On the representation of visions in Coptic hagiographical texts

Thesis

My thesis examines the functions of visions of heavenly beings in Coptic hagiography and their relationship to the cult of saints in Egypt. I use six saints’ hagiographical traditions as case studies: Kollouthos, Menas, Phoibammon of Preht, Merkourios, Viktor, son of Romanos, and James the Persian. My source base includes all the Coptic hagiographical texts in these saints’ traditions which contain visions experienced by them prior to their deaths and/or visions of them appearing posthumously to laypeople. I am thus able to understand the functions of visions through the writers’ choices in presenting them, and through that how they were perceived and utilised within the cult of saints.

I achieve two aims. Firstly, I address the lack of attention that Coptic hagiography has received in both Late Antique and Byzantine Studies and Egyptology, showing that it contributes significantly to our understanding of the cult of saints. Secondly, I focus on visions because, where supernatural phenomena within hagiography have been studied, there has been an overwhelming emphasis on posthumous miracles, meaning that the functions of other phenomena have gone unexplored.

The thesis begins with a close examination of my source base and the issues inherent in the creation, transmission, and historicity of hagiographies in Chapter 1. In Chapter 2, I contextualise my source base using archaeological evidence of the cult of saints, demonstrating in detail what we can learn from these texts and how to negotiate the issues with them. Then, in Chapters 3 and 4, I perform narratological analysis of the visions experienced by martyr saints and by laypeople, comparing them to illustrate that saints were portrayed as idealised Christians and that laypeople were instructed through visions how to participate in the cult in order to be allowed access to the divine.

Authors: Agar, C

• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Visions; Miracles; Christianity; Martyrs; Hagiography; Egypt; Coptic; Cult of saints
• Subjects: Egyptology; History; Church history; Coptic Christian saints