https://tasbeha.org/community/categories/coptic-orthodox-church/p35/feed.rss Fri, 19 Jun 2026 15:14:51 +0000 Coptic Orthodox Church - Tasbeha.org Community en-CA https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11375/evidence-for-female-leadership-in-church Tue, 03 May 2011 21:42:05 +0000 andrew8345 11375@/community/discussions
1) Galations 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

2) 1 Corinthians 11:10 "For this reason a woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels."

3) Acts 2:17-18 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy."

---The three passages above are normative and lead to behavior documented in the descriptive texts below:

1. Romans 16:1-2 "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me." Phoebe as a 'minister' and as patron]

2. Romans 16:6-7 "Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was."
[Junia as an outstanding apostle]

3. Philippians 4:1-3 "1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life."
[Euodia and Syntuche as 'co-workers']

4. Acts 18:1-3 "After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them." [[Priscilla and Aquila as 'co-workers' and house-church leaders]

5. Acts 18: 24-26 "Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor[a] and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately."
[Priscilla and Aquila as 'co-workers' and house-church leaders]

6. 1 Corinthians 11:5 "But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved." [Female prophets]

7. Acts 21:9 "He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied." [Female prophets]

8. 1 Corinthians 7:13-16 "And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?" [Christian wife as spiritual leader in a mixed marriage]

9. Colossians 4:15 "Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house."
[Nympha as house-church leader]

---1 Corinthians 14:33-35 and 1 Timothy 2:8-15 are taken to be corrective texts that address specific time-limited pastoral problems; had they been normative instructions, no women leaders would have been mentioned in the writings of the NT.

St. John Chrysostom- "Homilies on Romans 31" on Romans 16:6-7

"Think how great the devotion of this woman Junia must have been , that she should be worthy to be called an apostle!"

Theoderet - "Interpretation of the Letter to the Romans" on Romans 16:7

"These people were companions of Paul in his sufferings and even shared imprisonment with him. Hence he says that they are men and women of note, not among the pupils but among the teachers, and not among the ordinary teachers but among the apostles!"

Origen - "Commentary of the Epistle to the Romans" on Romans 16:1-12

"This passage teaches that there were women ordained in the church's ministry by the apostle's authority."

---I would appreciate your thoughts. What is the church's response? Why aren't women allowed to be leaders in the church? Please use evidence from the first century. I am trying to prepare a counter-argument to my professor who believes that males just want to dominate and Jesus and Paul were working to reform the gender roles and power in society and there is no reason a woman could not be a priest. They were, in the first century, he would say. ]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11452/loving-with-mind-heart Mon, 16 May 2011 20:30:00 +0000 11452@/community/discussions
i would just like to hear  your inputs on what you think is the difference between loving with your mind & loving with your heart

+ mahraeel +]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11432/egypt-and-europe Sat, 14 May 2011 08:07:26 +0000 henrik.hank 11432@/community/discussions the coptic church talks about things happening in Egypt but not so much about things happening here in Europe. Does this mean that you are not a church for Europeans? I am confused. you say I am welcome to join the church but you only speak about Egypt. I can not join a church who doesn't talk much about Europe. what do you think?
]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11422/apparitions-of-light-and-flying-doves-over-coptic-protests Thu, 12 May 2011 16:19:06 +0000 servant33 11422@/community/discussions
Opinions?

Found the article here:
http://bishoysblog.com/2011/05/12/breaking-news-doves-cross-of-light-over-menya-protests/]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11414/the-forerunner-publications-website Wed, 11 May 2011 03:01:30 +0000 Ioannes 11414@/community/discussions http://www.theforerunnerpublications.com I am looking forward to the 3 visits, maybe if I am lucky, I will get 4. ]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11352/the-church-on-disorders Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:15:27 +0000 liftmyheart 11352@/community/discussions First off, regarding the disorders, in what light does the church view them? I know many people consider disorders to be just passing stages where one simply needs to "man up" and deal with, but I know people who have really serious disorders. Does the Church believe that it is ok to see a therapist regarding such disorders? If not, how does the church say we cope with these disorders?]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11399/the-deceased Sun, 08 May 2011 03:26:36 +0000 kokiie 11399@/community/discussions
So I have a few questions regarding funerals and other rituals in our community regarding the deceased:

• 
  [li]What is the purpose of the funeral service?[/li]
  [li]Why is it necessary to pray for the deceased?[/li]
  [li]What is our belief about people who are not prayed on/ don''t attend a funeral service?[/li]
  [li]Why don't we pray for suicide cases? (I understand it's because they cannot be redeemed - but what if they had mental illness or struggled with depression and were never diagnosed?)[/li]
  [li]Are the 3rd/40th day and 1 year prayers church or cultural practise?[/li]
  

Biblical References would be greatly appreciated! Thanks very much in advance :)

Pleasee pray for me!]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11397/6-dead-in-egyptian-sectarian-violence Sat, 07 May 2011 23:28:18 +0000 Godislove_ 11397@/community/discussions http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/05/07/egypt.clashes/
Please god our lord Jesus Christ help us!]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11400/sin-not-leading-to-death Sun, 08 May 2011 03:35:42 +0000 kokiie 11400@/community/discussions 14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.[/quote]

What does this passage refer to in regards to type of sin, ie. 'leading to death' and 'not leading to death'?
Why does it say that we shouldn't pray for those commiting sin 'leading to death'?

Thanks!

Pleasee pray for me!]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11398/church-in-assiut-attacked Sat, 07 May 2011 23:58:38 +0000 geomike 11398@/community/discussions https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11384/providence-of-god Thu, 05 May 2011 19:34:48 +0000 coptic youth 11384@/community/discussions https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11306/pechristos-aftonf Sun, 24 Apr 2011 06:50:19 +0000 mabsoota 11306@/community/discussions
Christ is risen! may we all live with Him  :)]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11327/tasbeha-for-christ-jesus Wed, 27 Apr 2011 01:43:42 +0000 joseph.vandenbrink 11327@/community/discussions
I wish you all a blessed and holy Pascha!  During the first couple weeks of Great Lent, I had mentioned the possibility of us implementing local gatherings of EO and OO Christians to pray together and support our God-fearing hierarchs in the path toward reunification.  I am in the Edmonton, Alberta, Canada area and would like to see a small group of EO and OO Christians meeting to pray together and have fellowship with a meal and perahps an evening event (bowling, board games, etc.).  I have never initiated any kind of successful thing like this, however it's not about that but rather just having fellowship with other Orthodox Christians in the area. 

If anyone is interested, please post here or send me a message and we can go from there. 

Let us Glorify Christ's Resurrection!  We adore His Holy Third Day Resurrection!]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11372/the-holy-spirit-in-the-old-testament Mon, 02 May 2011 22:22:13 +0000 George_Mina_Awad 11372@/community/discussions
I know that the first mention of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament is in Genesis 1:2, "And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." But where in the Old Testament do we see the Holy Spirit mentioned in the way that we know Him today (i.e, where is the first mention of someone receiving the Holy Spirit)? When did David receive the Holy Spirit?

Also, how was the Spirit viewed in the Old Testament, since it had not yet been revealed to us that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit exist in one Godhead? What did the Jews believe concerning Him?]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11353/two-wills-or-one-will Sat, 30 Apr 2011 01:35:38 +0000 PopeKyrillos 11353@/community/discussions
Piekhristos Aftonf!

I would like to know the official viewpoint regarding the Will/Wills of Christ. We know that Jesus Christ is perfectly human and perfectly divine. Now, we also say that Jesus Christ resembled us in everything, except for sin. Therefore, doesn't that mean that he had a human will, that submitted to his divine will?

Let's consider Adam in the Garden. He had a human will, yet he was without the fallen human nature, until he ate from the tree. Hypothetically, let's say he was working in the garden (before his fall) and passed by the tree, and wanted to eat from it. In this case, we could say that his human will was to eat from the tree. However, he recalls God's commandment, which told him not to eat from the tree. Therefore, Adam's human will has submitted to the divine will of God- in accordance with God's commandment.

However, Pope Shenouda seems to think differently. In his book entitled "Nature of Christ", he has an essay at the end called "The One Will and The One Act." Already, I feel there is a problem. Shouldn't it be more properly called "The Two Wills, and the One Act"?

This is the quote that really gets me uneasy. It says "Thus, the crucifixion was the choice of the Divine as well as the
human nature."

But doesn't this perfectly contradict Matthew 26:39..? Let's see what the verse says.

"He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

It seems to me that this verse makes it clear that his human nature is uneasy about dying on the cross, as it is afraid of death. Yet, I have no doubt in my mind that his human will was subjected to his divine will as he willingly (following the divine will, as he did in all cases) died on the cross.

Moreover, there is another clue in this quote. He says, not as I WILL but as YOU WILL. Seems like there is really no debate even as to whether or not he has one will, but rather that he has two-with one (his human will) being WILLINGLY and ENTIRELY subjected to his divine will, which is the same as The Father's will.

So therefore, would someone please enlighten me as to how or why our church claims he has One will, and not just One Act?

Thanks,
PK


]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11346/st-mary-appears-in-ivory-coast-thoughts Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:35:32 +0000 jydeacon 11346@/community/discussions

This apparently just happened, you need to focus on where there is much light and a figure appears and disappears. I usually don't like to be a cause of doubt but this seems a bit odd...what are your thoughts?

Edit: PS I know our faith is not about apparitions and miracles, I am just asking about your thoughts of whether this seems legitimate or not..I think doubting first and believing later is better than following blindly and finding its a fraud or from Satan..]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11345/copticworld-org Thu, 28 Apr 2011 20:23:26 +0000 George_Mina_Awad 11345@/community/discussions Edit: I was very late with this.]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11318/inspirational-message-from-hg-bishop-youssef Mon, 25 Apr 2011 10:46:48 +0000 [Deleted User] 11318@/community/discussions
"Therefore since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin" (I Peter 4:1).

My Beloved Brethren,
Christ is Risen. He is Risen indeed.

While the disciples were drowned in their sorrowful contemplation over the persecution and crucifixion of their beloved Master, He surprised them with His glorious Resurrection. Since then, we have been enjoying the benefits of this Resurrection. Today I extend my wishes to you for a contemplative, joyful and inspiring celebration of our Lord’s Glorious Resurrection, as well as the joyful mysteries that surround it.

Tumultuous times can distract us; tempt us to despair and unfaithfulness, and down the path result in condemnation rather than immortal glorification. However, suffering and uncertainty should not be our demise but our leading source to Salvation. We should not carry our cross with complaint, worry, and protest but follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ Who carried His holy Cross with courage and persistence.

We must not allow the continued unrest in the Middle East to shake our faith, whether in word or deed. Suffering prepares us for partaking in the Glorious Resurrection and the hope of the life to come. It makes us stronger and determined with unwavering faith.

Persecution purifies the church. Two thousand years of refinement to a church rich with apostolic tradition and rituals have made her increasingly stronger and established her teachings throughout the modern day world. A single Coptic church burned in an explosion can light candles across continents and help to evangelize nations.

The New Testament teaches us to look forward toward the Second Coming, the Kingdom of God, whereby His glory will be manifested and revealed in us all. St. Paul teaches the Romans, "For I considered the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). He exhorted the Thessalonians saying, "So that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you also suffer" (II Thessalonians 1:4-5).

In order to be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, when the dead in Christ shall rise, one must strive to become Christ-like. "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever" (I Peter 4:11).

The Glorious Resurrection has opened the door to the Kingdom of Heaven, and prepared the way to the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to resurrect the dead in Christ. Tertullian c.210 taught, "Day dies into night and is buried everywhere in darkness...Yet, it again revives, with its own beauty, its own dowry, its own sun—the same as ever. In a word I would say that all creation is instinct with renewal...he whole therefore of this revolving order of things bear witness to the resurrection of the dead."

Let us all give thanks to God for the Glorious Resurrection and the pathway to the Kingdom of Heaven it has opened up to us all. The Glorious Resurrection has turned darkness into light, death into life, and hope into joy.

May we all strive to follow the footsteps of the One who tasted death for us all and know that there is no salvation, no eternal life except through Him.

To Him is the honor, the power, and the dominion over us all. He is risen, truly He is risen.

Bishop Youssef
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11315/jesus-of-nazareth Sun, 24 Apr 2011 21:26:35 +0000 BeshBoy93 11315@/community/discussions https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11314/coptic-liturgy-in-french Sun, 24 Apr 2011 19:27:21 +0000 Zoxsasi 11314@/community/discussions
Does anyone here have a PDF for the Coptic Liturgy in French?

I really need it asap.

Thanks]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11285/reading-the-bible-in-coptic-during-passion-week Tue, 19 Apr 2011 06:57:10 +0000 Zoxsasi 11285@/community/discussions
I would like to know if your Church reads the Bible in Coptic during the Passion Week prayers? Mine do.

No one understands Coptic at all, and the person reading it often makes mistakes in his pronunciation in Coptic also.

What is the point of reading it in Coptic then if someone just reads THE SAME Bible verse AGAIN in Arabic??

Didn't Saint Paul say that if anyone amongst you speaks in a language that NO ONE understands and that there is no translator available, then BE QUIET???

I'm not sure what the COC have in mind when they do this, but they are fooling themselves if they think people can concentrate for 3 to 4 hours non stop like this.

If the words in the Bible meant nothing to me, and i wasn't interested in benefiting, I would not post this. However, because I see that understanding God's word as edifying and as important nourishment for the soul, I care that we are not exhausting the worshiper with needless traditions so that when the Bible reading DOES come in their language of understanding, they are not mentally exhausted to actually listen and benefit from it.

]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11286/last-spper Tue, 19 Apr 2011 07:44:04 +0000 imikhail 11286@/community/discussions
This year is no exception: A "scientist" in London says that he "solved" the mystery of the Last supper
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110418/wl_uk_afp/britainreligionchristianseaster

So, in light of this challenge, I post the following topic:

Our Lord Jesus Christ, when instituting the Sacrament of the Eucharist, celebrated it with His disciples using leavened bread.  This is clearly described in the Greek New Testament with the word "artos", i.e. "leavened bread", being used and not "azymos", "unleavened bread".

This immediately raises a few questions:

1)      If it was the Jewish Passover, how did He find leaven to use in the Eucharist?

2)      Did He celebrate the Passover on the correct day; the 14th of Nisan ?

3)      What is the correct teaching of the Coptic Orthodox Church on these issues?



]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11276/singing-hymns-in-the-shower Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:38:30 +0000 BeshBoy93 11276@/community/discussions https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11248/relationship-of-jesus-and-john-the-baptizer Tue, 12 Apr 2011 22:19:13 +0000 andrew8345 11248@/community/discussions
Among them:

1. Jesus was a follower of John
2. John might have been an Essene
3. John baptized Jesus and this was a problem for many Christians and the later gospels (post Mark) try to downplay it
4. The gospel of John never actually mentions John baptizing Jesus
5. Jesus was influenced by John and his move away from ritual performance

Any answers to these claims? Any resources?

Thanks.]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11168/ways-to-search-the-writings-of-the-church-fathers Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:25:17 +0000 anba bola 11168@/community/discussions
We have made a very simple google search code (its just the same thing as going to advanced search except this way it is copy pastable) that allows you to search all of the patristics on orthodoxebooks.org. It is very useful when trying to see what the Church Fathers have to say about a topic

Just go to  www.google.com/books  and paste each of these two codes after your query (what you want to search). You'll have to do two separate searches (one with the first set and one with the second) for each query, if your search is more than 4 words because google limits how many words you can search.

So simply (because to be honest I could barely understand what I wrote above):
1)If your search is more than 4 words first search it with the first code pasted after what you want to search and then search it with the second code pasted after what you want to search

2) If it is less then 4 words you only have to do one search with both of them together and just replace the "inpublisher: orthodoxebooks of the first part with "OR" (don't use quotation marks and make sure they're both caps, it'll become a | when you actually search)


So here is the code:

inauthor:"St. Alexander" |  inauthor:"St. Athanasius" |  inauthor:"Clement" |  inauthor:Cyril |  inauthor:"Gregory" |  inauthor:"Justin" |  inauthor:"Chrysostom" |  inauthor:"Ignatius" |  inauthor:"Polycarp" |  inauthor:"Irenaeus" |  inauthor:"Basil" |  inauthor:"Cyprian" |  inauthor:"Ambrose" inpublisher:orthodoxebooks

inauthor:"Asheia" |  inauthor:"Papias" |  inauthor:"Benedicta" |  inauthor:"Mathetes" |  inauthor:"Samaan" |  inauthor:"Barnabas" |  inauthor:"Theonas" |  inauthor:"Theophilus" |  inauthor:"Peter" |  inauthor:"Hippolytus" |  inauthor:"Dionysius" inpublisher:orthodoxebooks
[hr]

If you go to ccel.org (which has 37 volumes of Patristics) you can search for scripture references. So if a Church Father even quoted a verse you can find what they said about it. Just go to the search button at the top of the page and paste in

title:(ANF* OR NPNF*) AND scriptureRef:"Bible verse(s) here"

just replace whats in quotation marks with the Bible verse... so for example          title:(ANF* OR NPNF*) AND scriptureRef:"1 Peter 3:2"

You can also search through all of the Church Fathers library by typing          title:(ANF* OR NPNF*) AND ....... ]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11243/holy-week-quotes Mon, 11 Apr 2011 22:33:09 +0000 Tzegemariam 11243@/community/discussions
I was wondering if anyone had any spiritual Desert Father quotes for Holy Week, that they could post???
I need them for a Church project, Godwilling!!!

Plus any kind of advice on how to live the Passion week, for teens, or anything else anyone wanted to add to help about this topic...


May God Bless you and guide you in responding to this message!

Thanks and pray for me, a sinner ]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11203/orthodoxy-and-holidays Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:16:52 +0000 jfarag92 11203@/community/discussions
How did the church choose the dates for holidays and which to celebrate? Christmas, Easter, etc.

When were they established - as far as i know the celebration of Christmas is a relatively recent holiday.

Also how did the hymns and traditions get assigned to them?



Correct me if i have anything wrong.]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11219/sermons-by-fr-bishoy-brownfield Fri, 08 Apr 2011 02:16:46 +0000 andrew8345 11219@/community/discussions
www.saintcyril.us

Note that you do need to register to access the media. To register click on the information tab and then contact.

God bless.]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11234/what-does-this-mean Sat, 09 Apr 2011 21:19:31 +0000 PaulSamir 11234@/community/discussions does this mean that we shouldnt call our priests abouna or father, or our actual dads; dad?

i know im taking this too literal, im just confused.]]> https://tasbeha.org/community/discussion/11239/the-answer-to-your-problems Sun, 10 Apr 2011 15:46:44 +0000 Zoxsasi 11239@/community/discussions
We've been debatting about the future of our Church's hymns and the impact of changing Coptic/Arabic hymns to English hymns or English-translated coptic hymns.

I believe that our faith transcends or should transcend cultural/language barriers. We cannot keep on being stuck on language as a pre-requisite to actually understand and participate in Orthodox Worship.

I would like to post a link of a Coptic Orthodox Choir that have proven that our Coptic Orthodox hymns are amazing in English (if not even better than Coptic).

Please listen to this... PASTE THIS ON YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE, pass it around.



Its amazing.
]]>