluk eras.
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Sawirus ibn al-Muqaffa‘ (a research paper submitted for the Diploma in the Arabic Christian Heritage)
The paper discusses the role and importance of Sawirus ibn al-Muqaffa‘ (Bishop of al-Ashmunein in the tenth century AD) as a pivotal figure in the history of Arab Christianity and Coptic Arabic literature. The ideas of the research revolve around the following main points: The historical context of the Copts of Egypt: the Christian community’s…
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The Correct Meaning of the Gospel of Christ (a research paper submitted for the Diploma in the Arabic Christian Heritage)
This translation is a correct step on a correct path, despite the many errors it contains, especially in the terms related to the person of Christ. Therefore this translation must not be an end or a work, but rather the opening of Arabic translations that mirror Arab thought. For all the Arabic translations of the…
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The Syriac Cultural Centers in the Ancient East (A Research Paper for the Diploma in Arab Christian Heritage).
The paper discusses the civilizational and historical roles of the Syriac cultural centers and schools in the ancient East, and traces their scientific and intellectual contributions to the preservation and development of the philosophical, theological, and medical sciences. The main axes of the research center on the following points: Prominent centers and schools: shedding light…