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Copt

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Image:DWF15-342039.jpgA Copt is a native Egyptian Christian (also see Coptic Christianity). Copts previously included Ethiopian and Eritrean Christians until their Tewahedo churches were granted their own patriarchs. Today, the Copts belong to three main churches: the Coptic Orthodox Church (the majority), and the more recently formed Coptic Catholic Church and Protestant churches.

The number of Copts in Egypt has been subject to some controversy. Coptic sources put forward figures ranging from 14% to 20% (between 10 and 15 million), but the Egyptian government insists that Copts represent about 6% (4 million) of the Egyptian population. Part of the controversy could be attributed to the increasing number of Copts born outside Egypt and who do not carry Egyptian passports. The number of Copts within Egypt may be very slowly declining due to higher immigration rates caused by harassment and discrimination at the hands of Islamist militants and the Egyptian government, as well as lower birth rates compared to Muslims. The 2006 World Factbook estimates that 7.6 million or 10% of Egyptians are Christian (9% Coptic and 1% other denominations).<ref> https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/eg.html#People CIA World Factbook. Egyptian people section].</ref> Egyptian Copts have occasionally been on the receiving end of violent acts from Islamic extremist groups. Copts have leveled the accusation that the Egyptian government has sometimes been complicit or uncaring in the face of such incidents.

Most of the Copts are Orthodox and there are probably no more than 500,000 Christians of other denominations in Egypt. Whatever the number taken into consideration, Egyptian Christians are by far the largest Christian community in the Middle East. Image:CopticFlag007.jpg

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[edit] Etymology

The English word Copt is from New Latin Coptus, which is derived from Arabic qubṭi قبطي (pl: qubṭ قبط and aqbāṭ أقباط), an Arabisation of the Coptic word kubti (Bohairic) and/or kuptaion (Sahidic). This word is in turn derived from the Greek word Αἰγύπτιος, aiguptios: "Egyptian", from Αἴγυπτος, aiguptos: "Egypt".

Hut-ka-Ptah
in hieroglyphs
<hiero>p:t-H-Hwt-t:pr-kA:Z1-t:niwt</hiero>

The Greek term for "Egypt" has a long history. It goes back to the Mycenaean language (an early form of Greek) where the word a3-ku-pi-ti-jo (lit. "Egyptian"; used here as a man's name) was written in Linear B. This Mycenaean form is likely from Egyptian ḥwt-k3-ptḥ ("Hut-ka-Ptah"), literally "Estate (or 'House') of Ptah" (cf. Akkadian āluḫi-ku-up-ta-aḫ), the name of the temple complex of the god Ptah at Memphis. As the chief temple precinct of the capital of Egypt, the name was applied to the entire city of Memphis and ultimately to the country as a whole.

A similar situation is observed in the name Memphis [Greek Μέμφις], which comes from the Egyptian name of the pyramid complex of king Pepi II, mn nfr ppy (lit. "Established in Perfection or 'Beauty' is Pepy") at Saqqara but which was applied to the nearby capital city. Interestingly, this usage survived in Sahidic as Gupton and Kupton, meaning "Memphis". In modern Egyptian Arabic, the local name of the capital Cairo is Masr (Egyptian Arabic مَصر), which is also the name of Egypt as a whole.

There is another theory which states that the Arabic word qibṭ "Copt" was an Arabisation of the Greek name of the town of Κόπτος Coptos (modern قفط Qifṭ; Coptic Kebt and Keft), but is generally no longer accepted.

Image:MY007218.jpg

References to Copts in the Coptic language are both Greek and Coptic in origin. The words kuptaion (Sahidic) and kubti (Bohairic) are attested, but are used in the surviving texts to refer to the language, rather than the people; these both derive from Greek Αἴγύπτιος aiguptios "Egyptian". The "native" Coptic term referring to Copts was rem en kēme (Sahidic), lem en kēmi (Fayyumic), rem en khēmi (Bohairic), etc., literally "people of Egypt"; cf. Egyptian rmṯ n kmt, Demotic rmt n kmỉ.

The etymological meaning of the word therefore pertains to all people of Egyptian origins, not only those who profess Coptic Orthodoxy. Medieval writers before the Mamluk period often used the words Copts (Arabic: قبط) and Egyptians (Arabic: مصريون) interchangeably to describe all the people of Egypt whether Christian or Muslim. After the bulk of the Egyptian population converted to Islam, the word Copt came to be associated with Egyptians who retained their Christianity and who did not intermarry with the Arab invaders. In the 20th century, some Egyptian nationalists and intellectuals began using the term Copts in the historical sense. For example, Markos Pasha Semeika, founder of the Coptic Museum, addressed a group of Egyptian students in these words: "All of you are Copts. Some of you are Muslim Copts, others are Christian Copts, but all of you are descended from the Ancient Egyptians."<ref>qtd. in M. Hussein. el Ittigahat el Wataneyya fil Adab el Muʻaṣir [National Trends in Modern Literature]. Vol. 2. Cairo, 1954</ref>.

[edit] History

Main article: Coptic Christianity
Image:StMarkcoptic.jpg

The Coptic Orthodox Church is the oldest form of Christianity in Africa and one of the earliest forms of Christianity in the world.[citation needed] Christianity was introduced to the Copts by Saint Mark in Alexandria shortly after the ascension of Christ.

The legacy that Saint Mark left in Egypt was a Christian community made up primarily of converted Hellenized Jews. Christianity remained eclipsed by the powerful Jewish community in Alexandria at the time. After the Jewish Revolt in the first quarter of the second century AD. and subsequent annihilation of the Jews in Alexandria[citation needed], the Christians of Egypt became visible to the world. By the 3rd century A.D., Christians constituted the majority of Egypt’s population, and the Church of Alexandria was recognized as one of Christendom's leading churches. Under the leadership of Pope Shenouda III, the 117th successor of Saint Mark, Coptic Orthodox Church members today constitute the majority of the Coptic population.

Image:Cairo, Old Cairo, Hanging Church, Egypt, Oct 2004.jpg
Mainly through emigration and partly through European, American, and other missionary work and conversions, the Egyptian Christian community now also includes other Christian denominations such as Protestants (known in Arabic as Evangelicals), Roman and Eastern Rite Catholics, and other Orthodox congregations. The term Coptic remains exclusive however to the Egyptian natives, as opposed to the Christians of non-Egyptian origins. Some Protestant churches for instance are called "Coptic Evangelical Church", thus helping differentiate their native Egyptian congregations from churches attended by non-Egyptian immigrant communities such as Europeans or Americans.
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[edit] Human rights

The religious freedom of Egypt's Coptic community is hampered to varying degrees by extremist Islamist groups and by discriminatory and restrictive government policies. Copts have faced increased marginalization after the 1952 coup d'état led by Gamal Abdel Nasser. Despite recent improvements, reports released by international human organizations indicate that Copts are still minimally represented in law enforcement, state security and public office, and are discriminated against in the workforce on the basis of their religion.<ref>Freedom House. Egypt's Endangered Christians.</ref><ref>Human Rights Watch. Egypt: Overview of human rights issues in Egypt. 2005</ref> Until recently, Christians were required to obtain presidential approval for even minor repairs in churches. This law was eased in 2005, but major repairs or additions still require governmental approval, a procedure not required for building or repairing mosques.<ref>Compass Direct News. Church Building Regulations Eased. December 13, 2005.</ref> The Coptic community has also been the target of hate crimes and physical assault, incidents that gained worldwide attention following a series of knife attacks on three churches in Alexandria that killed one Coptic citizen and wounded 17 others.<ref>MSNBC. Associated Press. Worshippers attacked at 3 Egyptian churches BBC. April 14, 2006</ref><ref>BBC News. Egypt church attacks spark anger, 15 April 2006.</ref>

[edit] Language

Main article: Coptic language

Image:Bibliacopt.jpg

The Coptic language is the last stage of the Egyptian language.

"Coptic should more correctly be used to refer to the script rather than the language itself. Even though this script was introduced as far back as the 1st century BC, it is usually applied to the writing of the Egyptian language from the first century AD to the present day."<ref>Hany N. Takla, History of Coptic Language, http://www.stshenouda.com/coptlang/copthist.htm#Definition</ref>

Today, Coptic is the liturgical language of the Egyptian Church and is also taught in Egypt and worldwide in many prestigious institutions.

Dialects of Coptic language:

[edit] Coptic calendar

Main article: Coptic calendar

Image:DB001324.jpg The Coptic calendar, also called the Alexandrian calendar, is used by the Coptic Orthodox Church and also by Ethiopia as its official calendar (with different names). This calendar is based on the ancient Egyptian calendar. To avoid the calendar creep of the latter, a reform of the ancient Egyptian calendar was introduced at the time of Ptolemy III (Decree of Canopus, in 238 BC) which consisted of the intercalation of a sixth epagomenal day every fourth year. However, this reform was opposed by the Egyptian priests, and the idea was not adopted until 25 BC, when the Roman Emperor Augustus formally reformed the calendar of Egypt, keeping it forever synchronized with the newly introduced Julian calendar. To distinguish it from the Ancient Egyptian calendar, which remained in use by some astronomers until medieval times, this reformed calendar is known as the Coptic calendar. Its years and months coincide with those of the Ethiopian calendar but have different numbers and names.

[edit] Coptic year

Image:CopticCross.jpg

The Coptic year is the extension of the ancient Egyptian civil year, retaining its subdivision into the three seasons, four months each. The three seasons are commemorated by special prayers in the Coptic Liturgy. This calendar is still in use all over Egypt by farmers to keep track of the various agricultural seasons. The Coptic calendar has 13 months, 12 of 30 days each and an intercalary month at the end of the year of 5 or 6 days, depending whether the year is a leap year or not. The year starts on 29 August in the Julian Calendar or on the 30th in the year before (Julian) Leap Years. The Coptic Leap Year follows the same rules as the Julian Calendar so that the extra month always has six days in the year before a Julian Leap Year.

The Feast of Neyrouz marks the first day of the Coptic year. Its celebration falls on the 1st day of the month of Thout, the first month of the Coptic year, which for AD 1901 to 2098 usually coincides with 11 September, except before a Gregorian leap year when it's September 12. Coptic years are counted from AD 284, the year Diocletian became Roman Emperor, whose reign was marked by tortures and mass executions of Christians, especially in Egypt. Hence, the Coptic year is identified by the abbreviation A.M. (for Anno Martyrum or "Year of the Martyrs"). The A.M. abbreviation is also used for the unrelated Jewish year (Anno Mundi).

Every fourth Coptic year is a leap year without exception, as in the Julian calendar, so the above mentioned new year dates apply only between AD 1900 and 2099 inclusive in the Gregorian Calendar. In the Julian Calendar, the new year is always 29 August, except before a Julian leap year when it's August 30. Easter is reckoned by the Julian Calendar in the Old Calendarist way.

To obtain the Coptic year number, subtract from the Julian year number either 283 (before the Julian new year) or 284 (after it).

See also: Computus

[edit] Related words

  • From the Greek word Αίγυπτος "Aiguptos" or "Aigyptos", the name for Egypt in many European languages was derived.
  • The word qabāṭī قباطي, a kind of textile import from Egypt and which was used to cover the Kaaba since before Islam, is derived from Arabic قبط qubṭ.
  • The English word gypsy is derived from the Middle English egypcien meaning "Egyptian". Likewise, the Spanish word gitano, also meaning gypsy, derives from a common Latin source. This is due to the mistaken belief that gypsies were of Egyptian origin. Gypsy and the (probably) related term, gyp ("to swindle or cheat") are generally viewed as being pejorative; see the article Roma (people).
  • In modern Egyptian Arabic, the word koftes (pl. kafatsa), is a pejorative word used colloquially to refer to Christians. It is perhaps an Egyptianised form of the Latin Coptus, under phonetic and linguistic factors different from those which existed when qubṭ was derived from Greek aiguptios. This, however, seems unlikely.
  • Medieval sources mention one of the sons of Mitzrayim, who in turn descended from the Biblical Noah, as a possible source for the word 'Copt'.

[edit] Prominent Copts

[edit] References

  • Christians and Jews Under Islam (1997) by Youssef Courbage, Phillipe Fargues, Judy Mabro (Translator)
  • Denis, E. (2000). "Cent ans de localisation de la population chrétienne égyptienne." Astrolabe(2).

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

<references/>

[edit] External links

ar:قبط da:Kopter de:Kopten et:Koptid es:Copto fa:قبطی fr:Copte hr:Kopti he:קופטים nl:Kopten ja:コプト正教会 no:Kopter pl:Koptowie ru:Копты sv:Koptisk

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