Our Coptic Orthodox Faith
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, 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.
Beliefs
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. He is God Himself, the Incarnate Logos, Who took to Himself a perfect manhood. His Divine nature is one with his human nature yet without mingling, confusion or alteration.
The church also believes in seven holy sacraments: Baptism, Holy Chrism, Confession, Communion, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage and Priesthood.
The Coptic Church honors the saints, and asks for their intercession in prayer. Every Coptic Orthodox Church is named after one or more saints. The stories of the saints are taught in the church as wonderful models of the faith.
Coptic?
The term “Coptic” is derived from the Greek “Aigyptos” meaning “Egyptian”, also derived from the hieroglyphic “E- Ka-Ptah” meaning the House of the Spirit of Ptah, an old Egyptian god. “E-Ka-Ptah” was also the name of Memphis, capital of ancient pharaonic Egypt. When the Arabs arrived in Egypt in the seventh century, they called the Egyptians “qibt”. Very few families still use Coptic as their daily language. To preserve its heritage, the Coptic Orthodox Church uses some Coptic language in its liturgy and prayers. An English translation of the Coptic language is always provided in church books to ensure understanding. The sounds of the Coptic language are considered very musical and easy to learn.
Orthodox?
The term “Orthodoxy” refers to the preservation of the “Original Faith” by the Copts who, throughout the ages, defended the Old Creed against the numerous attacks aimed at it. Fewer changes have taken place in the Coptic Church than in any other church whether in ritual or doctrine.
History
The Coptic Orthodox Church was established in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by St. Mark the Evangelist in the city of Alexandria, Egypt, around 43 A.D. St. Mark is regarded by the Coptic Church hierarchy as the first of its uninterrupted sequence of 117 patriarchs. He is also one in a long stream of Egyptian martyrs who were killed by the Romans because they would not deny their Christian faith. St. Mark wrote the first version of the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist, which is prayed in the Coptic Church to this day. The Coptic Church adheres to the Nicene Creed. St. Athanasius (296-373 A.D.), the twentieth Patriarch 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 affirmation of the doctrine earned him the title: “Father of Orthodoxy” and “St. Athanasius the Apostolic”.
Many outside of Egypt do not know about Christianity in Egypt. It is estimated that Christians constitute between 5-20% of today’s Egyptian population.
What is the Coptic Orthodox church?
The Coptic Orthodox Church is the Christian church of Egypt. Most members of the church in the U.S.A. are first and second generation Egyptian-Americans, but many are American converts. The deep spirituality, the rich traditions and the heavenly hymns, called “alhan”, attract many outsiders to this church as a sanctuary and a refuge from modern day tribulations. The essence of the Coptic Orthodox Church is best captured by this description given by Bishop Athanasius, Bishop of Beni- Sweif and Bahnassa, Egypt: “…On one hand, its theology is based on nothing outside the scriptures. On the other hand, the doctrines agree in all parts with those of the Early Church i.e. the tradition which has the proper interpretation and application of the teachings of our Lord and the Apostles as understood and practiced by the Christians and the leaders of the Church during the period of the One Universal Church until the division (schism of the church) of 451 A.D.”
Services
Here are the types of worship that members of the Coptic Orthodox Church take part in:
Matins prayers, liturgies, vespers, confession, Sunday School classes, hymns (or alhan) classes, midnight praises, as well as agape meals, picnics, outings and retreats. All these help create a community living as one body of Christ.
For More Information:
http://coptic.net/