Discourse on the Holy Virgin

This sermon, attributed to Saint Apa Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, represents a high example of Egyptian Marian piety expressed in the Coptic tradition, structured around a homiletic reflection delivered on the 21st of Tobe, the commemoration day of the Virgin Mary. The discourse proclaims the extraordinary dignity of Mary, emphasizing her unique place not only above all saints and patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs but even beyond the angels, ranking just beneath the Holy Trinity. This exaltation is rooted in her role as Theotokos-the one who bore God-and the paradox of her flesh providing sustenance to the unapproachable divine.