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Coptic Church By Sami Qureshi Origins - History
The Coptic Church is based on the teachings of Saint Mark who brought Christianity to Egypt during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero in the first century, a dozen of years after the Lord's ascension. He was one of the four evangelists and the one who wrote the oldest canonical gospel. Christianity spread throughout Egypt within half a century of Saint Mark's arrival in Alexandria as is clear from the New Testament writings found in "Bahnasa", in Middle Egypt, which date around the year 200 A.D., and a fragment of the Gospel of Saint John, written using the Coptic language, which was found in Upper Egypt and can be dated to the first half of the second century. The Coptic Church, which is now more than nineteen centuries old, was the subject of many prophecies in the Old Testament. Isaiah the prophet, in Chapter 19, Verse 19 says "In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border." For two thousand years, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt has remained a loving bride and a faithful witness for Christ. Her sons and daughters pride themselves on being the unyielding defendants of the Christian faith. The Nicene Creed, which is recited in all churches throughout the world, has been authored by one of her favorite sons, St. Athanasius, the Pope of Alexandria in 325 A.D. This status is well deserved, since Egypt was the refuge that the Holy Family sought in its flight from Judea [Matthew 2:12-23]. Organization - Structure Pope Shenouda 3rd of the Coptic church
The Coptic Orthodox Church's clergy is headed by the Pope of Alexandria and includes Bishops who oversee the priests ordained in their dioceses. Both the Pope and the Bishops must be monks; they are all members of the Coptic Orthodox Holy Synod (Council), which meets regularly to oversee matters of faith and pastorship in the Church. The Pope of the Coptic Church, although highly regarded by all Copts, does not enjoy any state of supremacy or infallibility. Today, there are over 60 Coptic Bishops governing dioceses inside Egypt as well as dioceses outside Egypt, such as in Jerusalem, Sudan, Western Africa, France, England, and the United States. The direct pastoral responsibility of Coptic congregations in any of these dioceses falls on Priests, who must be married and must attend the Catechetical School before being ordained. There are two other non-clerical bodies who participate in taking care of Church affairs. The first is a popularly-elected Coptic Lay Council, which appeared on the stage in 1883 A.D. to act as a liaison between the Church and the Government. The second is a joint lay-clerical committee, which appeared on the stage in 1928 A.D. to oversee and monitor the management of the Coptic Church's endowments in accordance with the Egyptian laws. Daily, in all Coptic Churches all over the world, Copts pray for the reunion of all Christian Churches. They pray for Egypt, its Nile, its crops, its president, its army, its government, and above all its people. They pray for the world's peace and for the well-being of the human race. Central Belief - Worship
There are three main Liturgies in the Coptic Church: The Liturgy according to Saint Basil, Bishop of Caesarea; The Liturgy according to Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople; and The Liturgy according to Saint Cyril I, the 24th Pope of the Coptic Church. The bulk of Saint Cyril's Liturgy is from the one that Saint Mark used (in Greek) in the first century. It was memorized by the Bishops and priests of the church till it was translated into the Coptic Language by Saint Cyril. Today, these three Liturgies, with some added sections (e.g. the intercessions), are still in use; the Liturgy of Saint Basil is the one most commonly used in the Coptic Orthodox Church. The worship of Saints is expressly forbidden by the Church; however, asking for their intercessions (e.g. Marian Praise) is central in any Coptic service. Any Coptic Church is named after a Patron Saint. Among all Saints, the Virgin Saint Mary (Theotokos) occupies a special place in the heart of all Copts. Her repeated daily appearances in a small Church in Elzaytoun district of Cairo for over a month in April of 1968 was wittnessed by thousands of Egyptians, both Copts and Muslims and was even broadcast on International TV. Copts celebrate seven major Holy feasts and seven minor Holy feasts. The major feasts commemorate Annunciation, Christmas, Theophany, Palm Sunday, Easter, Ascension, and the Pentecost. Christmas is celebrated on January 7th. The Coptic Church emphasizes the Resurrection of Christ (Easter) as much as His Advent (Christmas), if not more. Easter is usually on the second Sunday after the first full moon in Spring. The Coptic Calendar of Martyrs is full of other feasts usually commemorating the martyrdom of popular Saints (e.g. Saint Mark, Saint Mena, Saint George, Saint Barbara) from Coptic History. The Copts have seasons of fasting matched by no other Christian community. Out of the 365 days of the year, Copts fast for over 210 days. During fasting, no animal products (meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, butter, etc.) are allowed. Moreover, no food or drink whatsoever may be taken between sunrise and sunset. These strict fasting rules are usually relaxed by priests on an individual basis to accomodate for illness or weakness. Lent, known as "the Great Fast", is largely observed by all Copts. It starts with a pre-Lent fast of one week, followed by a 40-day fast commemorating Christ's fasting on the mountain, followed by the Holy week, the most sacred week (called Pascha) of the Coptic Calendar, which climaxes with the Crucifix on Good Friday and ends with the joyous Easter. Other fasting seasons of the Coptic Church include, the Advent (Fast of the Nativity), the Fast of the Apostles, the Fast of the Virgin Saint Mary, and the Fast of Nineveh.
An example of a Coptic church
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The
word Copt is derived from the Greek word "Aigyptos", which was, in
turn, derived from "Hikaptah", one of the names for Memphis, the first
capital of Ancient Egypt. The modern use of the term "Coptic"
describes Egyptian Christians, as well as the last stage of the ancient Egyptian
language script. Also, it describes the distinctive art and architecture that
developed as an early expression of the new faith.
Today
there are over 9 million Copts (out of a population of some 57 million
Egyptians) who pray and share communion in daily masses in thousands of Coptic
Churches in Egypt. This is in addition to another 1.2 million emigrant Copts who
practice their faith in hundreds of churches in the United States, Canada,
Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Holland, Brazil, and many other
countries in Africa and Asia. Inside Egypt Copts live in every province and in
no one of these provinces are they a majority.
Copts
observe seven canonical sacraments: Baptism, Christmation (Confirmation),
Eucharist, Confession (Penance), Orders, Matrimony, and Unction of the sick.
Baptism 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 Baptism. Regular confession with a personal priest, called the
father of confession, is necessary to receive 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. Of all seven sacrements, only Matrimony
cannot be performed during a fasting season. Polygamy is illegal, even if
recognized by the civil law of the land. Divorce is not allowed except in the
case of adultery, annulment due to bigamy, or other extreme circumstances, which
must be reviewed by a special council of Bishops. Divorce can be requested by
either husband or wife. Civil divorce is not recognized by the Church. The
Coptic Orthodox Church does not have and does not mind any civil law of the land
as long as it does not interfere with the Church's sacraments. The Church does
not have (and actually refuses to canonize) an official position vis-a-vis some
controversial issues (e.g. abortion). While the church has clear teachings about
such matters (e.g. abortion interfers with God's will), it is the position of
the Church that such matters are better resolved on a case-by-case basis by the
father of confession, as opposed to having a blanket canon that makes a sin of
such practices.
