Coptic Studies at Macquarie University - Staff
Coptic Studies at Macquarie Univeristy is taught within the Department of Ancient History. There are two members of staff on the teaching team, Drs Heike Behlmer and Malcolm Choat.
Dr Heike Behlmer
M.A. Göttingen, PhD Göttingen, D.Phil. (Habilitation) Göttingen
Senior Lecturer, Coptic Studies
Dr Heike Behlmer studied Egyptology, Coptic Studies and the Ancient Near East at Göttingen University. Her dissertation, published in 1996, edited, translated and analysed a sermon by the abbot Shenoute, the foremost writer in Coptic, from a papyrus manuscript preserved in the Egyptian Museum, Turin, Italy. From 1995 to 2004 she was Assistant Professor of Egyptology and Coptic Studies at Göttingen University, in 2003/2004 Visiting Professor of Coptic Studies at Munich University. She joined Macquarie University in late 2004 to develop the new online M.A. programme in Coptic Studies.
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The programme teaches the history, religion and culture of Egypt in the First Millennium CE as well as the Coptic language, the last stage of the language of Pharaonic Egypt, which is still in use today as a liturgical language in the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Her fields of research are Egyptian Monasticism, Coptic Literature, Gender Studies and the History of Scholarship in Egyptology and Coptic Studies in the 19th century. Among her current and recently completed research projects are:
- The edition of a collection of works on the monastic life by the abbot Shenoute as part of an international project for a complete new edition of Shenoute's Works (General Editor: Stephen Emmel, University of Münster, Germany)
- The edition of documentary Coptic texts on ostraca (and papyrus) dating to the 6th to 8th centuries CE from the Theban region in Upper Egypt excavated by archaeological expeditions from various European universities
- Communication Networks in Late Byzantine and Early Islamic monastic communities: a collaborative project with Dr Malcolm Choat (Macquarie University), analysing the letters on ostraca sent between monasteries in the Theban region, especially the monastery of Epiphanius, monastery of Severus (Sheikh Abd el-Qurna) and the Deir el-Bakhit and satellite monastic cells in tombs in the Dra' Abu el-Naga
- Studies on the development of Coptic Studies in the 19th century on the basis of archival material in the Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts in Göttingen University Library
- Studies on women and gender in Late Antique, Byzantine and Early Islamic Egypt on the basis of the Coptic sources
Selected Publications
Books: Authored
Schenute von Atripe: De iudicio (Torino, Museo Egizio, Cat. 63000, Cod. IV). Catalogo del Museo Egizio di Torino, Serie Prima - Monumenti e Testi, vol. VIII, Torino 1996.
(with Anthony Alcock), A Piece of Shenoutiana from the Department of Egyptian Antiquities (EA 71005). British Museum Occasional Paper 119, London 1996.
Heilige Schriften als Waffe der Rhetorik. Autoritative Texte und ihre literarische Verarbeitung im Werk des ägyptischen Klostervorstehers Besa (2007 forthcoming)
Books: Edited
(with G. Moers, K. Demuß, K. Widmaier), jn.t dr.w - Festschrift für Friedrich Junge, Göttingen 2006....Quaerentes Scientiam. Festgabe für Wolfhart Westendorf zu seinem 70. Geburtstag, Göttingen 1994.
Articles
"Do not believe every word like the fool... Rhetorical Strategies in Shenoute, Canon 6", in: Gawdat Gabra and Hany N. Takla (eds.), Acts of the Sohag Symposium, 1-5 February 2006, American University in Cairo Press 2007, forthcoming.
"Patriotische Heilige in Ägypten", in: Dieter R. Bauer, Klaus Herbers and Gabriella Signori (eds.), Acts of the Congress Patriotische Heilige. Beiträge zur Konstruktion religiöser und praktischer Identitäten in der Vormoderne.Wissenschaftliche Studientagung der Akademie der Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart mit dem Arbeitskreis für Hagiographische Fragen, Weingarten 25.-28.03.2004, Stuttgart 2007, forthcoming.
"Women and the Holy in Coptic Hagiography", in: Nathalie Bosson and Anne Boud'hors (eds.), Acts of the 8th International Congress of Coptic Studies 27.06.-03.07.2004, Paris 2007, forthcoming.
"Coptic Use of Pharaonic Sacred Space in Western Thebes", in: Peter F. Dorman and Betsy M. Bryan (eds.), Sacred Space and Sacred Function in Ancient Thebes. Occasional Proceedings of the Theban Workshop. Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization 61, Chicago 2007, 163-175.
"Adolf Erman und Paul de Lagarde", in: Bernd U. Schipper (ed.), Ägyptologie als Wissenschaft: Adolf Erman (1854-1937) in seiner Zeit, Berlin 2006, 276-292.
"Paul de Lagarde und die 'Aegyptische Alterthumskunde und Koptische Sprache' in Göttingen, in: G. Moers, H. Behlmer, K. Demuß, K. Widmaier (eds.), jn.t dr.w - Festschrift für Friedrich Junge, Göttingen 2006, 89-107.
"Paul de Lagarde and the Coptic New Testament: A Short Note on Archival Material in the Lagarde Papers", in. W. Kappeler (ed.), Essays in Honour of Frederik Wisse. Scholar, Churchman, Mentor, ARC: The Journal of the Faculty of Religious Studies 33 (2005), 23-31.
"The Recovery of the Coptic Sources for the Study of Gender in Late Antiquity", Orientalia 73 (2004), 255-269.
"Von Gattinnen, Müttern und Wilden Weibern - Figurationen des Weiblichen in koptischen Heiligen- und Märtyrerlegenden", in: Günter Burkard, Alfred Grimm, Sylvia Schoske und Alexandra Verbovsek unter Mitarbeit von Barbara Magen (eds.), Kon-Texte. Akten des Symposions "Spurensuche - Altägypten im Spiegel seiner Texte". München 2.-4. Mai 2003, ÄAT 60, Wiesbaden 2004, 103-113.
"Streiflichter auf die christliche Besiedlung Thebens - Koptische Ostraka aus dem Grab des Senneferi (TT 99)", Hallesche Beiträge zur Orientwissenschaft 36 (2003), 11 -27.
"Ein neo-koptischer Brief Adolf Ermans an Paul de Lagarde - Zeugnis für eine wissenschaftsgeschichtliche Wende in der Erforschung des Koptischen", Lingua Aegyptia 11 (2003), 1-12.
"... As safe as the British Museum - Paul de Lagarde and his borrowing of manuscripts from the collection of Robert Curzon", Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 89 (2003), 231-238.
"Schenute, Besa und Lagarde - ein unbekanntes Kapitel der Forschungsgeschichte", Journal of Coptic Studies 5 (2003), 55-66.
"Heinrich Friedrich Karl Brugsch (1827-1894), Ägyptologe. Rede anläßlich der Enthüllung einer Gedenktafel am 26.09.2003, Untere Masch 16", Göttinger Jahrbuch 51 (2003), 165-169.
"Alt werden unter Pharaonen zwischen Ideal und Realität", Mitteilungen der Grazer Morgenländischen Gesellschaft 11 (2002/2003), 24-53.
"The City as Metaphor in the Works of Two Panopolitans: Shenoute and Besa", in: A. Egberts, B.P. Muhs, J. van der Vliet (eds.), Perspectives on Panopolis. An Egyptian Town from Alexander the Great to the Arab Conquest. Acts from an International Symposium Held in Leiden on 16, 17 an 18 December 1998. Papyrologica Lugduno-Batava 31, Leiden-Boston-Köln 2002, 13-27.
"Weibliche Körper im Mönchsgewand. Formen von Androgynie in der christlich-ägyptischen Literatur", in: Carmen Franz and Gudrun Schwibbe (eds.), Geschlecht weiblich: Körpererfahrungen - Körperkonzepte, Berlin 2001, 12-34.
"Eine Horsiese-Reminiszenz bei Schenute", Bulletin de la Société d'Archéologie Copte 39 (2000), 49-55 .
"Koptische Quellen zu (männlicher) Homosexualität", Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur 28 (2000), 27-53.
"The Future of the Göttinger Miszellen", Internet publication: http://www.aegyptologie.uni-goettingen.de/en/GM/gmfuture.htm (12.05.2000).
"Das Alter im christlichen Ägypten", Hallesche Beiträge zur Orientwissenschaft 26 (1998), 5-25.
"Visitors to Shenoute's Monastery", in: David Frankfurter (ed.), Pilgrimage and Holy Space in Late Antique Egypt. Religions in the Graeco-Roman World 134, Leiden 1998, 353-383.
"Il sermone scenutiano torinese sulla necessità della morte e sul giudizio finale", in: Akten des XXI. Internationalen Papyrologenkongresses, Berlin 13. - 19. 8. 1995. Archiv für Papyrusforschung Beiheft 3, Stuttgart und Leipzig 1997, 80-87.
"Ancient Egyptian Survivals in Coptic Literature: an Overview", in: Antonio Loprieno (ed.), Ancient Egyptian Literature: History and Forms, Leiden 1996, 567-590.
Teaching Websites
AHPG855: Introduction to Coptic Art and Archaeology
http://online.mq.edu.au/pub/AHPG855/
AHPG856: Egypt in the First Millennium CE
http://online.mq.edu.au/pub/AHPG856/
AHPG857: Monasticism in Egypt
http://online.mq.edu.au/pub/AHPG857/
AHPG896: Coptic I - Sahidic
http://online.mq.edu.au/pub/AHPG896/
AHPG897: Coptic II - Sahidic
http://online.mq.edu.au/pub/AHPG897/
AHPG856: Coptic Dialects
http://online.mq.edu.au/pub/AHPG898/
AHPG899: Advanced Coptic
http://online.mq.edu.au/pub/AHPG899/
Contact Details:
Telephone: +61 2 9850 6800
Fax: +61 2 9850 8240
Office: W6A 541
Email: hbehlmer@hmn.mq.edu.au
Dr Malcolm Choat
B.A. (Hons) UQ, PhD Macquarie
Lecturer, Coptic Studies
Dr Malcolm Choat is a lecturer in the Department of Ancient History, Division of Humanities. He studied Classics (including Ancient Greek and Latin) and Ancient History at the University of Queensland (1989-1993), before undertaking doctoral studies at Macquarie (1994-2000). Subsequently, he taught and researched in the School of Studies in Religion at the University of Sydney (2000-2002), before holding a Macquarie University Research Fellowship (2003-2006). He now teaches at Macquarie in Ptolemaic Egypt, Early Christianity, and Coptic Studies.
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His fields of research are, broadly, Graeco-Roman Egypt and the interaction of Classical (Greek and Roman) and Egyptian cultures from Alexander the Great to the Arab conquest (332 BCE - 642 CE), and early Christianity, particularly from a papyrological perspective. He has particular focuses on rise of the Coptic language and script in the 3rd-5th centuries, especially early Coptic documents on papyrus, and the development of monasticism. Among his current research projects are.
- Language, Script, and Acculturation in Graeco-Roman Egypt: An umbrella research program, lead by Drs Malcolm Choat and Trevor Evans, uniting projects (including those listed here) focusing on cultural interaction of the classical and Egyptian worlds in the Graeco-Roman period.
- Religious authority and linguistic change in late antique Egypt: non-elite perspectives on the rise of monasticism in contemporary documents: ARC-funded project dealing with the rise of monasticism, seen from the point of view of the Christian Laity, and especially though contemporary documents on papyrus in Greek and Coptic.
- Communication Networks in Late Byzantine and Early Islamic monastic communities: a collaborative project with Dr Heike Behlmer (Macquarie University), analysing the letters on ostraca sent between monasteries in the Theban region, especially the monastery of Epiphanius, monastery of Severus (Sheikh Abd el-Qurna) and the Deir el-Bakhit and satellite monastic cells in tombs in the Dra' Abu el-Naga
- The Archive of Apa Johannes: A re-edition one of the most extensive bilingual (Greek and Coptic) monastic archives on papyrus in from fourth century CE Egypt.
- Papyri from the Rise of Christianity in Egypt: a project to analyse the papyrus texts documenting Christianity in Egypt before the victory of Constantine (324), a collaborative project within the Ancient History Documentary Research Centre, to be published by Cambridge University Press.
- P.Macquarie Copt.: An edition of the Coptic papyri in Macquarie University's Museum of Ancient Cultures, with Iain Gardner, Studies in Religion, University of Sydney.
Selected Publications
Books: Authored
Belief and Cult in fourth-century Papyri (Brepols, Turnhout: 2006).
Book Chapters
‘Echo and Quotation of the New Testament in Papyrus Letters to the End of the Fourth Century’, New Testament Manuscripts and Their World, ed. T.J. Kraus and T. Nicklas (Brill, Leiden, 2006) 267-292. (by invitation)
‘The Unidentified Text in the Freer Minor Prophets Codex’, The Freer Biblical Manuscripts: Fresh Studies of the Greek Biblical Manuscripts Housed in the Freer Gallery, ed. L. Hurtado (Atlanta, Society for Biblical Literature Publications, 2006) 87-121 (by invitation)
‘Language and Culture in Late Antique Egypt’, Blackwell’s Companion to Late Antiquity, ed. P. Rousseau (Blackwells, Oxford, forthcoming 2007). (by invitation)
‘Early Coptic Epistolography’, The Multilingual Experience: Egypt from the Ptolemies to the ‘Abbasids, ed. A. Papaconstantinou (American University of Cairo Press, forthcoming 2007). (by invitation)
‘Monastic property ownership in the early period’, The Administration of Monastic Estates in Late Antique and Early Islamic Egypt. In memory of Sarah Clackson, edd. A. Boudhors, J. Clackson & P. Sijpesteijn, forthcoming. (by invitation)
Articles
(with I. Gardner) ‘P. Lond. Copt. I 1123: Another Letter to Apa Johannes?’, Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 156 (2006) 157-164.
‘Thomas the “wanderer” in a Coptic List of the Apostles’, Orientalia 74 (2005) 83-85.
(with A.Nobbs) ‘Monotheistic Formulae of Belief in Second – Fourth century AD Greek Papyri’, Journal of Greco-Roman Judaism and Christianity 2(2001-2005) 36-51.
(with R.S. Bagnall & I Gardner), ‘O.Douch I 40’, Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 147 (2004) 205-207 .
(with I. Gardner), ‘O.Douch I 49’, Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 143 (2003) 143-146.
‘The Development and use of Terms for ‘monk’ in Late Antique Egypt’, Jahrbuch für Antike und Christentum 45(2002) 5-23.
‘Papnouthios in SB I 2266: New man or new patron?’, Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 133(2000) 157-162.
(with I. Gardner and A. Nobbs), ‘P.Harr. 107: Is this another Greek Manichaean letter’, Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 131 (2000) 118-124.
‘The Public and Private Worlds of Theophanes of Hermopolis Magna’, Bulletin of the John Rylands Library, Manchester, forthcoming.
Papers in Published Conference Proceedings
‘Fourth Century Monasticism in the Papyri’, Akten des 23. Internationalen Papyrologenkongresses, Wien, 22.-28. Juli 2001, ed. B. Palme (Papyrologica Vindobonensia 1; Wien: ÖAW Verlag 2007), 95-101.
‘Philological and historical approaches to the search for the ‘third type’ of Egyptian monk’, Coptic Studies on the Threshold of a New Millennium. Proceedings of the Seventh International Congress of Coptic Studies. Leiden, August 27 – September 2, 2000, edd. M. Immerzeel and J. van der Vliet (Louvain 2004) II, 856-865.
(with I. Gardner), ‘Towards a palaeography of fourth century documentary Coptic’, Coptic Studies on the Threshold of a New Millennium. Proceedings of the Seventh International Congress of Coptic Studies. Leiden, August 27 – September 2, 2000, edd. M. Immerzeel and J. van der Vliet (Louvain 2004) , I, 501-509.
‘The Archive of Apa Johannes: Notes on a proposed New edition’, Proceedings of the 24th International Congress of Papyrologists, Helsinki 2004 (Comm.Hum.Litt. Vol. 122, in press, forthcoming 2007), 175-183.
‘Epistolary Formulae in Early Coptic Letters’, Actes du huitième congrès international d'Études coptes, edd. N. Bosson and A. Boud’hors (Leuven: Peeters, 2007), 667-677.
Contact Details:
Telephone: +61 2 9850 7561
Fax: +61 2 9850 8240
Office: W6A 504
Email: mchoat@hmn.mq.edu.au