A River of Truth

Two hundred years after the birth of Christ, a middle aged man held a lecture in Alexandria, Egypt. His voice echoed through the lecture hall, “There is but one river of truth, with many streams falling into it on this side or that.” It was a point he always made so as to encourage his students to embrace all the branches of knowledge in their quest to become better Christians. Titus Flavius Clemens, or Clement of Alexandria as he is more commonly known, had travelled the world in pursuit of knowledge before finally settling in Alexandria1.    

Once there, he became the dean of the theological school and created a platform for education and knowledge as a fundamental Christian virtue – where learning becomes sacred. His voice was an eloquent one amidst a long line of mundane men and women, pushing their children to obtain the best education they could get. Generation after generation, Copts excelled at whatever was the pinnacle of education in their times; Philosophy, theology, and poetry in late-antiquity, followed by accounting and writing in Medieval Egypt, down to a plethora of doctors and engineers in our generation.

When a totalitarian regime in Egypt decided that it was going to steer the best minds in the country toward modern medicine and engineering2, our parents responded to the message. Ultimately, around 45 percent of the Copts in diaspora worked in those two fields3. They did what they were supposed to do and pushed my generation to the pinnacle of modern education. Now, it is our turn to do the same – though first we must discuss how to do it.

As a parent of a child who is just about to start school, and with the same generational obsession on giving her the best education possible, this is a burning issue for me. Like Clement, I believe that learning is sacred; Knowledge at its purest form is a river of Christian truth where the many streams of learnings pours into. I would like her to be part of Clement’s world, to receive the same kind of education that made Christian Alexandria the jewel of the world; I want her to receive a Coptic Christian classical education.

All over the globe, we have promising universities that function as rigorous seminaries with courses such as Coptic, Greek, Patristics, and very refined sub-fields of theology4. These monuments of learning are great, but are only accessible to a very small minority of Copts in the diaspora. As of now, this is the closest we can get to a Coptic Christian classical education.

By the time one is enrolled in those universities, s/he has already acquired a desire for learning and a deep appreciation for our Coptic heritage. But how exactly are we supposed to equip our children with that desire to learn, and a framework of cultural values based on a Coptic Christian heritage? The few hours a week in a Coptic church leaves much to be desired.

As a matter of fact, those brief hours are so insufficient, that I suspect many would have no idea what cultural values are  essential to passing on to our children. Worse, some would outright reject it because it is seems foreign or Egyptian. This interview with Rami Malek (an Oscar best actor award recipient from a Coptic background) illustrate this nicely; He talks about his Coptic experience at the 32:50 minute mark. His parents went to Church regularly and enrolled him in a Catholic school. But the only thing he can recall when asked about his Coptic upbringing is a long liturgy in a language he couldn’t understand.

Basically, we need to resurrect the School of Alexandria. Not as an elite theological college meant to satisfy the intellectual and spiritual thirst of the crème da la crème of our community, but rather as it was always meant to be: an all-encompassing institution that creates Christian citizens who excel in all branches of knowledge. We need a place where our children can become Christian leaders who will righteously lead the world in whatever vocation they choose.

To make what I am talking about more practical, I am going to use a modern model of education explicitly built to resemble how Clement learned and taught. This model is used all over the United States by some Christian schools who wish to emulate the “classical” education of old. Obviously, the big picture is more important than the details, but the details would nicely illustrate the ultimate objective of this vision. These details are based on my observation when searching for a school for my daughter.

• Kindergarten – Kids memorize the entirety of Exodus Chapter 20 (the 10 commandments)

• 1st Grade – Kids start reading NKJV on their own

• 2nd Grade – Old Testament history covered – Including Ancient Egypt

• 3rd Grade – Start learning Latin (Coptic in our case)

• 4th Grade – In depth bible study and Catechism, with specific verses memorization

• 5th Grade – Achieve enough Latin (Coptic) proficiency to read short passages

• 6th Grade – In depth history of the Reformation (Coptic Church history in our case)

• 7th Grade – Introductory theology

• 8th Grade – Logic, deeper theology – Augustine – “City of God,” Origen – “On first Principles”

• 9th Grade – New Testament Greek

• 10th Grade – Systematic Theology

• 11th Grade – Hermeneutics

• 12th Grade – Apologetics

• In addition to these “special” classes, the students learn a rigorous curriculum of mathematics and science.  

This kind of education already takes place. There are teachers trained for it, an association that accredits the schools, and established curriculum5. All that is left is making it Coptic, which should be easy as it is partially our legacy anyway.   

What can we do to make something like that happens? Well – on the short term– you should speak to your bishop (I did). New dioceses are forming every day, and our resources can be pooled to make bigger projects like these easier. Ultimately though, someone has to make it a priority before any work can be done.

For the long-term, several people are working on a non-profit connected to “Coptic Voice.” Education would be part of the mission, so getting involved would help. An official  announcement will be coming soon. Although a big project like this would take many years to complete, as well as full-time dedication and a lot of resources. However, with a serious commitment from the community, this vision can be realized.