Coptic Culture
Christian Teachings and Thought, Part XIII
by Ed Rizkalla
“Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Mt 19.14
“je ,a ni`alwou`i `mpertahno `mmwou `e`i haroi niouon gar `mpairh] ;wou te ]metouro `nte nivyou`i.”
“دعوا الاولاد يآتون إلي ولا تمنعوهم لأن لمثل هؤلاء ملكوت السموات"
From the very beginning God created man in his own image, both male and female, and blessed marriage and family saying “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.” (Gen1:30). The gospels confirm God’s blessings regarding marriage, family, and children. The gospel indicates that when the Pharisees asked Jesus “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together let not man put asunder.” (Mt 19:3-6). The Pharisees responded noting that Moses allowed divorce, however Jesus said “For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.” (Mt 19:8). As the Apostles rebuked the people for bringing their children to Jesus, he commanded “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 19:13-15). Jesus further blessed the family, and condemned any who would lead children astray “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea…See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 18:5,6,10,11).
In the last article of this series, the writer explored some of the writing of Clement of Alexandria (c150-215 AD) regarding marriage, family and children. Many of the early Christian writers led ascetic lives, and some of them led celibate lives. Saint Athanasius the Apostolic (293-373 AD) led an ascetic and celibate life. Though he favored celibacy he taught- as we’ll see shortly- that marriage, family and children are blessings from the Lord.
The 4th century AD witnessed the rise of several heresies such as the Arian heresy. It also witnessed the rise of several, one of which was led by a man called “Hieracas”. Hieracas led an ascetic life and was known as an intelligent man, who wrote poetry in Coptic and Greek. However, he also held erroneous views about marriage. He taught that only a celibate life would lead to the kingdom of heaven. Both Saint Athanasius and Didymus the Blind (c313-398 AD) rejected Hieracas’ views as erroneous, and maintained that marriage was an honored estate and a blessed one. Saint Athanasius wrote his rebuttal, circa 337-9 AD, in his “First Letter to the Virgins”. The “First Letter to the Virgins” was primarily written to admonish and encourage the pursuit of monastic life. However in this letter, Athanasius also points out that answering the call for celibacy is first and foremost an exercise of the individual’s free will, and marriage is an honored estate, governed by the commandments and blessed by God. Brakke (1) includes the “First Letter to Virgins” in his appendix. He further notes that it is a translation from Coptic based on a text edited by Lefont (*). The Following are excerpts from the “First Letter to Virgins”:
“Indeed, virtue of this sort (marriage) belongs to the nature of humanity, for each of the deeds that people do in accordance with the law has the law testifying in its behalf and recommending it as having fulfilled its precepts and its intention…Moreover, human nature, aware of the rib that was taken from Adam for a woman, seeks to join her with him, so that on account of her ‘the man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two become one flesh…For marriage has its commandments through the law inasmuch as its opposite, adultery, brings death. But virginity has no law. In fact, the person, who has not become a virgin, can be pious in marriage…
It is blessed when a young man governs his household and begets children…
Take courage and condemn Hieracas, who says that marriage is evil inasmuch as virginity is good…Now where has Hieracas found this saying of his? What scripture has he read that says these things?...he is foreign to our faith..If he hypocritically says, ‘I am a Christian’, and thinks that the Scripture is inspired by God, how can he not desire to be burned, as it is written, since he sees God making the woman and Adam, legislating concerning marriage, and blessing the people lest there be barren and childless women among them ?”
The Coptic culture has its genesis in the history and mythology of ancient Egypt. It has been influenced greatly by Christian teachings and thought. Extant papyri from the early centuries AD provide evidence for the influence of Christian teachings and thought. Layton (2) notes that “Among the school material recovered from the archives of Egyptian papyri are a number of elementary exercises-some predating the legislation of Christianity-with copies of verses from the Psalms.” Marriage formed the cornerstone of the ancient Egyptian society, and the ancient Egyptians cherished children. Christian teachings and thought preserved the ancient Egyptian cultural attributes pertaining to the equality of men and women and the respect for women in the family and society at large. However, they also forbade divorce, which was common in ancient Egypt, thus enhancing family bonds and protecting children. Christian teachings and thought admonished the believers to cherish their children as gifts from God, and to raise them in the fear of the Lord. Christian teachings and thought added a spiritual dimension to the pragmatic and humane dimensions which existed in the ancient Egyptian culture.
The peace of the Lord be with you all. Irene Passe.
References:
(1) Athanasius and the Politics of Asceticism, by David Brakke, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1995.
(*) L.Th.Lefort, S. Athanase: Lettres festales et pastorals en copte (Louvain, 1955).
(2) Didymus the Blind and His Circle in Late-Antique Alexandria, by Richard A. Layton, University of Illinois Press, Chicago, ILL, 2004.
Acknowledgement: The writer would like to acknowledge and thank the staff of the Library of Congress, Washington, DC, for their assistance with research for background material for this article.
Ed Rizkalla is a management consultant and freelance writer. He is the founder of Pharos on the Potomac Group (POPG), a non-profit organization at Annandale, VA.