The Coptic Orthodox Church, deeply rooted in the history of Egypt, stands as a testament to the enduring Christian faith. This article delves into the rich and complex history of the Coptic Orthodox churches in Egypt, from their establishment in the first century to their present-day significance.
Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Cairo, Egypt
Early Establishment and Growth
According to tradition, the Coptic Church was founded by St. Mark, one of the seventy Apostles (Mark 10:10), and one of the four Evangelists. The Copts are proud of the apostolicity of their church, whose founder is St. Mark. The first Christians in Egypt were mainly Alexandrian Jews such as Theophilus, whom Luke the Evangelist addresses in the introductory chapter of his gospel. Christianity spread throughout Egypt within half a century of Mark's arrival in Alexandria.
By the end of the second century, Christianity was well established in Egypt, although pockets of paganism continued to co-exist with the new Faith. By 190 AD, the Church of Alexandria was exchanging Paschal epistles with the Churches of Jerusalem and Antioch concerning the date of Easter, and there were about forty dioceses under the Patriarch of Alexandria, in the north of the country, in the Delta area.
The Era of Martyrs
Historians have named the Coptic Church the `Church of the Martyrs’, not only because of their great number, but also because of their desire for martyrdom. The first wave of persecution took place in the first century when the Apostle Saint Mark suffered martyrdom in Alexandria by the pagan Egyptians. When prevented from worship, they did not hide in the catacombs, but worshipped openly.
Read also: Faith and Community in Las Vegas
Commencing from 202 AD and continuing for seven years, the Coptic Church also suffered persecution under the reign of Septimus Severus, who, when he visited Egypt and found that Christianity had spread, ordered the ruler to increase the persecution and prevent preaching at any cost. During the reign of the Roman Emperor Decus, an edict was issued to re-establish the state religion by any means. In 257 and 258 AD, Emperor Valerian issued edicts to destroy the Church, leading to the arrest and exile of Pope Dionysius of Alexandria.
In 302 AD, the Roman Emperor Diocletian began his persecution of the Christians by dismissing every soldier from the army who refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods. On 23 February of the following year, he issued his famous edict against the Christians. It was his belief that if he could crush Christianity in Egypt, it would be easier to eliminate it from the rest of the world. Hence the persecution of the Christians in Egypt was more intense than in any other country; about 800,000 men, women and children were martyred in Egypt. Throughout these waves of persecution, many spiritual leaders devoted themselves to strengthening the martyrs and confessors, visiting them in prisons, and accompanying them in their trials, and even to the place of execution.
Among the famous martyrs were Saint Mena the Wonder worker, Saint Reflca and her five children, Saint Catherine, and the Thebean Legion (numbering almost seven thousand soldiers) who, led by Saint Maurice, refused to sacrifice to the gods and were all martyred in Switzerland.
Theological Developments and the Council of Chalcedon
The Catechetical School of Alexandria played a crucial role in Christian theology. In the 4th century, an Alexandrian presbyter named Arius began a theological dispute about the nature of Christ that spread throughout the Christian world and is now known as Arianism. The Ecumenical Council of Nicea 325 AD was convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine I under the presidency of Hosius of Cordova and Pope Alexander I of Alexandria to resolve the dispute and eventually led to the formulation of the Symbol of Faith, also known as the Nicene Creed.
Another theological dispute in the 5th century occurred over the teachings of Nestorius, the Patriarch of Constantinople who taught that God the Logos was not hypostatically joined with human nature, but rather dwelt in the man Jesus. When reports of this reached the Apostolic Throne of Saint Mark, Pope Cyril I of Alexandria acted quickly to correct this breach with orthodoxy, requesting that Nestorius repent. When he would not, the Synod of Alexandria met in an emergency session and a unanimous agreement was reached.
Read also: African American Church Influence in Tallahassee
In AD 451, another Council was convened by Emperor Marcianus at Chalcedon. Alexandria was merely a city under the rule of the Eastern Roman Empire whose capital was Constantinople, Rome being the capital of the Western Roman Empire. At the Council of Chalcedon, the Coptic Church was misquoted and its teachings were wrongly deemed as being Eutychean. In the absence of the representation of the Church of Alexandria, the Council of Chalcedon passed statements concerning the two natures of Christ, and ecclesiastic laws, which have not been accepted, to this day, by the Coptic Orthodox Church and the other ancient Churches such as the Syrian Orthodox, the Armenian Apostolic, the Ethiopian Orthodox and the Indian Orthodox Churches. Therefore, the Council of Chalcedon resulted in the first major schism of the undivided Christian Church.
Pope Dioscorus was exiled to the island of Gangra, off the coast of Asia Minor, where he died. During his exile, he led many to the Christian Faith and bought back numerous people to Orthodoxy. In his See in Alexandria, a Melkite (Greek) Patriarch was imposed, but was not accepted by the people of Alexandria, who preferred to remain loyal to their exiled Patriarch. A wave of persecution arose in which an estimated 30,000 people lost their lives.
Byzantine Rule and Arab Conquest
For a period of almost 150 years, under the rule of nine Byzantine emperors, Egypt experienced periods of fluctuating peace and oppression. However, after the death of Emperor Anastasius, an era of Byzantine persecution and oppression began, lasting for almost 120 years. During this period, patriarchs were banished, intruders were placed on the Patriarchal See, churches were destroyed, and people lost both their lives and possessions. Emperor Justinian closed all the churches, placing guards on them, and persecution against the Coptic Church continued. The Arab Muslim conquest of Egypt took place in 639 AD.
For the four centuries that followed the Arab conquest of Egypt, the Coptic Church generally flourished and Egypt remained predominantly Christian. This was due to a large extent to the fortunate position that the Copts enjoyed, for the Prophet of Islam preached a special kindness towards Copts: “When you conquer Egypt, be kind to the Copts for they are your proteges and kith and kin.” The Copts, therefore, were allowed to freely practice Christianity, provided they continued to pay a special tax, called `Gezya’, that would qualify them as `Ahl Zemma’ proteges (protected). Individuals who could not afford to pay the levy 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.
Language and Cultural Shifts
Throughout that period, the Coptic language remained the language of Egypt, and it was not until the second half of the eleventh century that the first bilingual Coptic-Arabic liturgical manuscripts began to appear. The adoption of the Arabic language as the language used in the everyday life of Egyptians was so slow that even in the l5th century the Coptic language was still largely in use.
Read also: The Role of Black Churches in Virginia Beach
The Second Millennium and Modern Era
The Christian face of Egypt started to change by the beginning of the second millennium AD when the Copts, in addition to the `Gezya’ levy, suffered from specific limitations, 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, public conduct, adoption, inheritance, on public religious activities, and on dress codes. Slowly but steadily, by the end of the l2th century, the face of Egypt changed from being a predominantly Christian to a predominantly Muslim country.
The position of the Copts began to improve early in the 19th century under the stability and tolerance of the Mohammed Ali dynasty. In 1855 AD, the main mark of the Copt’s inferiority, namely the `Gezya’ tax, was lifted. Shortly thereafter, the Copts started to serve in the Egyptian army. The 1919 AD revolution in Egypt witnessed to the harmony of Egypt’s modern society.
Despite persecution, the Coptic Church has never been controlled, or allowed itself to control, the governments of Egypt. This position of the Church concerning the separation between State and Religion stems from the words of our Lord Himself, Who says, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s ” (Matthew 22:21 ).
The Coptic Orthodox Church Today
Today, the Coptic Orthodox Church continues to play a vital role in the religious and cultural landscape of Egypt. It is the largest Christian community in the Arab world, with a significant presence in the diaspora. The church is known for its rich traditions, distinctive liturgy, and commitment to preserving its ancient heritage.
The Coptic language is a universal language used in Coptic churches in every country. It descends from Ancient Egyptian and uses the Coptic alphabet, a script descended from the Greek alphabet with added characters derived from the Demotic script. Today, the Bohairic dialect of Coptic is used primarily for liturgical purposes. Many of the hymns in the liturgy are in Coptic and have been passed down for many centuries. The language is used to preserve Egypt's original language, which was banned by the Arab invaders, who ordered the use of Arabic instead. However, most Copts speak Arabic, the official language of Egypt. Hence, Arabic is also used in church services nowadays.
The Coptic Orthodox Church developed a democratic system of government after the 1890s. The patriarch and the 12 diocesan bishops, with the assistance of community councils in which the laity is well represented, regulate the finances of the churches and schools and the administration of the rules relating to marriage, inheritance, and other matters of personal status. When the patriarch dies, an electoral college, predominantly of laymen, selects three duly qualified monks at least 50 years of age as candidates for the office of patriarch. Among these three, the final choice is made by lot after prayer.
The highest-ranking bishop is the patriarch of Alexandria, who resides in Cairo; he is called the pope and claims apostolic authority for his office from St. Mark. The church has its own primary and secondary schools in many places in Egypt, as well as a strong Sunday-school movement for the religious education of children unable to go to Coptic schools. There are Coptic Orthodox churches in Jerusalem and in other areas of the Holy Land, built in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as a Coptic bishopric in Khartoum, Sudan. The church also has a small presence in North America, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The Ethiopian, Armenian, and Syriac Orthodox churches are all Oriental Orthodox churches in communion with the Coptic Orthodox Church.
What is the Coptic Orthodox Church?
Key Events in Coptic Orthodox Church History
The timeline below highlights some of the most important events in the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church:
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1st Century AD | St. Mark brings Christianity to Egypt |
| 2nd Century AD | Christianity becomes well-established in Egypt |
| 202 AD - 302 AD | Several waves of persecution against Christians in Egypt |
| 325 AD | The Council of Nicaea addresses Arianism |
| 451 AD | The Council of Chalcedon leads to a schism |
| 639 AD | Arab Muslim conquest of Egypt |
| 19th Century | Improvement in the position of Copts under the Muhammad Ali dynasty |
Coptic cross
Popular articles:
tags: #Egypt
