West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-03-27
THE CoPTIC CHURCH.
tntercsting Description OF a Religious Or
ganiEation FiourishinE Ia EGYPT.

g""hAuoh tiourishing m Egypt.
The supreme head OF the Coptic
Church is the Patriarch of Alexandria.
who, however lives M Cairo. lie
claims direct apostolic succession from
ST. Mark, the founder of tho Eg, phan
Church, who is claimed rs having been
the first patriarch. and who is held in
the same reverence as is acSvSdud o.
tho Western Church % 81 Peter.
Tho other Cop,ic ecclesiastical orders
arc bishops. arch-priests, priests. dea-
cons nnd monks The priests arc nj,
expected TO marry, but tho patriarch
must be cclibatc. He is invariably
chosen. either by his predecessor or els,
by lot, from among the monks of the
convent of ST. Anthony. There are
twelve Coptic bishops, and the patriarch
dominates the Metropolitan of Abys
sinia.
Though the Copts are remarkable
for their general dctestatiou of all other
Christian sects, their principal tcnets
assimilato with those OF the Latia
Church. They acknowledge seven sac
ramonts, enjoin auricular confession
and extreme JUNCTION. The latter is ad-
ministorcd not only 60 persons at the
point OF death, but to persons who have
done meet penanCc after the commits
sion OF grievous sin. Evil spirits AGO
exercised with candle, with book and
with bell. In celebrating the Holy
Eucharist leayened bread is used, which
has previously been dipped In wine
The Copts are more rigorous I'm their
observance of fast days Besides eve, v
Wednesday and Friday in the year tho
Lenton fast is prolonged TO tifty-hN q
days, during which no manner of anil
NAL food is allowed-not even eggs.
milk or cheese. Some rites, however.
appear To be borrowed either from their
Moslem or Jewish neighbors. Thus
circumcision is deemed essential. I'm ad-
ditlon 90 baptism by immersion
The frequent services of tho Coptic
Church are conducted i'm modern
Coptic, that is to say, in Greek Coptc.
which, although not spoken 10y the
monks, is understood by them all. But
the true Coptic, the language of the
Pharoahs, il literally dead tongue.
Father Nanstcb, who visited Stout i'm
1853, states that he there had the priv
ilege of seeing the last Copt who
understood his own language, and with
whom it was to die. Being eighty years
old, and very deaf, he was not able TO
give his visitor much useful informa-
ton. Some portions of tho service.
such as the Gospel, are first read in
Coptic and then explained i'm Arabic i'm
order that ii might be understood by the
people.
Naturally, the lives OF the saints &c
cupy a large place in Coptic literature,
and the place OF highest honor, next to
the Blessed Virgin and st. Mark, Is nc
corded 10 ST. George whether TO the
real st. George, England patron saint,
or to that evil George, also born in
Cappadocia, who headed tho Arian
heresy in Alexandria, and from time To
time superseded ST. Athanasius, Is not
clear.
Which of the two Is rcvered by the
Copts l can not say. But / know we
were much interested when visiting a
very ancient Greek Church in Cairo,
dedicated TO St George, by watching a
sisterhood of Latin nuns, who, like our
selves, were doing little Sightseeing.
The kind old priests did the honors OF
the saints with charming courtesy. even
producing his vcritablc head for inspcc.
ton. -Hdrpcr'S Buzdr