Apocalypse of Samuel of Kalamoun
Encyclopedia
The so-called Apocalypse of Samuel of Qalamun is a Coptic text
of uncertain date and authorship now preserved only in its Arabic
translation
. It contains the strongest denunciation
of the language shift
in the Middle Ages
of Egypt
, by which Coptic was replaced by Arabic. It records that the Christians in Egypt were becoming increasingly Arabized in culture
and customs, although actual conversion to Islam
does not seem to be a concern.
The date of the text depends on the interpretation of the list of "predicted" Arab kings which it contains. These seem to be the Fatimid
caliphs, and the work should therefore be dated to the crusader
period. However it has been dated as early as the 8th century. The work of the author is supposedly the 7th century monk
Samuel of Kalamoun.
The text is edited with a French
translation in an unsatisfactory edition by J. Ziadeh.
Coptic language
Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
of uncertain date and authorship now preserved only in its Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
. It contains the strongest denunciation
Denunciation
Denunciation or abrogation refers to the announcement of a treaty's termination. Some treaties contain a termination clause that specifies that the treaty will terminate if a certain number of nations denounce the treaty...
of the language shift
Language shift
Language shift, sometimes referred to as language transfer or language replacement or assimilation, is the progressive process whereby a speech community of a language shifts to speaking another language. The rate of assimilation is the percentage of individuals with a given mother tongue who speak...
in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, by which Coptic was replaced by Arabic. It records that the Christians in Egypt were becoming increasingly Arabized in culture
Arabic culture
Arab culture refers to the culture in Arab countries of West Asia and North Africa, from Morocco to the Persian Gulf. Language, literature, gastronomy, art, architecture, music, spirituality, philosophy, mysticism are all part of the cultural heritage of the pan-Arab world.-Language:The Arabic...
and customs, although actual conversion to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
does not seem to be a concern.
The date of the text depends on the interpretation of the list of "predicted" Arab kings which it contains. These seem to be the Fatimid
Fatimid
The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...
caliphs, and the work should therefore be dated to the crusader
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
period. However it has been dated as early as the 8th century. The work of the author is supposedly the 7th century monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
Samuel of Kalamoun.
The text is edited with a French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
translation in an unsatisfactory edition by J. Ziadeh.