Original - The Coptic Orthodox Church

giving. And the poor and orphans shall he know as doth
a father, and shall gather them together at the great festival
of the Lord, 53
vowing and distributing much alms and giving
unto each whereof he hath need. And at the feast of Pen
tecost he shall refresh 54
all the people, because that on
that day the Holy Ghost came down upon the church. And
at the feast of the Lord s Epiphany, which was in (the
month) Tubah, that is the (feast of) Baptism, they shall rejoice
with them. The bishop shall gather
all the widows and or
phans and shall rejoice with them, with prayers *and hymns, Rf. 104^
and shall give unto each according to his needs; for it is
a day of blessing; in it was the Lord baptised of John.
The poor shall rejoice with thee, O bishop, at all the feasts
of the Lord and shall celebrate with thee these three seasons,
each year: the Paschal feast shall be kept unto the Lord
our God and a feast at the end of the fifty days and the
new-year s feast, which is (that of) the gathering in d of the
harvest and the fruits. The last of all fruits is the olive,
which is gathered in that day; wherefore by the Egyptians
this is called the feast of the beginning of the year. As
with the Hebrews New Year s Day was at the Pascha, which
is the first of Barmudah. So again in the month Tubah
did our Saviour appear as God, when, by a wondrous miracle,
He made the water wine. 55 This word have we spoken con
cerning the poor; God hath established the bishop because
of the feasts, that he may
refresh them at the feasts. For thus
is God merciful and would not that any of mankind should
suffer; for His loving-kindness is busied day and night that
z M. >
.
d Mv. the bringing forth (or the completion of the land-taxing?).
53 The reference is to Easter. Note that in the following enumeration
Christmas is not mentioned.
84 Cf. otvKTrotveiv Philem. 7, 2 Cor. VII. 13.
55 Cf. Athanasius Festal Letters, ed. Larsow 138.