Who are the Copts? (History)
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The Copts
are the original Egyptians and the word Copt is derived from the Greek word Aegyptus, which means Ancient Egypt. Copts are considered
one of the most anthropologically pure races in the world. The modern use of the term "Coptic"
describes Egyptian Christians, as well as the last stage of the ancient
Egyptian language script. Also, it describes the distinctive art and
architecture that developed as an early expression of the new faith.
When people think of Egypt, they usually think of ancient Egypt with its pyramids. Then they jump over to the Islamic
period represented by the forest of minarets, which a person sees in Cairo today. However, in between these two extremes, there is a
modest bridge. This is considered one of the luminous periods in the history of
Egypt.
Strictly
speaking, the purely Coptic Christian period extends for about six centuries at
the dawn of the Christian era. In Egyptian history, this is a tiny fraction but
not at all insignificant. From the cultural standpoint, that short span was
epoch-making in the development of Egyptian ideas and ideals. Indeed it stands
for what is rightly called "Coptic Civilization".
The Coptic Church is based on the teachings of Saint Mark who brought
Christianity to Egypt during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero in the first
century, a dozen of years after the Lord's ascension. He was one of the four
evangelists and the one who wrote the oldest canonical gospel. Christianity
spread throughout Egypt within half a century of Saint Mark's arrival in
Alexandria as is clear from the New Testament writings found in Bahnasa, in Middle Egypt, which date around the year 200
A.D., and a fragment of the Gospel of Saint John, written using the Coptic
language, which was found in Upper Egypt and can be dated to the first half of
the second century. The Coptic Church, which is now more than nineteen
centuries old, was the subject of many prophecies in the Old Testament. Isaiah
the prophet, in Chapter 19, Verse 19 says "In that day there will be an
altar to the LORD in the midst of the land
of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD
at its border."
Although fully integrated into the body of the modern Egyptian nation, the
Copts have survived as a strong religious entity who
pride themselves on their contribution to the Christian world. The Coptic church regards itself as a strong defendant of Christian
faith. The Nicene Creed, which is recited in all churches throughout the world,
has been authored by one of its favorite sons, Saint Athanasius,
the Pope of Alexandria for 46 years, from 327 A.D. to 373 A.D. This status is
well deserved, afterall, Egypt was the refuge that
the Holy Family sought in its flight from Judea: "When he arose, he took
the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there
until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the
Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son"
[Mathew 2:12-23].
The contributions of the Coptic Church to Christendom are many. From the
beginning, it played a central role in Christian theology---and especially to
protect it from the Gnostics heresies. The Coptic Church produced thousands of
texts, biblical and theological studies which are important resources for
archeology. The Holy Bible was translated to the Coptic language in the second
century. Hundreds of scribes used to write copies of the Bible and other
liturgical and theological books. Now libraries, museums and universities
throughout the world possess hundreds and thousands of Coptic manuscripts.
The Catechetical School of Alexandria is the oldest Catechetical
School in the world. Soon after its
inception around 190 A.D. by the Christian scholar Pantanaeus,
the school of Alexandria
became the most important institution of religious learning in Christendom.
Many prominent bishops from many areas of the world were instructed in that
school under scholars such as Athenagoras, Clement, Didymus, and the great Origen,
who was considered the father of theology and who was also active in the field
of commentary and comparative Biblical studies. Origen
wrote over 6,000 commentaries of the Bible in addition to his famous Hexapla. Many scholars such as Saint
Jerome visited the school
of Alexandria to exchange ideas and
to communicate directly with its scholars. The scope of the school
of Alexandria was not limited to
theological subjects, because science, mathematics and the humanities were also
taught there: The question and answer method of commentary began there, and 15
centuries before Braille, wood-carving techniques were in use there by blind
scholars to read and write. The Theological college of
the Catechetical School of Alexandria was re-established in 1893. Today, it has
campuses in Alexandria, Cairo,
New Jersey, and Los
Angeles, where priests-to-be and other qualified men
and women are taught among other subjects Christian theology, history, Coptic
language and art---including chanting, music, iconography, tapestry etc.
Monasticism was born in Egypt
and was instrumental in the formation of the Coptic Church's character of
submission and humbleness, thanks to the teachings and writings of the Great
Fathers of Egypt's Deserts. Monasticism started in the last years of the third
century and flourished in the fourth century. Saint Anthony, the world's first
Christian monk was a Copt from Upper Egypt. Saint Pachom, who established the rules of monasticism, was a
Copt. And, Saint Paul, the world's
first anchorite is also a Copt. Other famous Coptic desert fathers include
Saint Makarios, Saint Moses the Black, and Saint Mina
the wonderous. The more contemporary desert fathers
include the late Pope Cyril VI and his disciple Bishop Mina Abba Mina. By the
end of the fourth century, there were hundreds of m ffb
onasteries, and thousands of cells and caves
scattered throughout the Egyptian hills. Many of these monasteries are still
flourishing and have new vocations till this day. All Christian monasticism
stems, either directly or indirectly, from the Egyptian example: Saint Basil, organiser of the monastic movement in Asia minor visited
Egypt around 357 A.D. and his rule is followed by the eastern Churches; Saint
Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin, came to Egypt around 400 A.D. and
left details of his experiences in his letters; Saint Benedict founded
monasteries in the sixth century on the model of Saint Pachom,
but in a stricter form. And countless pilgrims visited the "Desert
Fathers" and emulated their spiritual, disciplined lives. There is even
evidence that Copts had missionaries to Nothern
Europe. One example is Saint Moritz
of the Theban Legion who was drafted from Egypt
to serve under the Roman flag and ended up teaching Christianity to inhabitants
of the Swiss Alps, where a small town and a Monastery that contains his relics
as well as some of his books and belongings are named after him. Another saint
from the Theban Legion is Saint Victor, known among Copts as "Boktor".
Under the authority of the Eastern Roman Empire of Constantinople
(as opposed to the western empire of Rome),
the Patriarchs and Popes of Alexandria
played leading roles in Christian theology. They were invited everywhere to
speak about the Christian faith. Saint Cyril, Pope of Alexandria, was the head
of the Ecumenical Council which was held in Ephesus
in the year 430 A.D. It was said that the bishops of the Church
of Alexandria did nothing but spend
all their time in meetings. This leading role, however, did not fare well when
politics started to intermingle with Church affairs. It all started when the
Emperor Marcianus interfered with matters of faith in
the Church. The response of Saint Dioscorus, the Pope
of Alexandria who was later exiled, to this interference was clear: "You
have nothing to do with the Church." These political motives became even
more apparent in Chalcedon
in 451, when the Coptic Church was unfairly accused of following the teachings
of Eutyches, who believed in monophysitism.
This doctrine maintains that the Lord Jesus Christ has only one nature, the
divine, not two natures, the human as well as the divine.
The Coptic Church has never believed in monophysitism
the way it was portrayed in the Council of Chalcedon!
In that Council, monophysitism meant believing in one
nature. Copts believe that the Lord is perfect in His divinity, and He is
perfect in His humanity, but His divinity and His humanity were united in one
nature called "the nature of the incarnate word", which was
reiterated by Saint Cyril of Alexandria.
Copts, thus, believe in two natures "human" and "divine"
that are united in one "without mingling, without confusion, and without
alteration" (from the declaration of faith at the end of the Coptic divine
liturgy). These two natures "did not separate for a moment or the
twinkling of an eye" (also from the declaration of faith at the end of the
Coptic divine liturgy).
The Coptic Church was misunderstood in the 5th century at the Council of Chalcedon. Perhaps the Council understood the Church
correctly, but they wanted to exile the Church, to isolate it and to abolish
the Egyptian, independent Pope, who maintained that Church and State should be
separate. Despite all of this, the Coptic Church has remained very strict and
steadfast in its faith. Whether it was a conspiracy from the Western Churches
to exile the Coptic Church as a punishment for its refusal to be politically
influenced, or whether Pope Dioscurus didn't quite go
the extra mile to make the point that Copts are not monophysite, the Coptic Church has always felt a
mandate to reconcile "semantic" differences between all Christian
Churches. This is aptly expressed
by the current 117th successor of Saint Mark, Pope Shenouda
III: "To the Coptic Church, faith is more important than anyth ffb ing,
and others must know that semantics and terminology are of little importance to
us." Throughout this century, the Coptic Church has played an important
role in the ecumenical movement. The Coptic Church is one of the founders of
the World Council of Churches. It has remained a member of that council since
1948 A.D. The Coptic Church is a member of the all African Council of Churches
(AACC) and the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). The Church plays an
important role in the Christian movement by conducting dialogues aiming at
resolving the theological differences with the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox,
Presbyterian, and Evangelical Churches.
Perhaps the greatest glory of the Coptic Church is its Cross. Copts take pride
in the persecution they have sustained as early as May 8, 68 A.D., when their Patron Saint Mark was slain
on Easter Monday after being dragged from his feet by Roman soldiers all over Alexandria's
streets and alleys. The Copts have been persecuted by almost every ruler of Egypt.
Their Clergymen have been tortured and exiled even by their Christian brothers
after the schism of Chalcedon
in 451 A.D. and until the Arab's conquest of Egypt
in 641 A.D. To emphasize their pride in their cross, Copts adopted a calendar,
called the Calendar of the Martyrs, which begins its era on August 29, 284
A.D., in commemoration of those who died for their faith during the rule of
Diocletian the Roman Emperor. This calendar is still in use all over Egypt
by farmers to keep track of the various agricultural seasons and in the Coptic
Church Lectionary.
For the four centuries that followed the Arab's conquest of Egypt,
the Coptic Church generally flourished and Egypt
remained basically Christian. This is due to a large extent to the fortunate
position that the Copts enjoyed, for the Prophet of Islam, who had an Egyptian
wife (the only one of his wives to bear a child), preached especial kindness
towards Copts: "When you conquer Egypt,
be kind to the Copts for they are your proteges and
kith and kin". Copts, thus, were allowed to freely practice their religion
and were to a large degree autonomous, provided they continued to pay a special
tax, called "Gezya", that
qualifies them as "Ahl Zemma"
proteges (protected). Individuals who cannot afford
to pay this tax were faced with the choice of either converting to Islam or
losing their civil right to be "protected", which in some instances
meant being killed. Copts, despite additional sumptuary laws that were imposed
on them in 750-868 A.D. and 905-935 A.D. under the Abbasid Dynasties, prospered
and their Church enjoyed one of its most peaceful era. Surviving literature
from monastic centers, dating back from the 8th to the 11th century, shows no
drastic break in the activities of Coptic craftsmen, such as weavers,
leather-binders, painters, and wood-workers. Throughout that period, the Coptic
language remained the language of the land, and it was not until the second
half of the 11th century that the first bi-lingual Coptic-Arabic liturgical
manuscripts started to appear. One of the first complete Arabic texts is the
13th century text by Awlaad El-Assal
(children of the Honey Maker), in which the laws, cultural norms and traditions
of the Copts at this pivotal time, 500 years after the Islamic conquest of
Egypt were detailed. The adoption of the Arabic language as the language used
in Egyptians' every-day's life was so slow that even in the 15th century al-Makrizi implied that the Coptic Language was still largely
in use. Up to this day, the Coptic Language continues to be the liturgical
language of the Church.
The Christian face of Egypt
started to change by the beginning of the second millennium A.D., when Copts,
in addition to the "Gezya" tax, suffered
from specific disabilities, some of which were serious and interfered with
their freedom of worship. For example, there were restrictions on repairing old
Churches and building new ones, on testifying in court, on public behavior, on
adoption, on inheritance, on ffb public religious
activities, and on dress codes. Slowly but steadily, by the end of the 12th
century, the face of Egypt changed from a predominantly Christian to a
predominantly Muslim country and the Coptic community occupied an inferior
position and lived in some expectation of Muslim hostility, which periodically
flared into violence. It is remarkable that the well-being of Copts was more or
less related to the well-being of their rulers. In particular, the Copts
suffered most in those periods when Arab dynasties were at their low.
The position of the Copts began to improve early in the 19th century under the
stability and tolerance of Muhammad Ali's dynasty. The Coptic community ceased
to be regarded by the state as an administrative unit and, by 1855 A.D., the
main mark of Copts' inferiority, the "Gezya"
tax was lifted, and shortly thereafter Copts started to serve in the Egyptian
army. The 1919 A.D. revolution in Egypt,
the first grassroots dispaly of Egyptian identity in
centuries, stands as a witness to the homogeneity of Egypt's
modern society with both its Muslim and Coptic sects. Today, this homogeneity
is what keeps the Egyptian society united against the religious intolerance of
extremist groups, who occasionaly subject the Copts
to persecution and terror. Modern day martyrs, like Father Marcos Khalil, serve as reminders of the miracle of Coptic
survival.
Despite persecution, the Coptic Church as a religious institution has never
been controlled or allowed itself to control the governments in Egypt.
This long-held position of the Church concerning the separation between State
and Religion stems from the words of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, when he
asked his followers to submit to their rulers: ``Render therefore to Caesar the
things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.'' [Mathew
22:21]. The Coptic Church has never forcefully resisted authorities or invaders
and was never allied with any powers, for the words of the Lord Jesus Christ
are clear: ``Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will
perish by the sword.'' (Mathew 26:52). The miraculous survival of the Coptic
Church till this day and age is a living proof of the validity and wisdom of
these teachings.
Today [as of the writing of this document in 1992 A.D.], there are over 9
million Copts (out of a population of some 57 million Egyptians) who pray and
share communion in daily masses in thousands of Coptic Churches in Egypt.
This is in addition to another 1.2 million emmigrant
Copts who practice their faith in hundreds of churches in the United
States, Canada,
Australia, Britain,
France, Germany,
Austria, Holland,
Brazil, and many other
countries in Africa and Asia.
Inside Egypt Copts live in every province and in no one of these provinces are
they a majority. Their cultural, historical, and spiritual treasures are spread
all over Egypt,
even in its most remote oasis, the Kharga Oasis, deep
in the western desert. As individuals, Copts have reached prestigious academic
and professional stature all over the world. One such individual is Dr. Boutros
Boutros Ghali the Sixth
United Nations Secretary-General (1992-1997). Another is Dr. Magdy Yacoub one of the world's
most famous heart surgeons.
Copts observe seven canonical sacraments: Baptism, Christmation
(Confirmation), Eucharist, Confession (Penance), Orders, Matrimony, and Unction
of the sick. Baptism is performed few weeks after birth by immersing the whole
body of the newborn into especially consecrated water three times. Confirmation
is performed immediately after Baptism. Regular confession with a personal
priest, called the father of confession, is necessary to receive the Eucharist.
It is customary for a whole family to pick the same priest as a father of
confession, thus, making of that priest a family counselor. Of all seven sacrements, only Matrimony cannot be performed during a
fasting season. Polygamy is illegal, even if recognized by the civil law of the
land. Divorce is ffb not allowed except in the case
of adultery, annulment due to bigamy, or other extreme circumstances, which
must be reviewed by a special council of Bishops. Divorce can be requested by
either husband or wife. Civil divorce is not recognized by the Church. The
Coptic Orthodox Church does not have and does not mind any civil law of the
land as long as it does not interfere with the Church's sacraments. The Church
does not have (and actually refuses to canonize) an official position vis-a-vis some controversial issues (e.g. abortion). While
the church has clear teachings about such matters (e.g. abortion interfers with God's will), it is the position of the
Church that such matters are better resolved on a case-by-case basis by the
father of confession, as opposed to having a blanket canon that makes a sin of
such practices.
There are three main Liturgies in the Coptic Church: The Liturgy according to
Saint Basil, Bishop of Caesarea; The Liturgy according to Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople; and The Liturgy
according to Saint Cyril I, the 24th Pope of the Coptic Church. The bulk of
Saint Cyril's Liturgy is from the one that Saint Mark used (in Greek) in the
first century. It was memorized by the Bishops and priests of the church till
it was translated into the Coptic Language by Saint Cyril. Today these three
Liturgies, with some added sections (e.g. the intercessions), are still in use;
the Liturgy of Saint Basil is the one most commonly used in the Coptic Orthodox
Church.
The worship of Saints is expressly forbidden by the Church; however, asking for
their intercessions (e.g. Marian Praise) is central in any Coptic service. Any
Coptic Church is named after a Patron Saint. Among all Saints, the Virgin Saint
Mary (Theotokos) occupies a special place in the
heart of all Copts. Her repeated daily appearances in a small Church in Elzaytoun district of Cairo for over a month in April of
1968 was wittnessed by thousands of Egyptians, both
Copts and Muslims and was even broadcast on International TV. Copts celebrate
seven major Holy feasts and seven minor Holy feasts. The major feasts
commemorate Annunciation, Christmas, Theophany, Palm
Sunday, Easter, Ascension, and the Pentecost. Christmas is celebrated on
January 7th. The Coptic Church emphasizes the Resurrection of Christ (Easter)
as much as His Advent (Christmas), if not more. Easter is usually on the second
Sunday after the first full moon in Spring. The Coptic
Calendar of Martyrs is full of other feasts usually commemorating the martyrdom
of popular Saints (e.g. Saint Mark, Saint Mena, Saint George, Saint Barbara) from Coptic History.
The Copts have seasons of fasting matched by no other Christian community. Out
of the 365 days of the year, Copts fast for over 210 days. During fasting, no
animal products (meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, butter, etc.) are allowed.
Moreover, no food or drink whatsoever may be taken between sunrise and sunset.
These strict fasting rules are usually relaxed by priests on an individual
basis to accomodate for illness or weakness. Lent,
known as "the Great Fast", is largely observed by all Copts. It
starts with a pre-Lent fast of one week, followed by a 40-day fast
commemorating Christ's fasting on the mountain, followed by the Holy week, the
most sacred week (called Pascha) of the Coptic
Calendar, which climaxes with the Crucifix on Good Friday and ends with the
joyous Easter. Other fasting seasons of the Coptic Church include, the Advent
(Fast of the Nativity), the Fast of the Apostles, the Fast of the Virgin Saint
Mary, and the Fast of Nineveh.
The Coptic Orthodox Church's clergy is headed by the Pope of Alexandria and
includes Bishops who oversee the priests ordained in their dioceses. Both the
Pope and the Bishops must be monks; they are all members of the Coptic Orthodox
Holy Synod (Council), which meets regularly to oversee matters of faith and pastorship in the Church. The Pope of the Coptic Church,
although highly regarded by all C 7e7 opts, does not enjoy any state of supremacy
or infallibility. Today, there are over 60 Coptic Bishops governing dioceses
inside Egypt as
well as dioceses outside Egypt,
such as in Jerusalem, Sudan,
Western Africa, France,
England, and
the United States.
The direct pastoral responsibility of Coptic congregations in any of these
dioceses falls on Priests, who must be married and must attend the Catechetical
School before being ordained.
There are two other non-clerical bodies who participate in taking care of
Church affairs. The first is a popularly-elected Coptic Lay Council, which
appeared on the stage in 1883 A.D. to act as a liaison between the Church and
the Government. The second is a joint lay-clerical committee, which appeared on
the stage in 1928 A.D. to oversee and monitor the management of the Coptic
Church's endowments in accordance with the Egyptian laws.
Daily, in all Coptic Churches all over the world, Copts pray for the reunion of
all Christian Churches.
They pray for Egypt,
its Nile, its crops, its
president, its army, its government, and above all its people. They pray for
the world's peace and for the well-being of the human race.