What Do Coptic Christians Believe? (More Conversation Between a Protestant and a Coptic Priest)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- Here's the second half of my conversation with Father James from St. Paul Coptic Orthodox church in Chicago, Illinois.
Some of you decided to support the program at: / tmbh
That's awesome of you, and you're the reason videos like this can happen. Thanks!
Here's a link to the first half of the conversation: • A Protestant Talks Wit...
If you like the tone of these conversations, you might like my daily Bible podcast on the book of Matthew (the episodes are even short!). You can check it out here: thetenminutebiblehourpodcast.libsyn.com/
When are you going to post the rest of the Catholic conversation?
I would love to see you make a video on how these type of videos have maybe changed your views/emphasis, and or practices !
Hi Matt I just wanted to say that I love your videos keep it up and I also wanted to welcome you home, God loves you. And also when are you going to release the next part of the video where you talk to althe catholic apologist? God bless you and your family
Pleassseeeee do an episode with an Eastern Catholic Church! I know it seems redundant, but it would still be worthwhile - it is a unique phenomenon.
logicallyfallacious isnt that just like Eastern Orthodoxy ?
Man, I really like father James.
A true light in Chicago. And now the world wide web.
Sorry but, Jesus says call NOBODY ON EARTH FATHER Bc you have only ONE Father who is in Heaven
@@bigiron7547 keep protesting protestant, also while you're at it why don't you split yourself into 40,000.
Nick Alonso what do u call ur Dad plz
Nick Alonso Then please explain why Paul called himself Father in his epistles.
I'm a Greek orthodox and I'm praying for the unification with the Coptic church...we got lost in translation and politics, it's time for United orthodox church!!!
More likely than the Eastern Orthodox reuniting with the Roman church I think
Amen!
@@monolith94 yup
I am an Indian Orthodox Church. I wish we would all unite aswell. The Eastern and Oriental Orthodox and The Roman Catholics. We are all just brothers who are lost in our own ways.
@@monolith94 never happen
Love these vids Matt, especially as a Coptic Christian myself.
I was curious what you Coptics believed and have been for some time given the interesting history of your church. It's pretty awesome that Matt would do a video like this. 🙂
Just out of curiosity, are you Egyptian or do you live there?
@@Doberdobax most egyptian orthodox Christians live in America! 10 percent live in egypt.
most of coptic egyptions live in egypt
@@blakelisser1936 not really . 10% of EGYPTIANS are coptic orthodox which is like 10 million while the US has like a million i think
I’m an American who sought many faiths and being a prodigal son, converted to Coptic being lead by the Holy Spirit. This series is only the tip of the spear of the continuous miracles I am witness of in my personal life as I continue to grow in my Coptic Orthodox faith. This series was a divine intervention Matt. Keep up the blessed works and thanks for sharing! The Sayings of the Desert Fathers is a fantastic reflection after the Holy Bible.
Welcome in our Coptic Church.
@@bzakaria8626
Roman?
May I ask, what's your ethnicity? I want to join, but I'm not Egyptian.
@@deepforestfire you are WELCOME!!! You don’t have to be Egyptian
I am glad Christ has found you. Greetings from Cairo
Greetings everyone from the Coptic Orthodox Church from Australia 🇦🇺🇪🇬✝️
Ahla Mick
🇪🇬🇦🇺..This will make 2 of us Mick...love the 2 parts and sharing with many Australian friends...they are a wonderful deep introduction to Coptic Orthodoxy
@@truemassrey4876 three of us now😊 🇦🇺
@@BenjaminOommen
Excellent...🇪🇬🇦🇺
G’day from Melbourne 😷
I am from India and a member of Indian Orthodox Church. Thanks for your talks - I am learning more on Orthodoxy now. God bless you.
What language you worship in.. Trying to understand
@@rohansingh8997 Malayalam and syriac is used, syriac is a language we had adopted from relationships with persian east-syriac church from around 6th century. Syriac is a dialect of aramaic, a now extinct language originally spoken by those in the levant such as israel and palestine before semitic languages such as arabic or hebrew.
@@igkhdigkhd8760 Iam from Puthuppally st. George Orthodox church.
I am also Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church .Thank you for teaching us
Indian orthodox is false claim in orthodox Christendom
We are Syrian orthodox Christians in Kerala South Asia
This series is absolutely amazing, Matt, thank you so much for doing this! I am not Coptic, but after watching these 4 segments I am so impressed with the symbolism, the tradition, the humility, and the sheer humanity of this pastor and the church he represents. In normal (non COVID) times I frequently travel to Chicago on business. Next time that’s possible I will stop by at St. Paul’s and thank Fr. James personally for his patience and his humility.
When a man with the spirit of Father James talks about becoming more Christlike every day, you listen. You can clearly see it. Humility and love on display like that....just...wow.
@bencrane8505 I so agree. I was profoundly moved.
I love how he’s holding a crucifix while he’s answering the questions. He’s clearly relying on the Lord to guide His words. 💜
In the first video Fr James explained that he was taught in seminary to always hold a cross when he is acting pastorally. It's a reminder that he is officially representing Christ in that moment.
John Sharp what a beautiful practice. I have so much respect for the Orthodox Church.
Maronite priests carry such a cross, as well.
That’s idolatry cuz it’s against Jewish bible. Btw Jesus is a Jew and New Testament is for Jews
@@Watermelon-dj8be You are spreading heresy and must be punished. Repent at once.
The Coptic church has taught me love and humility. Has also helped me understand faith,hope and charity, and I'm not even Coptic🙂
At first I was frustrated that you broke this interview into yet another part... After watching this video, I'm glad you did. What a fantastic conversation! Thank you for opening my eyes to more of The Body of Christ. I love these videos.
Born a Methodist in rural South Carolina before becoming Pentecostal later in life, I officially was baptized into the Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Church almost a year ago (practicing for years). Given the close history of the ETOC and the Coptic church this is very very informative and re-enforces what we are taught and believe. Both are oriental orthodox and the Coptic church was instrumental in ETOC. Even in Ethiopia NOW the Orthodox Church is being attacked with churches being burned and Orthodox Christians being killed. Like many things this is not widely publicized.
It is a big embarrassment, a shame ! It breaks my heart, that Christians do not get more involved and feel the pain of our brothers and sisters that are greatly persecuted by Slam, after they brutally conquered Egypt. They took away my brothers and sisters culture, language and freedom. They were not just " paying a tax", they were made Dhimmī's(second class people). It is the Sharia Law. They are still horribly persecuted today!
How is the Ethiopian Church fellowship going?
I’m sorry to hear that my friend
@@eastsideapologetics6147 Great. Getting ready for the Fast. We also attend Coptic services on some Sundays.
Every single day Ethiopian Government kill us
God bless the Coptic Church.
Thank you
Amen
Ah! There's a man I haven't seen in a while.
Thanks
Pray for all Christians who are being percuted for their faith in the Lord Jesus, especially in Egypt, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Somalia. But even in the west where the government's seems to give more rights to Islam than Christianity, especially the refrugees, more Muslims accepted in the west than Christians.
As a newly returned Christian, after being a Christian, Atheist, Agnostic, Buddhist and Daoist, your content is simply fascinating and have became one of my favorite channels. I've always loved Jesus, if was more the church that was a stumble block for me, and made me leave the faith. I'm glad to be back though. :)
That's a long return, welcome home.
@@culturalliberator9425 Thank you!
Similar to my story brother god bless you and keep you in Christ Jesus our lord and salvation amen amen 🙏🏻
Thank you brother, and amen!@@danvickers2578
Happy for you❤
I love this priest. As a Catholic, I learned a lot of things from him just by watching this video.
Many similar things...
@asteinmann the only difference is Pope says I'm the boss so I will not discuss with you when I create a Dogma . Orthodox Bishops were like well if you create a Dogma without discussing with us well excommunicate you .
Pope : I excommunicate you
Orthodox : No I excommunicate you
Pope : No you
Orthodox : No you
@@JohnDoe19991 Chair of Saint Peter.
Yes, our differences are mostly a matter of past misunderstandings, I believe. What still remains is the matter of the authority of the Chair of Peter, which is an extension of the Seat of Moses from Judaism pre-Messiah. If everyone could just see that, there would be so many fewer disconnections in the Body.
@@DianaHerberg believe it or not, Vatican II was largely focused on bringing the Eastern and Western churches together.
As a coptic, this series makes me really really proud of this conversation.. thank u Matt for meeting up with Father. James
He's an impressive guy. Glad to call him a friend.
@@MattWhitmanTMBH
I admired Father James very much as well..he speaks just like my fathers here in Egypt!.
And it really shows how faithful orthodoxy can be, having the same ideals and way of thinking whether it's situated here where almost every church is coptic or far in the US where coptic churches are more scarce..
Not many people would actually take that leap to get to know more about a place as unfamiliar as the coptic family.. seeing you not only master the courage to do so but remark all what really interested you about this ancient form of christianity.. well. It was a surprise. But a very very pleasant one. One that's encouraging me to look and learn more about other churches as well.. in hopes of finding common solid ground.. something we can all relate to one way or the other...
My family doctor since I was a child was Coptic from Egypt. He practiced medicine all the way until he was 92. Now he's finally recently retired. The kindest most patient doctor ever.
Matt, you seemed honestly moved by Father James' words. I was on the verge of tears. God bless the Coptic Christians and all who are persecuted for their faith! As Tertullian wrote: "The blood [of martyrs] is the seed of Christians".
God bless you and all Christians like you
@@truemassrey4876 thank you! God bless you, too 🙏
As a Coptic Christian, I've believed for a long time that the reason our church has remained so strong for so long is because of the blood of the martyrs
Who else here is Coptic !? Thank you for this video Matt!!!
Remember, everyone is welcome at the Coptic Church!
I am
Coptic gang
hi
Epoooooroooo
Coptic for christ 👍
As a copt living in Florida, I've had many American Christian friends throughout high school and college years. Little did they know about coptic orthodox christianity. Thank you for bridging the knowledge to different traditions. Great series!
Interestingly, in Orlando, the Coptic Orthodox and the Greek Orthodox church are right next door to each other
@@WalksandSuchAs are they in tradition! They are very similar, only difference is the argument about the nature of Christ. Hopefully our churches will be reunited soon.
"the war is to break Christians"
That's right brothers and sisters we are all in this fight together. Stand with each other and lift up one another. Pray for your brothers of all faiths.
Remember, it's the powers and principalities of darkness that are behind these things.
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." - Ephesians 6: 12, 13
@@mish375 I couldn't remember the exact verse but yes my thoughts exactly.
Amen
Amen🙏
@AB D114 it's more allegorical.
I mean Timothy talks about fighting the good fight. Ephesians talks about fighting darkness and in the context of the quote from the video there is no mention of hurting or violence towards other people.
Hope you will soon look into the Indian Syrian Orthodox Churches as well and discover the little known history of ancient Christians from India, Kerala
Isn't the Church in India one of the oldest?
@@Elsupermayan8870 Yes, The Church in India (in the state of Kerala) was established by Apostle Thomas in 52 AD. But in the time that has passed, the Church in Kerala (India) divided into MAINLY Eastern Catholic, Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and recently Protestant.
I second this
@@fnv870
That's what I've heard, that the Church in India was founded by one of the Apostles, but I wasn't sure which one.
To my understanding, there's a group of people who believe Jesus traveled to India and is buried there. Are these a large group a people or are they a minority?
@Matt Blaise
I know. These people claim Jesus learned his values and morals from the hindu gurus and the Buddha's.
The Coptic witness is what convinced me to become Orthodox. I ended up Russian Orthodox but love my Coptic brothers and sisters.
Edwin Johnson thank you for the invitation. I adore my parish and spiritual father. God bless you!
And Coptic Orthodox loves the Russian Orthodox Church and its Reseraction and its return to christianity 👍
I saw Christ in him, even with my small disagreements with orthodoxy I cant deny it
Hallelujah !
Now, the challenge is, to see Christ in *everyone*, as we are called to do.
Sometimes politics gets in the way of theology and also semantics. I hope that the two Orthodox families can reconcile to full communion.
AMIN
I hope the orthodox and Catholics can as well
Return the great one true catholic orthodox Chalcedonian church.
As a Coptic Christian, I am really enjoying this! I love that you are shedding light on what we are and about, I hope people back home can do the same. The hate and discrimnation we face till this day is ridiculous and is often forgotten about that nobody really talks about it or try to say things from our point of view. In Egypt many muslims love to play the game of we are all one type thing and nothing can separate us, but the reality is we are not accepted, we are always getting treated like we are either guests (in our own land) or just "kafer" arabic word meaning unbeliever and of course thats due to many being brainwashed in what Coptic's are and about, it can get crazy regarding what others may make up about us. 2020 and the internet is more powerful then ever, if only people did some research and try to understand where everyone is coming from the world would be a better place. GOD BLESS EGYPT AND THE WORLD.
The Catholic Church is not an entirely Western thing. I go to an Eastern Catholic church.
You're definitely right, but I think when Matt makes a distinction between western church and eastern church, he's referring to the origins. So the Catholic church originated in Rome, while the Orthodox churches originated in Egypt, Constantinople, Antioch, etc...
@asteinmann as Pope Saint John Paul II stated, "The Church needs to learn to breathe again with its two lungs - its Eastern one and its Western one
The Richness of Theology , customs etc... Makes catholic Church Unique...
Unity than Uniformity... As an eastern catholic we are proud to be in communion with Saint Peter...
Yeah but lets be honest, when they are talking about catholic church they mean the latin church with their beliefs and dogmas you as an uniate aren't required to follow.
No. The Latin Church is entirely western and finds its roots from 1054 onward in the Frankish nobility. “Eastern Rite Catholics” are Uniates. The “counsel of Ferrara Florence and Brest is what caused this. They offered money and protection to Orthodox Churches who got duped into taking the bait and surrendering true faith for a man with too much money and power.
@@monkiram Roman Catholic Church originates in Rome. The Melkite Greek Catholic Church which I belong to originated in Antioch, although we are in full communion with Rome.
Loving God. Whoever is reading this know that God is in control no matter how bad your situation looks like He will save you.
I appreciate that. Been going through some intense spiritual warfare the last few months. It's not easy. Hearing other Christians encouraging each other is really helpful.
I needed this today 😌
@@mish375 Hang in there,, Mish. I understand...I can't wait to see 2020 go too....even if tomorrow brings more trouble. I take strength in knowing I have brothers and sisters in Christ out there. I know God is good... and one way I know is that He gave us to each other. One day we'll rejoice together in His presence. :) This thought keeps me going. When I have no strength or understanding in how to forgive and love like our Father, I ask Him to help me forgive like He forgives and love like He loves. It helps every single time, Love you my sibling... please hang in there.
@@pamdelaney5149 Thank you. I appreciate the support. 🙂
@@mish375 :) God bless you and yours, Mish!
No Catholic, no orthodox, no Protestant
We are Christians, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ
☦️=❤️
Everything created by one god 🙏
Amen
I’ve really enjoyed this series on the Coptic Orthodox Church. I learned so much! Keep doing this!
Ethiopian Orthodox Christian here! Love you all Christian brothers and sisters! God Bless you!
“We do not judge any soul, there is one Judge.” - Abouna James
That was a great answer by Abona James, he is a very wise man.
Amen
Forgive my Ignorance, what does “Abouna” mean ?
@@sjappiyah4071 it means our father
@@mino2561 Thank you
The Coptic church is filled with Gifts .. they have priests literally casting out demons, healing and miracles left and right ... half of Egypt has converted because of Gods Grace and their reception of it - “ where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” - I pray the Lord make us worthy of His call
I'm a former Baptist, now Greek Orthodox. Thank you for this wonderful video. Both you and Fr. James showed a ton of grace, the Lord was surely present during your visit!
I'm glad his explanation of the "Greek mind" around God's economy of salvation resonated better for you. I'm also from a western (Catholic ) tradition and its set my heart on fire learning how the east understands Christ and His relationship to humanity, what the fall meant, and what salvation looks like. Its scope is broader and seems to side step some of the theological quagmires we've run into in the western tradition. I agree that its difficult to ignore some of the more legal language you might find in Paul, but I'm also reading that with a Latin mind and a Latin tradition. Its been fascinating to experience a very different exegesis.
I appreciate the thoughtful comment Chris!
Matt I really want to thank you for your open minded and gracious approach in reaching out to different expressions of Christianity in general but particularly for your series on the Coptic Church. God bless you.
This series is so fascinating, especially as a new convert to Christianity and hopefully soon Antiochian Orthodoxy. Maybe soon ROCOR?
Yes please!
Im in Antioch as well!
He went to a Greek Orthodox Church. I recommend checking that video out.
If it weren't for youtube, I would have found Orthodoxy and Christianity in an entirely different way. Antiochian here too. Baptised and Chrismated 2013 Paschal-Easter Saturday. Keep listening to the Litergies, all the concepts are hymned right from Holy Word.
ROCOR would be wild, especially if you get into Western Rite!
I'm so glad you are going around to various Orthodox Churches be it Coptic, Greek, Slavic... not many people know about the early ancient church of Christ. Thank you for your videos and sharing you teachings; for even I as an Orthodox am learning about my own faith and other orthodox Christians around the world. Keep doing what you are doing and I love learning about other Christian denominations as well. God bless you Matt, or Matheos in Greek; and God bless all the Orthodox and all the Christians.
It would be nice, not sure if you have, to go visit an Ethiopian, or even Indian Orthodox Church.
I wish he visit Ethiopian orthodox tewahdo church special meskle or ehipahy time❤
This conversation is so nice and fr James is such a great person but i think mentioned that coptic language is greek or part of greek but coptic language is the ancient Egyptian language it self in its last form. It's not a foreign language it's the native language of Egypt since the beginning of history
Maybe because it is written in greek alphabets (mainly) Fr James misspoke. It does borrow heavily from Greek though especially when it comes to theology and liturgy because we know that our Coptic early fathers wrote on those things in Greek.
Yes i understand that but what i mean is that coptic is the language of egypt not Christians only, it may have been influenced by greek but all languages had been influenced by other languages at some point but that doesn't mean that it became another language.
And i think that fr James had misspoken as you said.
He's a great and kind person as i said before❤
@@abdelrahmanahmed2753 you're right of course.
Yeah I think Fr. James was just trying to simplify it for Matt since he's probably more interested in the theology than our languages. But yes, Coptic is the most modern form of the ancient Egyptian language, transcribed in Greek letters (+ 7 additional letters for the sounds that were not fully covered by the Greek alphabet). Also with a lot of borrowed Greek words, especially liturgical words.
Abdelrahman Ahmed. Coptic language is similar to the greek language in alphabet onlyyy and the last 7 letters are coptic .. but at the same time Greek people don't understand the coptic language .. coptic wasn't the first language of egypt, the first language was hieroglyphics then heretic then demotic and then the Coptic language, And after that the Muslim conquest happened in egypt so Egyptians started speaking in arabic so arabic is the only language that doesn't belong to Egypt. So we as Egyptians still call ourselves "Copts".. and also, we as Coptic Orthodox Christians we still use the Coptic language in our Churches.
The Lord Jesus bless Abouna James, I would love my boys to listen to you, you simplify very complicated subjects! God bless you.
I would love a series like this about the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
As I watch this series, I have more and more respect to Father James. A very holy man.
I pray more and more priest would be holy like him.
I recently visited the Coptic Orthodox Church of Manila.
I had a very good experience.
Holy mans are just messengers of god... you have brain use it its free
@@zobirniyak1418 I don't think there is anything wrong in praying for the sanctitt of priest.
@b0ng Yes, it is near SSS, QC. Just a small church though. Just a house converted into a prayer space.
A holy man 🤣🤣🤣 so he’s not a sinner ?? And remember holy is only GOD. He’s just a person who teaches doctrine
I'm a Christian and agree 100% with this man. I'm from South Africa and wish I could attend this church. I love their liturgy and music. God bless you.
There are 4 Coptic orthodox churches in South Africa. 3 near Pretoria and 1 in Johannesburg.
God bless you.
Cool thing: Coptics speak Coptic, the last remain of ancient Egyptian. Also it is beautiful.
I'm from an evangelical tradition, but for a number of years in my 20s I made it a point to get to know church leaders in pastoral roles from other traditions. One of those was a rather bookish, distinctly Irish Catholic priest that made an impression on me. He was such a pleasant man, patient and studious, especially for some random 20-something randomly calling him up and asking if he had some time to talk.
One thing he said to me that stuck with me [on the topic of all the diversity of churches and whether that was good or bad],
"Look, I'm Catholic, so of course I'm going to say I wish everyone would be Catholic, right? But I think in my quiet moments, I think God looks at us with a wink and a nod and says, 'Well, the children might not all have become doctors, but being plumbers and electricians, and even lawyers, isn't so bad.'"
So Beautiful😂😊❤ Thank you.
It seems after every one in this series of church visits by Matt I feel like "I would like to go there", and the Coptic Church and Fr James is no exception! I do not understand everything that has been said, nor necessarily agree with some of the theology, but for me Wesley had it right when he said, “Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may. Herein all the children of God may unite, notwithstanding these smaller differences. These remaining as they are, they may forward one another in love and in good works.”
Well said.
Except, because these small opinions do come from such a long-stretching train of logic - as so many are loaded questions - having to explain what we mean when we say something will be an interminable headache until we agree on one or a very few ways of saying everything.
The more of these you do, the more comfortable you look with Catholic and ortodox clergy.
From a Catholic-May God reunite the East and West into One holy catholic (universal) apostolic church
May be at the cost of some adjustment...
@@gogologoalgologo7903 That counts for everyone, everyone needs to adjust daily to become more and more like Christ.
@@PetervanHofwegen I guess i was then (4 months ago) thinking of the churches, not the individuals. No problem, you are right. Peace be with you.
I hope they never unite, that happened with the byzantine empire and look how the turks killed them. the turks were punishers
No thanks. Orthodox don't want a Satanic Pope that is infallible.
Please do an Eastern Catholic Church! Preferably Byzantine!!!
I wish I had that depth and authenticity of this priest. He is so quiet and yet so deep and inspiring.
Coptic isn't Greek-ish. They are different language families. Coptic = Egyptian. Coptic was the last iteration Egyptian language. When I say Egyptian I mean the language that was written in hieroglyphs. The Coptic alphabet was the last reworking of the the writing method of Egyptian alphabet in a history of moving from complex hieroglyphs to more simple phonetic characters. It borrowed the greek alphabet, but added new characters for sounds Egyptian had but Greek did not. A similar thing happend when saint's cyril and methodius developed the slavic alphabet. In that case there was no alphabet, so they made a modified greek alphabet work. Suffice it to say, it was no small thing when the Muslims single handedly ended Egyptian as a spoken language and replaced it with Arabic.
That must have been a very traumatizing time for Egypt - both culturally and socially. To have their entire country invaded and forced to change, with near destruction of the original language would have been like losing their entire identity.
@@mish375
True...., the history records are recording the Muslim soldiers were " physically cutting the Tungs " ....of people and children of they hared them taking with Coptic language in the streets. Every day the soldiers will get the sacks full of ...tungs ... to the Muslim roller to receive their coins rewards...very traumatic experience. This why the language disappears and only kept in the church prayers for future generations.
One point father was making was that many Coptic theological words are Greek. Even in the Catholic Church there were some Greek words still used and in fact to this day still are such as Eucharist, Kyrie elesison and such. In Coptic there are many more Greek words used. This phenomenon is found among all apostolic Christian churched in one degree or another as the church spread from Greek speaking parts of the Roman Empire to the rest of the world.
@@truemassrey4876 Absolute travesty. I can see why this would have been so devastating to Christendom in general as well. To have the earliest church branch be cut off like that, in the most literal sense. I'm thankful God preserved it, despite the enemy trying to silence them.
@@ChristopherWentling Is this where the word Christe Eleison comes from? The Greek origin?
next please: ROCOR russian orthodox church
I'm sure he's already done Eastern Orthodoxy.
Greek Orthodox and Russian Orthodox are the same church.
They should do Byzantine Catholic because it’s a different view of Catholicism. It would be interesting.
Chaz Ickes Agree that they are the same church. Strangely Russia has excommunicated the Greek Orthodox Church due to Ukraine.
@@baoduong2203 This is just a small fight amongst ourselves that will resolve it's self in time. To the faithful of the church it doesn't really matter to us and we just continue to pray for the unity of our church.
This moved me so much. I felt like Fr. James was speaking directly to me at some points. I actually find the Orthodox view of salvation to be almost like a lightbulb moment for me. For us in Western Christian traditions, the way the incarnation, crucification, resurrection and ascension have been framed as these distinctly separate things rather than the big picture of how they all encompass the overall work of Christ to heal us from sin and death I think is a bit limiting personally. I think I really would have responded well to the way he explained that as a child in particular as opposed to how it was to me.
Roman Catholic here and I always loved our Coptic/Orthodox brothers and sisters. May we all unite once again.
Greetings from an Orthodox in Eastern Europe.
I'm a Catholic who loves the Evangelical, Orthodox, Catholic, and other churches and ways people express their love for God. I've heard a lot of Catholic-bashing in Evangelical Churches; I don't take it personally but it makes me sad to see such division. I liked what you said in this episode about when persecution wasn't working for Satan, he tried division instead. Thanks for helping to heal some of that division. It's so wonderful to see your open, warm approach and appreciation for other churches. I love this series. Thank you for bringing all of us closer together as Christians. In today's world especially, all Christians need to work together.
I’m from Ethiopia, I’m orthodox Christian. I like Egypt Coptic Christians too.
I am very impressed with your character. Thank you for this interview. I'm Roman Catholic...I often participate in a Byzantine Catholic parish... I've been very beneficially influenced by the Coptic Orthodox. If you want more of this spirit, buy "Sayings of the Desert Fathers." You are very perceptive to see the differences in Latin and Greek minds. We do have some Latin writers who have a similar therapeutic mind...see the text of St Thomas Aquinas' "Tantum Ergo" and St. Bernard's writing on love for examples. I want to distinguish something - the Atonement as Satisfaction. The classical Catholic portrayal by St Anselm is feudal, about a slight to honor; the familiar Protestant argument is Calvinist, regarding payment of a monetary debt. I can like you see many images in Scripture. Thanks again!
I watched this video, and then went back and watch your others on the Coptic Church. Fascinating. I grew up Catholic, and am now Baptist. I had no idea about this type of Christianity. I think Father James is wonderful. Thank you for doing these deep dives, promoting religious education. I now want to visit a Coptic Church and experience one of their services. Very cool.
You grew up catholic..i think you would like the pascha service also😀
@@joonie8103 I look forward to the Pascha services for the whole year! It would definitely be a great starting point for anybody who wants to experience the Coptic church, too bad it only comes for a week once a year
You will notice that there are no such thing as Sola Scriptua, Sola Fide in ANY of the early Churches including those that broke away from Rome very early and were outside the political boundaries of Roman power. Ever.
Copts have the sacraments, believe that the Eucharist is the true body and blood of Christ, venerate and ask for intercession from Mary and the saints, have icons, etc. They even have a Pope.
Protestantism is a late Medieval central European accretion/heresy far removed in time, place and cultural milieu from the sources of the Christian religion.
This was awesome and enlightening. I come from a Black American Pentecostal-Holiness Tradition of the Faith. However, I enjoy learning about church history and the expression of the gospel in different cultures
Amazing series ! I truly feel drawn to both the Oriental and the Eastern Orthodox Church! Very beautiful temples very pure practices and very historic faith
Blessed path.
If there is a local Eastern Orthodox parish near you, you should totally contact the priest! He will be able to help guide you through any theological or practical questions you have regarding becoming Orthodox. God bless!
I suggest you the eastern orthodox church
Thank you. This is heartwarming. 🌷
- Filipino Catholic/Christian
Love that Reese's analogy it's golden.
Chocolate 🍫
Peanut butter 🥜
I know, it's Reese's.
But it's separate and together..
I know, it's Reese's..
The good Father is correct. Miaphysisites who enter the Catholic Church Keep their Christology.
So the Coptic Catholic Church is in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
As well as several other Miaphysisite Churches who are also in full communion.
Fr. James is speaking about the Coptic Orthodox faith not Coptic Catholic. But it's great to know that we Orthodox and Catholic Christians all agree on this point! :)
Mathew Weston but this one in the video is the Coptic Orthodox Church :D
@@JesusChristourLord_ Yes I understand he is Oriental Orthodox. He did mention Copts who become Catholic. I was affirming what he said about Catholic Copts.
Love the Copts, have every admiration for them, and stand in awe of them holding strong against the centuries of murderous intolerance and abuse by Islam. God Bless them all.
Matt: You have done more for Christian unity (as distinguished from uniformity) that anyone I have known in 75 years. Each has led to a better understanding how the parts of the Church are substantially based on the same concepts. Different forms of expression reach different people, but the underlying message has the same intent. My minimal contribution to your efforts has been rewarded 10x10 fold.
Shut up shill. He a heretic just like most protties and orthodox
Ha! He reminds me of an old congregational leader of mine when asked the "Who's Saved?" question.
My old rabbi (Messianic) would just point to the sky and say "I'm in SALES, that's a question for MANAGEMENT."
Haha that's so good
Thanks Matt for the great video. We, the Copts, for the great presentation you gave to our humble church.
This conversation was great! Father James has made a big impression on me too; what a thoughtful and proficient church leader. Definitely makes me want to go to a coptic orthodox church. What beautiful symbolism!
Thank you for all your work making these videos Matt. Really enjoying them.
I grew up with Fr James in Montreal before priesthood and know his parents really well. Peace is in the family.
He impressed me greatly.
Rome is more fine with it than some Eastern Orthodox. There was a Christological agreement between Roman Catholic Pope St John Paul II and Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda III in 1988.
True
Thank you.
There was a Christological agreement between the EOs and OOs too.
@@thekingofsomewhere no Christological agreement was between members of the theological commission for dialogue. The dialogue revealed many problems and questions of a terminological nature. Which remained unclear to the Orthodox. For example one composite nature.
Ethiopian Christian Orthodox 🇪🇹🇪🇹🇪🇹
Hey Matt,
Thank you for this amazing channel that I’ve been following for quite some time now. As a Copt, I’ve watched you interview anglicans, lutherans, and Greek Orthodox and reflected on the amazing similarities that I did not know were there! Watching those denominations, I saw my church in them and so many parallels. You helped break down my biases, and it is amazing to reflect on the similarities, beauty and God’s work across churches (safe-keeping His church). I also love your interpretation of the Roman or western and Eastern difference and could not agree more; including about being skeptical of those who reject one or the other! Having friends from all sides of the aisle, I am a firm believer there are saints in all churches! May God give us the humility and awe to praise Him for all His doings and work and to really be one body.
So I never really get to comment on UA-cam videos at all really...but Matt...YOU ARE AWESOME man!
I am Coptic and my wife, who is Coptic as well, and I love watching your show and both are very fond of you. I actually knew about you from my local Coptic Orthodox priest since before you posted the videos with Fr. James, and ever since I've been following you and I always wished that you'd do one on the Coptic church. This was so exciting for me that a blew up the phones of everyone I knew sharing these videos! 😅
Your videos, your gracious style and your open mindedness is a breath of fresh air in the midst of the many decisive denominational dialogues...and for the record, YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN and we do consider you as one, namely Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox are all under the big umbrella of Christianity. But not only that you are a Christian, but an AMAZING one!
God bless you brother and may He bless and continue your work.
I really do wish to meet you one day 😊
hi everybody, i am a roman catholic but this priest is so amazing and i loved this video ( keep going) , god bless you all .
MOST EXCELLENT, AWESOME, BRAVO, how rare and extraordinary are Father James (Coptic), Father Diaz (Catholic), several other guests, and Matt for pulling this all together. Open minds and zero negative judgments on each other faiths are rare. When it comes down to it we as humans we love to split hairs and divide when realllllllllly we all together worship One GOD (just a bit differently). You and several of your guest, who was nice enough to open their church's and hearts to all of us, proves that God is genuinely working through them to unite us all and show how similar our faiths really are together. Everyone please keep their open minds and continue the great work of education and listening. Together we are stronger to advance God's love in this world. Thank You and May the Peace of GOD be with You Always
Love your "Learning About Other Churches" series ! As a curious catholic I was wondering if you could do an episode on your own church :D
God Bless !
We need to see that. It would be great.
I believe he did when visted the Evangélic Free Church
If you are a curious Roman Catholic I highly recommend RCIA (even if you have been in the church wonderful refresher. Or better yet look up some online classes offered by the Dominican Order (they are Roman Catholic)
They do an incredible job of explaining and teaching things! God bless brother
We believe just like any Apostolic Church (Catholic and Eastern Orthodoxy) except some minor doctrines as purgatory , papacy , I love my Coptic church and i also love the Traditional Catholic Church , both are valid for me , i go to mass in both , i hope we unite along with protestant brothers and sisters 💘💘💘💘💘💐💐💐🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
@@christfollower5713 From a Protestant sister: I'd love to see more conversations between us and Orthodox branches. You all lean closer in theology to many of us on the Reformer Protestant denominations, than the RCC does. I never realized that until this video.
I have been looking for information about the Copts since they are being persecuted for a long time, and they still stay strong in the faith.
God bless them!
As a Catholic, I love seeing the great similarities between the Western and Eastern traditions. What he said about empathy for those persecuting you in light of the spiritual warfare going on behind the scenes was really powerful too. That's going to stick with me.
Father james views regarding salvation is the view of modern eastern orthodoxy that focuses on christ' triumph over death and satan and basically says that he did not die in our place and atoned us by his death. That also was one of the things that make the progress to full communion with eastern more difficult. The former pope of Alexandria wrote books about the divine justice and how christ fulfilled it as do many other fathers in the Coptic church. We do believe and confess both justification by faith and and healing and restoration of our souls which happens over time. And that is why all of christ' birth, crucifixion, death and resurrection are important, both to pay the debt of our sins and to restore a man.
They deny the penel substitution and the fulfillment of the divine justice(which was very crucial to st.cyril' theology). They claim it is not found in scripture and is patristic and that God is loving and restoring and does not punish and demand debts. Father james I think is more enthusiast and more accepting of the eastern orthodox' new dogmas which is rejected by the coptic church.
When God says you are forgiven, you are forgiven and no further questions. And when God says he wants to work with you then work with him no further questions.
Why quote chrysostom in one place reject all his others and why accepts cyril and severus view of christology and reject there soteriology which the cross was a crucial part. And chrysostom even though he does not talk about the divine justice as much as cyril and severus(sincefather james is copt he accept saint severus) his views on justification was most clear and they rejected it completely. Even though it might feel good to be in communion with the easterns, not at the cost of changing our historical view of salvation.
Love your videos by the way.
Loving this series Matt. Be sure to get yourself invited to a Coptic Orthodox wedding, that’s really something beautiful 😇.
THIS !
yep, that Coptic Priest was really great - no question about it. Then again all the Coptic Priests I have ever encountered were also great. I myself converted to Coptic Orthodox over 30 years a ago from a mostly Protestant background.
The comment about not judging others really struck a cord with me. I'm orthodox and in my bible classes when a question like that was asked, my teacher always said never to judge and even someone from ISIS might be in heavan one day. When I started researching christianity more by myself all I could find was western protestantism; alot of protestants I've seen always answer with you HAVE to be christian in order to go to heaven. So I just took that asnwer and rolled with it thinking my teacher at that time was mistaken. But now I can see and appreciate both answers, and ultimately know that God is the judge of everything. It is freeing in way not to always need a concrete answer for everything. Honestly these videos helped rekindle my curiosity about the otrhodoxy, thank u for that 🙏 : )
I love that we, in the coptic church, include stories of the martyrs and saints in every liturgy. Over time it is clear that the suffering and persecution leads to glorification and turns more souls to Christ than it does reducing or destroying the church. Our saints are many times individuals who were living in sin and who, through the grace and love of God, are called to be Christian. May their names be written in the stars and glory be to God forever amen.
Hi Matt, I loved the coptic series! I have learned so much. Father James is amazing!! He made an impression on me too 😊 I hope you go back and participate at a liturgy. Also I would love to see a series on eritrean or ethiopian (Tewahdo) orthodox church😍.
Keep up the great work.
Fun fact: the copts have their own calendar. To this day they call every year the year of the martyrs from 283 A.D. onwards.
God bless you all brothers and sisters from an Oriental Syrian Orthodox!
This was lit! I loved his explanation of the incarnation, atonement and resurrection. I do agree when you mention Christ's birth its important to also mention why He came and what He did before He left and what that means for believers. That Miaphysite Christology, sanctification (being saved everyday), trinity are all orthodox protestant doctrine. I loved his eschatological view (Satan being currently bound), it is similiar to what we call amillennialism (which is what I believe but i recently learned that it is called that lolll).
There were some differences on Irresistible grace (mentioned in the previous video) and justification by grace through faith alone.
I would love to have a discussion with him though. I get a sense that he's a really nice guy!
29:21 yeah he kinda did make me want to be Coptic! Father James is someone I definitely would definitely discuss stuff with if I lived in chicago
Coptic is ethnicity
You mean to believe on oriental Orthodoxy
God bless brother 😁
What a beautiful conversation! As Ethiopian Orthodox Christian I have big respect and anger about the Egyptian Coptic Church. We have a lot of beef between us. However, we can put a side our politics but we are one with Christ we are one big family! May God bless the Father.
Thank you so much Matt! As a Copt, I just can't find a word to express how grateful I am for all your work.
The Devil divided us. We should make an effort to unite ourselves once again.
Lord bless the coptic church💙✝️ and i hope he protect it from all Persecutions🙏🙏✨
I imagine Jesus in heaven smiling, maybe even laughing at us how we as humans take his teaching and make them so confounding difficult. His teachings are simple, not complicated. God doesn't care about labels. He knows what's in a person's heart. Follow Jesus and the gates of heaven will be open to us.
Yes come to Jesus confess your sin ask him to be your LORD and savior you will instantly be saved you do not need several month course
The issue is that we cannot all be inventing our doctrines and saying that is the truly "biblical" view. This is why I'm drawn to Anglicanism because I realized having a no historical/new version of the faith is a very bad idea.
We believe just like any Apostolic Church (Catholic and Eastern Orthodoxy) except some minor doctrines as purgatory , papacy , I love my Coptic church and i also love the Traditional Catholic Church , both are valid for me , i go to mass in both , i hope we unite along with protestant brothers and sisters 💘💘💘💘💘💐💐💐🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Which church do you belong to/commune in?
@@TheCopticParabolanos Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt 😊🥰❤
@@christfollower5713 wonderful, then you shouldn’t be attending either Roman Catholic or Protestant Churches. It would be a sin for you to do so
@@TheCopticParabolanos for the Protestant Churches i never approve their teachings and their attack to the Traditional teachings of the Church , for the Roman Catholic Church , 2 times i just attended the Mass there but i really didnt feel much reverence and spirituality as in the Coptic Orthodox church , but if a godly family whom love Jesus and join the Mass in a Catholic Church , for me i dont think they r in grave error , for Protestants i would say yes but for Catholics although i dont agree on many things being taught in the Catholic church , but if u r godly and attend the Mass there , i wouldnt say u would lose ur salvation , better to join our Coptic Church , cause u would feel its more spiritual and giving much reverence and diligent towards God and the holy monk of our Church are blessing too ...
@@christfollower5713 OK, brother. I was just worried that you were planning on leaving our Church. God bless you
As a young orthodox Christian these videos are so helpful in continuing the knowledge of orthodoxy in myself and im so thankful for these wonderful videos you make and the time you take to contact and sit with these priests to get as much info as you can! God bless you :)
I am so glad that you had such a positive experience with Father James. I am currently a Catachumen in an OCA church (Orthodox Church of America), which as I understand it is more influenced by the Russian Orthodox tradition. That being said, the mindset and point of view expressed by Father James here is exactly what drew me (and continues to draw me) toward Orthodoxy. And I want to thank you in part for that. Your tour and discussion at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral was one of the first exposures I had to Orthodoxy, and I so moved that I began to learn more, and eventually to look around in order to find an Orthodox church near me. Unfortunately, the nearest church is 1 1/2 hours from me, but that hasn't stopped my wife and I from moving forward in our faith journey in the beautiful expression of Christianity. Thank you for your openness to learn, and your charitable questions and interpretation. You are a blessing.
Thank for your warm, grace and enlightening 2 parts. I'm Coptic in Australia🇪🇬🇦🇺 and I've learnt more from Fr James and credit to your smart questions. You have done a very good research in the preparation of your questions. May God bless your service.
Love the 2 parts and I'll share it with many people...and I hope you have another part on Coptic Orthodox...they are many more hedden speratual treasures....worth of another part maybe in few more weeks?
challenge: next, do a liberal church. I'm stuck in a church that is falling to liberalism and I feel like most evangelicals are blind to what's going on in the mainline denominations
@James The mighty Calling God "Mother" is not the real problem. What may be wrong is their understanding : rejecting the Father side is a dangerous and slippery road where none goes far.
Become Orthodox ☦️. Or at least look into it.
@@tmcc1647 In orthodox, there's no supreme authority? One head leader?
@@norwegiancatholicism9106 Yes. His name is Jesus Christ.
"Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." Ephesians 2:19-22
I knew I wanted to be orthodox from RC that I stopped believing in at age 8 even tho I have 16 years of Catholic education. I like Coptic the best as they do look at the whole picture and the healing mission of Jesus. I’ll be going to St Paul.