Name and
Origin:
The
Copts are the
original Egyptians,
and the word "Copt"
itself is derived
from the Greek word
"Aegyptus" which
means Egypt. The
Copts are the
descendants of the
ancient Egyptians.
They are considered
one of the most
anthropologically
pure races in the
world.
The Coptic
Era:
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 bridge
does not pass
over a valley of
darkness where the
Copts resided in
complete isolation.
On the contrary,
this era is
considered one of
the luminous periods
in the national and
ecclesiastical
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
ORTHODOX CHURCH
The Founder:
St.
Mark, a disciple of
African origin and
the writer of the
earliest Gospel,
came to Egypt
ushering in the dawn
of Christian faith.
The year of his
arrival in the
famous Capital of
Egypt, Alexandria,
cannot be
established with certainty. Some
sources put his
entry in Egypt as
early as 48 AD.
Others put it in 55,
58 and even as late
as 61 AD However,
the consensus of
opinion puts the
date of his
martyrdom in
Alexandria in 68 AD.
In that short period
St. Mark was able to
win many converts
and to found the
Church in Egypt.
Since that time,
Christianity spread
like fire throughout
the country. The
main reason for this
was the fact that
the Egyptian has
always been
religiously minded.
The ancient Egyptian
searching mind was
always
exploring the domain
of religion, and
ultimately arrived
at certain tenets
and beliefs, which
were later
identified with the
theory and sublime
teachings of the
Christian religion.
Church
Identity through
Persecution:
The
Egyptians or the
Copts accepted
Christianity so very
rapidly to the
extent that the
Romans had to
exercise a series of
persecutions in an attempt to
suppress the growth
of a religion, which
openly defied the
divinity of the
Emperor. The edict
of 202 AD decreed
that Christian
conversion should be
stopped at all
costs. The edict of
250 AD decreed that
every citizen should
carry at all times a
certificate issued
by the local
authorities
testifying that he
had offered
sacrifice to the
gods. Those who
refused to conform
were tortured with
unprecedented
ferocity. Some were
beheaded, others
were thrown to the
lions and others
were burnt alive.
All were subjected
to even innovated
veracious torture
regardless of age or
sex. The
Catechetical School
of Alexandria was
closed by order of
the authorities,
though its members
continued to meet in
other secret places.
At one time, the
number of bishops
was restricted by
the State to three.
The consummation of
the age of
persecution is
considered by the
Copts to be during
the reign of Emperor
Diocletian
(284-305). So severe
was the mass
execution and the
savage torture of
the Copts that they
took the day of
Diocletian's
military election as
Emperor to mark the
beginning of the era
of the Coptic
martyrs. That very
day marked the start
of the Coptic
Calendar known in
the Western world as
Anno Martyrum (A.M.)
or the year of the
Martyrs.
It
was in the midst of
this ruthless
execution and
torture that Egypt's
Church flourished
beyond recognition
until it assumed its
definitive form in
the course of the
second century. In
other words, the
third century saw
the Coptic Church
with a great
hierarchy ranging
from the Patriarch
in Alexandria down
to the modest priest
and the monks who
lived out in the
Eastern and Western
Deserts. The rise of
this great hierarchy
conterminously with
the Roman
persecution resulted
in the
identification of
the Coptic people
with their own
Church in
Alexandria. This
tradition persisted
and even became more
prominent when, in a
subsequent age and
for other reasons,
the Byzantines
resuscitated Coptic
persecution.
The Coptic
Church in History:
All
through history and
particularly during
the Coptic Era, the
Coptic Church played
quite a significant
role in shaping and
defining Christian
drought and
doctrines. The
contribution of the
Coptic Church to
world Christianity
can be briefly
summarized in the
following four
movements:
(1) Theological
Scholarship and the
Catechetical School:
Before Christianity,
Alexandria was
famous for having
the largest library
and museum in the
world. That compound
was actually the
headquarters of the
well-known School of
Alexandria. It
housed millions of
scrolls of papyrus,
which were said to
have held all the
knowledge of ancient
scholarship. It was established
by Ptolemy Soter in
323 BC. In that
school, seventy
legendary scholars
from the Jewish
community translated
the Old Testament
from Hebrew to Greek
in 270 BC. It was a
monumental work that
stood the test of
time and is known as
the "Septuagint."
Those scholars also
established the
order in which the
books of the O.T.,
including the
"Apocrypha", are
arranged.
The
school started as a
predominantly
scientific and
literary
institution. It then
developed into a
philosophical and
theological
university. The
Catechetical School
of Alexandria came
in direct succession
to it. This was
the earliest
important
institution for
theological
education in
Christian antiquity.
Its deans, teachers,
and graduates were
responsible for what
could be called the
philosophisation of
Christian creed and
for the most
monumental works of
exegesis. They
defined Christianity
in its final form
for all generations
to come.
The
first known dean of
the school was
Pantaenus (died 190
AD), followed
by Clement of
Alexandria who made
a real effort to
successfully convert
educated Greeks to
Christianity. Next
came Origen (about
215 AD) who was a biblical scholar
and philosopher. He
wrote lengthy
commentaries on
almost every book in
the Old and New
Testaments. His
homilies are known
to be
the most ancient
example of Christian
preaching. Origen
was succeeded by
Dionysius of
Alexandria (The
Great) who later
became the Patriarch
of the Church
(246-264 AD).
Another
distinguished dean
of the School was Didymus the Blind.
He lost his sight
when he was four
years old. However,
this handicap did
not deter him from
acquiring the vision
of the mind and the
soul. He mastered
grammar, rhetoric,
poetry, philosophy,
mathematics and
music. He knew by
heart both the Old
and the New
Testaments. Among
his pupils were St.
Gregory Nazianzen,
St. Jerome,
Palladius and
Rufinus the
historian. In his
care for educating
the blind, he became
the first one in
history to devise a
system of engraved
writing. By the
fourth century,
Coptic Alexandria
had indeed become
the seat of
Christian Learning
for the whole world.
(2) The
Ecumenical Movement:
Early in the fourth
century, and amid
the fierce storm of
persecution of the
Copts by Diocletian,
the Coptic Church
was subjected to
another storm rising
from within. This
storm was more
dangerous to the
Church than the
first. It was the
Arian heresy. The
Coptic Patriarchs
ex-communicated
Arius successively
stripping him from
his priestly office.
However, he
continued preaching
his heresy and,
through his
eloquence, he won
many converts
including two Libyan
bishops and the
Nicomedian bishop
Eusebius.
The
Arian heresy spread
throughout all
Egypt, Libya,
Palestine and Asia
Minor, and reached
the ears of
Constantine. The
quarrel between the
old patriarch and
Arius was blazing
furiously to the
extent that there
was bloodshed in the
streets of
Alexandria and
Nicomedia. The
Emperor summoned all
of the bishops
(about 1800) to meet
in Nicea, Asia Minor
to discuss the
dispute and settle
it once-
and-for-all. It was
the first
Ecclesiastical
Council with
imperial authority
and sanction.
Because the heresy
had not yet reached
Europe, only six
bishops represented
the
Western Church. The
rest of the 318
bishops came from
the East including
the Metropolitan of
India, which was
outside the Empire.
It was difficult to
overlook the signs
of disfigurement and
mutilation in many
of these bishops who
had been victims of
the persecution of
Diocletian, the
predecessor of
Constantine. The
bishops of the
Council represented
all the varying traditions of
Christianity.
The
first order of
business was to
reach a verdict in
the conflict between
Abba Alexandros and
Arius. Therefore
Arius was called to
present the nature
of his beliefs.
Having set them into
chants and music, he
unexpectedly started
chanting accompanied
by music and
Alexandrian dance
bands. Athanasius in
turn, who was chosen
by the Coptic
Patriarch to reply,
presented a
close-knit argument,
and in great
eloquence stated
step by step all the
follies that result
from the Arian
folkloric lyric:
"There was a time
when the Son was
not." Athanasius'
argument swayed the
Council members
to the Orthodox
position including
the Emperor who
commended him for
the way he marshaled
all his forces to
present the
Apostolic faith and
to refute Arius'
argument. After that
heated debate a
creed was called
for. It was
Athanasius again who
formulated the text
of the creed, which
was accepted
unanimously by the
Council.
The
Council of Nicea
(325 AD) was the
beginning of an era
in the history of
the Church that
could be defined as
the age of the
Ecumenical Councils.
As mentioned
earlier, those
Councils set the
basis of the
Christian Creed. In
all of them, the
role of the Copts
was supreme and
their theological
and philosophical
contribution to
Christian doctrine
and dogma was
unsurpassed. The
Ecumenical Movement
ended with the
Council of Chalcedon
(451 AD).
(3) The Monastic
Movement:
This
particular movement
is going to be dealt
with in some detail
as the general
populace has very
little knowledge of
the roots of
monasticism.
Besides, there are
some misconceptions
about it in this day
and age, especially
in the Western
world. Egypt is
known to be the
Motherland of
Christian
Monasticism. As
Professor Atiya
calls it "It is
truly the gift of
Egypt to
Christendom."
Monasticism sprang
into existence in
Egypt as early as
the second half of
the third century.
In a few decades, it
spread over the
whole Christian
world. The
characteristics
which shaped Coptic
monasticism are:
a)
The urge to pray
without ceasing,
b)
The hunger to
meditate on the word
of God, and
c)
The disciplining of
one's self by
fasting, vigils,
celibacy, the
subduing of fleshly
desires, willful
poverty and the
renunciation of
worldly concerns.
Most
historians consider
St. Antony (251-356)
to be the first to
renounce the world and retire
to the eastern
desert of Egypt. It
is true that, as a
movement,
monasticism was
started by St.
Antony. However,
long before that,
organized flights to
the deserts of Egypt
took place. Just as
an example, "Acta
Sanctorum" tells us
that in the second
century, a wealthy
Alexandrian
Christian called
Frantonius decided
to reject the world.
He was able to
persuade seventy
others to accompany
him. They all went
to the Nytria desert
and there they led a
life of prayer and
contemplation.
The
main motive behind
Coptic monasticism
could be summarized
in one word
"LOVE". When a
person loves God
with all his heart,
he wants to be alone
with him all the
time. He would not
concern himself with
anything or anyone
but Him (I
Corinthians 7:32 -
35), In his love, he
sacrifices all to
enjoy his oneness
with God, to attain
the purity of heart
and thus to reach
perfection in God.
For
some others, there
might have been
another motive,
namely to suffer
with Christ and for
His sake. St. Paul
taught: "for to you
it has been granted
on behalf of Christ,
not only to believe
in Him, but also
suffer for His
sake." (Phil. 1:29).
As he retires to the
desert, the monk
seems to be saying:
"that I may
know Him and the
power of His
resurrection, and
the fellowship of
His sufferings,
being conformed to
His death." (Phil.
3:10).
Before the
conversion of the
Roman Empire to
Christianity,
Christians were
fought against,
severely tortured
and mass martyred
for their faith.
Now, after the
issuing of the Edict
of Milan in 313 AD,
the Christians took
on the fight
themselves. The
monks, torturing
their bodies in the
burning heat of
the desert, and
practicing severe
ascetic disciplines,
became the
successors of the
martyrs. One can
almost hear them
saying: "For your
sake, we are killed
all day long." (Rom.
8:56). In this
regard, St. John
Chrysostom says that
the "martyr is
tortured for few
days to win the
crown of martyrdom,
but the monk suffers
severely from his
self-inflicted
ascetic torture all
his life."
The
Development of
Coptic Monasticism:
There are three
stages in the
development of
Coptic monasticism:
a) Antonian
Monasticism:
This is the first
stage whereby a
pious Christian
lives in seclusion,
a life of asceticism
and austerity,
disciplining the
body to elevate the
soul.
There must have
lived many hermits
in the deserts of
Egypt before St.
Antony. However, the
one that is well
known is St. Paul of
Thebes (Lurer)
who entered the
desert in about 218
AD. In a miraculous
way, God fed him
by means of a raven
which brought him
half a loaf of bread
daily. St. Paul
the hermit died a
natural death at the
age of 113 shortly
after St. Antony
met with him. This
is a well-known
story in monastic
history.
Nevertheless, the
most defined
monasticism is that
of St. Antony whose
biography St.
Athanasius wrote
himself. While still
a young man of 19
years of age,
Antony took to heart
the words of our
Lord to the rich
young man: "If you
want to be perfect,
go sell what you
have and give to the
poor and come follow
Me." (Matthew
19:21). He sold all
his inheritance
giving some to his
sister and the rest
to the poor. He then
went to the eastern
desert to attain
perfection through a
life of asceticism
in complete
seclusion. He kept
pushing further and
further into the
desert with greater
austerity and longer
fasting. According
to St. Athanasius,
Antony's combat with
demons grew
more spectacular.
All through his life
in the desert, he
descended to the
Nile Valley only
twice. The first
time was in 311 AD.
It was enough for
him to appear with
his long beard and
illuminated face
among the tortured
Christians during
the time of
Maximinus'
persecution to
strengthen their
faith and vanquish
their fear. The
second time was in
338 AD, to fight the
remnants of the
Arian heresy. St.
Antony's fame spread
far and wide. This
brought him many
disciples who sought
his spiritual
guidance, and it led
to the second stage
of development of
the monastic life.
b) Collective
Hermitism or Semi-Anchoritism:
St. Antony's
disciples continued
to lead solitary
lives in the
neighborhood of his
cave. As their
number grew larger,
there was a great
necessity to have
many settlements
of anchorites in
that area of the
desert. Each
settlement
congregated around
one of those great
and rare holy
masters for reasons
of security both
spiritual and
physical. These
settlements
multiplied not only
to cover a large
area in the eastern
desert toward the
Red Sea, but they
also spread
westward and
southward. However,
the largest of them
was the one around
the cave of St.
Antony who had
attained the summits
of personal
holiness.
In this development,
the solitary and
communal lives
balanced one
another. During the
week, each monk
lived alone in his
cave or cell. On
Saturdays
and Sundays, they
all congregated in
the church for
common prayers,
vespers, Eucharistic
liturgy, agape and
lessons in spiritual
life. This type of
monasticism allowed
for personal
prayers, meditations
and exercises in
austerity, as well
as corporate prayers
and worship.
c) Pachomian
Koinonia or
Cenobitism: The
third stage of
development was not
a natural evolvement
from the second.
While the second
stage was
progressing, and the
number of
settlements was
being multiplied, a
new chapter in the
history of
monasticism was
being written by St.
Pachomius (290-346).
His life story is a
most fascinating
one. He was born a
pagan and as a young
man, he served in
the army of
Constantine. During
his combats, he was
deeply touched by
the communities of
Christians. They, in
dedication and love,
served the soldiers,
washed their feet
and gave them food
in spite of the
harshness with which
they were treated by
them. The goodness
of those Christians
won Pachomius to
Christianity. He
himself became an
anchorite, a
disciple of the
famous hermit
Palamon. This abbot
trained Pachomius
vigorously in the
art of
self-inflicted
torture of the body
to attain the purity
of heart. The
combination of his
training in army
discipline and in
spiritual austerity,
coupled with his
belief that the aim
of a monk is
continual prayer,
were the factors
which collectively
led him to
inaugurate
the third and last
stage in the
development of
Coptic monasticism,
namely, the
Pachomian Cenobitism.
By the time St.
Pachomius died (346
AD), a large number
of monasteries
had been established
accommodating
communities of monks
spreading to
all other
monastic centers and
following the
Pachomian rule.
Hardy the historian
estimates
conservatively the
number of monks in
the Egyptian deserts
at the end of the
fourth century to be
between 100,000 and
200,000 out of a
population not
exceeding 7.5
million inhabitants.
The rule of St.
Pachomius is indeed
a landmark in the
history of Christian
monasticism.
Professor Atiya, a
distinguished
historian writes in
his book "History of
Eastern
Christianity" :
"The general
trend of the
Pachomian system
showed the soldier
and the holy man combined in
one person. Every
detail of the monk's
activity by day or
night was prescribed
by the legislator:
the brother's dress,
his food, the hours
and manner of his
sleep, his travels,
his hours of worship
and a penal code to
be rigorously
enforced against the
defaulters. Yet Pachomius was no
inhuman giant who
imposed a merciless
regime on his
followers. A monk
must curb the body,
but it was
unnecessary for him
to destroy it in
pursuit
of heaven."
Coptic
monasticism became
known all over the
world mainly because
of the biography
that St. Athanasius
wrote about St.
Antony. As a result,
pious
men from many parts
of the world flocked
to these cenobite
monasteries to sit
at the feet of those
great spiritual
giants and learn
from them the art of
monasticism. Among
those were Greeks,
Romans, Cappadocians,
Libyans, Nubians,
Ethiopians and many
others. Each
nationality was
designated a special
quarter in each
monastery with a
fellow citizen as an
abbot guide. There
were no barriers
based on race,
culture, color or
language. The
vastness of the
Egyptian desert
became but one
school of Coptic
spirituality and
mysticism for the
entire world. Some
of the greatest
personalities of
that era were
attracted to the
Egyptian deserts to
see these
terrestrial
saints and to follow
in their footsteps.
Among these were St.
John Chrysostom,
bishop of
Constantinople, Sts.
Jerome and Rufinus
the Italians, the
Cappadocian father
St. Basil the Great
who introduced
monasticism into
Byzantia, St. John
Cassian who carried
Coptic Monasticism
in France, and many
others.
Someone said that
monasticism for the
Church is like the
foundation for the
building. The deeper
and stronger the
foundation is, the
more the building
can rise high and
solid.
Ecclesiastical
history attests to
this reality when it
tells us that at
times of monastic
strength in Egypt,
the Church was
strong. Through
their continual
prayers, devotions
and mediations, the
monks make of their
monasteries the
powerhouse of the
Church. It is a fact
that the
Coptic Church has
suffered a great
deal throughout its
long history at the
hands of Greeks,
Romans, Muslims and
western
missionaries, but
through God's grace,
the strength of
Coptic monasticism
has kept the Church
still standing as a
monument to original
Apostolic Orthodox
Christianity.
(4) Coptic
Mission:
In contrast to
Judaism,
Christianity is a
missionary religion.
The example
and teachings of our
Lord Jesus Christ,
the preaching of the
Disciples to
Jews and Gentiles
and the mere fact of
St. Mark's preaching
in Egypt spoke
to the Copts very
emphatically about
the missionary
character of the
Church. Therefore,
the missionary
movement began in
Egypt early in the
first steps
of Christianity
through the first
converts. It
followed three
channels
simultaneously:
a) Individual
and Group Witnesses
and Missionaries:
Here the Copts
excelled. The
accounts of such
individuals from St.
Athanasius the
Apostolic to the
simple nurse
accompanying the
Roman Legions attest
to the zeal and
dedication of the
Copts to spread the
good news.
St. Athanasius,
the Pope of
Alexandria, was
exiled five times
because of his
adamant opposition
to the Arian heresy.
Two of his exiles
were in Europe,
one began in
Constantinople and
ended in Trier and
the second was in
Rome. In each exile
he preached Orthodox
Christianity to both
Christians and
Gentiles, and he
introduced to the
West the highly
developed monastic
rule as well as the
spirituality of the
Fathers of the
Egyptian deserts.
The story of the
Theban legion (from
Thebes, present day
Lurer in Upper
Egypt) is a
spectacular example
of witnessing to the
Christian faith.
Maximian, the second
in command to
Emperor Diocletian,
ordered the legion
to camp at the
border of Gaul
(France) in
preparation to crush
a rebellion there
(285 AD). The legion
camped in present
day Switzerland. The
night before the
attack, Maximian
ordered the legion
to accompany him to
the pagan temple to
pray to the gods.
The Coptic soldiers
unanimously refused
to obey and declared
that they were
Christians, a
declaration that
angered Maximian. He
stood them in file
and had them
decimated (i.e.
every tenth man
killed) hoping to
intimidate the rest.
The remaining
soldiers met
together and wrote a
letter to him, which
they all signed.
They wrote:
"Great Caesar -
we are your
soldiers, and at the
same time we are
God's slaves. We owe
you our military
service, but our
prime allegiance we
owe to God. From you
we receive our daily
wages; from Him our
eternal reward.
Great Caesar, we
cannot obey any
order if it rum
counter to God's
commands. If your
orders coincide with
God's commands we
will certainly obey;
if not, 'we
ought to obey God
rather than man.'
(Act 5:29) for our
loyalty to Him
surpasses all other
loyalties. We are
not rebels; if we
were, we would
defend ourselves for
we have our weapons.
But we prefer to die
upright than to live
stained. As
Christians we will
serve you. But we
will not relinquish
our faith in our
Lord, and this we
openly declare. "
This
steadfastness of the
whole legion
infuriated Caesar
and he ordered the
Roman soldiers to
wipe out the whole
legion, which they
did. Pere Cheneau
the historian
described the event
in this way:
"Thus they were
martyred.... It was
a mighty holocaust;
an unparalleled
massacre, the plains
were drunk with
blood and the bodies
strewn to the winds.
But by being willing
to make the supreme
sacrifice, the men
of the Theban Legion
proved that their
faithfulness to
their Heavenly Lord
and King surpassed
their valor as
soldiers in the army
of the temporal
ruler."
An accompanying
nurse named Verena
witnessed all this.
After a few days of prayers and
meditation, she came
to the realization
that God, in His
wisdom, had spared
her to do His work
as a missionary to
those pagans.
Therefore, she spent
the rest of her life
preaching Christ to
the people of
Switzerland. In
addition, she taught
them basic hygiene.
To this day she is
portrayed in her
icon as having a
water jug in one
hand and a comb in
the other.
Coptic
missionaries reached
as far as the
British Isles long
before the arrival of St.
Augustine of
Canterbury in 597
AD. Stanley
Lane-Poole, the well-known
historian, wrote:
"We do not know
yet how much we in
the British Isles
owe to these remote
hermits. It is more
than probable that
to them we are
indebted for the
first preaching of
the Gospel in
England, where, till
the coming of
Augustine, the
Egyptian monastic
rule prevailed. But
more important is
the belief that
Irish Christianity,
the great civilizing
agent of the early
Middle Ages among
the northern
nations, was the
child of the
Egyptian Church.
Seven Egyptian
monks are buried at
Desert Uldith, and
there is much in the
ceremonies and
architecture of
Ireland in the
earliest time that
reminds one of still
earlier Christian
remains in Egypt.
Every one knows that
the handicraft of
the Irish monks in
the ninth and tenth
centuries far
excelled anything
that could be found
elsewhere in Europe;
and if the
Byzantine-looking
decoration can be
traced to the
influence of
Egyptian
missionaries, we
have more to thank
the Copts for than
has been imagined.
Ecclesiastical
history is
impregnated with
captivating accounts
of Coptic Christians
who preached
Christianity in
north, west and
south Africa,
Arabia, Persia,
India, and Europe.
Archaeological
findings support
these accounts which
were thought to be
legendary tales by
early historians.
b)
Missionaries
Appointed to
Mission-Fields:
Since the Church's
inception in Egypt,
some early Coptic
Christian converts
were commissioned to
mission fields.
Tradition tells us
that St. Mark, in
his missionary trip
from Alexandria to
Pentapolis (the five
northwestern nations
of Africa), took
with him some Copts
to help him preach
to the people of
those nations.
Through the
writings of the
ecclesiastical
historian Eusebins,
bishop of Caesurae
(260-340 AD) it
becomes clear that
missionary work was
an organized
movement in the
Church and its
Catechetical school.
Missionaries were
appointed and
mission fields were
assigned to them. He
wrote:
"Now at that time
there was a man of
great zeal for
learning named
Pantaenus. He
displayed such
ardent love and zeal
for the divine word
that he was
appointed as herald
of the Gospel of
Christ to the
nations of the
East."
In the course of
the third and fourth
centuries, and with
the rise of
monasticism, many
Pachomian monks in
the southern parts
of Egypt were sent
to Nubia as
missionaries. Those,
along with some
Coptic Christians
who fled from the
Roman persecution,
went southward up
the Nile Valley to
win converts to
Christ. It is
intriguing to know
that the whole
kingdom was
officially converted
to Orthodox
Christianity in 559
AD
However, the most
spectacular event in
Coptic mission work
was the
Christianization of
Abyssinia (Ethiopia)
at the hands of
Frumentius. He and
his brother Aedesius
were Coptic
Christians residing
in Tyre. On one of
their trading trips
to India, they had a
shipwreck near Axoum,
the Capital of
Abyssinia. They were
taken to the king
who appointed
Aedesius as his
cupbearer and
Frumentius as his
personal secretary
and the tutor of the
young crown prince
Aeizanas. Frumentius
taught Aeizanas the
four R's (reading,
writing, arithmetic
and religion-
Christianity). When
Aeizanas became
king, he was
converted to
Christianity and
decreed Christianity
as the
official religion of
the land.
Immediately
Frumentius went to
Alexandria, to St.
Athanasius the
Patriarch asking him
to send a bishop to
establish the Church
there. St.
Athanasius chose
Frumentius and
ordained him, giving
him the name of
Bishop Salama. Since
then, the Ethiopian
Church looks at the
Coptic Church as its
Mother Church.
c) Pilgrims to
the Alexandrian
Church: As
mentioned earlier,
Christians
from almost all the
nations of the known
world at that time,
came to Egypt either
to study or to sit
at the feet of those
spiritual giants,
the Fathers of the
Egyptian deserts. On
returning to their
lands, those
students and
pilgrims imported
the spirituality,
thought, dogma,
practice and
monastic
rule of the Orthodox
Alexandrine Church.
There, they wrote
books (like John
Cassian) and
established
monasteries,
churches, dioceses
and even theological
schools. In other
words, those
pilgrims became
indigenous
missionaries of the
Coptic Church in
their nations and
among their people.
The Copts
Under the Arab Rule
a) Between
Chalcedon (451) and
the Arab Conquest
(642): The first
schism in the
Apostolic Church
occurred at the
Council of Chalcedon
in 451 AD. The
schism appeared to
be the result of a
theological dispute
between the Eastern
Churches (Orthodox)
and the Western
Churches
(Roman Catholic)
regarding the Nature
of Christ. The Copts
were branded as "Monophysites",
Rome and
Constantinople as "Diophysites.
" However, the real
reason behind the
dispute was more of
a political nature
rather than a
theological one. The
concealed reason was
for the Western
Church to
transfer the Papacy
from Alexandria to
Rome. To be sure,
the present dialogue
between the Roman
Catholics and the
Orthodox resulted in
the agreement of the
two Churches
regarding the nature
of Christ; although
other theological
developments are
still being
discussed (i.e.
Purgatory,
Immaculate
Conceptions, etc.).
The aftermath of
Chalcedon was one of
the saddest periods
in the history of
Coptic Christian
antiquity. The
Orthodox Patriarch
of Alexandria was
deposed and exiled
by the Western civil
and ecclesiastical
authorities. The Byzantines
installed an
Imperial Byzantine
Patriarch for the
See of Alexandria.
This infuriated the
Copts and they
retaliated by
electing a native rival
Orthodox Patriarch.
Consequently, the
See of Alexandria
was split between
two Patriarchs, the Melkite or the
Royalist
Chalcedonian from
Constantinople, and
the native Jacobite
or Monophysite who
does not recognize
Chalcedon. The
Byzantines, aided by
the civil
authorities,
persecuted the Copts
very severely
massacring them even
as they worshiped
inside their
churches. All
attempts to
reconcile the two
lines failed until
the Arab invasion of
Egypt when a new
chapter in the
history of the
Copts' oppression
was about to be
written.
b) The Arab
Conquest (642 AD):
Amr ibn al-A,. the
general of the Arab
army during the
Caliphate of Umar
ibn al-Khattab,
after conquering
Persia and
taking over Syria in
636 and seizing
Jerusalem in 638,
turned toward Egypt
to invade it. With
20,000 Arab
horsemen, he was
able to take over
the eastern cities
and the Byzantine
strongholds in the
Delta reaching to
the fortress of
Babylon. At that
time Byzantia had
appointed a man
called Cyrus to be
both civil governor
and a Melkite
(Royalist)
Patriarch. He took
over the
Patriarchate from
the Orthodox
Patriarch Anba
Benjamin who fled
to the desert. When
Cyrus heard of the
Muslim capture of
the eastern cities
and found that the
siege of Babylon was
prolonged, he
surrendered the
fortress in
641. Shortly
thereafter, the
Arabs moved to the
capital city of
Alexandria. Cyrus
was reinstated by
Byzantia as governor
of Alexandria.
Through treachery,
he surrendered that
city as well to the
Arabs hoping that he
would be rewarded
and be instated by
the Arabs as
Patriarch of the
Coptic Church of
Egypt. His dream did
not come true.
By 642, Egypt had
passed from the
hands of the
Constantinople
Emperors, into the
hands of the Arab
Muslims, neither was
Egyptian. The city
of Alexandria with
its 4,000 palaces,
4,000 public baths,
400 theaters and
40,000 rich Jewish
settlers, was
briefly recaptured
by Byzantia from the
Mediterranean Sea,
but then taken back
by the Arabs. To
avoid such
incidents in the
future, Amr moved
his capital from
Alexandria to al-Fustat
(Old Cairo) and
ordered the city of
Alexandria to be
burnt. With it, the
great library and
Museum of Alexandria
went into flames. It
is fair to say that
this particular
incident is a
controversial
subject among
historians.
Throughout these
thirteen centuries,
the Copts had
survived under Arab
rule all kinds of
treatment, from
considerable
tolerance to severe
persecution,
depending on the
ruler at the time.
In the beginning of
the Muslim rule and
for many centuries
afterwards, Coptic
Christians were
given the choice of
either adopting
Islam, or
unconditional
surrender and
payment of tribute,
or the sword (i.e.
to be killed). The
Copts had seen many
of their own being
martyred, or
converting to Islam.
Still however, by
divine grace they
overcame their
tribulations with a
strong faith and a
zeal for
spirituality and the
service of God. The
twentieth century
has seen quite a
renaissance in all
aspects of Church
ministry.
c) The Coptic
Church at Present:
Today, the Copts
number about six
million, and the
Coptic liturgy is
still celebrated in
its original form.
Three liturgies
are used in the
Coptic Church, the
Liturgy of St.
Cyril, the Liturgy
of St. Basil and the
Liturgy of St.
Gregory. According
to tradition, the
Liturgy of St. Cyril
is originally that
of St. Mark. It was
transmitted orally
to the following
generations and
finally recorded by
St. Cyril the Great
in the Fifth
Century. It is
regarded as the
greatest, the oldest
and the most
complete liturgical
text in existence.
As a work of
religious
literature, it is
supreme.
The Coptic Church
is experiencing this
century quite a
significant revival
in many aspects of
its life: in its
ministry both at
home and abroad, in
education, and in
ecumenism.
Institutions have
been erected in
Egypt to present to
the world facilities
for research in the
Science of Coptology. Youth movement and
Sunday Schools have
been working with
great zeal to help
both children and
their parents to
live in the world
but not to be of the
world. Two new
bishoprics were
established for
these ministries,
one for the youth,
the other for
religious and
theological
education. The
number of the
theological
seminaries has
increased
tremendously all
over Egypt and the
curricula has been
highly developed to
reflect the
advancement of
research in the fields of Patristics,
Religious Education,
etc. and to discuss
the new trends in
today's theology.
St. Didymus
Institute for the
Blind prepares
chanters who
constitute an
important ministry
in the celebration
of the Liturgy.
Moreover, other
Coptic Orthodox
theological
seminaries were
established in the
USA and Australia.
New ministries such
as the "Diaconia"
project have been
introduced to cater
to the needs of
people in rural
areas.
The Coptic
Church's
missionaries were
sent in the past few
decades to many
African countries
and a bishop was
ordained to look
after this ministry.
It is noticeable
that, with the fall
of colonialism, the
Africans look to
Egypt for religious
leadership and
spiritual guidance,
since it is the only
indigenous African
Church. Other
churches are
established in
Kuwait, Libya,
Lebanon, Europe,
England, North and
South America, the
Caribbean Islands
and Australia. At
home new churches
have been built and
new monasteries and
convents have been
established. The
number of monks and
nuns has been on the increase in
the past fifty
years. The Church
has come out of
isolation to meet
with other churches,
both Catholic and
Protestant in
Ecumenical Councils.
Dialogues between
the Coptic Church
and other Churches
have
been initiated and
carried out by the
Coptic Patriarch
himself in brotherly
love to work towards
the achievement of
the oneness of
faith.
In conclusion, it
is gratifying to
note that many of
the greatest
universities of Europe and the
USA have undertaken
the study of many
aspects of Coptic
Civilization.
