Acknowledgements
Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:20
The present volume is based on the author’s 2020 Macquarie University doctoral dissertation. I extend my deepest thanks and appreciation to my PhD supervisory team—Heike Behlmer, Victor Ghica, Alin Suciu, and Malcolm Choat—for their unwavering support, guidance, assistance, and patience over so many years. One could not have asked for more outstanding supervisors whom I also regard as special teachers and very dear friends. I owe a debt of gratitude especially to Heike and Victor who have not left my side since I started my Coptic Studies journey at Macquarie in 2010 and taught me all that I know about Coptic.
I thank Macquarie University for offering MA and PhD scholarships that facilitated my years of study. I express my appreciation to Ian Plant who was head of Macquarie’s Ancient History department during my candidature, to Angela Abberton for aiding with funding opportunities, and to Alanna Nobbs and the Society for the Study of Early Christianity for a travel grant which enabled necessary access to Sahidic Pentateuch codex MLM M566 at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York.
I am grateful to Frank Feder, Diliana Atanassova, and the rest of the team at the Complete Digital Edition and Translation of the Coptic Sahidic Old Testament Project in Göttingen, Germany for their assistance.
I also wish to thank Anne Boud’hors who has been a constant help throughout the years; and Stephen Emmel for openhandedly offering his time to proofread and make improvements to a significant portion of my codicological analysis. Georgian scholar Anna Kharanauli graciously assisted me with issues pertaining to the Greek text of Leviticus and matters of textual criticism. To all three, I am incredibly grateful.
I am indebted to Nevine Iskandar for her translation of selected French publications which contained facts pertinent to this study; and to Mina Botros, Lisa Agaiby, and Hany Takla for their advice, help, never-ending support, and friendship which I value immensely.
Thank you also to Ken Parry, Chief Editor of the Texts and Studies in Eastern Christianity series, Marjolein van Zuylen, Brill’s Associate Editor of Biblical Studies, Dirk Bakker, Production Editor at Brill, and the typesetters at TAT Zetwerk for their support, friendship, outstanding work and tireless efforts in publishing this volume.
Most of all, I owe the greatest thanks to my mother Afefa, my father Adel of blessed memory, my sister Irene, and my brother-in-law Joseph—thank you for believing in me and for your unconditional love. Finally, my deepest gratitude goes to my beautiful nieces, Mary and Daniella, whose encouragement and support via the daily enquiry, “How’s your PhD going?” and then, “When are you going to finish your book?” mean more to me than words can ever begin to describe.