Introduction to the Coptic Church

Who are we?

Orthodox Churches are the organisational bodies of the original Churches started by the apostles. the Coptic jurisdiction specifically is from Egypt, started in Alexandria by the Apostle Mark in 61 AD.

St. Mark

The Triumphant Entry

The Last Supper

Visitation of Resurrected Lord

What do these three events share in common? John Mark, It was St Marks donkey which Christ rode on His entry into Jerusalem. It was also St Marks house which had the upper room where the last supper was held. Finally it was also St Marks home where the Disciples met the resurrected Lord and St Timothy had his doubt removed. St Mark has been a key factor in much of the ministry of the Church without really playing any kind of key role apart from being one of the 70 chosen disciples.

How Did Christianity come to Egypt?

St Paul’s First Missionary Trip (45-48 AD)

St Paul’s Second Missionary Trip (49-50 AD)

St Peter’s Episcopacy in Antioch (49-54 AD)

St Paul’s Third Missionary Trip (52-53 AD)

St Peter Relocated to Rome (54-64 AD)

Death of St Barnabas (60-61 AD)

St Mark travels to Egypt (61-62 & 65-68 AD)

St Mark is the cousin of St Barnabas, he was one of the 70 Disciples, and became the secretary for his second cousin St Peter.

On St Paul’s first Missionary trip Barnabas brought St Mark with him, after a dispute of illness between the group St. Mark decided to leave and go back to Jerusalem. We see on St Paul’s second trip he didn't want Mark to come and this caused a rift between him and St Barnabas. So the two groups went their separate ways. In the time between St Paul’s Second and Third trip, St Mark was very effective in St Peters Ministry in Antioch to the point St Paul specifically asked by name for St Mark to go with him.

After the Second missionary trip St Barnabas and St Mark went to Cyprus, this is where St Barnabas was later martyred. St Peter relocates to Rome, and with the departure of St Barnabas called for St Mark. In Rome Mark was very influential and helpful, here he penned the Gospel with his namesake and was so successful that many urged him to return to his home in Pentapolis, Egypt.

In Egypt he arrived in the Pentapolis, then moved to upper Egypt, and finally entering Alexandria from the eastern gate. On his arrival, the strap of his sandal was loose. He went to a cobbler to mend it. When the cobbler - Anianos - took an awl to work on it, he accidentally pierced his hand and cried aloud "O One God". At this utterance, St. Mark rejoiced and after miraculously healing the man's wound, took courage and began to preach to the hungry ears of his convert. The spark was ignited and Anianos took the Apostle home with him. He and his family were baptized, and many others followed. This man became the first bishop in Egypt. After St Marks second visit the church grew rapidly, as the pharaonic pantheon began to fall Christianity spread like wild fire, with concepts like the trinity already present in the pantheon many difficult concepts became easily understood.

Who are the Copts?

Copt? The Words Coptic comes from the Original Egyptian word “Kupti” or “Kuptaion”, the Greeks hellenized form is Aiguptios which under Islam was condensed to Qibt, and anglicized as Copt

The Coptic people are the direct descendants of the Pharaohs with claims that some of the Coptic practices being extensions from pharaonic age like tunes and melody used in our liturgical worship.

In the 6th century we see the rise of Islam and the beginning of persecutions by Muslims in Egypt. Being descendants from the pharaohs many of the Coptic people had money to pay the Jizya for being Christian and saw this as better than the sufferings they endured from the Roman Empire. The first 20-30 years were relatively docile as time went on however persecutions grew, Christians began to be forced to wear massive heavy iron crosses that would leave their necks bruised giving rise to the name “blue boned”, as time passed persecutions lightened and Copts honored those who suffered and were martyred by tattooing crosses, in blue or purple, on their wrists or hands. When persecutions rose again This became an “ID” and those who didn't have the tattoo wouldn't be allowed to enter the church. Today these marks are often how bodies are often identified when found as being christian.

Coptic contributions to Christianity

The School of Alexandria was formed around the library there, this was the first theological seminary in Christianity. Many great saints were instructed here who defended the apostolic faith from various heresies.

The Coptic Church is also often called the “Church of Martyrs” with several historical accounts recording the streets in Egypt having inches of blood spilled from the executions of Christians. As a result the Coptic calendar actually begins with the Reign of Diocletian, one of the most severe and cruel of the Roman Emperors who persecuted Christians. the years are identified as AM or Anno Martyrum: Year of the Martyrs.

Martyrs are still to this day being offered up to God from our Church, with the rise of ISIS this was made visible on a global scale as they entered the global scene with the video beheading of 21 Copts. and churches in Egypt being bombed on a yearly basis, and children or women being abducted or killed.

As Christian persecution waned and with the legalization of Christianity in the empire many devoted Christians saw a decline of Christianity. They envisioned this freedom as causing others to get lackadaisical and not keeping vigilant. So they sought to leave the cities and towns, and live in the surrounding areas, they became known as the hermits.

Eventually one man, listening to a sermon about giving up all one has to follow Christ, became convicted of his wealth and position. He set his sister up to have a good life, sold everything ans lived and learned from the hermits. He eventually decided to travel into the wilderness, the desert, in Egypt. here he began a multi decade war with Satan fighting demons and growing in fame. eventually a city of would be monks surrounded his cave, learning from him how to defeat the enemy in prayer, fasting, isolation, and asceticism. This man was St Anthony the great, the father of Monasticism. From Egypt monasticism spread all over Christian nations being the “ideal” of christian life for all to aspire to wherever they find themselves.

Finally we come to our contributions in the Christianity the Ecumenical Councils, Alexandria having had the first Theological school was a powerhouse in the defence of the faith, leading the first three ecumenical councils until the schism at Chalcedon over terminologies. At the first council we see St Athanasius, a Deacon in Alexandria, opposing Arius on the nature of Christs Divinity and co-eternality. at the second council we see Timothy of Alexandria leading the fight against Appolinaris who went the other direction thinking Christ was not so much human, but rather was a body possessed by God. then at the Third council we again see St Cyril of Alexandria fighting against Nestorius concerning, again, the Divinity of Christ surrounding the title Theotokos, or God Bearer given to St Mary, He instead used the Christotokos, or Christ Bearer in effect rejecting Christ as God.

The Fourth Ecumenical council say the first major divide in the early church, were terminologies that didn't have fully defined understandings were being used and led to a split over how to express Christs unity as a person, but being fully Human and fully Divine. this was a loose split for 2 centuries until the rise of Islam broke communications between Egypt and the rest of the Roman Empire.

What do we Believe?

We Believe in the Nicene Creed, since the second and third council this creed has been known as “the Faith” and is the rubrics for orthodoxy. The Creed confesses the Trinity, the headship of the Father the crucifixion and resurrection and coming again of the Son, and the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. The Creed also confesses efficacy of a single baptism, a single Christian Church or visible body directly descended from the Apostles, and our believe in the resurrection of the dead and eternal life.

We believe in what is called Holy Tradition, this is that which has been handed down to us from Christ to His Apostles, to the 70 Disciples, to the Bishops they ordained, all the way down the line to us. this includes scriptural texts, interpretations, spiritual practices, and prayers.

Please take note, I said Holy Tradition includes Scriptural texts, we don't see a conflict between tradition and scripture as Holy Scripture is tradition, we use the older Septuagint Manuscripts rather than the 8th century Masoretic texts most Protestant bibles use. This was the texts that Christ and the Apostles taught from and was the first time the Old Testament was Translated, by Hellenic Jews, into another language 300 years BC. as such we have many deuterocanonical books that are missing from the Protestant bibles.

Lastly we believe in the Holy Sacraments of the church, as Scripture instructs these mysteries are give to us for the remission of sins. We see them as imparting Grace from God to bring us further in communion and union with him.

Baptism

Chrismation

Confession

Communion

Holy Unction

Marriage

Priesthood

In Orthodoxy the goal of the Christian is to become united with God as we once were at our creation. Everything we do in the Church is designed to facilitate this union and bridge the chasm that was created when man turned from God to please self.