Last Sunday was Palm Sunday, tomorrow is Good Friday and Sunday is Easter for our Coptic Orthodox Christian friends.

It is fitting with this feast to refer to a recnet report of researcher Jayson Casper about the Egyptian Holy Family tradition. The Holy Family came to Egypt, says the Gospel of Matthew in the Bible. But the Bible is silent on what they did once there. Coptic Orthodox tradition has filled in the details. During a visit of Arab-West Report to Upper Egypt we learned about the discovery of a new cave that local people believe to be the lodging of the Holy Family upon their return from Upper Egypt.

Casper writes "After a simple stairwell decline of around ten meters from the mountain plateau there is a gradual descent into the mouth of what opens into a long,narrow cave. Inside has the beginnings of a rudimentary altar along with icons and candles, and already there is the grafitti of visiting pilgrims. Outside a new church building has been established." Casper reports that Western scholars are skeptical but that does not matter to local believers. He concludes "perhaps to God the details are not important. But to man, the interactions of God in human history are worthy of record. And now in Egypt, there is one more."

We wish all our Orthodox friends a blessed Easter and all readers a pleasant reading of a most interesting text that shows that traditions are not static but continue to develop. Read more here.

Cairo, April 28, 2016

Cornelis Hulsman,

Editor-in-Chief Arab-West Report