What is Coptic philology?

Coptic philology is the study of the Coptic language through its historical and literary records. It forms part of the broader discipline of philology, which combines textual criticism, linguistics, and history to determine the original forms, authenticity, and meaning of written sources.

What we know

• Philology encompasses the study of language in oral and written historical sources, sitting at the intersection of literary criticism, textual criticism, history, and linguistics. [2]
• European scholars during the Renaissance reinvigorated philology, subsequently extending it to include Middle Eastern and Ancient Near Eastern languages such as Coptic. [2]
• Abbé Marius Chaîne was a known French scholar who specialized in both Ethiopic and Coptic philology. [3]

Where to go next

• whoWho was Abbé Marius Chaîne?
• the bigger pictureHow does philology relate to linguistics?
• how we knowWhat is the history of the Library of Alexandria?
• whereWhere is Samannud located?
• what caused itHow did Renaissance scholars revive classical philology?
• an unexpected connectionHow is J.R.R. Tolkien connected to philology?J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the most iconic examples of a philologist, and his professional background strongly influenced his mythopoeia and literary works.

Sources

• [1]philology (Wikidata Q40634) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Philology · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Marius Chaîne · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Samannud · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Chaîne · CC BY-SA 4.0