23b - Coptic literature, 337–425

Summary

Egyptian literature of the period A.D. 337–425 consists entirely of texts written in the Coptic script. Of the earlier forms of writing developed by the Egyptians, hieratic seems to have been the first to fall into disuse. The latest known hieratic texts come from the third century. Hieroglyphic and demotic continued to have a restricted use for some time afterwards. The latest known hieroglyphic inscription was written in 394, the latest demotic text in 452. However, neither form of writing was employed for literary purposes during the period under consideration.

The Coptic script uses the Greek alphabet, augmented by characters borrowed from demotic. The language of texts written in this script represents the final stage in the development of the tongue spoken by the ancient Egyptians. So-called Old Coptic texts provide the earliest specimens of both script and language. These are attested from the first century A.D. onwards; all are magical or astrological. The earliest known Coptic texts, properly speaking, date from the third century, and it is with these that our knowledge of Coptic literature may be said to begin.

Throughout Egypt, Coptic was written in a variety of dialects. Experts disagree over the precise number of these, but it is generally accepted that there were six principal literary dialects. They are: (1) Sa'idic, a dialect of uncertain (Theban?) origin which served as the standard literary language everywhere in the Nile Valley during the period under consideration; (2) Bohairic, the dialect of the western delta and Nitria; (3) Fayyumic, that of the Fayyum; (4) Middle Egyptian, current at Oxyrhynchus and its environs; (5) Akhmimic, whose centre of diffusion was Akhmim; and (6) Subakhmimic or Lycopolitan, which may have been the dialect of the region around Assiut.