Our Faith - The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, God the Father the Pantocrator who created heaven and earth, and all things seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not created, of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy spirit and the Virgin Mary and became Man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried. And on the third day He rose from the dead, according to the scriptures, ascended to the heavens; He sits at the right hand of his Father, and He is coming again in His glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end.

Yes, we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giver, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.

And in one holy, catholic and apostolic church. We confess one baptism for the remission of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the coming age. Amen.

If you are like most, you have probably never heard of the Coptic Orthodox Church and we at St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church in Greenville would like to share with you the history of our church, the contributions our church has made to Christianity, our Church traditions and the theology of the Orthodox faith.

The Coptic Orthodox Church is an Apostolic Church as her founder is St. Mark the Apostle; there have been an unbroken chain of patriarchs from the time of St. Mark; and the Church preserves the apostolic thought in life, liturgies, spirituality, and dogmas without any deviation over time.

Following are some brief facts about the Coptic Church, Saints and people:

• The word "Copt" is derived from the Greek word "Aigyptos" which was derived from "Hikaptah", one of the names of the first capital of Egypt, Memphis. The term was then reduced to the Arabic "qbt" and then gave rise to the word "Copt" or "Coptic". The word "Copt" began as an ethnic and geographical designation to distinguish the native inhabitants of Egypt, who were mostly Christian. The term "Coptic" is now used to describe Egyptian Christians, the last state of the ancient Egyptian language script and liturgy, as well as the distinctive art and architecture that developed as an expression of faith.

• The word "Orthodox" is derived from two words: "Ortho", which means "straight" or "correct" and "doxa" meaning "glory" or "worship".

•Saint Mark, The Apostle and Evangelist, founded the Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria, Egypt around 43 A.D.

• The Catechetical School of Alexandria is the oldest theological school in the world. Today, more campuses are found in addition to the campus in Alexandria such as in Cairo, other dioceses in Egypt, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States.

• Monasticism began in Egypt with Saint Antony, a Copt from Upper Egypt. Saint Antony was the world's first Christian monk. In addition to the numerous monasteries still flourishing in Egypt, there are Coptic monasteries in Europe and one in California named after St. Antony.

• Saint Athanasius, a Coptic deacon, defended the Orthodox faith and established the Orthodox Creed at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. Note that this Creed is used by all Orthodox Faiths including, the Greek, Syrian, and Ethiopian Orthodox Churches around the world.

• The Popes and Patriarchs of the Coptic Church were leaders in Christian theology including St. Cyril, Pope of Alexandria. He was the head of the Ecumenical Council in Ephesus in 430 A.D.

• As the Copts take pride in the persecution endured by members of the faith, they have established a calendar, the Calendar of the Martyrs, in commemoration of those who died for the faith.

• More than any other church, the Coptic Orthodox Church has preserved its traditions and dogmas.

• The Coptic Church has seven annual fasts that are about 268 days of the 365 days of the year.

• Today, the Coptic Orthodox Church is the largest in the Middle East, with about 12 million Copts living amongst Egypt's population of 60 million; this is in addition to the more than two million Copts who have emigrated to the United States, Canada, Australia, and various countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa where over 100 churches have been established.

• The Holy Synod of the Coptic Church is compsed of over eighty bishops and metropolitans and is lead by the his Holiness Pope Shenouda III, the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark the Evangelist.

• The Coptic Church founded the Middle East Council of Churches in 1974, and the church is an active member of the World Council of Churches, the all Africa Conferences of Churches, and other similar organizations.