The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-06-05

4 bcnseiy interesting teatufeb VI AWuM
tieth Century Egypt. The oopts are the
Egyptians. they have been Christians
since the days when the Apostles were
still preaching Jesus as eye-wttnesses
| to His matchless life. They are today
| q peculiar people. The moral condition
| of their church 10 low, they have abb
sorbed much OF the forms and cere-
monies Of Islam, and their religion -
embalmed in dead language. Far All
OF that their church 10 an interesting
study.
| Services are still held every Sunday
| In an ancient church In Old Cairo. on
the site Of still older city on the con-
fnes Of Memphis. owned BY . congre-
| CATION to which there 10 good historical
reason to believe the Gospel was
! preached by st. Peter and st. MARI.
4 The church Ia named "Bablon@ ana
has been identified by ancient papyrus
documents with the church Babylon.
/ from which St. Peter wrote his First
Epistie. and from which he conveyed
| the messages OF st. Mark to the church
| at Jerusalem. A Coptic church also
marks the place where the infant Jesus
was laid when brought to Egypt BY
Joseph and Mary. but the authenticfty
OF that site has little or no historical
| support
Certain Il Is that the church In Afri-
ca was founded and mtnistered to by
st. Mark. he was the first Patriarch
| or Bishop OF Alexandria, and there his
| bones were buried for many years un-
| til they were stolen away by venetian
pirates and carried to Venice to De
| buried In the magnificent cathedr<
which bears his name. The successor
| to the seat OF st. Mark. the Patriarch
| of Alexandria, now has his seat in CAR
| Il u, afsla -
| tic church in Egypt and OF the Church
Of Abyssinia. The Coptic Church has
| had q separate existence since A. d
Ash. After the Council Of Chaicedon.
| held in that year, the African church
seceded from the general orthodox
body. 1t was the century OF scnisms
and the ere OF subtle doetrinai dis
putss The Africans held tnat Jesus
Christ had but one nature. which was
at once human and divine. The Coun-
| eli had held that Jesus had dual ma
fure. divine and human. Both rae
lions agreed that Jesus had but one
| will. The Africans declined to ADMIT
the logic which held that man with
| a dual nature could have but single
will, and SO led the great schism. II
| is difficult for Christians OF the TWEEN.
tieth Century to appreciate ne wa.
Importance OF such subtle differences
of theological definitions. but 1t 10 Q
far cry from the Fifth to the Twentieth
Centuries.
The Church in Africa had given TO
Christianity some of its greatest men
In the days of the Early Fathers. 81.
Anthony, st. Augustine, and 81 Cnry-
session. will keep alive its name tor-
ever. The monastic principle was BORN
and the hoary monasteries OF the will
derness Of Sinai today attest the an
cisnt glory OF this church.
The Copts did not have peacefui
career after the great division In the
church. Theological disputes were
backed with the sword in those early
days, and the green valley OF the ME
was FLASHED with the blood OF Cnriss
tians who believed that Jesus had
single nature. put to the sword by
Christians who believed that Jesus had
a dual nature. The Emperors OF the
| East supported their clergy with tneir
armies ana for years Egypt was over
run ana the. Gopts persecuted.
When the green feg I'D the crescent
Of conquerins Islam was seen 70 ap-
proach across the desert from ARABIA,
he Copts welcomed the Invaders that
they might be rid Of their Byzantine ops
nressors The Moslems took posses
sion OF the country at the beginning o.
the Eighth Century and have held IL
ever since. The Copts were wei treat
ed at first, as they were allies. oos
the militant spirit Of Islam did NOT
brook the prosperity OF the innoeis.
The Copts soon were being toseeo "
adhere to the Prophet on pain OF deatn'
Then came King David OF Abyssinla,
who controlled the sources OF lie IN
Egypt He told the Caiiphs tnat the
nersecyition of the .Copts must CEASE
ar he would divert the waters OF the
Nile and fertile Egypt would beeome :
vast desert. The threat had I'VE eHec.,
and the slaughter OF the Copts Mas
stopped. Yet through all tne twenss
corts have suffered deprivations ana
hufniliations from the stronger Moham-
medan race. No one can fail TO so
mire the zeal and DEVOTION the seiL-
tnnrnolatinw faith, which has kept tns
Church of the Copts alive.
Yet the coptic church Is so pouno up
with Oriental conservatism that " con
fers upon it's people very rev OF .ns
Advantages of enlightenment Win
which one associates the name "Cnris-
tian" in this era. The church services
are conducted In the ancient Coptic
language which bears the same reia-
ton to the Egyptian language OF the
DAYS Of Rameses that the EngHsh OF
Shakespeare bears to that OF Chaucer:
The Coptic language has peen oeso
for several centuries, ana very Kew oA
the clerkymen who Introduce the Mt
urRy know the meaning Of WORD OF
II The higher classes OF the clergy
can read and write it. but no living man
can converse in IL. The sermon. Where
there il one, IL preached in Arabic
The church service on Sundays and on
HOLY DAYS is about three or four hours
long. As the people stand through all
~ II. a Cont ON his way to church may
be seen carrying cruteh which he
uses to support himself through the
firing ordeal. In view of this Gus
tom. il is ali the more remarkable that
the Copts are devout and faithful
church goeTs.
The church interiors are much the
same as those OF the Greek orthodox
faith. There are no images. which are
held TO be idolatrous. but the priests
have great pride In their pictures. The
Madonna and Child. st. Joseph and the
infant Jesus. st. George and the ORA
Ron, and the Child Jesus In the Temple
are favorite subjects for sacred art.
Some of these pictures are many CEN
turtles old.
The Copts themselves are q distinct
race from all other inhabitants OF
Egypt. Their descent from the ancient
monument builders OF glorious Egypt
has been admitted by the great eth
noIo gIsts, and II Is proved to the lay
man by the striking facial resemblance
| between a Coptic clerk OF today and
the monuments OF Rameses, Seti and
! the ancient kings.
| portIy from necessity and partiy