Heritage & Theology
The Lamp of the Mind
A compact medieval Coptic treatise joining the knowledge of God, the Trinity and the Incarnation to prayer, charity and the Christian life.
Edition details
Paperback
- Format
- Paperback
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 38
- ISBN-13
- 9798172946028
- Dimensions
- 7 × 10 in
- Amazon ASIN
- B0HJ81TYFS
- Availability
- Available now
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About This Book
How can the mind speak truthfully of God—and how should faith shape the whole of life?
Severus ibn al-Muqaffaʿ, Bishop of al-Ashmūnayn, answers with remarkable clarity. Moving from the knowledge of God, the Trinity, and the Incarnation to prayer, fasting, charity, marriage, and church order, The Lamp of the Mind joins theological depth to practical wisdom.
This new complete English edition presents the medieval Coptic-Arabic treatise in clear, dignified prose, with concise notes that illuminate its biblical, historical, and philosophical world.
Severus was a tenth-century Coptic bishop and author. Generative artificial intelligence was used in preparing this accessible English edition, with responsibility for the final text remaining with the editor. The translation draws on the printed Arabic edition rather than a direct collation of the surviving manuscripts. It does not replace primary texts, printed editions or surviving manuscripts. Readers undertaking scholarly work should verify quotations, textual readings and academic conclusions against those sources.
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An access edition
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This edition is intended to improve access to the work. Advanced digital tools, including generative AI, were used in its production, with responsibility for the final text and editorial decisions remaining with the editor.
This access edition is intended for general reading, discovery and further exploration. It may also serve as a stepping stone for academic study. Some passages may remain uncertain or benefit from further refinement. Readers undertaking academic research or detailed theological study should consult the original-language sources, relevant manuscripts and specialist scholarship; this edition is not presented as a scholarly translation or critical edition.
Source and edition details: Translated from the medieval treatise in the printed Arabic edition edited by Khalil Samir, source PDF pages 73–169. The modern introduction, word index and critical footnotes are excluded from the translated body. No direct manuscript collation is claimed.
For corrections, please give the edition or version printed in your copy, or state that it is not identified.
We welcome suggested corrections, alternative readings and supporting evidence. Accepted changes are published in a dated record and incorporated into subsequent editions, with acknowledgement by permission.