Thirteen acrostic hymns from a manuscript in the Sahidic dialect of
Coptic which were written for the Monastery of the Archangel St Michael
at Hamouli in the Fayyum, and hitherto available only in the few
distributed copies of the 1922 photographic edition.
The
stanzas of each hymn begin with each letter of the Greek alphabet in
turn. The hymns are in praise of the Virgin Mary, the apostles, and a
number of saints particularly popular in the Coptic Church, and were no
doubt used on the appropriate saint's day, while two hymns have for
their subject the resurrection and the ascension, and baptism, and may
have been appointed for the relevant seasons in the ecclesiastical year.
This edition comprises an Introduction, particularly
discussing the contents, structure, and language of the hymns; Coptic
text with facing English translation and succinct notes; paleographical
appendix; indexes; and two plates.