the coptic contribution to christian civilisation - Fatherjacob.org

THE CATECHETICAL SCHOOL OF ALEXANDRIAIn fact the fiery activity which flared up in the field of Biblicaland theological studies in Egypt must be identified with thefoundation and development of the Catechetical School ofAlexandria before 200AD. The first mention of it was in the lifeof Pantaenus, its first president, who died in 190 AD. This is theearliest contribution of the Copts to Christian civilisation andculture. Created as a rival to the ancient pagan Museion of thePtolemies, which survived until the assassination of the Hypatiain 415AD, the Catechetical School became the first great seat ofChristian learning in the whole world.We must remember that primitive Christianity came to theworld and to Egypt as what may be described as an amorphousfaith, based on the life and sayings or wisdom of Jesus withoutformal dogmatisation. It was in this fortress of Christianscholarship, the Catechetical School, that Christianity and theBible were subjected to the very rigorous studies, whichgenerated the first systematic theology and the most extensiveexegetic enquiry into the Scripture. The greatest names of theera are associated with that institution, which continued toflourish in the age of Roman persecutions. Pantaenus, thefounding father and first president of the School, started bybridging the gap between dynastic Egypt and Greek Gospelsthrough the propagation of the use of the archaic Greekalphabet instead of the cumbersome Demotic script, thusrendering the Bible more readily accessible to the Coptic reader.His successor was Clement of Alexandria, a liberal who wantedto reconcile Christian tenets with Greek philosophy. The Schoolfinally came of age under Origen, a scholar of pure Coptic stockwho is thought to have been the most prolific author of all time.Six thousand tracts, treatises, and other works of considerablebulk have been cited under his name by his old pupil, bishop7