The sentiment among an increasing constituency of Africans and African-descended people across the globe that Christianity is a Western/European/white religion of oppression is, at a minimum, historically inaccurate. For the sake of the Gospel, it must be understood that Christianity is not the cultural property of any single racial or ethnic group but has always existed as a chosen nation comprised of every nation, tribe and tongue. Because many non-Western people groups have been made to feel culturally alienated from the Gospel, it is imperative to explore the neglected history of non-Western Christianity. In the case of African Christianity, the story begins with Egypt.
Throughout history, Baptist churches have taught and baptized believers and organized them into new Baptist churches. In this process, Baptists distributed the Bible in copied and translated forms throughout the world. Baptists translated and spread the Bible to people in their own languages. The Bible has traveled through the centuries on the Royal Highway of the Trail of Blood, the history of Baptist churches. Since Jesus started His first church, Baptists (with various nicknames) have continued throughout the centuries, taking the Word of God wherever they went and establishing churches in the faith.
They were called heretics and Anabaptists (Greek, re-immersers) by Roman and Orthodox Catholics, Protestants, and other man-made churches because they refused to accept baptisms of these false churches.
Throughout history, various groups have contributed to the Baptist heritage:
- Novatian Baptists (3rd century), named for their pastor, Novatian (Roman philosopher converted in 250 A.D.), spread throughout the Roman Empire from Armenia to Spain, and into the great cities of Constantinople, Alexandria, Carthage, and Rome.
- Paulician Baptists of Armenia (7th-12th centuries) were known for their love of Paul's Epistles.
- Albigense Baptists of Albi, France (11th-13th centuries), in the Pyrenees Mountains were evangelized by the Paulicians of Asia.
- Paterine Baptists, also called Cathari (Latin, catharoi meaning pure ones), flourished in Italy, France and more especially in the South of France (11th-13th centuries). They were evangelized by the Paulicians of Asia.
- Petrobrussian Baptists of Southern France (12th century) were named for their pastor, Peter deBruys, who was succeeded by Henry of Lusanne, Italy, and eventually became known as Henricians.
- Arnoldist Baptists of Italy (12th century) were named for their pastor, Arnold of Brescia, great teacher of soul-liberty who was martyred for the faith.
- Waldense or Vaudois Baptists of Switzerland and of the Alpine (Alps) of the Piedmont region of Italy (12th-13th centuries) were led by Peter Waldo. Waldensian Baptists taught that the Holy Scriptures are the highest standard of judgment, the only authoritative rule of faith.
- Waldense Baptists spread themselves and their teachings all over Europe and England in the 12th century A.D. Their spiritual descendants in the 14th century became teachers of Wickliffe and his followers.
- Anabaptists of the Reformation Period in Europe and England (16th-17th centuries) taught that the Scriptures are the only authority in matters of faith and practice.
How Did Christianity Come To Africa?
Early Christian Roots in Egypt
Egypt’s Christian community likely grew originally among the Jewish community in Alexandria throughout the first two centuries. Countless early Christian artifacts, structures and documents-including the earliest extant biblical fragment-come from Egypt attesting to the immense importance of Egypt for Christian history. Egypt produced one of the earliest and most prominent schools of theological education-the Catechetical School of Alexandria-led by church fathers such as Clement and Origen of Alexandria. The Holy Family sojourned to Egypt as refugees in the first years of the life of our Lord Christ. The Coptic (or Egyptian) Church holds to the tradition that the Apostle Mark was sent to evangelize North Africa and came to Alexandria in Egypt by way of Libya. Many ancient church historians from the fourth century onward corroborate this story and attest to its oral transmission.
Read also: The Church's History
Map of Roman Egypt
According to tradition, Mark the Evangelist brought the Christian faith to Egypt in the first century. According to the Coptic tradition, in AD 49, about 16 years after the Ascension of Jesus, Mark travelled to Alexandria and founded the Church of Alexandria, having already been in Egypt for 4-5 years. According to Eusebius, Mark was succeeded by Anianus as the bishop of Alexandria in the eighth year of Nero (62/63), probably, but not definitely, due to his coming death. According to Severus ibn al-Muqaffa, the rise of Christianity in Alexandria in the second half of the first century was accompanied by persecution by the Romans, so much so that after the departure of the third Pope of Alexandria Avilius in 93 AD, a new pope could not be chosen until 95 AD.
The first attested use of the term “pope” was made in reference to the Egyptian patriarch. The Egyptian church was unique in its elevated reverence for its pope as well as the tightly unified ecclesiastical structure. The foundation of the Apostle’s Creed and the doctrine of the Trinity were defended principally by the Egyptian popes Alexander and Athanasius.
Development of the Church in the Early Centuries
Pope Primus was elected as the 5th Pope of Alexandria in 106 AD, and the Catechetical School of Alexandria arose in his days, as did the number of churches in Egypt and beyond, despite the emperor Hadrian continuing the persecution of Christians. The next two popes, Justus and Eumenes, were also Deans of the Catechetical School of Alexandria.
Since the middle of the second century, the Catechetical School has produced many Church Fathers whose writings are still read and studied today, including Origen and Clement of Alexandria, as well as Saints Pantaenus and Athenagoras. Some of the most important Church Fathers in the West, such as Saints Augustine and Jerome, were influenced by the School of Alexandria too. Another milestone of the second century was the first Bible translations into Coptic from its original Koine Greek.
Read also: Egyptian Adventure
Pope Demetrius (188-230) established a liturgical calendar by which fasts and feast days were determined. He was engaged in the controversy over the canonical calculation of Easter, and was the first to apply the calculation method for determining the date of Easter.
During the second century, the Church also fought against Gnosticism, which syncretized Christianity with the beliefs that had prevailed before it. The gnostics wrote false gospels and ascribed them to Biblical figures. For example, the Gospel of Judas portrays Jesus' betrayer Judas Iscariot as a partner in salvation and redemption.
Persecution and Doctrinal Conflicts
The main problem suffered by the church in the second and third centuries was their persecution by the Roman Empire. From the expulsion of Jews and Christians from Rome around 50 AD to the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, the Christians suffered various persecutions, the harshest of which were the Neronian persecution and the Diocletianic Persecution. The Christians faced this persecution with strength and endurance, with thousands choosing to suffer torture and death over denying their faith in Christ.
Suffering for the cause of Christ and martyrdom is another prominent theme in Egyptian Christianity. This is evidenced by the fact that the Coptic liturgical calendar continues to use the Great Persecution under Roman Emperor Diocletian as its starting point. Like several of his predecessors, Athanasius experienced exile and suffering for his defense of orthodoxy solidifying this theme of persecution as an enduring theme of Coptic identity.
In 318, an Alexandrian priest named Arius claimed that Jesus Christ was not coeternal with God the Father, but was rather created before time. This view, called Arianism, was opposed by Pope Alexander and his then-deacon Athanasius, who would later succeed him as Pope. The resulting controversy led the Emperor Constantine to convene an ecumenical council, the First Council of Nicaea, which 318 bishops attended according to tradition. After two months of debating and searching the Bible, all but two of them agreed that Arius' view was heretical, and they had Arius excommunicated.
Read also: Learn Arabic in Egypt: Guide
The conflict between Arians and the Orthodox Church continued after the Council of Nicea, and was so intense that Athanasius was exiled five times by four different Roman emperors during his 45-year-long pontificate (328-373), spending 17 of those years in exile.
First Council of Nicaea
The Schism and Muslim Conquest
In the early 5th century, the Archbishop of Constantinople Nestorius rejected the concept of the Hypostatic union, instead claiming that there are two distinct hypostases in the Incarnate Christ, the one Divine and the other human. Pope Cyril of Alexandria strongly opposed him and defended the use of the title Theotokos.
After Emperor Theodosius died, the new emperor and empress Marcian and Pulcheria convened another council, the Council of Chalcedon, in 451. This council deposed Pope Dioscorus and had him exiled to Gangra. The near-immediate result of the council was a major schism. The bishops who were uneasy with the language of Pope Leo's Tome repudiated the council, saying that the acceptance of two physes was tantamount to Nestorianism.
Egypt as well as some other Asian and African Byzantine territories were conquered by Muslims in the 7th century. Under Muslim rule, the Copts were cut off from the mainstream of Christianity and were compelled to adhere to the Pact of Umar covenant. They were assigned to Dhimmi status.
Modern Era
The first Anglican presence in Egypt was established in 1819 by missionaries from the Church Mission Society, who endeavored to distribute copies of the Gospels in Arabic. Some Copts participated in the Egyptian national movement for independence and occupied many influential positions. Two significant cultural achievements include the founding of the Coptic Museum in 1910 and the Higher Institute of Coptic Studies in 1954.
On February 18, 2013, the leaders of the five largest denominations in Egypt - the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant Church and the Anglican Church - formed the first Council of Churches in Egypt.
Egyptian Christians, particularly those who adhered to the Miaphysite doctrine that would come to define Coptic Orthodoxy, experienced prolonged periods of persecution from the third century onward. Further hardship followed the Council of Chalcedon in 451 CE, whose Christological definition was rejected by the majority of Egyptian Christians.
In the early 11th century, the Coptic Orthodox Church faced significant persecution under the sixth Fatimid Caliph, Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah. Christians in Egypt, primarily members of the Coptic Orthodox Church, constitute the country’s largest religious minority and have long faced legal, social, and institutional discrimination.
Current Status
Christianity is the second largest religion in Egypt. As of 2019, Copts in Egypt make up approximately 10 percent of the nation's population, with an estimated population of 9.5 million or 10 million. Scattered among the various churches are a number of converts from Islam to Christianity.
Although the Egyptian constitution guarantees freedom of religion, in practice, Christians encounter unequal treatment. Church construction was historically restricted, requiring presidential approval even for minor repairs. Nonetheless, recent years have shown signs of progress.
Like Christian communities across the world, Egyptian churches place importance on showing God’s love in practical ways, and run many social support projects as well as specialist schools and hospitals.
Egypt’s long Christian history means it is rich in early Christian sites, which are popular tourist attractions - including places where the Holy Family are believed to have stayed after they fled from King Herod.
Coptic Museum in Cairo
Elim Baptist Church in Egypt, Georgia, USA
The Elim Egypt Church would then alternate with local Methodist church in Egypt in a joint Sunday School. The church's current pastor is Justin Goins. The church's music is provided by Mikey Danker, Ricky Smith, Will Caine, Davy Flowers, Brett Harden & Adam Jones. The rural community of Egypt is located approximately ten miles north of Guyton, GA off GA Rt 17. It is residential and no longer has any city services.
The first deacons to serve the church were John H Ash II, James D. Lee, Dr. A. B. Lanier, W. C. Hamilton, and H P. Brewer. the organ was healed, Elim Baptist and Little Ogeechee joined together in a union Sunday School from 1874-1876. Rev. R. G. Cartin, the grandfather of the late Mrs. church in Guyton, was called to serve the church from 1872-1878. He was called again in 1923 and served 1872-1879 faithfully until May 20, 1928.The present sanctuary was built in 1902 and the same year a pump organ was given to the church.
The church was also selected to host the 100th anniversary in 1989 and over 200 people were present. built a 6400 square foot educational building attached to the old building. Also in 1988 the C. G. the church renovated this house and now uses it as the church pastorium. in what was once known as the Elim community and bears the name, Elim Cemetery. There are about 42 marked burials at Old Elim Cemetery, beginning in 1871. Only six of these burials are dated after 1944 - these six burials occurred during 1959-1980.
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