DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12664#0194
AN ARAB CHRISTIAN PRIEST. 183
and its professors persecuted and despised, to know
and feel how strong a tie it is.
After exchanging our greetings outside, the
priest led the way to the church. I do not know
whether it was a customary thing, or done specially
in honour of me (Paul said the latter), but at any
rate he immediately lighted up the edifice, and
slipping over his frock a dirty white gown with a
large red cross down the back, commenced the
service of the mass. His appearance and manner
were extremely interesting, and very different
from those of the priest 1 had seen at Esneh. His
fine head, his noble expression, his earnestness, his
simplicity, his apparent piety, his long black beard
and mustaches, his mean apparel and naked feet,
all gave him the primitive aspect of an apostle.
He was assisted by a dirty, ragged, barefooted
boy, who followed him round with a censer of in-
cense, vigorously perfuming the church from time
to time, and then climbing up a stand, holding on
by his naked feet, and reading a lesson from the
thumbed, torn, and tattered leaves of an Arabic
Bible. There were but three persons present be-
sides myself; poor, ignorant people, far astray, no
doubt, from the path of true Christianity, but wor-
shipping in all honesty and sincerity, according to
the best light they had, the God of their fathers.
The priest went through many long and unmean-
ing forms, which I did not understand, but I had
seen things quite as incomprehensible to me in the
splendid cathedrals of Europe, and I joined, so far
as I could, in the humble worship of these Egyp-
and its professors persecuted and despised, to know
and feel how strong a tie it is.
After exchanging our greetings outside, the
priest led the way to the church. I do not know
whether it was a customary thing, or done specially
in honour of me (Paul said the latter), but at any
rate he immediately lighted up the edifice, and
slipping over his frock a dirty white gown with a
large red cross down the back, commenced the
service of the mass. His appearance and manner
were extremely interesting, and very different
from those of the priest 1 had seen at Esneh. His
fine head, his noble expression, his earnestness, his
simplicity, his apparent piety, his long black beard
and mustaches, his mean apparel and naked feet,
all gave him the primitive aspect of an apostle.
He was assisted by a dirty, ragged, barefooted
boy, who followed him round with a censer of in-
cense, vigorously perfuming the church from time
to time, and then climbing up a stand, holding on
by his naked feet, and reading a lesson from the
thumbed, torn, and tattered leaves of an Arabic
Bible. There were but three persons present be-
sides myself; poor, ignorant people, far astray, no
doubt, from the path of true Christianity, but wor-
shipping in all honesty and sincerity, according to
the best light they had, the God of their fathers.
The priest went through many long and unmean-
ing forms, which I did not understand, but I had
seen things quite as incomprehensible to me in the
splendid cathedrals of Europe, and I joined, so far
as I could, in the humble worship of these Egyp-