SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

man be healed at this moment, that Thy holy name may be glorified." Immediately his hand was healed. Ananius was shocked and invited him to his house. There, St. Mark preached the word to him, his family, and his neighbors; and when they all believed in Jesus Christ, he baptized them. Eventually, the number of believers in that city multiplied and the Jews became very angry. They sought to kill St. Mark, so he ordained Ananius, bishop of Alexandria, as well as three priests and seven deacons, and he departed and went to Pentapolis where he remained for two years. When he returned to Alexandria, he found that the number of Christians had grown and the Church was flourishing. But those who sought to destroy his life were still after him because he healed the sick, drove out demons and cleansed the lepers. Finally, on the first day of the Easter festival, which was the 29th of Barmudah, they seized him and tied a rope around his throat and dragged him through the streets. They threw him into prison that night, where he received visions from the angel of the Lord as well as the Lord Himself. The next morning, the multitude assembled, took him out of prison, tied a rope around his neck, and again dragged him through the streets until he finally died. His body was taken to be buried, and he was hailed as the first of the Galileans in Alexandria to be martyred for Christ. ( cf. Evetts ) What historians have said about the tradition: Several historians have investigated the St. Mark tradition and have arrived at various conclusions. Unfortunately, little is known about the history of early Christianity in Egypt. As a result, historians have created their own theories and ideas as to who began the movement in Alexandria and whether or not the tradition is valid. One such historian is Walter Bauer. According to Rev. Theodore Hall Partrick, Bauer "developed a brilliant explanation for our ignorance of early Egyptian Christianity" ( Partrick p.3 ). Bauer claims that "orthodox" Christianity was brought to Egypt from Rome at a later date. This conflicts with what is recorded in the tradition. He says that the earliest type of

Christianity in Egypt was heretical and gnostic. As a result, he claims that the Christians wanted to "cover up" earlier evidences of Christianity that were thought to be derived from "heretical" Gnosticism. He believes that the Christians created the whole idea of St. Mark as the apostolic founder of Alexandria simply because he was thought to be the disciple and interpreter of St. Peter in Rome. In essence, Bauer claims that the idea of St. Mark going to Egypt is a fantasy created by the Christians in order to "cover up their tracks". Bauer's theory became quite controversial, but it is now thought to be very weak because there is no evidence to support it. Consequently, several historians have arrived at very different conclusions in opposition to Bauer's. Bauer's theory that early Christianity in Egypt was heretical and gnostic is quickly overturned by the research of Colin H. Roberts, Birger A. Pearson, and A.F.J. Klijn. Pearson considers all the traditions related to St. Mark and concludes that while they have not been proven historically, they should not be ruled out. The general consensus among these three historians is that the earliest Christianity in Egypt was brought from Jerusalem to Alexandria and was Jewish in nature. The reason that we know little about the Christians at that time is because they were not "distinguished from the Jews" until around 117 AD. Additionally, Christianity "was not recognized in Egypt by the Romans as a legal religion" for the first three centuries. Christians were not allowed to own property or have any legal protection. As a result, Egyptian Christians tried to be included in the Jewish community. According to Partrick, this may explain "how Christians could have been virtually hidden among the large Jewish population" and why we know so little about them today ( Partrick p.3 ). Evidence Supporting the Tradition: Several documents dating back to as early as the third century support the tradition that Mark was the founder of the church in Alexandria. The Constitutions of the Holy Apostles, believed to

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

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