The Relations between the Coptic Church and the Armenian Church from the Time of Muhammad Ali to the Present (1805–2015)

Abstract

This chapter examines the relationship between the Coptic and Armenian churches in Egypt in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Coptic and Armenian churches (with the exception of Armenian Protestants) share a long history of cooperation and goodwill, and continue to pursue a goal of unity. Egyptian Christians (Copts) and Armenian Orthodox Christians represent the non-Chalcedonian belief in the unity of the nature of Christ (the single nature of Christ). The majority of Armenian Egyptians are affiliated with the Orthodox Church, but Armenian Catholics, who believe in the dual nature of Christ, also make up part of the Egyptian Armenian community. The Armenian community, as a whole, shows remarkable tolerance and acceptance of other Christian communities, although in recent decades the initiative and commitment to unity has been spearheaded by the Coptic Pope, Shenouda III.