The Coptic Church is the national church of Christians in Egypt. According to legend, it was founded by the Evangelist Mark and now belongs to the so-called eastern branch of Orthodox Christianity. The Copts themselves prefer to call themselves followers of the ancient apostolic church.
Who are Copts?
Copts are considered direct descendants of the ancient Egyptians. Their language has many similarities with the language of ancient Egypt, and Louis Champollion used it with success in the initial decipherment of hieroglyphs. Today, the Coptic language has practically fallen into disuse and is preserved only in church services.
Currently, Copts are called all followers of Christian teachings living in Egypt and Ethiopia. Very often, a Copt can be distinguished from a Muslim by a tattoo in the form of a cross on the wrist. It is not mandatory, but is present in most Egyptian Christians.
History of the Coptic Church
According to legend, the first Christian community in Egypt was founded by St. Mark, who first visited Alexandria around 47-48 AD. He became her firstbishop, and twenty years later died at the hands of the Romans. Part of his relics is still kept in the Coptic temple in Alexandria.
Officially, the Coptic Orthodox Church appeared in 451, after the church schism at the IV Chalcedon Ecumenical Council. Then the Patriarch of Alexandria refused to condemn Monophysitism as a heresy and was forced to announce the separation of his church. After that, as long as Egypt remained part of the Byzantine Empire, the Copts were persecuted as heretics.
After the conquest of the country by the Arabs, and later by the Ottoman Empire, for many centuries the Coptic Church suffered severe oppression of Muslims who ravaged churches and persecuted clergy and parishioners.
Teachings and rituals
The doctrine of the Coptic Church is based on moderate Monophysitism. Monophysites only accept the divine nature of Jesus Christ and deny that he was ever human. They believed that the human nature, inherited by Him from his mother, dissolved in his divine essence "like a drop of honey in the ocean." The Orthodox Church claims that Christ had a dual nature, that is, he was a real person, while remaining a god. It was these purely theological differences that led to the schism between the two Eastern churches in due time.
The rites and holidays of the Egyptian Church are in many ways similar to the Orthodox. 7 major and 7 minor feasts are solemnly celebrated.
The Copts deeply revere the Mother of God. In her honor in the church calendarthere are 32 holidays, the main of which are the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Entry into the Temple and the Assumption.
Religious Copts fast most of the year. They have 4 large posts and several small ones. In addition, Wednesday and Friday are always fast days.
Church liturgy retained much of the monastic service of early Christianity. And due to the fact that the Coptic language has practically fallen out of use and is incomprehensible to a large number of parishioners, it is usually held in two languages - Coptic and Arabic. Services are held 7 times a day.
Coptic temples
The main temple of the Coptic Church today is the huge Cathedral of St. Mark in Alexandria. In the same city, there is also an ancient, miraculously preserved church of Peter and Paul.
In addition, Coptic temples exist in other cities of Egypt. Of particular note is the majestic Coptic Church in Hurghada, which is one of the main attractions of the city. The architecture of the temple harmoniously combines the features of Christian and Muslim art, and the large iconostasis is decorated with three rows of ancient icons brought from the Catholic cathedrals of Europe. To avoid clashes with Muslim religious fanatics, the church is surrounded by a fairly high wall. Nevertheless, it is open to tourists, and its ministers are very friendly to representatives of any Christian denominations.
The decoration of Coptic churches, as a rule, is not overly pompous. The walls are justplastered, and frescoes are extremely rare. The iconostasis consists of carved wooden panels, only decorated with icons on top. Coptic religious painting also has a number of significant features. The figures of people here are depicted as flat and disproportionate, and the details are written very poorly. In general, it resembles a drawing made by the hand of a child.
Inside the temples there are rows of benches - unlike Orthodox churches, where parishioners always listen to the service while standing.
The cross on the dome of the church, as a rule, is oriented in two directions at once, and therefore is always visible, no matter from which side of the temple the observer is.
It is customary to take off your shoes when entering the temple. Men pray separately from women.
Structure of the Coptic Church
Today the Coptic Church in Egypt consists of 26 dioceses. It is administered by the Holy Pope, Patriarch of Alexandria. He is elected at a general meeting of bishops, where the laity are also present, who are invited by 12 people from each diocese. Prior to his election, the patriarch does not have to have an episcopal rank, he can even be a simple monk. The final choice of the head of the Church from the presented candidates is left to fate itself, that is, lots are cast. A patriarch thus elected cannot be removed, and only he has the right to ordain new bishops.
The Coptic Church has its own schools, and recently the institution of monasticism has begun to revive here. Today in Egypt there are 12 male and 6 female Coptic monasteries. Most ofThey are located in the oasis of Wadi al-Natrun, a hundred kilometers from Cairo. There are also very tiny cloisters where only 3-4 monks live.
Another difference between the Coptic Church and others are hermit monks who have survived to this day, leading a lonely ascetic lifestyle far in the desert.
The main theological seminary of the Copts is located in the very capital of Egypt, not far from the Cathedral of St. Mark. Since 1954, the Coptic Church has also had its own Institute of Advanced Studies, dedicated to the study of Egyptian Christian culture.
Church Today
Followers of the church live mainly in Egypt. According to 1995 data, their number exceeds 8 million people, and about 2 million more are Coptic diasporas around the world.
The Church maintains close relations with other Monophysite churches - Armenian, Ethiopian, Syrian, Malankara and Eritrean.
Not so long ago, the Patriarch of Alexandria visited Russia, which is a sure sign of good relations between the two branches of Orthodoxy and an attempt to bring them closer together. Its initiator is the Coptic Church. In Moscow, the head of Egyptian Christians met with Patriarch Kirill and visited several churches and monasteries in the capital.
The Coptic Orthodox Church has never known easy times in its history. It still remains a small island of Christianity in the midst of the Muslim world. But in spite of everything, it continues to exist and develop, carefully preserving traditions and instilling faith in the hearts of itsparishioners.
