The History of the Rite of the Holy Week in the Coptic Church

History of the rite of the Holy Week in the Coptic Church by Associate Professor Youhanna Nessim Youssef, is one of the first pieces of literature that collates and analyses different sources to determine the provenance and derivation of the Coptic rite of Holy Week. In its current form, each hour of Passion Week is structured quite similarly- prophecies, paschal praise, psalm, gospel, exposition, and daytime litanies, with special hymns sung during momentous hours such as the 6th hour of Good Friday- however, it was not always so. Derived mainly from a very early 4th century Christian tradition, the current rite has been augmented across the centuries with readings and hymns for various reasons. Thus, the author examines sources across ten centuries written by varying stakeholders to create a literary flow chart of the evolution of the modern-day rite and lectionary.