Ancient painters who painted Egyptian rulers and queens often depicted them with a Coptic cross in their hands. The pharaohs held this symbol of eternal life by the round handle, just like the apostle Peter held the keys to the afterlife.
What is a Coptic cross
Every Orthodox is aware of the power of the Christian cross, but not everyone knows that this symbol appeared on Earth much earlier than Christianity was born on it. The history of the origin of the cross applies equally to paganism and Christianity, Hinduism and the
Mayan religion ...According to existing sources, the oldest analogue of the traditional Christian cross is considered to be Ankh - the Coptic cross (a symbol that is still used by the descendants of the ancient Copts), decorated with a loop. Ankh adorns the utensils and walls of the tombs of the dead pharaohs - the Egyptians considered him the key to open the world of the dead.
This ancient hieroglyph had many names. He was called the "key of the Nile", "the key of life", "the knot of life", "bow of life" ...
Idea of eternal life
According to the assumptions of some historians, noble Egyptians considered life "outside the pyramid", that is, existence in a parallel world, the main purpose of their stay in the material world, so a significant part of the earthly life of the Egyptian pharaohs was devoted to preparing for death.
Symbolizing the idea of eternal life, the Coptic cross in the religion of Ancient Egypt united two other significant symbols: the "cross" - life, and the "circle" - eternity.
In addition, Ankh, who was also a symbol of the union of Isis and Osiris, land and heaven, male and female principles, was revered by the Egyptians as a sacred hieroglyph denoting a higher mind.
The Coptic cross (photo you can see on the page) is confused by many with the symbol of Christ the Savior, although in reality the cross on the loop symbolizes the Egyptian god of the Sun - Ra. According to some sources, the ancient Egyptians expressed worship of the god Ra through sexual orgies, since the same character symbolized fertility. This is probably why the second name of the Coptic cross is the cross of life.
The opinion of scientists
Some Egyptian researchers claim that the horizontal lines of the Coptic symbol forming a loop, the Egyptians identified with the ascending luminary, and vertical - with the rays. These same lines, according to another group of Egyptologists, are a symbolic reflection of the male phallus (vertical) and the female bosom (the loop symbolized female fertility). Together, these two elements became a symbol of reincarnation, that is, continuous life.
Coptic cross (meaning) through the eyes of modern believers
Today, representatives of some religious communities (for example, Christian) consider Ankh a symbol of debauchery and contempt for virginity, and representatives of a number of modern occult communities use the image of the Coptic cross as their talisman, spreading it in society due to the increased interest of the population in the ancient Egyptian pyramids and mummies, as well as through tarot cards. The same symbol is often used as an emblem by rock musicians.
Most Christian communities find the Coptic cross unacceptable and incompatible with Christian morality and faith. And the Copts, on the contrary, consider themselves to be Egyptian Christians. It is difficult to imagine a Coptic temple, in which there are no faces of the great martyr George the Victorious and the martyr Mina. These are the most revered saints of the Copts.
Church of the modern Copts
The Coptic Church, as one of the oldest eastern temples, ranks second in the number of followers, second only to Ethiopian. Currently, about 10 million Copts live in Egypt (the total population of Egypt is about 60 million people). The existence of a Coptic diaspora scattered around the world, numbering about 1 million people, is also known.
The modern tradition of explaining the ancient tradition of putting a tattoo in the form of a cross on the wrists of the cross is explained by the fact that their distant predecessors - the Egyptians and Ethiopians - valued faith more than earthly life. The tattoo made impossible even the very thought of renouncing one's Christianity during persecution.
The intransigence with which modern Slavic Christians belong to the symbols of Ancient Egypt, the researchers explain the inability to explain the significance of finds discovered during archaeological excavations conducted in Ukraine, Siberia and Altai. In particular, among numerous objects, statuettes of Osiris in the crown of Atef, bronze cats, the amulet “the sacred eye ujat” and Bes figures were found.
Part of Christian symbolism ...
The Coptic cross, crowning the image of the Egyptian god, as it turned out, was not unusual for the ancient Christians. Now many historians who are interested in the symbols of Ancient Egypt are convinced of this. It is hard to believe, but the Egyptian would have perceived the same sacred face as an image of his ancient god, and the Slavic Christian would have seen in him his next priest-king.
The image of the Egyptian Osiris, for example, is surprisingly reminiscent of the face of Christ, and the striking resemblance of the Virgin Mary to the goddess Isis to this day haunts the Egyptian Coptic Christians.
According to the information set forth in the textbook of the authors S. Gorokhov and T. Hristov “Religions of the peoples of the world”, there are several branches of Christianity, each of which has its own symbolism. The Orthodox use four-, six- and eight-pointed crosses, Egyptian Christians use the Coptic cross, Catholics and some Protestants recognize only the four-pointed cross, and the Old Believers only eight-pointed. But they all equally believe in the immortality of the soul and acknowledge the existence of heaven and hell.