Otto Friedrich August Meinardus
Encyclopedia
Otto Friedrich August Meinardus was a German Coptologist and pastor (1925 – 2005) who wrote numerous books and articles about Coptic Christianity
in Egypt.
in 1925, where he received his secondary schooling. He studied theology
and sociology
in Hamburg, London, St Louis, Chicago, and at Harvard University
, Boston, where he obtained his PhD. Dr. Meinardus was a professor at the American University in Cairo
(AUC) from 1956 till 1968, and pastor of the Maadi Community Church
(MCC) in Cairo, Egypt.
Meinardus befriended the Coptic monk Father Antonius, who in 1971 became Pope Shenouda III, the current head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Dr. Meinardus became an active member of several research institutions for Coptic studies in Cairo.
Meinardus was, with other non-Egyptian faculty at the American University in Cairo, expelled from Egypt shortly before the Six-day War of 1967. He served as pastor in several other countries and returned to Germany in 1975 were he became pastor and later professor in Middle Eastern Religions at the University of Hamburg
.
, an Egyptian electronic magazine. One year prior to the death of Dr. Meinardus, the Otto Meinardus Stiftung (foundation) was established with the purpose of preserving the intellectual heritage of Dr. Meinardus.
Dr. Meinardus was the author of the first book published by the AUC Press, "Monks and Monasteries of the Egyptian Deserts,” in 1961. A revised edition of the book was still in print 45 years later. Meinardus was also the author of the following AUC Press books, "Christian Egypt Ancient and Modern,” (1965) "Christian Egypt Faith and Life,” (1970) "The Holy Family in Egypt,” (1986, a reprint of a book he wrote around 1960) "Die Heilige Familie in Agypten,” (1988) "Monks and Monasteries of the Egyptian deserts,” Revised Edition (1988) "Two Thousand Years of Coptic Christianity,” (2000) "Coptic Saints and Pilgrimages,' (2002) He also wrote a chapter in “Christian Egypt: Coptic Art through Two Millennia,” edited by Massimo Capuani (2002). His last book “Christians in Egypt: Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Communities Past and Present,” was published posthumously in 2006.
Many articles appeared in Kemet (Germany), Coptologica (Canada), Coptic Church Review
(USA) and other mainly theological academic publications.
Otto Meinardus had his own style of studying the church. He not only looked into relevant manuscripts in Western libraries, but also met with desert fathers
, grasped their spirituality, and documented mostly oral traditions in an academic style.
In his books for the American University in Cairo Press, Meinardus was careful not to offend his Coptic readers. However, in Kemet, he was more open and questioned certain Coptic traditions and beliefs. A list of articles published in Kemet can be found on the Web site of the Otto Meinardus Stiftung.
Coptic Christianity
The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is the official name for the largest Christian church in Egypt and the Middle East. The Church belongs to the Oriental Orthodox family of churches, which has been a distinct church body since the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451, when it took a different...
in Egypt.
Early life
Meinardus was born in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
in 1925, where he received his secondary schooling. He studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
in Hamburg, London, St Louis, Chicago, and at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Boston, where he obtained his PhD. Dr. Meinardus was a professor at the American University in Cairo
American University in Cairo
The American University in Cairo is an independent, non-profit, apolitical, secular institution of higher learning located in Cairo, Egypt...
(AUC) from 1956 till 1968, and pastor of the Maadi Community Church
Maadi Community Church
The Maadi Community Church is a large, interdenominational international Christian church in Maadi, an affluent suburb of Egypt's capital city Cairo.- History :...
(MCC) in Cairo, Egypt.
Meinardus befriended the Coptic monk Father Antonius, who in 1971 became Pope Shenouda III, the current head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Dr. Meinardus became an active member of several research institutions for Coptic studies in Cairo.
Meinardus was, with other non-Egyptian faculty at the American University in Cairo, expelled from Egypt shortly before the Six-day War of 1967. He served as pastor in several other countries and returned to Germany in 1975 were he became pastor and later professor in Middle Eastern Religions at the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
.
Professional career
Dr. Meinardus was a prolific writer; his books and articles became a main source of reference on the Coptic Orthodox Church. He is generally recognized in the West as the most important contemporary Western authority on the Church in Egypt. From 2000 to 2005, Dr. Meinardus served on the board of advisers of Arab-West ReportArab-West Report
Arab-West Report is an independent electronic magazine founded by Drs. Cornelis Hulsman and Eng. Sawsan Gabra Ayoub Khalil in 1997, originally titled the Religious News Service from the Arab World...
, an Egyptian electronic magazine. One year prior to the death of Dr. Meinardus, the Otto Meinardus Stiftung (foundation) was established with the purpose of preserving the intellectual heritage of Dr. Meinardus.
Dr. Meinardus was the author of the first book published by the AUC Press, "Monks and Monasteries of the Egyptian Deserts,” in 1961. A revised edition of the book was still in print 45 years later. Meinardus was also the author of the following AUC Press books, "Christian Egypt Ancient and Modern,” (1965) "Christian Egypt Faith and Life,” (1970) "The Holy Family in Egypt,” (1986, a reprint of a book he wrote around 1960) "Die Heilige Familie in Agypten,” (1988) "Monks and Monasteries of the Egyptian deserts,” Revised Edition (1988) "Two Thousand Years of Coptic Christianity,” (2000) "Coptic Saints and Pilgrimages,' (2002) He also wrote a chapter in “Christian Egypt: Coptic Art through Two Millennia,” edited by Massimo Capuani (2002). His last book “Christians in Egypt: Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Communities Past and Present,” was published posthumously in 2006.
Many articles appeared in Kemet (Germany), Coptologica (Canada), Coptic Church Review
Coptic Church Review
Coptic Church Review is a Coptic Orthodox publication published in the United States and founded in 1980 by Doctor Rodolph Yanney, president of the Society of Coptic Church Studies, in the US....
(USA) and other mainly theological academic publications.
Otto Meinardus had his own style of studying the church. He not only looked into relevant manuscripts in Western libraries, but also met with desert fathers
Desert Fathers
The Desert Fathers were hermits, ascetics, monks, and nuns who lived mainly in the Scetes desert of Egypt beginning around the third century AD. The most well known was Anthony the Great, who moved to the desert in 270–271 and became known as both the father and founder of desert monasticism...
, grasped their spirituality, and documented mostly oral traditions in an academic style.
In his books for the American University in Cairo Press, Meinardus was careful not to offend his Coptic readers. However, in Kemet, he was more open and questioned certain Coptic traditions and beliefs. A list of articles published in Kemet can be found on the Web site of the Otto Meinardus Stiftung.