A History of Coptic Christians in Egypt

An Overview of the Coptic Christians of Egypt by Lara Iskander and Jimmy Dunn

Introduction

The word Copt is an English word taken from the Arabic word Gibt or Gypt. It literally means Egyptian. The Arabs, after their conquest of Egypt in !" A#, called the population of Egypt Gypt, from the Greek word Egyptos or Egypt. The Greek word Egyptos came from the ancient Egyptian words $%ut&'a&(tah), one of the names for *emphis, the first capital of Ancient Egypt. In contemporary usage, the term +Coptic+ refers to Egyptian Christians. Today, Copts form almost ",- to ".- of Egypts population though they are not ethnically distinct from other Egyptians as they are fully integrated into the body of the modern Egyptian nation.

In "//0, there were o1er nine million Copts $out of a population of some .2 million Egyptians) who pray and share communion in daily masses in thousands of Coptic Churches in Egypt. This is in addition to another ".0 million immigrant Copts who practice their faith in hundreds of churches in the 3nited 4tates, Canada, Australia, 5ritain, 6rance, Germany, Austria, %olland, 5ra7il, and many other countries in Africa and Asia. Inside Egypt Copts li1e in e1ery pro1ince though in no one of these pro1inces are they a ma8ority.

History

The history of the Coptic Church in Egypt is basically the history of Christianity in Egypt, for the current Coptic Church is a direct e1olution from those earlier times. %owe1er, it traditionally begins with the 1isit of the %oly 6amily to Egypt. Copts relate that the blessing of Christianity on their country goes back to the days when 9esus was a young boy. The holy family, consisting of the baby 9esus, *ary and 9oseph tra1eled to Egypt and li1ed there for some time. :umerous traditions e;ist about the e;act locations that the holy family 1isited and many take annual pilgrimages following this route $it is also a popular tourist route) %owe1er, historically it was 4aint *ark the E1angelist, during the first century A#, who actually is considered to be the founder of the church. %e preached and suffered martyrdom in Ale;andria around the time that :ero ruled <ome. =hen 4t. *ark died in Ale;andria in year > A#, his body was buried in the chapel at 5eucalis. In the year >0>, the remains were stolen and placed in the ?enice cathedral. In "/2@ the largest cathedral in Africa was built in Cairo, 4t. *arkAs Coptic Cathedral. 5efore the cathedral was finished (ope (aul ?I returned to Egypt the body of 4t. *ark. =ith much ceremony this was placed in a gra1e beneath the main altar. :owadays, weekly meetings are held there where the pope addresses the crowds.

The early Christians of Egypt suffered considerably at the hands of the early <oman pagans, as did others prior to The rule of the <oman emperor, Constantine, who not only legali7ed their faith, but encouraged it as a Christian himself. %owe1er, in !." A# the 6ourth Ecumenical Council took place, and would di1ide the Catholic, or +uni1ersal+ Christian church. The decisions of this council concerned the nature of 9esus Christ. The Chalcedonian definition states that 9esus Christ is indeed the Bogos incarnate, the 1ery 4on of God +born of the 6ather before all ages.+ It affirms that the ?irgin *ary is truly Theotokos since the one born from her +according to the flesh+ in 5ethlehem, is the uncreated, di1ine 4on of God, one of the %oly Trinity. In %is human birth, the Council declared, the =ord of God took to %imself the whole of humanity, becoming a real man in e1ery way, but without sin. Thus, according to the Chalcedonian definition, 9esus of :a7areth is one person or hypostasis in two natures & human and di1ine. %e is fully human. %e is fully di1ine. %e is perfect God and perfect man. As God, %e is +of one essence+ $homoousios) with God the 6ather and the %oly 4pirit. As man, %e is +of one essence+ $homoousios) with all human beings. The union of di1inity and humanity in Christ is called the hypostatic union. This e;pression means that in the one, unique person of Christ, di1inity and humanity are united in such a way that they are neither mi;ed together and confused, nor separated and di1ided. Christ is one person =ho is both human and di1ine. The 4on of God and the 4on of *ary is one and the same person.

The decision of the Council of Chalcedon was not accepted by the e;treme disciples of 4aint Cyril of Ale;andria, nor by those who came to be associated with them. These Christians, called monophysites, re8ected the Chalcedonian Council on the basis that the council spoke of two natures, thus re8ecting the old formula of 4aint Cyril which claimed that in %is incarnation, Christ has but one nature. The supporters of the Chalcedonian decision claimed and still claim that though their words are different from those of the holy father, their doctrine is e;actly the same and is simply e;pressed with greater precision. The disagreement was ne1er settled, howe1er, and although many attempts at reunion were made in the fifth and si;th centuries & and again in recent years & the dissenters from the Chalcedonian decision remain separated from the Crthodo; Church. Today, the so&called *onophysite Christians are in the Coptic Church of Egypt, the Ethiopian Church, the 4yrian 9acobite Church, the 4yrian Church of India, and the Armenian Church. These churches are often called the Besser Eastern Churches or the Criental Crthodo; Churches. %owe1er, it should be pointed out that, officially, the Coptic Church has ne1er belie1ed in monophysitism the way it was portrayed in the Council of Chalcedon. According to a statement by the Coptic ChurchD +Copts belie1e that the Bord is perfect in %is di1inity, and %e is perfect in %is humanity, but %is di1inity and %is humanity were united in one nature called +the nature of the incarnate word+, which was reiterated by 4aint Cyril of Ale;andria. Copts, thus, belie1e in two natures +human+ and +di1ine+ that are united in one +without mingling, without confusion, and without alteration+ $from the declaration of faith at the end of the Coptic di1ine 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 di1ine liturgy).+ This split in the church ended up taking the form of persecution against the Coptic Christians of Egypt. After ha1ing sur1i1ed the persecution of the <oman (agans, they were once again besieged, now by other Christians. %ence, when the Arabs in1aded Egypt in the mid&se1enth century A#, they met little resistance form the nati1e Christian population. Contributions to or!d Christianity

The Coptic Christian church of Egypt has been responsible for at least se1eral ma8or contributions to the uni1ersal Christian faith. (erhaps best known is the founding of monastic establishments. E1en before Christianity, it was not uncommon for young Egyptians to retire to the desert for seclusion, perhaps because of the harsh treatment of the Egyptians by the early <omans. Bater, with the ad1ent of Christianity, Christians also took to the desert for solitary spirituality and as this mo1ement e1ol1ed o1er time, they sought out like minded indi1iduals, e1entually forming themsel1es into monastic communities. %ence, Egypt is known as the birth place of Christian monasteries. Another outstanding contribution was the #idascalia, the famous catechetical school in Ale;andria where early Christian scholars labored to pro1e that reason and re1elation, philosophy and theology were not only compatible, but also essential for each otherAs comprehension. This was the first Catechetical 4chool in the world. The first great scholar who ser1ed as head of the #idascalia was (antaenus, who probably ran the school for about a 0@ year period between ">@ and 0@@ A#. %owe1er, probably the most important theologian and prolific author associated with the school was Crigen. "he Copts "oday After the in1asion of the Arab *uslims around the middle of the se1enth century A#, the church suffered a slow decline but around the middle of the twentieth century, it e;perienced an unprecedented re1i1al. This spiritual renaissance had its start in the forties and fifties in the Coptic 4unday 4chool mo1ements in Cairo, Gi7a and Asyut. Inspired by the challenges they e;perienced in the 4unday 4chool classes, young men consecrated their li1es to God and 8oined the desert fathers. Today, many of the church leaders grew from that spirited re1i1al. The Copts continue to ha1e acti1e youth groups that emphasi7e religious education as well as pro1iding social interaction. Although called 4unday schools, these gatherings usually held on 6ridays, are considered to be a 1ery important religious element to all the Coptic families. Their children usually 8oin at an early age and continue to participate in them throughout their adolescence. They in1ol1e di1erse acti1ities, both on the spiritual le1el as well as on the social side of their li1es.

Today, the Coptic church has spread throughout the world, with churches in many different countries. 3nder the patronage of the current people, the church holds a deep and profound interest in erasing the prior concepts of the church among world. The church today maintains communications with the <oman Catholic church, as well as others, and it is clear that the desire of the Copts is to be fully and unequi1ocally accepted as orthodo; Christians by all members of the Christian world community.

The Coptic Church of the diaspora is a new and dynamic de1elopment of the second half of the twentieth century. <ecent missionary efforts of the Coptic Church in Africa ha1e led to the establishment of numerous churches in Eambia, 'enya, Eaire, Eimbabwe, :amibia and 4outh Africa. The Coptic Church is e1en spreading throughout the 3nited 4tates.

Organi#ation

(ope 4henouda III The Coptic Crthodo; ChurchAs clergy is headed by the (ope of Ale;andria, (ope Theodoros II. %e was elected as the "">th (ope on :o1ember !th 0@"0, succeeding the late ""2th (ope 4henouda III. (ope 4henouda died on *arch "2th 0@"0. 6or hundreds of years Ale;andria was the home of the (ope, but today his Cathedral is in Cairo. 5oth the (ope and the 5ishops that regularly o1ersee the priests ordained in their dioceses and matters of faith, must be monks. As for the priests, they must be married and must attend the Catechetical 4chool before being ordained. Today, there are o1er @ Coptic 5ishops go1erning dioceses inside Egypt as well as outside, such as 9erusalem, 4udan and =estern Africa. The %oly 4ynod is the highest ecclesiastical body in the church and is responsible for the churchAs spiritual, ecclesiastical, structural, organi7ational and economic affairs. It is made up of all the members of the Coptic episcopate, which today include se1enty&eight metropolitans, bishops and the wakil al&batrakiya, an archpriest representing the married clergy. Though this body has functioned since the fourth century, in "/>. a constitution for the %oly 4ynod was drafted, setting out its ob8ecti1es, policies and procedures. To make it more effecti1e, (ope 4henouda III di1ided the %oly 4ynod into se1en subcommittees that deal with pastoral affairs, liturgical affairs, ecumenical relations, monastic affairs, faith and ethics, and diocesan affairs. The body of the %oly 4ynod con1enes annually on the 4aturday prior to (entecost 4unday in the Chapel of 4aint Antony in the (ontifcal <esidence in Cairo. There are two other non&clerical bodies who participate in taking care of Church affairs. The first is a popularly&elected Coptic Bay Council, which appeared on the stage in ">>, A.#. to act as a liaison between the Church and the Go1ernment. The second is a 8oint lay&clerical committee, which appeared on the stage in "/0> A.#. to o1ersee and monitor the management of the Coptic ChurchAs endowments in accordance with the Egyptian laws. Coptic Ca!endar

The Coptic calendar has thirteen months, twel1e with thirty days each and an intercalary month at the end of the year which has fi1e or si; days depending on whether the year is a leap year or not. The year starts on 4eptember ""th in the Gregorian Calendar or on the "0th in the year before $Gregorian) Beap Fears. The Coptic Beap Fear follows the same rules as the Gregorian so that the e;tra month always has si; days in the year before a Gregorian Beap Fear. The names of the months and their starting dates are as followsD

Modern Pronunciation Start Date Start Date Leap Year Tout Baba Hator Kiahk Toba 11 Sept 11 Oct 10 Nov 10 Dec !an 12 Sept 12 Oct 11 Nov 11 Dec 10 !an

"#$hir Bara#hat Bara#ouda Ba$han$ Paona )pep Me$ra Na$ie

% &eb 10 Mar "pr Ma( % !un % !u* + "u, - Sep ' ' ' ' ' ' '

&eb

The Coptic calendar, the oldest in history, originated three millennia before Christ. The e;act date of its origin is unknown. It is belie1ed that Imhotep, the supreme official of 'ing #8oser C.0 2@ 5C. had a great impact on the construction of the calendar. Coptic $acraments

Copts obser1e se1en canonical sacramentsD 5aptism, Christmation $Confirmation), Eucharist, Confession $(enance), Crders, *atrimony, and 3nction of the sick. 5aptism 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 5aptism. <egular confession with a personal priest, called the father of confession, is necessary to recei1e 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. Cf all se1en sacraments, only *atrimony cannot be performed during a fasting season. (olygamy is illegal, e1en if recogni7ed by the ci1il law of the land. #i1orce is not allowed e;cept in the case of adultery, annulment due to bigamy, or other e;treme circumstances, which must be re1iewed by a special council of 5ishops. #i1orce can be requested by either husband or wife. Ci1il di1orce is not recogni7ed by the Church. The Coptic Crthodo; Church does not ha1e and does not mind any ci1il law of the land as long as it does not interfere with the ChurchAs sacraments. The Church does not ha1e $and actually refuses to canoni7e) an official position 1is&a&1is some contro1ersial issues $e.g. abortion). =hile the church has clear teachings about such matters $e.g. abortion interferes with GodAs will), it is the position of the Church that such matters are better resol1ed on a case&by&case basis by the father of confession, as opposed to ha1ing a blanket canon that makes a sin of such practices. Coptic $ervices

The main Coptic 4er1ices, like those of most other Christian churches, are held on 4undays. The ser1ice usually starts at .@@ am or .,@ am and lasts from four to si; hours depending on each church and its priests. #epending on the church $particularly the si7e of the congregation), there may be one or more priests, as well as a number of altar boys. Each may ha1e a certain rank within that particular church.

The ser1ice is composed of four parts. The first is the preparation prayer, called in Arabic the early morning prayer. This lasts only ,@ minutes. .the alter boys go around with incenses while chanting in the Coptic language.

The second part is for offering, at which point a prayer is said o1er the holy bread. This lasts for 0@ to ,@ minutes.

The third part consists of the preaching mass. %ere, the priests read sections of the Cld and :ew Testament, as well gi1ing a sermon. The name of this part dates back to the old <oman times when elder people wanted to con1ert to Christianity. They had to attend the mass as listeners only for three years as a trial before they could participate and ha1e communion. In Arabic it is called + 'odass al *owae7in+. 'odass is Arabic for mass.

The fourth part is the reconciliation prayer. This only lasts for "@ minutes when the priests gi1e the people ChristAs forgi1eness and the people do so to each other The fifth part is the 5elie1erAs mass and it lasts for the rest of the ser1ice. This is when the congregation has communion, and is supposed to be only attended by those who ha1e been bapti7ed and who ha1e confessed. This strict rule is now more found in small 1illages in 3pper Egypt, but in Cairo, one must only hear the 5ible reading to be able to ha1e communion, meaning that one cannot enter 1ery late to the ser1ice.

#uring the ser1ice women and men donAt mi;, they sit separately on each side of the church . Also during communion, they go to different chambers on the sides of the alter where the women co1er their hair in respect of the ceremony. =hile the seating is separated for women and men during 4unday ser1ices and also funerals, during wedding they may sit together. Ce!ebrations and other traditions 3nlike the Catholic Church, Coptic Crthodo; Christians celebrate Christmas on the 2th of 9anuary which was 1ery recently made an official holiday in Egypt as a token of the nations unity. This date corresponds to the 0/th day of the Coptic month, 'ahk. The biggest :ati1ity ser1ice is held by the (ope in 4aint *arkAs Cathedral in Cairo. The Coptic language, now almost e;tinct, is only used in mass ceremonially. After the ser1ice, families go home to break their fast. Copts make special sweet biscuits for Christmas, which is the same 'ahk as the *uslims make for Eid El&6itr $little 5airam

A kind of rare tradition is also found in the Egyptian Coptic Church. %oly bread, called Gurban, which is distributed after the ser1ice in the church. Gurban bread is round, decorated with a cross in the middle that is surrounded by twel1e dots. The dots represent the twel1e disciples of 9esus. It is 1ery common for people 1isiting each other after mass to offer some and normally it can ne1er be refused.

The Copts ha1e more seasons of fasting than Christians from any other tradition. Cut of the , . days of the year, Copts fast for o1er 0"@ days. #uring fasting, no animal products $meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, butter, etc.) are allowed. Cn a more strict le1el, no food or drink whatsoe1er may be taken between sunrise and sunset as they should only break their fast after communion.

6asting seasons of the Coptic Church include, the 6ast of the :ati1ity Christmas which is !. days, the 6ast of the Apostles, the 6ast of the ?irgin *ary, the 6ast of :ine1eh and of course Bent, known as the Great fast lasts .. days.

The %oly =eek is most sacred to all Copts. Cn %oly Thursday, Egyptian Copts ha1e a tradition of 1isiting and praying in se1en Coptic Churches after mass. It is an e1ent where families and friends gather and walk around from one church to another in commemoration of the Bast 4upper.

Cther then the fasting holidays, many Copts also fast on =ednesdays and 6ridays all year.

*any Coptic holidays 1ary as per date each year, but for 0@@,, they includeD
7 Major Feasts .hri$t#a$ )piphan( )a$ter Pa*# Sunda( Penteco$t "$cen$ion "nnunciation 7 Minor Feasts !anuar( +/ 2000 !anuar( 1 / 2000 "pri* 2+/ 2000 "pri* 20/ 2000 !une 11/ 2000 !une 1/ 2000 "pri* +/ 2000

.ircu#ci$ion o2 our Lord !anuar( 13/ 2000 )ntrance into the Te#p*e &ebruar( 11/ 2000 )ntrance into ),(pt 4eddin, o2 .ana Tran$2i,uration Ho*( Thur$da( Tho#a$ Sunda( Other Special Dates 5reat Lent &a$t o2 Ninevah 5ood &rida( .hri$t#a$ &a$t "po$t*e6$ &ea$t St Mar(6$ &a$t St Mar(6$ &ea$t !une 1/ 2000 !anuar( 12/ 2000 "u,u$t 1 / 2000 "pri* 23/ 2000 Ma( 3/ 2000 March 0/ 2000 &ebruar( 1+/ 2000 "pri* 21/ 2000 Nove#ber 2-/ 2000 !u*( 12/ 2000 "u,u$t +/ 2000 "u,u$t 22/ 2000

In addition to these holidays, Copts usually participate in a number of pilgrimages. These pilgrimages, which are too numerous for the conte;t of this article, usually ha1e as their focus the tombs of the martyrs who were local spiritual heroes of the communities in the #elta and the :ile ?alley. %owe1er, since the pilgrimage is a Coptic e;pression and desire to be close

to Christ, the %oly ?irgin *ary, as well as the 1arious Coptic saints, many pilgrimages take place in locations thought to ha1e been 1isited by the %oly 6amily on their tra1els to Egypt. $aints The worship of 4aints is e;pressly forbidden by the ChurchH howe1er, asking for their intercessions $e.g. *arian (raise) is central in any Coptic ser1ice. Any Coptic Church is named after a (atron 4aint. Among all 4aints, the ?irgin 4aint *ary $Theotokos) occupies a special place in the heart of all Copts. Churches

:ormally found in e1ery neighborhood is one big Church where all the residents of the area congregate. There, each family chooses a priest of confession who becomes the familyAs counselor. Egyptian Copts are known to be 1ery religious. Cne rarely walks into a house without finding an icon or other depictions of the ?irgin *ary or 9esus Christ. 6ound Inside and outsideCairo today are many old Coptic Churches and Cathedrals and se1eral others belonging to different rites. #aher district is especially famous for the number of churches and chapels found there dating back to different times.

"he %irgin &ary Coptic Church in 'ama!ek( a!so ca!!ed the &araash!y Church) The most famous churches in Cairo are the ?irgin *ary Church in Eamalek and 4t Georges Church in %eliopolis. 5oth were built by well&known Architect, <amses =essa =assef. Also, another famous church is Al Adra Church $?irgin *ary) in Eaytoon. This got its e;ceptional fame from the e1ents of April 0, "/ > when the ?irgin 4t. *ary appeared to the crowds e1ery night for o1er two months. The sightings were confirmed by thousands of Copts and *uslims. %undred of miracles were reported. <ight now there are two churchesD the old small church where the appearances happened, and a newly built Cathedral. Cf course, there remain many monasteries, including some that are 1ery ancient. (robably the most famous of these are the ones located in the =adi :atrun and in the Eastern #esert.

It should be noted that among the Copts a small minority are in communion with the (ope of <omeH these Catholic Copts ha1e their own organi7ation and churches but share the rites and practices of the Coptic Church. There are also many Catholic 4yrians, mainly *aronites

Cne final note. Though much has been said about problems between the Copts and *uslims in Egypt, most of this comes from outside the country. Internally, most Copts and *uslims seem to agree that the two religions are 1ery united in Egypt, and indeed, they share more than a few common customs and traditions.