Coptic cross - a symbol of Egyptian Christians

Ancient painters who painted Egyptianrulers and queens, often depicted with the Coptic cross in their hands. The pharaohs held this symbol of eternal life by the round pen, just as the apostle Peter held the keys to the afterlife.

What is the Coptic Cross

Every Orthodox is aware of the powerChristian cross, but not everyone knows that this symbol appeared on Earth much earlier than Christianity was born on it. The history associated with the origin of the cross, equally applies to paganism and Christianity, Hinduism and the Mayan religion ...

The oldest analogue of traditional Christianthe cross, according to existing sources, is considered the Ankh - the Coptic cross (a symbol that is still used by descendants of the ancient Copts), decorated with a loop. Ankh adorns the utensils and walls of the tombs of the dead pharaohs - the Egyptians considered it the key to unlock the world of the dead.

This ancient hieroglyph had many names. He was called “the key of the Nile”, “the key of life”, “the knot of life”, “the bow of life” ...

Idea of ​​eternal life

According to the assumptions of some historians,life "outside the pyramid," that is, existence in a parallel world, the noble Egyptians considered the main purpose of their stay in the material world, therefore, much of the earthly life of the Egyptian pharaohs was devoted to preparing for death.

Symbolizing the idea of ​​eternal life, the Coptic cross in the religion of ancient Egypt united two other significant symbols: "cross" - life, and "circle" - eternity.

In addition, the Ankh, which was also a symbol of the union of Isis and Osiris, sushi and heaven, male and female, was revered by the Egyptians as a sacred hieroglyph, denoting higher intelligence.

Коптский крест (фото вы можете видеть на page) many are confused with the symbol of Christ the Savior, although in reality the cross on the loop symbolizes the Egyptian sun god - Ra. According to some sources, the ancient Egyptians expressed the worship of the god Ra through sexual orgies, since the same hieroglyph symbolized fertility. This is probably why the second name of the Coptic cross is the cross of life.

Opinion of scientists

Some Egyptian researchers claimthat the Egyptian identified the horizontal lines of the Coptic symbol, forming a loop, with the rising sun, and the vertical lines with the rays. The same lines, according to another group of Egyptologists, are a symbolic reflection of the male phallus (vertical) and female womb (the loop symbolized female fecundity). Together, these two elements became the symbol of reincarnation, that is, uninterrupted life.

Coptic cross (value) through the eyes of modern believers

Today, representatives of some religious communities(for example, Christian) consider Ankh as a symbol of debauchery and contempt for virginity, and representatives of a number of modern occult communities use the image of the Coptic cross as their talisman, spreading it in society thanks to the increased interest of the population to the ancient Egyptian pyramids and mummies, as well as through tarot cards . The same symbol is often used as an emblem by rock musicians.

Most Christian communities consider Copticthe cross is unacceptable and incompatible with Christian morality and faith. And the Copts, by contrast, identify themselves as Egyptian Christians. It is difficult to imagine a Coptic temple, in which there are no faces of the Great Martyr George the Victorious and the martyr Mina. These are the Coptic most revered saints.

Modern Coptic Church

Coptic Church as one of the most ancient easternTemples ranks second in the number of followers, second only to Ethiopian. Currently, about 10 million Copts live in Egypt (the total population of Egypt is about 60 million people). It is also known about the existence of the Coptic diaspora scattered around the world, estimated at about 1 million people.

An ancient tradition to apply on the wristsThe modern Copts explain the cross-shaped tattoo with the fact that their distant predecessors - the Egyptians and Ethiopians - valued faith more than earthly life. The tattoo made it impossible even for the very idea of ​​renouncing one’s membership of the Christian faith during the persecutions.

The intransigence with which modern SlavicChristians belong to the symbols of ancient Egypt, the researchers explain the inability to explain the value of the finds discovered during archaeological excavations carried out on the territory of Ukraine, Siberia and Altai. In particular, among the numerous items were found Osiris figurines in the crown of Atef, bronze cats, the sacred-eye Ujjat amulet and Bes figures.

Part of Christian symbolism ...

Coptic cross crowning the Egyptian imageGod, as it turned out, was not unusual for the ancient Christians. Now many historians who are interested in the symbolism of ancient Egypt are convinced of this. It’s hard to believe, but the Egyptian would take the same sacred face as a depiction of his ancient god, and a Slavic Christian would see in him his next priest-king.

The image of Egyptian Osiris, for example, surprisingly resembles the face of Christ, and the striking similarity of the Virgin Mary to the goddess Isis still haunts Egyptian Coptic Christians to this day.

According to the information given in the tutorialauthors S. Gorokhov and T. Christ "Religions of the Nations", there are several branches of Christianity, each of which has its own symbolism. The Orthodox use four-, six- and eight-pointed crosses, Egyptian Christians use the Coptic cross, Catholics and some Protestants recognize only the four-pointed cross, and the Old Believers only the eight-pointed cross. But they all equally believe in the immortality of the soul and recognize the existence of heaven and hell.