Origins of Coptic Christianity - Research Paper Example

? Christian Copts Coptic Christianity had its beginnings in Egypt about 50 years following the death of Christ (50 AD). It is believed to be the first Christian sect outside present day Israel, the Holy Land. From the earliest days, Coptic Christians have been an oppressed minority subject to violence and subjugation by the dominant group. 2000 years ago it was the Roman Empire then the Byzantine Empire who repressed the Copts and for the past 1500 years the Sunni Muslim majority has relegated them to second-class citizen status. Recently, following multiple regime changes in Egypt, Copts have endured increased instances of violence. The history of Coptic Christianity is tragic, sad and filled with stories of misery. The Coptic language is no longer spoken outside church and the percentage of Copts in Egypt have declined to fewer than 10 percent of the population yet this sect has survived through the centuries spreading beyond the Egyptian borders to many countries around the world. According to Coptic belief the Christian sect began when the Apostle Mark traveled to Egypt. Mark would become the first Pope of Alexandria. The word “Copt” is derived from the “Aigyptos,” a Greek word meaning Egyptian. The Coptic Church believes Jesus is less than God because He was made by God while all other Christian denominations believe Jesus to be a spiritual being whose nature was the same therefore equal to God. This was a major divisive issue in 451 AD at the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) when the Copts separated from the other Christian sects but the disagreement has cooled over the many years since. Neither mainline nor do Coptic Christians believe this one point of contention to be of great importance anymore. Otherwise, most Coptic beliefs are essentially the same as other Christians Churches, the Bible being the guiding text. As in other Christian sects, Copts believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. Men actually wrote it but were guided by the Holy Spirit. Copts, as other Christian’s sects believe that Christ not only taught through words but also by His actions and the Bible is not the only source of knowledge. According to Coptic Pope H. H. Pope Shenouda II “the Holy Bible does not mention everything.” (BBC 2009). Traditions are particularly important to Copts because these have directed civilization from since the time of the first people, Adam and Eve, a period which, according to them, occurred many centuries prior to the writings of the Bible. Somewhat surprisingly, due to the Copts, Christian monasteries originated in Egypt. Termed “monasticism,” the creation of monasteries is the most significant contribution to the Christian religion by the Copts. The original monastic community was unintentionally founded by Saint Anthony (died in 356 AD). He departed for Egypt intending to live a spiritual life alone but came across others who wanted to live close to what they believed to be a holy person. They formed a religious community, a novel concept at that time. Of course the community needed rules and who better than a Roman for the task? Saint Pachomius (died 346 AD), an Egyptian and former soldier in the Roman Army, established the first collection of rules for a religious community with a central highly spiritual leader, later to be termed ‘monastery.’ The list of rules combined a work regiment and spiritual dedication. As is the case for all other religions and Christian sects, there are many traditions and rituals unique to Coptic Christians. All Coptic churches face east as do the faithful when praying. Traditions and symbolism, such as facing east, is held sacred by Copts. “We see Christ as our east, in that the sun rises from the east. The sun is the source of our life and so Christ is our salvation, the source of our life in the spirit. Looking towards the east, we are facing the Garden of Eden.” The act is also Biblical in nature. According to ‘Acts,’ St. John of Zebedee “took a cross of wood and placed it up towards the east and kneeled and was praying.” (Kalleeny, 2013). Additionally, earliest documents chronicling the lives of Saints and Martyrs record them facing their bodies towards the east as they died. Church music uses few, if any, musical instruments. The sounds of the ancient hymns, sung in the language used during the time of the Pharaohs, are melodic and intricate yet employ only voices. Copts in Egypt have been the subject of belittlement and discrimination while churches, businesses and church members have been physically attacked because of religious intolerance, a seemingly constant condition in the region. Copts represent about 10 percent of the Egyptian population yet have no voice in local or national government. Election rules are designed to favor the Islamic candidates. In the 1970’s Copts faced particularly harsh state-sanctioned repression under President Anwar El Sadat. His regime alienated Copts by passing strict laws concerning their worship practices stressing nationalism and publicly ridiculing Christianity. Churches were routinely burned while priests and parishioners alike were targets of violence. Copts seldom received impartial justice in the court system. In 1980, Sadat delivered a passionate speech to the Egyptian Parliament accusing Christian Copts of trying to form their own state within Egypt in addition to other provocative rhetoric. He concluded the damning speech with the words “I am a Muslim president of an Islamic country.” (Tadros, 2013). The nationwide violence reached a zenith in 1981 when 81 Copts were killed and hundreds injured during sectarian clashes. The police did little to stop the violence. The Copt religion and Pope Shenouda III survived the 40-year reign of Sadat emerging more unified than ever but the upsurge of strong Islamist sentiment of the 1970’s caused many to flee Egypt. The highly publicized 2011 collapse of the Hosni Mubarak regime provided a memorable display of Egyptian unity that gave Copts great optimism during the Tahir Square based revolt. Television images of Muslims and Christians holding hands in the Square in addition to Christians forming a protective circle around praying Muslims were broadcast worldwide giving hope that a new democratic and more tolerant Egypt was coming into being. The hope in January, 2011 gave way to reality by May when Coptic churches again endured attacks. The total breakdown of the police force allowed Islamist extremists perpetrate violence as they wished. Mubarak’s successor Mohamed Morsi held power for about a year before his ouster in July, 2013. Following his reign anger erupted throughout the population as violent attacks of Christians increased both in number and viciousness. More than 1000 people were killed and 50 churches attacked. (Pant, 2013). The Egyptian Province of Minya was particularly hard hit. The Coptic bishop of Minya, Anba Macarius, said “According to our faith, we should expect hardships on account of our being Christian. We should accept this calmly; we should forgive those who wrong us and pray for them.” (CSM, 2013). When the Christian orphanage in Minya was burned down a Coptic message was written on the one standing wall, “You meant to hurt us, but we forgive you. God is love. Everything works out for good.” (CSM, 2013). Both responses displayed the love and forgiveness taught by the Coptic Church in action during a horrendous and frightening time when it would be understandable to be hate-filled and unforgiving. The objective of Islamists is not to completely eradicate Copts. A Coptic holocaust is not likely to be realized. The objective, rather, is to subjugate the Copts, to keep them “in their place.” Copts will only be allowed to stay in Egypt as along as they accept being treated as second-class citizens in what is considered Islamic land. By the mid-1970s the U.S. was home to 17 Coptic Churches. 20 years later that number grew to 57. Today, more 200 are in the U.S. 500 Coptic Churches exist outside the border of Egypt in dozens of countries including China and Pakistan. (Tadros, 2013). The present and future challenges to the Coptic Church are many whether in their home nation of Egypt or in new lands, particularly in western cultures where an increasing number of people are not religious at all whereas non-belief is all but unheard of in Islamic nations. Governments in the west are secular in nature, alcohol is embraced and divorce rates are much higher just to name a few vast differences in cultures. Adapting to life outside Egypt, a country their people and religion had lived for 2000 years is difficult and will likely take several generations to fully integrate. The number of Copts living in their homeland of Egypt today is estimated to be between six and 11 million and remains the largest concentration of Christians in any Middle Eastern nation. To remain a viable group for two millennia in a region where religions other than Islam are not tolerated speaks for the personal resiliency and spiritual conviction of the Copts. The Copts would not have survived, literally, in Saudi Arabia or Iran for example. It’s somewhat surprising to discover that a Copt Church exists in The Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The enduring legacy of the Copts also speaks for the relative tolerance of Egyptians. In a region of the world well known for the persecution of peoples the Copts are possibly one of the lesser recognized yet also may be the longest suffering. References BBC (2009). Religions Coptic Orthodox Church Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/coptic_1.shtml Christian Science Monitor (2013). How Egypt's Coptic Christians can keep the Arab Spring Fresh Retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2013/0917/How-Egypt-s-Coptic-Christians-can-keep-the-Arab-Spring-fresh Kalleeny, Tony (2013) St Mary and Archangel Michael Church Why We Face the East Retrieved from http://www.suscopts.org/mightyarrows/east.html Pant, Saumya. (2013). The Times of India. Gunmen kill four outside Coptic Christian church in Egypt Retrieved from http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-10-21/middle-east/43249098_1_pope-tawadros-ii-mohamed-morsi-coptic-christians Tadros, Samuel.(2013) ABC The Coptic Church in peril: The Islamization of Egypt and the end of Egyptian Christianity. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2013/09/15/3848945.htm Read More