"Great Fast" & Copts

[Gideon4God]

Is Great Lent different for the Coptic Church?

Gideon

[The Squalid Wanderer]

Do you mean the dates for it to start? If so then no, it is not different from the Orthodox Church. Both churches, use the Julian calendar to calculate Easter, and Lent is determined from that date.

[CopticOrthodox]

We fast for 55 days (40 days of Lent + 1 week of fasting in preparation for Lent + the Holy Pascal week between Palm Sunday and Ressurection Sunday).  There is also a 3 day fast of Nineva in preparation shortly beforhand, but with a period of non-fasting in between.  The date of the Ressurection is by the Coptic Calander, upon which the Julian Calander is based.  During these 55 days there are no fish allowed.  People fast until a certain hour, determined with their Father of Confession, and then remain vegan for the remainder of the day.  During the Pascal week we also do not eat anything sweet.  It is traditional to have only bread water and salt for the Pascal week, but this is not required.  People who are unable to fast for the entier period can receive permission from their Father of Confession to fast for a shorter period, but the Pascal week is the minimum that everyone must fast, baring illness or other special conditions.

[Gideon4God]

Copts really set the bar high when it comes to personal holiness by way of fasting.

Gideon

[CopticOrthodox]

The Ethiopian Orthodox (another Oriental Orthodox Church) have a little bit more fasting than us, I think we're #2.  Thankfully they go easy on converts like me at first at least :-)

[Gideon4God]

Does a union exist between the two Church's? 

gideon

[CopticOrthodox]

What two Churches? The Copts and the Ethiopians? The Oriental Church consists of: The Coptic Orthodox, The Indian Orthodox, The Syrian Orthodox, the Armenian Orthodox, the Ethiopian Orthodox, the Eritrian Orthodox, and the British Orthodox. All one Church in full Communion. Each Church largely keeps to itself, but we all share the same faith and Communion.

[Gideon4God]

Yesterday at 11:08 PM CopticOrthodox said this in Post #7 (http://www.christianforums.com/showthread.php?postid=724341#post724341)

What two Churches? The Copts and the Ethiopians? The Oriental Church consists of: The Coptic Orthodox, The Indian Orthodox, The Syrian Orthodox, the Armenian Orthodox, the Ethiopian Orthodox, the Eritrian Orthodox, and the British Orthodox. All one Church in full Communion. Each Church largely keeps to itself, but we all share the same faith and Communion.



 

Each has a Bishop that is the "head" of their Church, right?  Two Church's united in one Faith.

[CopticOrthodox]

Yes, of the ones listed has a Patriarch, except for the British Orthodox. The Coptic Church is headed by the Pope, the Ethiopian Church by the Abouna, the Armenians by the Supreme Catholicos, same for the Indians, the British are headed by Metropolitan Seraphim, who is directly under Pope Shenouda, and a member of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Church (it's cool seeing a white guy in the pictures of the synod). I'm not sure if the Eritrians have a patriarch or if they're under Pope Shenouda. All the patriarchs are equal.

It's just like the Eastern Orthodox, except we don't have one who has greater honour than the others, like the Greek Patriarch.

[Gideon4God]

Today at 01:41 AM CopticOrthodox said this in Post #9 (http://www.christianforums.com/showthread.php?postid=724665#post724665)

Yes, of the ones listed has a Patriarch, except for the British Orthodox. The Coptic Church is headed by the Pope, the Ethiopian Church by the Abouna, the Armenians by the Supreme Catholicos, same for the Indians, the British are headed by Metropolitan Seraphim, who is directly under Pope Shenouda, and a member of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Church (it's cool seeing a white guy in the pictures of the synod). I'm not sure if the Eritrians have a patriarch or if they're under Pope Shenouda. All the patriarchs are equal.

It's just like the Eastern Orthodox, except we don't have one who has greater honour than the others, like the Greek Patriarch.



I was under the impression that the Coptic Pope stood out, like the Greek Patriarch?