Paus Shenouda III: Paus van de bijbel

Dit is een bericht dat het Egyptische bijbelgenootschap over de vandaag begraven Paus Shenouda III van de Koptische Orthodoxe Kerk rondstuurde:

A young Egyptian man was walking by the Bible Society bookshop in downtown Cairo. As was his daily habit, he stopped to read the passage from the open page of the Bible in the display window. That day the following verses struck him:

So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you." (John 12:35)

This was God’s call for him to enter Christian ministry and serve the Lord. Upon completing his undergraduate studies, he entered seminary, and eventually in 1971, he became Pope Shenouda III, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and spiritual leader to millions of Egyptian Christians (who are half of Arabic-speaking Christians in the world). Nearly seventy years since that day in 1945, Pope Shenouda III, is now hearing the words, "Well done thou good and faithful servant."  

Over the years Shenouda III was nicknamed “the Pope of the Bible” because of his incredible love for the Scriptures and passion to teach, preach, memorize and promote the Bible as the foundation of the Christian faith and the focal point of the believer’s life.

One of the main reasons for the rapid growth and expansion of Bible work in Egypt during the past 40 years was the hunger and thirst for the Scriptures which Pope Shenouda fostered in the Coptic Orthodox Church.