Two Thousand Years of Coptic Christianity

by Otto F.A. Meinardus

Christianity arrived early in Egypt, brought according to tradition by Saint Mark the Evangelist, who became the first patriarch of Alexandria. The Coptic Orthodox Church has flourished ever since, with millions of adherents both in Egypt and in Coptic communities around the world. Since its split from the Byzantine Church in 451, the Coptic Church has proudly maintained its early traditions, and influence from outside has been the liturgy is still sung to unique rhythms in Coptic, a late stage of the same ancient Egyptian language that is inscribed in hieroglyphs on temple walls and papyri. Dr. Otto Meinardus, a leading authority on the history of the Coptic Church, here revises, updates, and combines his renowned studies Christian Egypt, Ancient and Modern (The American University in Cairo Press, 1965, 1977) and Christian Egypt, Faith and Life (The American University in Cairo Press, 1970) into a new, definitive, one-volume history for the Millennium, surveying the twenty centuries of existence of one of the oldest churches in the world.

Genres: Religion, History, Coptic Language, Nonfiction, Christian History, Egypt, Theology

344 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2010

Reviews

[Sincerae Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two Thousand Years of Coptic Christianity is quite a scholarly tour de force of the history of the church in Egypt. Coptic means Egyptian, and Egypt is the home of Christian monasticism. The Coptic church is one of the oldest in the world. The Copts consider themselves the Christian heirs of the Pharaohs.

Otto F. A. Meinardus writes about almost the entire scope of Coptic history beginning with the establishment of the church in Egypt by the Apostle Saint Mark. The seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope in Alexandria, Egypt is called The See of St. Mark. Traveling even further back it should be remembered that Jesus spent the earliest years of his childhood in Egypt.

This book covers many Egyptian saints, martyrs, monks, hermits, patriarchs, popes, and prominent Coptic figures and families of the 19th and early 20th centuries along with a broad sweep of Egyptian ecclesiastical history. The Copts comprise not only Orthodox Christians, but also Coptic Catholics and Evangelicals.

Following the chronicles of ancient and modern Coptic history, Meinardus presents a catalog of the many churches, monasteries, and hermitages of Egypt both extinct and extant. He even includes
Coptic names and their origins.

I learned so much from this book which has inspired in me an even more intense thirst to continue studying and researching the history of the ancient church in Africa and the Middle East.

Two Thousand Years of Coptic Christianity by Otto F. A. Meinardus is listed on and can be read in PDF at the following link:

http://arabic.coptic-treasures.com/co...

[Czarny Pies · Rating 1 out of 5]

Faute de pouvoir donner cinq étrons, je le donne une étoile.

It is difficult to convey just how bad this book is. Over half of the text is devoted to descriptions of one to eight paragraphs of Coptic monasteries and churches in Egypt. The rest of the book is devoted to a strange anecdotal reviews of Coptic history and theology. The analysis is of a level that one would expect from the history of a North American Catholic Parish. The twenty-four photographs taken by the author which are included are much worse that what one would expect from a Parish publication.

This book is a crushing disappointment which badly serves its subject matter.

[Adrian Fritzke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would suggest this book to anyone who is interested in Coptic or Egyptian history. It is a very informative book and this book will have something for everyone. I personally found some of the parts boring. I am not interested in every detail of every Church. However you get a sense of the work that was done to write this book and it is well worth reading. If you are a Christian and love Church history this is a must read!

[Dawson Ren]

I’m not really sure how to justify why I purchased this book beyond “impulse buy”, but here we are. A surprisingly enjoyable read, if you enjoy names and dates, and have maybe taken a church history class before. Had to phone a friend when they started talking about the Miaphysites. Athanasius gets a few shoutouts, well deserved.

Fun fact: my Coptic Orthodox friend was baptized by Shenuda III! He was, quote-unquote, “goated”.

[Sheila Bitts]

used as source in medieval pilgrimage paper fall 2008 at Loyola lakeshore.
(re: St. Mark)