the church in the coptic monastery of the virgin mary in bethlehem, palestine. this unique church is built inside of a cave tunnel which connects it to the nearby church of the nativity. the holy family is said to have passed through it during their stay in bethlehem. saint helena, who established churches across palestine during her time, is said to have established this one as well. the coptic archbishop of jerusalem purchased this and four nearby homes in the 1950s, establishing the monastery and re-establishing the church. today, the site is maintained by two nuns.

I saw a post where someone translated the "No bitches?" meme into Cree, and that reminds me that Coptic has a pretty direct translation for "maidenless".

ⲁⲧⲥϩⲓⲙⲓ (atshimi), meaning "wifeless", and ⲙⲛⲧⲁⲧⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ (mntatshime) meaning "wifelessness"

The importance of weird little dudes in Greco-Egyptian magic can not be overstated!

Egypt

On the early morning of Tuesday, March 12, 2024, Fr. Takla the Samuelite, along with Fr. Yostos Abba Markos and Fr. Mina Abba Markos, were martyred after masked terrorists attacked the Monastery of St. Mark the Apostle and St. Samuel the Confessor in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The three blessed fathers were reportedly dragged, viciously slaughtered and stabbed.

All three victims were found with stab wounds while a fourth who survived alleged that he was hit by an iron rod before fleeing and hiding. The murders remain unknown at this stage, as the suspects reportedly left the scene without taking any valuable items.

Information has been revealed.

The Monastery bell was rung between 2:30 am and 3:00 am for prayers. Father Takla was the first to head to the Church he was stabbed in the heart on his path to the Church. Father Mina heard something and ran to see what happened, he was beheaded on his path to see father Takla. Then the murderers went to Father Youstos and beheaded him on his rooms door step.

Fr. Hegumen Takla El-Samuely, Fr. Yostos Ava Markos, Fr. Mina Ava Markos, O holy martyrs, pray for us. May your sacrifice strengthen our faith and our Church.

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you." - John 15:18

Imagine being a Copt in Egypt. Your people are descended from the actual ancient Egyptians, dating back to 3200 BCE.

Then, Arab invaders come in 641 AD, and not only claim to be Egyptians with thousands of years of rich history on your land, but then forcibly occupy your land, burn down your places of worship, destroy your history, while converting you (under punishment of death) to their foreign ideology.

This is how Jews who know history feel when there are 2.5 million Arab occupiers, mostly Egyptians, who's ancestors, in reality, were occupiers of Egypt who came from the Arabian Peninsula, living in Gaza (Jewish land since 145 BC), and claim it’s their land and that they are ‘Palestinans’ - a colonizer term for Jews who lived IN Israel from 136 AD - 1948 and endured 1,812 years of occupation.

This was written by Lauren Lipsky, CEO and Founder of "Taking Back The Narrative."

https://tbtnisrael.com/about-taking-back-the-narrative/

Coptic priests - Lalibela, 2018

ϩⲁⲛⲥⲛⲏⲟⲩ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ϧⲉⲛ ⲡⲥⲏⲟⲩ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ ⲡⲓⲁⲙⲁϩⲓ ⲛ̀ⲣⲱⲙⲉⲟⲥ.

Egyptian siblings in the time of Roman rule.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1

Coptic textile /  Ajmin, Egypt (Africa)

After a fascinating five-year journey, two German researchers have unveiled a treasure trove of Egyptian magical texts, offering us a unique glimpse into the human emotions and spiritual practices that bridged the ancient and Christian worlds of Egypt.

Books

Saint Sergius Church

Copta Cairo

Egypt

photo cjmn

Im too damn tired to cross post this on a site that doesn't have enough Copts for a minyan, but I've been working on this for several months so I can't not link it

dolphin, copy of a coptic textile (IVth century AD)

Coptic Pope, Shenouda III, Egypt, by Ben Curtis

Hand drawn map of Egypt with indigenous Coptic names.