Every year, on June 1^st, Coptic Church, the church of Christians of Egypt, celebrates the flight of Jesus Christ to the land of Egypt. Egypt is the incomparable land that Jesus Christ visited outside His own birth-land in Palestine. St. Mathew, the Evangelist, has recorded such visit in his Gospel. However, the Coptic Church maintains dearly its unique characteristics; embodying its contributions to Christendom as follows:

The Old Testament has foretold about the Christian altar to the Lord in the midst of Egypt, and a pillar at its border. The book of Isaiah mentioned that the Lord has blessed His people of the Egyptian church. The Beholder-of-God St. Mark, companion of the apostles Paul and Peter began preaching Christianity in Egypt around 35 AD. Egypt was one of the first countries to embrace the Christian Orthodox faith.

The sanctuary altar was not a heathen nor a pagan altar, but rather the Lord-of-hosts’ one served by Christians of Egypt. The Christian altar in Egypt bears witness and glory in the Gospel’s missionary, and evangelical ministry of Coptic Church in Africa, Asia and Europe. The Biblical references show how the Lord, the Almighty God, has blessed His church in Egypt. Look at the Book of Isaiah (1:19), (19:19-21) and (19:25): "Blessed is Egypt My people", and the Gospel of Mathew chapter 2, verse 15.

The Egyptian soil, Lower and Upper Egypt, was the unique asylum that Jesus Christ took it as a safe haven and chose it for His Glory to build the future church in the midst of the Coptic soil. Jesus stayed for several years till the death of Herodus; fulfilling the prophecy: " Out of Egypt I called My son", Mathew 2:15

The idols of pagan Egypt had been smashed and crushed. Every time Jesus entered an Egyptian town, the idols tattered and monuments fell down and the residents expel the Holy Family over and over again. Many spots and places were sanctified by the presence of the Holy Family. We are humbled that Egypt has been blessed and honored by Jesus the Messiah and many prophets and patriarchs.

St. Mark, the Apostolic, founded the first school of Christian theology worldwide. Such school played a gigantic role in philosophical defense of the Christian faith against the claims of secular philosophy and Gnosticism. The School of Alexandria has introduced to Christendom the Greek translation of the Old Testament. The pillars of Christian scholars and theologians were gifted geniuses such as Pentinus, Eklimondus (Clement) of Alexandria, Origin (Origenus), the Adamantine Apologist and St.Didymus the Blind. In the fourth century, St Didymus had invented the engraved writing to read with his fingers; fifteen centuries before Louis Braille used it.

The extreme erudition of St. Didymus was regarded as the great "bulwark of true faith". Origin (Origenus)’ allegoric and mystical method of exegesis was his approach in textual contemplation. Christian theology had never been integrated into a system of thought prior to Origenus’ work. He may be considered the founder of Christian philosophy. The Alexandrine school of Patristic required the apologists to merge rational philosophy with Christian doctrines based on faith such as Logos, Original Sin, the problem of Sin and the doctrine of Freedom of the Will of Man.

In the 4^th century, St. Anthony, the Great Monk, was the first monk in the Egyptian desert of wilderness. The founding father of monasteries worldwide was St. Pachomius, the Father of Sharing. Anba Paula was the First Hermit (Anchorite) and Anba Barsoma the Wandering Ascetic. St. Shenouda the Archmandrite made a contribution in carrying the torch of spiritual struggle in Akhmiem.

St. Anthony, the Father of Monks has played a remarkable role in rallying the Coptic people against the heretic Arius, while St. Athanathius the triumphant was in exile. Scholars call St. Anthony the Patriarch as Abraham, and St. Pachomius as the Prophet Moses. The eclessia of Alexandria has profoundly and proudly protected the apostolic faith.

Defusing the heresies of Arius, Nestorius and Eutykhus was the major task and duty of our forefathers the bearers of our pure Christian Orthodox-faith. Saint Athanasius, the Apostolic, was the mastermind and soul of the formation of the tenants of Christian Creed, in 325 AD, in the ecumenical synod of 318 bishops assembled in Nichia. The stout Pope St. Athanasius of Alexandria was against the whole world to rebuttal Arianism and he has succeeded.

In 431 AD. Saint Kyrollus the Pillar of Faith, one of the Coptic Popes and Patriarchs, refuted Nestorism and presided over the ecumenical synod of 200 bishops assembled in Ephesus. The fiery zeal for the orthodox faith let the Pope of Alexandria, Our Teacher St. Dioskurus to attack Monophysitism and win the fierce battle against Eutykhus.

Our Egyptian forefathers have shown their testimonies for Christ globally. Our Coptic martyrs have carried the cross of persecution and martyrdom all over the ages. Coptic populations of complete towns were rounded up, tortured and slain. Akhmin (Akhmiem), Esna and Naucatis in Upper Egypt were few examples, where Egypt was an easy target for foreign aggressions, barbaric conquests and brutal occupations.

During the tyrant Roman Emperors Neron in the 1^st century, the Burner of Rome, and Deklidyanus in the 4^th century, persecution against Christians of Egypt was brutal, boreal and bitter. In 284 AD. Deklidyanus’ era reached the apex of rough persecution and zenith of tough martyrdom. Therefore, the year 284 AD. has been taken to mark the first year of the Coptic Calendar of Martyrs. Persecution and discrimination have been continued ruthlessly by the Sultans of Mamluks and Ottomans.

The Coptic Thebes’ Legion (of Luxor today in Upper Egypt) served the Roman Army in Italy, France and Switzerland. When the Coptic sixty-seven-hundred officers and soldiers refused to partake in the offering of incense and pagan rituals to the Roman idols; all of them were eliminated in all the war zones and beheaded. In the eleventh century, during St. Anba Barsoma, a great persecution befell the Christian nation of Egypt. Churches were shut and Christians were forced to wear blue turbans.

The Coptic grounds of alleys and roads of farms were stained by the precious Coptic blood. The rest of Copts were enforced to accept harsh occupation, hard conditions and severe taxation. Plundering the Coptic resources was the norm by the rugged oppressed rulers. Containment of the pure Christian faith was highly priced by the blood, tears and sweat of our Coptic forefathers. We are proud to be the descendants of the Pharaohs, Ancient Egyptians, and Coptic Orthodox-Church adherents.

The old Coptic Church, the strong apostolic Church of God, the King of Kings and Lord of lords (the Absolute Savior Jesus Christ), has hovered on the blessed valley of the River Nile, since the first century AD. The Coptic papacy has been live and well from ages to ages, for 117 Coptic Popes of Alexandria, Egypt. Today, H. H. Pope Shenouda III is the present Coptic Pope of the Chair of Alexandria, Cairo, and all over the world’s continents. Pope Shenouda III embodies the Coptic Church in letter and spirit and leads the spiritual path of Christian revival and renaissance in our modern age of spiritual bankruptcy. Hundred of Coptic churches have been carrying the pure- orthodox Christian torch to the Western World, Americas, Australia, Canada and Europe.

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George H. Kanany (Qanany) is an Egyptian descendent of the Copts and a Coptic descendant of the Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs. He is a graduate in Accounting from Cairo University in Egypt. In addition, George Hafez is a graduate in Economics and Computer Science, from the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Notice that "Copts" means the Christian Egyptians, the native indigenous people of Egypt. Since the dawn of history, Egypt is the gift of the Great River of the Nile banks, and the cradle of civilizations.