The Term “Copts”
The term “Copts” is equivalent to the word “Egyptians.” It is derived from the Greek “Aegyptus,” which in turns is derived from the ancient Egyptian “Ha-ka-Ptah,” i.e. “the house of the spirit Ptah,” a most highly revered deity in Egyptian mythology.
Sons of Pharaohs
The Copts as the successors of the ancient Egyptians are defined as the modern sons of the Pharaohs. They played an essential role in the whole Christian world, especially during the first five centuries.
Their religious background helped them to accept Christianity with eagerness and to enjoy its depth through their ascetic life, meditation and studying of the Holy Scripture.
What is the Coptic Orthodox Church?
The Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the most ancient Churches in the world, founded in the first century in Egypt by Saint Mark the Apostle and writer of the second Gospel of the New Testament. A conservative Church, it has carefully preserved the Orthodox Christian faith in its earliest form, handing it down through generations, remaining true to the Apostolic doctrines and patterns of worship. The Church’s spiritual approach emphasizes holiness, Divine Mysteries and fellowship, rooted firmly in the canons of the Holy Scriptures, the apostolic and Orthodox creeds, the teachings of the Church Fathers and the first three ecumenical councils.
See of St. Mark
The Coptic Church or the Church of Alexandria is called “See of St. Mark;” on of the earliest sees: Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria and Rome.
St. Mark The Founder
The Copts are proud of the apostolicity of their church, whose founder is St. Mark; one of the seventy Apostles (Mark 10:10), and one of the four Evangelists. He is regarded by the Coptic hierarchy as the first of their unbroken 118 patriarchs, and also the first of a stream of Egyptian martyrs.
This apostolicity was not only furnished on grounds of its foundation but rather by the persistence of the church in observing the same faith received by the Apostle and his successors, the Holy Fathers.