Coptic Egyptian Peace Poetry
Coptic is late stage Egyptian. There are several terms for peace with overlapping meanings. Poetry found in the words of Korshi Dosoo, “The Coptic Terminology of Peace”, from Les mots pour dire la paix dans le Proche-Orient antique et médiéval. Analyses lexicales, from Les mots de la paix/Terminology of Peace.
Found Poetry, words of poetry found in the words on the page of a dictionary, dissertation, thesis, book, magazine, newspaper, advertisement, any written page. The poet selects the words for the poem from words already there on the page serving some other purpose.
Royal Coptic Peace
In royal Coptic texts “Hetep” (peace) / a state of submission / imposed upon foreign states and cities . by kings through battle / for an enemy ruler to ask for “Hetep” / he is submitting / surrendering according the terms of the Egyptian ruler / external submission and internal peace / both “Hetep” / two sides of the same coin / subduing hostile external forces / a precondition for internal flourishing
Peacefully Setting Sun
Imagine a peaceful sunset / the sky dripping reds and purples / a quiet breeze / white noise insects buzzing background
In Coptic “Hōtp” written ϩⲱⲧⲡ / means to reconcile / reconciliation, and to join / refers to the sun and other celestial bodies / to set /
Aa descendent of the older *Hetep / a sense of well-being, satisfaction, peacefulness / rest, a state of individual or communal positive peace / peaceful rest and the setting of the sun
Translating Greek Peace
Where the Greek text uses “Eirēnē” (peace) / the parallel Egyptian translations use “Wedja” / whole, safe or healthy / rather than ḥetep / capturing the sense of positive peace inherent in Greek / without the negative sense of absence of war
“Eirēnē” in Greek usually translates / the Hebrew šalōm וםֹל ָש ׂ/ a sense broader than Greek / completeness, wholeness, wellness, welfare / as well as peace
Thundering Paradoxes
In the famous Thunder: Perfect Mind / from Nag Hammadi Codex VI (IV CE) / a female speaker describes herself / I am shameless / I am ashamed / I am strength / I am fear / I am war (polemos) and peace (eirēnē) / Give heed to me
Peace Times 6
English Peace be upon you
Hebrew “ךְ ָל לום ֹש” Šalōm-l’ka
Greek “εἰρήνη σοι” Eirēnē soi
Coptic “ϯⲣⲏⲛⲏ ⲛⲁⲕ” T-eirēnē na-k
and the older Egyptian “iy⸗k m ḥtp”
May you come in peace
and the Arabic Upon you be peace
عليك السالم As-salāmu ‘alayk
Doing Peace and Calmness
We have to work for peace do peace
but what do we have to undo or stop doing
to create peace
In Coptic “Hēsukhia (ἡσυχία; ϩⲏⲥⲩⲭⲓⲁ)
means rest, quiet, stillness, solitude
as in the still and solitary life of monasticism
Hrok a cognate of skjraht
used as an alternative translation for “Hēsukhia”
a very similar range of meanings
calmness, stillness and to stop (doing something)
as passivity or inaction show up within peace
