Publications

Publications

Books & Scholarly Writing

A catalogue of my books in print, under contract, and forthcoming, together with scholarly articles and translations. Works are listed in reverse chronological order. Where a book is available for purchase, a link to the publisher or vendor is included beneath its description.

Books

Front cover of The Ascent of the Spirit

The Ascent of the Spirit

An Annotated and Expanded Edition of Pope Shenouda III’s The Release of the Spirit

The first complete English translation of one of Pope Shenouda III’s major spiritual works, presented with a substantial scholarly apparatus. The volume includes over five hundred footnotes, Arabic-language introductions from each of the four historical editions, and an extended introduction situating the work within the twentieth-century Coptic theological landscape, with particular attention to the tradition’s engagement with theosis. With a Foreword by Rev. Dr. Tim Vivian.

Translated by Mena Basta · Gorgias Press, 2026 · Forthcoming

Pre-order from Gorgias Press →

The Book of the Holy Psalter

According to the Coptic Rite, Along with the Book of the Hours

The first English translation of the Coptic Psalter from the Bohairic, presented in its full liturgical setting as it is actually prayed in the Coptic Orthodox Church. The volume gathers the 151 psalms, the 24 odes, the canon of the Ajpia, and the canon of the Kathisma, together with appendices for the supporting material used in daily and festal prayer. It is intended as a practical and scholarly resource for readers who want the Psalter as the Coptic tradition has received and transmitted it.

Translated by Mena Basta · St. Mary and St. Moses Abbey Press, 2026 · Forthcoming

Ordering details will be added upon release.

Cover forthcoming Book of the
Holy Psalter
Front cover of Golden Channels

Golden Channels

Blessed Writings of St. Pope Kyrillos VI

An English translation of the blessed writings of St. Pope Kyrillos VI (1902–1971), one of the most venerated figures in modern Coptic spirituality. The volume brings his letters, prayers, and spiritual counsel into English, with a Foreword by Metropolitan Serapion and a Preface by Bishop Kyrillos.

Translated by Mena Basta · ACTS Press, 2026

Order from ACTS Press →

The Coptic Hymnal

A Working Hymnal for Chanters and Parishes

A practical hymnal compiled from the repertoire of the Coptic Orthodox Church, arranged for use by chanters, choruses, and parish communities. The volume gathers the hymns of the Divine Liturgy, the Psalmody, and the feasts of the liturgical year in a single accessible edition.

Self-published, 2024

Order on Amazon →

Front cover of The Coptic Hymnal
Front cover of Virginal Birth and Divine Manifestation, Book One: Nativity Feast
Book One · Nativity Feast
Front cover of Virginal Birth and Divine Manifestation, Book Two: Epiphany Feast
Book Two · Epiphany Feast

Virginal Birth and Divine Manifestation

Book One (Nativity Feast) & Book Two (Epiphany Feast)

An English translation of a two-volume work by Fr. Athanasius al-Maqari on the Nativity and the Epiphany in the Coptic tradition, drawing on patristic, liturgical, and iconographic sources. The first volume treats the theology of the Virginal Birth; the second treats the Divine Manifestation as celebrated at Epiphany.

Translated by Mena Basta · Theology Academy, 2024

Book One on Amazon →  ·  Book Two on Amazon →

Articles & Chapters

  • “Tree Trunks, Streams, and Veins: Rethinking How To Map Denominational History in Teaching Christianity”

In Progress

Several translations of patristic and liturgical texts from the Coptic and Arabic traditions are currently in progress, alongside continuing critical edition and manuscript work. Specific titles will be announced as they near completion. The dissertation on the Copto-Arabic Synaxarium, my central academic project at Claremont Graduate University, is also in progress.