The Orthodox Patristic Center Cairo (OPCC)

The Orthodox Patristic Center Cairo is one of the main activities of the St. Antonius Foundation and was established to focus on the writings of the Fathers of the Church (or Patristics).

1. The importance of Patristic literature:

The Patristic literature, such as the writings of St Athanasius the Apostolic, St Cyril the pillar of faith, St Basil St Gregorius the theologian , and St John Chrysostom, among many others who lived in the first centuries of Christianity, are references for articulating our Orthodox doctrines; which correctly interpret the Scripture ,thus avoiding any deviation from the truth . Also, they are our guidance on the ways of the Christian life as lived by the saintly apostles and the believers throughout the first generations of Christianity. Therefore, disseminating this literature is a very essential and necessary duty that we all need as Christians today.
Therefore, spreading these writings has become fundamentally important and a necessity for contemporary Christians.

The OPCC was established to achieve three main goals; namely:
1. Translating the texts of the fathers of the Church from their original languages to Arabic.
2. Steering specialized research and studies in the field of Patristic studies.
3. Spreading Patristic theology among church communities.

2. The beginning

The OPCC was established in 1979 and began with the translation of the fathers’ literature from their original old Greek, Latin, Coptic, and Syriac languages and from contemporary English and French languages to the Arabic language. Most of this literature had never been published to the Arabic language before.

3. These goals were achieved through:

First: Lectures, Meetings, and Conferences

A- Monthly lectures:

Held on the first Monday of every month. These lectures have been uninterrupted since they started in January 1992.

B- “Cairo Meeting “for Patristic Studies:

The center holds three annual meetings in January, June, and October. Each meeting is held on two consecutive evenings. Each meeting is presented through a lecture, Q&A, and workshop. These meetings didn’t cease to stop since they started in 1995.

C- Annual Conference:

This 4-day conference is held annually in September, with the participation of servants and youth from all parishes. It offers a unique opportunity for exchanging theological and spiritual knowledge since it includes liturgical services, seminars, and Q&A, aside from the main lectures, for which the handouts are shared at the beginning of the conference. This conference started in September 1992 and has been continuing without interruption since.

D- The Annual Youth Conference:

The Youth Conference is held in Spring Break of every year since 2005. It lasts 4 days and discusses topics of interest to youth and current issues through a Patristic lens.

Second: Translations and Studies

A- Translations:

The OPCC translates the texts of the fathers and publishes them in a series titled “Patristic Texts”. The center has so far translated and published 190 books in this series and continues to publish more of them.

B- Studies:

The OPCC studies these translated patristic texts and publishes these studies in a series titled “Patristic Studies,” making up 35 published books so far.

C- Theological Bulletin:

The OPCC publishes this bulletin twice a year, which includes theological and Patristic research. The first edition in this series was published in January 1998. It has reached 41 editions as of June 2018.

Third: Specialized Courses in Patristic Studies

A 3-year course where students study the Greek language and introduction to Patrology.

Fourth: Participation in the Youth Bishopric Ministry

Researchers in OPCC extend their services by offering Patristic lectures in the Servants’ Training Center, the Life of the Church group, and other specialized groups in the Youth Bishopric.

Fifth: Lecturing in many Theology Seminaries, Institutes, Churches, and Dioceses

The center’s researchers offer their expertise teaching Patrology in the Coptic seminars for clergy and in Coptic communities within Egypt and in the Diaspora.

4. Academia:

The OPCC’ activities are based on the efforts of seven researchers who received their higher education to a doctoral level in Patristics at prominent European universities, such as the universities of Athens and Thessaloniki (Greece), Durham (UK), and Marburg (Germany) where they mastered both ancient and modern languages used in their translations to Arabic. Currently there are two more researchers receiving their higher education at the Institute of Oriental Studies in Rome.

5. The Library:

The library at OPCC contains more than 7000 books and Patristic references, such as texts, studies, and theological journals in a spectrum of ancient and modern languages including as Greek, English, French, Coptic, and Arabic.