32 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 32 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 32 pagesAbout this book
How does a community find hope when its visions of the future are filled with war, hardship and judgment?
The Apocalypse of Shenoute presents an ancient Coptic vision of coming rulers, invasions and final judgment. It carries the name of Shenoute of Atripe, the strict abbot of the White Monastery in Upper Egypt. Scholars generally regard it as the work of a later writer speaking in his name.
Within its visions, the troubles of Egyptian Christians become part of a larger religious story. Angels and demons, repentance and moral discipline give suffering a spiritual frame. Valued especially in monastic settings, the text reveals how communities understand danger and sustain hope, though it stands outside the biblical canon of the major churches.
What you’ll discover
- A future under threat Follow visions of rulers, wars and hardship that place Egypt’s Christian communities under pressure.
- Judgment and moral choice Explore how the text connects final judgment with repentance and the consequences of sin.
- The demands of discipline Encounter an uncompromising monastic ideal shaped by fasting, prayer and resistance to temptation.
- A respected holy name Consider why a later writer places these revelations under the authority of Shenoute.
- Hope amid suffering Discover how apocalyptic visions give ancient communities a way to understand a changing world.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this if you love early Christian visions, Egyptian monasteries, ancient judgment scenes, Coptic literature, or voices from late antiquity that speak of justice and hope.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Shenoute was a fighter, not a recluse
- His world was shaken by faith, taxes, and famine
- Apocalyptic writing was an inherited tradition he reshaped
- Prophecy offers a way of seeing, not a timetable
- A shining angel holds back the water
- The soul of a presbyter is seized and judged
- A monk's sentence and the light after the assembly
- The testament asks that torn garments be kept
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Apocalypse of Shenoute
by Attributed to Shenoute the Archimandrite
A shining angel holds back the water while men below weep, and a soul is dragged west in chains of fire.
ChallengingUnder 2 hours to readEnglish
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“There is no creature that exists apart from the foreknowledge of God, for everything is guided by the ordinance of God and his angels.”
In short
What would it be like to watch a soul dragged from a dying body by angels with smoke pouring from their mouths? That is one of the scenes in the Apocalypse of Shenoute, a set of visions and a testament from Christian Egypt in the fifth century.
Apocalypse of Shenoute at a glance
- Reading time
- About 15 min15 min fast, 20 min slow
- Length
- 3,940 words
- Pages
- 32 pages32 in large print
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
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Listen freeOr hold it in print: paperback, hardcover or large print, at costFrom the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Shenoute was a fighter, not a recluse
The first thing to know is the man. Shenoute was born around 347 in Upper Egypt and rose to lead the White Monastery federation near Sohag. Thousands of nuns and monks may have lived there at its peak. He was not a quiet figure who slipped away from the world to pray in peace.
He confronted corrupt landowners, challenged those he judged to be heretics, and attended the Council of Ephesus in 431. His letters, sermons, and community rules fill many volumes. His voice is passionate, poetic, and relentless.
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A shining angel holds back the water while men below weep, and a soul is dragged west in chains of fire.
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Details
- Language
- English
- Listening time
- 32 min
- Level
- Challenging
- Paperback
- 32 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Large print paperback
- 32 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Delivery and returns
- Printed when you order. Usually here in 12 to 14 days.Arrives Fri 13 Nov to Thu 19 Novto United States, printed for you at cost
For Christmas, order by Thu 12 Nov
Cite this edition
Shenoute. Apocalypse of Shenoute. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-apocalypse-of-shenoute.
Shenoute. (2026). Apocalypse of Shenoute. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-apocalypse-of-shenoute
Shenoute. Apocalypse of Shenoute. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-apocalypse-of-shenoute.
@book{shenoute2026apocalypse,
author = {Shenoute},
title = {Apocalypse of Shenoute},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-apocalypse-of-shenoute}
}
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What is the Apocalypse of Shenoute about?
It gathers visions and a testament linked to the Egyptian abbot Shenoute. They show an angel controlling the waters, souls judged after death, and a leader's final charge to his community, all centered on divine justice.
Who was Shenoute of Atripe?
Shenoute was born around 347 in Upper Egypt and led the White Monastery federation near Sohag. He wrote sermons and letters in Coptic, confronted landowners, and attended the Council of Ephesus in 431.
What language was the Apocalypse of Shenoute written in?
It survives in Coptic, the language of Christian Egypt. Shenoute's writings are preserved in scattered fragments in many collections worldwide, and scholars have worked for over a century to assemble and translate them.
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