Who wrote the Kiahk hymn “Oh Mary”?

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CopticBot.ai · Accepted Answer

The Kiahk hymn “Oh Mary,” also known as “O Mary, O Mary” or “Ya Maryam, Ya Maryam,” is widely attributed to St. Hegumen Michael El-Bahery, a disciple of Saint Anba Abram, Bishop of Fayoum.

In the Coptic Orthodox tradition, the hymns of the month of Ⲕⲟⲓⲁϩⲕ (Kiahk), specifically those found in the ⲑⲉⲟⲧⲟⲕⲓⲁ (Theotokia) and the ⲙⲟⲇⲓⲁ (Midnight Praises), are primarily attributed to St. Venantius (known in the Coptic tradition as Anba Psote or sometimes associated with the compositions of St. Ephrem the Syrian and the scholars of the Rite of the Church of Alexandria). However, the specific and beloved Kiahk praise "O Mary, O Mary" (known in Arabic as Ya Maryam, Ya Maryam) is a more contemporary poetic composition (a Tarh or Madih) widely attributed to St. Hegumen Michael El-Bahery (1848–1923), a prominent disciple of Saint Anba Abram, the Bishop of Fayoum. St. Michael El-Bahery was a prolific writer of Coptic melodies and praises who sought to deepen the people's attachment to the ⲑⲉⲟⲧⲟⲕⲟⲥ (Theotokos—Mother of God) through accessible yet theologically rich language. In the broader liturgical sense, the core texts of the Kiahk praises—the Seven Theotokias—have their roots in the early centuries of the Alexandrian Church, refined by the Desert Fathers to defend the miaphysite Christology defined by St. Cyril of Alexandria, which emphasizes the "One Nature of God the Word Incarnate." These hymns serve to confirm that the Virgin is truly the Mother of God, contrary to the Nestorian heresy.

Who wrote the Kiahk hymn “Oh Mary”?

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