Title: 1) Adjunct Lecturer; 2) Adjunct Lecturer
Company: 1) St. Athanasius and St. Cyril Theological School; 2) University of Divinity
Location: Los Angeles, California, United States
Hany N. Takla, Adjunct Lecturer at St. Athanasius and St. Cyril Theological School and Adjunct Lecturer at University of Divinity, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements, and leadership in Coptic Studies.
Mr. Takla has established a distinguished career as a leading authority in Coptic studies, recognized for his expertise in the language, the Bible, literature, liturgical services and the manuscripts of Coptic Egypt. Since 2015, he has been an adjunct lecturer at St. Athanasius and St. Cyril Theological School in Anaheim, California. Since 2022, he has also contributed to the University of Divinity in Australia as an adjunct lecturer. He has also been serving as a co-editor-in-chief at Claremont Graduate University and, in the same role, at the Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia, a project hosted by Claremont Graduate University that provides comprehensive resources on Coptic heritage, since 2022.
Earlier academic positions Mr. Takla has held include adjunct assistant teaching professor at the University of Notre Dame from 2022 to 2023 and lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles, between 2008 and 2011, where he taught Coptic Language in the Near Eastern languages and cultures department.
Before pivoting into higher education and Coptic studies, Mr. Takla worked as a structural engineering associate at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the largest municipal utility in the United States, from 1981 to 2011. During this two-decade-long period, he was instrumental in developing Microsoft Access applications for the department.
Mr. Talka’s academic background includes a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1978, and a Master of Arts in Coptic studies from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, earned in 2007. Mr. Takla is recognized as a California-certified civil engineer.
Mr. Takla’s professional affiliations reflect his standing in both engineering and Coptic studies communities. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Research Center in Egypt, the Canadian Association for Coptic Studies, the International Association of Coptic Studies and the Society of Biblical Literature. He is also a life member of the American Society of Papyrologists and a fellow of the St. Shenouda the Archimandrite Coptic Society. Previously, Mr. Takla served as the secretary of the 11th International Congress of Coptic Studies for the International Association of Coptic Studies from 2012 to 2016.
Lauded for a prolific scholarly output, Mr. Takla has authored or contributed to more than 100 articles on various aspects of Coptic studies, many published in book form and some available online. Notable works include “Coptic Civilization: Two Thousand Years of Christianity in Egypt” and “Christianity and Monasticism,” both published by The American University in Cairo Press.
Beyond his primary work, Mr. Takla’s civic engagement has been extensive. In addition to serving as the head of the scientific advisory board for the Saint Mark Foundation for Coptic Studies and volunteering at his church, he has been the founding president of the St. Shenouda the Archimandrite Coptic Society since 1979, an organization dedicated to preserving the Christian heritage of Egypt among the global Coptic diaspora. Over the course of 45 years, Mr. Takla has managed the society’s operations, conducted original research on manuscripts and overseen multiple libraries, including a manuscript library with more than 320 manuscripts and thousands of digital images from collections worldwide. His leadership has been instrumental in reassembling and compiling the Coptic Bible, making it accessible on mobile devices for the first time, and in pioneering advancements in Coptic Bible studies from the late 20th century to the present. Additionally, since 1992, Mr. Takla has been the director of the St. Shenouda Center for Coptic Studies, where he continues to guide research and educational initiatives. He has also served as director of the St. Shenouda Coptic Cultural Museum since 2014, furthering public understanding of Coptic history and culture.
Mr. Takla’s forthcoming Festschrift in his honor is scheduled for publication by Brill Publishers in November 2025. This volume will feature approximately 25 articles contributed by 30 collaborators from multiple countries, recognizing his pioneering role in Coptic Bible studies and his impact on the field. Mr. Takla’s career is further distinguished by an Excellence Award from Macquarie University, underscoring his commitment to scholarship.
Attributing his achievements to divine guidance, which he regards as a guiding force throughout his career, Mr. Takla aims to build a group capable of continuing his mission to preserve and promote Coptic heritage. He seeks to expand access to primary-source manuscripts and to make additional Coptic texts available electronically for broader public use. Furthermore, Mr. Takla plans to document his work through textbooks for his classes and create a comprehensive manual for Coptic studies covering literature and history, emphasizing Egypt’s two millennia of Christian tradition and its central role in theological development.
For more information, please visit:
St. Shenouda the Archimandrite Coptic Society
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