"The story of the Copts" by Iris Habib el masry is an exemplary work. She was a disciple of Abouna Bishoy Kamel & Abouna Matta el meskeen and had her work blessed by them before beginning. She wrote a few volumes. 2 are below. As a beginner you should start with those. Just beware of the archaic terms she uses to describe our church like "monophysite". She uses it in the same sense as a person would use "miyaphysite" today. Don't get thrown off by that. Also keep in mind she is more of a historian of the Coptic Orthodox church rather than a theologian. I believe most of her lectures at the seminary were about history primarily. At one point she calls the Chalcedonian split a "philosophical controversy" so you'll have those who agree & disagree with her. But over all it's a very powerful narrative of the history of our church and has some amazing stories that'll keep you reading til the end. If you finish it I can give you other scholarly works of our history. She has a special place in my heart that woman. As a man, I can say she writes with humility and love. Not like some (not all) Coptic women today who when become learned start accusing the church of "patriarchy" "misogyny" rather than aiding the church in her ministry. You won't find that in Iris's works. She writes with the utmost devotion to her church and with exemplary humility. She was filled with love and loyalty and even the faults she finds in our history, you'll notice she treats them as a nurturing mother who acknowledges the mistakes & moves on to greater love for the good. Now you know my love for this woman :)
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