ABSTRACT

Copto-Arabic literature is rich and diverse, just like its authors: popes, bishops, monks, and most notably, intellectual laymen. It is a subject, of course, that cannot be covered in such a short essay, which aims mainly to give an overview and to focus on some important examples. The Arab conquest of Egypt in AD 641 was a turning point in the history of Egypt

in general and the Coptic Orthodox Church in particular. The new conquerors brought with them not only a new political and military hierarchy, but also a new religion and a new language. In contrast to previous invaders of Egypt, such as the Persians in AD 619, the Romans in 30 BC and the Greeks in 332 BC, the Arabs aimed not only to expand the area of their nascent empire and guarantee new financial sources, but also to spread their new religion. This fact was reflected clearly in Coptic literature under Islamic rule; it motivated the Christian natives of Egypt to generate literature written in Arabic to save their own identity and existence.