The Meaning of Apa in the Coptic Church

... Apa Evagrios a mai spus: "Mare lucru e rugăciunea fără grijă ..."
source: Apoftegmele Părinților Deșertului
Versiunea Coptă Sahidică sau Patericul Copt
Ediție Critică de Ștefan Colceriu, Ed. Humanitas, 2021
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The Coptic encyclopedia, volume 1 (CE:152b-153a)

APA.  The  Coptic  term apa  is  interchangeable  with  the  Arabic abba, which  occurs  in  Semitic  languages,  including Syriac,  Aramaic,  and even  Hebrew,  all  meaning  "father."  This  is  a  title  of  reverence usually   preceding   names   of   persons   in   the   church   hierarchy. Historically  the  title  is  extended  to  the  names  of  secular  martyrs  as well. It  is  also  inspired  by  the  opening  of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  its Latin  equivalent  of pater  appears  in  the  Latin  Vulgate,  originally  in the   Coptic ⲁⲡⲁⲧⲏⲣ (apater)   or ⲁⲡⲁ ⲡⲁⲧⲏⲣ (apa pater).Sometimes  it  is  also  cited  in  Coptic  as ⲁⲏⲃⲁ (anba)  or ⲁⲙⲡⲁ (ampa), which is generally used in modern Arabic with the names of bishops,   archbishops,   and   patriarchs,   such   as Anba Shinudah. Derived  from  it  is  the  word abuna  meaning  "our  father" which  is used  in  addressing  a  priest  or  a  monk.  The  word apa  is  widely quoted  in  the  SYNAXARION  sometimes  as ⲁⲡⲟⲩ (apou;  Arabic, abu),  and  the  APOPHTHEGMATA  PATRUM  where  it  also  occurs as ⲁⲃⲃⲁ (abba)  or ⲁⲃⲃⲁⲥ (abbas).  The  term  became  firmly established  in  the  Coptic  lives  of  Saint Pachomius  in  the  fourth century  and  was  transmitted  to  medieval  Europe  in  the Latinized form  of abbas,  from  which  are  derived  the  terms  abbot  in  English and abbé  in  French.  Its  Greek  equivalent  appears  in  the  New Testament in three places: Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15, and Galatians 4:6.  The  Orthodox  Ethiopians  still  call  the  head  of  their  church ABUNA (our father). The feminine occurs as ⲁⲙⲁ (ama) or ⲁⲙⲙⲁ (amma; mother) as  the  title  for  nuns.  The  term ⲡⲁⲡⲁ (papa)  or  with  the  definite article ⲡⲡⲁⲡⲁ (ppapa)   is   the   equivalent   of   the   Greek πάπας (papas), signifying the Pope.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Crum, W. E. A Coptic Dictionary. Oxford, 1939
• Dupont, J. Le Nom de l'abbé chez les solitaires d'Egypte. La Vie spirituelle 77. Paris, 1947
• Les Vies coptes de S. Pacôme. Lausanne, 1943
• Pelliccia, G., and G. Rocca. Dizionario degli Istituti di Perfezione. Rome, 1947

AZIZ S. ATIYA


(Psalter)