TEACH - Journal of Christian Studies

You shall have no other gods before Me

Michael Henein — 2024-09-24

God the examiner of man’s heart and mind saw how Israel has deviated away from His knowledge, being impacted by living for centuries among the Egyptians, who worshiped many other gods and imitated them. The jealous true God called to meet Israel at Mount Sinai and declared Himself to them. This was preceded by a quacking thunder that made the mountain shake, fire and smoke that made the Israelites tremble. In the first two commandments, God addressed the most important issue for humans which is to believe in the one true God. The jealous loving God would not tolerate seeing the children of His promise follow pagan practices and perish after them. The same God who fills everywhere with His glory is repeating the same request to us all ‘You shall have no other gods before Me’.

The secret of the cross in Christian Orthodox theology and its divine revelation

Yousif El Banna — 2024-05-01

This study delves into the profound symbolism of the cross in Christianity, exploring the multifaceted significance that underlies the veneration of this emblem. The cross represents a paradox – a symbol of suffering and defeat on one side, and triumph and salvation on the other, uniting believers across denominations as the universal identifier of their faith. In fact, it stands as one of the most potent symbols in the world.

Drawing from divine revelations found in the Holy Bible, this paper reveals the deep-rooted connection between the symbolism of the cross and the act of redemption and salvation epitomised by the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. By examining the imagery present in Ezekiel’s vision of the divine throne, where four significant symbols – the man, the lion, the ox and the eagle – are introduced, we find a parallel in the Book of Revelation by John the Apostle.

This paper then explores the correlation between these four symbols and the portrayal of Jesus Christ in the four Gospels, each emphasising a distinct facet of His divine nature: His humanity, His role as the perfect Sacrifice, His sovereignty as the Messianic Saviour and His elevation of humanity through the act of salvation. It becomes evident that these symbols point to the centrality of the cross as the earthly throne of Christ, linking His sacrificial act to the ultimate purpose of Christian salvation. This research deepens our understanding of the cross’s theological significance and its profound role in the Christian faith.

The divine essence of ‘Good’ – a comprehensive exploration of ‘aga;oc’ in Coptic Orthodox theology and worship

Suzy Botrous — 2024-05-01

The term ‘Good’ or ‘’ is a frequently used term in the Coptic Orthodox Church worship rites, by both priests and the congregation. Notably, every liturgical service within this tradition describes the goodness of God the Father. This highlights the importance of understanding the real meaning and relevance of such term. The Lord Jesus Himself affirmed this attribute when addressing the ruler and said, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God’. This depiction of God as inherently good finds its foundation in both the Old and New Testaments. Nevertheless, a comprehensive critical examination of the term ‘’ in other languages, such as English and French and so forth, fails to entirely capture its profound significance. This limitation arises from the fact that this attribute pertains to the uncreated, boundless nature of God, which surpasses human comprehension. Consequently, language constraints become apparent. Similar challenges are encountered when trying to describe other distinctive qualities of God, such as love and compassion. Despite these linguistic challenges, God out of His love for humanity bestows some of His distinctive attributes upon us through the transformative work of the Holy Spirit, albeit to a limited extent. This article delves into the multifaceted nature of the term ‘’ and its theological implications, shedding light on the intricacies of describing the divine qualities inherent to God.

O Heavenly King dwell within us

Sameh Hunain — 2024-10-30

According to the Coptic tradition, believers pray daily the Third Hour (according to the Hebrew tradition) which corresponds to Nine O’clock AM, reflecting on the event of the Pentecost and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples, 10 days after the ascension of Lord Jesus. The Gospel of the third hour states clearly the promise of Lord Jesus to send the Holy Spirit, from the Father, upon the disciples. And that He will teach them and remind them of all which He had said to them. As is the case with all other hourly prayers, the gospel is followed by the litanies, again which reflect on the same event. The fourth litany reads: ‘O Heavenly King the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, who is everywhere and fills everybody, come and dwell within us, you the Righteous One and save our souls’. This prayer is shared by many churches, including the Greek, Syrian, and Maronite churches. The Arabic of the word dwell ‘حل’ may give an inaccurate impression, of calling upon the Holy Spirit to descend upon the believers. We hereby discuss the Coptic and Greek linguistic evidence for the accurate meaning of the word. We conclude that the accurate meaning is ‘abide within us’ or ‘stay with us’, since the believer declares in the first and second litanies of the third hour, the presence of the Holy Spirit within his/her heart and asks for His renewal, with the Arabic request adjusted accordingly to ‘اسكن فينا، امكث فينا، أقم فينا’.

Controversial addition in the Paschal praise ;wk te ;jom according to the Coptic rite

Mariam Abdelmalak — 2024-08-20

This article searches the history of the third verse, tajom nem pa`cmou pe ‘`psoic af]wpi nhi `‘noucwthria – My strength and my praise are the Lord who became to me a salvation, of the most popular Coptic hymn in the Holy Pascha, qwk te ;jom – Yours is the power. This verse is taken from psalm 118, and seems to have been added to the original hymn in the 20th century. Over the past few decades, another phrase eucwthria efouab was added, which has no biblical or liturgical reference. Although the media has assisted in spreading the latter addition, the enlightened Coptic language and liturgy experts should revisit the old literature and recordings to address such linguistic error and correct it.

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The life to come and the coming of the Lord ‘ερχομενος ο κυριος’

Suzy Botrous — 2024-05-06

Many people doubt the concepts of the end of time, the resurrection of the dead and the second coming of Lord Jesus. The Holy Bible provides answers to these questions and the church treats such worry in her order of worship with specific biblical quotations and hymns lyrics. Moreover, the universal church, irrespective of individual denominations, practices the ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’ as the hymn of the first coming of Lord Jesus and ‘Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts, heaven and earth are full of your honour and glory’ as the hymn of the second coming of the Lord. This article searches such issue and provides more details on the Coptic liturgical practices in supporting and strengthening the above beliefs.

Jesus in the Jordan

Michael Henein — 2024-05-01

Icons comprise a traditional Christian practice, through which the church displays her belief in a precise way in order to help the believers and non-believers to grasp various difficult theological concepts. Based on this understanding, church artists, over the centuries, put serious efforts to comply with the biblical details that constitute the foundation of the Christian faith. Consequently, the church embraced the art of iconography into her liturgical worships, by making the consecrated icon part of various celebrations, raising the incense in front of icons, bowing in reverence before them and also kissing them. An example of Christian icons is that of the crucifixion and resurrection of Lord Jesus. Icons should be distinguished from pictures drawn by artists based on free imagination, again in an attempt to depict a Christian event, example of those are the story of the prodigal son and feeding the five thousands. Despite being a relatively free form of art, pictures and portraits should adhere, as much as possible, to the well-established historic and religious facts in order to avoid confusing viewers from simple believers who may erroneously acknowledge them as factual. This article discusses the icon of the baptism of Lord Jesus as an example.