The Legacy of the
Coptic Orthodox Church
By
A spiritual Christian treasure that was founded in Egypt 2000 years
ago, prophesized about in the Bible, blessed by the Lord Jesus Christ in His visit
to
The Coptic Orthodox Church was founded in 56 AD by
St. Mark, the writer of the second Gospel of the New Testament. He was
one of the apostles who lived with Christ
for over three years. He walked with Jesus, conversed with Him about
theological issues, listened to His public sermons and His private teaching to
His disciples, witnessed His miracles, and learned from Him how to worship and
how to walk down the divine path that leads to a fulfilling spiritual life.
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St.
Mark arrived in
St.
Mark preached Christianity in its full truth of the One-Living God, whose Son was incarnated to reveal that He is the only
truth, life, and path that man needs to know in order to have peace of mind,
joy in heart, and a fulfilling life. St.
Mark then established the first Christian theological school in the world. This profound school - historically known as
the “The Theological School of Alexandria,” or the “Catechetical School of
Alexandria” - while guarding the original Christian dogma, served as the
founder of Christian theology. The teaching of this school reconciled faith
with philosophy and science, and materialistic matters with sublimed spiritual
ones. It was also famous for the spirituality
of its professors, and students alike.
Since it became a haven for truth and life, it attracted students from
all over the world, who came to quench their thirst from its spirituality and
full-truth teaching. Many of these
students became the leaders of the Christian World at that time.
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The
legacy of the Coptic Orthodox Church is based upon keeping the original faith
and beliefs as taught by Jesus Christ, received by the apostles, and delivered to
the members of the Coptic Church by St. Mark the apostle, without alteration
until this day. The Coptic Church
believes that the church should be obedient to what the Lord has established
and must not be an initiator of altering beliefs. It must be a keeper ”
for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 1:3).
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Moreover,
St. Mark trained people on how to worship and how to gain a fulfilling
spiritual life. This deep spirituality
remains until the present time, as a uniquely amazing characteristic of the
Coptic Church. It dramatically changed
peoples’ lives then, and it still continues to inflame peoples’ spiritual
lives.
In the
fourth century, this sparkling spirituality in
Some of
them returned to their homeland and established monastic lives in their own
countries, and this was the start of a great monastic movement that spread all
over the world, especially in
The
Desert Fathers left behind a well-established spiritual path that leads to the
highest level a person may reach. They kept for the church, until today, a
peaceful, joyful, safe, and fulfilling Christian spirituality that has no other
match, because its roots go back to its founder Jesus Christ, the only source
of divine spirituality.
So,
the second aspects of the legacy of the Coptic Orthodox Church is its deep
spirituality that lived gracefully by Christ himself and His disciples,
delivered fully to the Coptic Church by St. Mark, kept faithfully by its
members in all ages, and practiced heavily by its monks, nuns, and hermits.
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“There will be an altar to the Lord in the
midst of the
This is the only prophecy in the Bible about a
future church with a Christian altar.
This future church, the Coptic Church, was blessed once again by the only
visit that Jesus, Virgin Mary, and Joseph made to another country. The Coptic Orthodox Church has captured the
full light that shined over the world 2000 years ago by Jesus Christ, the
incarnate God. It lived faithfully to
its enlightenment, and kept the torch of spirituality burning until this day.
So, the third aspect of the legacy of the
Coptic Orthodox Church is based on a biblical prophecy that refers to the
Coptic Church as an altar and a pillar to the Lord. Also, the Coptic Orthodox
Church is a biblical church that considers the Bible as its
first and foremost theological and spiritual source.
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Among more than 20,000 Christian sects and denominations
exist today, the Coptic Orthodox Church, along with very few other Orthodox
Churches, can faithfully proclaim that it kept the original teachings of
Christianity, from its inception until this day without changes. However, in regards to spirituality, it
stands out with its own unique spirituality that is strongly felt in its
current liturgies, prayers, and worship. Its practical faith was once put to
test in the tenth century. Faced by
either genocide or moving of a mountain near
So, the fourth aspect of the legacy of
the Coptic Orthodox Church is its practical, strong faith that once moved the
mountain, a faith that no other church can claim.
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Here, is a church that is as old as
Christianity itself. Everything it believes in or it practices
has been accurately delivered to it from one generation to the next. It is the historical church that Jesus has
left behind; it did not diminish over the centuries, nor did it change.
Its claim of keeping the original faith has its own
evidence, the blood of millions of its own individuals who preferred to be
slain than to deny Christ or even to accept a false teaching or a teaching that
is different from what they have received from their ancestors.
The fifth aspect of the legacy of the Coptic
Orthodox Church is based on the fact that it paid a high price to keep the
faith pure and without changes; the blood of millions of its martyrs.
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In
conclusion, it is the church that still keeps the
pure pearls of the
As a reminder, this is a church that is not only a few hundred years
old or was established a few decades
ago, as it is the case of the majority of other churches. It is not a church
that proclaims that it is biblical, but it based its theology and Bible
interpretation on the thinking of one person, the founder, who has no
connection to the original church that was founded by our Lord Christ and His
apostles. But, the
Coptic Orthodox Church was founded by one of the apostles, and a writer of the
Gospels, St. Mark. So, all its theology and Bible interpretation came directly
from the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles.
Dear
friend, I invite you to visit a Coptic Orthodox Church to discover the hidden
treasure of Christianity, to witness a heavenly worship that is as old as
Christianity itself, and to touch a spirituality that would fill your entire
life with complete inner peace and joy.
Coptic
Orthodox Church has thousands of parishes in
You are
invited to send me your questions or inquiry about the Coptic Orthodox Church.
My email address is:
beshirv@aol.com
For more information about the Coptic Orthodox Church, you may visit the following web sites:
To order this brochure or other brochures about the
Coptic Orthodox Church, please write to:
The
Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the
Telephone
(817) 424-3008
Fax
(817) 488-5470
Copyright
@ 2000 by Victor Beshir