Copts

Copts are an ethnoreligious community historically rooted in Egypt’s Christian population. Most belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church, while Copts also belong to other Christian denominations.

Coptic Orthodox Church: The largest Coptic Christian church, an Oriental Orthodox communion led by the pope of Alexandria. It is the principal church associated with Coptic identity.
Christianity in Egypt: The history and practice of Christianity in Egypt, from its ancient beginnings to the present. Coptic history is rooted in Egypt’s early Christian communities.
Oriental Orthodoxy: A communion of churches that rejected the Council of Chalcedon’s definition of Christ’s two natures. The Coptic Orthodox Church is one of its member churches.
Coptic Christmas: The celebration of the Nativity on 29 Kiahk in the Coptic calendar, usually falling on January 7. Its distinctive date and observances mark a major communal feast.
Coptic language: The final historical stage of the Egyptian language, written chiefly with Greek letters and used in Coptic worship. Its survival in liturgy connects Copts with Egypt’s pre-Arabic past.
Mark the Evangelist: A first-century Christian figure traditionally regarded by the Coptic Church as the founder of the church in Alexandria. Coptic tradition links its apostolic origins to his mission in Alexandria.
Eastern Orthodox Church: A communion of churches that accepts the Council of Chalcedon and maintains distinct liturgical and ecclesial traditions. It belongs to a different historic communion than the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Coptic Easter: The Coptic Orthodox celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, observed according to the church’s calendar. Its fasting, liturgy, and feast structure a central season of Coptic religious life.
Coptic calendar: A solar calendar used by the Coptic Orthodox Church, with twelve thirty-day months and a short thirteenth month. Its feast days and dating system organize Coptic religious life.
Catechetical School of Alexandria: An early Christian center of theological teaching and biblical interpretation in Alexandria. Its intellectual tradition helped shape Egyptian Christianity in late antiquity.

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Culture of EgyptRelated: Coptic identity illustrates the religious and historical diversity within Egyptian society.