The illuminated domes of Zeitoun
Original Book Title: قباب الزيتون المنيرة
Author Name: Fr. Bishoy Fayek Youssef, Priest of the Church of the Virgin Mary in Zeitoun since 1994 until the present time.
Publisher Name: N/A
Publication Year: 2755/2021
Book Language: Arabic
ISBN: 978-977-8572-5-0
Book Description:
This book explores an important question that lingers in the minds of many, Why did the Blessed Virgin Mary appear at the Church of Zeitoun in April 1968? The author draws attention to the importance of not limiting the answer to a single purpose, such as comforting the people of Egypt for not being able to visit the holy places in Jerusalem due to the Six-Day War in 1967.
The author outlines a method for investigating the answer to this question, which is to search for the spiritual and faith-based outcomes of the apparition. He affirms that these outcomes themselves constitute a sufficient and complete answer to this important question.
Purpose of the Book:
To derive the spiritual messages behind the apparition of the Virgin on April 2, 1968, at her church in Zeitoun. Based on the author’s belief that Heaven’s concern for the salvation of human souls holds the highest priority. Accordingly, the Church must seek out the spiritual lessons behind the apparition, which affirm the soundness of the Church’s faith in God and encourage people to focus on heavenly matters.
Contents of the Book:
The book contains many spiritual meditations that reveal the spiritual beauty of the Virgin, the Mother of Light, who was presented by Heaven to humanity in 1968, above the domes of her church in Zeitoun, as an example, a helper, an intercessor, and a merciful and powerful mother.
The book also includes meditations on every form or posture in which the Virgin appeared, as described by eyewitnesses, in the light of Evangelical doctrinal beliefs and the deep spiritual meanings behind them.
It further draws the reader’s attention to the symbolism and meaning of the spiritual phenomena that accompanied the apparition; such as the sudden light emanating above the domes, the luminous dove-like forms, the clouds of fragrant incense, or the stars appearing above the church’s domes, all interpreted in light of similar events in both the Old and New Testaments.
The book also reveals the harmony and consistency between the forms and postures of the apparition, the spiritual phenomena that occurred during the appearances, and the Church’s doctrinal and theological teachings. This encourages believers to hold steadfastly to their faith and doctrines. As the author states:
“People were able to recognize the Virgin, the Mother of Light, with ease when she appeared upon the domes in her church in Zeitoun on April 2, 1968, because she appeared to them in a form consistent with their faith and beliefs… We cannot speak of the apparition of the Virgin at the Church of Zeitoun, its features, significance, and purpose, separately from the personality of the Virgin as we have come to know her through the Holy Bible, the teachings of the Church and the handed-down Patristic tradition, or the liturgical prayers of the Church.”
