Coptic Christian Witchcraft

edited December 1969 in Faith Issues
hello all,
while randomly browsing the web i ran into this book which thuroughly disgusted me can anyone comment on this??

http://www.pupress.princeton.edu/titles/6576.html


aghape,
chris

Comments

  • Hello CopticChris,

    I think you have to understand that the term “Coptic” as used on its own, has a much more general definition than most think. A Coptic Christian can refer generally to an “Egyptian Christian”, and need not necessarily refer to “Coptic Orthodox” Christians specifically. In this general sense, Egyptian Protestants, Egyptian Catholics etc. would be considered “Copts” also.

    Now the author of this book seems to be referring to certain Gnostic heretical groups which certainly did exist in Egypt, but who were opposed by our fathers, the Apostolic successors of St Mark the apostle, and the Orthodox bishops. When he therefore refers to “Coptic Christians” authoring these heretical works containing spells and witchcraft etc, he is therefore referring to “Egyptian Gnostic Christians” – however the term “Gnostic Christian” is a bit of an oxymoron from our perspective since we would never consider them Orthodox, but rather pagan heretics. However, im assuming that he is a secular author coming from a secular perspective, so all groups proclaiming to be Christian – even the heretics, those opposed by our ancient fathers, and refuted and condemned at the church councils, would be labeled “Christian” by this author.
  • man, as if i don't have enough spiritual problems without adding witchcraft onto it.
  • Hi!
    Iqbal is right Chris. Besides, I somehow managed to buy this book cheap off bookfinder.com once, and I read 30 pages before realizing what kind of nonsense it was. If you want to read for pure entertainment and not any kind of self education, then you may want to read it, but I got absolutely no benefit from reading a book with no fluid story about bits and pieces of gnostic "magic."

    God Bless You,
    George
  • Nofri!
    I agree, I also have the book and it's full of nonsense. It has no educational purpose whatsoever. We should take it as a collection of texts that someone claims to be true and that have nothing to do with Christianity. I felt it's somehow a mixture of hellenic and ancient Egyptian cults.
    Ougai!
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