Becoming Orthodox
By Minas Monir
Cairo, Egypt
April 18, 2010
Pravmir.com
When I was a child at primary school, I remember an important question that made me think deeply about who Christ is. I was sitting in the classroom when the teacher of History asked me," What do you say about Issa (an Arabic name for Jesus)?" I replied, "He is the Son of God." As could be expected of a pious Muslim woman, the answer perplexed her, so I said, "But he is a man." Although it was me who answered the question, I was not less perplexed than her! I returned home and told my mother about what had happened while she was washing dishes and preparing dinner. I said, "I think Christ can't be but a man. However, He is the Son of God because he was born miraculously and without a father." She said, "Christ is a true God, you should learn to confess that whenever you are asked about Him. Christ says, “Whoever disowns me before others I will disown before my Father in heaven (Matt 10:33)." I felt the weight of the question and the importance of reaching an answer. Is He a God or a man or something else?
I was raised in a Coptic family. The word Copt comes originally from the Greek word for Egypt, Aigyptos, and the word Copt merely meant Egyptian. After the Muslim conquest of Egypt in the 7th century and the subsequent transformation of Egypt to a Muslim majority country, the term Copt came to apply only to the minority of Egyptians who remained Christian. My family was not greatly involved in the religious life of the Coptic Church, largely because we lived in an Arab Gulf country at the time rather than Egypt. After my father passed away, we moved back to Egypt where we experienced a new and different religious atmosphere, being surrounded by Coptic churches. Christ was my main concern but the question remained unanswered.
Read the rest of the two part story here and here.
He was already Orthodox,why convert??
ReplyDeleteNo, he was NOT Orthodox. He was a monophysite.
ReplyDeleteYou can read the story to find out why he converted.
ReplyDeleteThe Copts, Ethiopians, Armenians, Malabar indians,along with others, are Monophysites and not Orthodox. This is often not taught properly, even at HCHC. I remember clearly. All in the name of Ecumenism. Glory to God that this young man became Orthodox!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this; I've been confused for some time because people are always telling me that the Monophysites aren't really Monophysite anymore, or even that they never were (i.e. it was just a language/culture misunderstanding). Perhaps many have adopted a more Orthodox theology, but it sounds like at least Pope Shenouda holds erroneous views, and vehemently too.
ReplyDeleteIts interesting to see how the Byzantines think they have a monopoly on the word Orthodox while using terms like "monophysite" which wasn't even used until many many years after Chalecedon.
ReplyDeleteWell, in our liturgical books...in our historical books, in every way, we (the Orthodox Copts) identify ourselves as the Orthodox Church. Even this person Mina would know that in Egypt the Copts are called Orthodox and the Byzantines are called "Romans".
So I suggest if you have a problem sharing the name Orthodox, simple call yourselves something else. Perhaps "Dyophysites"???
In any case, I am glad that some feel they scored a point by a Copt going over to the Byzantines...do you really think it never goes the other way? Well, I suppose we are not interested in having poster children.
It is one thing to adopt a term ... and another to embody it. The monophysites can call themselves anything they want, but they still hold to heretical teachings. Period.
ReplyDeleteIt is really sad that some have reached this pitiable level of childish polemics. It is necessary that you provide Coptic Resources which point to this 'monophysitism' you speak about which denies the humanity of our Lord,and not Eastern Orthodox Resources which try to interpret the Oriental Orthodox Faith. It is not up to you what we believe.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, if we are in fact not monophysite according to your warped definition, then who shall be held answerable for these attempts which are contrary to the Will of the Holy Spirit in dividing the Body of our Lord?
Let us be adults and put away childish attitudes. A grown individual is able to look past the superficial and engage in meaningful discussions that ensure both parties understand each other - not name-calling and heresy-mining. Look at the firs three ecumenical councils for instance. They would listen to the heretics speak for hours and make long discourses in response which would be matched by even longer ones and when the Bishops found true insistence upon unorthodox teaching on the part of these heretics, they were excommunicated. It wasn't a matter of titles, there was doctrinal inconsistency at the very core of their beliefs.
If EO-OO dialogue was conducted in accordance with the attitude expressed in your post, we can go on for years at a time, arrive at nothing but wasted time while reopening old wounds. Making poster children, as the anonymous poster mentioned, will not help your cause (whatsoever) and I am truly proud of the Coptic community for holding their grounds and refraining from using any such childish tools in internet dialogue. Several individuals leave the EO --> OO - there are several who attend my parish, and even more an hour away from where I live in Toronto, Ontario. In my opinion, they did not leave non-Orthodoxy to embrace Orthodoxy (although I am very much non-Chalcedonian). My argument is this: If we (Copts) were to use the same approach in ecumenical dialogue as you have evidently used in your post, such bitter and childish arguments could be made in return leading to a never-ending cycle of attacks. It is unwise for us to take this approach. You may continue to live the fantasy in which the word Orthodox is a monopoly of the EO family, but know this: that Christ is truth, and your 'stance' doesn't necessarily change the Truth - that Egypt and the Coptic Church has held firmly to Orthodoxy through the ages, unchanged. After all -
"Wisdome is Justified by all her Children"