Number DOI: http://doi.org/10.33209/2519-4348-2707-9627-2022-10-122

VB. – № 10, 2022. – P. 207-226

Summary

The article is devoted to theological education in the Coptic Orthodox Church. The stages of the formation of Coptic theological education, starting from the time of its birth, are considered. The Coptic Orthodox Church has deep historical roots – it dates back to the middle of the 1st century and related to the activities of the Brand. Being persecuted from the very beginning of its existence, the Coptic Church grew into such a church community that influenced the spread and development of Christianity. A brief description of two Alexandrian centers of intellectual life – Museion and Serapium, which influenced the foundation and development of the Christian catechetical school – Didascalia, is presented. This school not only managed to meet the needs of newly converted members of the Church, but also had a great influence on the formation of Christian theology. The author managed to find out that the revival of theological education among the Copts, after the decline in the 13th – 19th centuries, began at the end of the 19th century. The Sunday school movement and was a reaction to the active activity of Catholic and Protestant missions. It was thanks to the reforms of Patriarch Kirill IV (1854‒1861) that it was possible to raise the educational level of Copts, and the sacrificial work of Archdeacon Habib Girgiz (1876‒1951) started the movement to organize Sunday schools in the Coptic Church. The author gave a description of the first theological institution – the Coptic Orthodox Theological College, reviewed the activities of its leaders, highlighted the educational process. The main Coptic institutions of higher spiritual education outside Egypt – in Australia, the USA, and Canada – were also analyzed. In addition, the article examines the main problems of Coptic theological education and shows the activities of the leadership of the Coptic Church in solving them.

Key words: Coptic Church, Copts, Apostle Mark, Sunday school, Habib Girgiz, college, seminary, theological education.

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