Christianity in the Land of the Pharaohs: The Coptic Orthodox Church

by Jill Kamil

The Copts - the indigenous Christians of Egypt - declared their independence from Byzantine Christianity when they appointed their own patriarchs in the sixth century. Jill Kamil has written an angaging and accessible survey of the history of Christianity on Egypt, through its development under Rome, Byzantium and Islam, to modern times.
Drawing on personal travel to all the Christian sites of Egypt, and conversations with scholars, monks, museum directors, and scores of lay Egyptians both Copt and Muslim, the author tells us about the fundamental importance of Coptic religion and culture in Egypt. Weaving together historical research with absorbing stories, she explores questions
* How did Christianity suceed in an Egypt that already had an established religion which had lasted for more than 300 years?
* What part did Egypt play in the evolvement of the early Christian movement?
* What led the Copts to develop monasticism?
* Why were there so many Egyptian martyrs?
* What caused the Coptic Church to break away from the rest of orthodox Christianity in the sixth century AD?
Lavishly illustrated with more than 120 photographs, drawings and maps, Christianity in the Land of the Pharaohs offers a captivating insight into a side if Egypt that will be new to many readers. It is ideal not only for students of Egyptian history and Christianity, as well as those with a more general interst in Egypt's past and present.

Genres: History, Religion, Middle East

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2002

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Emperor Hadrian famously described how the "Patriarch himself", when he came to Alexandria was compelled to honor Serapis as well as Christ. whether this quote is apocryphal or not, it provides a glimpse of the cultural alchemy that was Alexandria in the early centuries of Christianity. Jill Kamils book does a decent job untangling some of the knotted history of Christianity's emergence and (until the arrival of Islam) dominance of the religious landscape in Egypt. She convincingly examines the influence of pharaonic temple ritual and Hellenic syncretism on Coptic Christianity without overstating the case. The heterodox nature of early Coptic Christianity is reflected in the range of material found buried at Nag Hammadi, and Kamil skillfully examines the theological struggles which led to the disposal of these papyri, and which eventually formed the orthodoxy of the christian church. Overall, a very readable account, although sometimes a little disjointed in narrative style.

[AnnaRose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great overview of the Coptic Church, its beliefs, history, and politics.