Interpreting Coptic Iconography into Textual Context through Meditative Symbolism in Modern History

Coptic art has been frequently described as a symbolic art. There have been many theories that provided avenues for reading its themes and iconographies based on the interrelation between artistic and textual evidence. Within this context, some iconographies could have been utilized to refer to doctrinal or religious beliefs. Some others were employed to serve in ritual liturgies. However, in the recent decades, there has been a growing phenomenon of interpreting Coptic iconography without reasonable material evidence. Two remarkable examples of such phenomenon are widely circulated among the Coptic community in Egypt. The first is the wooden door of Virgin Mary Church in Deir el-Syrien in Wadi Al-Natrun. It is traditionally known as the Gate of Symbols or the Gate of Prophecies. The door dates back to the beginning of tenth century, (913-914 AD). The panels, from which the door is composed of, show some patterns that are traditionally interpreted in a contemplative manner as representations of periods from the ecclesiastical history, conflicts, stages of church divisions, the emergence of Islam, and the second coming of Christ. The other example is the marble pulpit in the Church of the Virgin Mary (al-Mullaqa) in Old Cairo, which dates back to the fourteenth century AD. It was interpreted to refer to the twelve apostles leaded by Jesus Christ. The grey and black columns were mistakenly translated as symbols of the apostles St. Peter, and St. Thomas.
In this paper, I will explore and analyze the phenomenon of the contemplative interpretation of Coptic iconographies. This involves investigating the cultural and social dimensions that led to the spread of this phenomenon in the Coptic community during modern and contemporary history.