Would an Egyptian ever want to be Catholic?

[bpbasilphx]

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Cheer up, Alma. There are Coptic Catholics, who follow the ancient Alexandrian rite of Egypt, with their own Patriarch.

 

[Isa_Almisry]

God new what He was doing. Plus, the history of God’s own people in the Old Testament (Israel) being continually being judged by Him for breaking covenant with Him did not stop the Apostles from converting or make Jews leave their faith.

Beyond that, they were not even the same people. The ancient Egyptians were not Arabs. Modern Egyptians are the same ethicity as Saudi Arabians, most Iraqis, Kuwaitis, Palestinians, and all other Arab countries. Plus, those ancient Egyptians were pagans. Other than minimal cultural and obvious geographic ties, I don’t think they would any more offended (I would hope) than a Northerner would be offended at sharing the the name “American” with people from SC just because SC used to be a slave state.

Actually the Coptic christians, the original Egyptians, 7-10 million, are the direct descendents of the Ancient Egyptians, and they use Coptic, the latest stage in the Egyptian language (Champollion, the deciferer of hieroglyphics, learned Coptic to do so). Through Hagar, the Norther Arabs are part Egyptian (which would include the muslim prophet), a fact that the invading muslim commander reminds his army before they entered Egypt, according to muslim sources.

The Copts had their hands branded with a cross when they paid their jizya poll tax. When the muslims stopped doing it, the Copts started, of their own volition, tattoo themselves on the hand with a cross. A Copt showing me his Cross pointed out “the muslims some are from Saudi Arabia. They are a foreigner here. Some their grandfather was Copt but converted. They belong here, but they are weak. My grandfather and his grandfather [pointing to the Cross on his own hand] were strong. This is the proof that they were strong. Ever since the time of the Apostles, every generation until today, my ancestors were willing to die for this. I am willing to die for this.” The Copts, btw, circumcize, they say as a sign that the Jews have triumphed through Christ over the world.

 

[Chris_McAvoy]

Beyond that, they were not even the same people. The ancient Egyptians were not Arabs. Modern Egyptians are the same ethicity as Saudi Arabians, most Iraqis, Kuwaitis, Palestinians, and all other Arab countries.

I must disagree with melchior that this is too simplified a statement to make

#1, to say all those nations are the same ethnicity. I’d bet a billion dollars they’re not. Arab nationalism is political nothing more nothing less. This is like saying Italy, Corsica, Provance, Portugal and Romania are all the same people.

#2. I can show you hundreds of pictures of Moslem Egyptians of today and match up the way they look with wax encaustic funeral portraits and frescoes of Egyptians from Hellenic to Early Christian times and you will see that many Moslem Egyptians of today look exactly like the Copts and have the same DNA as copts. I daresay Most Egytians are in fact ancient Copts genetically, they simply were too weak to stay christian and became ‘conversos’.

Good grief, I could have sworn I just ordered some Okra stew from this first man at a Moslem Egyptian restaurant last week! That curley hair is definitely a Coptic trait and he had it.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Fayum-01.jpg

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metmuseum.org/toah/ho/05/afe/ho_18.9.2.htm

doaks.org/ByzImages/LREB1.html

firstimageicons.com/Coptic%20Iconography.html

Same Egyptians Moslem or Christian, most of the time, 2000 years little change.

 

[lak611]

Copts are indeed a persecuted people. Even in the USA they have at one point been attacked by a moslem hitman back from Egypt. However most Copts who I have met live in perfect peace in Australia and the Americas

I used to work with a woman was is an Egyptian immigrant. She belongs to a Coptic Orthodox parish here in Cleveland. Her family members in Egypt are all Coptic Orthodox. She brought me back some nice souveniers from Egypt when she visited.