I now have about 10 years learning classical languages. First I learnt Pali and now am teaching Pali for Buddhist monks/nuns and laypeople. I could read biblical Latin, Greek, Old English fluently and improving my Syriac skills. By chance I know about Coptic Sahidic which seems very interesting for me, but I have not much time and being busy for my Syriac. Syriac is good but seems a little bit simple in terms of syntax compared with Latin or Greek. So I wonder if I should abadon Syriac for Coptic otherwise; cause the syntax of Coptic is apparently complex with many more formulas. Is that right? What should I do? Please help, all dear!
I too am learning Pali, primarily to learn about the Buddadhamma.
So one of the reasons I am studyng Coptic is to read the Gnostic Gospels because of their similarity to Buddhist teachings. Also, I would like to read some of the magical papyri and also to study the hieroglyphs eventually…
So once you figure out what your want to read, that can be a guide.
I am a Buddhist of Theravada, so that why I chose to learn Pali. And the reason for my studying Latin, Greek, Syriac etc is also my religion. I want to learn scientific/language/research methods from those fields and until now I can say with confidence my study-direction bears many fruits. Compared with Latin or Greek, Pali is just a minor field with much less scholars active within it. So there are many rooms for applying from the West; for example: there are many instances of rhetoric within the Pali Canon, but no special Pali documents/textbooks mentioning about it - according to my knowledge until now - and I have learnt about the rhetoric topic from Latin and Greek.
Thanks so much, anyway, I still feel Coptic very interesting!
