Calming the Storm is a well-known story recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In Coptic, it is called ⲡⲓϫⲓⲛⲉⲣⲉ̀ⲡⲓⲧⲓⲙⲁⲛ ⲛ̀ⲛⲓⲑⲏⲟⲩ ⲛⲉⲙⲫⲓⲟⲙ “The Rebuking of the Winds and the Sea”. ¹ The story recounts Jesus’s miraculous authority over nature while on a boat with his disciples on the Sea of Galilee.

The following is the text from Matthew 8:23–27. ² A Coptic version of John Chrysostom’s commentary on this miracle also survives, which we will explore soon.

ⲡⲓϫⲓⲛⲉⲣⲉ̀ⲡⲓⲧⲓⲙⲁⲛ ⲛ̀ⲛⲓⲑⲏⲟⲩ ⲛⲉⲙ-ⲫⲓⲟⲙ
The Rebuking of the Winds and the Sea

(23) ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲉ̀ⲧⲁϥⲁ̀ⲗⲏⲓ ⲉ̀ⲡϫⲟⲓ, ⲁⲩⲙⲟϣⲓ ⲛ̀ⲥⲱϥ ⲛ̀ϫⲉ-ⲛⲉϥⲙⲁⲑⲏⲧⲏⲥ. (24) ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲓⲥ-ⲟⲩⲛⲓϣϯ ⲙ̀ⲙⲟⲛⲙⲉⲛ ⲁϥϣⲱⲡⲓ ϧⲉⲛ-ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ϩⲱⲥⲧⲉ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ-ⲛⲓϩⲱⲓⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲧⲟⲩϩⲱⲃⲥ ⲙ̀ⲡⲓϫⲟⲓ. ⲛ̀ⲑⲟϥ-ⲇⲉ ⲛⲁϥⲛ̀ⲕⲟⲧ-ⲡⲉ. (25) ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲁⲩⲛⲉϩⲥⲓ ⲙ̀ⲙⲟϥ, ⲉⲩϫⲱ ⲙ̀ⲙⲟⲥ ϫⲉ-«ⲡ⳪︦, ⲛⲁϩⲙⲉⲛ! ⲧⲉⲛⲛⲁⲧⲁⲕⲟ!»

(23) And having boarded the boat, his disciples followed him. (24) And behold — a great tempest arose in the sea so that the waves covered the boat. But he was asleep. (25) And they woke him, saying: “Lord, save us! We’re going to perish!”

(26) ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲡⲉϫⲁϥ ⲛⲱⲟⲩ ϫⲉ-«ⲉⲑⲃⲉⲟⲩ ⲧⲉⲧⲉⲛϣⲟⲗϩ ⲛ̀ϩⲏⲧ, ⲛⲁ-ⲡⲓⲕⲟⲩϫⲓ ⲛ̀ⲛⲁϩϯ?» ⲧⲟⲧⲉ ⲉ̀ⲧⲁϥⲧⲱⲛϥ, ⲁϥⲉⲣⲉ̀ⲡⲓⲧⲓⲙⲁⲛ ⲛ̀ⲛⲓⲑⲏⲟⲩ ⲛⲉⲙ-ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲁⲥϣⲱⲡⲓ ⲛ̀ϫⲉ-ⲟⲩⲛⲓϣϯ ⲛ̀ϫⲁⲙⲏ.

(26) And he said to them: “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then having got up, he rebuked the winds and the sea and a great calm arose.

(27) ⲛⲓⲣⲱⲙⲓ-ⲇⲉ ⲛⲁⲩⲉⲣϣⲫⲏⲣⲓ, ⲉⲩϫⲱ ⲙ̀ⲙⲟⲥ ϫⲉ-«ⲟⲩⲁϣ ⲛ̀ⲣⲏϯ-ⲡⲉ ⲫⲁⲓ? ⲛⲓⲑⲏⲟⲩ ⲛⲉⲙ-ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲥⲉⲥⲱⲧⲉⲙ ⲛⲁϥ!»

(27) And the men were amazed, saying: “What sort of man is this? The winds and the sea obey him!”

Selected notes

(23–24) ⲡϫⲟⲓ… ⲡⲓϫⲟⲓ. This passage clearly illustrates the key distinction between the weak definite article ⲡ‑ (singular masculine) and the strong definite article ⲡⲓ‑ (singular masculine). The weak definite article ⲡ‑ is used here to introduce the boat into the narrative for the first time, as there is no prior mention of a boat in the preceding text. This usage is permissible because the context of the scene allows for the assumption of a generic boat—similar to how, in English, one might say, “We went surfing yesterday; the waves were amazing” (an example of exophoric reference). However, if the existence of a boat could not have been reasonably inferred from the context (consider the nonsensical English sentence, “We went surfing yesterday; the book was long”), an existential construction with the indefinite article ⲟⲩ‑ (singular) would be required to introduce it into the narrative. For example, one might say ⲟⲩⲟⲛ-ⲟⲩϫⲟⲓ, “There was a boat…”. Once the boat has been introduced and established in the discourse, subsequent references to it employ the strong definite article ⲡⲓ‑ to refer back to it (an example of anaphoric reference), as in ⲡⲓϫⲟⲓ “the [previously mentioned] boat.” For a comprehensive discussion of these two definite articles in Bohairic, see Shisha-Halevy (2007: §3.5).

(24) ⲓⲥ- is a presentative marker. When used in narrative (as opposed to dialogue), it introduces and highlights the narrative foreground (Müller, 2021: §11.2; Shisha-Halevy, 2007: §2.0.3). In this instance, ⲓⲥ-ⲟⲩⲛⲓϣϯ ⲙ̀ⲙⲟⲛⲙⲉⲛ ⲁϥϣⲱⲡⲓ… highlights the tempest as the context for the ensuing events. It is often rendered ‘behold,’ ‘listen’ or ‘look’. Since ⲓⲥ- also has a deictic (pointing) function, a more precise translation might be: “And this great tempest arose…”

ϩⲱⲥⲧⲉ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ-ⲛⲓϩⲱⲓⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲧⲟⲩϩⲱⲃⲥ ⲙ̀ⲡⲓϫⲟⲓ. The construction ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ-[noun phrase] + ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ⸗[suffix pronoun]-[verb] is rare; both the prenominal (ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ-) and preprepositional (ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ⸗) conjunction conjugation base occur together. This construction is most frequently encountered with the past conjugation (ⲁ̀-/ⲁ⸗) and the optative conjugation (ⲉ̀ⲣⲉ-/ⲉ⸗ⲉ̀-). Shisha-Halevy (2007: 111, 126–128, 192 n. 3) classifies these as nexus topicalisations, where the entire nexus—not just the noun phrase (i.e. ⲛⲓϩⲱⲓⲙⲓ)—is marked as the topic. In the Pentateuch corpus studied by Shisha-Halevy, this construction is particularly associated with marking the culmination of preceding events with the past conjugation or emphasised divine pronouncements with the optative conjugation.

ⲛ̀ⲑⲟϥ-ⲇⲉ ⲛⲁϥⲛ̀ⲕⲟⲧ-ⲡⲉ. There is the variant ⲛⲁϥⲉⲛⲕⲟⲧ-ⲡⲉ in some manuscripts, which suggests the syllabification /na.fənˈkot.pe/ rather than /naf.n̩ˈkot.pe/. From Horner’s apparatus (1898: 58), it seems that the variant occurs in this verse in manuscripts copied in Cairo from around 1250 AD. However, as it also occurs widely elsewhere, further detailed research is required to determine the origins and development of this feature.

(27) ⲟⲩⲁϣ ⲛ̀ⲣⲏϯ-ⲡⲉ ⲫⲁⲓ? This is a three-member nominal sentence, which literally means “He is which/what sort, this one/man?”

Featured image

The image is from the Illustrated Bible of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Bertin in Saint-Omer, France. It is dated 1190-1200 AD and is currently held at Koninklijke Bibliotheek at The Hague (MS 76 F 5, fol. 14r).

The composition seamlessly integrates both parts of the story into a single scene. On the left, Jesus is shown asleep on a cushion in the stern—a detail from Mark 4:38—while his disciples, engulfed by towering waves, desperately try to wake him. On the right, Jesus, now awake, stands after rebuking the wind and the sea, with the waters below visibly calmed in response to his command.

References

• Horner, George William. The Coptic Version of the New Testament in the Northern Dialect. Vol. 1. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1898.
• Lagarde, Paul de. Catenae in Evangelia Aegyptiacae quae supersunt. Göttingen, 1886.
• Müller, Matthias. Grammatik des Bohairischen. Hamburg: Widmaier Verlag, 2021.
• Shisha-Halevy, Ariel. Topics in Coptic Syntax: Structural Studies in the Bohairic Dialect. Leuven: Peeters, 2007.

Footnotes

1. This title comes from a Bohairic translation of John Chrysostom’s commentary on this miracle, whose subtitle is given as ⲉⲑⲃⲉⲡⲓϫⲓⲛⲉⲣⲉ̀ⲡⲓⲧⲓⲙⲁⲛ ⲛ̀ⲛⲓⲑⲏⲟⲩ ⲛⲉⲙⲫⲓⲟⲙ “Concerning the Rebuking of the Winds and the Sea” (Lagarde, 1886: 22). ↩︎
2. The Bohairic text follows Horner’s critical edition (1898: 56-9). The same episode is found in Mark 4:35-41 and Luke 8:22-25. ↩︎