The Copts of Egypt

A 2010 New Year's Eve attack on the Coptic Orthodox Church in the city of Alexandria left 23 dead. A sad event in the midst of feelings of joy to welcome the coming new year 2011, a bomb rocked the front page of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the city of Alexandria when the Copts were holding mass. Muslim extremists suspected to be responsible for these terrible events.

Pondering the events that happened in Egypt, with a deep feeling of grief, raises a lot of memory. Egypt, a country with the Arab-Muslim majority, but in Egypt also has a largest Christian community in the Middle East region. Christians, a minority in Egypt with estimates-amount of 10-12%of the total population of Egypt. Of this amount, the Coptic (which means: The Egyptians) owns 95% of the total number of Christians in Egypt.

Historically, the word Copt is derived from the Greek word Aigyptos, Which was, in turn, derived from "Hikaptah", one of the names for Memphis, the first capital of Ancient Egypt. Kaptah means "House of the god Ptah", the god who is highly respected in the era of ancient Egypt. The modern use of the term "Coptic" describes Egyptian Christians. Christianity in Egypt by Saint Mark the Evangelist. According to tradition the Coptic Orthodox Church is the Church of Alexandria Which was established by Saint Mark the Apostle and evangelist in the middle of the 1st century (approximately AD 42). While the relationship between Muslim and Coptic race started from the marriage of Muhammad (Muslim prophet) with a Coptic girl named Maria (Maria al-Qibtiyya or Mary the Copt). Mariya al-Qibti can be regarded as a political gift of a Byzantine governor of Egypt, called al-Muqawqis (which is not completely clear or completely distance of its origin, although some have argued that it was Cyrus, Patriarch of Byzantium in Alexandria). Mary gave birth to a son Muhammad, Ibrahim bin Muhammad. Only one other wife of Muhammad, Khadijah who have died, have given the child. Ibrahim died while still in its infancy.

There is a statement based on the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad which states that "The Copts are the most precious among all the foreigners, the most friendly in his behavior, the best in quality and most familiar in kinship with the Arabs in general and the Quraysh (tribe origin of the Prophet Muhammad) in particular." Likewise, the sayings of the prophet to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (the second caliph): "After my death, God will open Egypt to you. Therefore, carefully guard the Copts in the country because they are also relatives-brothers, and they are in your protection." Saying of Muhammad is presumably a reference to 'Amir ibn al-'Ås, leader of the Arab-Muslim armies conquered Byzantine power in Egypt. In turn, 'Amir ibn al-'Ås provide sufficient warm welcome in Alexandria for the Coptic Church Father who was a native of Benjamin, who had just returned from his flight at the desert monastery of North Egyptian territory. Copts, thus, were allowed to freely practice their religion and were to a large degree autonomous, provided they continued to pay a special tax, called "Gezya”, which qualifies them as "Ahl Zemma" protégés (protected). Individuals who cannot afford to pay this tax were faced with the choice of either converting to Islam or losing their civil right to be "protected", which in some instances meant being killed.

There is a tidal race between Coptic and Muslim governments. All depends on the Muslim leaders who should run the command of the Prophet Muhammad to treat Coptic people well. As the reign of al-Hakim ibn 'Amr Allah (996-975), forcing Christians to leave their religion through coercion (this broke the Qur'an: There is no compulsion in religion). Many churches were destroyed, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem burned. But others, such as during the reign of Ahmad ibn Tulun, al-Mu'izz and al-Zahir, the Coptic get better treatment.

The position of the Copts began to improve early in the 19th century under the stability and tolerance of Muhammad Ali's dynasty. The Coptic community ceased to be regarded by the state as an administrative unit and, by 1855 A.D., the main mark of Copts' inferiority, the "Gezya" tax was lifted under Khedive Sa’id administration, and shortly thereafter Copts started to serve in the Egyptian army. The 1919 A.D. revolution in Egypt, the first grassroots display of Egyptian identity in centuries, stands as a witness to the homogeneity of Egypt's modern society with both its Muslim and Coptic sects. Makram 'Ubayd, a Coptic politician in the era of the Egyptian national movement said: "By my religion I am a Christian, but according to my homeland I am a Muslim." Today, this homogeneity is what keeps the Egyptian society united against the religious intolerance of extremist groups, who occasionally subject the Copts to persecution and terror. As is known, in part late 1970s, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Egyptian schools of which appear to be supported by Khomeini, as a result of the success of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Bearded young men (called Abou Douhun) is widely held racial violence in the young Copts, as well as Ikhwanul Muslimin (Muslim Brotherhood). May the unity of Egypt with Coptic-Muslim elements can be maintained in an equal and harmonious relationship.

READING LIST
- Iris Habib al-Masri, The Story of the Copts, M.E.C.C., Beirut, 1978
- Phillip K. Hitti, The Origins of the Islamic State, Beirut, 1966
- The Coptic Encyclopedia (8 vols.), edited by Aziz Sourial Atiya, MacMillan, New York, 1989, provides a comprehensive coverage of the Coptic church, culture, and history.

LITTLE NOTES ON CHRISTMAS (2)

So why is there a difference between the Christmas Day of Western Church (Roman and Protestant) and the Eastern Church? Actually, setting of the holiday feasts of the Church for the first time accurately counted in Egypt by an astronomer from the Coptic Church, his name is Batlimeus, which at the end of the second century AD make careful calculations on the order of al-Baba Dimitri, who served as Patriarch of Alexandria from the year 199-232 AD

Batlimous perform calculations based on the appearance of Siriuz star (Egyptian calendar was recognized by UNESCO as the most accurate calendar than any other calendar that never existed). At that time, the Roman Empire in the region use the Julian calendar (the renewal of Sosigenes, who came from Alexandria, Egypt) is calculated based on 700 years of the founding of Rome. At a later date (1582 AD), Pope Gregory of Rome modifying the Julian calendar which is called the Gregorian calendar in effect in the Western Church until now, but in the Eastern Churches still use the Julian calendar.

New problems that arise is the fact that the two calendars (Julian and Gregorian) BASED ON THE circulation of the Sun. Then there differences in the implementation of the calculation of Easter feast. Western Church who follow the Jewish Passover customs determined that the time of the celebration of Easter is right on the full moon in spring. In fact, the Jewish calendar is clearly different from the Gregorian calendar. Jewish calendar, which is BASED on the Moon circulation, has a number of days is only 354 days a year, so the difference with the Gregorian calendar by 10 days.

Therefore it on October 5, 1582 AD, the Gregorian calendar moved forward 10 days, then one day be eliminated in 1700, 1800 and 1900 AD to follow the rising full moon at Passover, as Jewish tradition. What happens then is the total difference in the celebration of Easter between the Western Church with the Eastern Churches to 13 days. This happens because the Eastern Church does not follow the tradition of the full moon at Easter. Eastern Church determined that the celebration of Passover always occurs on Sunday, does not care whether it occurs during a full moon or not, for guiding the Eastern Church is no longer the Jewish Passover, but Jesus himself, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 5:7, και γαρ το πασχα ημων εθυθη χριστος kai gar to pascha hēmōn etuthē Christos, “for Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”

As mentioned earlier, the Egyptian calendar was made by Batlimous has set the birth of Jesus occurred on the 29th at Khiahk month, or on the 25th of the month Tebeth (Jewish calendar); then later on the basis of thirteen-day difference between the Western and Eastern Churches Easter celebration, then the Eastern Church has set a Christmas celebration for the Eastern Church was held on January 7, the difference is thirteen days from the date of December 25, which is Christmas Day for the Western Church.

Tenoo oasht emmok o piekhristos nem pekyot en aghathos nem pi epnevma ethowab je akee ak soati emmon nai nan
We worship You O Christ with Your Good Father and the Holy Spirit, for You have come and saved us.

READING LIST

* Iris Habib al-Misri, The Story of the Copts (Cairo: The Middle East Council of Churches)
* Markus Aziz Khalil, The Coptic Orthodox Church (Montreal, Canada: The Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate)
* The Modern Science of Astrology (London: UNESCO, 1966)