Historical Background Information on the Coptic Orthodox Church

The Coptic (the term "Copt" comes from the Greek word "aegiptos," simply meaning "Egyptian") Orthodox Church is the original and most ancient Christian church in Egypt. From its foundation, the Coptic Orthodox Church has thrived and has spread to all parts of the world, including Africa, Asia, North and South America, Australia, and Europe.

In the middle of the first century, St. Mark came and preached Christianity to the pagans of the land of Egypt. Hence, the Coptic Orthodox Church was born through the grace of God. It has gone through decades of martyrdom under the Roman emperor Diocletian, but later on experienced relative peace under Constantine rule. Then under Arab rule, the Coptic majority of Egypt was threatened until it became the minority.

Although is still is the minority in Egypt, the Church has stood strong in the face of it's opponents and has more recently experienced a revival of Coptic Orthodoxy, especially in areas of monasticism, hymnology, and global evangelization. Thanks be to God for our great church!

Refer to What In the World Is the Coptic Orthodox Church? by St. John Coptic Orthodox Church for more information.