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Copts
ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙ'ⲛⲭⲏⲙⲓ ('ⲛ'Ⲭⲣⲏⲥⲧⲓ'ⲁⲛⲟⲥ)
(ni.Remenkīmi en.Ekhristianos)
(Aqbaṭ أقباط)

Regions with significant populations
Egypt: 7,000,000 - 13,100,000 est  United States: 700,000 (1999)  Germany: 3,000  Austria: 2,000 (2001)   Switzerland: 1,000 (2004) Other countries with significant numbers of Copts include France, New Zealand, Great Britain, Netherlands, Brazil, Italy, Sudan, and Bolivia
Languages
Maṣri, Coptic, Arabic, English, French, German
Religion
Coptic Orthodox Christianity, Coptic Catholicism, Protestantism
Related ethnic groups
Amazighs

A Copt is a native Egyptian Christian. Today, more than 95% of the Copts belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church. The remaining (around 500,000) are divided between the Coptic Catholic Church and Coptic Protestant churches. The Copts are by far the largest Christian community in North Africa and the Middle East.

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 emigration 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).

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.

Etymology

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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 Template:Polytonic, aiguptios: "Egyptian", from Template:Polytonic, aiguptos: "Egypt".

Hut-ka-Ptah in hieroglyphs

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 ḫi-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 , 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, Cairo is usually called Masr (Egyptian Arabic: مَصر), which is also the name of Egypt.

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.

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 for the word "Copt" (or "Egyptian") is rem en kēme (Sahidic) ⲣⲙⲛⲕⲏⲙⲉ, lem en kēmi (Fayyumic), rem en khēmi (Bohairic) ⲣⲉⲙ'ⲛⲭⲏⲙⲓ , 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".

History

Copts, like other Egyptians, are descendents of Ancient Egyptians. Their history is therefore tied with the history of Egypt since the birth of civilization on the banks of the Nile. For more on the history of Egypt, please see

According to ancient tradition, Christianity was introduced to the Egyptians by Saint Mark in Alexandria shortly after the ascension of Christ. The legacy that Saint Mark left in Egypt was a considerable Christian community in Alexandria. From Alexandria, Christianization of the rest of Egypt progressed slowly. However, by the beginning of 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 four Apostolic Sees, second in honor only to the Church of Rome. The Church of Alexandria is therefore the oldest church in Africa.

The Copts contributed immensely to the formation of the worldwide Christian mind. To name a few examples, the Catechetical School of Alexandria was the oldest catechetical school in the world (founded around 190 A.D.), and monasticism was created and organized by Copts. In the first three Ecumenical Councils, namely the Council of Nicea, the Council of Constantinople, and the Council of Ephesus, the Egyptians played the most prominent role in defending Orthodoxy. The Patriarchs of Alexandria were given such important tasks like the determination of the yearly date of Easter. For more on the contributions of Egyptians to Christianity in the first four centuries, please see:

In 451 A.D., following the Council of Chalcedon, the Church of Alexandria was divided into two branches. Those who accepted the terms of the Council became known as Chalcedonians or Melkites. Those who did not abide by the Council's terms were labeled non-Chalcedonians or Monophysites (and later Jacobites after Jacob Baradaeus). The non-Chalcedonians, however, rejected the term Monophysites as erroneous and insisted on being called Miaphysites. The majority of the Egyptians belonged to the Miaphysite branch, which subjected them to harassments from the Byzantine imperial troops stationed in Egypt.

In 641 A.D., Egypt was invaded by the Arabs, who found little resistance from the Byzantine troops stationed in Egypt. The national resistance from the native Egyptians was nevertheless considerable and lasted for centuries . The most important of these military resistances against the Arabs was in the mid 8th century in the Nile Delta, known as the Revolt of the Beshmorites. It was crushed by Marwan II, the Umayyad caliph. The last armed resistance of the Egyptians against the Arabs was towards the mid 9th century, which was brutally crushed by Al-Ma'mun, the Abbasid caliph. The Arabs imposed a special tax, known as Jizya, on the Christians and banned them from joining the army. The heavy taxation was one of the reasons that contributed to the decline of the number of Christians in Egypt, as more and more Egyptians converted to Islam.

The Arabs seldom used the term Egyptian, and used instead the term Copt. Thus, Egyptians became known as Copts, and the non-Chalcedonian Egyptian Church became known as the Coptic Church. The Chalcedonian Church remained known as the Melkite Church. In their own native language, Egyptians referred to themselves as rem-en-kimi, which translates into those of Egypt.

The Copts endured centuries of persecution on the hand of Egypt's Muslim rulers. Their conditions never ameliorated until the rule of Muhammad Ali in the early 19th century, who abolished the Jizya and allowed the Copts to enroll in the army. The conditions of the Copts continued to improve throughout the first half of the twentieth century (known as the Golden Age by the Copts). However, following the 1952 coup d'etat by the Free Officers, the conditions of the Copts have been slowly deteriorating.

Today, members of the non-Chalcedonian Coptic Orthodox Church constitute the majority of the Egyptian Christian population. 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.

Human rights

The religious freedom of Egypt's Coptic community is hampered 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. 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. 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.

Language

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."

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:

• Sahidic: Theban or Upper Egyptian.
• Bohairic: The dialect of the Nile Delta and of the mediaeval and modern Coptic Church.
• Akhmimic
• Lycopolitan (also known as Subakhmimic)
• Fayyumic
• Oxyrhynchite

Coptic calendar

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.

Coptic year

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).

Prominent Copts

Many Copts are internationally renowned. Some of the most well known Copts include Boutros Boutros-Ghali the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations, Sir Magdi Yacoub the world's most eminent heart surgeon, and Hani Azer, a world leading civil engineer.

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'.

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).
• The Coptic Calendar by Bishoy K. R. Dawood (1.29MB pdf file – historical development and technical discussion)
• An introduction to the Coptic calendar (Gregorian equivalents are valid only between 1900 and 2099)
• The Orthodox Ecclesiastical Calendar
• Ancient Egyptian Calendar and Coptic Calendar

See also

• Coptic Orthodox Church
• Coptic Catholic Church
• Prominent Copts
• Coptic Saints
• Coptic Language
• Coptic flag
• Aigyptos, in Greek Mythology.
• Egypt

References

1. http://www.coptic.net/EncyclopediaCoptica
2. The US Copts Asociation claims this is the number of Copts in the US but that official 2000 US census estaimtes that 150,000 Egyptians total were living in the US]
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/Religion_in_Germany#Orthodoxy
4. http://www.hrwf.net/religiousfreedom/news/2004PDF/Austria_2004.pdf
5. http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/swissinfo.html?siteSect=105&sid=5090250
6. CIA World Factbook. Egyptian people section.
7. http://www.copts.com/english/HistoryOfCopts.aspx
8. CIA World Factbook. Egyptian people section.
9. Imad Boles, Egypt - Persecution: Disappearing Christians of the Middle East, Middle East Quarterly (Winter 2001).
10. qtd. in M. Hussein. el Ittigahat el Wataneyya fil Adab el Muʻaṣir . Vol. 2. Cairo, 1954
11. http://en.wikipedia.org/Pentarchy
12. Did the Copts welcome the Arab conquest, by Father Pigol Basily
13. Mawaiz wa al-'i'tibar bi dhikr al-khitat wa al-'athar (2 vols., Bulaq, 1854), by Al-Maqrizi
14. Chronicles, by John of Nikiû
15. Freedom House. Egypt's Endangered Christians.
16. Human Rights Watch. Egypt: Overview of human rights issues in Egypt. 2005
17. Compass Direct News. Church Building Regulations Eased. December 13, 2005.
18. MSNBC. Associated Press. Worshippers attacked at 3 Egyptian churches BBC. April 14, 2006
19. BBC News. Egypt church attacks spark anger, 15 April 2006.
20. Hany N. Takla, History of Coptic Language, http://www.stshenouda.com/coptlang/copthist.htm#Definition

External links

• Copts
• Copts United
• Free Copts
• St Taklahimanot Coptic Orthodox Church - Egypt
• Coptic Museum
• In Search of the Lost Egyptian Identity
• Egypt's Copts After Kosheh
• Egypt: Minorities and the State
• International Religious Freedom Report: Egypt
• Coptic Catholic Church, Toronto Ontario(Under Construction)
• Coptic Directory of Churches

• Coptic Church in Doha, Qatar
• United Copts of Great Britain
• Coptic Orthodox Church in Denmark
• Coptic Orthodox Church French texts
• Canadian Coptic Association
• Association des Coptes d'Europe Coptic Association of Europe.
• Coptic Christians of Egypt- German Site
• Coptic Medical Society
• Coptic Choir Heart of Jesus

• Christianity in Egypt
• Christian people
• Coptic Orthodox Church
• Egyptian people
• Egyptian society
• Religion in Egypt