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Coptic Church

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

The question

We are currently studying the Wisdom of Sirach  Last week, we ran into verse 16 of Chapter 44 http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/sirach.html] which reads "Enoch pleased the Lord, and was translated, being an example of repentance to all generations." Someone questioned how the author can use Enoch as an example of repentance for all generations since all we know about Enoch is that "Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him" (Genesis 5:21-24). Even if the author knew Enoch's biography through Jewish tradition, how is it that it didn't get passed down to us?

We had a member from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church with us and he mentioned that the story of Enoch was well documented in the Book of Enoch. Most everyone didn't recognize the book; but just by chance I had recognized it because I watched a documentary about it that was presented by the History Channel more than one year ago (when I watched it, I thought it was all a hoax, but maybe there's some truth to it). We read a quick synopsis of it, and it related Enoch to an event found in Genesis Chapter 6. The relationship is as follows: replace every instance in Chapter 6 where it says "sons of God" or "son of God" with "angels" or "angel". It said Enoch interceded for the angels' sakes and God had mercy on them, and therefore, this story is an example of repentance because the angels repented.

When I tried to research the book of Enoch, I found that at one point, the entire church, along with the Jewish people recognized the book, but sometime early in the church history, the book was lost, until an Ethiopian copy was mysteriously found in the 1700s. This opened a discussion about the Ethiopian Church, and this is when the member that was with us claimed that their priesthood is through Aaron and the Levites. Does Christ not also follow the order of Melchizedek? He also said that the Ethiopian people don't eat anything that is unclean (for example, while we're fasting, they're not allowed to eat shrimp or crab or any kinds of shellfish, and when they're not fasting they can't eat pork, etc.).

My questions are as follows:

  1. What does the Coptic Orthodox church have to say about this whole angel story?

  2. What does the Coptic Orthodox Church have to say about the Book of Enoch? (Some of the articles that I read say that the Book of Enoch must have been recognized by the early apostolic fathers because St. Jude quotes it in verses 14 and 15).

  3. Was that member of the Ethiopian Church who was with us on that day just confused or were all those things that he said about his church true?

  4. How can we take communion at their church, and they at ours, if our priests follow different orders of the priesthood (we follow the order of Melchizedek)? How is it in the first place that they can claim a different priesthood than Christ’s (when I asked him this, he said that Ethiopia was originally Jewish before converting to Christianity and that they already had priests to care for the Ark of the Covenant)?

  5. Why do they still follow the laws of the Old Testament?

The answer

1. What does the Coptic Orthodox church have to say about this whole angel story?

"He makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire" (Ps. 104:4). Because angels are spirits and created to be ministers before God, their sins were deliberate and executed by their own free will. They were not bound by the restrictions of time or the frailty of human life in the same manner as humans. They were not created from the dust as was man. They were not deceived or coerced into disobedience, but made a willful decision to disobey, and therefore, were not given grace for repentance. The illustration of Enoch interceding on behalf of angels does not seem probable. The notion that these fallen angels would have even repented is just as improbable. What then would be the purpose of repentance if it is not through the grace of God and for the purpose of restoration? Because of man's weaknesses demonstrated by his frailty in being deceived, God extended His mercy by giving humanity opportunities for repentance. Salvation required Divine Justice, the price of the shedding of blood by which only Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had to bear with obedience for humanity's redemption. This He did by taking the weak flesh of man and uniting it unto Himself to God. One of the major reprimands that the scholar Origen received during the early church was in part due to his ideology, which assumed that at some point, Satan and other fallen angels would have an opportunity for repentance. This ideology was clearly rejected by the church and was one of the reasons for his exile. The Holy Scripture clearly states that Satan would burn in hell forever and also those who followed his wicked ways, i.e., man and demons. Although there are numerous texts testifying to this matter, the Holy Book of Revelation is evidence enough.

2. What does the Coptic Orthodox Church have to say about the Book of Enoch? (Some of the articles that I read say that the Book of Enoch must have been recognized by the early apostolic fathers because St. Jude quotes it in verses 14 and 15).

Because it is not a canonical book, the Coptic Orthodox Church rejects this uncorroborated Book of Enoch and does not include it in its teachings. The early apostolic fathers only use this one quote referenced by St. Jude as part of the traditional oral teaching of the Old Testament rather than as validation of the Book of Enoch as canonical text.    

3. Was that member of the Ethiopian Church who was with us on that day just confused or were all those things that he said about his church true?

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, as well as other Oriental Orthodox Churches that are in communion with the Coptic Orthodox Church, may have some slight differences pertaining to their region, culture, and traditions. However, what is shared amongst us is the common dogma, which is the basis for the continued communion amongst these churches. Perhaps, there is some confusion as to his understanding.

4. How can we take communion at their church, and they at ours, if our priests follow different orders of the priesthood (we follow the order of Melchizedek)? How is it in the first place that they can claim a different priesthood than Christ’s (when I asked him this, he said that Ethiopia was originally Jewish before converting to Christianity and that they already had priests to care for the Ark of the Covenant)?

Please see the answer below taken directly from the Diocese Q/A  as it pertains to your question and provides a brief but thorough historical background:

5. Why do they still follow the laws of the Old Testament?

The priesthood of Aaron and the Levites ended with Christ. Thereafter, our Lord Jesus Christ appointed apostles for the ministry of the priesthood. As for the dietary rules of the Ethiopian Church during the fasting and non-fasting seasons, they are not wrong, and neither are we. It is a matter of tradition rather than doctrine. For this purpose, we do not interfere nor rebuke their decision regarding this matter of dietary rules.

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

Related questions

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 1464 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.