November 2002

Teacher Guide prepared by: Gloria W. Lannom, a regular contributor to FACES ^®.

To get an idea of what this issue of FACES ^® is about, read the Editor's Message at the beginning of the magazine on page 2.

What is the name and the former position of the important Egyptian Copt mentioned there? Boutros Boutros-Ghali, first Egyptian and first Copt to become secretary-general of the United Nations
What does Boutros-Ghali mean in Arabic? "Peter-Precious"

Read the definition of "monasticism" in the box on page 2. A member of a monastic community is a monk. Where do monks usually live? in monasteries
Look at page 17: Who was the world's first Christian monk? Anthony
Can you think of two religions in which monasticism is practiced today? Roman Catholicism and Buddhism

Who is the Patron Saint of the Coptic Church? St. Mark
Who is the head of the Coptic Church? Pope or Patriarch of Alexandria - today it is Shenouda III, 117th Pope of Egypt (see page 10)

When is he said to have introduced Christianity to Egypt? 1st century A.D.
Who was the Roman emperor at that time? Nero

If you had lived in the third century B.C. when the Library of Alexandria was founded and you wanted to read a text, describe some differences between books of today and ancient manuscripts. written not on paper but on papyrus, rolled, wrapped tightly and tied with leather, placed in pigeon holes in the library walls
Who was an important founder of the Library? Ptolemy, the great Greco-Egyptian astronomer and geographer
Why would he want to have a library? place for research and for safekeeping of materials

The largest Coptic population is found in Middle Egypt. Name the other places where Copts live in Egypt. Luxor, Cairo, Alexandria
Find these three cities on the map shown on page 5.
Name other countries where Coptic Christians live today. Ethiopia, Eritrea, Australia, Canada, The United Kingdom, and the United States

What do worshippers do before they enter a Coptic church and why? remove their shoes because the church is a sacred space

What special mark do Copts put on their bodies and why? a Coptic cross tattoed on one's wrist is a way of identifying oneself as a Copt

In America we celebrate Christmas on December 25. What is the Coptic Christmas day? January 7
How is it celebrated? Streets are decorated with candles and lamps which are also given as gifts. Midnight Mass is held. Qurban bread decorated with a cross for Jesus and 12 dots for the disciples is distributed during the Mass. Large family meals are eaten. Children receive gifts and clothes.

What calendar do we use? Gregorian, 365 days a year with one extra day every four years
What calendar do the Copts use? Coptic, 360 days a year described either as 12 30-day months with additional days at the year's end or 13 months with 12 30-day months and a last month of five days, except in leap years when the last month has six days
In what year does the Coptic calendar begin? A.D. 284 to remember the persecution of the Copts during the reign of Emperor Diocletian
How do the Copts refer to the period 284 - 305? Era of Martyrs

Tell in your own words two stories about the life of Prince Lalibela. bees swarming at his birth, his vision revealing God's direction

What are the special features of the churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia? cut from solid volcanic rock, they are either hidden in trenches or are caves dug from the rock; four of them are single blocks cut from the living rock

Fill in the blanks:

Sistra, anchorite, tunic, quire, choir, dessert, desert, Muslim, patriarch, edict