This historical fiction novel describes the life of the Coptic Christians a century after the Arab conquest of Egypt. It is being published posthumously, from the Egyptian author Iris Habib El-Masry (1910-1994), known for her "Story of the Coptic Church," the first comprehensive book on Coptic history that follows a modern historical approach.

This novel follows Guirguis, the protagonist of this novel, who was commanded by his brother to be a "torchbearer" in the community he lived in, thus fulfilling Christ''s commandment to be a "light unto the world." The setting of this novel, as well as the historical circumstances, are based on real facts.

Guirguis lived in eighth-century Egypt, during the reign of the ruthless Muslim Caliph, Marwan II of Umayyad (reigned from 744-750). Although very little is known and said about eighth-century Egypt, especially about the Copts who lived during that dark time, El-Masry brilliantly portrays all of the monumental scenes and brings to life names that would have long been forgotten in history.

Format Häftad Omfång 218 sidor Språk Engelska Förlag St. Mary & St. Moses Abbey Press Utgivningsdatum 2022-07-14 ISBN 9781939972491