Coptic period

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The "Coptic

Muslim conquest of Egypt
in the 7th century.

Christ in a Coptic icon
.

The period began in about the 3rd century and, depending on sources and usage, lasted until around the noticeable decline of Christianity in Egypt in the 9th century,[1][2] or to the arrival of Islam in the 7th century.[3]

Although the term "Coptic period" is utilized in popular discourse, its use in academia is generally avoided due to its imprecise nature, whereas "

Byzantine Egypt
" can be defined on chronological grounds.

Relation with Pharaonic Egypt

Coptic Christian writers during this period sought to discredit some perceived

Pharaonic times.[6]

It is important to point out however, that said practices were only tolerated to a point. For example, when peasants began keeping mummies of martyred Copts in their houses, Athanasius of Alexandria chastised them for not acting as good Christians should.[7]

Another aspect of cultural links to earlier periods in Egyptian history can be seen through

Greco-Roman styles with contemporary Christian ones. This artistic style very clearly reflects the multicultural nature of Egypt at the time.[8] This phenomenon, the combination of old and new practices, can also be seen in Coptic music which uses the same melodies as earlier Egyptian music did but with the words changed to have a Christian meaning.[9]

Cultural carryover like this, most likely was used as a way to gain new converts and make Christian doctrine more palatable to Egyptians.

Relations with the Chalcedonian Christian Church

The Coptic church in Egypt, known as the Church of Alexandria during this period, suffered from persecution and suppression from both the temporal authority of the Eastern Roman Emperors as well as the Chalcedonian Church, which had become the predominant Christian church in the Empire following the

Eastern Roman Empire
was at war with at the time.

Despite these hardships, the

Chalcedonian Church and maintaining strong links with neighboring regions like Syria.[11]

The situation would improve for the Copts with the

Muslim conquest of Egypt
. Wanting to seem impartial, the Muslim governors did not favor one church over another and tried to mediate their theological disagreements. This situation favored the Copts, as they no longer had to fear state persecution and could expand their reach more than ever before, with Bishops of the Coptic church even returning to cities such as Cairo and Alexandria from where they had been expelled by the Eastern Roman authorities and church.

Coptic Christianity still has many followers in present-day Egypt
.

References

  1. ^ "Ancient Egypt: The Coptic period". Retrieved 2011-11-12.
  2. ^ "Coptic Period" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
  3. ^ Raven, Dr. Maarten, Egyptologist[who?][where?][citation needed]
  4. JSTOR 40000288
    . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  5. PMID 23590111
    . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  6. JSTOR 25046211
    . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  7. JSTOR 1584374
    . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  8. JSTOR 3335421
    . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  9. S2CID 144103055
    . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  10. JSTOR j.ctt24hgp8
    . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  11. JSTOR 25046211
    . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
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