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Introducing:

Alexandria School of Theology

The Most Rev. Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, and most of the Primates of the Anglican Communion, visited Alexandria Campus during the Primates’ Conference.

Rev. Emad A. Mikhail, the Principal, gave a short presentation in St. Mark’s Church, Alexandria about the founding of AST and its goals. Faculty staff, students and other guests attended. Archbishop Rowan spoke of their rich historical heritage. He reminded them that they stand in the tradition of St. Mark who evangelised Egypt in the first century and was martyred in Alexandria.

Following the visit, Archbishop Rowan participated in a service led by Presiding Bishop Mouneer Anis in which St. Mark’s was dedicated as a Pro Cathedral.

For more information: www.ast-eg.org/News_en.htm

The Alexandria School has had several notable lecturers. Dr.Chris Taylor, an expert in Islamic Studies, gave a broad introduction to Islamic history and thought to fourth year students. He is from Madison, New Jersey where he is professor and chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Drew University. He has lived in Egypt a great deal since 1980, and his wife Magda is Egyptian. His students considered the nature of God as described in the Qur’an, compared and contrasted with the God of the Bible. They also surveyed the Qur’anic text to grasp the nature of the relationship between God and creation as described in Islam, with particular attention to the role of humanity. Throughout the course there were extended discussions of both similarities and contrasts between Islam and Christianity.

Bishop Maurice Sinclair together with Dr. Mary Massoud delivered a course that traced the way human wisdom has evolved down the ages and in different regions of the world. The context of this developing and changing wisdom of man is God’s wise plan in creation and redemption. Rather than teaching human philosophy and ethics separately from what is revealed in Scripture about the wisdom of God, the aim was to hold the two together. As part of one assignment students gave a presentation on aspects of current thinking in the Arab World and how Christians may engage more effectively at the grassroots and in intellectual debate. Topics chosen included the ‘Influence of Pharaonic Egypt on present life’, ‘Optimism and Pessimism’ – good and bad omens, ‘Comparing the Islamic and Secular trends’ and the ‘Effect of Globalisation on Egypt’.

The Moore Theological College of Sydney Australia will come to Egypt two or three times a year to present courses in intensive modular form.