Coptic Theological Seminary

Last updated March 21, 2019

The Coptic Theological Seminary is an institution of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria based in Cairo and with branches and affiliated seminaries throughout the world.^[1] The Seminary claims historical continuity with the historic Catechetical School of Alexandria of the 2nd and 3rd centuries, and regards the 1893 establishment as a reestablishment of this school.^{[ citation needed ]}

The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt, Africa and the Middle East. The head of the Church and the See of Alexandria is the Patriarch of Alexandria on the Holy See of Saint Mark, who also carries the title of Coptic Pope. The See of Alexandria is titular, and today the Coptic Pope presides from Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in the Abbassia District in Cairo. The church follows the Alexandrian Rite for its liturgy, prayer and devotional patrimony. With 18–22 million members worldwide, whereof about 15 to 20 million are in Egypt, it is the country's largest Christian church.

Cairo is the capital of Egypt. The city's metropolitan area is one of the largest in Africa, the largest in the Middle East, and the 15th-largest in the world, and is associated with ancient Egypt, as the famous Giza pyramid complex and the ancient city of Memphis are located in its geographical area. Located near the Nile Delta, modern Cairo was founded in 969 CE by the Fatimid dynasty, but the land composing the present-day city was the site of ancient national capitals whose remnants remain visible in parts of Old Cairo. Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life, and is titled "the city of a thousand minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture. Cairo is considered a World City with a "Beta +" classification according to GaWC.

The Catechetical School of Alexandria was a school of Christian theologians and priests in Alexandria. The teachers and students of the school were influential in many of the early theological controversies of the Christian church. It was one of the two major centers of the study of biblical exegesis and theology during Late Antiquity, the other being the School of Antioch.

Directors of the Coptic Theological Seminary in Cairo include Yusuf Manqariyus from 1893 to 1918, Habib Girgis.^[2]^[3] Graduates include Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria.^[4]

Archdeacon Habib Qozman Mankarious Girgis was a modern-day dean of the Catechetical School of Alexandria.

Pope Shenouda III was the 117th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. His episcopate lasted 40 years, 4 months, and 4 days from 14 November 1971 until his death on 17 March 2012.

History

The original school in Alexandria continued until it was closed by the Byzantine emperor at the Council of Chalcedon. The centre of learning of the Coptic Church became the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great in the Wadi El Natrun ("valley of soda-ash") 90 km north of Cairo. In 1893 the Theological College in Alexandria was re-founded by teaching children in some Cairo churches and Coptic School halls,^[5] and today has campuses in Cairo, Sydney, New Jersey and Los Angeles.

The Council of Chalcedon was a church council held from 8 October to 1 November, 451, at Chalcedon. Chalcedon was a city in Bithynia, on the Asian side of the Bosphorus; today the city is part of the Republic of Turkey and is known as Kadıköy. The Council was called by Emperor Marcian to set aside the 449 Second Council of Ephesus, which had reinstated Eutyches, archimandrite of Constantinople, deposed a number of bishops, and resulted in the death of Archbishop Flavian of Constantinople, shortly thereafter of injuries sustained in a beating. Its principal purpose was to assert the orthodox catholic doctrine against the heresy of Eutyches and the Monophysites, although ecclesiastical discipline and jurisdiction also occupied the council's attention.

The Monastery of Saint Macariusthe Great also known as Dayr Aba Maqār is a Coptic Orthodox monastery located in Wadi El Natrun, Beheira Governorate, about 92 km (57 mi) north-west of Cairo, and off the highway between Cairo and Alexandria.

Wadi El Natrun is a valley located in Beheira Governorate, Egypt, including a town with the same name. The name refers to the presence of eight different lakes in the region that produce natron salt.

Related Research Articles

The Coptic Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic particular church in full communion with the Catholic Church. The Coptic Catholic Church uses the Alexandrian Rite. Uniquely among Eastern Catholic Churches, it uses the Coptic language in its liturgy, whereas the Ethiopian Catholic Church and Eritrean Catholic Church use the Alexandrian Rite in the Ge'ez language.

This article uses dates and years written in the Coptic calendar, using the A.M. calendar era, in addition to the Gregorian calendar, using the A.D. calendar era.

Pope Cyril V of Alexandria , 112th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark for 52 years, 9 months and 6 days. He was the longest-serving Pope in the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church. He was born as Youhanna (John) in 1824 or 1830/1831 according to different accounts and he died on 7 August 1927.

The Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, a faith with ancient Christian roots in Egypt. The current holder of this position is Pope Tawadros II, who was selected as the 118th pope on November 18, 2012.

Pope John XIX of Alexandria , 113th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.

Pope Macarius III of Alexandria , 114th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.

Pope Joseph II of Alexandria Patriarch of Alexandria

Pope Joseph II of Alexandria was the 115th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.

Iris Habib Elmasry was a prominent Coptic Historian (1910–1994).

Father Menassa Youhanna (1899–1930) was a Coptic priest, historian and theologian, most noted for his work on the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Father Matta El Meskeen or Matthew the Poor, born Youssef Iskandar was an Egyptian Coptic Orthodox monk. He was the key figure in the revival of Egyptian monasticism which began in 1969 when he was appointed to the Monastery of St Macarius in the Wadi El Natrun in Egypt. By the time of his death the community had grown from 6 aged monks to 130 monks, and many other monasteries had revived, and new ones opened. He was twice nominated to become Coptic Pope, but was not chosen in either case.

The Institute of Coptic Studies was founded in 1954 by the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. It is based in Cairo.

Coptic Cairo is a part of Old Cairo which encompasses the Babylon Fortress, the Coptic Museum, the Hanging Church, the Greek Church of St. George and many other Coptic churches and historical sites. It is believed in Christian tradition that the Holy Family visited this area and stayed at the site of Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church. Coptic Cairo was a stronghold for Christianity in Egypt until the Islamic era, though most of the current buildings of the churches in Coptic Cairo were built after the Muslim conquest of Egypt in the 7th century.

Coptic history is part of history of Egypt that begins with the introduction of Christianity in Egypt in the 1st century AD during the Roman period, and covers the history of the Copts to the present day. Many of the historic items related to Coptic Christianity are on display in many museums around the world and a large number is in the Coptic Museum in Coptic Cairo.

Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak is the current Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria.

Anba Suriel is a bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church who led the Diocese of Melbourne and affiliated regions in Australia from 1999 to 2018. He previously served as a bishop in New Jersey, United States, in the Archdiocese of North America.

References

↑ Eastern Christianity: Volume 5 – page 503 Michael Angold – 2006 "... theology in the Coptic Orthodox Church is taught at the Coptic theological seminaries, primarily the Coptic theological seminary at al-Abbasiya and the higher institute for Coptic studies, both attached to the patriarchate in Cairo."
↑ Two thousand years of Coptic Christianity – page 63 Otto Friedrich August Meinardus – 2002 Habib Girgis, who succeeded Yusuf Manqariyus as director of the Coptic Theological Seminary in Cairo, wrote altogether more than thirty books, the best known of which are his Dogmatic Theology, The Mystery of Godliness,
↑ Guide to the archives of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa University of the Witwatersrand. Library – 1991 "Abuna Marcos (Principal of the Coptic Theological Seminary, Cairo)"
↑ Encyclopedia of modern Christian politics – page 509 Roy Palmer Domenico Born Nazeer Gayed in Asiut (Upper Egypt), he completed his studies at the University of Cairo and at the Coptic Theological Seminary. Following a period of monastic life in a monastery in the western desert of Egypt (1956–1962), ...
↑ Archdeacon Habeeb Guirguis M Gibrael "In July 1893, the Pope thought of establishing a theological college which would provide the opportunity of learning for those called to become servants of the altar. ... He started by teaching the children in some Cairo churches and Coptic School halls."

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[1] Eastern Christianity: Volume 5 – page 503 Michael Angold – 2006 "... theology in the Coptic Orthodox Church is taught at the Coptic theological seminaries, primarily the Coptic theological seminary at al-Abbasiya and the higher institute for Coptic studies, both attached to the patriarchate in Cairo."

[2] Two thousand years of Coptic Christianity – page 63 Otto Friedrich August Meinardus – 2002 Habib Girgis, who succeeded Yusuf Manqariyus as director of the Coptic Theological Seminary in Cairo, wrote altogether more than thirty books, the best known of which are his Dogmatic Theology, The Mystery of Godliness,

[3] Guide to the archives of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa University of the Witwatersrand. Library – 1991 "Abuna Marcos (Principal of the Coptic Theological Seminary, Cairo)"

[4] Encyclopedia of modern Christian politics – page 509 Roy Palmer Domenico Born Nazeer Gayed in Asiut (Upper Egypt), he completed his studies at the University of Cairo and at the Coptic Theological Seminary. Following a period of monastic life in a monastery in the western desert of Egypt (1956–1962), ...

[5] Archdeacon Habeeb Guirguis M Gibrael "In July 1893, the Pope thought of establishing a theological college which would provide the opportunity of learning for those called to become servants of the altar. ... He started by teaching the children in some Cairo churches and Coptic School halls."