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Claremont Graduate University

The Development Of Auricular Confession In The Coptic Tradition: A Theological And Historical Study In The Book Of Confession By Kyrillus Iii, Patriarch Of Alexandria (+ 1243 A.D.)

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>This dissertation studies the development of auricular confession in the Coptic tradition from the early Church to medieval times. It demonstrates the evolvement of five penitential models through the centuries. In the first millennium of Christianity, auricular confession was neither demanded from the laity by any Coptic bishop nor embedded in any of the canonical collections accepted by the Coptic Orthodox Church. Unlike Latins and Byzantines who transferred the monastic penitential model from the desert to the city in early medieval times, the Coptic church took that move much later. Auricular confession was first introduced to the Copts in the twelfth century by Marqus ibn Qunbar (+ 1208 A.D.), a controversial priest who attempted to promote several Melkite customs, and secondly by Kyrillus ibn Laqlaq (+ 1243 A.D.), a controversial patriarch who was judged by his own bishops in an official synod. Although both attempts had faced fierce opposition from the ecclesiastical hierarchy, their literary works have promoted the practice of confession among the Copts, especially Kyrillus’ treatise, Book of Confession (or Master and Disciple). This dissertation examines carefully, from both literary and theological perspectives, this pivotal treatise that was never published in full, nor translated, nor studied before in academia.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Religion, PhD
Level thesis:degree_level
Restricted to Claremont Colleges Dissertation
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
School of Arts and Humanities
Year dc:date.available
2020

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Sadek, Botros Karam
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Tammi Schneider
  • Mary Poplin

Subjects

dc:subject × 6

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/292
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:scholarship.claremont.edu:cgu_etd-1284

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Claremont Graduate University
Base URL
scholarship.claremont.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Sadek, Botros Karam. The Development Of Auricular Confession In The Coptic Tradition: A Theological And Historical Study In The Book Of Confession By Kyrillus Iii, Patriarch Of Alexandria (+ 1243 A.D.). Restricted to Claremont Colleges Dissertation thesis, 2020. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/292