The word Copt is an English word taken from the Arabic word Gibt or Gypt. It literally means Egyptian. The Arabs, after their conquest of Egypt in 641 AD, called the population of Egypt Gypt, from the Greek word Egyptos or Egypt.

The Greek word Egyptos came from the ancient Egyptian words (Hut-Ka-Ptah), one of the names for Memphis, the first capital of Ancient Egypt. In contemporary usage, the term "Coptic" refers to Egyptian Christians. Today, Copts form almost 13% to 15% of Egypts population though they are not ethnically distinct from other Egyptians as they are fully integrated into the body of the modern Egyptian nation.

History

The Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the most ancient churches in the world, founded in the first century in Egypt by Saint Mark the Apostle and writer of the second Gospel of the New Testament

The history of the Coptic Church in Egypt is the history of Christianity in Egypt, for the current Coptic Church is a direct evolution from those earlier times. However, it traditionally begins with the visit of the Holy Family to Egypt. Copts relate that the blessing of Christianity on their country goes back to the days when Jesus was a young boy.

The holy family, consisting of the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph traveled to Egypt and lived there for some time. Numerous traditions exist about the exact locations that the holy family visited and many take annual pilgrimages following this route (it is also a popular tourist route) However, historically it was Saint Mark the Evangelist, during the first century AD, who actually is considered to be the founder of the church. He preached and suffered martyrdom in Alexandria around the time that Nero ruled Rome.

When St. Mark died in Alexandria in year 68 AD, his body was buried in the chapel at Beucalis. In the year 828, the remains were stolen and placed in the Venice cathedral. In 1970, the largest cathedral in Africa was built in Cairo, St. Mark's Coptic Cathedral. Before the cathedral was finished Pope Paul VI returned to Egypt the body of St. Mark. With much ceremony, this was placed in a grave beneath the main altar. Nowadays, weekly meetings are held there where the pope addresses the crowds.

The early Christians of Egypt suffered considerably at the hands of the early Roman pagans, as did others prior to the rule of the Roman emperor, Constantine, who not only legalized their faith, but encouraged it as a Christian himself.

However, in 451 AD the Fourth Ecumenical Council took place, and would divide the Catholic, or "universal" Christian church. The decisions of this council concerned the nature of Jesus Christ.

Contributions to World Christianity

The Coptic Christian church of Egypt has been responsible for at least several major contributions to the universal Christian faith. Perhaps best known is the founding of monastic establishments. Even before Christianity, it was not uncommon for young Egyptians to retire to the desert for seclusion, perhaps because of the harsh treatment of the Egyptians by the early Romans. Later, with the advent of Christianity, Christians also took to the desert for solitary spirituality and as this movement evolved over time, they sought out like-minded individuals, eventually forming themselves into monastic communities. Hence, Egypt is known as the birthplace of Christian monasteries.

Another outstanding contribution was the Didascalia, the famous catechetical school in Alexandria where early Christian scholars labored to prove that reason and revelation, philosophy and theology were not only compatible, but also essential for each other's comprehension. This was the first Catechetical School in the world. The first great scholar who served as head of the Didascalia was Pantaenus, who probably ran the school for about a 20-year period between 180 and 200 AD. However, probably the most important theologian and prolific author associated with the school was Origen.

The Coptic calendar

The Coptic calendar has thirteen months, twelve with thirty days each and an intercalary month at the end of the year, which has five, or six days depending on whether the year is a leap year or not. The year starts on September 11 in the Gregorian calendar or on the 12th in the year before (Gregorian) Leap Years. The Coptic Leap Year follows the same rules as the Gregorian so that the extra month always has six days in the year before a Gregorian Leap Year.

Celebrations and traditions

Unlike the Catholic Church, Coptic Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7 which was very recently made an official holiday in Egypt as a token of the nations unity. This date corresponds to the 29th day of the Coptic month, Kahk.

The biggest Nativity service is held by the Pope in Saint Mark's Cathedral in Cairo. The Coptic language, now almost extinct, is only used in mass ceremonially. After the service, families go home to break their fast. Copts make special sweet biscuits for Christmas, which is the same Kahk ( a kind of cookies) as the Muslims make for Eid El-Fitr (little Bairam)

A kind of rare tradition is also found in the Egyptian Coptic Church. Holy bread, called Qurban, which is distributed after the service in the church. Qurban bread is round, decorated with a cross in the middle that is surrounded by twelve dots. The dots represent the twelve disciples of Jesus. It is very common for people visiting each other after mass to offer some and normally it can never be refused.

The Copts have more seasons of fasting than Christians from any other tradition. Out of the 365 days of the year, Copts fast for over 210 days. During fasting, no animal products (meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, butter, etc.) are allowed. On a more strict level, no food or drink whatsoever may be taken between sunrise and sunset, as they should only break their fast after communion.

Fasting seasons of the Coptic Church include, the Fast of the Nativity Christmas, which is 45 days, the Fast of the Apostles, the Fast of the Virgin Mary, the Fast of Nineveh and of course Lent, known as the Great fast lasts 55 days.

The Holy Week is most sacred to all Copts. On Holy Thursday, Egyptian Copts have a tradition of visiting and praying in seven Coptic Churches after mass. It is an event where families and friends gather and walk around from one church to another in commemoration of the Last Supper.

Other then the fasting holidays, many Copts also fast on Wednesdays and Fridays all year.

The original article can be found at touregypt.net.