Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1885-05-01
THE coPTIc CHURCH.

| Interesting Description of . Religious Orr
ganlxation FiourisIllng In Egypt.
The supreme head of the Coptic
Church is the Patriarch of Alexandra,
who, however, lives at Cairo. He
claims direct apostolic succession from
s.. Mark, the founder og the Egyptian
Church, who is claimed - having been
the first patriarch, and WHO IS held in
the same reverence as Is accorded by
the Western Church to st. Peter,
The other Coptic ecclesiastical orders
are bishops. areh-priests, priests. dea-
cons and monks. The priests are all
expected to marry, but the patriarch
must be celibata. He is invariably
chosen, either by his predecessor or else
by lot, from among Che monks of the
convent of st. Anthony. There are
twelve Copt;c bishops, and the patriarch
nominates the Metropolitan of Abys-
sinia.
Though the Copts are remarkable
for their general detestation of all other
Christian sects, their principal tenets
assimilate with those of the Latin
Church. They acknowledge seven sac
raments, enioin auricular confession
and extreme JUNCTION. The latter is ad-
ministered not only to persons at the
point of death, but to persons who have
done meet penance after the co umis-
sion of grievous sin. Evil spirits are
exercised ''with candle, with book and
with bell" In celebrating the Holy
Eucharist leavened bread is used, which
has previously been dipped in wine.
The Copts are more rigorous in their
observance of fast days. Besides every
We lnesday and Friday in the year the
Lenten fast is prolonged to fifty-five
DAYS, during which no manner of ami
NAL food is allowed-not even eggs,
milk or cheese. Some rites, however,
appear t. be borrowed either from their
Mossem or Jewish neighbors. Thus
circumcis on is deemed essential. in adj
dition to baptism by immersion.
The frequent services of the Coptic
Church are conducted in modern
Co p ic that is to say, in Greek Coptic,
which, although not spoken by the
monks, is understood by them all. But
the true Coptic, the language of the
Pharoahs, is literally dead tongue
Father Vansteb, who visited Stout in
lfOC. SbdbCS ille1t llC bittIG Udu VIC pIlN-
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 the service,
such as the Gospel. are first read in
coptc and then explained in Arabic, in
order that ir might be understood by the
people.
Naturally, the lives of the saints oc-
eupy large place in Coptic literature,
and the place of highest honor, next To
the Blessed Virgin and ST. Mark, is ac-
corded 10 ST George whether to the
real st. George, England patron saint,
or to that evil George, also born in
Cappadocia. who headed the Arian
heresy in Alexandria, and from time to
time superseded St. Athanasius, is not
clear.
Which of the two is revered by the
Copts can not say. But I know we
were much interested when visiting
very anc 'ent Greek Church in Cairo,
dedicated to st. George, by watch ng
sf9terhood of Latin nuns, who, like our
selves, We're dong little sightseeing
The kind old priests did the honors of
the saint with charming courtesy, even
produc ng his veritable head for inspec-
ton. Hdrper's BazGr.