Ethiopia has been a Christian nation since the 4th C. and these cast silver crosses take three major forms. Written in Ge’ez, an ancient dead language of Ethiopia, it’s nearly 800 years older than the King James Version and contains 81-88 books compared to 66. The Coptic church has maintained two distinctive branches of authority: the Patriarch (called “Papa” meaning “pope”) acts as the church’s spiritual leader and pastor, while the Holy Synod makes decisions on matters of spiritual, ecclesiastical, and economic importance. Often also known as the Irish Cross, it has long been associated with the In this post, we explain the sign of the cross, its origins, and when, how, and why the Orthodox use it ETHIOPIAN (COPTIC) CROSSES, Ethiopia. The circle represents the eternal and everlasting love of God Christ's halo was commonly … Ankh (see also Cross, Knot) The Egyptian crux ansata, or looped tau-cross. They … The Coptic cross is widely used in the Coptic church and the Ethiopian and Eritrean churches. Yet perhaps the church’s most important asset has been it laity. It is believed by Ethiopians to date to at least the 1st century, within memory of the living Christ, when Philip the Evangelist, one of seven De One of these is the Coptic cross. Let’s know more on how an ancient Egyptian symbol influenced the Coptic cross, along with its significance today. Those with hollow round bases were mounted on staffs and carried on staffs during processionals or displayed on altars. All together, the cross has 12 points symbolizing the Apostles whose mission it was to spread the Gospel message throughout the world. May 31, 2012 - Different Ethiopian crosses (Meskel) from different regions ..do you know how long I have been looking for this kind of image thanks for @YoDiddy for posting this Uncommon among Eastern Catholic Churches, it employs the Coptic language in its services, while the Ethiopian Catholic Church and Eritrean Catholic Church use the Alexandrian Rite in the Ge'ez language. The Coptic Orthodox Cross is square, and often heavily ornamented with filigree and fanciful details, while the Ethiopian cross is a more classic cross shape, decorated with tiny crosses and circles. History of the Coptic Cross. Photo credit: Kashgar. Decorate your laptops, water bottles, helmets, and … Many Copts have the cross tattooed as a … Today's cross has many different forms. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን; Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan) is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Christian churches. The Ethiopian Orthodox church is one of the oldest in Christendom. A beautiful example of a pendant cross, early 20th century, solid high grade silver. The Coptic cross comes in a number of different forms, and is the symbol of Coptic Christianity, one of the oldest Christian denominations in Egypt. The original Coptic cross may have been influenced from the Coptic ankh symbol and was adopted by early Christian Gnostics, most notably Valentinus of Alexandria, Egypt or Eyptian ankh. It includes the Book of Enoch, Esdras, Buruch and all three books of Maccabees, and a host of others that were excommunicated from the KJV. Information I found interesting about the Ethiopian Coptic Cross: 1. It is a hieroglyph that represents life and is seen in many of the tombs in Egypt. The contemporary Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria is Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak, who succeeded Antonios Naguib in 2013. The Coptic cross is widely used in the Coptic church and the Ethiopian and Eritrean churches. 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