ABSTRACT
Coptic texts would seem to be unlikely sources for information on Constantine the Great. Constantine certainly did not read or speak Coptic and, although he had considerable impact on the administrative and religious life of Egypt, he was not particularly associated with the land in which Coptic was used. Nevertheless, there are a number of original Coptic sources for the life and reign of Constantine. It is true that Coptic historical texts relating to Constantine are few, and his role in these is generally minimal: Constantine was more often used as an historical character in Coptic literature. Although overshadowed by his predecessor Diocletian, Constantine fulfilled a number of set functions in Coptic literary texts, mostly in his role as the first Christian emperor. Even in these, the focus is usually on Constantine as a facilitator of the pious acts of his family, rather than as an initiator of his own. An exception to these inactive portrayals is Constantine’s unexpected role in Coptic texts as military victor over the ‘Persians’. Such depictions of Constantine not only attest the Egyptians’ opinions of the military abilities of Constantine, but also the anxieties in the minds of the writers over the Sassanian Persians. Examination of the Coptic sources on Constantine the Great may not give us new historical information about him, but they are important for understanding how he was perceived by the Egyptians.
