Abū Ishāq ibn Fadlallāh
10th Century
Coptic Church
Egypt

This Coptic author was one of the first to write in Arabic. Abū Ishāq left two works, composed in the year A.M. 641/A.D. 924-925. This is earlier than the work of SĀWĪRUS IBN AL-MUQAFFA', Coptic bishop of al-Ashmūnayn, who is generally considered the first Coptic author to write in Arabic.

The two works of Abū Ishāq were contained in single manuscript, which belonged to Armāniyūs Habashī Shattā al-Birmāwī around 1930. The present whereabouts of the manuscript is not known. Paul Sbath describes it (al-Fihris, nos. 2518 and 2519) as follows: (1) discourse on the Gospel verse: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall never pass away" (Mk. 13:31); this treatise was composed in Cairo in 924-925; (2) treatise to announce what will happen at the end of time.

As can be seen from these descriptions, Abū Ishāq was especially interested in questions concerning the end of the world and perhaps in the apocalyptic literature generally in vogue among the Copts at that time.

This author should be distinguished from his namesake Tāj al-Riyāsah Abū Ishāq ibn Fadlallāh, who translated the Didascalia of the Apostles from Coptic into Arabic in 1295.

Khalil Samir, S.J.