Coptic Orthodoxy
Introduction
The Coptic Orthodox Church is the church founded by St. Mark, the Evangelist and Apostle, in the city of Alexandria, Egypt in the first century. The Coptic Orthodox Church is an apostolic church that believes that the head of the church is the Pope of Alexandria, successor of St. Mark the apostle. Such is empowered by God and the Church to care for and preside over its holy synod, which is the highest legislative and executive authority, since there is a hierarchy in the Coptic Church.
The word Coptic comes from the Greek word "aegyptus" which means Egypt. This referred to the descendants of the ancient Egyptians and later referred to the Christians who belonged to the Orthodox Church which was founded in Egypt.
The essential doctrines of the church are: there is one God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth; we believe in the Holy Trinity which consists of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit; and all three are one God. We believe that God the Son was incarnate through the Holy Spirit and took human form in the womb of the Virgin Mary, was born, crucified, and resurrected on the third day for the salvation of mankind. We believe that there are seven sacraments, which are vital for the relationship between God and man, which are: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Marriage, Priesthood, Confession and Anointing of the Sick.
We believe that the Mass places us in communion with God through the consecrated bread and wine.
We believe in the resurrection of the dead, final judgment and eternal life.
The fundamental basis of our entire faith is the Holy Bible which consists of the Old and New Testament.
Our Faith is found in the Nicene Creed made by the Holy Fathers; St. Athanasius the 20th Pope of Alexandria, the principal author, and the other councils saints.
We believe that the Holy Virgin Mary is the mother of God. She was first called the Mother of God by Pope Cyril the great, the 24th Pope of Alexandria.
History of the Coptic Church
The Coptic Church was established in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by St. Mark the Evangelist in the city of Alexandria around 43 A.D., a few 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 St. 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 St. 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 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” (Isaiah 19:19).
The Coptic Orthodox Church believes that the Holy Trinity—God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit—are equal to each other in one unity and that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world. The church adheres to the Nicene Creed. St. Athanasius (296-373 A.D.), the twentieth Pope of the Coptic Church, effectively defended the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ’s divinity at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. His steadfastness to the doctrine earned him the title “Father of Orthodoxy.”
The term “Coptic” is derived from the Greek “Aigyptos” meaning “Egyptian.” In the seventh century, the Arabs in Egypt began calling the Egyptians “qibt,” a term that came to mean both “Egyptian” and “Christian.” The term “Orthodoxy” refers to the preservation of the original faith by the Copts who, throughout the ages, defended the Creed against other religious doctrines.
The contributions of the Coptic Church to Christian world are many. From the beginning, it played a central role in Christian theology, especially to protect it from the Gnostics heresies. The Coptic Church produced thousands of texts, biblical and theological studies which are important resources for archeology. The Holy Bible was translated to the Coptic language in the second century. Hundreds of scribes used to write copies of the Bible and other liturgical and theological books. Now libraries, museums, and universities throughout the world possess thousands of Coptic manuscripts.
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, God the Father the Pantocrator who created heaven and earth, and all things seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not created, of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became Man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered, and was buried. And on the third day, He rose from the dead, according to the scriptures, ascended to the heavens; He sits at the right hand of his Father, and He is coming again in His glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end.
Yes, we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giver, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.
And in One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. We confess one baptism for the remission of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the coming age. Amen.
St. Mark, The Founder
The founder of the Coptic Church is St. Mark; one of the seventy Apostles (Mark 10:10), and one of the four Evangelists. St. Mark was an African native of Jewish parents who belonged to the Levites’ tribe. His family lived in Cyrenaica until they were attacked by some barbarians, and lost their property. Consequently, they moved to Jerusalem with their child John Mark (Acts 12:12, 25; 15:37). Apparently, he was given a good education and became conversant in both Greek and Latin in addition to Hebrew. His family was highly religious and in close relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. His cousin was St. Barnabas and his father’s cousin was St. Peter. His mother, Mary, played an important part in the early days of the Church in Jerusalem. Her upper room became the first Christian church in the world where the Lord Jesus Christ Himself instituted the Holy Eucharist (Mark 14:12-26). Also, this is the same place where the Lord appeared to the disciples after His resurrection and His Holy Spirit came upon them.
Young Mark was always associated with the Lord, who chose him as one of the seventy. He is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures in a number of events related to the Lord. For example, he was present at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, and was the man who had been carrying the jar when the two disciples went to prepare a place for the celebration of the Passover (Mark 14:13-14; Luke 22:11).
Preaching with the Apostles
At first, St. Mark accompanied St. Peter on his missionary journeys inside Jerusalem and Judea. Then he accompanied St. Paul and St. Barnabas on their first missionary journey to Antioch, Cyprus, and Asia Minor, after which, he left them and returned home (Acts 13:13). On their second trip, St. Paul refused to take him along because he left them on the previous mission; for this reason St. Barnabas was separated from St. Paul and went to Cyprus with his cousin St. Mark (Acts 15:36-41). There, St. Barnabas departed in the Lord and St. Mark buried him. Afterwards, St. Paul needed St. Mark with him and they both preached in Colosse (Colossians 4:10), Rome (Philemon 1:24; 2 Timothy 4:11) and perhaps in Venice.
In Africa
St. Mark’s real labor is in Africa. He left Rome to Pentapolis, where he was born. After planting the seeds of faith and performing many miracles, he traveled to Egypt through the Oasis, the desert of Libya, Upper Egypt, and then entered Alexandria from its eastern gate in 61 A.D.
On his arrival, the strap of his sandal was loose. He went to a cobbler to mend it. When the cobbler, Anianos, took an awl to work on it, he accidentally pierced his hand and cried aloud “O One God.” At this utterance, St. Mark rejoiced and after miraculously healing the man’s wound, took courage and began to preach to the hungry ears of his convert. The spark was ignited and Anianos took the Apostle home with him. He and his family were baptized, and many others followed.
The spread of Christianity in Egypt was remarkable and left many pagans furious. In order to ensure that the congregation would be looked after if anything happened to St. Mark, he ordained a bishop (Anianos), three priests and seven deacons. He left Alexandria to Berce, then to Rome, where he met St. Peter and St. Paul and remained there until their martyrdom in 64 A.D.
Upon returning to Alexandria in 65 A.D., St. Mark found his people firm in faith and thus decided to visit Pentapolis. There, he spent two years preaching and performing miracles, ordaining bishops and priests, and baptizing new converts.
When St. Mark returned to Alexandria, he was overjoyed to find that Christians had multiplied so much that they were able to build a considerable church in the suburban district of Baucalis.
His Martyrdom
In the year 68 A.D., Easter fell on the same day as the Serapis Feast, a celebration of a Hellenistic-Egyptian god. As Christians were celebrating the resurrection at Baucalis, a furious mob, which had gathered in the Serapis temple, attacked the Christians. St. Mark was seized and dragged with a rope through the streets of the city. At nightfall the saint was thrown into prison, where an angel and the Lord appeared to him. On the following morning, St. Mark was again dragged around the city until his death. His bloody flesh was torn, and it was their intention to cremate his remains, but strong wind and rain forced the crowds to disperse. Christians stole his body and secretly buried him in a grave that they had engraved on a rock under the altar of the church.
The Coptic Orthodox Church is the church founded by St. Mark, the Evangelist and Apostle, in the city of Alexandria, Egypt in the first century. The Coptic Orthodox Church is an apostolic church that believes that the head of the church is the Pope of Alexandria, successor of St. Mark the apostle. Such is empowered by God and the Church to care for and preside over its holy synod, which is the highest legislative and executive authority, since there is a hierarchy in the Coptic Church.
The word Coptic comes from the Greek word "aegyptus" which means Egypt. This referred to the descendants of the ancient Egyptians and later referred to the Christians who belonged to the Orthodox Church which was founded in Egypt.
The essential doctrines of the church are: there is one God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth; we believe in the Holy Trinity which consists of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit; and all three are one God. We believe that God the Son was incarnate through the Holy Spirit and took human form in the womb of the Virgin Mary, was born, crucified, and resurrected on the third day for the salvation of mankind. We believe that there are seven sacraments, which are vital for the relationship between God and man, which are: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Marriage, Priesthood, Confession and Anointing of the Sick.
We believe that the Mass places us in communion with God through the consecrated bread and wine.
We believe in the resurrection of the dead, final judgment and eternal life.
The fundamental basis of our entire faith is the Holy Bible which consists of the Old and New Testament.
Our Faith is found in the Nicene Creed made by the Holy Fathers; St. Athanasius the 20th Pope of Alexandria, the principal author, and the other councils saints.
We believe that the Holy Virgin Mary is the mother of God. She was first called the Mother of God by Pope Cyril the great, the 24th Pope of Alexandria.
History of the Coptic Church
The Coptic Church was established in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by St. Mark the Evangelist in the city of Alexandria around 43 A.D., a few 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 St. 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 St. 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 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” (Isaiah 19:19).
The Coptic Orthodox Church believes that the Holy Trinity—God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit—are equal to each other in one unity and that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world. The church adheres to the Nicene Creed. St. Athanasius (296-373 A.D.), the twentieth Pope of the Coptic Church, effectively defended the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ’s divinity at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. His steadfastness to the doctrine earned him the title “Father of Orthodoxy.”
The term “Coptic” is derived from the Greek “Aigyptos” meaning “Egyptian.” In the seventh century, the Arabs in Egypt began calling the Egyptians “qibt,” a term that came to mean both “Egyptian” and “Christian.” The term “Orthodoxy” refers to the preservation of the original faith by the Copts who, throughout the ages, defended the Creed against other religious doctrines.
The contributions of the Coptic Church to Christian world are many. From the beginning, it played a central role in Christian theology, especially to protect it from the Gnostics heresies. The Coptic Church produced thousands of texts, biblical and theological studies which are important resources for archeology. The Holy Bible was translated to the Coptic language in the second century. Hundreds of scribes used to write copies of the Bible and other liturgical and theological books. Now libraries, museums, and universities throughout the world possess thousands of Coptic manuscripts.
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, God the Father the Pantocrator who created heaven and earth, and all things seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not created, of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became Man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered, and was buried. And on the third day, He rose from the dead, according to the scriptures, ascended to the heavens; He sits at the right hand of his Father, and He is coming again in His glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end.
Yes, we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giver, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.
And in One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. We confess one baptism for the remission of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the coming age. Amen.
St. Mark, The Founder
The founder of the Coptic Church is St. Mark; one of the seventy Apostles (Mark 10:10), and one of the four Evangelists. St. Mark was an African native of Jewish parents who belonged to the Levites’ tribe. His family lived in Cyrenaica until they were attacked by some barbarians, and lost their property. Consequently, they moved to Jerusalem with their child John Mark (Acts 12:12, 25; 15:37). Apparently, he was given a good education and became conversant in both Greek and Latin in addition to Hebrew. His family was highly religious and in close relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. His cousin was St. Barnabas and his father’s cousin was St. Peter. His mother, Mary, played an important part in the early days of the Church in Jerusalem. Her upper room became the first Christian church in the world where the Lord Jesus Christ Himself instituted the Holy Eucharist (Mark 14:12-26). Also, this is the same place where the Lord appeared to the disciples after His resurrection and His Holy Spirit came upon them.
Young Mark was always associated with the Lord, who chose him as one of the seventy. He is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures in a number of events related to the Lord. For example, he was present at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, and was the man who had been carrying the jar when the two disciples went to prepare a place for the celebration of the Passover (Mark 14:13-14; Luke 22:11).
Preaching with the Apostles
At first, St. Mark accompanied St. Peter on his missionary journeys inside Jerusalem and Judea. Then he accompanied St. Paul and St. Barnabas on their first missionary journey to Antioch, Cyprus, and Asia Minor, after which, he left them and returned home (Acts 13:13). On their second trip, St. Paul refused to take him along because he left them on the previous mission; for this reason St. Barnabas was separated from St. Paul and went to Cyprus with his cousin St. Mark (Acts 15:36-41). There, St. Barnabas departed in the Lord and St. Mark buried him. Afterwards, St. Paul needed St. Mark with him and they both preached in Colosse (Colossians 4:10), Rome (Philemon 1:24; 2 Timothy 4:11) and perhaps in Venice.
In Africa
St. Mark’s real labor is in Africa. He left Rome to Pentapolis, where he was born. After planting the seeds of faith and performing many miracles, he traveled to Egypt through the Oasis, the desert of Libya, Upper Egypt, and then entered Alexandria from its eastern gate in 61 A.D.
On his arrival, the strap of his sandal was loose. He went to a cobbler to mend it. When the cobbler, Anianos, took an awl to work on it, he accidentally pierced his hand and cried aloud “O One God.” At this utterance, St. Mark rejoiced and after miraculously healing the man’s wound, took courage and began to preach to the hungry ears of his convert. The spark was ignited and Anianos took the Apostle home with him. He and his family were baptized, and many others followed.
The spread of Christianity in Egypt was remarkable and left many pagans furious. In order to ensure that the congregation would be looked after if anything happened to St. Mark, he ordained a bishop (Anianos), three priests and seven deacons. He left Alexandria to Berce, then to Rome, where he met St. Peter and St. Paul and remained there until their martyrdom in 64 A.D.
Upon returning to Alexandria in 65 A.D., St. Mark found his people firm in faith and thus decided to visit Pentapolis. There, he spent two years preaching and performing miracles, ordaining bishops and priests, and baptizing new converts.
When St. Mark returned to Alexandria, he was overjoyed to find that Christians had multiplied so much that they were able to build a considerable church in the suburban district of Baucalis.
His Martyrdom
In the year 68 A.D., Easter fell on the same day as the Serapis Feast, a celebration of a Hellenistic-Egyptian god. As Christians were celebrating the resurrection at Baucalis, a furious mob, which had gathered in the Serapis temple, attacked the Christians. St. Mark was seized and dragged with a rope through the streets of the city. At nightfall the saint was thrown into prison, where an angel and the Lord appeared to him. On the following morning, St. Mark was again dragged around the city until his death. His bloody flesh was torn, and it was their intention to cremate his remains, but strong wind and rain forced the crowds to disperse. Christians stole his body and secretly buried him in a grave that they had engraved on a rock under the altar of the church.
