YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

THE LIBRARY OF THE
DIVINITY SCHOOL

1 ¦¦•¦ >*iy.|

DAIR ANBA BOULOS.

G[g£ptian c[burcb

ARCHDEACON DOWLING,
Commissary for Eastern Church Intercourse
within the
Anglican Bishopric in Jetusalem

Ronton :
COPE & FENWICK,
16 Clifford's Inn, E.C.

IN loving memory
OF
Zbc iRevereno (Beorge (Breenwooo,
HONOURED OF GOD,
I HUMBLY OFFER THIS SLIGHT SKETCH OF
ttbe BflBptten Cburcb,
IN GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF
HIS KEEN INTEREST IN THE COPTS,
AND ALSO
OF MUCH PERSONAL KINDNESS AND
INVALUABLE AID,
SPECIALLY EXPERIENCED IN TIMES
OF SPIRITUAL NEED.

(iii)

preface.
Visitors to Egypt sometimes express surprise at
discovering that a considerable portion of the population
is Christian. In spite of twelve centuries of persecution,
the old Church of the country has continued to exist,
and in Upper Egypt the larger part of the people who
are genuinely Egyptian by descent still cling to its
ancient faith. Owing to its isolation the Coptic Church
has preserved several characteristics of the early Church,
which have been lost or modified elsewhere. From
every point of view, therefore, political, religious, social
and archaeological, the Coptic Church merits attention,
and Archdeacon Dowling deserves thanks for having
placed this handy and compendious account of it in the
hands of the reading public. His long residence in the
East and sympathy with Oriental Christianity give him
a special claim to be heard. The reader may be assured
that nothing of importance has been omitted in the
following description of Egyptian Christianity, and that
no pains have been spared to make it as accurate as
possible. Egyptian Christianity has more than usual reason to
expect the sympathy of English Churchmen. The
present and future destinies of Egypt are in the hands
(v)

of England, and its happiness and prosperity are
dependent upon our administration of it. A long and
intimate acquaintance with the country and its in
habitants, extending back for more than thirty years,
has convinced me that it is with the Copts, that is
to say the Christian Egyptians, that our hope for
the future well-being of Egypt must lie. Egyptian
Mohammedanism is hopeless ; it is only among the
Copts that we find the same fundamental principles of
morality and action as among ourselves. It is, more
over, only among the Copts that we find the pure strain
of the ancient Egyptian race ; elsewhere the people are
descended from Arabs, or contaminated by Arab blood.
And it is the Copts, accordingly, who have inherited
the cleverness and abilities of their Pharaonic forefathers.
Egypt was the original home of ideas which have since
governed civilized humanity, as well as of a system of
morality which has been exceeded only by that of
Christianity; there is no reason, therefore, why the
descendants of those who created the ideas and pro
mulgated the system of morality should not again take
a foremost place in the religious, moral and political
advancement of the world.
A. H. Sayce.

(vi)

Contents.

Dedication 
Preface by the Reverend Professor Sayce, ll.d
Introduction 
Instructions at Assouan
Egyptian Monophysites 
The Patriarch Kyrillus V ...
Religious Statistics 
A Married Patriarch 
The Egyptian Hierarchy
Three Liturgies 
Doctrine of the Real Presence
Ecclesiastical Vestments
The Canonical Hours 
The Lenten Fast of Fifty-five Days
Notes on the Kalendar
Lay Readers 
Holy Baptism 
Holy Matrimony 
Holy Communion 
Fermented and Unfermented Wine
Lay Communions 
Acolytes 
Church Catechism  (vii)

CONTENTS.— Continued. PAGE
Coptic Churches   29
Parochial Clergy  31
The Name "Copt"  31
A Fortified Convent  32
Reunion of the Egyptian and Orthodox Greek
Churches ...  „  33
Persecutions of the Egyptian Church :— Roman and
Mohammedan  33
Arab Art indebted to the Copts   40
Appendix I— Prayer for the Land of Egypt  41
Appendix II— A Coptic Manuscript  ... 42
Appendix III — Coptic Troubles— The Cause of the
Dispute — Simaika Bey's Statement ... 46
Appendix IV — Friendly Relations with the Egyptian
Church, 1883-1909  S3

( viii )

Xfst of JUustrattons.

Frontispiece— Coptic Monastery of Dair Ansa Boulos, near
the Red Sea. Facing page
The Abuna Bessada and Acolytes at Assouan  i

The Patriarch Kyrillus V 
The Coptic Metropolitan of Jerusalem (Timotheus)
Bishop of Akhmim, Upper Egypt 
Specimens of St. John hi, 16, in Coptic and Arabic
Stamp for Eucharistic Bread at Sohag 
The Metropolitan of Alexandria (Youvanes) ...
Shenouda, Coptic Priest at Sohag, and the White
Monastery 

'4 16
21
2529
32

Dair Abouna Antonius, near the Red Sea  40

(ix)

Jntroouctfon.

The first section of the following pages was written
in the Cataract Hotel, Assouan, Upper Egypt, during
Epiphany-tide, 1902, and printed in the Occasional
Papers of St. Augustine's College, Canterbury (No. 283,
March 31st, 1902). Since then I have been brought
into closer contact with Clergy and Laity of the
Egyptian Church.
During Easter-tide, 1904, the Orthodox Greek
Patriarch of Jerusalem (Damianus) commissioned me
to carry a strictly confidential communication to
Kyrillus V, the Coptic Patriarch, in Cairo. The
matter was of consequence, but did not require the
employment of one of his own Clergy, and I was
thankful to be helpful and successful on that occasion.
It has been difficult to obtain accurate information
as to several details in the following pages. One
instance may be mentioned. On page 23 I state that
" Confession is the invariable custom before reception."
Professor Sayce has thrown doubts upon this sentence.
I therefore made careful enquiries on this point of two
leading Coptic Laymen in Upper Egypt, and another
Layman in Alexandria. They assured me that

compulsory Confession before Communion was no
longer practised. I then questioned the Rev. Mina
El-Baramousy, the intelligent Agent of the Coptic
Patriarch at Alexandria, and the learned Abuna
Bessada, who both stoutly maintained that my state
ment was strictly correct. So I have ventured to add
an explanatory foot-note on page 23, which may,
perhaps, explain the present use.
What information I have been able to glean from
a variety of sources is not intended for liturgical
students. It is far too brief and superficial to be of
the slightest service to them. But it may interest the
typical British tourist in Egypt, who generally seems
to be indifferent to the spiritual welfare of this
National Church.
Just before going to press my attention has been
drawn to the two volumes of Mr. Butler's Ancient
Coptic Churches of Egypt, Oxford, Clarendon Press,
1884, from which valuable work I have been enabled
to add a few additional notes.
I am indebted to Lady Gray Hill for two photo
graphs from her paintings of Monasteries by the Red
Sea Coast ; to Mrs. Way, of Jerusalem, for most kindly
reproducing the pictures of the present Patriarch and
Metropolitan of Alexandria ; to Dr. Oldfield for
the loan of the Stamp for Eucharistic Bread and the
(*i )

likenesses of the Bishop of Akhmim and a Coptic
Priest, as well as for correcting the proofs ; to Mrs.
Margoliouth, Oxford, for the interesting paragraph
on " Arab Art being indebted to the Copts "; and to
Mr. Louis Akhnouth Fanous, B.A., New College,
Oxford, for useful suggestions.
May this imperfect sketch of the Ancient Church
in Egypt hasten the time when
" There shall be an Altar to the Lord in the
Midst of the Land of Egypt,
And a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord 
And He shall send them a Saviour, and a
Great One, and He shall deliver thein.
And the Lord shall be known to Egypt,
And the Egyptians shall know the Lord ....
And shall do sacrifice and oblation ....
And shall return unto the Lord,
And He shall be intreated of them,
And shall heal them,"
So that they may be reckoned among those
" Whom the Lord of Hosts shall bless, saying,
Blessed be My people.'' Isaiah xix, 19-25.

(xii)

ABUNA BESSADA, AND ACOLYTES AT ASSOUAN.

ftfoe Egyptian Cburcb.

instructions at Hssouan.
When I was Season Chaplain at Assouan, Upper
Egypt, 1901-2, I attended, as a rule, early on Friday
mornings, the Coptic Liturgy of St. Basil the Great
in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin. There is no
Orthodox Greek Church in this town. This modern
Church was served by three married priests, Abuna
Gawarghius, Abuna Hanna, and Abuna Bessada, the
Deacon Raphael, the Areef Ibrahim, J(the people's
representative, or clerk), and sub-deacons. The last-
mentioned priest (Bessada) is the educated preacher,
and was trained at the Clerical School in the Patri
archal House at Cairo, founded by the late Kyrillus IV
(the reformer).
On Friday afternoons, shortly before four o'clock,
the church bell was rung, and from 4 to 5 p.m. I gave
a course of instructions on the Book of the Acts of the
Apostles. The average attendance was 58 laymen and
a few lads in the nave, exclusive of the veiled women in
the galleries, screened off by close trellis work. After
two or three of these Instructions all the women
absented themselves. I was not allowed, with one ex
ception, to visit any Coptic women. They are very
ignorant, and do not understand any English. They
are more prejudiced than the men, and seem unwilling
(O

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
to be taught anything. Hence the importance of
holding out every encouragement to the newly-formed
Coptic Girls' School.
One gratifying feature about these gatherings was
the ready purchase of books.* Through the courtesy
of the Egyptian Agency of the "British and Foreign
Bible Society," I received a grant of Arabic Gospels and
Acts in one volume. These were immediately sold, and
the payments sent to the Alexandrian Depot. Thirty
S.P.C.K. Arabic Bibles were also granted by my friend,
the Rev. Naser Odeh, of St. Mary's Mission, Cairo.
The first and second instalments brought to the Church
were at once purchased, so that not a copy had to be
given away. And in order that the poorest of the men
might have a copy in hand of the Acts, Selim Hanna
Effendi, the Coptic Postmaster at Assouan, and my
efficient interpreter, presented thirty copies of the Arabic
edition, published by the "American Bible Society"
Depot at Assiut. Precisely at four o'clock "Abuna"
Bessada recited the Collect, "Prevent us, O Lord," in
Arabic, all standing. Then for three-quarters of an hour
I went through slowly and distinctly the leading features
of prominent verses in the early chapters of the Acts;
and at a quarter to five o'clock I stopped, in order that
questions might be asked on the subject matter con
sidered. The opportunity was embraced, and intelligent
questions were forthcoming. I confess that I was
* No Liturgies are fuller of Scripture than those of the
Coptic Church. Address at St. Margaret's Church, Lothbury,
February 19th, 1903, by the Bishop of Salisbury.
(2)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
surprised at being asked to re-explain on four different
occasions the exact differences between the Church
Militant, Expectant, and Triumphant. At the close,
the "Abuna" offered up an Arabic translation of the
"Prayer for the Land of Egypt," printed in the
Occasional Papers of the "Association for the Further
ance of Christianity in Egypt."* These weekly gather
ings were finished by all reciting together the Lord's
Prayer in Arabic, according to the following version : —
"Our Father, Who art in the heavens: Hallowed be
Thy Name: Thy Kingdom come: Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven: give us this day our bread
of to-morrow ; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive
our debtors: and lead us not into temptation: but
deliver us from the evil: (through Christ Jesus our
Lord :) For to Thee (belongs) the Kingdom, the power,
and the glory, for ever. Amen."
The Coptic Book of the Four Gospels, with a marginal
Arabic translation of the text, published by William
Watts, London, 1847, 4th edition, does not include
any Doxology in St. Matt, vi, 13. It seems also to be
omitted in Ancient Coptic Liturgies, and manuscripts
of the Gospels. The above rendering of the Lord's
Prayer contains five variations from the late Marquis of
Bute's translation, as republished by Cope and Fenwick,
London, 1908, p. 118.
* This Prayer is said on Sundays and Festivals before the
Blessing in the Service of the Holy Communion at St. Mark's
Church (Anglican), Alexandria, and is incorporated in the Office
of Thanksgiving and Intercession, as used within the Jerusalem
and the East Bishopric. (See Appendix I.)
(3)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
Orthodox Greeks and Syrians, Armenians (Gre-
gorians), and Copts, worship together in Egypt, when
necessary. This does not imply that the "Orthodox"
and Armenians receive the Holy Communion at Coptic
Altars, or that their Baptisms and Marriages take place
in Coptic Churches. A Russian Priest, who lately
visited Assouan every winter, worshipped on Sunday
mornings in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin.
Before proceeding further to write about the Copts,
it is necessary to state that Lane's familiar Modern
Egyptians (Murray) is practically valueless as regards
the Egyptian Church, and the Copts as a people. His
information was supplied by a Moslem pervert from this
Community.

JEg^ptian flDonopbssites.
Of course there are serious difficulties, which it is
idle to ignore, in our friendly relations with the Copts.*
Want of space will only allow me just to mention the
Monophysite heresy. Archdeacon Ward, in his article
on The Egyptian {Coptic) Church (The East and the
West, October, 1908), very properly states that, "The
Monophysitism of Egypt is not to be confounded with
Eutychianism. The Copts are Monophysites without
being properly Eutychians, i.e., without holding that
* When Dioscurus, Patriarch of Alexandria (a.d. 444)- was
condemned and deposed in the Council of Chalcedon (a.d. 451)
the Egyptian Church adhered to him, and still prays for him in
the Liturgy. He does not appear to have been condemned for
heresy.
(4)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
the manhood of our Lord was absorbed by His God
head, and the manhood made up of one compound
nature. There is probably some confusion in termin
ology, for many Copts maintain that they mean by
'one Nature' what we mean by 'one Person'." A
remarkable article (attributed to the late Canon Liddon)
in the Church Quarterly Review, January, 1887, is rich
in valuable remarks on "Egyptian Christianity." It
appears that during (or about) 1858, Kyrillus IV, the
Coptic Patriarch — "the Reformer," formerly Abbot of
the Convent of St. Antony — and Kallinikus, the
Orthodox Greek Patriarch of Alexandria, endeavoured to
reunite the two Communions. They had been separated
for the last thirteen centuries. There is reason to
believe that the theological difference between the rival
Churches has now become a mere matter of termin
ology. A tragical story is current in Egypt about the
cordial relations which sprang up between the two
Patriarchs, and their sad conclusion. Mutual dis
cussions and explanations on the religious controversy
convinced them that there was no heterodox belief on
either side. One day the Orthodox Patriarch remarked
to Cyril that it was very painful to him to think that
the Church over which his friend presided should share
the error of Eutyches. Cyril explained that the
Egyptian Church never admitted the error of Eutyches,
whom she regarded as a heretic; she teaches that our
Blessed Lord is perfect God and perfect man ; that He
has two natures — a Divine and a human — which, how
ever, are so united in Him as to form one Nature ; that
(5)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
nevertheless the two Natures remain distinct, since,
although they are indissolubly united to each other, the
one has not been mixed with, or absorbed into, the
other. On the other hand the Orthodox Greek
Patriarch satisfied Cyril that when the Orthodox
Church speaks of two Natures, she does not mean two
Persons, and he even allowed that it was not wrong
to speak of "one Nature" in the Egyptian sense of the
word. After several interviews in different monasteries
of the desert, it was agreed that the supremacy of Cyril
should be recognised, and that the Orthodox Patriarch
should- resign, his throne, and should be subsequently
appointed Metropolitan to the resident Greeks. The
next step was to consult Constantinople. Before
leaving Alexandria for Phanar, his Beatitude assembled
his Clergy in the Patriarchal Church, and presenting
Cyril to them, asked them to consider him their ruler
and pastor during his absence. Everything seemed
ready for action. True, nothing that passed between
the Patriarchs was committed to writing, and little was
known as to details, yet there was widespread joy
among the Egyptian Christians at this blessed prospect
of healing the wounds of centuries. Suddenly it was
whispered that the one man upon whom everything
depended was no more in the flesh. Naturally the
project of reunion was not acceptable to the Moslems.
The Coptic Patriarch had been invited to give a
friendly explanation of what had happened. The inter
view began, as usual, with the inevitable cup of coffee,
and the Patriarch Kyrillus returned to his house to
(6)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
die, A.D. 1861.* It is not surprising that since this
event Egyptian Patriarchs, whether Orthodox or
Coptic, have trembled at the name of re-union.
All the religious misfortunes of Egypt date from the
rejection by the Egyptians of the Oecumenical Council
of Chalcedon, a.d. 451. The native population of
Egypt had at that period on their side intense national
feeling, and an enormous majority; the Greeks were
backed by the Imperial Court of Constantinople, and
its Episcopate. It is not correct to call the ancient
National Church of Egypt "Jacobites," the title of the
Syrian Christians who hold the same doctrine — because
their position is independent of the more Eastern move
ment, and dates back to an earlier period.
The Copts maintain, as has been already stated,
that they mean by "one Nature" what we mean by
"one Person." They are able to accept the Athanasian
Creed, except as regards those points in which the
whole Eastern Church objects to it. This being the
case at present, surely we may very well leave what
St. Paul calls "doubtful disputations" alone. There
was so much political feeling, as well as ecclesiastical
ambition, mixed up with the original schism, that it
is difficult to be sure how far the Native Egyptian
Church was in fault. Those who conformed to the
decrees of the Council of Chalcedon were branded with
* In the Story of the Church in Egypt, vol. ii, p. 402, Mrs.
Butcher confirms the above statement, and adds: "He was
quietly removed by poison, and a blow given to the cause of
reform in Egypt from which it has hardly yet recovered.
(7)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
the nickname of "King's men," because supported by
the Byzantine Emperor Marcian. Hence the insulting
and unjust term "Melchites" still attaches to the
Orthodox Greek minority of Christians in Egypt. The
Byzantine rule had never been gracious to the Egyptian
Province. The few scattered members of the Orthodox
Greek Church within the Patriarchate of Photius I
are not Egyptian by descent. His Beatitude's Synod
contains the Greek Metropolitans of Tripoli, N. Africa;
Aleppo, Syria; Menshieh; Axum, Abyssinia; Zakazik.
According to the last unpublished census there are
between 38,000-40,000 "Orthodox" lay members within
this Greek Patriarchate.
Corporate inter-communion between Anglicans and
both of 'these Churches is barred by the Filioque
difficulty. The Special Committee of the Holy Synod
of Constantinople on friendly relations with the
Anglican Church is now considering points of agree
ment and difference between the two Churches as
tested by the Book of Common Prayer, special attention
being devoted to the Articles of Religion. When, there
fore, the all-important question of the Orthodoxy of the
Egyptian Church arises, it is valuable to find their
belief in the Person of our Blessed Lord expressed so
distinctly in two of their Liturgies*: —
"I believe, I believe, and I confess unto the last
breath, that this is the quickening flesh which Thine
* See Liturgies Eastern and Western, Brightman, vol, i,
p. 185, Oxford, 1896; and Original Documents of the Coptic
Church, Malan, No. vi. D. Nutt, London, 1S76.
(8)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
only-begotten Son our Lord and our God and our
Savxour Jesus Christ took of the lady of us all, the
holy Theotokos, St. Mary: He made it one with his
Godhead without confusion and without mixture and
without alteration."
In the Liturgy of St. Basil the people recite the
Constantinopolitan Creed. The phrase "God of God"
does not appear, and the Filioque clause is, of course,
absent. It is necessary to bear in mind the evils and dis
abilities under which this Christian community has
laboured for the last thirteen centuries, when in an evil
hour for themselves the Copts cast in their lot with the
great wave of Mohammedan conquest. The Egyptians
had served many foreign masters, and had suffered
under all, so that a change of rulers signified little, and
any change from Byzantine intolerance would probably
in their eyes be for the better. This widespread dis
affection contributed to the easy triumph of the Arabs.
It was seen first in the taking of Pelusium, when the
banished Patriarch Benjamin I, a.d. 630, advised the
Copts to support the invaders.*
The fate of Egypt was then decided when the old
Roman fortress of Babylon, to the south of modern
Cairo, was treacherously betrayed to the Arabs in
a.d. 638.1 The marvel is that Christianity in Egypt has
* A History of Egypt in the Middle Ages, by Stanley Lane-
Poole, vol. vi, p. 2. Methuen & Co., London, 1901.
t See Armenosa of Egypt, a Romance of the Arab Conquest,
C. H. Butcher. Blackwood's Colonial Library.
(9)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
not been stamped out altogether. And the obstructive-
ness of the present aged Patriarch is a most important
factor in the situation. He is no less averse to any
change and reform than were his ancestors, the ancient
Egyptians. This is not altogether surprising when
it is borne in mind that the Tewfik Society (young pro
gressive party) managed to get him exiled to Nitria in
1892, and that the Roman Catholics and American
Presbyterian Missions are unceasing in their successful
attempts to proselytize from the Egyptian Church.

XLbc patriarcb IR^rillus ID.
In his Greek and Eastern Churches,* Dr. Adeney
explains how in the year 1890 the El-Tewfik Society
of young laymen was constituted for reforming the
Coptic Church, and issuing pamphlets in Arabic. The
Patriarch Cyril then started a rival Society called "the
Orthodox." A public meeting was called to meet
Cyril, which so alarmed the Patriarch that he put
himself under the protection of the police. His next
step was to call a Synod, at which he gave the bishops
a statement, requiring them to sign it, and read it in
their Churches. He would reform the Church, but this
must be in his own way. Of course there was great
dissatisfaction at such high-handed proceedings, and
the Khedive Tewfik interfered. But Cyril would not
listen to persuasion. A new Council was elected, in
* T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh, 1908, p. 614.
(.0)

THE COPTIC PATRIARCH, kyrillus v.

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
which Athanasius of Sanabou, a bishop of the young
reforming party, was a member. Cyril excommunicated
him. Such conduct was unbearable, and the Reformers
got Cyril banished to Nitria. Meanwhile every effort
was made to induce him to withdraw the excommunica
tion of Athanasius, but in vain. At last Athanasius
and his supporters simply ignored it. Then came a
reaction from the older people, coincident with the
attempt of the Khedive Abbas to shake off the British
control. Cyril was recalled, and his return was a
triumph, although he had proved himself an obstinate,
tyrannical prelate. Still there was progress in spite of
these difficulties. The stagnation of the Egyptian
Church has been largely due to the ignorance of the
priests. There is now some progress towards an educa
tion of candidates for the ministry, and therefore hope of
better times to come. The Coptic Theological Seminary
at Cairo was founded in 1893. The Copts look to England
for sympathy, and rejoice in the English rule of Egypt.
They know that if England had not stepped in to sup
press the rebellion of Arabi Pasha, they would have
been massacred wholesale.*

IReligious Statistics.
The Ecclesiastics in the Egyptian Church form
seven classes: — Sub-Deacons, Deacons, Priests, Arch-
priests, Bishops, Metropolitans, Patriarch. There are
* Appendix III — Simaika Bey's statement on the present
Coptic troubles, in the Egyptian Gazette, May 3rd, 1909.
(»«)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
850 priests, 460 churches, 12 monasteries with about
450 monks and 55 nuns, 65 lay preachers in Arabic,
56 Coptic schools containing 406 teachers, and 10,537
scholars— 8,983 boys and 1,554 girls. The Coptic
population in Egypt amounts only to slightly under
1,000,000. According to the census returns of 1907
they numbered 706,322, being 6'3i per cent, of the
total population. And yet Egypt, Nubia and the Sudan
were the first countries in which Christianity permeated
the whole body of the people.
The present Patriarch, Kyrillus V, aged 88, was
appointed in 1875, and lives in Cairo. He was formerly
a monk of the monastery of Baramous, in the Natron
Valley. [The first 64 Patriarchs resided at Alexandria,
but the Christians having dwindled to a very small
number in that city, and most of the churches having
been destroyed, Ambo Christodulus, a.d. 1045, tne
66th Patriarch, removed his seat to Cairo, where the
Patriarchs have sat ever since. j He claims to be the
1 1 2th successor of St. Mark the Evangelist.* Eusebius
(Hist. Eccl. ii, 24) states that St. Mark was succeeded
by Annianus, a.d. 62. f The Patriarch's official title is:
"The Most Holy Pope and Patriarch of the Great City
of Alexandria and of all the land of Egypt, of Jerusalem
the Holy City, of Nubia, Abyssinia, Pentapolis, and
all the Preaching of St. Mark." For centuries there
* A complete list of these Patriarchs is contained in the first
volume of The Story of the Church in Egypt, pp. xiii, xiv.
t St. Mark is believed by the Copts to have been martyred
in Alexandria, on April 25th, a.d. 68.
(12)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
is no instance of a Patriarch being raised from the
Episcopate. Each head of the Egyptian Church is
chosen from among the monks of St. Antony (Deir
Antoniyus) in the Eastern desert, and must be a celi
bate. It is curious that there has been an exception to
this rule. Demetrius I, a.d. 189, the 12th Patriarch,
was a married man. How this came about is explained
by Mrs. Butcher.*

H flDarriefc patriarcb.
"When Julian was Patriarch, a.d. 178, a curious
story was told concerning the appointment of his
successor, Demetrius. Julian, being at the point of
death, was informed by an angel, in a vision or dream,
that the man who should on the following day bring
him a present of grapes had been chosen by God to
succeed him in the Patriarchate. On the morrow the
man appeared, and proved to be a young layman, in
fact an illiterate Egyptian peasant, or fellah, who was
married, and brought of the produce of his vineyard.
On being informed of his election to the Patriarchate,
he earnestly entreated to be spared so great a responsi
bility, and was, we are told, consecrated by main force.
He immediately applied himself, with great diligence,
to remedy the defects of his education, and became
one of the most learned prelates of the time. His
Episcopate lasted for 43 eventful years. "
* The Story of the Church of Egypt, vol. i, p. 45.
(13)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
It may be remembered that Origen was born in
Alexandria, and was a member of the Egyptian Church,
as well as a protege' of this married Patriarch.
Although the Patriarch is chosen from the monks,
the bishops and laity have an important voice in his
election at Cairo. He consecrates all the Bishops.
When I first visited Kyrillus, in 1891, he told me that
" the Egyptian Church " was the full official title of the
Coptic Orthodox Church. On the same occasion he
remarked that through Latin influences, among some
Copts, direct prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary had
crept into use, but that they were unauthorized.

XEbe Egyptian ibierarcbg.
Within this Patriarchate there are at present eight
Egyptian Metropolitans with the title of Metran, viz.,
at Alexandria, Jerusalem, Minieh, Keneh, Assiut, Isneh,
Abu Tig, and one in Abyssinia. The bishops are twelve
in number, viz., Faiyum, Beni Suwef, Sanabou, Akhmim,
and Manfalut; two Bishops preside over the Convents
of St. Antony and St. Paul in the Eastern desert, and
Muharrak, near Manfalut; there is also a Bishop of
Khartoum and the Sudan, as well as two Coptic bishops
in Abyssinia. The seven principal Convents are at Baramus,
Bish6i, Suriani, Macarius, St. Antony, St. Paul,
Muharrak. All monks are required to spend a three
years' novitiate.
(H)

TIMOTHEUS, COPTIC METROPOLITAN OF JERUSALEM.

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
Zbtce OUtnrgtes.
The three Liturgies in use among the Copts
(originally written in Greek, but now printed and read
in the ancient Coptic language, with an Arabic marginal
translation) are: —
(i) The Liturgy of the Holy Father Basil the Great,
Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. [A rule prevails
that no priest can be ordained who is unable to recite
the whole Liturgy of St. Basil from memory.] This sadly
interpolated Liturgy is used upon every occasion during
the year, except four.* It must not be mistaken for the
Liturgy of Basil the Great, as used in the Orthodox
Eastern and Russian Churches.
(2) The Divine Liturgy of St. Gregory the Theo
logian. This is sometimes said at the midnight
celebration on the Feasts of the Blessed Saviour, and
on other solemn festivals.!
(3) The Liturgy of St. Cyril (an adapted translation
of the oldest Egyptian Liturgy — the Divine Liturgy of
St. Mark the Evangelist). This may be rendered once
in the year, upon the sixth day of the seventh week of
* The Translation into English by John, Marquis of Bute, K.T.
(London, Cope and Fenwick, 1908), represents the Liturgy as
adapted for the use of the Coptic Uniats in Egypt. Mr. Malan
states that the Ev^oAoyiov, or Liturgy of St. Basil, so called,
is the one that has suffered most at the hands of interpolators.
135 pages, i2mo, of 16 short lines, written in a large hand, in his
manuscript, has been enlarged to 196 pages, 4to, of 26 lines of
print, with sundry Roman additions of the Filioque and others, in
the copy printed at Rome in 1737.
t Translated from an old Coptic manuscript by the Rev.
S. C. Malan, m.a. D. Nutt, London, 1875.
('5)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
Lent, i.e., the Friday before Palm Sunday. Four
scripture lections are read during the Liturgy, viz.,
from the Acts of the Apostles, an Epistle of St. Paul,
the Epistle of St. fames, and the Gospel. A blind man
is attached to most Churches, who knows the whole
Liturgy by heart, both in Coptic and Arabic.
The Copts recognise seven sacramental mysteries.
The Latin doctrine of Transubstantiation is repudiated.

Doctrine ot tbe 1Real presence.
The doctrine of the Real Presence is asserted in
the following paragraph. When the Celebrant offers
the Secret Prayer to the Son over the prothesis of the
Holy Oblation, he says:
" Make Thy face to shine upon this bread (he signs
the bread), and upon this cup (he signs the cup), which
we have set upon this Thy priestly table; (first sign)
bless them, (second sign) sanctify them, (third sign)
hallow them and change them, (he points with his hand
to the bread) that this bread may become indeed Thy
holy Body, (he points with his hand to the wine) and the
mixture in this Cup indeed Thy precious Blood."*
Ecclesiastical Destments.
The principal white priestly vestments are the alb',
the cuffs; the stole, passed under the right arm with
the ends thrown over the left shoulder, and so hanging:
" Brightman's Liturgy of the Coptic Jacobites, vol. i, p. 148.
(16)

BISHOP OF AKHMIM, UPPER EGYPT.

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
before and behind; the girdle; the chasuble, opened
down the front, and only fastened on the breast; and
the amice, a long white linen or silk cloth, embroidered
with a cross, arranged round the head like a hood, and
hanging before and behind over the right shoulder.* In
accordance with primitive custom the vestments are of
a white colour.

Zbc Canonical Ihours.
The whole of the lengthy seven canonical hours are
not said publicly, except in Convents. They may be
described as follows: — (i) The prayer of midnight;
(2) The prayer of morning; (3) The third hour; (4) The
sixth hour; (5) The ninth hour; (6) The evening
prayer; (7) The prayer of sleep. When there is an
early morning public service in Church the pious unite
with the priest in the recitation of the first four of these
hours. The Gloria Patri is not said after each Psalm, but
only when specially indicated. Alleluia takes the place
of this Gloria Patri.
Ubc Xenten jfast of tfifts*ffY>e 2>ass.
During Lent and Fasts the devout also recite
the ninth hour publicly. Lent (the Great Fast) now
lasts 55 days. Formerly it used to be the usual 40 days.
* See Vestments in Brightman's Liturgies, vol. i, Glossary of
Technical Terms, p. 591.
(17)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
The following fasts are observed:— (i) The fast of
Nineveh; (2) The Great Fast; (3) The fast of the
Nativity; (4) The fast of the Apostles; (5) The fast of
the Virgin. Each fast is followed by a festival.
"The fasts of the Church have perhaps altered more
than anything else, having greatly increased in severity.
The primitive use varied considerably, but once in the
year, at any rate, all men fasted forty hours between
Good Friday and Easter Day. By the end of the
second century the fast of forty days had become
general in many countries. Demetrius, who became
Patriarch of Alexandria in 189, is said to have fixed the
Lenten Fast of the Egyptian Church at forty days.
Now, indeed, the Egyptians fast nearly half the year."
— The Story of the Church of Egypt, vol. i, p. 24.
Mr. Stanley Lane-Poole, in his Cairo, Sketches of its
History, Monuments and Social Life, p. 288, observes
that this appalling Lenten Fast, involving total ab
stinence from food from sunrise to sunset during each
of the fifty-five days, no doubt suggested the only less
rigorous Moslem Fast of Ramadan.

IRotes on tbe Iftalenoar.*
The Copts make use in their reckoning of the
Alexandrine year, which ever since B.C. 24, begins on
the 29th (or 30th after leap year) of August. They have
two Kalendars, the one civil, and the other ecclesiastical,
* Original documents of the Coptic Church, translated from
an Arabic MS., with notes by the Rev. S. C. Malan. D. Nutt,
London, 1873. (18)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
which is the one here given by Malan. The modern
Arabic pronunciation of the months are as follows : —
TQt, Babeh, Hatur, Kihak, Tubeh, Amshir, Barmahat,
Barmudeh, Bashans, Bauneh, Abib, Misra, or Mesre.
The Month of TOT, the Blessed (August-September)
commemorates, on August 29th, "Job, who took a warm
bath, and was healed of his sores."
The Month of BAHEH, the Blessed (September-
October), on October 18th, contains the following com
memoration : "On this day we keep the Feast of the
Removal of the Bones of The Maid our Lord raised
from the dead."
The Month of HATOR, the Blessed (October-
November), November 1st, commemorates the " Dis
covery of the head of St. Lengius, [Longinus, the
Centurion] who owned the spear with which he pierced
the side of the Saviour on the Cross."
The Month of KIHAK, the Blessed (November-
December), commemorates on December 12th, the
"Mourning for Gideon, one of the Judges of the
Children of Israel."
The Month of TUBEH, the Blessed (December-
Januar)'), on December 29th commemorates the
"Murder of the holy pure Infant Martyrs — a hundred
and forty-four thousand."
The Month of AMSHIR, the Blessed (January-Feb
ruary). On February 15th is commemorated the
"Martyrdom of St. Onesimus, Priest and Disciple of
Paul the Apostle." (19)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
The Month of BARMAHAT, the Blessed (February-
March). On March ist is commemorated the " Rest in
the Lord of our father St. Serapion, Qamass of the
Convent of Abu Yuhannas."
The Month of BARMUDEH, the Blessed (March-
April). On April 25th is commemorated the "Martyr
dom of St. Mark, Apostle and Evangelist, First
Patriarch of Alexandria."
The Month of BASHANSH, the Blessed (April-May).
May 19th. "On this day Our Lord, to Whom be glory,
came into the Land of Egypt."
The Month of BA UNEH, the Blessed (May-June).
June 4th. " Commemoration of the great joy that filled
the whole earth. [This alludes, probably, to the respite
from awful persecution, and to the rebuilding of churches
thrown down under Hakem, which happened during the
Patriarchate of Zacharias.]
The Month of ABIB, the Blessed (June-July). July
10th. " Rest in the Lord of Saint John, of the golden
Gospel." The Month of MESRE, the Blessed (July-August).
August 5th. " Feast of the good and pious King Con-
stantine.

3Las "IReaoers.
It is the custom of the officiating priest, or another,
to request a layman in the congregation to read the
Epistle, the Acts of the Apostles, the Gospel, and
(20)

Xoptisch. COPTIC. Copte.
(Copts in Egypt.)
ILsupiH- VA.p k cjyf- jutenpe itikocjuioc
guucre neqcxjHpi xxiXA.XA.Tq irreqTHiq
girt*. OYorr mfieit eert^g.'i- epoq rrreq-
lyreJunvs.KO &.?<*>&, «Teq6I itovcjuit^j
MEfteg.

ArabUch. ARABIC. Arabe.
{Arabien.) (Arabia, Syria, Egypt, <S,c.) (Arable.)
JU j^^ji _lj.i j^ ^^ pun aJi v^o.1 ijJC* ^
SPECIMENS OF ST. JOHN III, 16.

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
sometimes a printed Homily, or one of the Lives of
the Saints. A layman sometimes preaches extem
poraneously. The four lections are read in Coptic and
Arabic. On one occasion, many years ago, when
education was less encouraged than it is at present, it
happened that a well-dressed Coptic layman, a stranger,
stood among the congregation. The priest suggested
that he should read one of the Arabic New Testament
lections.* The Book of the Gospels was handed to him,
and he was shown where he was to begin, t The man
took the Holy Gospels in his hand, paused, and then
openly wept. One of the congregation enquired why
he wept. He replied that the manuscript strangely
reminded him of the writing of his late father, and for
this reason he felt unable to proceed. It was afterwards
ascertained that he was illiterate, and he had invented
this story in order to be relieved from acting as Reader. J
* The Apocalypse seems to have been regarded as non-
canonical. It is now bound up in the MSS. with the rest of the
New Testament. The Rev. George Horner has translated The
Coptic Version of the New Testament in the Northern Dialect :
Clarendon Press. A copy of the Coptic Apocryphal Gospels, trans
lated "with the texts of some of them, by Forbes Robinson, was
published by the Cambridge University Press, 1896. It consists
mainly of (1) Sahidic Fragments of the Life of the Virgin; (2)
Bohairic Account of the Falling Asleep of Mary ; (3) Bohairic
Account of the Death of Joseph.
t The Gospel is first read in Coptic, and then rendered into
the vernacular Arabic.
% The Bishop of Salisbury, in his address at St. Margaret's
Church, Lothbury, February 19th, 1903, states that "our use of
two daily Lessons in Morning and Evening Prayer comes to us
originally from Egypt, and not from Syria."
(«)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
1bols "Baptism.
When children are baptized the name is not given
in Baptism, but on the eighth day after birth. Boys
are never baptized until forty days after their birth, and
girls eighty days, except in cases of necessity. No
male and female are baptized together in the same
water. Triple immersion, in church, is the ordinary
rule. Holy Baptism is conferred only by a priest, who
immediately after the administration of this Sacrament
anoints the infant with chrism. The child is then
communicated with the consecrated wine at a special
celebration. Lay Baptism is prohibited. Sponsorship,
as in the Orthodox Eastern Church, and in the Latin
Church, implies the closest relationship, which prevents
intermarriages. Baptism is composed of three parts —
the admission to the rank of catechumen, the actual
baptism, and the confirmation.
The whole of Lent, Holy Week, and Eastertide
are considered unsuitable times for baptism. The
season most commended is the feast of the Epiphany,
which is called the Theophany, or more familiarly the
"Festival of the Tank." In all cases the baptism of
infants is disallowed in private houses.
Mr. Evetts draws attention to the unreasoning con
servatism of the Copts in the preservation of their
ancient ritual. The Order for the admission of
Catechumens, which is solely applicable to the case of
adult converts from heathenism, who were admitted to
a three years' course of instruction before baptism, still
(22)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
forms the first part of the Baptismal Service, and is
solemnly said over young infants, the children of
Christian parents ! Prayer for the Catechumens in Rites
of the Coptic Church, p. 19.

1bol£ /iDatrimong.
The Order of Matrimony is also composed of two
parts, formerly quite distinct, viz., the betrothal, and
the coronation, or marriage. The marriage garland or
crown is universal in Eastern Christendom. It is a
band of silver-gilt ornamented in repousse, with the
inscription, "Glory to God in the Highest, and on
earth Peace." Seven days after marriage the crown is
solemnly removed.*
ibolE Commnnion.
Confession and Fasting Communion are the in
variable Ecclesiastical rule before reception. Of late
years in some congregations laxity has been tolerated
among the laity as regards private Confession.! The
Holy Communion is administered in both kinds to
adults and children, and the wine only to infants.
* The Rites of the Coptic Church, by B. T. A. Evetts. David
Nutt, London, 1888, p. 13.
t The Canons strictly enjoin that intending Communicants
should fast from the Vespers of the preceding day. It seems
that conservative Bishops still insist upon private Confession. It
is not, however, unusual for lay-communicants to be content with
public Absolution. (23)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
There is no Reservation of the Blessed Sacrament.
Leavened bread (in small circular stamped loaves)
is used only in the Holy Eucharist. It is made
by the door-keeper or sacristan, who is specially
appointed for the purpose. No woman is allowed to
take part in its manufacture. In Arabic this cake is
called "the Lamb."

STAMP FOR EUCHARISTIC BREAD, SOHAG.
The illustration here given, lent by Dr. Oldfield,
varies from the photograph of a wafer made at the
Coptic Cathedral, Cairo, as represented in Butler's
Ancient Coptic Churches, vol. ii, p. 278. The picture
reproduced in Neale's Patriarchate of Alexandria, p. 214,
is also different. It will be noticed that this Sohag
Stamp, with its twelve crosses, representing the twelve
(*4)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
Apostles, differing from the stamps in the above-
mentioned works, contains five holes, symbolising the
five wounds in our Blessed Lord's Body.
These round cakes or wafers are about three inches
in diameter, and an inch in greatest thickness.
The Korban (consecrated bread) is placed in the
mouth, not in the hand, of the recipient. The Priest
reverently holds his other hand beneath the chin, for
fear of any particle being lost. The Communicant also
holds a handkerchief under his chin. The mixed chalice
is administered with the sacramental spoon. The wine is
mixed with a little cold water. The Communicant
receives standing outside or within the central door of
the Iconostasis. Kneeling is unusual, except on the
Day of Pentecost. Prostration is the act of humility.
The Celebrant and servers wear stockings, without
shoes, before entering the Haikal (Sanctuary), Ex. iii, 5.
In the celebration of the Korban a priest cannot com
municate a bishop, or any higher dignitary. The hour
for ordinary Eucharists on Sundays is always tierce
(9 o'clock). In the celebration of the Holy Eucharist,
chalice, paten, dome, spoon and ark are in use. The
dome consists of two half-hoops of silver crossed at
right angles, and rivetted together. It is set over the
consecrated bread. The wooden ark, or tabernacle,
contains the chalice, which is placed within it at the
Consecration. The employment of the fan, or flabellum,
dates from a great antiquity. (*5)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
jfermenteo ano "Clnfermenteo Mine.
Western theologians have occasionally taken excep
tion to the Egyptian Clergy for their use of unfermented
wine in the Holy Eucharist. So far as I can ascertain —
and I have taken pains to be accurate —this custom is
now rather the exception than the rule. At all events I
can guarantee that the consecrated wine used in the
Coptic Church at Assouan is slightly fermented, for I
have had a sample, before consecration, analyzed, so
that there could be no further misapprehension. I
lately had an opportunity in Cairo of speaking to the
Patriarch on this subject. He invited me to his
Cathedral there. He said I should be able to assure
myself that fermented wine was the use of the Coptic
Church. My visit to the City on that occasion was too
short to avail myself of His Holiness' kindness. The
history of any irregularity in this particular arose
through an edict against the Christians issued by the
Kaliph Mutiwakeel, a.d. 851.* Among other terrible
prohibitions, in order to stamp out Christianity, the
cultivation of the vine was strictly forbidden, as well as
the buying and selling of wine. Consequently, raisins
were imported from Syria, cleaned, washed several
times, pressed, and the juice passed through a series of
sieves until it became quite clear. In an early stage of
* Dr. Oldfield takes exception to this sentence. He asks :
"Has there ever been any irregularity? The change has probably
arisen from the ignorant assumption that wine made from raisins
could not be fermented. I do not believe there need be any doubt
about the matter." (26)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
this process old wine is now usually added, in order to
produce fermentation. It seems probable that a renewed
persecution for centuries prevented the Copts using
fermented wine, as was their invariable wont in ancient
times, but it is not fair to state without any limita
tions that the use of the unfermented juice of raisins
is the present rule among the Copts in the Blessed
Sacrament.

%i\Q Communions.
Ordinarily the laity communicate only once a year;
few more than three times. Christmas, Palm Sunday,
Thursday before Easter and Easter Day are the most
usual occasions for lay communions. The pious, how
ever, are more frequent communicants. The rule of the
Church is that the laity should communicate at each of
the above-mentioned Feasts.
It is customary, once every year, in the season of
Lent, for Copts to write on a piece of paper the names
of living and departed relatives whom they wish com
memorated in the Holy Eucharist.
acolytes. The boys who usually officiate around the detached
altar as sub-deacons are clad in ungirdled robes, a stole,
and tawakey (white caps with embroidered crosses). At
the age of twelve a suitable lad is made a sub-
deacon. Practically he is only an acolyte, has no pay,
(*7)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
and is not necessarily promoted to any clerical office.
He learns the Coptic rubrics by heart. One Acolyte
assists the priest in certain ceremonies on festivals. At
the excellent Coptic School for Boys at Assouan, the
"Abuna" Bessada teaches the Coptic language, which
has fallen into disuse as a spoken language for at least
200 years. In fact, Coptic is now taught in several
schools throughout Egypt, notably in the Fayum.

Gburcb Gatecbism.
An excellent Catechism of the Coptic Church, by
the late Very Rev. Abftna Filothus, Kummus of the
Patriarchal Church of St. Mark, Cairo, has been faith
fully translated from the Arabic by the Reverend Naser
Odeh, and published by The Church Printing Company,
London, 1892.* The authorized teaching on "the
glorious Incarnation " is contained in the first lesson.
This Catechism is published under the direction of the
Patriarch. Among the Copts more attention is paid to
the education of boys than of girls, and yet there are at
least four schools for Coptic girls in Cairo alone.
Of Extreme Unction, as practised by the Latins, the
Copts know nothing. They have also no belief in
Purgatory. Confession and Absolution are necessary
at the point of death.
* An Arabic Sermon, based on "The Scripture Doctrine of
the Ministry," in Sadler's Church Doctrine — Bible Truth, preached
in Jerusalem by Mr. Odeh, has been widely circulated among
Copts, by whom it is appreciated. (28)

fl-

'YW, i 
n"" t  '-¦ "";''  ¦  "'"^I'^t ¦ -I- -j- p-

VOUVANES, COPTIC METROPOLITAN OF ALEXANDRIA.

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
Coptic Gburcbes.
The predominant type of Christian architecture in
Egypt is half Basilican, and half Byzantine. In the
ancient churches of Old Cairo the aged and infirm are
supplied with crutches on which to lean, no seats being
found, usually, in Oriental Churches. This is also the
case in Churches in Upper Egypt, even where there are
seats. The newer generation occupy the seats : the
older maintain the original custom through feelings of
Conservatism. At Alexandria, however, open benches
are placed throughout the nave for men and boys. The
veiled women occupy seats on the floor in the screened
galleries. As a rule there are no seats in the women's
galleries of close trellis work. Like other Eastern
Churches the Copts have no organs. Musical accom
paniments are, however, rendered by cymbals, triangles
and small brass bells. Paintings, not images, adorn
the interior of all churches. There is no evidence
that statues or sculptured images have ever been
sanctioned. An elaborate ornamented Iconostasis,
similar to that in all Orthodox Eastern Churches, hides
the sanctuary from the nave. Canon Brightman
(Liturgies) ascribes to the Copts four altar lights, set
at the four angles. Only two candles, and no more,
are now in general use upon the altar. There is no
crucifix or upright cross upon the altar. Every altar is
detached, and constructed of stone or brick, and the
two side altars are invariably of small dimensions. The
central altar is often as large as an ordinary English

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
altar, and is frequently surmounted by a baldaquin,
supported either upon four pillars or upon cross-beams.
An ark, or coffer, with the chalice within the coffer, is
placed upon the altar before the Prayer of Preparation.
Modern Coptic Churches possess three altars, but
only one altar is in use, except on great festivals. A
second celebration on the same day and altar never
occurs. As the altar, like the congregation, must be
"fasting," a fresh altar is needed for each celebration
on the same day on such a festival as Easter, when
there are several communicants. The Sunday Services
at St. Mark's Cathedral, Alexandria, are held from
7-1 1 a.m., on Wednesdays and Fridays from 7— 9 a.m.,
and at the same hours daily during Lent. Persons and
things are frequently censed. At the Kiss of Peace the
priest turns to the people, and the people turn each to
his neighbour, and each touches the other's hand. This
custom is a survival of a wide-spread habit of the
ancient indigenous people of Egypt. The usual Eastern
Church custom of hanging ostrich eggs in the churches,
as a symbol of the Resurrection, has been handed down
from very early times. The majority of bells have been
silenced for more than 1,000 years, by order of the
Conquerors. As a matter of fact not many of the
Churches have bells, or any instrument for calling
the people to Divine worship. Circumcision only lingers
on, and is sometimes privately practised in Coptic
villages, but has no religious significance. It is a
custom derived from their Pharaonic forefathers, who
were always circumcised. In the towns it is looked
(30)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
upon with indifference, and is discouraged by the clergy.
In Upper Egypt only females are "circumcised," not
withstanding that this custom is distinctly discouraged
after Holy Baptism.*
Iparocbial Clergy.
In villages and small towns, in days gone by, when
the people wished to elect a priest, they searched for a
suitable candidate in their midst, and presented him to
the bishop for ordination. Now he must go to the
Ecclesiastical School, Cairo. Provided he is already in
Deacon's Orders, although he may be engaged in a
secular calling, he is promoted to the priesthood. A
parish priest is either married, or a widower. He cannot
marry after entering the priesthood, and in theory he
must be at least 33 years old, but this rule is not now
pressed. Wives of candidates for Holy Orders must
be virgins before marriage. The priests wear black
turbans and dark flowing robes in the streets.
XLbc IRame "Copt."
According to the late Reverend W. Dentonf there
are two opinions as to the origin of this name " Copt."
Both are supported by authorities who have a claim to
* As early as the year 11 12 there was an Altar behind the
Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, a little to the west, in the Church
of theAnastasis, Jerusalem, which the Copts obtained in A.D. 1573,
in which to celebrate their offices. The Copts had to wait for the
recovery of Palestine by the Saracens before they could renew
their pilgrimages to the Tomb of Christ. Adeney's Greek and
Eastern Churches, p. 604.
t The Ancient Church in Egypt, p. 3. Rivingtons, 1883.
(SO

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
be heard. Some derive it from a partial corruption of
the Greek name for Egypt, cuywros, Kepti, Ghipti, as
pronounced by the Copts of the present day ; others,
however, derive it from Coptos, an ancient city of that
name in Upper Egypt, once a place of importance, close
to which the modern city of Kubt is built. The Arabs
call the Copts Qubti. During a conversation with
Professor Sayce, on his Dahabia Istar, off the Island of
Elephantine^ the Oxford Professor of Assyriology told
me that he doubted whether anyone knew the origin of
the name. Having visited Upper Egypt every season
for upwards of 20 years-, Professor Sayce, who intimately
knows the Coptic people well, speaks of them as "a
race uncontaminated by intermarriage with Arabs and
Negroes, .... which inherits all the ability and quick
ness of its Egyptian forefathers, and can be trained to
carry out English ideas of justice and morality."

a jfortifieo convent.
Opposite the Island of Elephantine is the ruined
fortified Convent Deir Amba Sama&n (St. Simeon). Of
its early history little is known. Professor Sayce tells
me that it was destroyed in 1173 by the expedition sent
by Saladin, under his brother, Shams-ed-doula, against
Nubia, when Marcus III was Patriarch of Alexandria,
and Theodorus was Bishop of Assouan. It is the most
imposing and best preserved Coptic Convent in that
neighbourhood. Up to the thirteenth century Assouan
(Syene, in Ezekiel xxix, 10) was the seat of a Bishopric.
(32)

SHENOUDA, COPTIC PRIEST AT SOHAG, AND THE
WHITE MONASTERY.

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
Nearly all the inhabitants are now Moslems. The small
Coptic Community consists of importations, mainly from
Luxor and Upper Egypt. Copts are employed in the
Egyptian administration, and from their superior
education, and singular aptitude as interpreters and
accountants, they have from time immemorial held
these posts in Government Offices.
•Reunion of tbe Egyptian ano
©rtboooj (Sreefc Cburcbes.
If any important revival of Egyptian Christianity is
to be brought about, it will probably be through the
reunion of the Coptic with the Orthodox Greek Church,
from which it has been most disastrously separated for
the last thirteen centuries. (See pages 5 and 7.)
persecutions of tbe Egyptian Cburcb.
I.— THE ROMAN PERIOD.*
Marcus Aurelius, a.d. 161-180.
During this reign "it was death either to confess
Christianity, or to accuse another of being a Christian."
Septimius Severus, a.d. 193-21 1.
Severus issued a decree forbidding conversion to
Christianity. This was followed by a bitter persecution
* The Church in Egypt has the terrible but heroic distinction
of being the most repeatedly and continuously persecuted body of
Christians all down the ages of history, from the second century
almost to our own day. The Greek and Eastern Churches, by
Dr. Adeney. T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh, 1908, p. 556.
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THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
in the tenth year of his reign. The celebrated School
of Catechists at Alexandria was broken up. The grow
ing importance of the Christians brought about this
organized affliction. Decius, a.d. 249-253.
The first general attack was made in the reign of
Decius, when a systematic test was issued of com
pelling every person to do sacrifice, on pain of death
if they refused. Many fled to the desert, only to be
seized as slaves by the Arabs.
Valerian, a.d. 253-260.
The persecution of Valerian lasted forty-two months.
Diocletian, a.d. 284-305.
Diocletian gave orders for the issue of a formal
edict against the Christians on February 23rd, a.d. 303,
being the day of a pagan festival. The provisions of
this edict were : —
(1) All Churches to be demolished.
(2) All sacred books to be burnt.
(3) All Christians who held any official position
to be deposed of civil rights.
(4) All Christians, not officials, to be reduced to
slavery.
During this " Era of Martyrs " the Egyptian
Christians refused to accord to their Emperor the
dignity of a god. The ancient Martyrologies give the
number of those who suffered death during these nine
years as 144,000. This persecution made so deep an
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THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
impression upon the memories of the Christians that
it is still used as the point from whence to reckon time.
The Diocletian (or Martyrs' Kalendar) differs by 284
years from the Gregorian Kalendar.
Galerius, a.d. 305-308, and Maximin, a.d. 305-313.
During the autumn of a.d. 308, Galerius, and his
nephew Maximin, renewed the persecution. A reign of
terror ensued which lasted two years. In the year 311,
Peter, the Patriarch of Alexandria, was beheaded with
out a trial by order of Maximin.
II.— THE MOHAMMEDAN PERIOD.*
Abd Allah, a.d. 705.
The twelve Emirs of Egypt vied with one another
in acts of cruelty. Monks were branded with name and
number by Asama-ebn-Yezid, Governor of Egypt,
* In accordance with the universal rule — the choice being
Mohammedanism, tribute, or the sword — the tyranny of Islam,
even at its best, was simply intolerable. The Christians were
heavily taxed, while the Moslems paid no taxes. Thus they,
together with the Jews, bore all the financial burden of the State,
paid the expenses of the government and the army, and sup
ported the luxuries of the harems. Over and above this, their
lives were spared, and their freedom of worship was allowed only
on the following conditions : —
1. The Koran must not be reviled, nor copies of it burnt.
2. The Prophet must not be spoken of disrespectfully.
3. Islam must not be condemned or reviled.
4. No Christian may marry a Mohammedan woman.
5. No attempt may be made to convert or injure a Moslem.
6. The enemies of Islam are not to be assisted.
To these general regulations there were added certain
humiliating restrictions, as that the houses of the Christians must
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THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
a.d. 715. The Copts were required to wear a leaden
seal, stamped with a lion, suspended round their necks.
The Patriarch Alexander II was insulted on the acces
sion of the Kaliph Abd Allah, when he waited upon the
new Emir to present his congratulations. He was first
imprisoned, and then released with a fine of 3,000
pieces of gold, and compelled to be taken about the
country begging alms from all who would love and pity
him. The same tribute was imposed by Abd Allah's
successor, Korah ebn Sherek. This persecution
became general all over Egypt, and many Christians,
in despair, professed Islam.
Asama-ebn-Yezed, a.d. 715.
This Governor (see above) carried on the relentless
persecution. Christians were mutilated and blinded,
and the Emir declared himself the heir of all those who
were put to death for their religion.
Obeid Allah, a.d. 722.
By the Khalifs (Yezid II) orders, Obeid Allah, who
was appointed farmer of taxes, caused the destruction
of all the sacred pictures in the Churches.
not overtop houses of Moslems ; the ringing of Church bells
must not be forced on the ears of Mohammedans ; crosses must
not be displayed in public ; Christians must not ride on thorough
bred horses; certain burial ordinances must be observed, &c. —
Adeney's Greek and Eastern Churches, pp. 582-3.
Down to the last generation no Copt dare overtake and pass
a Moslem in the street, at least if he was a Government Official,
nor sit in his presence. It is well to remember that the Copts
submitted to Arab and not to Turkish masters.
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THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
El Mutasim, a.d. 833.
The Patriarch Joseph, a.d. 849, died a victim to the
tortures of this Emir. The stern repression of El
Mutasim broke the spirit of the Copts, and nothing
further is heard of National movements.
El Mutiwakeel, a.d. 850.
This Khalif compelled the Copts to place the figure
of a dog, an ape, or a devil over their houses. Their
very clothes and modes of life were subject to restric
tions. Nothing must be set up on their graves to
mark them. El Hakim, a.d. 996-1021.
Historians consider the nine years of oppression
under this fanatical Khalif as the most severe which the
Copts had to suffer. El H&kim proclaimed (a.d. 1005)
that all men, on pain of death, should acknowledge
his divinity. He placed the Patriarch Zacharias in
prison, and after three months he was brought forth
to be thrown to the lions. Persecution broke out all
over Egypt to a degree unequalled since the days of the
Patriarch Alexander II. Christians were compelled to
wear a wooden cross of iolbs. weight. The celebration
of the Holy Eucharist and Church Offices had well nigh
ceased in Egypt before these terrible nine years of
cruelty had expired. Considering that 3,000 Churches
were destroyed, Convents given to soldiers to sack,
and Endowments confiscated, Christianity received a
blow from which it has not recovered. No wonder that
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THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
the Copts still regard El Hakim, the "Incarnation of
AH," as the most terrible form of Anti-Christ.
El Yazuri, a.d. 1050-1058.
This Wazir threw the Patriarch Christodulus into
prison ; Churches were closed, and some destroyed.
Saleh-ed-din, a.d. 1169-1193.
Saladin re-enforced the then almost obsolete Statutes.
Christians and Jews were to wear the girdle and dress
which would distinguish them from Moslems. They
were forbidden to ride on horses or mules, and ex
cluded from every public office. Saladin directed the
Churches to be painted black. They were befouled
with mud. Crosses over them were thrown down.
The use of bells was forbidden. Palm Sunday pro
cessions were prohibited. The Church Offices were
only to be recited in a low voice.
Nasr-ebn-Kalaoun, a.d. 1293-1347.
The fourteenth century supplies an almost unbroken
record of persecution. The Patriarchate of John VIII
(a.d. 131 1) was agitated by a cruelty mainly due to the
arrogant behaviour of the Copts employed in Civil
Offices. The Vizier (El-Maghris) insisted that the
laws passed by the great Omar, on the first conquest
of Egypt, should be re-enacted.
Nasr-el-dyn Hassan, a.d. 1 347-1 361.
A fiercer persecution broke out (a.d. 1348), originat
ing from the same cause. The Patriarch (Marcus IV)
was cast into prison for torture and eventual death.
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THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
Barkuk, a.d. i 382- i 399.
During the reign of the Sultan Barkuk a strange
procession entered Cairo (a.d. 1389). Multitudes of
men and women cried aloud that they renounced the
faith of the false prophet, which they considered, with
shame, that they had adopted for fear of persecution.
They were all beheaded.
Melek-el-Muaiyad, a.d. 1412-1421.
Fadail, the Christian Secretary of the Grand Wazir,
was paraded naked through the streets of Cairo,
followed by an official who cried aloud: "Thus shall
it be done to every Christian in the employ of the
Sultan." El-Ashraf Bars Bey, a.d. 1422-1438.
The Moslem Orthodoxy of Bars Bey, who ruled for
sixteen years, induced him to persecute Christians, and
to enforce the old distinctions.
To pass over similar troublous days, earlier and
later, sufficient evidence has been shown that "though
the Church of Egypt has suffered more from persecu
tion, and the terrible tortures too often consequent
thereon, than any other Church in the world, they have
not destroyed the tender hopefulness of her religious
life. Go where you will in the poverty-stricken Egyptian
Churches, you will not find one representation of hell
or torture, no grinning skull or ghastly skeleton. Her
martyrs smile calmly down from the walls, as if the
memory of their sufferings were long forgotten.
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THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
Warrior saints there are, indeed, who slay in fair fight
a dragon, or crowned apostate; but their own suffer
ings are never represented, nor those of any sinner
after death. They are content to leave not only them
selves, but their enemies and oppressors, to the mercy
of God." Note. — For information on the above-mentioned Persecutions
I am indebted to the Venerable Archdeacon Ward, of Alexandria,
for the loan of the following works : A History of Egypt tn the
Middle Ages, vol. vi, by Stanley Lane-Poole, (Methuen & Co.,
London, 1901); A Dictionary of Christian Biography, art. The
Coptic Church, vol. i (John Murray, London, 1877); A Story of
the Church of Egypt, by E. L. Butcher, 2 vols. (Smith, Elder & Co.,
1897); and A Sketch of Egyptian History, by Lady Amherst of
Hackney (Methuen & Co., London, 1904).

Hrab art inoebteo to tbe Copts.
There is no Arab Art, properly so called. Con
quering Islam, invading Christian lands at the apogee
of artistic riches, on the first impulse, turned away with
horror. But ostentation is innate with the Arab, and
forced the conquerors to attest their triumphs, and that
of their faith, by monuments such as those of the
conquered peoples. In Egypt they pressed Coptic
genius into their service, so that Christianity is really
imprinted on the very design of the mosques, e.g.,
the cruciform shape of the great mosque of Sultan
Hasan, close to the Citadel in Cairo, erected between
a.d. 1356-8.

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dair abouna antonius.

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.

APPENDIX I.

IPrager for tbe Xano of JEgspt.
O Almighty God, Who didst enable St. Mark the
Evangelist to establish Thy Holy Church in Egypt, and
dost still preserve the light of the Gospel in the midst of
Mohammedan darkness ; have mercy upon the people of
this land ; enlighten the ignorant ; rouse the careless ;
recover the fallen. Strengthen and confirm the Faithful,
O mighty Lord God, we beseech Thee, and let the cry
of the Martyrs come up before Thee, even all those who
against the false prophet have witnessed a good
confession ; and as they were faithful unto death, so
now strengthen them that remain, specially Thy
Servants the Bishops in this land ; guide them and us
into all truth for the sake of Him Who is the Way, the
Truth, and the Life ; Who with Thee and the Holy
Ghost liveth and reigneth One God, world without end.
Amen.

(41)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.

APPENDIX II.

a Coptic /iDanuscript.
The Manuscript, of which the following is a trans
lation, was, with many other fragments, Coptic and
Arabic, found discarded as waste paper on the occasion
of a visit to the Coptic Monastery of Amba Bishai, in
the Wady Natrun, 28th March, 1907, and was, with
others, brought away by permission of the Kummus.
They were sent to Canon W. J. Oldfield at Oxford, who
submitted them to Mr. W. E. Crum and Mr. B. T. A.
Evetts, as experts on the Coptic and Arabic respectively,
for their comments.
Mr. Crum reports the Coptic MSS. to be of no
great value, being so fragmentary, and showing (with
one exception) known texts only.
They consist of: —
Leaves from the Acts, maybe of the fourteenth
century.
Lessons on a Festival.
Leaves from a liturgical book, probably four
teenth century.
A portion from the Gospel (healing a man born
blind).
He adds, there should be other interesting MSS. to be
had from Nitria. (42)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
The Arabic MSS. consist of portions from Jeremiah
and Ezekiel ; also part of an account of the martyrdom
of St. Sakhirim Abou-Sakhiriin, and prayer for forgive
ness of sins, of which Mr. Evetts supplies translations,
the latter as herewith.
He does not give any dates, but remarks that the
fragments do not look so very old. R. C. Crafton.

PRAYERS FOR FORGIVENESS OF SINS.
(Translated from the Arabic by B. T. A. Evetts.)
(P. i.) (that) I may understand Thy Holy Scriptures
and their meaning, and may do Thy will and Thy
commandments, O Lord. And, as Thou didst open
the eyes of the blind and give them light, bodily and
spiritual, give me, O Lord, a similar gift, and open the
eyes of my heart, that I may see Thy true light, and do
Thy will and pleasure. Thou, O Lord, didst heal and
purify the leper, so purify me from all leprosy of sin,
outward and inward ; and let my prayer be like that of
the leper who fell down before Thee and prayed to Thee
thus, and Thou didst grant his prayer, according to Thy
mercy. O Lord, I also, poor wretch, ask healing of
Thee, my Lord. And as Thou hadst mercy upon the
barren woman who found grace when she returned to
the Temple, and didst say to her: Thou shalt be whole,
and this band shall be loosened from Thee, and these
pains shall depart from Thee; (p. 2.) and she was
cleansed at that hour, and all marvelled at the power of
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THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
Thy Godhead ; so have pity on my weakness, poor
wretch that I am, and loosen me from the band of sin,
and grant that I may walk before Thee freely and with
out blemish, and may be released from the chains of
hell and eternal death. And as Thou didst receive the
repentance of David the prophet, after his great fall,
and didst raise him up from it through the prophet
Nathan, when he said to him: God forgives thee thy
sin ; and he gave him the sign of pardon ; so do with
me, the poor perishing me, and pardon me my great
fault by which I fell, and which none can forgive but
Thou, and which none knows of but Thou. For I am
weak, and have no one like Nathan to raise me up.
But I trust in Thy mercy, O God of Nathan, and throw
myself before Thee, because Thou . . . . (p. 3.) . . . .
tears like the tears of the poor widow whose son Thou
didst raise up, give me, O Lord, tears like those of the
prophet David, which he speaks of in the sixth Psalm,
saying that he washed his bed and watered his couch
with his tears. Give me, O Lord, tears like those of
the Fathers and Doctors, and those of repentant sinners.
Wash me, my Lord, with natural tears. Open water
courses for me, O Lord, with tears that never cease.
Make perpetual rivers run from my eyes. Grant to me, O
my Lord, to weep for my sins, and the greatness of my
iniquities, and the destruction of my soul, and the loss of
my substance and my failures until the time of the
departure of my soul. Help me and repair my vineyard
which is laid waste, while the good fruit is avoided by
my sins and foul desires. O my Lord, give me not
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THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
over to the lusts of my soul, for I fear Thy wrath, and
cast myself longingly before Thee, O Lord. (p. 4.) Pity
the poor man who trusts in Thy mercy, and do not
disappoint Thy unhappy one who begs Thy favour, me,
who am taken captive by the renewal of my sins. Purify
me from them by Thy power, and cleanse me from the
filth of sin by tears of repentance. Hide my shame, O
Lord, in the day when Thou shalt judge Thy creatures,
and after that hear my prayer, O Lord Christ, Jesus of
Nazareth, my God, and turn not away Thy face from
my supplications. Receive my weeping, and let not my
tears be in vain, for I ask Thy help, my Lord, on
account of the greatness of my sins. And I will thank
Thee and praise Thy Holy Name to my life's end. Thee,
Cherubim and Seraphim praise, and all the Orders of
Angels for ever. Amen.
Prayer from the Ascetica of Saint Basil which is
the end of the Prayers.
I bless Thee, O merciful and long-suffering Lord,
because Thou dost respite me while I sin every day, and
hast given us all power to repent. For this reason
Thou dost tolerate us, O Lord, that we may bless
Thee 

(45)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.

APPENDIX III.

Coptic troubles— Ube Cause of tbe Dispute.
Simaika Bey's Statement.
A representative of the Egyptian Gazette during
May, 1909, had an interview in Cairo with Marcus Bey
Simaika, one of the most distinguished notables of the
Coptic Community, Member of the Legislative Council,
Member of the General Coptic Council, Member of the
Superior Education Council, and a cultured advocate
of reform on sound and practical lines. In this inter
view Marcus Bey says: —
" History repeats itself. The present movement
amongst the Copts does not differ in its main features
from that of 1892. In that year a very large and
influential section of the Coptic Community, represented
by deputations that came to Cairo from the chief towns
of Egypt, asked for the election of a Council to be
associated with the Patriarch in the administration of
the affairs of the Community in accordance with the
law of 1883, which gives that Council the right to
manage schools, religious endowments (Wakfs), etc.
The Patriarch refused then to accede to the election
of a Council unless the religious endowments (Wakfs),
belonging to monastic establishments together with
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THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
purely clerical matters, such as church discipline, the
promotion of the clergy, etc. , were left out of its scope.
"After a long struggle the people succeeded, with
the help of the Government, in getting a Council elected
in spite of the Patriarch. I was a member of that
Council. Unfortunately, instead of showing some con
sideration for the wishes of the Patriarch by avoiding
the controverted points and devoting ourselves to
other much-needed reforms, we pursued a rather violent
policy. A serious struggle ensued between the Council,
supported by the mass of the people, and the Patriarch,
who had on his side the bishops, most of the clergy
and a certain section of the Community. At last the
Council decided to depose the Patriarch from the
presidency, and got the Government to exile him to one
of the Natron Valley Monasteries. The Patriarch on
his side excommunicated his successor in the presidency
of the Council and some others. This, however, set
up a very strong reaction against the Council, for the
treatment of the aged Patriarch in this manner gave
rise to internal dissensions everywhere. A great
number of the supporters of the Council began to
forsake its side. Religious rites were practically stopped
in several churches, and a great many of the people
joined the churches of other sects. Peace was only
restored when the Riaz Pasha's Government recalled
the Patriarch from his exile in 1893. He was given a
most enthusiastic welcome on his return to Cairo by
the people, who turned out en masse to receive him,
cheering him vehemently. (47)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
"The Patriarch only allowed the re-election of the
present Council in 1906, i.e., fourteen years later, on
the most express assurances being given by the most
important member of the Coptic Community, a man
who has the highest reputation for his loyalty to the
Community, a well-wisher for its welfare and who is
universally recognised as its head — that the Council
would not interfere with those monastic Wakfs and
the purely clerical matters already mentioned. The
Patriarch reminded the Council of this promise, which
he said was made the subject of a written agreement or
convention at its first sitting. Had not the Council
shown a spirit of moderation and conciliation, it would
not have lasted these three years, considering that all
previous Councils never lasted more than a few weeks,
or a few months at the most. The Patriarch began to
believe in the good intentions of the Council, and as a
mark of his confidence he spontaneously added to the
Wakfs controlled by the Council some important en
dowments that were entrusted to certain individuals,
some of whom had mismanaged them and appropriated
most of the revenues, such as the Wakfs of Mar-Mina,
Abu Roues, El Moallaka, El Kiama, etc.
"The addition of these Wakfs increased the funds
at the disposal of the Council considerably, enabling"
it to extend educational work, improve the pay of
teachers, priests, etc., with the Patriarch's approval.
" I believe that had the Council continued this wise
policy, the Patriarch would have gradually given over
to them and placed under their control the remainder
(48)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
of the Wakfs. My colleague, Makkar Pasha, assured
me, a few weeks before the hostilities in connection
with the notorious law suit in re the estate purchased
by the Council from one of its members against the
wish of the Patriarch, that the latter was actually
contemplating calling on the managers of the various
monastic Wakfs to send in accounts, which he intended
to have controlled by a select Committee, to include
some members of the Council.
" It is universarily admitted that the Patriarch leads
a model life of purity and self-denial, and that he is
animated by the highest ideals. I was struck when I
accompanied him in his last journey to the Sudan by
the attachment and the veneration of the people, and
he certainly deserves it, for whereas the revenues of the
Patriarchate amount to about ^35,000 a year, he does
not spend more than ^50 a year on himself, leading
the most frugal life instead of living in a palace,
keeping carriages and a large retinue of servants, as a
man in his exalted position would be quite justified in
doing. Practically the whole of the ^35,000 is spent
on the schools, the churches and the poor. Further,
the Patriarch spends the large sums he receives as gifts
from members of the Community as well as his own
private property, inherited from his relatives, on the
building of new churches and schools and relieving
distressed families.
" I have had ample proofs of this in my tour with
him in February last in Upper Egypt and the Sudan.
At Beni Souf he gave about ^300 for the completion
(49)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
of the new church there, towards the building of which
he had contributed a few months before £fx>o. At
Minieh the Bishop told him that he proposed to build
a larger church. He said that the existing one was
sufficient for the present and advised building a school
instead. But at Manfalout he ordered the Bishop of the
Moharrak Ministry to build a school out of the funds
of his monastery for the people of Manfalout, amongst
whom there are, nevertheless, some rich people, who
could well afford to do it unaided. At Abu Tig he
contributed towards the building of the new church
there, but I have not been able to ascertain the amount.
At Assuan ^40 was given in aid of the school there,
and at Khartoum ^300 in aid of the fund for building
a school, besides ^200 in aid of the poor clergy and
laity of the Soudan.
" Can such acts emanate from a man who is blindly
opposed to reform ?
"As regards the endowments, or Wakfs, which are
the subject of the difference between the majority in the
Council and the Patriarch, they are of two kinds,
Church and charitable endowments, and Monastic
endowments. The former, which form the larger half,
are controlled by the Council. Although most of the
property was bequeathed and appropriated to particular
churches, and if the law is strictly applied their revenues
could only be spent on these churches, the Patriarch
allows a considerable part of those funds to be spent
on general purposes, such as schools. He does this,
although he knows perfectly well that as Director
(So)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
General of these Wakfs in virtue of their title deeds,
he has full power to enforce the wishes of the donors
and deprive the schools of large subventions, which
would certainly entail their collapse. Furthermore, the
Patriarch never failed to call on the Abbots of the
monasteries to contribute towards all works of public
utility, as, for instance, in the case of the Bulak Coptic
Trades School, towards which they contributed about
£5,000. "The most regrettable feature in the whole question
is the personal attacks directed by both sides against
each other. These insulting insinuations and abuse
only widen the chasm, which separates certain members
of the Council and their opponents, and increase the
discussions, which are already too prominent.
" In 1892 the Council, as I before stated, was
unanimous in pursuing a policy of violence, and it was
supported by a certain number of the clergy and the
great mass of the people. Now after the experience
gained a certain section of the Council itself considers
it wiser to be conciliatory, and they are supported in
their views by a large and influential section of the
Community. "I and those members of the Council who agree
with me think that the best solution is to try to regain
the confidence of the Patriarch by declaring openly :—
"(1) That in future the Council will avoid all
transactions, which might in the remotest degree be
construed to spell pecuniary or material advantage to
(5')

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
any of the members or of their relatives to the prejudice
of the Wakfs or the Patriarchate.
"(2) That we do not at all intend to divert the
funds belonging to the monasteries to any other
purpose, but that all we wish is that these funds be
used for the moral improvement and instruction of the
monks ; in other words, that the monasteries may be
converted into centres of learning as they were in the
distant past, since from them come the highest
dignitaries of the Coptic Church.
"I have no doubt that if, instead of wasting our
energies in internecine quarrels and abuse of each other,
we were to try to convince the ecclesiastical authorities
that these are our real intentions, they would gladly
co-operate with us to realise these most important
reforms. " But if we persist in the policy of violence these
reforms will be delayed for years, and the people, who
are now loud in supporting us, will not fail to abandon
our side as in 1893, for ' History repeats itself,' "

(5?)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.

APPENDIX IV.

ffrienols delations witb tbe Egyptian
Cburcb : 1883—1909.
L — Association for the Furtherance of Christianity
in Egypt.
After the events of 1882, it was keenly felt that
England had religious responsibilities in the land in
which order had been restored by our arms. Christianity
must be asserted in the face of Islam, and the Native
Christians in the valley of the Nile must become
Missionaries of the True Faith. Already in 1839 and
1840 some plans had been made in England for
raising the spiritual status of the Copts. The Rev. H.
Tatham and the Rev. T. Grimshaw reported to the
Archbishop of Canterbury, (Dr. Howley) how matters
stood in Egypt, and some years afterwards a College
for the Candidates to Holy Orders was opened in Cairo.
In 1848 the scheme fell through.
In 1883 the Association for the Furtherance of Christianity
in Egypt was established. Its aims were of the same
nature as those of the Archbishop's Mission to the
Assyrian Christians. It was understood that the first
thing to do was to impress the Copts with the fact that
no proselytism was intended on the part of the English
Church, but this alone was difficult to accomplish. The
Association in its rules declared itself to be bound to the
decrees of the first four Councils of the Universal
(S3)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
Church, and the Copts have never accepted the Council
of Chalcedon, while English-speaking agencies from
America have for a long time and systematically
practised Protestant proselytism among the Egyptian
Christians. The Association had to proceed cautiously,
in order to maintain the friendly relations which exist
between the Anglican Church and the Orthodox Greek
Patriarchate of Alexandria, whose jurisdiction extends
over a small population in Egypt, and to act at the
same time as the helper of the Coptic Church. This
Association published a most interesting "Account
of a Visit to the Christian Churches in Egypt, 1883-
1884, by the Reverends Herbert George Morse,
Arthur T. Chapman, and A. J. Butler, Esq. The
late Rev. George Greenwood, the Rev. Montague
Fowler, and lately the Rev. Canon Oldfield were sent
at various times to Egypt as representatives of the
Association, and reported on the possibilities for work
in co-operation with the Coptic Patriarchate. Different
schemes were elaborated and partly put into execution.
Training Colleges for the Clergy and Schools for boys
and girls are the great need of the country. In spite
of all efforts to convince these Native Christians that
the Anglican Church has no intention of absorbing their
Church, misunderstandings have been a great hindrance
to practical work, yet something has been done.
In 1885 the Association founded the Gordon College,
but this came to nothing owing to want of support from
the Patriarchate at Cairo. In 1890, the Association
gave £250 towards the erection of Coptic Schools at
(54)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
Khartoum, and the Patriarch Cyril Vth expressed his
gratitude and his willingness to co-operate with English
efforts in no measured terms. Since that time Canons
Dowling and Oldfield have been allowed to give lectures
in Coptic Churches, and in 1902 Canon Oldfield
succeeded in winning the confidence of the Copts to
such an extent that he was invited to accept the post
of Professor in the Theological School of the Patriarch
at Cairo. The invitation was definite, but they could
not accept Canon Oldfield's conditions.
In 1898 the Bishop of Salisbury received from the
Patriarch Cyril a manuscript of the Coptic and Arabic
Service for the Consecration of Churches. With the
collaboration of the Rev. George Horner he has
edited this manuscript, and presented fifty copies to the
Patriarch. An English translation, with notes, accom
panies the Oriental texts. The Patriarch acknowledged
the receipt of the book with a grateful letter, at the
conclusion of which he
" hopes that the great service you have kindly
rendered us in printing this book will be a fresh
link of friendship between the Coptic Church and
the Church of England. ((
' ' Patriarch of the Preaching of St. Mark,
"Cairo, 20th Hathor, A.M. 1609 (20th Nov. 1902.)"*
[In 1904 the Anglo- Continental Society and the
Association for the furtherance of Christianity in the East
allied their forces under the name of the Anglican and
Foreign Church Society. .]
* Report of the Anglican and Foreign Church Society for 1904, pp.5-7.
(55)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
II. — Arabic Pamphlet by the Bishop of Salisbury.
" Teaching of the Church of England on some points
of Religion, set forth for the Information of Orthodox
Christians of the East," with the imprimatur of the
Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Temple) has been trans
lated into Arabic by the Rev. Simon Stephen, Vicar
of Steeple Barton, Oxon, and has been published by the
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. The trans
lation was twice revised, in order to adapt it especially
to some peculiarities of the Arabic idiom as spoken in
Egypt. The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge
also published in 1909 the " Archbishop of Canterbury's
Letter and Resolutions of the 1908 Lambeth Conference
bearing on the Eastern Communions," in Arabic.
III. — The Rev. D. M. Thornton, Church
Missionary Society, Cairo.
The late Mr. Thornton stated that the Metran of
Keneh (Lucas), who many people think will be the next
Patriarch, and who has had the advantage of education
at Athens and Alexandria, gave him every facility to
preach to his people in Arabic. In a letter written on
Trinity Sunday, 1906, he says : "I have lately been
commencing a series of short tours to all the provincial
towns of Egypt, to study the problem of religious
education locally. I have thus visited Assouan, Keneh,
Sohag, Asyut. It is premature for me to say how
things will develop here in Cairo, but the Patriarch and
the Clergy are one by one becoming more and more in
(56)

THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH.
touch and sympathy with us through our weekly Anglo-
Arabic Magazine, Orient and Occident, which is being
regularly read, I find, by a very large proportion of
Coptic Clergy and Schoolmasters and leading laity
throughout the land. It is this paper and subsequent
visitations which have prepared the way so speedily for
our present friendly relations."*
IV. — Archdeacon Dowling at Assouan and Khartoum.
During January, 1909, I had the pleasure of ad
dressing, by special request, a Church full of Coptic
men and lads at Assouan, and fifty Copts (men) who
assemble regularly once a week in the Anglican Clergy
House at Khartoum. At both places I found an intense
desire among the educated lay Copts for the co
operation of Anglican Clergy. The successful labours
of Canon Oldfield up the Nile are remembered with
gratitude. * Anglican and Foreign Church Society Reports, 1906, p. 17, and
1907, pp. 7, 8.

(57

NOW READY
(Uniform with " The Egyptian Church")

TZbc Cburcb of Bbssstnia
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With a Preface by the Reverend Professor Sayce, ll.d.
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Price 1/6

Zbc iPatriarcbate of Jerusalem
(Illustrated)
New Edition — Revised by Archdeacon Dowling
With a Preface by the Bishop of Salisbury
Published by
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PREPARING FOR PUBLICATION:
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1909

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