Two Thousand Years of Coptic Christianity

by Otto F. A. Meinardus

Overview

Christianity arrived early in Egypt, brought according to tradition by Saint Mark the Evangelist, who became the first patriarch of Alexandria. The Coptic Orthodox Church has flourished ever since, with millions of adherents both in Egypt and in Coptic communities around the world. Since its split from the Byzantine Church in 451, the Coptic Church has proudly maintained its early traditions, and influence from outside has been minimal: the liturgy is still sung to unique rhythms in Coptic, a late stage of the same ancient Egyptian language that is inscribed in hieroglyphs on temple walls and papyri. Dr. Otto Meinardus, a leading authority on the history of the Coptic Church, here revises, updates, and combines his renowned studies Christian Egypt, Ancient and Modern (The American University in Cairo Press, 1965, 1977) and Christian Egypt, Faith and Life (The American University in Cairo Press, 1970) into a new, definitive, one-volume history for the Millennium, surveying the twenty centuries of existence of one of the oldest churches in the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617972638
Publisher:	American University in Cairo Press, The
Publication date:	10/01/2002
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Dr. Otto F. A. Meinardus is the author of The Holy Family in Egypt (The American University in Cairo Press, 1986), Monks and Monasteries of the Egyptian Deserts (The American University in Cairo Press, 1989), and numerous other publications on the history of Christianity in Egypt and the Near East.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Toward the Third Millennium

The Coptic Church: Its History, Traditions, Theology, and Structure

The Coptic Church: Its Churches and Monasteries, Ancient and Modern

Appendix A: Marks of Identification: Tattoo and Name Appendix B: The Patriarchs of the Coptic Church and the Rulers of Egypt Appendix C: Language, Architecture, and Calendar Appendix D: The Relics of Coptic Saints Bibliography Index