The Precious Pearls: An Explanation of the Rites and Beliefs of the Coptic Orthodox Church

First published in Cairo in 1909, The Precious Pearls is Hegumen Yūḥannā Salāma’s expansive explanation of the rites and beliefs of the Coptic Orthodox Church. It brings together the meaning of worship, the order of the Church, and the historical and theological arguments behind its practices.

Hegumen Yūḥannā Salāma begins with church buildings, clergy, prayer, psalmody, incense, and the Divine Liturgy. He then explores Baptism, Chrismation, Marriage, Confession, Anointing, Priesthood, Holy Week, fasts, feasts, prayer for the departed, and intercession. Scripture, patristic testimony, ecclesiastical history, and liturgical tradition inform his account throughout.

This combined English edition brings the original two-part work into one volume, preserving the author’s historical voice, explanations, and theological arguments. It offers clergy, students, and readers of Coptic Christianity a detailed witness to the Church’s worship and inherited life in the early twentieth century.