Egypt has been known since ancient times by its neighbors as Egypt. It had another name the Assyrians gave to it: “Hikuptah.” However, the Greeks called it “Ecyptos,” then it was reduced to “Egyptos,” and then its name was changed among the Arabs to “Copt” because of the previous Greek name.

Hikuptah, (as Hiku-Ptah, Hut-Ka-Ptah or hwt-ka-Ptah), meant the soul of the god Ptah and it was also a given name to the ancient Egyptian temple of the god Ptah, at Mennufer. It was the ancient name of the first capital of Egypt, Memphis.

Even the moniker “Copt” is debatable. Some people think its origins stem from the Greek word Aegyptos, which means Egypt. Some even go so far as to link it to the name of a specific Egyptian town called Hikuptah (or ancient Memphis). Whatever its source, it usually refers to Egypt’s native non-Arab, non-Muslim population.

It is frequently used by Coptic apologists who wish to preserve Coptic identity as different from the Arab “invaders” in a “sons of the pharaohs” story. The use of a different calendar and liturgical language helps to maintain this “separate from the Arabs” identity, even if Arabic has mostly replaced the numerous kinds of Coptic that were originally used. Before the turn of the 20th century,

In nationalistic Egyptian rhetoric, the term “Copt” denoted “Christian.” Prior to the introduction of Protestantism by missionaries in the 19th century, it just denoted a follower of the Coptic Orthodox Church, who was typically morally and culturally distinct from their Arab-Muslim peers. However, a Copt can be an Orthodox, Evangelical, Catholic, atheist, or, in certain circumstances, a Muslim today.

Egyptian Copt.

1. Determining ethnic differences has become increasingly challenging with the advent of DNA testing and thousands of years of close contact. For the duration of this work, I will refer to a self-identifying Coptic Orthodox Church member as a “Copt,” and anything related to that group in terms of culture, language, or theology as a “Coptic.” With St. Mark the Evangelist, the Coptic Orthodox Church officially began.
2. According to legend, St Mark’s sandal broke when he was in Alexandria around the year 42 CE. The cobbler used an awl to puncture himself while having it healed, and he strangely declared, “God is one.” Seizing the opportunity, St. Mark baptised the cobbler and his family, healed the cobbler’s hand, and discussed God. As a result, the church was established in Alexandria, officially starting the lengthy line of Coptic popes. It is also customary to believe that St. Mark was later crucified in Alexandria.

Egyptian Copt.

3. Church historians of antiquity identified Alexandrian Christianity as one of the two primary schools of interpretation, having grown to be a major hub of theological thought.
Alexandria produced some of the most deep and important figures in Christian history, including St. Athanasius, St. Cyril, and Origen, while being frequently mocked for being the allegorical equivalent to its Antiochian factual, grammar-historical sister theological institution. Although outsiders frequently impose a sense of discontinuity with this distinguished past on the COC’s modern narrative, the organisation views itself as both a custodian of this tradition and, in some respects, its legitimate interpretation.

Nestled into a historical story of oppression and persecution and geographically confined by the harsh Sahara and the rich region along the Nile, Coptic Christianity was established in the theological controversies of the first three centuries and carried to its extremities by the ascetic communities that lived in the desert. Therefore, Coptic theology is not only informed by patristicism but also has an austere taste that is upheld by the ongoing monastic tradition.

Egyptian Copt.

4. Nowadays, it is not unusual to hear a Coptic priest recite a passage from the Sayings of the Desert Fathers in one breath and a quotation from St. Athanasius or St. Chrysostom in another. The profound ties that have existed between the desert and the city for ages are still being uncovered by recent research.

5. In a world where meaninglessness is rampant, and religion is on the rise, the blend of ascetic monasticism, persecution narratives, and intricate patristic theology highlights the resilience and modern relevance of Coptic Orthodoxy. The Coptic Church and other non-Chalcedonian traditions, now known as the Oriental Orthodox, “split” from the rest of Christendom even before the “Great Schism” between the East and the West in 1054 CE due to theological and political disagreements over the Council of Chalcedon.5. Theologically, monophysitism—or, to put it more precisely and cooperatively—is the main focus of this marginalization.

Egyptian Copt.

In essence, the name “Hikuptah” encapsulates the essence of ancient Memphis – a place of divine worship, royal splendor, and cultural innovation. It serves as a reminder of Egypt’s enduring legacy and its profound impact on the course of human history.