The present volume is a grammatical checklist of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences encountered in the oeuvre of Shenute, the illustrious Coptic writer who lived and worked in the late fourth and the first half of the fifth century. The chrestomathy is organized according to grammatical features, each richly illustrated by examples. The volume aims to replace traditional manuals of Sahidic Coptic such as grammars and textbooks.

The author estimates that the chrestomathy will allow the student to acquire a basic knowledge of Sahidic Coptic in about forty weeks, spending four to six hours per week in the study of the language. The book is designed for self-teaching but can also be employed by a teacher as supporting material in conjunction with other didactic tools. The body of the chrestomathy, that is, the catalogue of examples, consists of a general outline of the Coptic grammatical system, topics in advanced syntax, and short extracts of increasing difficulty. Each part is subdivided into units and sub-units. A typical sub-unit contains a selection of examples illustrating a grammatical feature and is headed by explanatory notes and references to the relevant paragraphs in standard Coptic grammars. The sources of all the examples are identified between parentheses. The book concludes with the requisite tools: tables with grammatical paradigms, a grammatical and a lexical glossary, some items of bibliography, and indexes of grammatical terms.