I thought a lot about whether or not I should venture on the topic of what it means to be a Copt. What kind of expertise do I have to dare to go there? What sort of existing legitimacy does one need to give his thoughts on the topic? Clearly, other than a curious mind and a passionate heart, I possess neither the legitimacy nor the expertise needed for the topic. So patiently bear with me as I try to start a discussion in our community on Coptic identity. I am not trying to settle the matter or even give a nicely summed definition; my goal is simply to start talking about our collective identity. Identities are complex and are by nature, difficult to pin down. Nonetheless, I try to make it a point in my day-to-day life to identify as a Coptic American. By giving myself that label, I at the very least get a say on what that means.
The meaning of the word “Copt” at first glance seems straightforward and with a simple definition. Copt according to the Oxford dictionary is “a native Egyptian in the Hellenistic and Roman periods” or “a member of the Coptic Church” (Oxforddictionaries.com). This is a definition that probably could have been guessed by most modern Copts; however, the reality is bound to always be more complex than simple dictionary definitions. The complexity is natural and to be expected when trying to define a living group of people who adapt and change over the centuries based on their situation.
Consider for example, that native Egyptians in the Hellenistic and Roman periods didn’t call themselves Copts but rather called themselves by another name, “men of the black land,” or in Sahidic Coptic “rm nkh-me”. The black land alludes to the sediments left by the Nile flood every year (Coptic Encyclopedia). To add to the irony, the word “Copt” was derived from the name given to Egyptians by Greek settlers using the pagan Egyptian god Ptah and his temple as the source of the name. The settlers called Egypt by the name of its most famous temple in Memphis, “The House of Ptah Soul” – or “Hwwt-ka-Ptah” as said by the Egyptians (Fletcher, 2017). Hwwt-ka-Ptah became Aigyptos when Hellenized, then Qipt when Arabized, and finally Copt when Anglicized (passing through Latin or French in the process). And as the Coptic Church has nothing to do with Ptah or his soul, I hope the irony is not missed.
More important than its ironic roots, however, the meaning of the word “Copt” has varied through the centuries to either mean the whole inhabitants of Egypt, a select majority group, or a select minority group. Crucially, at various times it implied an ethnic group, a religious affiliation, a societal class, or a specific mix of all three. For example, to be called a “Copt” (an Egyptian) during the first century when Christianity was introduced in Egypt meant that you belonged to the peasant class of society and was used as a derogatory term by the Hellenized upper classes (See episodes 2 & 3 of the History of the Copts Podcast) . For example, there is a vivid account of how Alexandrian Jews were involved in a riot after being insulted by being called “Egyptians” by the Greek inhabitant (Riggs, 2012). And to be clear, a significant portion of those Greek inhabitants at this point was more or less Hellenized Egyptians and not actual ethnic Greeks (but as being an Egyptian was an insult, obviously they self-identified as Greek).
Even after the Arabs arrived in the 7th century, the narrative that Ethnic Christian Egyptians were called Copts and the Ethnic Arab Muslims were called Arabs is too simplistic (Mikhail, 2016). The Egyptians were divided into a Coptic church and a Melkite Church with various labels to designate the two camps. For example, members of the Coptic Church were called Theodosians, Eutychians, Severian, Jacobites, anti-Chalcedonians, Monophysites or the less inflammatory term: Miaphysites (Mikhail, 2016). The point I am trying to make is that the word “Copt” has taken on different meanings throughout the ages and will probably continue to evolve in the future. Holding to a rigid definition is a sure way to miss the mark. The Coptic identity is fluid and giving the significant immigration out of Egypt in the last Century and a renewed missionary spirit in the Coptic Church, it needs to evolve beyond its ethnic and religious roots to take on a more pluralistic and global meaning.
In order to arrive at what it means to be a Copt today, you must first eliminate what is not a Copt. If you look at what’s left, the contours of an emerging identity can be seen clearly. The first and easiest idea to eliminate is that a Copt is another word for an Egyptian. This may be true in the literal sense; however, in reality, and based on self-identification, it is not. Just consider that the official name of Egypt is the “Arab Republic of Egypt”. Most modern Egyptians will identify themselves as either Egyptians or Arabs. Thus, it is reasonable to use the words “Egyptian-Copt” and not sound completely nonsensical. In other words, the Coptic identity can coexist and thrive alongside a nation-state identity.
To be fair, that label “Egyptian-Copt” is a loaded one, and many would prefer if it didn’t exist. On one side, some Copts feel that allowing Copts to evolve beyond Egyptians would lead to a loss of the Coptic traditional heritage. On the other side, however, there is a much more problematic idea that Egyptians can’t identify as anything other than “Egyptian.” Some variations of that theme of uniform identity include being “Arab,” or more dangerously to us, being considered “Islamic.” A prime example of this is the Immigration Ministry of Egypt rejecting the term “Coptic Diaspora,” preferring instead to use the misleading and identity-erasing term of “Egyptian Diaspora” (See here). The foundation of both arguments is that Copt means Egyptian, thus you can’t be a Copt and non-Egyptian.
There are many problems with equating Copts and Egyptians, the most obvious being self-identity. Egyptians don’t see themselves as Copts, the Egyptian State doesn’t see itself as a Coptic state (which would probably be a more historically accurate term than “Arab”), and many members of the Coptic Churches don’t see themselves as Egyptians (see below).
The second, slightly more controversial meaning to eliminate is that being a Copt means being an “Egyptian-Christian.” Just a quick glance at the church map at CopticWorld.org tells you how global the Coptic Church really is. The picture on top of this article is from the Coptic Church in Bolivia. Clearly, most if not all members of the Bolivian Coptic church will not identify as Egyptian-Christians. I have no idea if they consider themselves Copts either, but if they did, can we really object? To go along those lines, can we really object when Copts in the diaspora regardless if they are converts, 2nd generation, or 3rd generation don’t feel strongly (or even reject), the Egyptian part?
The last and probably most controversial meaning to eliminate is the necessity of membership to the Coptic Church to be considered a Copt. There are many Christians in Egypt who are not members of the Coptic Church yet they still self-identify as Copts. Paradoxically, even the official language from the Catholic Church calls its mission in Egypt as “The Coptic Catholic Church of Alexandria” (see their official website here). One approach is to ignore their existence; another is to label their identification as cultural appropriation. I believe both approaches are mistaken. On a practical level, creating a bigger tent for the Copts is extremely useful for preserving our culture and advocating for the right to pursue happiness. Not to mention, putting the borders of the Copts’ identity on exclusively religious lines is problematic, especially living in a secular society in the West. For example, can a secular “Copt” who doesn’t attend church still call himself or herself a Copt? Can the sons or daughters of mixed marriages unrecognized by the Coptic Church consider themselves Copts? I absolutely believe that they can if they wished.
To provide a historical perspective, consider a very interesting historical figure from the 17th century named Yusuf ibn Abu-Daqan. He was born in Egypt and received some elementary education. At some point, he traveled to Rome as part of a Coptic delegation where he ended up staying after converting to Catholicism. Once in Rome, he greatly expanded his education and reputation as a scholar. He lived a very interesting life traveling Europe as a scholar and a diplomat leveraging his uniqueness and his knowledge of Arabic to teach in multiple prestigious European universities (Gabra, 2009). Obviously, he ceased to be a member of the Coptic Church when he converted to Catholicism, and he probably wasn’t a very religious man, at least by the 17th century standards (Hamilton, 1994). Yet, he identified as a Copt and was considered a Copt by his contemporaries as well as modern scholars with his entry in the Coptic Encyclopedia aptly named “Yusuf al-Qibti” (Yusuf, the Copt).
So, where does that leave us? We eliminated Egyptian, Egyptian-Christian, and the exclusive definition as a member of the Coptic Church. The answer is complicated and with huge implications. The magnitude of the question is nicely summed up in the words of another Coptic writer and thinker who explored the same issue: “Copt, which once meant Egyptian, is now declared on the name of new churches which strive to be explicitly not so” (Maged Atiya excellent blog can be found here).
As mentioned before, my aim for this article is not to give a rigid definition, but to get our community to realize and define its identity as a continuous process. Nonetheless, there should be some guardrails beyond just self-identification to prevent the appropriation of the name by cult-like groups that has nothing to do with the Coptic heritage or culture. This is not a hypothetical concern as in my research for this article I was able to find at least one. My thoughts on who is a Copt is someone who self-identifies as such with either an Egyptian heritage or membership of the Coptic Church. The definition is obviously not perfect and is open for debate, but that’s the point: to start talking about our collective identity.
Jonathan Adly is a Coptic father, church servant, and a Pharmacist. He writes and produces the “History of the Copts” Podcast. He is an avid reader and in the process of completing my MBA. In his spare time, Jonathon is either running or hanging out with my his wife and daughter.
A brief view of the History of the Copts Podcast:
This Podcast explores the history of the Copts from the Roman annexation of Egypt in 30 BC through Islam. Special emphasis is placed on the development of the Coptic identity as an ethno-religious group. I have taken great care to try as best as possible to avoid bias by relying on mostly non-Coptic scholars and on academic books that are sourced and went through the necessary academic rigor. A full list of the sources and other information is posted with each episode. If you are planning to listen, I ask you to patient with the first couple of episodes when I was still trying to figure things out.
If you would like to contribute to the Coptic Voice, please send an email with your bio and topic of interest to CopticvoiceUS@gmail.com
References and further readings:
- Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia: http://ccdl.libraries.claremont.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/cce
Entries of particular importance are “Copt”, “Coptic Language”, and “Yusuf al-Qibti”
- Gabra, G. (2009). The A to Z of the Coptic Church. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.
- Hamilton, A. (1994). An Egyptian Traveller in the Republic of Letters: Josephus Barbatus or Abudacnus the Copt. Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, 57, 123. doi:10.2307/751466
- Mikhail, M. S. (2016). From Byzantine to Islamic Egypt: Religion, identity and politics after the Arab conquest. London: I. B. Tauris.
- Fletcher, J. (2016). The story of Egypt: The civilization that shaped the world. New York, NY: Pegasus Books.
- Riggs, C. (2012). The Oxford handbook of Roman Egypt. Oxford, Great Britain: Oxford University Press.
- Egypt rejects term “Coptic Diaspora”: Immigration minister. Available at: http://www.egyptindependent.com/egypt-rejects-term-coptic-diaspora-immigration-minister/
- As a supplement I highly recommend reading Maged Atiya blogs titled “What is a Copt?” and “Can we survive Toleration?” His blog can be found at https://salamamoussa.com/
- Random websites used
- The Oxford Dictionary: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/copt
- CopticWorld.Org: https://www.copticworld.org/
- The Coptic Church in Bolivia: http://orthodoxbolivia.org/
- The Coptic Catholic Church of Alexandria: http://www.copticcatholicpatriarchate.net/
