Coptic Church

The predominant form of CHRISTIANITY in Egypt. Egypt was an important center of Christianity in the ancient world. Tradition says that Mark, who wrote one of the GOSPELS, fi rst brought Christianity there. Leading early Christian thinkers such as Origen (c. 185–c. 254) lived and taught in Alexandria, the cultural center of Egypt. Bishops of Alexandria such as Athanasius (c. 295– 373) guided the development of Christian doctrine. Other Egyptians became the fi rst Christian MONKS AND NUNS. In 451 the Christian bishops met in council at Chalcedon (near Istanbul, Turkey) to determine what Christians should teach about Jesus. They decided that in Jesus two natures, divine and human, were combined into one person. Most Egyptians disagreed. They taught that in Jesus divinity and humanity were united into one nature. These Egyptian "monophysites," as they were called, became the Coptic Church. Until the middle of the seventh century the emperor of Byzantium severely persecuted the Coptic Church. He wanted to force it to adopt the teachings of Chalcedon. But in 642 Arab Muslims conquered Egypt, and the Coptic Church achieved peace. The leader of the Coptic Church is the patriarch of Alexandria, known as the pope (not to be confused with the pope in ROMAN CATHOLICISM). In 1971 Shenouda III became the 117th Coptic pope. By 1992 there were roughly 85 Coptic churches in the United States with a total of 180,000 members. Coptic churches are also found today in many other countries outside Egypt, including Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Australia, and Brazil. One of the most prominent Coptic Christians in recent years has been Boutros Boutros-Ghali, secretary-general of the United Nations from 1992 to 1996.