Date: Sat, 5 Jun 93 21:00:00 -0700 Subject: Copt-Net Newsletter: Issue #5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ___ ___ /___\ ___ IHC | | nXC ______| |______ /______| |______\ | _|_ | |______ | ______| | | ______ ______ ______ | | __ _____ _______ /_____/\ /_____/\ /_____/\ | | /\_\___ /\____\ /\______\ \ ___\/ \ __ \ \ \ __ \ \ | | / / /___\ / / ___/ \/__ __/ _\ \ \_____\ \ \ \ \_\ \_\ \ \___| |____/ / ___ /_/ / /_\___ / / / / \ \ \____ \ \ \ \ \ \ ___\/ | | / / // / / / / ___/ / / /\ / \ \/___/\ \ \_\ \ \ \ \ \ | | / / // / / / / /_\ / / / \ / \_____\/ \_____\/ \_\/ | | \/_/ \/_/ \/____/ \/_/ \ / \ /____________________________________________________________________________\ \ / \ An electronic newsletter about the Coptic Orthodox Church / \ / \ "Blessed is Egypt My people" / \____________________________________________________________________/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Table of Contents ----------------- 1. The Holy Family in Egypt (part 2) 2. Pope Petros, the Seal of Martyrs 3. The Liturgy of the Coptic Orthodox Church 4. The Coptic Alphabet with a brief introduction about the Coptic Language Readers' Corner --------------- 1. The role of the Virgin Mary in Christianity. 2. The Holy Trinity versus the pagan old-Egyptian Isis-Osiris-Horus triad. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- H A P P Y P E N T E C O S T ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Holy Family in Egypt ------------------------ [[ Few days ago (on June 1st), Copts all over the world celebrated the feast of the entry of the Holy Family into Egypt. We would like to take this opportunity and present to our readers the second part of Otto Meinardus' account of the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt. The first part of this account, along with a Foreword by Copt-Net Editorial Board (see below) and a Preface by the Author, can be found in the previous Copt-Net Newsletter. ++ Copt-Net Newsletter Editorial Board ++ ]] Foreword (reproduced from Copt-Net Newsletter #4) -------- The following account of the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt is adapted from Otto Meinardus' popular book "The Holy Family in Egypt". Many of the stories and events mentioned here are from traditions not necessarily representing the beliefs or traditions of the Coptic Orthodox Church. As a matter of fact, some of them would definitely qualify as legends. In addition to the Coptic, Ethiopian, Armenian, Spanish, Arabic, and Jewish traditions (both oral and written), the author relies on the accounts of the pilgrims of the early and middle ages, who followed the steps of the Holy Family as part of the pilgrimage to the Holy Lands in Palestine and Egypt. Also, the author supports his account of the flight to Egypt using the writings of famous historians such as Muhammad al-Baqir (8th century), and Al-Makrizi (14th century). Otto Meinardus' book takes you in a tour of Egypt. It's a journey that started with the feeble steps of a Mother and Child, who fled the wrath of a king to find refuge in a land, in the midst of which "an altar to the Lord" still stands and a "pillar to the Lord" will always exist as prophesied by Isaiah. It's a journey that speaks of places, some of which exist no more, but which will remain engraved deep in the memory of history. Copt-Net Editorial Board April 1993 In The Nile Valley ------------------ Continuing their journey southward, the Holy Family eventually reached the City of On or the Biblical Bethshemesh (Jeremiah 43:13). At the time of Strabo, about sixteen years before the visit of the Holy Family to On or Heliopolis, the city was entirely deserted, not having recovered from the destruction which it incurred at the time of the Persian invasion (525 B.C.). However, various temples and buildings of historical interest were still standing and were pointed out to Strabo by the dragoman of that time. The Holy Family would have naturally avoided lodging in this deserted pagan city, and in consequence they sought some dwelling place nearby in which there would most likely have been Jewish families living on account of its proximity to the Jewish center at Leontopolis. Thus they halted at the site of the present village of Matariyah, now a suburb of Cairo. The visit to Matariyah is not only well attested by the Coptic and Ethiopic Synaxaria, but also it is mentioned by the mediaeval pilgrims to the Holy Land. According to the Ethiopic Synaxarium, when the Holy Family approached Matariyah, there was a staff in the hand of Joseph wherewith he used to smite Jesus, but Joseph gave Him the staff. Then said Jesus unto his mother: 'We will tarry here', and that place and its desert and the well became known as Matariyah. And Jesus took Joseph's staff, and broke it into little pieces, and planted these pieces in that place, and He dug with His own Divine hands a well, and there flowed from it sweet water, which had an exceeding sweet odour. And Jesus took some of the water in His hands, and watered therewith the pieces of wood which He had planted, and straightway they took root, and put forth leaves, and an exceedingly sweet perfume was emitted by them, which was sweeter than any other perfume. And these pieces of wood grew and increased and they called them 'Balsam'. And Jesus said unto His Mother, 'O My Mother, these Balsam, which I have planted, shall abide here for ever, and from them shall be taken the oil for Christian baptism when they baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost.' In the Armenian tradition the balsam is replaced with a palm-tree, a tradition which is also preserved in the Quran. According to the Quranic version, the Blessed Virgin saw a palm-tree and wished to rest under it. When she was seated there, she saw fruit on it, and she said to Joseph that she would like to have some. Then Jesus, sitting in His Mother's lap, with a joyful countenance, bade the palm-tree to give to His Mother of its fruit. The tree bent as low as her feet, and she gathered as much as she wanted. He bade it to rise again, and give to them of the water concealed below its roots. A spring came forth, and all rejoiced and drank thereof. The Armenian tradition adds that when the Blessed Virgin had washed the swaddling clothes of Jesus, and had hanged them out to dry upon a post, a boy possessed with the devil took one of them down, and put it upon his head. And presently the devil began to come out of his mouth, and fly away in the shape of crows and serpents. From that time, the boy was healed by the power of Jesus, and he began to sing praises and give thanks to the Lord who had healed him. The village of Matariyah enjoyed great popularity among the pilgrims to the Holy Land. This blessed site must have appeared like a paradise to these pilgrims who had crossed the desert from Mount Sinai, for the well with its beautiful surroundings was a resort for such wealthy Mamelukes as the Emir Yashbak, who built a domed house there in which, from time to time, he entertained his master and friend Qait Bey (1467-1496). Entrance to the garden cost the pilgrims six ducats for which sum they could enjoy relaxation and bathing in the pool, the waters of which both Christians and Muslims believed to be holy and medicinal. The Dominican Friar Felix Fabri (1480) noticed close to the gate an immense fig-tree. In its hollow trunk, as in a small chapel, two lamps hung, for the tree had once opened to provide refuge for the Blessed Virgin. There was a tradition that the Holy Family was pursued by two brigands, and that the tree miraculously opened to conceal them. According to Pero Tafur (1435-1439) only five pilgrims at a time were permitted to enter the Garden of Balm, and none were allowed to pinch or nip off leaves or twigs to take away with them. The reason for this protective policy may be explained by the fact that the earlier pilgrims were in the habit of depleting the balm-trees. Indeed, Burchard of Mount Sion (1285-1295) records that he went to Matariyah and carried off much Balsamwood, and bathed in the well which waters the garden, wherein the Blessed Virgin had dipped her Son. All the pilgrims are unanimous in their observation that the Garden of Balsam was tilled by Christians only. Ludoph von Suchem (1336) saw among the Christian guardians four Germans, one from Schwartzenburg, who had been a renegade, and another, a one-eved man named Nicholas, who was a very good man, as the Christian captives bore witness. The balm was either obtained from the fruit of the bush, or by boiling the branches. It was used medicinally and also in the concoction of the Chrism which is used at Baptism. The Muslims recommended its use for nasal trouble, lumbago or pain in the knee, while the Christians prescribed it for snake-bites, toothache and poisonings. As a recognition of their share, the Sultan was accustomed to give to the two Christian patriarchs a portion of balm. Thus when De Lannoy (1421) was in Egypt, the Patriarch of the Copts was able to present to him, as Ambassador of France, a phial of pure balm. Felix Fabri explained the presence of the bushes of balm at Matariyah by quoting Flavius Josephus, according to whom the Queen of Sheba had presented them to King Solomon, and that they had blossomed in the Holy Land until they were transplanted by Augustus Caesar to Matariyah. But Fabri was confident of one thing, namely that the plants never flourished until the visit of the Holy Family. There was a general belief that the Balsam-trees could not produce the balsam without the water of the spring. It is said that the Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil (1218-1238) once asked his father, al-'Adil, to plant some of the trees in a neighbouring plot of land, but there they did not blossom. Thereupon he received the permission to irrigate the trees with the water of the well of the Blessed Virgin, and consequently the trees revived and brought forth an abundant crop. Marino Sanuto (1321) and John Poloner (1421) believed that they had seen the actual palm-tree which had bowed itself to the Blessed Virgin, that she might gather dates from it, and had then raised itself up again. When the heathens saw this, so Sanuto remarks, they cut down the palm-tree, but it joined itself together again the following night. The marks of the cutting were still seen at the time of his pilgrimage. The balsam shrubs have long since disappeared. The sycamore tree which now stands at Matariyah was planted in 1672. Ihe fall of this venerable tree, due to old age, took place on June 14, 1906, but fortunately a living shoot from it remains to this day. From Matariyah the Holy Family went to a locality where now stands the Church of the Blessed Virgin in the Harat Zuwaila of Cairo. It is situated in the north-east district of Cairo, at the end of a lane leading off the street of Sharia Bain as-Surain, and was probably first erected in the tenth century. From the fourteenth century to the year 1660 it served as the patriarchal church in Cairo. The lower church is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, and the upper church to St. George. In the north-west corner of the lower church a doorway gives access to another church, which is dedicated to St. Mercurius. Annexed to the Church of the Blessed Virgin of the Harat Zuwaila there is a convent of nuns. The nuns of this convent relate the tradition that when the Holy Family rested at this locality, Jesus blessed the water of the well, and the Blessed Virgin drank from it. This well is situated in the floor before the southern sanctuary of the lower church, and the water is still used for healing the sick. Every year on the day of the feast of the consecration of the first Church of the Blessed Virgin at Philippi (June 20th), Ethiopian priests come to take some water of this well. According to the nuns, they drink it and wash themselves with it, a common practice among Eastern Christians as regards holy water. Continuing their way southwards, the Holy Family passed the Fortress of Babylon (Old Cairo) which commanded the route to Upper Egypt and where they halted on their return to Palestine. They would have certainly seen the triangular pyramids of Gizah which may have seemed to them, as to the pilgrims several centuries later, to be Joseph's granaries. At the time of their visit, two of these pyramids, the Cheops and the Chefren pyramid, were reckoned among the seven wonders of the world. According to al-Hafiz Abu Bakr ben Thabet al-Khatib who had received the tradition from Nabit ben Sharit, there used to be at Gizah the palm-tree under which the Blessed Virgin suckled Jesus, and this palm-tree was said to have been the only one in the region which bore any fruit. On their way southward, they would have seen the site on the bank of the Nile where Moses was hid in an ark of bulrushes and where he was discovered by Pharaoh's daughter (Exodus 2:3-5). Al-Maqrizi states that the ark in which Moses was hid at the banks of the Nile is kept at the Mosque of Tubah at Gizah. Some twelve kilometers south of Cairo, at Maadi on the very bank of the Nile, there is the Church of the Blessed Virgin with its three cupolas. Here, according to an oral tradition, there was at the time of the Holy Family's visit a synagogue which the Holy Family attended. Joseph became acquainted with the sailors of the Nile boats, and the Holy Family was invited to be taken south to Upper Egypt. One of the monks of the Dair al-Muharraq (The Monastery of the Blessed Virgin) added that the Holy Family was able to afford these rather extensive travels because of the treasure, the gold, frankincense, and myrrh which had been presented to the Christ child by the wise men from the East (Matthew 2:11). To this day, the flight of stairs leading from the churchyard to the Nile marks the site where the Holy Family embarked on their journey southwards. In addition to this oral tradition of the Holy Family's visit to Maadi, Abu El-Makarim, incorrectly called Abu Salih, speaks of the Church of the Pure Lady Mary, called al-Martuti, which was surmounted by a cupola. According to this thirteenth-century writer, this particular site was in ancient days a place of worship of the Israelites when they were in bondage in Egypt; and when the Holy Family came down into Egypt, they sat in this place, where there is now a picture of the Blessed Virgin before the holy altar. The church was founded by the Copts under the name of the Lady, and was called al-Martuti, which is from the Greek words Meter Theou (Mother of God). According to al-Idrisi, the Church of al-Martuti was situated in Munyat as-Sudan, on the western (sic) bank of the Nile, about twenty-five kilometers south of Cairo. This would place the locality in question south of Badreshein. Al-Maqrizi, the Muslim historian of the fifteenth century, mentions a palm-tree in Ahnassiah al-Madinat, the ancient city of Herakleopolis in the Province of Beni Suef, which was seen there until the end of the 'Ummayad Dynasty (750 A.D.). This palm-tree is supposed to have been the one of which the Quran speaks: "And the pangs of childbirth drove her (the Blessed Virgin) unto the trunk of the palm-tree. She said: 'O, would that I had died ere this, and had become a thing of naught, forgotten'. Then (one) cried unto her from below her, saying: 'Grieve not, thy Lord has placed a rivulet beneath thee. And shake the trunk of the palm-tree toward thee, thou wilt cause ripe dates to fall upon thee'." (XIX, 23-25) Passing through the Nile Valley, the Holy Family must have crossed several times the many irrigation canals which were constructed during the Roman occupation by the epistrategoi of Middle Egypt. These canals, we are told, were full of crocodiles, which in Arsinoe (Fayum), the ancient Crocodilopolis, were even accounted sacred. Situated twelve kilometers south-west of Maghaghah is the small village of Ishnin an-Nassarah. A local oral tradition relates that the water of the well, about eighty meters north of the Church of St. George, was blessed by Jesus when the Holy Family passed through this village on their way to where later Dair al-Ganus was built. Another version of this local tradition speaks of a well under the baptistry at the western end of the southern aisle of the church. In former times, many people offered prayers in Ishnin, so that there were as many churches in this locality as there were days in the year. In the Ethiopic Synaxarium it is stated that the Holy Family went to a locality which is called Baysus ("Bet Iyasus", or House of Jesus) and here Jesus dug a well whereof the water cured every sickness and every pain. And He also set a sign in a certain river of Egypt, which rose in flood every year. At the time of prayer at which they offered up incense at mid-day to God by that well, as soon as the reading of the Gospel was ended, the water which was in the well would rise up and come to the mouth of the well, and they used to receive a blessing from it, and straightway the water would recede until it reached its former level, and the people used to measure by the cubit the height to which it rose above its normal level at the bottom of the well. If the height were twenty cubits, there would be great abundance in the land of Egypt, if the height were eighteen or seventeen cubits, there would also be abundance, but if the height were only sixteen cubits, there would be a great famine throughout the Land of Egypt. Maqrizi adds to the tradition by saying, that this well was situated in the church of the Monastery of Arjanus, and that on the night of the 25th of Bashons (June 2nd) the people would assemble to remove the stone cover from the well, when they would discover that the water within had risen and begun to sink again. The fact that an older church existed at this site is testified by M. de Maillet (1703), French Consul-General, who developed a keen interest in all things pertaining to Egypt. He mentions a village called by the Arabs Bir el-Gernous, and states that in this place the Copts have a sacred well, by which they foretell the height of the annual inundation. With an elaborate ritual, a cotton cord marked at regular intervals by threads of white and blue is let down into the well, so that the end touches the water. Then a table is placed over the mouth of the well, and the bishop celebrates the Divine Liturgy. When the Liturgy is finished, the table is taken away and the cord is examined. According to Coptic belief, the height to which the water has penetrated the cord marks the height to which the water will rise. Doubtless we have here a reference to an ancient Nilometer. There were Nilometers also at Philae, Edfu, Esnah, Luxor, Memphis and the Island of Roda (Cairo) by which the government calculated the annual revenue. Apart from the above-mentioned sources, I have not found any further reference to a Nilometer at this locality. The site of Baysus is now the village of Dair al-Ganus, about seven kilometers west of Ishnin al-Nassarah, and eighteen kilometers south-west of Maghaghah. Here it should be pointed out that the village of al-Ganus should not be confused with the village of Dair al-Ganus, where to this day the sacred well is to be found. The well from which according to local tradition the Holy Family drank, is situated at the western end of the south aisle of the Church of the Blessed Virgin. This church was built in about 1870. In commemoration of the blessings which this village received through the visit of the Holy Family, the people celebrate annually a fair "mulid" on the 15th and 16th of Misra (August 21st and 22nd), during which time the pilgrims are said to be never bitten by vermin, while the children even play with scorpions. The number of pilgrims who attend this fair varies between 5000 to 6000 people, who use the water of the well for drinking purposes. Ten kilometers in a southerly direction, there is situated on the edge of the desert the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus, in Coptic Pemje, the present town of al-Bahnasa, a city which in ancient times was the capital of a nome. In Pharaonic times the fish Oxyrhynchus, a species of mormyrus, was worshiped here. Plutarch relates that the people of the neighbouring town of Cynopolis used to venerate the dog, and how a quarrel arose between the two towns, because the citizens of the one had killed and fed on the sacred animal of the other. According to Al-Maqrizi, the Copts are in agreement that the Holy Family visited al-Bahnasa, and a commentator of the Quran mentions that the passage "and we have made the Son of Mary and His Mother a portent, and we gave them refuge on a height, a place of flocks and water-springs," (XII, 50) refers to al-Bahnasa. Another Muslim tradition relates that the Holy Family traveled on a donkey to al-Bahnasa, where there was a well in the chapel from which one could receive healing from infirmities. It was here, where the Blessed Virgin and her Son washed before prayer, that all the water spilled over and then disappeared. Another commentator adds that at the time of their arrival at al-Bahnasa, the Holy Family went to the place of the famous well, and that Joseph returned, leaving the Blessed Virgin near the well. Then Jesus asked for water, and He began to weep because of His thirst, and there was no water at that time, but the level of the water rose so that Jesus could drink, and since that day the Christians have celebrated this event. Muhammad al-Baqir (676-731 A.D.) says that when Jesus was nine months old, His Mother took Him to the school in al-Bahnasa. The teacher said to Jesus: "Say the alphabet." Jesus lifted up His head and said: "Dost thou know what these words mean?" The teacher wished to strike Him, but Jesus said: "Do not strike me, but if thou dost not know, ask me and I shall explain to thee." "Speak," said the teacher. "Come down from thy desk," answered Jesus. The teacher came down and Jesus took his place and began to teach while all watched. "Well," said the teacher to the Blessed Virgin, "take thy Son and watch over Him, for God hath given to Him wisdom and He doth not need a teacher." This tradition should be compared with the almost identical story in the book of Thomas the Israelite (140-160 A.D.) Wahb (d. 728 A.D.) relates that the Holy Family stayed at a hospice for the poor at al-Bahnasa, which was supported by a diqhan, a nobleman of the king. One day, an important part of the diqhan's treasure was stolen, and the Blessed Virgin was afflicted about the misfortune. When Jesus realized His Mother's distress, He said to her: "Mother, dost thou wish me to show where the diqhan's money is?" The Blessed Virgin informed the diqhan of what Jesus had said. When they were all gathered together, Jesus approached two men, one of whom was blind and the other lame, the latter being carried by the blind man. Then Jesus said to the blind man: "Arise!" "This I cannot do," said the blind man. "How then was it possible for you to steal?" When they heard this, they struck the blind man until he showed Jesus where the treasure was. This then was their trick. The blind man used his strength and the lame man his eyes. The stolen treasure was restored to the diqhan. Oxyrhynchus (al-Bahnasa) used to be an Episcopal See, and in the fifth century it is said to have possessed 10,000 monks and 12,000 nuns. Among the many famous Christians who have come from Oxyrhynchus, there is Dermataus, an ascete and founder of a monastery, and Harman, Bishop of Qaou in Upper Egypt. There is evidence that the persecutions by the Emperor Diocletian were especially severe at Oxyrhynchus. Elias the Eunuch, Isaac of Tiphre and Epiuse suffered martyrdom here. In 1897 Grenfell and A S. Hunt, whilst excavating, discovered in the mounds of Oxyrhynchus the famous Logia or Sayings of Jesus, which form part of the find known as the Oxyrhynchus Papyri. Today, al-Bahnasa possesses only one church and this is dedicated to St. George and was built in 1923. The Christians of al-Bahnasa believe that the Holy Family stayed on the west bank of the Bahr Yusuf Canal, which strictly speaking is an arm of the Nile, though there are no traces left which would indicate their visit. Near the ancient Cynopolis, the present village of al-Kais, the Holy Family embarked on a boat to travel southwards. After thirty-five kilometers they passed Gabal at-Tair, which is almost opposite to Samalut and Bihu. Abu al-Makarim recalls that, when the Holy Family passed this mountain, a large rock threatened to fall upon the boat, and the Blessed Virgin was very frightened. Jesus however extended His hand and prevented the rock from falling, and the imprint of His hand remained on the rock. In the imprint of His hand there is a fine perforation, large enough to admit a collyrium needle, into which the needle is inserted and, when it is pulled out, brings upon it a black collyrium which makes an indelible mark. It is said however that when Almeric, King of Jerusalem (1162-1173 AD.) invaded Upper Egypt to drive out Shirkuh the Kurd and his men from Egypt, they cut away the piece of rock upon which was the mark of the palm of the hand, and took it back with them to Syria in 1168. In order to visit the famous Church of the Blessed Virgin in Gabal al-Tair, it is advisable to take a sailing-boat either from Minya or from Samalut, since there is no road on the east bank of the Nile (as of 1986). Alternatively, one can cross the Nile by boat from Bihu, twenty kilometers north of Minya, though one should allow at least two hours for the crossing, as it depends on the wind. Having reached the east bank of the Nile, one climbs the 166 steps cut in the face of the cliff and reaches the church which is reputed to have been built by St. Helena, the mother of St. Constantine. A memorial tablet on the west wall of the nave states that the first church was built in 44 A.M. (according to the Coptic Calendar of Martyrs) or 328 A D., and that it was repaired by Anba Sawirus, Metropolitan of Minya, in 1938. To this day, the Church of the Blessed Virgin attracts annually up to 10,000 visitors who come by sailing-boats from as far as Assiut, and even from Cairo. From Gabal at-Tair the Holy Family sailed southwards, passing on their way first the port of Khoufou, the present Minya, then the rock-temple of the goddess Pekhet, called by the Greeks Speos Artemides, on the site of which is the present village of Beni Hassan ash-Shuruk, and finally, the temple of Ramses II, on the ruins of which the Roman Emperor Hadrian built in 130 A.D. the town of Antinoupolis. The site is occupied by the present village of the Shaikh 'Abadah. Opposite to the ruins of Antinoupolis there is the town of al-Rodah, which is built on the site where the Holy Family disembarked in order to proceed to the famous city of Khmunu, the Hermopolis Magna of the Greeks, at present, the village of al-Ashmunain. In their travels, the Holy Family took advantage of the natural means of communication by water along the Nile, and where this or a side-canal was not available, donkeys or camels were used. Generally speaking, during the latter period of the reign of Augustus, Egypt remained in a state of comparative tranquility. At the same time, the Romans collected a large number of various taxes which became a real burden for the Egyptians. The receipts of tolls paid by travelers give abundant evidence of this important means of gathering revenue. Strabo mentions that tolls were collected at Hermopolis which was the nearest town to the dividing line between the Thebaid and Middle Egypt. In most cases an "ad valorem" duty was collected, which in Upper Egypt consisted of two percent on the goods or commodities. Thus, the Holy Family was taxed at least once during their travels to Upper Egypt. According to the book "vision of Theophilus", the Holy Family found images of horses at all four corners of the gate which led into Hermopolis Magna. These, however, fell down and were broken when the Holy Family entered the city. The Book of the Bee, on the other hand, states that there were by the two buttresses of the gate two figures of brass which had been made by the sages and philosophers. And when the Holy Family passed through the gate, these two figures cried out with a loud voice saying: "A great king has come into Egypt!" The Armenian tradition, which also attests the visit of the Holy Family to Hermopolis Magna, mentions that Aphrodosius, the Governor of the city, when he saw that the idols were destroyed, adored the Child and said to those present: "Unless this were the God of our gods, they would not have fallen. If we do not adore Him, as they have done, we are in danger of such destruction as fell upon Pharaoh who was drowned with his army." When the King of Egypt, however, heard this, he was troubled and moved, for he feared lest his kingdom should be taken away from him. And he commanded the heralds to proclaim throughout the whole city: "If a man knoweth, let him point Him out to us without delay." And when they had made such a search, and did not find Him, the king commanded all the inhabitants of the city to go outside and to come in one by one. When Jesus entered, the two figures of brass cried out: "This is the king!" And when Jesus was revealed, the king sought to slay Him. Now a Jewish man, Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, was there, and was one of the king's officials, and he was held in much esteem by the king. He drew near to Joseph and asked them: "Whence are ye?" They said to him: "From the land of Palestine." When he heard that they were from Palestine, he was sorry for them and went to the king and pledged himself for the Child. This then is the cause of the love between Lazarus and Jesus. The Ethiopic Synaxarium states that the Holy Family dwelt here with a man called Apelon, whereas the Coptic Synaxarium calls the host Taloun. There was a tree in Hermopolis Magna which worshiped the traces of the steps of Jesus, and Jesus said unto the tree: "Let no worm be found in thee for ever, but be thou a remembrance to all of my entry into this town," and He touched the Mukantah tree. The Byzantine historian Sozomen (Hist. Eccl. V, 21) calls this tree Persea. On the following day, great multitudes of sick people assembled around Jesus, and Jesus laid His hand on each of them and healed them of their infirmities. Abu al-Makarim adds further that the Church of the Blessed Virgin at al-Ashmunain contained several altars and marble pillars. One altar was used for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy all the time, for upon it was the mark of the hand of the Lord. Outside the church was a Syrian tree which bore the fruit called Sebastan, which is of red colour. This is the tree which bowed its head when Jesus approached it. The governor of the town wished to cut down this tree, but Agathus, the thirty-ninth Patriarch of Alexandria (658-677 A.D.), was standing under the tree, and when the wood-cutter struck it with his axe, the axe flew back into his face. Thereupon the governor never again gave orders to cut down the tree. Today there is no trace left of the Holy Family's visit to al- Ashmunain, and there is not now even a Coptic Church in this once famous Christian city. About ten kilometers southwards, the Holy Family stayed for a few days in Manlau, the present town of Mallawi. There are numerous Coptic churches in this town; among others, one is dedicated to St. Mercurius, one to St. George, and two to the Blessed Virgin. Two days further traveling in a southerly direction brought the Holy Family to the town of Kenis, (Nikyas, Funkus) the present Dairut al-Sharif. The inhabitants of this town were very charitable, and the Holy Family remained there for several days, and Jesus wrought innumerable miracles in that place, and all those who had diseases or afflictions came to Him with faith to be healed. After this, Dianos, a carpenter who had known Joseph in Jerusalem, invited the Holy Family to stay with him. He had a son who was possessed of a devil, and when Jesus came near unto him, the devil took the boy and dashed him to the ground and cried out: "What have I to do with Thee, O Jesus of Nazareth? We left Jerusalem to Thee and came to this town, and Thou followest us to torment us. Verily, Thou art the Son of God." Then Jesus said: "O accursed devil, shut up thy mouth and come out of him." And the child was healed in that very hour, and many people believed in Him. After Jesus had performed these miracles, the idols in the town were broken up and smashed to pieces. From Dairut al-Sharif, the Holy Family traveled via Pepleu, the present Beblaw, to the town of Sanabu. At one time, Sanabu was an episcopal See, but already in the fifteenth century the Monastery at Sanabu was deserted. According to the Armenian tradition, the Holy Family always received sufficient provision for their journey from the people who received them. Once, when they entered a certain town, there was a marriage which was then about to be performed. The arts of Satan and the practices of the sorcerers, however, caused the bride to be dumb, so that she could not so much as open her mouth. But when this dumb bride saw the Blessed Virgin entering into the town, and carrying the Child in her arms, she stretched out her hands to Jesus and took Him into her arms, and closely hugging Him, she kissed Him repeatedly, and straightway the string of her tongue was loosened, and her ears were opened and she began to sing praises unto God who had restored her speech and hearing. Thereupon, the Holy Family entered the city of Cusae or Kuskam, nowadays the village of al-Qusia where, according to Aelianus, Venus Urania and her cow were worshiped. As the ancient city of Gosu it had served as the capital of the Lower Sycamore Nome. At the time of the Holy Family's visit there was a temple of idols which was surmounted by an idol on which there were seven veils. When Jesus reached the gate of Cusae, the seven veils were rent asunder, and the idol fell to the ground and was dashed to pieces. Then the devils who were in the idol threatened the priests and cried: "If thou dost not pursue that woman and the Child who is with her, and the old man who is with them, and the other woman, namely Salome, and drive them away, and if thou let them enter this town, they will put an end to thy service, and we will leave the town." When the priests of the idols, who were a hundred in number, heard this speech of the idols, they pursued the Holy Family with rods and axes in order to strike them. Thereupon the Holy Family left the town. Today, al-Qusia is an insignificant village except for its railway-station which is used annually by thousands of pilgrims to the fair ("mulid") which is held in commemoration of the first Church of the Blessed Virgin at Philippi (June 20th) at the Dair al-Muharraq. After that the Holy Family went on a short distance south (actually six kilometers west) of the town, and they rested for a while in a certain locality on account of their weariness and fatigue. Here, in the present village of Meir, Jesus took the olive-wood staff of Joseph and planted it in the ground and said: "Thou shalt serve as a testimony of My arrival here." And immediately the staff took root and began to blossom. Then in the evening the Holy Family went up to a mountain, probably up to those hills situated one kilometer west of Meir, and lo, the two brigands whom the Holy Family had met at Basatah (Tell al-Bastah) came towards them. They had followed them from one place to another, and when they saw the Holy Family in this deserted mountain, they approached them with drawn daggers, unsheathed swords and their faces masked and said: "Ye have exhausted us, because we have pursued you for many days and have not found you, and have not had an opportunity to meet with you so as to plunder you, except at this moment, when ye have fallen into our hands. To-day, we will strip you of your garments and rob you." And they snatched Jesus from the arm of His Mother and stripped Him of His garments. Then they took the garments of the Blessed Virgin, and they even took her veil. Then they stripped also Joseph, who was standing by speechless as a lamb. As for Salome, when she perceived what was taking place, she threw her garments to them before they came to her. After they had taken the garments, the brigands went away a short distance, and the Blessed Virgin who was greatly perturbed said within herself: "Perchance they will return and kill my Son. Would that I were in Bethlehem, because then they would have recognized the old Joseph who would have implored them not to kill my Son. Would that they would kill me before killing my Son, that I may not see His great affliction. If they were to kill my Son, I would kill myself with my own hands." While the Blessed Virgin was uttering these words and lamenting and weeping, her tears streamed down her cheeks. Then one of the brigands looked towards her and saw her weeping, and his nerves were shaken, and he spoke to his companion who was a Jew, a Syrian, and said to him: "O my companion, I beseech thee today not to take the garments of these strangers, because I perceive on their faces a light greater than that on all the faces of mankind. This child resembles a prince, the like of whom I have never seen." The Jewish brigand said to the Egyptian brigand: "I will not listen to thee this time, as I wish to take their garments, because they are royal garments which will bring us much wealth for our living." Then the Egyptian brigand asked for his portion of the garments that it should be given to him, for he was much distressed at the nakedness of the Holy Family, and he returned his portion of the garments to them. When Jesus had put on His garments, He looked at the brigand and stretched out His finger and made the sign of the Cross over Him. Then the two brigands proceeded on their way, and (according to the Armenian written traditions) Jesus said to His Mother: "O Mary, the Jews will crucify Me in Jerusalem. And these two brigands whom thou seest, one of them will be crucified on my right hand, and the other on my left hand. The Egyptian will be crucified on my right hand, and the Jew on my left, and the brigand who hath returned our garments will confess Me and believe in Me on the Cross, and he will be the first to enter Paradise. even before Adam and all his descendants." This written tradition concludes the story with the following advice: And all sick persons who shall come in future to the place where the brigands stripped Jesus, and shall be stripped of their garments and be bathed, Jesus will heal them in honour of the fact that there He was stripped of His garments. Not far away, about eight kilometers south of Meir, the Holy Family discovered a well, though it was dried up. However, when the Blessed Virgin took Jesus to the well and He stretched forth His finger and blessed it, it became full. While searching around, Salome came upon a wash-basin and a water-jug, as if they had been placed there purposely for them. It was always Salome who bathed Jesus and His Mother who gave Him milk. And often while her nipples were in the mouth of Jesus, she saw the angels and celestial beings prostrating themselves and worshiping Jesus. Continuing with this Armenian tradition, Satan appeared to Herod and said to him: "Thou slewest the innocent children of Bethlehem in order to find Mary and her Son, and thou didst not find them. I shall tell thee now where they are; the woman and her Son are hidden in a desert place on the southern side of the Land of Egypt. Arise and dispatch ten of thy soldiers to repair to that place and to kill them, and thus thou wilt be confirmed in thy kingdom. If thou dost not listen to me and dost not do what I tell thee, then tomorrow this Child will grow up and go to Jerusalem, both He and His Mother, and He will perform numerous and great miracles there. When thy soldiers depart to inquire after them, let them proceed as far as Cusae (Kuskam), and then let them travel to the west side of it, as far as the mountain, until they find them in the place, where they are living alone, for they have sought in all the Land of Egypt and not found anybody who would offer them shelter." Thereupon, Herod assembled all the chiefs and elders and told them what had taken place and they said: "O our Lord, let it be as thou desirest." And Herod chose ten valiant men and he informed them of the place in which the Holy Family were to be found, and he said to them: "When ye have found them, bring them unto me that I may kill them with my own hands. If ye do what I have commanded you, I will give unto each of you ten talents of gold, and ye shall be great in all my kingdom." And the soldiers mounted their steeds in order to pursue the Holy Family. Now there was a man from the Children of Israel, of the tribe of Judah and the family of the kings, who was related to Joseph, and his name was Moses. When he heard this news, he went unto Joseph with great speed and Divine help, and he came unto the Holy Family within three days, for he traveled in the night more than in the day. When Joseph saw Moses, he recognized him, and he rose up to greet him. And Moses told him what had taken place, and of what Herod had done, and how he had killed the children of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and how he had searched for the Divine Child. When the Blessed Virgin heard all this, she was exceedingly sorrowful and she trembled with fear, but Jesus comforted her, and they turned to Moses, and Jesus said unto him: "Thou hast come unto us in order that thou mayest inform us of this thing. Thy coming and thy labour shall of a truth be rewarded, but because of the fear which thou hast caused to My Mother, take hold of this stone on which I was bathed, and put it beneath thy head, and sleep and rest for a little while." And he took the stone and placed it beneath his head, and turning his face toward the east, he gave up the ghost. Joseph took his body and buried it in this house under the threshold, towards the interior. And his memory survives till this day. Thus the spirit of Moses became a guardian of the house against the intrusion of evil spirits. After this, the Holy Family sojourned for six months in this house. Then Jesus said to His Mother: "This house in which we are shall contain holy monks on whom no rule in this world shall be able to inflict any injury, because it has been a refuge to us. Any barren woman who beseecheth Me with a pure heart and calleth to mind this house, unto her will I give sons. There shall, moreover, be in this place a blessed congregation who shall remember and bless My Name, and pray unto Me at all times, and so gain strength against all their adversaries. Those women in travail who shall be mindful of Me and of the labour which thou didst endure with Me, their prayers will I hear, and they shall be relieved." This holy place, blessed on account of the Holy Family's presence in it, was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and is known as the Dair al-Muharraq. Pilgrimages to this church have been made by multitudes of people from all districts of Egypt from ancient times to the present day, by reason of the signs and wonders which have been manifested here. Abu al-Makarim states that the Holy Family stayed in a chamber on the upper story of the church, which is reached by mounting a flight of steps. In this chamber there is a window which was opened by the breath of Jesus, for it was not opened by the hand of man nor by any tool. According to tradition, the Church of the Blessed Virgin at the Dair al-Muharraq was the first church built in Egypt, and the monks believe that this church was built immediately after St. Mark's arrival in Egypt, sometime about 60 A D. The present church may be assigned to the twelfth or thirteenth century. It lies about 1.20 metres below the present ground-level of the inner court of the monastery, and it is used for the daily celebration of the Divine Liturgy. The Dair al-Muharraq belongs to that group of monasteries which were established by St. Pachomius or Anba Bakhum as he is called in Arabic (349 A.D.) or by his immediate successors. Of its sixteen hundred years of history almost nothing is known, except for the fact that four patriarchs of the See of Alexandria came from there. Since the nineteenth century, this monastery has been known for its wealth and the charitable work which it performs among the peasants of the Nile Valley. An oral tradition in Assiut asserts that the most southern place visited by the Holy Family in Egypt was ten kilometers south-west of Assiut, the ancient Lycopolis or wolf-town. To this day, about 80,000 pilgrims assemble annually at the foot of Istabl 'Antar (Antar's stable), a mountain range rising west of Assiut, to commemorate and celebrate the stay of the Holy Family in the large rock-tombs of the Ninth to the Twelfth Dynasty. The fact that the above mentioned site has had a long Christian tradition cannot be denied, since Maqrizi lists numerous monasteries and churches which were situated here. In times of persecution, pious believers took refuge in the caves of this ancient necropolis to live a life of penitence apart from the world. One of these, John of Lycopolis (fourth century), bore the reputation of a saint and even a prophet. Yet the oral tradition, which is upheld by hundreds of thousands of Copts and which is supported by Anba Mikhail, Bishop of Assiut, that a first century church was built here in commemoration of the stay of the Holy Family, cannot be verified. The Church of the Blessed Virgin at Dair al-Adhra was built by Anba Mikhail in 1955. The church is situated east of the cave in which the Holy Family supposedly rested. The episcopal residence is situated north of the church, and the present building activities lead one to believe that this annual feast which is held between August 7th and August 22nd will eventually become the largest Christian "mulid" in Egypt. From Assiut, so the oral tradition continues, the Holy Family returned to the site of the present Dair al-Muharraq. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ---------------------------------------|--------------------------------------- POPE PETROS (SEAL OF THE MARTYRS) The year 284 was the year Diocletian became emperor, and ordered the longest and fiercest persecution the Christians ever experienced. He remained in office until 305. The Copts who lost their lives under Diocletian, were over eight hundred thousands. Then in the wake of his atrocities Diocletian became blind and mentally deranged. Ironically, when his own people deserted him, an old Christian woman nursed him. By so doing, she obeyed our Lord who commands us to love our enemies and bless those who persecute us. To keep alive the memory of the martyrs who laid down their lives for their faith, the Coptic calendar commenced with the year 284 A.D as its starting point. The Copts follow the same calendar system of the ancient Egyptians. The Coptic year begins on September 11th and has twelve months of thirty days each, and a short month of five days (or six days on leap years.) During the celebration of the martyrdom of the apostles Peter and Paul, Sophia entered the church. Deeply in her heart, she asked the Lord, before his holy altar, to give her a child. That night she saw in a vision two old men dressed in white telling her that her prayers were answered, and she would be given a son, and he would be called Peter, after the apostle, for he would be a Father of a whole nation. In due time Peter was born and when he was seven years old, his parents offered him to the patriarch Abba Theonas, just like the Prophet Samuel had been offered. He became like the patriarch's own son, and was consecrated by him first as a reader, then a deacon, then a priest. He grew up to be learned, chaste and upright, and in due time his knowledge, wisdom and understanding earned for him the surname of "Excellent Doctor of the Christian religion". When the patriarch Abba Theonas was dying, he counseled the church leaders to choose Peter as his successor. Thus Peter, the son of promise, became the father of a nation and the seventeenth successor of St. Mark in the year 285 A.D. The years in which Abba Petros guided the church were years of excessive stress. Storms raged from outside, in the form of the most terrible persecutions the Christians were subjected too, and storms from inside in the form of the Arian heresy that was equally dangerous to the Christian faith. Like the able captain of a ship, Peter did his utmost to cope with both storms. The persecutions that were unleashed against the Christians when Abba Petros became patriarch were those ordered by Emperor Diocletian. They lasted over ten years and did not end until the Patriarch himself was martyred. Since he was the last one to lose his life for the faith under Diocletian, he is called to this day in church history "The seal of the Martyrs". The tortures and executions were carried on day in and day out, year in and year out, without respite. The Copts who lost their lives in this seventh persecution, and suffered under Diocletian, were over hundred thousands. During the fourth year of the persecutions, Abba Petros felt it necessary to pass special regulations concerning the acceptance of repentant apostates back into the communion of the church. So, he drew up fourteen canons which came to be considered as veritable monument of church disciplines. One of the principals set in the canons was that a Christian could be baptized only once. The truth of this principle was confirmed by an incident which took place at the time. A Christian woman who lived in Antioch had two sons whom she had been unable to baptize because their father had obeyed the Emperor and gave up his faith. Quietly, she boarded a ship to Alexandria and took them with her. While yet off shore, the ship ran into a storm, and she was afraid that her sons might die without having been baptized. So, she wounded herself, and with her blood made the sign of the cross upon the foreheads of her two sons, and baptized them in the name of the Holy Trinity. However, the ship arrived to Alexandria, and she took them to church to have them baptized with other children. When their turn came, and Abba Petros attempted to immerse them in the Holy Water, the water froze. He tried three times, and the same thing happened. The Patriarch in surprise asked the mother, and she told him what she had done on the way. He was astonished and glorified God, "Thus, says the church that there is only one baptism ". When Diocletian realized that after so many years of persecutions, the Christians of Egypt were not exterminated, but were increasing in number because of the heroism of the martyrs, he became very angry. He ordered that the religious leaders be arrested and tortured, thinking that by doing so, he would break the spirit of the people. Six of the Bishops were arrested but as no amount of torture would induce them to renounce their faith, they were martyred. When Abba Petros heard of their martyrdom, he fell on his knees and offered thanks to God for having kept them steadfast until the end. Finally, it was decided that it was Abba Petros' turn. The Emperors soldiers laid hands on him and led him to prison. When news of his arrest went around, a large crowd of his devoted people gathered together and went to the prison in one big mass and there clamored for his freedom. Hearing their loud shouting and fearing that their behavior might bring calamity on them, Abba Petros decided to interfere. He told the officers if they granted him the opportunity to speak to them and pacify them, he would immediately give himself up so that there would be no more trouble on his account. The officers complied and led him to where he could address the crowd. In words of compassion and assurance, he spoke to the multitudes and pleaded with them to depart in peace. They obeyed him. After they dispersed, Abba Petros signalled to the officers that they could now take him as he was ready. On the way to be executed, he was asked if he had any special request to make. He replied that he would like to be allowed to visit the church of St. Mark. His request was granted, and he was permitted a few minutes there. He went in, knelt in prayer and fervently asked God to accept his life as a ransom for his people. Soon after he ended his petition a voice was heard saying "Amen". The soldiers then led him to be executed. For a while no one dared raise a hand against him, for they beheld his face like that of an angle. Then one of the officers took out twenty five pieces of gold and said, "this I will give to the one who dares behead this sage". The sight of gold made one of the soldiers take courage and strike the Saint's head off. Having beheaded him, the soldiers went away, leaving him where he fell. Soon after that, the faithful heard the news and came rushing in tears, and carried away the remains of their pleased Patriarch and buried him in St. Mark Church. The martyrdom of Abba Petros inaugurated a period of peace, that is why he is called "The Seal of Martyrs". May the prayers and supplications of St. Petros be with us. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ---------------------------------------|--------------------------------------- The Liturgy of the Coptic Orthodox Church ----------------------------------------- The word "Liturgy" refers to the Christian remembrance and celebration of Jesus Christ's propitiatory sacrifice of His body and blood. Also known as the service of the Eucharist, the Liturgy is central to any Christian order of worship. "And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.'" [Luke 22:19-20] At the present time there are three Liturgies used in the Coptic Orthodox Church: 1. The Liturgy according to St Basil, bishop of Caesarea, 2. The Liturgy according to St Gregory of Nazianzus, bishop of Constantinople, 3. The Liturgy according to St Cyril I, the 24th Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The Liturgy according to St. Basil is the one used most of the year; St. Gregory's Liturgy is used during the feasts and on certain occasions; only parts of St. Cyril's Liturgy are used nowadays. The Liturgy was composed by the Apostles as taught to them by Jesus Christ, who after His resurrection appeared to them: "to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." [Acts 1:3] It is worth noting here that the Liturgy was first used (orally) in Alexandria by St. Mark and that it was recorded in writing by St. Cyril I, the 24th Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt. This is the Liturgy known as St. Cyril's Liturgy and from which the other two liturgies -- referred to above -- are derived. St. Mark, as we know, was one of the seventy disciples of Jesus Christ. Also, he accompanied St. Peter and St. Paul and shared the Apostolic work with them. St. Mark came to Egypt around the year 40 A.D. and established the Coptic church in Alexandria and used the above-mentioned Liturgy there. This Liturgy is one of the oldest liturgies known to the Christian world. Versions of St. Mark's Liturgy exist in Ge'ez, the ancient language of Ethiopia, which ceased to be a living language in the 14th century A.D., but has been retained as the official and liturgical language of the Coptic Church of Ethiopia. The sections and divisions of the three liturgies follow the same order and subject matter as taught to us by the Lord Jesus Christ: "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.' Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.'" [Matthew 26:26-28] This sacrament has also been mentioned by St. Paul: "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes." [Corinthians-1 11:23-26] The Coptic Liturgy has the following main sections, which are also characteristics of almost every Liturgy all over the Christian world: a. Prayer of Thanksgiving b. Prayer of Consecration c. Prayer of Fraction d. Prayer of Communion The Liturgy of St. Basil the great, bishop of Caesarea ------------------------------------------------------ As we mentioned before, the Liturgy of St. Basil is the one most commonly used in the Coptic Orthodox Church. It is also widely used in the other Orthodox Churches around the world. The Basilian Liturgy was established at the end of the 4th century, and drew heavily on the Liturgy of St. Mark the Evangelist. The Basilian Liturgy is addressed to God the Father, as is St. Mark's Liturgy (better known as St. Cyril's Liturgy), whereas the Liturgy of St. Gregory is addressed to the Son. Vespers and Matins prayers always precede the service of the Basilian Liturgy (the same is done with Gregory's Liturgy or Cyril's Liturgy). We have to assume that the present Basilian Liturgy is somewhat different from the original one, in that certain sections (e.g. Intercessions) must have been added to it. The Basilian Liturgy, as prayed in the Coptic Orthodox Church, includes the following as its main subsections (within the 4 sections mentioned above): o Offertory: Offering of the bread (Lamb) o The Circuit o The Prayer of Thanksgiving o Absolution o The Intercessions: St. Mary, the Archangels, the Apostles, St. Mark, St. Menas, St. George, Saint of the day, the Pope and bishops. o Readings: 3 Passages from Pauline Epistles, Catholic Epistles, and Acts o Synaxarium: The Saints of the day o The Trisagion o The Holy Gospel with an introductory prayer and Psalm reading. o Supplications for the Church, the fathers, the congregation, the president, government, and officials. o The creed (Nicene creed of St. Athanasius, the 20th Coptic Pope) o The Prayer of reconciliation o Holy, Holy, Holy o Crossing the offerings o Prayer of the Holy Spirit invocation and outpouring. o Supplications for the Church unity and peace, the fathers, the priests, the Place, the (Nile) water (or the vegetation or the Crops), and the offerings. o Memory of the congregation of Saints o Introduction to the sharing of the Holy Communion o The fraction of the bread o The profession and declaration of Orthodox faith o The Holy Communion o Psalm 150 and appropriate hymns (concurrently with the offering of the Holy Communion). o Benediction o The Eulogia The sermon (usually offered by the presiding priest) is given (if at all) right after the reading of the Gospel or at the end of the service. The Sermon, which is not an integral part of the Liturgy, offers explanations and contemplations of the Gospel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ---------------------------------------|--------------------------------------- The Coptic Alphabet ------------------- The language that was spoken in Egypt at all times and until nearly the end of the ninth century A.D. (250 years after the Arab's conquest of Egypt) was the Egyptian language with many dialects thereof. Gradually, it started to phase out and got replaced by the Arabic language. By the end of the 12th century, the dominant language of the Northern part of the country was the Arabic and the South followed at the end of the 16th century. Three distinct phases of the Egyptian language can be identified: 1) Ancient Egyptian Language 2) Intermediate Egyptian Language 3) New Egyptian Language The above languages were spoken in many dialects in different parts of Egypt. The new Egyptian language is different from the other two languages because it started as a colloquial spoken version of the Egyptian language. Later, it replaced the classical Egyptian written language as well. Parallel to the changes in the language there were changes in the script. The Egyptian original script (Hieroglyphic) was time consuming because it required elaborate drawings. Over the centuries, its use became limited to tomb decoration and expensive artwork. A simplified version of the Hieroglyphic script, invented and used by the Priests and authorities, was called the "Heratic" script. The priests duties included writing down marriage documents, selling and buying documents, etc. So they used the Heratic script for that purpose. For the purpose of exchanging written texts among people, a more simplified version of the script -- called the Demotic script -- was derived and used during the intermediate Kingdom. The Demotic script was introduced about the same time the New Egyptian (colloquial) language started to be used for writing. The latest Hieroglyphic script dates back to about 450 A.D. at the island of "Anas AlWegood", where Idols were still worshiped at this place till this time. The New Egyptian language is also known as the "Demotic" language since it is the colloquial Egyptian spoken by the people. The gradual replacement of Hieroglyphic by Demotic is similar to the replacement of Latin by English French, Italian, etc. Coptic is the common colloquial Egyptian. Its roots stem from the New Egyptian Language and has a large similitude with the version of the Egyptian Language of the 25th Kingdom (Saees Kingdom named after its Capital: Sa-ElHahgar). At about 200 B.C., Greek was understood in places like Alexandria due to the influence of the Greek culture and religion. In fact many Greek words entered the Egyptian (Coptic) language at that time. The Egyptians adopted a phonetic Greek alphabet for their language since about 200 B.C. To suit their language, they incorporated some Demotic letters that varied from 11 to 5 and finally settled for 7 ( +1 ) Demotic letters, forming a 32 alphabet for the Coptic language. It should be noted that the words "Hieroglyphic/Heratic/Demotic" are scientific names and are not the names of the scripts themselves as used by the Egyptians. The following are the characters of the Coptic Language. They are listed in their order in the Coptic Alphabet. The ASCII characters designated to represent each character (according to a standard developed by Copt-Net) are also given. ------------------------------- ------------------------------- ASCII Letter Shape ASCII Letter Shape ------------------------------- ------------------------------- _ __ '_\ |__) 1. a Alpha (__\_ 2. B Vita _|__) ------------------------------- ------------------------------- ___ '\ 3. 5 Ghamma [ ` 4. d Dhelta /\ _) /__\ ------------------------------- ------------------------------- __ /__` _ 5. E Ei \__, 6. e So (_`- (_, ------------------------------- ------------------------------- _ | | 7. Z Zeta ' / 8. H Eeta |--| /_ | | ' ------------------------------- ------------------------------- __ / \ | 9. 8 Theta |--| 10. I Yota | \__/ | ------------------------------- ------------------------------- _ | / ' \ 11. K Kabba |< 12. ^ Lola / \ | \ / \ ------------------------------- ------------------------------- | | |\ | 13. M Me |\_/| 14. N Ne | \| | | | | ------------------------------- ------------------------------- ___ __ `_/ / \ 15. 3 Exi / 16. O O \__/ (_, ------------------------------- ------------------------------- _____ ___ | | | ) 17. n Pi | | 18. P Ro |-' | ------------------------------- ------------------------------- __ _____ / ` | 19. C Sima \__, 20. T Tav | | ------------------------------- ------------------------------- |\ /-+-\ 21. Y Epsilon '\/` 22. Q Fi \_|_/ () | ------------------------------- ------------------------------- _ _ \ / ) + ( 23. X Khe X 24. + Epsi (__|__) _/ \_ | ------------------------------- ------------------------------- / \ (_|_| 25. W Oou \_0_/ 26. y Shy | \___/ ------------------------------- ------------------------------- __ , _/ 27. q Fay (__| 28. J Khay \ | \__) ------------------------------- ------------------------------- __ _ _ '__) \/ 29. 2 Hory / 30. G Genga /\ \__) /__\ ------------------------------- ------------------------------- __, /_ _|___ 31. 6 Tsheema (__) 32. t Tee `| | | ------------------------------- ------------------------------- In addition to the above letters, the Coptic language uses a special symbol called the "Jenkem" as an apostrophe. This Jenkem looks like the Latin Apostrophe. The Coptic Language makes use of abbreviations as well, especially with words that are used frequently. An abbreviated word can be recognized by a bar on its top. For example, the words for "Jesus Christ" (pronounced Isoos Pi'ekhrestos in Coptic) are abbreviated as shown below (see also the Copt-Net Logo on top of this Newsletter): ___ ___ IHC nXC (Abbreviated forms of the words "Jesus" and "Christ") ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|_ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ---------------------------------------|--------------------------------------- Readers' Corner --------------- This corner of the Copt-Net Newsletter is dedicated to answering questions regarding the Christian faith and teachings in general and the Coptic Orthodox Church's beliefs and traditions in particular. As much as possible we will try to avoid using any terminology that will not be accessible to the common reader. Also, it must be noted that the opinions expressed here are those of members of Copt-Net Editorial board and do not (and should not be taken to be) the official opinion of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The Readers' Corner of this issue addresses two questions. The first regards a common misconception among non-Christians regarding the role of the Virgin Mary. The second is about the relationship between the Christian Trinity and the old-Egyptian triad of Isis-Osiris-Horus. Question: -------- What is the role of the Virgin Mary in the Trinity? Answer: ------ The Virgin Mary is not a member of the Trinity; she is fully human. Christians do not "worship" her. Nevertheless, they hold her in a very special place in their hearts and in their minds. The following are the words of the Virgin Mary, which she said in response to Elizabeth's greetings [Luke 1:46-48]: ``My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.'' From these very words, it can be seen that the Virgin Mary calls God her "Savior". Therefore, like all human beings, she needed His mercy and salvation through her own Child Jesus Christ, the incarnate word of God. The Coptic Orthodox Church does not believe in the notion of an "immaculate conception". The Virgin Mary was not created to bear our Lord Jesus Christ. Rather, she was chosen by God from amongst all women to serve that purpose, and she accepted to serve God saying ``Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word'' [Luke 1:38]. As the prophecy "henceforth all generations will call me blessed" indicates, Christians bless the Virgin Mary for she has achieved a status that even the Angels and Archangels admire. She is venerated much more than any prophet, apostle, or martyr because she was ``chosen'' to be the Mother of God. Christians call the Virgin Mary "Mother of God" (Theotokos) because she conceived and brought to our world God in the flesh. Elizabeth was the first to use that term: ``Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the MOTHER OF MY LORD should come to me?'' [Luke 1:42-43]. Like any mother, she cared for her Baby, nursed Him, and nurtured Him! To fully understand how a "creation" can give birth to its "creator" is beyond human comprehension. Even the Virgin Mary had to accept the work of the Holy Spirit without comprehending it: ``Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you'' [Luke 1:34-35]. From these verses, it becomes clear that the Virgin Birth is an incomprehensible work of God -- an act of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, this Virgin Birth has been the subject of a prophesy by Isaiah ``Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel'' [Isaiah 7:14]. This prophesy, which came hundreds of years before Christianity, speaks of the Virgin Birth as being a ``sign from the Lord'' about the birth of ``Immanuel'' [Immanuel translates to God among us (humans)]. Question: -------- What is the relationship between the Christian Trinity and the old-Egyptian Isis-Osiris-Horus triad? Answer: ------ There is absolutely no relationship or resemblance between the Christian Trinity and the Isis-Osiris-Horus triad (or any other pagan gods or beliefs). As explained in a previous Newsletter, the Trinity of God is a three-way reflection of an undivided ONE and only God. While it makes sense to talk about Isis as a loving wife, Osiris as her slain husband, and Horus as the result of their marriage, no such thing can be said about the Christian Trinity. While Christians use words such as "Father" and "Son" to identify the first and second characters of the Trinity, they do not think about these characters as being masculine characters in the sexual sense (like the Osiris-Horus relationship). Rather, these terms are used to underline that Jesus Christ is "of" God. Christians also call Him, the "word" of God who came to us. This notion of the "Incarnate Word" is clear in [John 1:1-2,14]: ``In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.'' The earlier pagan beliefs of Egyptians might have made the concept of the Holy Trinity easier for Egyptians to accept. This, however, does not make the Christian Trinity in any way even related to the Isis-Osiris-Horus triad. As a matter of fact, early Christians in Egypt suffered considerably as a result of their Christian beliefs. Much of the suffering came as a result of adopting teachings that were "foreign" to Pagan Egyptian beliefs. The martyrdom of St. Mark, the one who brought Christianity to Egypt, and the thousands of early Christians in Egypt, can only serve as a reminder of how "foreign" the newly born Christian faith was in relation to the well-established pagan religions of Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This Newsletter has been prepared by members of Copt-Net, a forum _|_ where news, activities, and services of the Coptic Orthodox Churches | and Coptic communities outside Egypt are coordinated and exchanged. | For any questions, or comments related to this Newsletter, as well as COP|NET any topics that you would like to be addressed in the next Newsletter please send a message to Copt-Net server at: cn-request@pharos.bu.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (C)opyright 1992 by Copt-Net