The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-06-05
Twentieth Century Egypt
Nl-The Ancient Church Of the Copts,
FREDERIC }. HAsKIN.

Cairo. Egypt.-The ancient division of
the Christian family known as the Cop
tic church is one of the most intensely
interesting features of twentieth century
Egypt The COpts are the only lineal de-
seendants of the ancienS Egyptians. they
nave been Christians since the days when
the apostles We're still preaching Jesus
as eyeWitnesses to his matchless life.
Ihey are today a peculiar people The
moral condition of their church is low.
they have absorbed much of the forms
and Ger 3monies of Islam, and their re-
ligion is embalmed in a dead language.
For all of that their church is an inter
estipg study.
Services are still held every Sunday in
an ancient church in old Cairo, on the
site of still older city on the confines
OF Memphis, owned by a congregation to
which there Is good historical reason TO
2 4eei me gospel was preached by ST.
Peter and st. Mark The church is
named 'BablOn' and has been identified
Dy ancient papyrus documents with the
church Babylon" from which St Peter
wrote his first epistle, and from which
ne conveyed the messages of st. Mark
TO the church at Jerusalem. A Coptlc
church also marks the place where the
infant Jesus was laid when brought to
Egypt by Joseph and Mary, but the au-
thenticity of that site has little or no
historical support
Certain it is that the church in Africa
was founded and ministered to by St
AAdih RE was the IlrSt patriarch or
nlshOp Of Alexandra, and there his bones
we're buried for many years until they
were stolen away by Venetian pirates and
carried to Venice to be buried in the
magnificent cathedral which bears his
name. The successor to the see of St
Mark, the Patriarch of Alexandria, now
has his seat in Cairo. He is the supreme
head Of the Coptic church in Egypt and
of the Church Of Abyssnia. The Coptic
church mas had a separate existence since
A y. 45l. After the council of Chalce-
don, held in that year, the African church
seeded from the general orthodox body.
1t was the century Of schisms and the
era of subtle docJrinal disputes The AZ
ricans held that Jesus Christ had but
one nature, which was at once human
and divine. The council had held that
Jesus had dual nature, divine and hui
man. Both factions agreed that Jesus
had but one will. The Africans declined
to admit the logic which held that a man
with dual nature could have but a sin
gle will, and so led the great schism. 1t
Is difficult for Christians of the tVenti-
eth century to appreciate the vital i'm
portance Of such subtle differences of the /
illogical definitions. but il Is a far cry
from the fifth to the twentieth centuries
The church I'm Africa had given 20
some of It's greatest men in
the days OF the early fathers St An
thony, st. Augustine and st. Chrysostom
will keep alive its name forever The
principle was born under the
wing of the African church. and the
hoary mOnasteries of the wilderness of
sinai today attest the ancient glory of
this church.
The Copts did not have a peaceful ca
reer after the great division in the
church. Theological disputes were backed /
with the sword in those early davs. and
the green valley Of the Nile was FLASHED /
with the blood Of Christians who believed /
that Jesus had a single nature. put to the |
sword by Christians who believed that /
Jesus had dual nature. The emperors |
Of the east supported their clergy with /
their armies and for wears EgvDt was 4
overrun and the Copts prosecuted
When the green flag and the crescent 1
pr conquering Islam was seen to approach /
across the desert from. Arabia the Copts 1
welcomed the invaders that they might he I
rid of their Byzl ltine Oppressors. The /
Moslems took possession OF the country 1
AT the beginning of the eighth century /
ana have held ii ever since. The Copts /
were well treated a first. as they were 4
allies. But the militant spirit of islam /
1id not brook the prosperity Of the inf
lels The COpts soon were being forced I
10 adhere TO the prophet on pain Of death 4
fhen came King David of Abvssiuia
who controlled the sources of life in /
Egypt He told the caliphs that the Der- /
5ecutlon of the Copts must cease or he /
would divert the waters Of the Nile ana |
fertile Egypt would become a vast des-
ert The threat had its effect and the /
slaughter of the COpts was STONED Yet
through all the twelve centuries since the
Afdp conquest the COpts have suffered /
ieprivatons and humiliations from the
stronger MOhammedan race. No one can
all 10 admire the zeal and devotion. the 4
accompanying faith, which has kept the
'hurch Of the COpts alive.
Yet the Coptic church is so bound I'd
With Oriental conservatism that il con-
.ers uEOn its people very few of the ad-
-antaS7s Of enlightenment with which
me associates the name Christian" in
his era The church services are con-
iucted in the ancient COptic language.
which bears the same relation to the
egyptian language of the DAYS Of Ram
,ses that the English of Shakespeare
bears to that of Chaucer. The CoDtic
language has been dead for several cen