Talk:Wp/cop/ⲑⲣⲉⲥⲕⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲁⲡⲁⲥ

A word for "religion"

Some people online use ⲡϫⲓⲛϣⲉⲙϣⲓ "worship" to mean "religion", referencing Crum (568a). And while it's tempting to translate ⲧϫⲓⲛϣⲉⲙϣⲓ ⲛ̀ⲛⲓⲓⲇⲱⲗⲟⲛ or ⲡϫⲓⲛϣⲉⲙϣⲓ ⲛ̀ⲛⲓⲛⲟⲩϯ "as religion of the gods" (i.e. "paganism"), i think it's safe to say that it's rather "worshipping of the idols/gods", as religion, faith and worship have very distinct meanings. Moreover, in the Manichean kephalaion ⲛⲟⲙⲟⲥ and ⲉⲕⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ are used as an equivalent to Iranian dēn (backwardly translated as "religion" but in fact having a more complicated sense of "that which is seen or observed", "law", "conscience", compare "zen", derived from the same root), showing that there was no established term for "religion" (defined by Durkheim as "unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things"), just like in most other languages back then.

What word to use for the modern concept of religion then? ϯⲑⲣⲉⲥⲕⲓⲁ, meaning "sect, cult", borrowed from Ancient Greek, where it's used as a translation of Latin "religiō". A passage from Encomium on Demetrius, Archbishop of Alexandria:

ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲧⲉⲣⲟⲩⲧⲁϩⲟⲥ ⲉⲣⲁⲧⲥ ⲙⲡⲉϥⲙⲧⲟ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ · ⲡⲉϫⲉ ⲡⲁⲣⲭⲏⲉⲡⲓⲥⲕⲟⲡⲟⲥ ⲛⲁⲥ ϫⲉⲁϫⲓⲥ ⲉⲣⲟⲓ ϫⲉⲟⲩ ⲡⲉⲛⲧⲁϥϣⲱⲡⲉ ⲙⲙⲟ · ⲏ ⲟⲩ ⲁⲣⲁ ⲡⲉⲛⲧⲁⲣⲁⲁϥ · ⲁⲩⲱ ϫⲉⲛⲧⲟⲟⲩ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲧⲱⲛ ϩⲛⲧⲟⲩⲑⲣⲓⲥⲕⲓⲁ · ⲏ ⲣⲏ ⲡⲉ ⲁϣ ⲙⲡⲟⲗⲓⲥ

"And when she had been set in his presence the Archbishop said unto her, 'Tell me, What hath happened to thee? What, peradventure, hast thou done? Of what religion art thou a follower? What city dost thou come from?'"

It's also used in this sense in Ibn-Kabar's Scala Magna (XIV century) – ⲑⲣⲉⲥⲕⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲛⲓⲡⲁⲗⲉⲟⲥ ⲅⲩⲡⲧⲓⲟⲥ "religion of Ancient Egypt", and in my opinion would be the most sutable word for a modern concept of "religion". ⲫⲁϯⲟⲩⲉⲣϣⲓ (talk) 21:31, 12 January 2024 (UTC)