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Lament of the Virgin (Lament of Mary)

Lamentatio Virginis (CPC 0987; editor's title) · Anonymous (attributed to Cyriacus of Behnesa in the Coptic tradition) · Coptic witnesses: London BL Or. 7027 (before 1004), Paris BnF Copte 129.17 fols. 37-38, S… · apocryphon · CMCL cc0987; ECCA 817; CANT 74

Coptic · domain: biblical-apocryphal · researched 2026-11-13

partial / older only. An English translation exists but is partial or older than the critical edition. The gap is a modern, complete translation from the original. A rendering of a daughter version does not count here: it is recorded on the dossier of the text it actually translates.

Why this is in the register

NASSCAL e-Clavis (ECCA 817, CANT 74) lists as English only Mingana's translation of the Coptic Paris fragment ('The Lament of the Virgin', Woodbrooke Studies 2, 1928, translation pp. 182-210, with 'translation of Paris Copte 129 17, pp. 179-81') and Layton's partial translation of London Or. 7027 (Catalogue of Coptic Literary Manuscripts in the British Library, 1987, pp. 111-12) (https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-christian-apocrypha/lament-of-the-virgin/). The main Coptic witnesses therefore have no complete English translation; Lacau 1904 (text pp. 15-18, French translation pp. 19-22) and Revillout 1904 remain the complete renderings, in French. Coptic Scriptorium's two TEI parts declare translation 'none'.

A monologue of the Virgin at the empty tomb, transmitted as part of the Gamaliel/Cyriacus of Behnesa complex. Coptic Scriptorium's CM 5139 leaves (702 Coptic words) are one witness; the Paris leaves edited by Lacau are another. Mingana's 1928 volume translates the Paris Coptic fragment in three pages, not the whole tradition.

Existing translations recorded

Edition / series
Fragments d'apocryphes coptes · Mémoires publiés par les membres de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale du Caire 9 · Pierre Lacau (edition with French translation) · 1904
The Lament of the Virgin · Woodbrooke Studies 2 · Alphonse Mingana (English translation of the Paris Coptic fragment, pp. 179-81) · 1928

Electronic text

Source and licence
Coptic Scriptorium · TEI XML · CC-BY 4.0
urn:cts:copticLit:misc.lament_mary.lacau_ed:55-58

Scanned witnesses

Scan search: not checked. Not searched in the scan pass: this dossier was outside the 121-work scan target set.

Harvard Hollis

Hollis query: "Lament of the Virgin" — 4 record(s); match basis author_title.

RecordCitation
Gamaliel; äthiopische Texte zur Pilatusliteratur
Oudenrijn, Marcus Antonius van den, 1890- · 1959 · ger
Oudenrijn, Marcus Antonius van den, 1890-. "Gamaliel; äthiopische Texte zur Pilatusliteratur." Freiburg, Schweiz, Universitätsverlag, 1959. https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1s5nto6/990022505700203941
1. Timothy's Apology for Christianity. 2. The lament of the Virgin. 3. The martyrdom of Pilate
Timotheus I, Patriarch of the Nestorians, -821? · 1928 · eng
Timotheus I, Patriarch of the Nestorians, -821?. "1. Timothy's Apology for Christianity. 2. The lament of the Virgin. 3. The martyrdom of Pilate." [Cambridge [Eng.] W. Hefer & Sons, Limited, 1928]. https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1s5nto6/990065870090203941
The Genres of Late Antique Christian Poetry : Between Modulations and Transpositions
· 2020 · eng
"The Genres of Late Antique Christian Poetry : Between Modulations and Transpositions." Berlin ; Boston : De Gruyter, [2020]. https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1s5nto6/99155185910703941
Woodbrooke studies : Christian documents in Syriac, Arabic, and Garshūni
Mingana, Alphonse, 1881-1937 · 1927-1934 · eng
Mingana, Alphonse, 1881-1937. "Woodbrooke studies : Christian documents in Syriac, Arabic, and Garshūni." Cambridge [England] : W. Heffer & sons, 1927-1934. https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1s5nto6/990062329900203941

Sources checked

Cite: Tergwame, “Lament of the Virgin (Lament of Mary)” (coptic gap dossier), 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/gaps/coptic-anonymous-lament-mary