January 21, 2010 – Day Five

EGYPT

Sahara desert begins at the pyramids. Skilled workers were paid to build the pyramids. Heliopolis was the ancient city of the sun god.

Coptic Cairo is the oldest part of the city.

Abu Serga is where the Holy Family lived for 4 months in a cave, basement of Jewish home. Egyptian tradition was that Jesus lived in Egypt from 6 months to 3 years. They went from Bethlehem, to the Nile Delta, to the Sahara, then to Cairo. In Cairo, there was a Jewish settlement, established by Jeremiah in 6BC. . A friend offered the basement to the holy family as a refuge. By the 8 th century the Coptic’s bought the house from the family and built a church.

Every single place that the holy family rested along the way, there is a church. At least 30 churches.

Coptic =any Egyptian tradition church person or monastery.

For 5000 years people here are called Copts

After the Arab conquest, only Christians were called Copts. Those who converted to Islam/ Muslim had to be called Islamic or Muslim.

Memphis was the first and oldest capital of Egypt. Egypt was called Hakupta.

Egyptian Christian 90 % are Coptic Orthodox Christians. Their Patriarch in Egypt. Follow the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church. There are few Roman Catholics.

St Mark was the first pope of the Egyptian Christians. 56 AD first Egyptian Christian was a shoemaker. St. Mark brought his shoe to be fixed and the man had his finger injured. St Mark touched his finger and healed it. His name was Simon.

400 years Christian could not leave freely because of Roman soldiers.

That’s why the holy family kept moving. They were not safe in one place for long.

2 nd Pope St Athanasius – 4 AD

3 rd Pope 1858

Only 3 because of their lack of ability to practice Christianity. Today 10 or 11 popes until now.

Only for Coptic orthodox Christians. Head of the pope of the church of Egypt is in Cairo.

2 sects of Muslims

Sunni Muslims - very traditional are same all around the world.

Shiite Muslims – Mohammad Ali, 12 different groups. Only one group weird.

Difference between the two has to do with who would be in charge.

1 month ago Apparition in 6 Coptic churches in Cairo.

Pigeons flying, (symbol of peace) and light above church.

Cairo traffic = 10 million people built for ½ million cars.

20 million people now and 5 million cars.

2 main meals a day in Egypt.

Mosque of Mohammad Ali – alabaster mosque. Royal family and the Citadel of Saladin.

1798 found Rosetta stone in Nile Delta. 3 different texts written on it. Hieroglyphic (royalty and pharaoh’s could use this language) , Demotic used by the commoners. And the Coptic is used today. (spoken but use Greek writing.

Coptic priests’ prayers are the same language as in the Egyptian temple of ancient days. Directed to one god instead of deities.

Arabic language is the most spoken language in Egypt.

Took 20 years work to decipher the Rosetta stone. The cartouche was the biggest help. The stone talks about the pharaoh, Ptolemy V. The king’s text. King wrote down a story about himself. They could decipher hieroglyphics, which revived Egyptian history.

In 7ad Arabs came in and in 200 years changed religion and reading and no one know what or who the pharaohs were. The Rosetta stone was so important because now hieroglyphics could now be deciphered.

Old Cairo 50 miles by 50 miles

New Cairo going to be 8o miles long by 80 miles wide.

St Mary of Zietoun

April 2, 1968. The workers in a Muslim garage, across the street, saw a lady walking above the door of the church. The workers told her to be careful. So she would not fall. So said the Virgin Mary was there two hours. She appeared for one year.

Holy Family came to Egypt to escape Herod. Jesus placed a stick in the ground and a tree grew before moving here to Cairo

Our lady appeared in a dream and asked that this church be built. Many people who suffered blindness heart disease, etc, have come to be cured and have been cured.

Altar end of church behind curtain. Symbolic of temple – holy of holies. High priest can go into the holy of holies.

Practice of religion is taken from the ancient Egyptian worship. Curtain represents holy of holies.

Signs of the Coptic Church. Ceiling of Coptic Church is upside down boat like Noah’s ark. 12 columns support the ceiling. 11 are identical. 1 different for Judas. Coptic Cross is a message for prayer for the four corners of the church. Means = Jesus Christ, son of God. Message of prayer for Christianity for the N, S, E, W.

Holy card of Our Lady above church: from now on all generations will come around me, because the one who can has done miracles for me and His name is holy.

Moses. Cross the red sea, following the path of Moses and the Israelites.

Suez Canal 30 – 40 feet deep. 100 miles long. 12 hours to go thru it. One way traffic on water.

Third canal built. The other two built by ancient pharaohs. Largest source of income for Egypt 3-4 billion dollars a year. Cargo ship 100 million gallons of oil paid $60.000 to cross. Tunnel is 2 miles long and crosses 2 continents Africa and Asia.

Sinai= desert of sin, or wilderness of sin. Sin was a moon god worshiped as a Sinai desert god.

Following the steps of Israelites. From Goshen, across the Red sea to desert of Shur?

Osama – Israelites lived 430 years in Egypt. Become like the Egyptians. East of the Nile was where Egyptians buried their dead. West of the Nile, was life. Where the Egyptians lived. To cross from death to life, they had to go thru the water. ? Like Baptism.

They walked 3 days south with no water. Found bitter water in Marah. The children of Israel were not a community in Goshen. This is where they formed community. Moses threw a stick in the water, and water became sweet. Ex 15:23. Had to work together to get the water for everyone. Who would drink first. . Huge oak tree here locally know as Moses oak.

A generation of Israelites died in the 40 year walk. Children were born and grew up never knowing the comforts of Egypt. They were given little yet had so much.

After Mirah stop. Walked south Elim 70 palms and 12 springs. They camped for the water. Then they went to the Wadi Rephidim. Battle of the Amalekites. Moses arms in the air they won, if down they lost. Aaron and Hur held his arms up. 20 miles from Mt. Sinai.

3 stops

Mara – springs

Elim – oasis in Sinai

Rephidim – battle of the Amalekites

Bawd = desert people. Bedouin women to be a shepherd or tourist stuff, Men would do anything else.

Egyptian people:

Country 65 %

City 30%

Bedouins 3 ½%

Nubians 2 1/2%

Of the Bedouins 80% are settlers 20% are nomads.

Sheik is the chief of the tribe. Own court of justice. Court rulings are decided by the blade of the knife. Have to touch your tongue to the red hot knife. Dry tongue = doesn’t lie, Wet tongue = lie.

The Bedouin chief has so much power, the Egyptian police go to them for help in the desert. The scarf in Sinai is person’s preference. Except Saint Catherine’s Bedouins’ wear a light purple scarf. They always live by water where it rains. They have a water well or a spring.

Sinai Camel no food or water 2 weeks. $5000

Valley Camels – lazy $500

Sudan Camel – no food or drink for 2 months. Run 20 – 25 mph. $10,000

Racing Camel – run 40 mph cost 1 million dollars

White topped mountain of sin. We are driving in the wilderness of sin.

This is the place where the children of Israel were fed manna in the desert by the Lord.

Egypt is growing 1 million people every 9 months. Because of the high dam.

1 electrical power, 2. Irrigation. – Flood control

Used to have 10 children and four would live, now have 8 that will live

Life expectancy increased from 59 to 69 years.