Documenting the Oral Torah Traditions in Early Coptic Church and Its Liturgy Methodology and Anthology

Abstract

Ancient rabbis grounded legal innovation in their claim to possess an Oral Torah (Torah she-ba’al peh) first re- vealed to Moses on Sinai alongside the Written Torah (Torah she-bich’tav), which it seeks to elucidate. The Oral Torah was transmitted as oral tradition–hence the name–until the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, when fear of its loss led to its first written compilation. Traditionally, the term “Oral Torah” refers to the later works of the rabbinic period, namely the Mishnah and the Gemara, which together form the Talmud. In this paper, I will examine the documentation of the Oral Torah in certain Coptic liturgical practices. Just as the Oral Torah aims to preserve the unwritten teachings of Moses as he received them from the mouth of God, the oral tradition in the Coptic Church functions a sanctuary maintaining inherited elements of Halakhic1 Judaism in a virtually intact form. It is through this shared commitment to preservation that significant parallels may be identified. Before illustrating my research with a compendium from both traditions, I will first outline a brief methodological approach to these sources.