Bentley Layton, the pre-eminent scholar of his generation of the late ancient Egyptian language, Coptic, died on March 26 at his home in New Haven from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 83.

For the 10 million Coptic Christians of Ethiopia, one of the spiritual high points of the year is the feast of St. Gabriel the Archangel. Last week 100,000 pilgrims made their way to the shrine of St.