Of Christianity Figures and Schools in Egypt

The festival of the relics of Mar Girgis is celebrated in July. That Greek Orthodox church in Old Cairo is named after the Christian hero.
He is one of Egypt's most beloved saints. Pictures of Mar Girgis, also known as St. George, adorn many a wall in Christian-owned businesses throughout the country.
The Mar Girgis Church in Old Cairo, one of many which the faithful frequent during the festival, conjures a feeling that only a saint warrior will appreciate: sanctity and war. It is perched on top of a fortress bastion. The soldier turned-saint would have approved.

Ancient fortress
The ancient fortress of Babylon, situated 5km south of central Cairo's Tahrir Square, features several churches, mostly Coptic. The towering stone structure of the Greek Orthodox Church of Mar Girgis greets you as you step out of the metro station.

Centuries ago, Persian, Greek, and then Roman soldiers doing sentry duty atop this tower would have been looking down at the River Nile instead of a metro line, and the ground surrounding the fortress would be some 10 metres lower than its current level.

The church's Greek orthodox clergy believe that the Holy Family rested there during their flight into Egypt. A similar belief is held by the nearby Coptic Church of Saint Serguis.

The church has another reason to cherish its location. "The pilgrimage to Jerusalem always starts or ends in this very place," said Bishop Porphyries.

The church's large, round structure with its huge bell tower that overlooks the main street of Mar Girgis is not the same one originally built some 14 centuries ago. The earlier structure occupied the second floor of the tower and was completely destroyed in a great fire at the beginning of this century. In 1909, the present church, a larger image of its former self was built atop the tower, said Bishop Porphyries.

Peculiar structure
The church has a peculiar structure. Its basilica is believed to be the only round one in Egypt. The stained-glass windows surrounding the basilica let in just enough light to illuminate the interior without breaking the spell of the fine lattice work and the exquisite icons. The Bishop savors the church's unusual shape: "The circle is a symbol of God's infinity."

Unlike Coptic churches, which commonly feature an icon of the Last Supper above the sanctuary doorway, here we have one portraying the descent of the Holy Spirit.

Many a figure
The iconostasis, or the screen separating sanctuary from the rest of the basilica, depicts St. Mark, St. Antony, St. Miryam the Copt, and St. Mina who is, untraditionally, portrayed as a young warrior in a full armour.

"These saints all belong to the early Christian era and are recognized by all other churches," commented Bishop Porphyries. St. John the Compassionate, a Greek Orthodox patriarch who lived in the early Christian era, appears on another icon near the sanctuary's door.

Another icon depicts St. Alexandera, wife of Roman Emperor Diocletian, who turned to Christianity despite her husband's cruel suppression of the emerging faith. Another icon features St. Costantine, the first Christian Roman emperor.

The icon of Mar Girgis is the most ancient in the church; its survival is described as "a miracle." Bishop Porphyries says the icon survived the fire that destroyed most of the church, "despite the fact that the candles lit in front of it sparked the fire."

At the centre of the church is a stairwell leading down to the heart of history," Bishop Porphyries declared. There is an awesome sense of timelessness as one tours the tower's three stories. The lower floor contains two chapels that are inundated at all times except in July and August when the Nile is at its lowest. The second floor is where the old Mar Girgis Church once stood. It now houses a confessionary.

A small chapel commemorating the Flight to Egypt and another dedicated to the Virgin Mary are located at the end of the spacious Greek Orthodox grave-yard nearby. Both are linked to story of the Holy Family's passage into Egypt.

A narrow corridor at the far left end of the chapel of Virgin Mary takes us to a cave and a nearby well and it has not dried up since," said Bishop Porphyries.

One icon in the chapel shows the Virgin weaving and baby Jesus lying in a crib nearby. Another depicts the Holy Family traveling in Egypt with the Nile and pyramids in the background.

Prince of martyrs
According to Bishop Philips of the Coptic Church, Mar Girgis was born in 280 AD to Anastasios, governor of Palestine. The young Girgis showed promise as an officer in the army of Emperor Diocletian. His bravery in battle won him Roman citizenship and he seemed set for a successful career, until he did something that changed his life and, arguably, history.

Officer Girgis, or Grorguis, was only 20 when he disobeyed orders to harass the followers of a growing cult that the emperor was determined to destroy. He was imprisoned, tortured and killed.

His bravery in the face of torture inspired many, including the emperor's wife Alexandria, to convert to the new faith. The momentum of sympathy that followed turned the struggling cult, Christianity, into the official religion of the Roman Empire.

A knight in a shining armour, mounting a white horse, kills a beast and saves an attractive maiden. Churchmen asked about the legend's authenticity, simply refer to the symbolism of good triumphing over evil. The historical ground is unknown.

Legend to England
Crusaders fighting for control over the Holy Land in the 11th Century claimed that the saint came to their help under the walls of Antion. The Normans took this legend back to England, which they had conquered earlier in the same century.

Saint George is patron saint of the Church of England.

From Coptic history
Founded by the Apostle, Saint Mark, in 68 AD, the Seminary called Catechism, aimed at supporting Christianity as it was met with unprecedented persecution in Alexandria. Such persecution was motivated by people's hatred of Judaism wherefrom Christianity proceeded.

The mozeum, who had the authority over people, were reluctant to accept instructions from a religion similar in origin to Christianity. Christians immediately realized that they had to effect a special reform in methodology to take place in a city of philosophers and verifiers. So they established the Seminary with the purpose of expanding professionalism in the fundamentals of religion as the origin of other instructions.

By the end of the second Gregorian century, one of the ancient stoics, Pantaenus, took side of the Seminary, counterpart of the Mozeum, in literary and religious subjects and was appointed principal of that school. Adopting the new religion, Ethnagouras, the Greek, became the manager of the Seminary and was proceeded by greater personalities.

During Clement's and Origen's epoch, the Seminary was ranked first among all Christian institutes established during the first Gregorian centuries. Logic, physics, maths, astronomy and music were taught on an equal footing with theology and philosophy. Such sciences should inevitably have been taught as long as there existed a Jewish religion based on philosophy, a Greek or Egyptian school based on general systems, a detailed attractive Aryan heresy, and the Gnostics mentioned above, that were anti-ecclesiastics troubling the church during its first centuries.

Seminary scholars were taken to explain the Christian religion using an educational system. One is called, according to Clement of Alexandera, the right anti-heresy Gnostic. Explanation of the Christian faith was followed by a variety of creations such as: exegeses of the Torah, pamphlets about faith bases and brief complete law pertaining to Saint Athanasius. Famous proceeding ideologies, especially those of Adventist, Jehovah's Witnesses, Sapilius, Arius, Nestorius and Euthycus were faced with great Christian resistance.

Hence, the fame of the Seminary was due to its particular enlightenment and priority. This famous institution was so proud to graduate the leading Popes of Alexandria and the greatest faithful Christians. It regained glory after the death of the prosecutor who furiously attacked it during the time of Caesarian Septimos and Diocletian. The position of its principals ranked second to the Pope's position. The greatest Popes were elected from its presidents.

Due to its bright prospect, the Seminary had impressive students who came from every part of the world to enroll themselves. Roden, the last Seminary President, had shifted it to Pamphylia without fair reason, which led to a decrease in the number of students. Schism following the Chalcedon Council, which took place during the middle of the fifth century, led to the Seminary obliteration. No sign of it remains except that it was the centre of theological education and the destination of theologians.

Seminary presidents
Appointed by the Apostle Saint Mark, Yostus was the first principal of the Seminary. His term lasted throughout the period of Saint Mark and his four successor Popes. Lynyanus, the second Pope, cared about the Seminary. He learned form Saint Mark the right education system. According to a Christian historian, all the principals were leading ascetic life. They gave up all their earthly concerns to God.
Thus, they were living a peaceful life, enjoying spiritual and divine love. Neither poor nor rich was distinguished among them. They gave all their money to the poor in order to learn how to live in the fear of God. They had only one meal per day after sunset. Men as well as women ate only bread and drank only water.


Omanius: during the papacy of Yostus
Marchioness: during the papacy of Omanius
Pantaenus
Clement: during the papacy of Dimitros
Origen
Yaroklas
Dionosius
Thawghest: during the Papacy of Thaouna
Peruse
Arshelas
Peter: during the papacy of Arshelaus
Serapun
Makarius: during the papacy of Athanasus
Diadems the blind
Roden: during the papacy of first Cyril
As to Pantaenus, he was born in Alexandria at the beginning of the second Gregorian century. Pantaenus was of a Coptic origin before being Baptist by stoic philosophers. It seemed that Pantaenus and his contemporary Clement of Alexandria were Ethnagouras' disciples. They were veterans in sciences and wisdom of the ancient, as well as their professionalism in Christian principles.

In 181 AD, Pantaenus was appointed principal of the Seminary. He remained in his position till he was chosen by Pope Dimitros to preach in India, after his Holiness had received a letter from Indians seeking for a leading Christian figure to teach them Christian faith. Pantaenus welcomed this request entrusting to Clement of Alexandria to take over the reins of the Seminary in 190 AD till his return. Pantaenus headed for India to propagate the Gospels.

He found there a copy of Matthew Gospel written by the evangelist himself in Hebrew language which they held in great esteem. Asking who has brought it to India, Indians said it was the Apostle Bartholomew. Pantaenus went back to Alexandria bringing with him this copy after he had passed in India a long period that cannot exactly be determined.

Meanwhile, Christians realized the life of Jesus must be translated into Egyptian language. Pantaenus assumed this charge, but he was encountered with the inaccuracy of the hieroglyphic language in the pronunciation of some paragraphs and accents, so he added six letters of alphabet to the hieroglyphic. Such a work was undertaken by Pantaenus in cooperation with his disciples till it was accomplished.

He, therefore, was able to translate the Holy Bible for the Egyptians in their own language for the availability to study it at their homes and churches. By this time, hieroglyphic was replaced by Greek language. After his nomination for s second time as Principal of the Seminary, Pantaenus lived a short time and died in 190 AD. This scholar had created many exegeses about divine books. Pantaenus disciple and successor said that his master (Pantaenus) was inspired by the Holy Books. Unfortunately, his creations were lost.

Clement of Alexandria was born in Athens in mid 2nd Gregorian century. Since his childhood, he had high concern for philosophy and became veteran in Stoicism and Platonism. These philosophies could not fulfill his quest. He headed for Greece, Italy and Minor Asia. Associated with Christian masters, he was influenced by Pantaenus, Principal of the Seminary.

He adopted Christianity, was assistant to his master and acquired a good knowledge about divine books. He was appointed Principal of the Seminary in 190 AD, under the persecution of Saviros Caesar