The Era of the Fatimids

OBJECTIVE

Students should have a basic understanding of the state of the Coptic church under the changing Islamic regime and the consequences it had on Coptic Orthodoxy. This week presents the challenges the church faced under the Fatimid governance and their long-lasting consequences.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 10 Minutes

Please review the previous week's lesson. (5 minutes)

Ask the class what they know about the history of Christianity in Egypt, in the eleventh and twelfth century. (They should know a couple of facts from previous lessons). After that, ask them what they think the relationship between devout Islamic rulers and Coptic Christian citizens was like during that era. (5 minutes)

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes

So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you". (Matthew 17:20)

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 25 Minutes

Fatimid History

During the later years of the Ikhshidid rule, a lot of political chaos arose, which weakened the state of the government. The resulting weaker government was not able to defend against general Jawhar's Fatimid conquest of Egypt in 969, who took over and introduced the Shia denomination of Islam. General Jawhar immediately founded the new capital, Cairo (al-Qahira), meaning "the victorious", along with the al-Azhar Mosque, which became a prominent center for the propagation of the Shia denomination, and still is to this day. Shias were the minority in a predominantly Sunni province, which led their dynasty to practice great restraint and balance when dealing with the nation's political and religious affairs. This style of governance has led to a civil relationship between the Coptic patriarchs and the country's ruling figures, including the Islamic imams.

Pope Abraham and Bishop Sawiris

During that era, great secular and ecclesiastical relationships developed between Egypt and Syria, which led the Coptic church to choose a pious Syrian merchant, Abraham ibn Zur'ah, to become their patriarch, Pope Abraham. Pope Abraham was the first of four Coptic patriarchs to be of Syrian descent. He and the very knowledgeable Bishop Sawiris, (Sawieus ibn al-Maquffa) Bishop of Ashmunein, would become the best-known Coptic figures of the Fatimid era. Pope Abraham was among the leading Christian figures who fought against simony and concubinage, which were some of the issues Coptic Christians were dealing with during that era. Pope Abraham is also the one who added the three-day fast to the Advent fast leading to the feast of Nativity, along with bringing the three-day fast of the nation of Nineveh (Jonah's Fast) to the Coptic church. Bishop Sawirus was among the first theologians and apologists who wrote exclusively in Arabic, introducing a new genre: Coptic Arabic literature, which was designed to include Arabic Christian texts translated or authored by Coptic Christians. Bishop Sawirus also initiated two multigenerational programs that shifted the use and perception of the Greek language: the first aimed to translate Coptic literature into Arabic, while the second aimed to translate Sahidic Coptic liturgical and literary texts into the Bohairic dialect. Throughout the ninth century, the Coptic hierarchy continued to use the Greek language for its decrees, and Greek fluency was cultivated among the elites. During the tenth century, however, the Greek language would lose its prestige, but the language still survived through its liturgical use among Alexandrian Coptic churches until the fourteenth century. Both Pope Abraham and Bishop Sawirus were involved in one of the most famous miracles in Coptic history: the moving of Mokattam Mountain.

Moving of Mokattam Mountain

During the tenure of the Fatimid imam al-Aziz, councils (majlis) were held among the three monotheistic faiths (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism) to discuss the various faiths and beliefs, along with the state of the nation. During one of those councils, Bishop Sawirus defeated his Jewish opponent, who then retaliated by informing the caliph (chief Muslim leader) of the Christian verse that claims that if anyone has faith as a mustard seed, they could move mountains (Matthew 17:20). After that, Al-Aziz requested the patriarch and informed him that unless he can prove the accuracy of that verse, Christians would be persecuted. Following a three-day fast, which the patriarch and the faithful observed, the patriarch had a vision in which the Virgin Mary assured him that a devout one-eyed tanner, Simon the Tanner, would move the mountain. The patriarch then found the tanner and learned about his pious life and commitment. Later that day, the three fractions of the population met at the base of the Mokattam Mountain, with Simon the Tanner standing behind Pope Abraham. As the Christians prayed and cried out kyrie-eleison (Lord, have Mercy), the mountain moved, which spared the Christians and allowed them to rebuild several of their churches.

Al-Hakim Bi Amr Allah

The civil relationship between the Fatimid rulers and the church ended with the reign of al-Hakim bi Amr Alla (literally translated as "ruler by order of God"), whose erratic behavior and extreme policies took their toll on Christians all over Egypt during the era. At the dawn of his reign, al-Hakim purged his administration of all Christians, forced some to convert to Islam or get persecuted, reissued the dhull laws, which included clothing and riding regulations, and eventually ordered the closure of all churches, an order that was enforced for nearly three years; Al-Hakim also encouraged the destruction of churches in Egypt, Syria, and Jerusalem, which were also under the Islamic regime. It was during that era, that the renaming of the Coptic calendar, from "the Era of Diocletian" to " the Era of the Martyrs" in Nubia, gained wide acceptance and began to appear in literary texts, due to the extreme persecution of Coptic Christians under al-Hakim. Following al-Hakim's persecution, the Coptic Christians had to rebuild their churches and later attained a reprieve from socio-religious discrimination due to the influence of the Armenian amir al-juyush (military leader) Badr al-Jamali, who became the mediator of power in Egypt from 1074 until his death in 1094.

Pope Christodoulos

Around the middle of the century, Pope Christodoulos (1046-1077) introduced a second phase in the Coptic-to-Arabic translation program initiated by Bishop Sawiris, which resulted in a widespread Arabization among Coptic Christians commonplace during his papacy. Even though a lot of effort was put in the translation programs, the process continued to be uneven during the eleventh century, especially in the rural regions of Egypt. Among the reforms initiated by Pope Christodoulos (can possibly also date to Pope Zacharias (1004-1032), a predecessor of his) is the ending of the celebration of the Reserved Sacrament (or the Presanctified Gifts), the procedure of storing already-sanctified bread and wine for emergency cases, which had been observed by the See of Alexandria since the fourth century.

Pact of Umar

The so-called covenant or "Pact of Umar" likely dates to this period of Coptic history. The "Pact" stood as the most important legal document outlining the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims during that era. The document outlined many restrictions and laws instructing non-Muslims on how they can interact with Muslims and the Islamic religion as a whole, in order to be protected by the government. The document carries many long-lasting effects from the way Coptic Christians (mainly clergy-men) dress to the structural designs of churches and houses of worship,

Other Consequences of the Fatimid Era

Prompted by Bard al-Jamali, Pope Cyril II (1078-1092) relocated the seat of the Coptic patriarch from Alexandria to Cairo. Previous to the Islamic rule, Alexandria was among the centers of political and ecclesiastical power; Arab rule, however, created a spatial schism in that respect. The relocation move was not an unexpected one. Alexandria and Cairo were too distant to maintain regular interactions between the patriarch and the governing authorities, and the Coptic patriarch often resided in proximity to the apex of the Delta since the eighth century anyway. The move did cause some issues though, especially during the papacies of Pope Michael IV (1092-1102) and Pope Macarius II (1102-1128), since the Cairo region had its own bishop. The local civil and ecclesiastical elites met the patriarchs with a great deal of resistance and demanded to continue to have their own bishop while objecting to the proposition that the patriarch would control two great dioceses. The issue continued to linger until Pope Gabriel ibn Turayk (1131-1145) who simply refused to appoint a new bishop to the diocese. Pope Gabriel is also credited with nomocanon: he limited the number of liturgies prayed by Coptic Christians from nearly a dozen to the three prayed until this day; the Alexandrian Basil, the Alexandrian Gregory, and that which is attributed to St. Cyril I (Liturgy of St. Mark).

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 5 Minutes

• Who were the major Coptic Christian figures during the Fatimid era? What were their roles/contributions to the church?
• What were the challenges that the church faced under Fatimid governance?

LIFE APPLICATION - 5 Minutes

During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Coptic Christians provided the government with a vulnerable population that was easily exploited to fund their military endeavors, and this relationship would further deteriorate with the arrival of the crusaders. Furthermore, many Muslims perceived Coptic Christians to be an aid to the cross-bearing crusaders, which resulted in a great level of mistrust between the inner population of the nation. This led to many Muslims taking their anger out, through mobs and riots against Coptic churches and establishments, during crusader victories. This would deteriorate even further during the Ayyubids era which will be discussed next week. The thing to remember is that the resilience of Coptic Christians and the adherence to the faith is built into our fabric. The external circumstances and factors created by the secular world around us cannot deter our spiritual lives, because no matter what they are, our church is strong and we have been built to handle them with God's aid.

This lesson helps us understand how to maintain one's faith and worship in the midst of attacks, and also how God reveals and protects His children in various ways.

SERVANT RESOURCES

"The Coptic Christian Heritage: History, Faith and Culture" by Lois M Farag

PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK

Students should ask their parents what they know about the Fatimids, and if they cannot recall any pieces of information, both students and parents can do further research on the topic.