We are told in the Book of Isaiah that there would be an altar to the Lord in the midst of Egypt, and this altar came with the birth of the Coptic Church at the hands of the great evangelist Saint Mark, in the first century, and as we enter the 21st tCentury, we re-release this book.

The first release in September 1997 was on the occasion of the inauguration of the Saint Athanasius Coptic Theological College in Stevenage, England. The book you now hold is an updated version, though in essence much of the text has remained unchanged.

We could not have imagined the interest shown in this book at the time of its initial collation, but have found that it has been sought by Copts and non-Copts, young and old because of its easy-to-read and easy-to-follow presentation.

I do hope that this work will continue to be of assistance to all who read it, and that more than intellectual knowledge, it provides a springboard for experiencing God through a very ancient, steadfast and faithful vessel which is the Coptic Orthodox Church.

I thank all those who have worked with me in preparing, editing and publishing both issues of this book, but first and foremost, I thank my beloved father His Holiness Pope Shenouda I11 for the inspiration which he has been, and continues to be, for the whole Church all over the world.

Bb@/ lztqudm,
Tut 1717 A.M. / September 2000 A.D.