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58-571: [REDACTED] Look up Coptic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Coptic may refer to: Afro-Asia [ edit ] Copts , an ethnoreligious group mainly in the area of modern Egypt but also in Sudan and Libya Coptic language , a Northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century Coptic script , the script used for writing
116-642: A Christian ethnoreligious group native to Northeast Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt and Sudan , and predominantly follow the Orthodox Church in Alexandria . They are the largest Christian denomination in Egypt and the Middle East , as well as in Sudan and Libya . Copts account for roughly 5–15 percent of the population of Egypt ; Copts in Sudan account for 1 percent of
174-431: A university degree in institutions of higher education . According to the scholar Andrea Rugh Copts tend to belong to the educated middle and upper-middle class , and according to scholar Lois Farag "The Copts still played the major role in managing Egypt's state finances. They held 20% of total state capital, 45% of government employment, and 45% of government salaries". According to scholar J. D. Pennington 45% of
232-438: A Coptic Orthodox priest to a government position, though the ruling Islamist party remained dominant. After the 2018 Sudanese revolution , one Copt ( Raja Nicola Issa Abdul-Masseh ) was appointed in 2019 to the 11-member Transitional Sovereignty Council , which was convened as part of plan to transition Sudan to democracy. However, a military coup in 2019 , led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo , dissolved
290-796: A coup d'état against King Farouk , which overthrew the Kingdom of Egypt and established a republic. Nasser 's mainstream policy was pan-Arab nationalism and socialism. The Copts were severely affected by Nasser's nationalization policies, though they represented about 10 to 20 percent of the population. In addition, Nasser's pan-Arab policies undermined the Copts' strong attachment to and sense of identity about their Egyptian pre-Arab, and certainly non-Arab identity which resulted in permits to construct churches to be delayed along with Christian religious courts to be closed. In Egypt, Copts have relatively higher educational attainment , relatively higher wealth index, and
348-464: A native Coptic minority, although many Copts in Sudan are descended from more recent Egyptian immigrants. Copts in Sudan live mostly in northern cities, including Al Obeid , Atbara , Dongola , Khartoum , Omdurman , Port Sudan , and Wad Medani . Many Sudanese Copts have advanced educations. They have occasionally faced forced conversion to Islam , resulting in their emigration and decrease in number. Modern immigration of Copts to Sudan peaked in
406-483: A relatively higher educational attainment , a relatively higher wealth index , and a stronger representation in white-collar job types , but limited representation in military and security agencies. The majority of demographic, socio-economic, and health indicators are similar among Christians and Muslims . The English language adopted the word Copt in the 17th century from Neo-Latin Coptus, Cophtus , which derives from
464-497: A stronger representation in white collar job types, but limited representation in security agencies. The majority of demographic, socioeconomic and health indicators are similar among Copts and Muslims. Historically; many Copts were accountants , and in 1961 Coptic Christians owned 51% of the Egyptian banks . A Pew Center study about religion and education around the world in 2016, found that around 26% of Egyptian Christians obtain
522-519: Is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. The major contributions that the See of Alexandria has contributed to the establishment of early Christian theology and dogma are attested to by fact that the first three ecumenical councils in the history of Christianity were headed by Egyptian patriarchs. The Council of Nicaea (325 AD) was presided over by St. Alexander, Patriarch of Alexandria , along with Saint Hosius of Córdoba . In addition,
580-621: Is the variety of Greek spoken in Egypt from antiquity until the Islamic conquest of Egypt in the 7th century. Egyptian Greek adopted many loanwords from Egyptian language ; there was a great deal of intracommunity bilingualism in Egypt. The following is an example of Egyptian Greek language, used in the Coptic Church : ⲇⲟⲝⲁ ⲡⲁⲧⲣⲓ ⲕⲉ ⲩⲓⲱ: ⲕⲉ ⲁ̀ⲅⲓⲱ ⲡⲛⲉⲩⲙⲁⲧⲓ: ⲕⲉ ⲛⲩⲛ ⲕⲉ ⲁ̀ⲓ̀ ⲕⲉ ⲓⲥ ⲧⲟⲩⲥ ⲉⲱⲛⲁⲥ ⲧⲱⲛ ⲉ̀ⲱ̀ⲛⲱⲛ ⲁ̀ⲙⲏⲛ Δόξα Πατρὶ κὲ Υἱῷ κὲ Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, κὲ νῦν κὲ ἀῒ κὲ ἰς τοὺς ἐῶνας τῶν ἐώνων. Ἀμήν. Glory to
638-594: The Arabic collective qubṭ / qibṭ قبط "the Copts" with nisba adjective qubṭī, qibṭī قبطى , plural aqbāṭ أقباط ; Also quftī, qiftī (where the Arabic / f / reflects the historical Coptic / p / ) an Arabisation of the Coptic word ⲁⲓⲅⲩⲡⲧⲓⲟⲛ aiguption ( Bohairic ) or ⲕⲩⲡⲧⲁⲓⲟⲛ kuptaion ( Sahidic ). The Coptic word in turn represents an adaptation of the Greek term for
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#1732837350692696-606: The Benedictine Order in the 6th century on the model of Saint Pachomius , although in a stricter form. Coptic Christians practice male circumcision as a rite of passage. The Faiyum mummy portraits reflect the complex synthesis of the predominant Egyptian culture and that of the Hellenized Middle East. By the time of Roman emperor Caracalla in the 2nd century AD, ethnic Egyptians could be distinguished from Egyptian Greeks only by their speech. Egyptian Greek
754-618: The Church in Rome . The Church of Alexandria is therefore the oldest Christian church in Africa. The Copts in Egypt contributed immensely to Christian tradition. The Catechetical School of Alexandria was the oldest school of its kind in the world. Founded around 190 AD by the scholar Pantanaeus , the school became an important institution of religious learning, where students were taught by scholars such as Athenagoras , Clement , Didymus , and Origen ,
812-681: The Copts' ethnic identity due to historic and current conflicts. Most Copts adhere to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria , an Oriental Orthodox Church . The smaller Coptic Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church , in communion with the Holy See of Rome ; others belong to the Evangelical Church of Egypt . The Copts played a central role in the Arab Renaissance as well as
870-627: The New Testament writings found in Oxyrhynchus , in Middle Egypt , which date around 200 AD. In the 2nd century, Christianity began to spread to the rural areas, and scriptures were translated into Coptic (then known as Egyptian ). By the beginning of the 3rd century AD, Christians constituted the majority of Egypt's population, and the Church of Alexandria was recognized as one of Christendom 's four apostolic sees, second in honor only to
928-673: The Sudanese population , and Copts in Libya similarly account for 1 percent of the Libyan population . Originally referring to all Egyptians, the term Copt became synonymous with native Christians in light of Egypt's Islamization and Arabization after the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 639–646 AD. Copts have historically spoken the Coptic language , a direct descendant of the Demotic Egyptian that
986-509: The kꜣ ("double" spirit) of Ptah " (compare Akkadian ḫi-ku-up-ta-aḫ ), the name of the temple complex of the god Ptah at Memphis (and a synecdoche for the city of Memphis and the region around it). The term Aigýptios in Greek came to designate the native Egyptian population in Roman Egypt (as distinct from Greeks, Romans, Jews, etc.). After the Muslim conquest of Egypt (639-646) it became restricted to those Egyptians adhering to
1044-795: The medical doctors , 60% of the pharmacists of Egypt were Christians. A number of Coptic business and land-owning families became very wealthy and influential such as the Egyptian Coptic Christian Sawiris family that owns the Orascom conglomerate , spanning telecommunications, construction, tourism, industries and technology. In 2008, Forbes estimated the family's net worth at $ 36 billion. According to scholars Maristella Botticini and Zvi Eckstein argue that Copts have relatively higher educational attainment and relatively higher wealth index, due to Coptic Christianity emphasis on literacy and that Coptic Christianity encouraged
1102-547: The non-Chalcedonian Coptic Orthodox Church constitute the majority of the Egyptian Christian population. Mainly through emigration and partly through European, American, and other missionary work and conversions, the Egyptian Christian community now also includes other Christian denominations such as Protestants (known in Arabic as Evangelicals ), Roman Catholics and Eastern Rite Catholics , and other Orthodox congregations. The term Coptic remains exclusive however to
1160-577: The persecution of Coptic Christians included closing and demolishing churches, forced conversion to Islam , and heavy taxes for those who refused to convert. During the Ottoman period, Copts were classified alongside other Oriental Orthodox and Nestorian peoples under the Armenian millet . Under Muslim rule, Christians paid special taxes, had lower access to political power, and were exempt from military service. Their position improved dramatically under
1218-483: The 1990s, the government focused its religious fervor on the south. Although experiencing discrimination, the Copts and other long-established Christian groups in the north had fewer restrictions than other types of Christians in the south . As of 2010, the Coptic Church in Sudan was officially registered with the government, and exempt from property tax. In 2005, the Sudanese government of National Unity (GNU) named
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#17328373506921276-666: The 9th century. Despite the political upheaval, Egypt remained mainly Christian, but Coptic Christians lost their majority status after the 14th century, as a result of the intermittent persecution and the destruction of the Christian churches there. From the Muslim conquest of Egypt onwards, the Coptic Christians were persecuted by different Muslim regimes, such as the Umayyad Caliphate , Abbasid Caliphate , Fatimid Caliphate , Mamluk Sultanate , and Ottoman Empire ;
1334-660: The Christian religion. The Coptic name for Egyptians , remənkhēmi ( Coptic : ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ), is realized in Fayyumic Coptic as ⲗⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲕⲏⲙⲉ lemenkēmi and as ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲕⲏⲙⲉ remənkēme in the Sahidic dialect; cf. Egyptian rmṯ n kmt , Demotic rmṯ n kmỉ . The Arabic word qibṭ "Copt" has also been connected to the Greek name of the town of Kóptos ( Koinē Greek : Κόπτος , now Qifṭ ; Coptic Kebt and Keft ) in Upper Egypt . This association may have contributed to making "Copt"
1392-558: The Coptic language, encoded in Unicode as: Greek and Coptic (Unicode block) , a block of Unicode characters for writing the Coptic language, from which Coptic was disunified in Unicode 4.1 Coptic (Unicode block) , a block of Unicode characters for writing the Coptic language, introduced in Unicode 4.1 Coptic Epact Numbers , a block of Unicode characters for writing Coptic numerals Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria or Coptic Church,
1450-459: The Coptic language, encoded in Unicode as: Greek and Coptic (Unicode block) , a block of Unicode characters for writing the Coptic language, from which Coptic was disunified in Unicode 4.1 Coptic (Unicode block) , a block of Unicode characters for writing the Coptic language, introduced in Unicode 4.1 Coptic Epact Numbers , a block of Unicode characters for writing Coptic numerals Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria or Coptic Church,
1508-755: The Egyptian Copts made to Christianity was the creation and organization of monasticism . Worldwide Christian monasticism stems, either directly or indirectly, from the Egyptian example. The most prominent figures of the monastic movement were Anthony the Great , Paul of Thebes , Macarius the Great , Shenouda the Archimandrite and Pachomius the Cenobite . By the end of the 5th century, there were hundreds of monasteries, and thousands of cells and caves scattered throughout
1566-849: The Egyptian desert. Since then pilgrims have visited the Egyptian Desert Fathers to emulate their spiritual, disciplined lives. St Basil the Great Archbishop of Caesarea Mazaca , and the founder and organiser of the monastic movement in Asia Minor , visited Egypt around 357 AD and his monastic rules are followed by the Eastern Orthodox Churches . Saint Jerome , who translated the Bible into Latin , came to Egypt while en route to Jerusalem around 400 AD, leaving details of his experiences in his letters. St. Benedict founded
1624-606: The Egyptian national movement for independence and occupied many influential positions. Two significant cultural achievements include the founding of the Coptic Museum in 1910 and the Higher Institute of Coptic Studies in 1954. Some prominent Coptic thinkers from this period are Salama Moussa , Louis Awad and Secretary General of the Wafd Party Makram Ebeid . In 1952, Gamal Abdel Nasser led some army officers in
1682-573: The Egyptian natives, as opposed to the Christians of non-Egyptian origins. Some Protestant churches for instance are called " Coptic Evangelical Church ", thus helping differentiate their native Egyptian congregations from churches attended by non-Egyptian immigrant communities such as Europeans or Americans. The previous head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria , died 17 March 2012. On 4 November 2012, Bishop Tawadros
1740-667: The Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. According to Walker, early Ptolemaic Greek colonists married local women and adopted Egyptian religious beliefs, and by Roman times, their descendants were viewed as Egyptians by the Roman rulers, despite their own self-perception of being Greek. The dental morphology of the Roman-period Faiyum mummies
1798-636: The Name of the Father: and the Son: and the Holy Spirit: One God: Amen Our Father Who art in heaven: hallowed be Thy name: Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done On earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses: as we forgive those who trespass against us And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil one In Christ Jesus our Lord For Thine
Coptic - Misplaced Pages Continue
1856-480: The Nile , a 2000 nonfiction book written by Christian Cannuyer Coptic Encyclopedia , an eight-volume work covering all areas of knowledge of Coptic Egypt See also [ edit ] Copic , a brand of refillable markers Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Coptic . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
1914-433: The Nile , a 2000 nonfiction book written by Christian Cannuyer Coptic Encyclopedia , an eight-volume work covering all areas of knowledge of Coptic Egypt See also [ edit ] Copic , a brand of refillable markers Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Coptic . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
1972-483: The accumulation of human capital. Many Coptic intellectuals hold to Pharaonism , which states that Coptic culture is largely derived from pre-Christian, Pharaonic Egyptian culture. It gives the Copts a claim to a deep heritage in Egyptian history and culture. Pharaonism was widely held by Coptic and Muslim scholars in the early 20th century, and it helped bridge the divide between those groups. Some scholars see Pharaonism as shaped by Orientalism . Today, members of
2030-430: The civil service. Proficiency in business and administration made them a privileged minority. However, the return of militant Islam in the mid-1960s and subsequent demands by radicals for an Islamic constitution prompted Copts to join in public opposition to religious rule. Gaafar Nimeiry 's introduction of Islamic Sharia law in 1983 began a new phase of oppressive treatment of Copts, among other non-Muslims. After
2088-539: The early 19th century, and they generally received a tolerant welcome there. However, this was interrupted by a decade of persecution under Mahdist rule at the end of the 19th century. As a result of this persecution, many were forced to relinquish their faith, adopt Islam , and intermarry with the native Sudanese population. The Anglo-Egyptian invasion in 1898 allowed Copts greater religious and economic freedom, and they extended their original roles as artisans and merchants into trading, banking, engineering, medicine, and
2146-441: The father of theology who was also active in the field of commentary and comparative Biblical studies . However, the scope of this school was not limited to theological subjects: science, mathematics and humanities were also taught there. The question-and-answer method of commentary began there, and 15 centuries before Braille , wood-carving techniques were in use there by blind scholars to read and write. Another major contribution
2204-406: The 💕 [REDACTED] Look up Coptic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Coptic may refer to: Afro-Asia [ edit ] Copts , an ethnoreligious group mainly in the area of modern Egypt but also in Sudan and Libya Coptic language , a Northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century Coptic script , the script used for writing
2262-531: The imposition of an Arab-Islamic emphasis in language and history teaching were accompanied by harassment of Christian children and the introduction of hijab dress laws. A Coptic child was flogged for failing to recite a Koranic verse. In contrast with the extensive media broadcasting of the Muslim Friday prayers , the radio ceased coverage of the Christian Sunday service. As the civil war raged throughout
2320-621: The indigenous people of Egypt, Aigýptios ( Αἰγύπτιος ). The Greek term for Egypt, Aígyptos ( Ancient Greek : Αἴγυπτος ), itself derives from the Egyptian language , but dates to a much earlier period, being attested already in Mycenaean Greek as a 3 -ku-pi-ti-jo (lit. "Egyptian"; used here as a man's name). This Mycenaean form probably comes from Middle Egyptian ḥwt kꜣ ptḥ (reconstructed pronunciation /ħawitˌkuʀpiˈtaħ/ → /ħajiʔˌkuʀpiˈtaħ/ → /ħəjˌkuʔpəˈtaħ/, Egyptological pronunciation Hut-ka-Ptah ), literally "estate/palace of
2378-679: The largest Christian church in Egypt and the Middle East Coptic Catholic Church , an Alexandrian Rite particular Church Coptic architecture , the architecture of the Copts Coptic binding or Coptic sewing, methods of bookbinding employed by early Christians in Egypt Other uses [ edit ] SS Coptic (1881) , a ship of the White Star Line Coptic Egypt: The Christians of
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2436-406: The largest Christian church in Egypt and the Middle East Coptic Catholic Church , an Alexandrian Rite particular Church Coptic architecture , the architecture of the Copts Coptic binding or Coptic sewing, methods of bookbinding employed by early Christians in Egypt Other uses [ edit ] SS Coptic (1881) , a ship of the White Star Line Coptic Egypt: The Christians of
2494-786: The latter being the direct descendent of the Ancient Egyptian language. For instance, the Lord's Prayer in the Coptic Church is recited in the native Coptic language as follows: Ϧⲉⲛ ⲫ̀ⲣⲁⲛ ⲙ̀ⲫ̀ⲓⲱⲧ: ⲛⲉⲙ ⲡ̀ϣⲏⲣⲓ: ⲛⲉⲙ Ⲡⲓⲡⲛⲉⲩⲙⲁ ⲉⲑⲟⲩⲁⲃ: ⲟⲩⲛⲟⲩϯ ⲛ̀ⲟⲩⲱⲧ: Ⲁⲙⲏⲛ Ϫⲉ ⲡⲉⲛⲓⲱⲧ ⲉⲧϧⲉⲛ ⲛⲓⲫⲏⲟⲩⲓ: ⲙⲁⲣⲉϥⲧⲟⲩⲃⲟ ⲛ̀ϫⲉ ⲡⲉⲕⲣⲁⲛ: ⲙⲁⲣⲉⲥⲓ ⲛ̀ϫⲉ ⲧⲉⲕⲙⲉⲧⲟⲩⲣⲟ: ⲡⲉⲧⲉϩⲛⲁⲕ ⲙⲁⲣⲉϥϣⲱⲡⲓ Ⲙ̀ⲫⲣⲏϯ ϧⲉⲛ ⲧ̀ⲫⲉ ⲛⲉⲙ ϩⲓϫⲉⲛ ⲡⲓⲕⲁϩⲓ ⲡⲉⲛⲱⲓⲕ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ ⲣⲁⲥϯ ⲙⲏⲓϥ ⲛⲁⲛ ⲙ̀ⲫⲟⲟⲩ Ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲭⲁ ⲛⲏⲉⲧⲉⲣⲟⲛ ⲛⲁⲛ ⲉ̀ⲃⲟⲗ: ⲙ̀ⲫ̀ⲣⲏϯ ϩⲱⲛ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉⲛⲭⲱ ⲉ̀ⲃⲟⲗ ⲛ̀ⲛⲏⲉⲧⲉ ⲟⲩⲟⲛ ⲛ̀ⲧⲁⲛ ⲉⲣⲱⲟⲩ Ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲙ̀ⲡⲉⲣⲉⲛⲧⲉⲛ ⲉϧⲟⲩⲛ ⲉ̀ⲡⲓⲣⲁⲥⲙⲟⲥ: ⲁⲗⲗⲁ ⲛⲁϩⲙⲉⲛ ⲉⲃⲟⲗϩⲁ ⲡⲓⲡⲉⲧϩⲱⲟⲩ Ϧⲉⲛ Ⲡⲭ̅ⲥ̅ Ⲓⲏ̅ⲥ̅ Ⲡⲉⲛⲟ̅ⲥ̅ Ϫⲉ ⲑⲱⲕ ⲧⲉ ϯⲙⲉⲧⲟⲩⲣⲟ ⲛⲉⲙ ϯϫⲟⲙ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲡⲓⲱⲟⲩ ϣⲁ ⲉⲛⲉϩ. Ⲁⲙⲏⲛ. In
2552-420: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Coptic&oldid=1226307952 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Language and nationality disambiguation pages Coptic From Misplaced Pages,
2610-537: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Coptic&oldid=1226307952 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Language and nationality disambiguation pages Copts Copts ( Coptic : ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ , romanized: niremənkhēmi ; Arabic : الْقِبْط , romanized : al-qibṭ ) are
2668-518: The modernization of Egypt and the Arab world as a whole; they also contributed to the "social and political life and key debates such as pan-Arabism , good governance, educational reform , and democracy ", and they have historically flourished in business affairs. While Coptic Christians speak the same dialects and are culturally similar to other Egyptians, they strongly oppose Arab identity and associate it with Islam and Islamism . In Egypt, Copts have
2726-564: The most prominent figure of the council was the future Patriarch of Alexandria Athanasius , who played the major role in the formulation of the Nicene Creed , recited today in most Christian churches of different denominations. One of the council's decisions was to entrust the Patriarch of Alexandria with calculating and annually announcing the exact date of Easter to the rest of the Christian churches. The Council of Constantinople (381 AD)
2784-468: The overthrow of Nimeiry, Coptic leaders supported a secular candidate in the 1986 elections. However, when the National Islamic Front overthrew the elected government of Sadiq al-Mahdi with the help of the military, discrimination against Copts returned in earnest. Hundreds of Copts were dismissed from the civil service and judiciary. In February 1991, a Coptic pilot working for Sudan Airways
2842-537: The population. They pride themselves on the apostolicity of the Egyptian Church: its founder was the first in an unbroken chain of patriarchs. The main body has been out of communion with the Roman Catholic Church since the 5th century AD. According to ancient tradition, Christianity was introduced to present day Egypt by St. Mark in Alexandria , shortly after the ascension of Christ and during
2900-553: The reign of the Roman emperor Claudius around 42 AD. The legacy that St. Mark left in Egypt was a considerable Christian community in Alexandria. Within half a century of St. Mark's arrival Christianity had spread throughout Egypt. This is clear from a fragment of the Gospel of John , written in Coptic and found in Upper Egypt that can be dated to the first half of the 2nd century, and
2958-562: The rule of Muhammad Ali in the early 19th century. He abolished the Jizya (a tax on non-Muslims) and allowed Egyptians (Copts) to enroll in the army. Pope Cyril IV , 1854–61, reformed the church and encouraged broader Coptic participation in Egyptian affairs. Khedive Isma'il Pasha , in power 1863–79, further promoted the Copts. He appointed them judges to Egyptian courts and awarded them political rights and representation in government. They flourished in business affairs. Some Copts participated in
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#17328373506923016-467: The settled form of the name. In the 20th century, some Egyptian nationalists and intellectuals in the context of Pharaonism began using the term qubṭ in the historical sense. The Copts are one of the oldest Christian communities in the Middle East. Although integrated in the larger Egyptian nation state, the Copts have survived as a distinct religious community forming around 5 to 20 percent of
3074-773: The term Monophysites as erroneous and referred to themselves as Miaphysites . The majority of the Egyptians belonged to the Miaphysite branch, which led to their persecution by the Byzantines in Egypt . In 641 AD, Egypt was conquered by the Arabs who faced off with the Byzantine army. Local resistance by the Egyptians however began to materialize shortly thereafter and would last until at least
3132-446: Was also compared with that of earlier Egyptian populations, and was found to be "much more closely akin" to that of ancient Egyptians than to Greeks or other European populations. Victor J. Katz notes that "research in papyri dating from the early centuries of the common era demonstrates that a significant amount of intermarriage took place between the Greek and Egyptian communities". Modern day Copts use predominantly Arabic and Coptic,
3190-443: Was chosen as the new pope of Egypt's Coptic Christians. His name was selected from a glass bowl containing the three shortlisted candidates by a blindfolded boy at a ceremony in Cairo 's St Mark's Cathedral . In Ethiopia the Orthodox Tewahedo Church was part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959 when it was granted its own patriarch by the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa Cyril VI . Sudan has
3248-544: Was executed for illegal possession of foreign currency. Before his execution, he had been offered amnesty and money if he converted to Islam , but he refused. Thousands attended his funeral, and the execution was taken as a warning by many Copts, who began to flee the country. Restrictions on the Copts' rights to Sudanese nationality followed, and it became difficult for them to obtain Sudanese nationality by birth or by naturalization, resulting in problems when attempting to travel abroad. The confiscation of Christian schools and
3306-535: Was presided over by Patriarch Timothy of Alexandria , while the Council of Ephesus (431 AD) was presided over by Cyril of Alexandria . In 451 AD, following the Council of Chalcedon , the Church of Alexandria was divided into two branches. Those who accepted the terms of the Council became known as Chalcedonians or Melkites . Those who did not abide by the council's terms were labeled non-Chalcedonians or Monophysites and later Jacobites after Jacob Baradaeus . The non-Chalcedonians , however, rejected
3364-423: Was spoken in late antiquity . Following the Muslim conquest, the treatment of the Coptic Christians who refused to convert ranged from relative tolerance to open persecution . Historically, the Copts suffered from "waves of persecution giving way to relative tolerance in cycles that varied according to the local ruler and other political and economic circumstances". Persecution is significantly involved in
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