Copt

**Copts** are a Christian ethno-religious group primarily found living in Egypt. The Coptic Orthodox Church is the largest denomination found in Egypt, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA-region). Copts have a distinct cultural practice and religious doctrine.

## History 
The Coptic Orthodox Church is believed to be founded by Saint Mark the Evangelist in Alexandria around 42 AD. But already before that the holy family visited Egypt. Joseph and Mary had to flee from Bethlehem with baby Jesus. It is believed that everywhere they came all paegan depictures would vanish. 

After its foundation by Saint Mark christianity spread fast into the heartlands of Egypt with Alexandria as capital. Connecting the Nile River, Red Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, Alexandria was one of the largest port cities in Egypt where local produces such as grains were exported to other parts of the word. Which made it easy to spread the Coptic message. Later in the Council of Nicaea organized by Emperor Constantine I in 325 C.E., the Church of Alexandria was elevated to the rank of Patriarchate alongside Rome and Jerusalem.

### The Spread of Monastic Christianity 
Rooted in the crossroad between East and West, the Church of Alexandria consequently had a profound impact on spreading the faith to its surrounding areas. One greatest achievement of the Church of Alexandria was the spread of monasticism. The spread of monasticism can be traced back to Saint Anthony the Great. Having lived an ascetic life for twenty years in a cave in a desert mountain called Mt. Pispir, only eating bread, salt, and water, Anthony’s action soon attracted followers who voluntarily vowed as his disciple. His disciples then carried his monastic style of teachings and approaches to all directions, including places like Palestine, Marseille, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria, Ethiopia, and even Ireland.

### Era of the Martyrs—Religious Persecution Under the Romans 
The Coptic Orthodox Church is known as church of the martyrs, not only because of the many martyrs but also because of the desire of the believers to become a martyr. Under the Roman rule of Egypt the Copts were severely persecuted. This persecution came to a climax during the rule of Diocletian. He personally came to Egypt to destroy christianity, around 800.000 Copts were killed. Another former tax collector Mu'allim Girgis al-Gawhari served as the minister of finance under Napoleon's expedition. During his term, he donated some lands to the Coptic Church. As Muhammad Ali took control of Egypt however, Copts, alongside Armenians and Jew enjoyed an unprecedented freedom and promotion in Muhammad Ali's government. Contrary to the Millet system under the Ottomans, Muhammad Ali promoted officers based on their merit and connection to local communities. Consequently as a power broker between the government and the regional population, former tax collectors, religious figures, and military officers got promoted to Ali's government as bureaucrats. Under Ali's reform, Copts such as al-Mu'allim Ghali got promoted to Ali's financial advisor. However, since Sharia court also coexisted alongside the Coptic Jurisdiction, and Copts often switched between different courts when the law serves their interests better. In a societal sense, this can be seen as a competition between Islam and Coptic Christianity. Although to individuals, they were only opportunists who tried to maximize their rights and profits. Similar trend continues when the Ottoman Tanzimat Reforms got adopted by the Egyptian government. In this case, Copts continued to switch between affirming Coptic laws and State Laws when the terms suits their interests.

## Dogma 
### Theology 
The main theological ideas of the Coptic Orthodox church are:

* Faith in a loving God 
* Revelation of God through his son Jesus Christ
* Monotheïsm and the holy trinity
* Angels and Saints pray for the believers from heaven

The Church is:

* Sole 
* Holy
* Universal
* Apostolic

The seven sacraments are:

* The holy sacrament of baptism
* The holy sacrament of chrismation
* The holy sacrament of confession
* The holy sacrament of eucharist
* The holy sacrament of anointment of the sick
* The holy sacrament of Marriage
* The holy sacrament of priesthood

### Icons 
Another important theological aspect of the Coptic Orthodox Church is the use of icons. An Icon can be a picture of Jesus or a saint. But it is not just art. An icon is believed to be a vessel through which you can see the light of God. Looking at it surrounds you with the kingdom of God which is accessible through Jesus. Through an icon you can see a glimpse of eternity and God's divine light. Icons proclaim the faith of the church and serve to educate and edify.

### Patriarchy 
The pope of Alexandria is the patriarch or leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The first patriarch was Anianus who was Saint Mark's successor. Since then there is a uninterrupted line of patriarchs. Nevertheless, as Emperor Constantine, the main supporter of the Nicene Creed, died in 337, Arianist theologians in Alexandria led by Gregory of Cappadocia organized an uprising with the support of street mobs. They soon took over the city and charged Athanasios for being an outlawed priest. As a result, Athanasios was forced to be expelled.

#### Chalcedonian Controversy 
The council of Chalcedon was about the natures of Christ. Nestorian taught that Christ was divided in two natures, God and human. His opponent Eutyche believed there was only one Godly nature. The Coptic Orthodox Church teaches one nature, a whole of God and human.

### Minority 
The Copts comprise about 6 to 7 percent of the Egyptian population. They are neither culturally nor ethnically distinctive from other Egyptians. Therefore, we can neither look at the Copts as a cultural nor an ethnical minority, but they are a religious minority within Egypt. The Copts usually stress their Egyptian national identity, which minimize the impact of them being a religious minority set against a muslim majority. It started in 284 CE in the Year of the Martyrs, which corresponded with the first year of Diocletian's rule.

#### Coptic language 
The Coptic language is an Egyptian language consisting of both Greek and Demotic letters. It is nowadays only used as the liturgical language of the Coptic Church.

#### Occupation 
Copts can be found at all income levels. The biggest occupational group among them are the peasants who live a simple life in tents in the country, indistinguishable from Muslim peasants. In the cities, Copts are particularly numerous in the private sector, both as employers and as employees. The majority of the pharmacies in Egypt are owned by Copts and a lot of them are doctors, lawyers and engineers. 

At the very bottom of the social scale are the zabaleen, Cairo's rubbish collectors, who are mainly Coptic christians. They set up an elaborate and efficient system of rubbish-collecting and recycling. The largest zabaleen-settlement is Mokattam village, better known as 'Garbage city'.

## References
## Other websites
* Copts