# Encomium of the Virgin Mary attributed to Philip of Anatolia

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An encomium attributed to Philip of Anatolia survives in two fragmentary manuscripts, praising Mary and recounting events surrounding her life and Christ’s birth.[^1][^2]

## Overview

The *Encomium of the Virgin Mary* attributed to Philip of Anatolia survives in two fragmentary manuscripts, both unedited.[^1] Its content and style suggest a possible place within the homiletic production of the seventh to eighth centuries.[^3]

## Manuscript witnesses

The two witnesses are a ninth-century manuscript from the White Monastery (Dayr Anba Shinudah) and an eleventh-century manuscript preserved in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, MS 819.[^1] The surviving fragments apparently represent the beginning of the work.[^2]

## Contents

The surviving text opens with a prologue praising Mary, followed by an explanation of the significance of each letter in her name.[^2] It then narrates Mary’s birth, describes the rivers of Paradise, traces Joseph’s lineage, recounts the marriage of Joseph and Mary, and tells of the birth of Jesus.[^2]

## Attribution

The *Coptic History of the Church* includes a story about Philip of Anatolia as a bishop who appealed to the emperors Valens and Valentinianus over unjust treatment of Christians by soldiers at Damascus.[^4]

Two possible explanations for the encomium’s attribution have been proposed, without establishing either as certain:[^5]

- If the account of Philip belongs to the fifth-century redaction of the *Coptic History of the Church*, the homily’s author may have adopted Philip’s name for reasons that remain undetermined.[^5]
- If that account is instead a seventh-century interpolation, the historical passage and the homily may have been produced by the same editor.[^5]

## Sources
[^1]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 644)
[^2]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 644)
[^3]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 644)
[^4]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 644)
[^5]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 644)