A Synopsis of the History of the Coptic Orthodox Church

The Coptic Orthodox Church is an Apostolic Church which is steeped in history. It was founded by St. Mark the Evangelist around the middle of the first century. It is known as the Church of Alexandria or the See of St. Mark. The role of the Coptic Church in the development of the Christian faith and the Christian doctrines was illustrious and unparalleled; yet, for over a thousand years, it had been either forgotten or minimized by Western scholarship.

The major contributions of the Coptic Orthodox Church to world Christianity during Christianity’s formative years can be summarized in the following few points:

1. As early as the middle of the second century and during the severe persecutions of the Roman authorities against the Christians, the Catechetical School of Alexandria had developed to be quite a reputable theological university. It was the first theological institution in Christendom. Its deans, mentors and graduates produced the most renowned works of explanations and defended the Christian faith against numerous heresies, primarily Gnosticism in the early centuries. In less than two hundred years, the school presented to the world thousands of extensive books in all aspects of Christian disciplines. It was in Alexandria that the basis of any theological curriculum was formulated.

2. The fourth and fifth centuries may be defined as the age of the Ecumenical Councils which set the basis of the Christian Creed. Here, the role of the Copts was supreme. Their theological and philosophical contributions to Christian doctrines and dogma were unsurpassed. The Ecumenical Movement began with the Council of Nicea (325 A.D.) where the towering personality of the young Coptic deacon, Athanasius, amazed the Council members. He was still in his id twenties when he refuted the arguments of the heretic philosopher Arius. Thus the Council entrusted him with the formulation of the creed which has stood the test of time. Athanasius was around thirty when he was enthroned Pope of the Coptic Church. Even while he was exiled, he preached at the Papal Curia in Rome and spread the Coptic ideas and ideals in Gaul (France) and Germany. Athanasius is but one example among many. Pope Timothy, the 22^nd Patriarch of the See of St. Mark was one of the influential figures who attended the Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople (381 A.D.). In fact, the answers that he gave to various questions posed to him were documented and accepted by the Universal Church as canon. The Third Ecumenical Council (431 A.D.) was preseded by Pope Cyril, the 24^th Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, who was the primary defender against the Nestorian heresy, the reason for the calling of this council.

3. Monasticism is the gift of Egypt to Christendom. It came into existence in the third century, and from there it spread over the whole world. The characteristics of Coptic Monasticism are (a) the urge to pray without ceasing; (b) the hunger to meditate on the word of God; and, (c) the disciplining of one’s self by fasting, vigils, celibacy, the subduing of the fleshly desires, willful poverty and the renunciation of worldly concerns. As a movement, monasticism was started by St. Anthony (251-356 A.D.). In a few decades, pious men from many parts of the world flocked to the Egyptian deserts to sit at the feet of these spiritual giants to learn the art of monasticism. Among them were the Palestinian Hilarion, the Italians Jermoe and Rufinus, the Cappadocian Basil the Great, and the Scythian John Cassian who settled in France. They all introduced monasticism into their lands based on the monastic order learned in Egypt established by St. Pachomius, the founder of the coenobitic, i.e. community, way of life. In fact the Roman Catholic St. Benedict’s monastic order was based on that of St. Pachomius.

4. Christianity is a missionary religion. St. Mark’s preaching in Egypt was a living testimony of this fact. Many Copts followed in his footsteps. From Pope Athanasius to Verena the simple nurse; they all witnessed to Christ in different lands. That nurse who was accompanying the Theban Legion, preached the Gospel of Christ to the Swiss women while teaching them basic hygiene. St. Verena has become until today, their matron saint. Coptic missionaries reached as fas as the British Isles, Europe, Libya, Nubia, Sudan Ethiopia, Arabia, and India.

The Copts Under Late Byzantine and Arab Rule:

1. After the Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D.)

The first major schism in the Apostolic Church occurred at the Council of Chalcedon. Although the Nestorian heresy had been condemned in the Council of Ephesus (431 A.D.), Nestorianism and crypto-Nestorianism continued to permeate throughout the Church. Unfortunately, after continuing to defend the faith against this heresy, the Patriarch of Alexandria, Pope Dioscorus (25^th), was excommunicated under the decision of this Council and exiled after being tortured by decree of the Emperial Patriarch. The Copts retaliated by electing a native rival Coptic Patriarch as the successor of St. Mark. The Byzantines, aided by the civil authorities, persecuted the Copts very severely by massacring them even as they worshipped inside their churches. The aftermath of Chalcedon was one of the saddest periods in the history of Coptic Christianity.

1. The Arab Conquest (642 A.D.)

After the Arab conquest of Persia, Syria and Jerusalem (636-638 A.D.), they turned towards Egypt to invade it. ‘Amr Ibn-al-‘As, the general of the Arab army captured Sinai, the eastern cities and took over the fortress of Babylon near Cairo. Ath that time Cyrus the Caucasian (al-Muquauqas) was both the civil governor and the Imperial Patriarch in Alexandria. Hearing about the advancement of the Arabs, he surrendered the city hoping that he would be rewarded and be installed by the Arabs as Patriarch of the Coptic Church of Egypt. His dream did not come true. By 642 A.D., Egypt had passed from the Byzantine Emperors into the hands of the Arab Muslims; neither were Egyptian. Throughout 14 centuries, the Copts suffered under Arab rule all kinds of treatment from considerable tolerance to severe persecution, depending on the ruler at the time.

1. The Coptic Church at Present

In the early centuries, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria extended outside of her national boundaries and established the Coptic Orthodox Church of Ethiopia. Eritrea, and Sudan. During the present time and under the leadership of H.H. Pope Shenouda III, here mission work has expanded and has reached a large number of African countries, being the only Apostolic African Church. Simultaneously, her work in North Merica, in both the United States and Canada grew beyond recognition, and her mission in Europe and Australia flourished prosperously beyond all expectations. Thus, the Church has come out of isolation. As for the number of her members from various nationalities around the world, a precise estimate is difficult to obtain. No published statistics are available yet. However, a moderate estimate numbers them to well above thrity million people. The revival of the Church continues to take place in all aspects of her life, whether spiritual, educational, evangelical, ecumenical or otherwise.

By Father Shenouda Maher Ishak