|
Next Page >
> >
I. The Coptic Church as an
Apostolic Church
TERM "COPTS"
The term "Copts" is equivalent to the
word "Egyptians." It is derived from
the Greek "Aigyyptos," which in turns
is derived from the ancient Egyptian
"Ha-ka-Ptah," i.e. "the house of the
spirit Ptah," a most highly revered
deity in Egyptian mythology. From the
Arab conquest and until today, This
term refers to the Christian Egyptians
to distinguish them from the native
Muslims.
SONS OF PHAROHS
The Copts as the successors of the
ancient Egyptians are defined as the
modern sons of the Pharaohs. They
played an essential role in the whole
Christian world, especially during the
first five centuries.
Their religious background helped them
to accept Christianity with eagerness
and to enjoy its depth through their
ascetic life, meditation and studying
of the Holy Scripture.
In this topic we wish to throw some
light on the ancient Egyptian culture
and how it reacted towards the new
Christian faith.
- Their religious
background:
It is well known that nature and
upbringing have religiously minded
ancient Egyptians since the very early
times. Herodotus states that "The
Egyptians are religious to excess, far
beyond any other race of men." Their
religious curiosity was satisfied by
the Christian faith that puts no
limits to spiritual progress, for it
raises the believers towards the bosom
of the Father that they might enjoy
the likeness of God, fast communion
with Him and acknowledgment of the
eternal divine mysteries.
- Their high scientific
background:
Modern science achieved unceasing
progress, particularly in the last
century. Many of the ancient
Egyptians' scientific work which took
place thousands of years before Christ
are still considered to be obscure
secrets; for example the pyramids with
their scientific wonder and mysteries,
the art of embalming, the art of
carving, colored painting on walls
etc. All of these arts are still under
research to the extent that some
believe that the ancient Egyptians
were working under the guidance of
superhuman (coming from the outer
space), or from other stars. Some
consider that man would have conquered
space much earlier if the library of
Alexandria had not been burned, which
led to losing scientific secrets of
great importance.
In any case, the fact is that the
ancient Egyptians put their scientific
abilities at the disposal of the
religious thinking (such as the
building of the pyramids, embalming
etc.). It had influenced the Copts.
They looked to science not as an enemy
of religion or contrary to it, but
that science acts in favor of
religion. Therefore, the school of
Alexandria opened its doors to the
scholars and philosophers, believing
that science and philosophy could
serve the true spiritual life.
-
Their religious
dogmas:
-
Each major town
in ancient Egypt used to
recognize some kind of a triad.
But these triads were too alien
from the Christian Holy Trinity.
-
Their
philosophers believed in One
Supreme Being; the best example
is King
Ikhnaton (1383-1365 B. C.).
-
While the
majority of the ancient
civilizations were preoccupied
with the
earthly life, seeking temporary
pleasures, the Egyptian mind was
absorbed in the world to come,
and in the resurrection. When
they were converted to
Christianity, they became
involved in awaiting the advent
of the Risen Christ, through
their lengthy hymns, excessive
fasting, enduring and suffering
with joy. This eschatological
attitude has its effect on our
worship, liturgies and even in
our daily life.
-
The Cross:
Egyptians tended to identify the
Cross with their own sign of
eternal life, "the Ankh," which
was held in the hands of the
immortals such as gods and
pharaohs. The "Ankh" sign took
the shape of a cruciform with
rounded tip, which was readily
adopted and used by the Copts
from the very early times.
-
In addition to
this, the Egyptians seem to have
had an idea of the unity of
God, His eternity, His infinity,
as well as His loving kindness.
Next Page >
> >
|
