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10 Things You Didn’t Know About Coptic Christians

The Coptic Orthodox Church is also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. It is an Oriental orthodox Christian church based in Eygpt serving Africa and the Middle East. The head of the church and the See of Alexandria is the Pope of Alexandria on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark who also carries the title of Father of fathers, Shepherd of shepherds, Ecumenical Judge, and the thirteenth among the Apostles.

The church has approximately 10 million members worldwide and it’s Egypt’s largest Christian denomination. It follows the Coptic Rite for its liturgy, prayer, and devotional patrimony. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the larger body of ethnic Egyptian Christians began to call themselves Coptic Orthodox, this was to distinguish themselves from the Catholic Copts and from the Eastern Orthodox.

1. The Coptic Language

The Coptic language is a universal language that is used in Coptic churches in every country. The language descends from Ancient Egyptian and uses the Coptic alphabet which is a script descended from the Greek alphabet with added characters derived from the Demotic script.

Many of the hymns in the liturgy are in Coptic and have been passed down for several thousand years. The language is used to preserve Egypt’s original language. Most Copts speak Arabic which is the official language in Egypt. Nowadays, Arabic is also used in church services, the service books are written in Coptic and have the Arabic text in parallel columns.

2. The Coptic Role in Ecumenical Councils

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In the 4th century, Arius and an Alexandrian presbyter began a theological dispute about the nature of Christ that spread throughout the Christian world and is now known as Arianism. The Council of Nicaea was convened by Emperor Constantine after the Pope Alexander I of Alexandria requested to hold a Council to respond to heresies, under the presidency of Hosius of Cordova to resolve the dispute. This led to the formulation of the Symbol of Faith which is also known as the Nicene Creed.

In the year AD 381, Pope Timothy I of Alexandria presided over the second ecumenical council known as the Ecumenical Council of Constantinople. This council completed the Nicene Creed with confirmation of the divinity of the Holy Spirit. 

In the 5th century, the teachings of Nestorius, the patriarch of Constantinople, taught that God the Word was not hypostatically joined with human nature. The council confirmed the teachings of Athanasius and confined the title of Mary as Mother of God.

3. The Invasion of Egypt

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In AD 639, there was a Muslim invasion of Egypt. Even though the war ended in political upheaval, the Egyptian population remained mainly Christian. There were gradual conversions to Islam over the centuries that changed Egypt from a Christian to a largely Muslim country by the end of the 12th century.

Egypt’s Umayyad rulers taxed Christians at a higher rate than Muslims, this drove merchants towards Islam and undermined the economic base of the Coptic Church. Even though the church didn’t disappear, the Umayyad tax policies made it difficult for the church to retain the Egyptian elites.

4. The Coptic Church under Islamic Rule

The Coptic patriarchal residence moved from Alexandria to Cairo during the patriarchate of Cyril II. This move was at the demand of the grand vizier Bdr al-Jamali who insisted that the pope establish himself in the capital. Christians were again discriminated against and meant to show modesty in their religious ceremonies and buildings.

In 1798, French Egypt unsuccessfully, and the British helped the Turks to regain power over Egypt under the Muhammad Ali dynasty.

5. The 19th Century in The Copic Church

The positions of Copts began to improve early in the 19th century under the stability and tolerance of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty. The Coptic community ceased to be regarded by the state as an administrative unit. Towards the end of the 19th century, the Coptic Church underwent phases of new development.

Pope Cyril IV established the first modern Coptic schools which included the first Egyptian school for girls. Later in 1893, the Theological College of the School of Alexandria was reestablished. Nowadays, it has campuses in Alexandria and Cairo and in various dioceses throughout Egypt, as well as outside Egypt. It also has campuses in New Jersey, Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, and London. 

6. The Church’s Success in The 2000s

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In the summer of 2001, the Coptic Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Patriarchates of Alexandria agreed to mutually recognize baptisms performed in each other’s churches. Later on February 2, 2011, Coptic Christians joined hands to provide a protective cordon around their Muslim neighbors during salat in the midst of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.

On March 17, 2012, the Coptic Orthodox Pope died leaving many Copts mourning and worrying as tensions rose with Muslims. Many were worried about Muslims controlling Egypt as the Muslim Brotherhood won 70% of the parliamentary elections.

7. The Eucharistic Displine

Coptic Orthodox Christians fast from midnight onwards prior to receiving the sacrament of Holy Communion. They fast every Wednesday and Friday of the year. In total, the fast days in a year for Coptic Orthodox Christians number between 210 and 240. This means that Copts abstain from all animal products for up to two-thirds of each year. 

The Coptic Orthodox Church has seven minor feasts which are the Circumcision of the Lord, Entrance into the Temple, Entrance into Egypr, Transfiguration, Maundy Thursday, Thomas Sunday, and the Great Lent. There are also other feasts commemorating the martyrdom of important saints from Coptic history.

8. International Coptic Christians

In 2017, a government-owned newspaper Al Ahram estimated the percentage of Copts at 10 to 15% and the membership claimed by the Coptic Orthodox Church is in the range of 20 to 25 million. There is also a significant number in the diaspora outside Africa in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, France, and Germany. Coptic Orthodox Christians in the diaspora are hard to determine and are roughly estimated to be close to 1 million.

There are between 150,000 and 200,000 adherents in Sudan.

9. Administration of the Church

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The Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria is governed by its Holy Synod which is headed by the Patriarch of Alexandria. Under his authority are the metropolitan archbishops, metropolitan bishops, diocesan bishops, patriarchal exarchs, missionary bishops, auxiliary bishops, suffragan bishops, assistant bishops, chor bishops, and the patriarchal vicars for the Church of Alexandria.

10. The Persecution of Copts

The discrimination against Coptic Orthodox Christians is a historic and widespread issue in Egypt. Copts have cited instances of persecution throughout their history and Human Rights Watch and sectarian violence against Coptic Christians in recent years, as well as a failure by the Egyptian government to effectively investigate properly and prosecute those responsibly.

Since 2011, hundreds of Egyptian Copts have been killed in sectarian clashes and many homes, churches, and businesses have been destroyed. In one province, there have been 77 cases of sectarian attacks on Copts between 2011 and 2016. The cases have been documented by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. 

The serious ongoing problem is the abduction and disappearance of Coptic Christian women and girls.