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Introduction to the Coptic Church

Iris H. Elmasry, 1977

This is the whole text of Iris H. Elmasry’s Introduction to the Coptic Church, written in January 1977 for readers who do not know the Church. It is in four parts.

Part I tells the story: St. Mark and the founding of the Church in Alexandria, the Popes of the Chair of Alexandria, the Catechetical School, the persecutions, the monks and nuns of the desert, and the Church’s fight for the faith. Part II sets out the doctrine: the Creed and the heresies it answers, the seven sacraments, the Blessed Virgin, and faith and works. Part III describes the practices of Coptic life: prayer, fasting, reading the Bible, intercession and the commemoration of saints and feasts. Part IV describes how the Church is governed and the institutions that serve it. A conclusion follows on the Church’s witness to the world, with the Creed and two prayers of the Church as an epilogue, and a bibliography.

The author’s spelling is kept; plain printing and scanning errors have been corrected.

Chapters

  1. Part I. The story: 1. St. Mark pp. 6-8
  2. Part I. The story: 2. The Chair of Alexandria pp. 9-16
  3. Part I. The story: 3. The School of Alexandria pp. 17-19
  4. Part I. The story: 4. Persecutions pp. 20-21
  5. Part I. The story: 5. Monasticism pp. 22-29
  6. Part I. The story: 6. Fighting the Good Fight p. 30
  7. Part II. The doctrine: A. The Creed pp. 31-38
  8. Part II. The doctrine: B. The Sacraments pp. 39-46
  9. Part II. The doctrine: C. The Blessed Virgin pp. 47-49
  10. Part II. The doctrine: D. Faith and Works p. 50
  11. Part III. Practices: A. Prayer pp. 51-56
  12. Part III. Practices: B. Fasting pp. 57-59
  13. Part III. Practices: C. Bible Reading pp. 59-60
  14. Part III. Practices: D. Intercession pp. 60-61
  15. Part III. Practices: E. Commemorations p. 62
  16. Part IV: 1. Administration pp. 63-65
  17. Part IV: 2. Institutions pp. 66-69
  18. Conclusion pp. 70-78
  19. Epilogue: the Creed pp. 79-81
  20. Epilogue: the Prayer of Thanksgiving pp. 82-83
  21. Epilogue: the prayer said at the end of every canonical hour p. 84

The author’s introduction

Introduction

History is life, consequently it should be the story of the people wherever they are; it should recount the struggle of the nations for freedom and dignity, their aspirations and their heroic achievements. This yearning after the Ideal is the goal of our study of the Copts(1) and their Church. It is, therefore, essential to know from the outset that they have a strong leaning towards the mystical and the spiritual. Even before the Advent of the Christ, the Egyptians conceived of a triad of gods and a judgment of their worth by their god Osiris according to which they received their just due in the hereafter. These beliefs helped them to glimpse the Light of Christianity beforehand. Little wonder that the prophet declared: “Out of Egypt have I called my son” (Hosea 11 : 1) In due season the Word was sown in Egyptian hearts, bearing fruit thirty, sixty, and an hundredfold. (Mark 4 : 8).

(1) Copt: common term meaning Egyptian, but by common usage became the designation of a Christian Egyptian.

JANUARY 1977

The title page, imprint and dedication

INTRODUCTION
to the
COPTIC CHURCH

by
IRIS H. ELMASRY

Printed by
Dar El Alam El Arabi
Tel. 906706

DEDICATION
to all those who aspire towards
FRATERNITY AND GOODWILL
in Africa and throughout the World

The book’s bibliography

Bibliography

  1. Abd’l Massih, Y. : “The Faith and Practises of the Coptic Church” — Alexandria 1953.
  2. Aldridge, J. : “Cairo” — Boston 1969.
  3. Amelineau, M.E. : “Vie de la Macaire” .
  4. Amelineau, M.E. : “Etude Historique sur St. Pachôme”.
  5. Bardy : “Clement d’Alexandrie” — Paris 1926.
  6. Bell, M. : “From Pharoah to Fellah” — London 1888.
  7. Budge, W. : “Paradise of the Holy Fathers” — translation, Cambridge 1934.
  8. Budge, W. : “The Wit and Wisdom of the Christian Fathers of Egypt” — translation, Cambridge 1934.
  9. Butler, A.J. : “The Ancient Coptic Churches of Egypt” — Oxford 1884.
  10. Chapiat : “Le Saint de Chaque Jour”.
  11. Danialou, J. : “Origene le Genie du Chretianisme” — Paris 1948.
  12. Foster, J. : Beginning from Jerusalem”.
  13. Guettee, V. : “Histoire de l’Eglise” — Paris 1886.
  14. Harnack, A. : “Outlines of the History of Dogma” — translated by Edwin Knox Mitchell, Beacon Press, Boston 1957.
  15. Mgr. Hefele : “Histoire des Conciles” — Paris 1869.
  16. Lane-Poole, S. : History of Egypt during the Middle Ages”, 3rd ed. — London 1934.
  17. Nau : “Vie de Dioscore” (trad. du Copte) — La Revue Asiatique No. X, Tome II, Marseille, Avril 1903.
  18. Cheneau d’Orleans : “Les Saints d’Egypte” — Jerusalem 1923.
  19. Payne, R. : “The Holy Fire” — New York 1957.
  20. Regamy, P. : “Les Plus Beaux Textes sur la Vierge Marie” — Paris 1946.
  21. Roberts, A. and Donaldson J. : “The Ante-Nicene Fathers of the Second Century” vol. II — American Ed.
  22. Waddell, H. : “The Desert Fathers” — London 1934.
  23. White, E. : “The Monasteries of Wadi n-Natrun”, Part III — New York 1933, Lexique Historique de la Suisse.

٢٤ ـ القديس العظيم مار مرقس ـ نشرة رهبان دير السريان .

٢٥ ـ تاريخ بطاركة الاسكندرية لساويرس بن المقفع أسقف الاشمونين ـ طبعة أيفتس ، والمجلدان الثاني والثالث مترجمان الى الانجليزية بقلم يسى عبد المسيح وعزيز سوريال عطية وأوزوالد بورمستر ـ نشرة جمعية الآثار القبطية بالقاهرة .

٢٦ ـ تاريخ الأمة القبطية ليعقوب نخلة روفيلة .

٢٧ ـ تاريخ الكنيسة القبطية لمنسى القمص .

٢٨ ـ سلسلة تاريخ بطاركة الكرسى الاسكندرى لكامل صالح نخلة ـ الحلقات الثانية والثالثة والرابعة ـ الأولتان من مطبوعات دير السريان ، والثالثة ( الطبعة الثانية ) نشرتها مدارس التربية الكنسية بالجيزة .

٢٩ ـ الخطط المقريزى .

٣٠ ـ نظم الحكم بمصر فى عهد الفاطميين لعطية مشرفة .

٣١ ـ مصر فى عصر الأيوبيين للباز العريني .

٣٢ ـ تاريخ مصر الاسلامية لإلياس الأيوبى .

٣٣ ـ تاريخ مصر الاسلامية : العصران الأيوبى والمملوكى لجمال الدين الشيال .

٣٤ ـ نوابغ الأقباط لتوفيق اسكاروس ( جزآن ) .

From Introduction to the Coptic Church by Iris H. Elmasry, Cairo, January 1977, printed by Dar El Alam El Arabi. Source: the Australian Coptic Church Online Textbook site (ACCOT), a PDF scan.