Mariam F. Ayad is an associate professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo. In 2020–2021 she was a visiting associate professor of Women’s Studies and Near Eastern Religions and a research associate of Harvard Divinity School’s Women’s Studies in Religion Program. She is the author of God’s Wife, God’s Servant: The God’s Wife of Amun (c. 740–525 BC), and the editor of Studies in Coptic Culture: Transmission and Interaction (AUC Press, 2016) and Women in Ancient Egypt: Revisiting Power, Agency, and Autonomy (AUC Press, 2022).
"""This book masterfully connects historical as well as contemporary stories that continue to weave the fabric of Coptic communities. Using deeply human and recognizable themes, the different chapters focus on topics such as the role of women, how people survived times of poverty and persecution, and how Church leaders envisioned the ideal Christian society or tried to combat social injustice, corruption, and poverty. The different contributions form a testimony to the vibrancy of Coptic life, within and outside the Church.""--Nelly van Doorn-Harder, Wake Forest University"