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CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX
CHURCH
THE TERM ‘COPT’:
The word Copt is from the Greek word ‘Ai-gypt-ios’
meaning
‘Egyptian’. After dropping the prefix and the suffix we
are left with the stem ‘Gypt’, later
distorted to COPT.
This word was
derived from ‘Hi-ka-ptah’ meaning ‘House
of the ‘ka’ (spirit) of ‘Ptah’, one of the names for Memphis, the first capital of
ancient Egypt.
HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
Going back a
thousand years before the Christian era, brings us to
what is known as the period of decline.
Only by tracing
this eventful stretch of history, which comprised
several distinct phases, can one appreciate the reaction
of the people to the unified approach to religion that
Christianity offered.
PERIOD OF
DECLINE (1080-720 B.C.):
Ramses III
(1182-1151 B.C.) was the last of the great pharaohs. He
conquered the Libyans and repelled invaders from the
north, the People of the Sea, but he and his
ever-weakening successors fell more and more under the
yoke of the priests of Amon. These has grown extremely
wealthy and yielded great power.
There were labor
problems and strikes, and finally the high priests
seized the throne of Egypt in 1080 B.C.
In 950 B.C.,
Sheshonk I, from a family of Libyan descent but
completely Egyptianized, took power.
These Libyans were
probably descendants of mercenary troops who had earlier
been granted land in return for military service.
THE
BEGINNING OF FOREIGN OCCUPATION:
In 720 B.C.,
Piankhi, a military leader from the region of the
fourth cataract (Kush, lower Sudan) marched northward.
Since his people had absorbed Egyptian culture during a
long period of colonial rule, Piankhi did not view
himself as a conqueror. In fact, he felt obliged to free
Egypt from the forces of barbarism that had engulfed it.
In 671 B.C.,
the Assyrians, who bear the reputation of being the
most militaristic and ruthles of ancient peoples,
conquered Egypt, putting an end to Kushite rule. With a
well trained army they moved south, from province to
province, assuring the local population of a speedy
liberation from oppression. But the Egyptians rebelled
against the new invaders and drove them north. The
Assyrians staged a counter-attack, scaled the walls of
Memphis and took it by force.
After these long
centuries of foreign rule, Egypt knew but one short
respite: a brilliant revival, known as the 'Saite
Period' (664-525 B.C.), when an Egyptian named 'Psamtik',
from the Delta City of Sais, turned his attention to
re-establishing a sense of national unity and restating
religious ideals and traditions.
Saite rule
ended when the Persian king Cambyses occupied Egypt in
525 B.C. and turned Egypt into a
Persian province.
The new rulers, like Libyans and the Kushites, at first
showed respect for the religion and customs of the
country in an effort to gain support.
PTOLEMAIC RULE (332-30 B.C.):
When Alexander
the Great came to Egypt in 332
B.C. he and
his army were welcomed by the Egyptians.
He consulted the
oracle of Amon at Swa oasis, which authenticated his
divinity and recognized him as the legitimate successor
to the ancient pharaohs.
Before he left
Egypt and met his untimely death at Babylon, Alexander
laid out his great city and seaport; Alexandria, so
situated as to facilitate the flow of Egypt's surplus
resources to the Archipelago and to intercept all trade
with Africa and Asia.
Egypt was
held by General Ptolemy when Alexander died in 323 B.C.
He took over the
leadership, first as satrap (a Persian title), then a s
a governor, and finally in 305 B.C, as ;
King Ptolemy I.
During the three
centuries of Ptolemaic rule that followed, Egypt was
again, for the first time in a thousand years, the seat
of a brilliant kingdom. Alexandria, the capital, became
the greatest seat of learning in the Mediterranean world
politically, culturally, and economically for over six
centuries.
THE LANGUAGES IN EGYPT:
The official
languages used in Egypt were Greek and Egyptian, Greek
being the more widely used. Egyptian literates had
learned Greek long before the conquest by Alexander.
They also realized that if they transcribed their own
language in the Greek alphabet, which was well known
among the middle classes and was simpler to read than
demotic (the cursive for of hieroglyphic writing in its
latest development), communication would be easier.
Scribes started transliterating Egyptian sounds in
Greek, adding seven extra letters from the demotic
alphabet to accommodate the sounds for which there were
no Greek letters.
The emergence of
this new script, now known as
COPTIC,
cannot be dated precisely.
THE 'SEPTUAGINT' TRANSLATION:
Greek became the
mother-tongue of the Jews in Egypt. Unable to speak
Hebrew, which had disappeared as a living language,
Egyptian Jews may have felt a need to translate their
sacred books into Greek.
In any case, a
translation was supposedly commissioned by Ptolemy II,
and according to the legend, seventy-two translators,
chosen from among the most learned Jewish scholars,
worked for seventy-two (72) days.
This legend
explains the traditional name of the Ptolemaic
version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint (seventy), which is the basis and most reliable for all
Biblical translations into every European language.
THE GREATNESS OF THE 'MUSEUM':
Ptolemy III
issued an important decree that all travelers
disembarking at Alexandria should have taken any
literature in their baggage from them, in exchange for
an official certified copy.
Since
distinguished astronomers, mathematicians,
geographers, historians, poets, and philosophers
gravitated to the 'Museum' attached to the Library, it
became a vitally important research institution.
ROMAN OCCUPATION:
Towards the end of
the Ptolemaic period, Egypt was condemned to impotence
by the degenerate leaders who luxuriated in their rich
and sumptuous courts and were grossly, even violently,
intolerant of local population.
The Egyptians
staged periodic revolts, but these were apathetic
demonstrations and had little effect.
Egypt had begun to
fall more and more under the influence of Rome, which
was by now a vast power with expanding interests across
the sea.
After Antony's
defeat at Actium and Cleopatra's subsequent suicide at
Alexandria, Egypt became a province of the Roman
Empire.Fighting soon broke out, first between
Greeks and
Jews, then with
the Romans when they tried to separate the two. The
unrest that marks the beginning of the Christian era in
Alexandria had already begun.
Ships in the
harbor were set on fire and the flames spread to the
Museum. The destruction of the mainLibrary in the
palace, in which an estimated 490,000 rolls of papyrus
perished, may have occurred at this time.
The Egyptians
readily embraced Christianity because of its affinity
with a much older tradition.
Egypt for the
first two centuries of the Christian era is an extremely
complex, heavily documented, yet very difficult period
of history to understand.
EGYPT'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE TECHNOLOGY:
Egyptians were
the first to write, and taught the world to write. They
made the 'PAPYRUS', the material to write on. Later, the
western world learned from the Egyptians to write on
'paper' (English) or 'papier' (French). The origin of
these words is 'PAPYRUS', of course.
Egyptians
offered CHEMISTRY to the world as basis for pharmacy and
medicine. The word Chemistry is of Egyptian origin; 'KIMI'
means Egypt, the Coptic language, and '-istry' means
'knowledge of' or 'that of', thus Chemistry means
knowledge of the Egyptians.
This opened the
door to Pharmacy and Medicine, which also originated and
sprung from Egypt. Medicine; is composed of ‘med’,
meaning ‘that of’, while ‘cini’ has no origin but in the
Coptic Language and it means ‘doctor’; thus ‘medicine’
means ‘that of doctors’.
The SEPTUAGINT,
which is the most precise translation of the Old
Testament in to Greek, was made by 70 Hebrew scholars,
took place in Egypt during the reign of king Ptolemy I
of Egypt (367-283 BC)
EGYPT was
mentioned in the Bible more than 550 times. The book of
Isaiah, in the Old Testament, prophesied about Egypt in
Chapter 19, three clear prophecies.
Isaiah 19:1; prophesied concerning the flee of the holy family into
Egypt, saying "The Lord rides on a swift cloud and is
coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within them".
This happened
when The Holy Family flee to Egypt, to stay away from
Herod the king, who wanted to kill baby Jesus (Matthew 2:13,14).
Many churches
have been built in the places where The Holy Family
lived and many people from all over the world still come
visit these places.
Isaiah 19:19;
prophesied that " there will be an altar to the Lord in
the midst of Egypt".
This happened
when the Egyptians embraced Christianity in 54 AD, after
St. Mark preached Christ there, and had churches with
Christian altars.
Isaiah 19:25;
says, "Blessed be Egypt my people".
Egypt became
blessed when its people became Christians and worshipped
the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Redeemer.
ALSO, “I ..
called My Son out of Egypt” (Hosea 11:1).
This happened
when Herod the king was dead, and the angel of the Lord
appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and told him;
“Arise take the young Child and His mother, and go to
the land of Israel” (Matthew 2:19).
The Bible
referred to key people that visited Egypt enriching its
civilization:
1- Moses, who
learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians. (Acts 7:22,
Exodus 4:20)
2- Abraham, the
father of the fathers. (Genesis 12:11)
3- Jacob.
(Genesis 46:6)
4- Joseph.
(Genesis 37:28)
5- The twelve
tribes of Israel. (Genesis 42:2)
6- Jeremiah.
(Jeremiah 43:2)
7- The Holy
Family. (Matthew 2:13)
THE COPTIC CHURCH AS AN
APOSTOLIC CHURCH
St. Mark, one
of the 70 Apostles (Luke 10:1 - Mark 10:10), brought
Christianity to Egypt in 54 AD and founded the Coptic
Church. St. Mark is one of the four Gospel writers known
as the 'Evangelist'. He is regarded as the first
Patriarch of an unbroken 117 Patriarchy, and also the
first of many Egyptian martyrs. In 68 AD, St. Mark was
seized, dragged with a rope through the main streets of
the city of Alexandria, and thus met his martyrdom. The
first church was built there.
St. Mark’s
ministry was quite productive and covered large fields
of activities:
a) Preaching
and evangelizing in Egypt, Pentapolis, Judea, Asia
Minor, and Italy.
b) Establishing
the "School of Alexandria" which defended Christianity
against the philosophical school of Alexandria and
conceived a large number of great fathers.
c) Writing the
Divine Liturgy, which was modified later by St. Cyril I?
d) Writing the
Gospel carrying his name.
The Church of Alexandria, was one of the five most
ancient churches of the world.
As an Apostolic
Church, preached by an Apostle of Christ, we are the
third among five Apostolic Churches.
+ The Church of
Jerusalem being the first, as the mother church of
Christianity, was established in 34 A.D. by St. James.
+ The Church of
Antioch-Syria being the second, was established in 38
A.D. by St. Peter.
+ The Church of
Alexandria-Egypt being the third, was established in 54
A.D. by St. Mark.
+ The Church of
Rome-Italy being the fourth, was established in 62 A.D.
by St. Paul.
+ The Church of
Ephesus-Greece being the fifth, was established in 80’s
A.D. by St. John the beloved.
+ The Church of
Constantinople was founded in the 4th century
in honor of Emperor Constantine the Great.
THE SCHOOL OF
ALEXANDRIA
Alexandria, the
cosmopolitan city was chosen as a home of learning and a
unique center of a brilliant intellectual life, where
Egyptian, Greek, and Jewish cultures were nourished and
gave rise to a new civilization. In such an environment
there was no other alternative but to establish a
Christian institution center to enable the church to
face the battle fought by those powerful schools.
St. Jerome
records that St. Mark himself founded the Christian
School of Alexandria in the first century. He was
inspired by the Holy Spirit to establish it for teaching
Christianity as the only way to give the new religion a
form foundation in the city.
ITS DEVELOPMENT:
The Christian
school started as a Catechetical School, where
candidates were admitted to learn the Christian faith
and some Biblical studies to qualify for baptism.
Admittance was open for all people regardless of their
culture, age, or background.
By the second
century it became quite influential in the life of the
church as can be seen from the following:
1- It was able
to quench the thirst of Alexandrine Christians for
religious knowledge, to encourage higher studies and to
create research work in a variety of fields.
2- It gave
birth to numerous spiritual and well-known church
leaders along the years. Many of them deserved to sit on
the throne of St. Mark.
3- Through its
missionary zeal, it was able to win more souls to
Christianity from Egypt and abroad.
4- In a true
ecumenical spirit, it attracted students from other
nations, many of whom became leaders and bishops in
their churches.
5- It
established common awareness of the importance of
education as a basic element in the religious structure.
Consequently every church in Egypt benefited from it in
one way or another.
6- It
contributed to the world the first systematic
theological studies.
7- It used
philosophy as a weapon for maneuvering pagan
philosophers, thus beating them at their own game.
The school
produced scholars such as:
1-
Athenaghoras (176 AD)
2- Pantaneus
(181 AD)
3- Clement
of Alexandria (190 AD)
4- Origen
(200 AD)
5- Hercalas
(224 AD)
6- St.
Didymus the Blind (335 AD) who learned to read and write
using carved wood 15 centuries before Braille.
CHRISTIAN
ARCHEOLOGY
The Coptic
Church produced thousands of texts, biblical and
theological studies.
The Holy
Bible was translated into Coptic in the second century.
THE HEROES OF FAITH
In 325 AD
the First Ecumenical Council took place in Nicea,
Emperor Constantine invited the council that was
attended by 318 Bishops. Among them Pope Alexandros of
Alexandria who headed the council, and was accompanied
by St. Athanasius his secretary who was only a deacon at
that time.
St.
Athanasius entered into a dialogue with 'Arius' and his
followers, and completely defeated them with his zeal to
defend the Orthodox faith, with strong theological
knowledge and reasoning. He was the sole author of the
Christian Creed, which all churches recite today. He
defended the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ in his
famous four-volume work "Contra Arianus". St. Athanasius
became the 20th Pope of Alexandria in 329 AD.
* * *
In 381 AD
the Second Ecumenical Council took place at
Constantinople, at the invitation of Emperor Theodosius
the Great. The council was attended by 150 Bishops to
try Mecidonius who denied the divinity of the Holy
Spirit. He was a follower of Arius and managed to become
the Patriarch of Constantinople. Pope Timothy of
Alexandria played a vital role in the council and
according to Sozomen he chaired the council.
* * *
On the 22nd
of June 431 AD, the third Ecumenical Council was held in
Ephesus, at the order of Emperor Theodosius the Lesser.
200 Bishops and St. Cyril I attended it, the Great Pope
of Alexandria chaired the council. The council convened
to try Nestorius the Patriarch of Constantinople, for he
divided Christ into two separate persons; the Son of God
and the son of man.
St. Cyril
who is surnamed "The Pillar of Faith", stressed on the
unity of the Godhead and manhood without mixing,
mingling, confusion, or alteration. He also stressed on
the title "THEOTOKOS" i.e. Mother of God for St. Mary
the ever Virgin in order to clarify that He who is born
from her is truly God the Incarnate Word, and not an
ordinary man whom the Godhead descended subsequently.
THE COPTIC CHURCH AND THE COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON
The Coptic
Church was not part of the Council of Chalcedon, which
took place in 451 AD, and the teaching of the council
was refuted and unaccepted by the Patriarch Dioscorus of
Alexandria. It was only under constant pressure from
Emperor Marcian that the fathers of Chalcedon agreed to
draw up a new formula of belief. On October 17th 451 the
delegates of the Emperor heard the Synod once again
endorse its purpose to create no new formula over and
above the creeds of Nicea and Constantinople.
Most of the
fathers were opposed to a new form of faith, but wished
merely to approve certain documents, the contents of
which would express their own belief.
We the Copts
do not recognize this Council because it ignored all the
traditional formulas of the church, which confirm the
oneness of the "Person Of Christ", as a true unity, such
as: " one nature of two natures" and "one nature of the
Incarnate word of God".
The Coptic
Church was accused of following the teaching of Eutyches,
who believed in Monophysitism. This doctrine maintains
that the Lord has only one nature; the divine only, not
the human as well as the divine.
We the Copts
refuse and reject the teaching of Eutyches. We the Copts
believe that our Lord Jesus Christ is perfect in His
divinity and perfect in his humanity, yet his divinity
parted not from his humanity for a single moment or a
twinkle of an eye.
To the
Coptic Church, faith is more important than semantics
and terminology, which are of little importance. St.
Dioscorus of Alexandria was sent into exile on an island
called Gangra, and the political motives of the council
of Chalcedon became apparent when Emperor Marcian
interfered with matters of faith in the church. St.
Dioscorus was not condemned because of theological
heresy, but due to political circumstances which played
the principal role in this council.
The Coptic
Church established its independence, after 451 AD,but
remained very strict and steadfast in its faith, which
she received from Nicea, Constantinople, and Ephesus.
We the Copts
do not recognize this Council because it ignored all the
traditional formulas of the Church, which confirm the
Oneness of the "Person Of Christ", as a true unity, such
as: " one nature of two natures" and "one nature of the
Incarnate word of God".
We the Copts
refuse and reject the teaching of Eutyches. We the Copts
believe that our Lord Jesus Christ is perfect in His
divinity and perfect in his humanity, yet his divinity
parted not from his humanity for a single moment or a
twinkle of an eye.
THE WEST FIGHTS THE EGYPTIANS
The
relations between the popes of Alexandria and the
patriarchs of Constantinople were changing according to
the political situations and the attitudes of both the
emperor and the patriarchs of Constantinople.
The people
and pastors of Egypt and Syria, suffered the bitterness
of persecution which created tension against Byzantium
and a national tendency to liberate their countries at
least to be free in choosing their patriarch and bishop.
The Persians
immigrated to Egypt between 605-610 AD, they were fond
of destruction for the sake of destruction. They
destroyed the monasteries and dispersed the hermits then
entered Alexandria where the king announced his desire
to meet with all the people of the city to put the basis
of mutual understanding. They were about 800,000 persons
whom his army massacred on that day. This brutality
lasted until Emperor Heraclius came and expelled them
from Egypt.
THE PERSECUTIONS :
The fourth century
began with the greatest persecution ever waged against
the early Church, that of the Emperor Diocletian. The
longest list of early martyrs comes from this period
(303 - 306 AD).
Our people in
Egypt were persecuted for two-2- centuries by their
western Christian brothers for renouncing the
council of Chalcedon, from 451 AD till 641 AD.
When Islam entered
in the middle of the seventh century, the 38th Pope of
Alexandria, Benjamin the first, had been in exile for
about 13 years by his western Christian brothers.
THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH AND THE MONASTIC LIFE
The Church
of Alexandria was the source of monasticism, which began
during the last years of the third century and
flourished, in the fourth century. Asceticism in the
Coptic Church is not a goal in itself that believers
desire to attain, but it is a practical response to
divine love.
Monasticism
is considered as an extension for the martyrdom time. As
a believer gave his/her life to The One they loved, and
Who loved them, so does the monk, gives up everything
and anything, to live a life of solitude, and be alone
with Him.
St. Anthony
the Great (251-356 AD), was a Copt from Upper Egypt
established the monastic movement and is considered the
father of the monastic life, since he was the world’s
first monk. He was close to St. Athanasius, the Pope of
Alexandria who wrote about him to the Roman world, and
assisted St. Athanasius in his struggle against
Aryanism. He was an active member of the Church and
visited Alexandria in the period of persecution to serve
and encourage the confessors.
St.
Pachomius established the colonolistic system, because
he was aware that the "anchoritic order" was not fit for
all those who deserved the monastic life. St. Macari the
Great and St. Amoun along with others established the
communal order in Wadi El-Natroun, where many came from
all over the world to live the monastic life in Egypt
and to write about the Egyptian monasticism.
THE MEANING OF
CARRYING THE CROSS in the Coptic Orthodox Church:
Among the greatest
glories of the Coptic Church of Alexandria, is its
cross. Meaning , the willingness of the Copts to accept
persecutions, hardships, and sufferings for Christ who
said: ”If anyone desires to come after Me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." (Matthew 16:24)
The Coptic
Church carried the cross all throughout its history,
from the time of Saint Mark, through every generation of
Christianity, till now.
The Coptic
Church has remained steadfast and unchanging in its
faith up to this time.
CHRISTIANITY
IN EGYPT TODAY:
A Russian diplomat
approached one of our Popes, early this century, (the 20th century), before Russia adopted Communism, and told the
Egyptian Pope:' I am here to offer you, the church and
your people security and protection if you merge with
our church, thus be under our emperor's protection'.
In the wisdom of
the Lord, our Pope answered him saying:' Will your
emperor ever die?'
The diplomat
answered and said: 'Yes, of course.' Then the Pope said
:'We are protected by the One Who never dies.!! Thanks,
but no thanks.'
Our belief
is:
1. The gates of Hades shall never prevail over
the Church.
2. Lo, I am with always, even to the end of the
age. Amen . (Matthew 28:20)
3. In the world you will have tribulation; be of
good cheer I have
over come the world.(Jn.16:33)
CONCLUSION:
May God bring healing and reconciliation for the past
wounds. May He grant us the miracle of forgiveness to
lead us to new levels of faithfulness in ministry and
work for His Kingdom.
May He grant us
peace built on His Divine justice. Amen.
GLORY BE TO GOD FOREVER. AMEN. | 