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Coptic Church
Coptic Church. One of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. According to tradition the Church in Egypt was founded by St Mark; Alexandria was one of the chief sees in the early Church. The Egyptian Church suffered severely in the persecution under Diocletian. In the 4th cent. monasticism was founded in Egypt by St Antony and others. Most of the Copts rejected the Council of Chalcedon's Definition of the two natures in the incarnate Christ and became increasingly isolated from the rest of Christendom. The Orthodox (Melchite) body established in Alexandria received little support from the native population. In Upper Egypt, however, there was a rapid development of monasticism. In the 7th cent. the Copts were conquered by the Arabs, whose rule has lasted to the present day. Outside Egypt there are Coptic dioceses at Jerusalem, in the Sudan, Kenya, France, and the USA. The Ethiopian Church is an autonomous daughter of the Egyptian Church. There is also a small Uniat Coptic Church dating from 1741, when Athanasius, the Coptic Bishop of Jerusalem, joined the RC Church.
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Coptic Church." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Coptic Church." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-CopticChurch.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Coptic Church." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-CopticChurch.html |
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Coptic Church
Coptic Church (Arab., qibṭ, from Gk., Aigyptios, ‘Egyptian’). The national Christian church of Egypt.
Its position under Islam has, however, always been difficult. There were occasional persecutions under the khalīfas, besides the legal disabilities imposed on non-Muslims as dhimmis. Many restrictions (e.g. on church building and publication) still exist. The Coptic Church was a founder member of the World Council of Churches in 1948. Its vitality appears in its Sunday schools and in a recent repopulation of some of the ancient desert monasteries. The number of Copts in the 1976 census was given as 2.3 million, but Coptic leaders claim it is 5 million or more, and that the figures were falsified to serve the picture of Egypt as an Islamic state. Coptic liturgies and ceremonial preserve some very archaic features. The traditional liturgical language is Coptic, although it gave way to Arabic as a spoken language as early as the 9th cent. |
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JOHN BOWKER. "Coptic Church." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Coptic Church." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-CopticChurch.html JOHN BOWKER. "Coptic Church." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-CopticChurch.html |
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Coptic Church
Coptic Church Largest Christian Church in Egypt. Its members form 5–10% of Egypt's population. Of ancient origin, the Copts trace the history of the church to Saint Mark. As a result of its Monophysite creed (denying the humanity of Christ), the Coptic Church was declared heretical by the Council of Chalcedon (451) and was isolated from other Christian Churches. The Arab conquest of Egypt brought mass conversion to Islam.
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Cite this article
"Coptic Church." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Coptic Church." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-CopticChurch.html "Coptic Church." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-CopticChurch.html |
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