On Egypt

	Egypt the land of my ancestors is blessed in the Holy Bible both in the old testament and the new 
Egypt is the land in which Abraham found refuge when he faced famine in the land of Cannan. Egypt also is 
the land where the Israelites, the sons of Jacob, found their refuge for 400 years, two generations 
henceforth,  when they faced famine again.  Joseph the favorite son of Jacob and Rachel gave his brothers 
and sisters refuge in Egypt because he was second only to Pharo at that time, inspite of their plotting against 
him and selling him as a slave to the Ishmaelites (literally finding “a scapegoat”), telling their father that he 
was killed, and using the blood of a goat to deceive their father. Egypt is where the Israelites had refuge for 
400 years until Moses rose and led them out.

	No greater blessing a land would have than the blessing Egypt received when Mary and Joseph the 
Carpenter, Mary's fiancee (not spouse), took the babe Jesus and escaped to the land of Egypt, according to 
the instruction of the angel to Joseph in a dream: "Arise and take the young child and his mother and flee 
into  Egypt".  Egypt was blessed from the Lord when he called it "Blessed my people Egypt". Also, for 
Egypt it was prophesied by Isiah the prophet that: " in that day shall there be an altar to the Lord in the 
midst of the land of Egypt..." (Isiah 19:19). The altar is symbolic of the Christian faith, and also the altar 
literally exists in the monastery of St. Mary known as “Moharaque” in the Quosiah region half way between 
Alexandria and Aswan. 

	God blessed Egypt with many other things which are more than can be fit in one article. St. Mark 
the writer of the Gospel of Mark traveled to Egypt in the year 48 A.D. He started Christianity in my beloved 
home country. The church of Egypt traces its roots back to that date which makes it one of the three oldest 
Apostolic Churches; the Church in Jerusalem where Jesus preached and the disciples received the promise 
of the Father; the church at Antioch where the believers were called Christians first, according to the book 
of Acts; and the church of Egypt where one of the four Evangelist preached, baptized and was martyred in 
Alexandria in the year 68 A.D. This was twenty years after he lit the torch of Christianity by converting one 
Ananias, a cobbler (shoe repair man “Kharaaz”).  We  honor St. Mark in the praises by saying: “You taught 
us the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and fed us the bread of life, the manna which came from 
heaven;” meaning the word of God.

	Egypt produced many of the so-called Greek Fathers. They were called Greek because they used 
the Greek language which was the common language of literary and theological works in the first three 
centuries of the Christian Church. Among those learned and most revered for their most treasured work in 
creating a theological base for Christianity were: Clement of Alexandria, Origan, Dedemos the Blind, Cyril 
the Great of Alexandria,  Athanasius the Apostolic-the Bishop of Alexandria, and Dioscores-the brave 
bishop who was beaten and humiliated because he dared to confess his faith regarding the nature of Christ 
rather than fall in line with a mistaken majority. Not many in the west know that the creed of faith was 
written by St. Athanasius guided by the Holy Spirit. That is why we call this bishop who started as a child 
imitating the bishop of Alexandria in baptizing the converts, the Apostolic.  St. Athanasius wrote the creed 
and a thesis defending every verse with biblical references while a deacon, 29 years of age.

	Not many in the west know  that St. Anthony the founder of monasticism was an Egyptian, the son 
of rich landlords. He literally followed the words of Jesus to the rich young man saying: " If you desire to 
follow me, go sell all your possession and give it to the poor and come and follow me!”

	Did you know my dear friend that Pachomius, the father of communal life was an Egyptian ascetic 
man who recognizing that the ways of St. Anthony did not fit all the people who desired to leave the world 
and follow after their own salvation, . because they might get discouraged by being so lonely, he devised the 
communal system where groups of ascetic people could gather together and live in one place. He wrote laws 
that governed this form of community which are still used in running the affairs of the monasteries in Egypt 
and elsewhere. In his days hundreds of thousands lived in hundreds of monasteries which sprang up in the 
desserts and prairies of Egypt from Alexandria to the land of Nubia (south of Aswan).

	We talk about freedom of choice as if it was invented today. In Egypt, in the fourth century of 
Christianity, and while Pachomius was organizing communal living (which is the reason we call him “be 
Kononia” the Father of Communal life"), Shenouda was organizing a different order for those ascetics who 
chose to be hermits (living alone, isolated even from people with the same calling), and that is why we  call 
St. Shenouda "bi archimendrite” The Head of Solitude.

	With this proud history, who can forget Egypt the land blessed  by God the Almighty. These 
blessings did not cease by the tribulation and suffering, they continued over the centuries. In the twentieth 
century we see the continuation of these blessings in the lives of saintly clerics and even in the lives of some 
very ordinary people. St. Abraam (the patron saint of the coptic church of St. Louis, Missouri), the bishop 
of Fayoum (1857-1914), was a man of a simple faith that raised the dead. St. Abraam also was able to hang 
his coat on a ray of the sun because he mistook it for a rope and the Lord would not embarrass his saint. 
One can not talk about the departed St. Abraam without mentioning that the main reason for the great power 
the Lord blessed him with is by most accounts is attributed to his endless love and compassion toward the 
poor whom Jesus called 'my Brethren'. He not only gave them food and shelter, but he shared with them, he 
ate with them, and shared even his clothes with them.

	Of our contemporary (20th century) saints, three giants come to mind: Pope Cyril (Kyrilos) VI, Fr. 
Michael Ibrahim, and Fr. Bishoy Kamel. All three are introduced in this home page in separate essays.  The 
Coptic Orthodox Church today is one of the most spiritual Churches in the world which through the help of 
God is able to keep alive the practices and traditions of the Fathers of the Church. Our Liturgy and 
Sacraments are practiced the same way as it was done centuries ago. Our Church was blessed by His 
Holiness Pope Kyrillos VI as Pope and Patriarch (1959-1971) and is now blessed by His Holiness Pope 
Shenouda III (1971- ) as Pope and Patriarch on the Example of  St. Mark the Evangelist and St. Athanasius 
the Apostolic. His Holiness traveled the world to see his flock on every continent as we celebrated his 
Silver Jubilee (November, 1996) instead of staying home and meeting with few dignitaries. Our Church is 
strong as ever, even though it faces many  tribulations in a world not in tune with the Word of God.  This 
continuing blessing of Egypt through our Lord and his Saints is the reason why we believe it from all our 
hearts when we recite the words in the Liturgy: "As it was, so will it be. From Generation to Generation and 
forever. Amen.

(C) Revised 1997; Dr. William A. Hanna; St. Mary & St. Abraam Coptic Orthodox Church; St. Louis, 
Missouri 63146; USA. (C) 1994; Dr. William A. Hanna; Essays for Orthodox Youth.