the coptic contribution to christian civilisation - Fatherjacob.org

many more have left their mark on the history of Christiancivilization both within and outside Egypt. Whereas theCatechetical School of Alexandria was the only center ofChristian scholarship in the second and third centuries, theOecumenical Movement was inaugurated in the fourth and fifthto formalize decisions on burning questions of Christology. Inboth fields, the role of the Copts was supreme, and theirenduring contributions became an integral part of Christiancivilization for all time. Perhaps even more staggering as aCoptic contribution was the monastic rule in its perfected form.Irrespective of later views on monastic life, the fact remains thatmonastic orders have been instrumental in the preservation ofculture and civilization through the darkest ages of Europeanhistory. Furthermore, the Coptic monks of those early centurieswere responsible for an active missionary movement and theevangelisation of many parts of the old World. In the south, thekingdoms of Nubia and Abyssinia were converted toChristianity by these missionaries, and in the north, missionsfrom Thebes and from Mareotis followed in the steps of theRoman legions to Switzerland, Gaul, and even Britain longbefore the advent of St. Patrick and St. Augustine ofCanterbury.The impact of Coptic Christianity may also have penetratedother fields which are still open to further enquiry. Theinteraction between Coptic vocal chanting and the immortalGregorian chants, the basilical style in Coptic ecclesiasticalarchitecture and the standard cathedrals of the West, and theminor arts of the Copts are all subjects which attract increasingattention by specialists with a promise of revealing hiddeninfluences on our civilization.In fact, the conglomerate impact of these and more items hasawakened the searching minds of students of divinity andculture in many countries of the West to explore this forgotten35