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Questions & Answers

African Church

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › The Church › African Church

The question

Before the European had colonized Africa, what did the African Jews, my ancestors, originally know and were taught about Jesus? Research tells me that the Coptic Church of Africa and the Ethiopian Church of Alexandria are the oldest churches to date. What exactly do they believe, and what version of the Holy Bible do you think gives the most accurate translations?

The answer

The Coptic Church of Alexandria (Egypt) is the oldest Church in Africa. In the 1st century, 60 AD, Christianity reached North Africa, brought by St. Mark the evangelist, from Jerusalem to Alexandria, on the Egyptian coast. This was around the same time or possibly before Christianity had spread out in Northern Europe. Gradually, Christianity spread out Southwest from Alexandria to Ethiopia.

In the 15th century, with the arrival of the Portuguese, Christianity came to Sub-Saharan Africa. Within the heart of the continent, most people continued to practice their own religions until the 19th century when Christian missions to Africa increased.

The Coptic Orthodox Church upholds all the beliefs stated in the Nicene Creed (325 A.D.): The Holy Trinity, One God–Father, and Holy Spirit; the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, His death on the cross and His resurrection on the third day to save humanity from sin; and His second coming to judge the living and the dead.

To read more about the beliefs of the Church check http://suscopts.org/literature/orthodoxfaith.html.

You can read more about the history of the Church @ http://www.coptic.net/EncyclopediaCoptica/.

In my opinion the most accurate English translation of the Holy Bible is the Revised Standard Version and King James Version. In addition, we use the Septuagint for the Old Testament.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 1099 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.