Establishment of the Church/ecumenical council
Where did the Coptic Church start? Who started the Church?
Great city of Alexandria, Egypt - St. Mark
What was the Earliest Christian School in the World?
School of Alexandria
Who was the first “Monk”?
Saint Anthony the Great
How many major and minor Lord feasts are there?
7 major and 7 minor
How long is the Nativity Fast? What is the significance of that number?
43 days
It’s for the 43 days moses spent fasting on a mountain before receiving the Ten Commandments and 3 days for the moving of Mokattam mountain St. Simon the tanner
What happened to St. Mark’s sandal? What did the shoemaker say that started the conversation?
St. Mark entered the city of Alexandria, from the east from the five-western cities. St. Mark began wandering in the streets and roads of Alexandria; he kept walking all day until the straps of his sandals were torn.
He went to a shoemaker named Ananias, to mend them for him → Suddenly the awl pricked the shoemaker’s hand and he screamed in pain saying “O One God”.
According to tradition, who started the school? Who was the dean?
Instituted by St. Mark and assigned St. Justus as the Dean
What is the oldest monastery in the world?
Saint Anthony Monastery in the Red Sea
List the major Feasts of the Lord in the Coptic Orthodox Church.
The Annunciation
The Nativity of Christ
The Epiphany or the Baptism of Christ
Palm Sunday
Easter
Ascension
Pentecost
Why do we fast on Wednesdays and fridays?
Wednesday: commemoration of Christ's betrayal by Judas Iscariot
Friday: commemoration of Christ’s crucifixion.
What did Arius say? Who defends the faith against Arius?
Arius: Jesus is not God, he is something more than human but he can’t be completely God. He thought if we say Jesus is fully God and the father is fully God then that means we worship two Gods and that can’t be true bc we worship one God, therefore Jesus in human form must not be fully God. He also thought that God has no beginning, so how come the Son has a beginning and he is God
St. Athanasius
What are the disciplines of the school of Alexandria?
Christian Theology
Secular Science
Moral Philosophy
Religious Philosophy
What are the 3 principles of monasticism?
Obedience
Poverty reveals the power of God, “Let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have” (Hebrews 13: 5).
Chastity
List the minor Feasts of the Lord in the Coptic Orthodox Church?
The Circumcision of our Lord
The Entrance of our Lord into the Temple
The Escape of the Holy family to Egypt
The First Miracle of our Lord Jesus at Cana
The Transfiguration of Christ
Thursday of the Holy week. In it we commemorate the establishment of the Sacrament of Eucharist
Thomas’s Sunday
Why do we fast for 55 during the great lent?
1 week for preparation in the beginning
40 days for the days the lord Jesus Christ fasted himself- when Satan was trying to tempt him.
1 week for Holy week
What are the two heresies at the Council of Constantinople?
Macedonius Heresy: Denial of the divinity of the Holy Spirit [the Holy spirit is not God]
Apollinarius Heresy: The Son was not fully human, he believed that christ was without a soul
Which Archdeacon led the school of Alexandria in modern times? And who was the pope at that time?
Archdeacon Habib Guirguis
Pope Kyrillos V
What are the garments of the monks and nuns? And what does it symbolize?
Black color garment, bonnet with 12 crosses on it and and cross in the back
Black color- died of this world and going to their eternal life
12 crosses - for the disciples
Cross in the back- so christ controls their thoughts
List the feats that we celebrate monthly?
The commemoration of the Annunciation, Nativity and Resurrection of Christ
The commemoration of St. Mary
The feast of Archangel Michael
What are the 3 shapes of the church?
Circle
Arch
Cross
Name the 3 ecumenical councils and how many representatives attended each of them?
Council of Nicea- 318 representative bishops
Council of Constantinople- 150 representative bishops
Council of Ephesus- 200 representative bishops
Which well-known leader graduated from the Clerical School of Alexandria in modern times?
Archdeacon Habib Guirguis
What are the 3 forms of monasticism?
Monarchism
Coenobitic System
Communal System or Semi-eremitic Life
How many feasts of the cross are there? Mention the dates of each? And what do we celebrate?
Two feasts of the cross
The first feast is on Tout 17, (c. September 27). It commemorates the dedication of the Church of the Holy Cross which was built by Queen Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine.
The second feast is on Barmahat 10 (c. March 19) and commemorates the discovery of the Holy Cross on the hands of the same empress in A.D 326.
Why are icons put in the church?
They allow us to surround ourselves with all that is heavenly, reminding us that God has come down among us and His kingdom is truly at hand and is accessible to us.
It allows us to get glimpses into eternity and to embrace a divine light that shines through those depicted in the icons who have passed on to be with the Lord in paradise. In so doing, icons proclaim the faith of the Church!