Coptic Christians

7 Stories

Christian Monk Is Found in a Pool of Blood

And another monk confessed to killing Bishop Epiphanius

(Newser) - A bearded Christian monk lies dead in a pool of blood. A younger monk who clashed with him is defrocked. Another tries to kill himself. Now Coptic Christians in Egypt are grappling with this murder-at-the-monastery scandal as authorities suggest possible motives, the New York Times reports. Bishop Epiphanius, abbot at...

They Were Headed to a Monastery. Then Came Death

23 Coptic Christians believed dead in attack on bus in Egypt

(Newser) - Egyptian state TV says 23 people were killed and 25 wounded in an attack by gunmen on a bus carrying Coptic Christians south of Cairo. The report quotes local health officials as saying that the attack happened on Friday while the bus was traveling on the road to the St....

'Gospel of Jesus' Wife' Mystery Has New Twist

The answer may lie in the ink

(Newser) - Since Harvard University professor Karen King first reported in 2012 her discovery of what appears to be an ancient papyrus in which Jesus is suggested to have a wife, the authenticity of the so-called "Gospel of Jesus' Wife" has been the subject of much claim and counterclaim . Even the...

Egypt Hits ISIS Targets After Mass Beheadings

Airstrikes were to 'avenge the bloodshed,' Cairo says

(Newser) - Egypt says it has launched airstrikes against ISIS targets in Libya after the extremist group released a grisly video showing the beheadings of several Coptic Christians it had held hostage for weeks. A spokesman for the Armed Forces General Command announced the strikes on state radio today, marking the first...

Ancient Image of Jesus Found in Egypt Tomb

Painting of curly-haired figure thought to date to 6th or 7th century

(Newser) - Archaeologists exploring the ancient Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchu believe they have uncovered one of the earliest images of Jesus ever found. The figure painted on the wall of a hidden room deep in an ancient tomb shows "a young man with curly hair, dressed in a short tunic and...

Coptic Church Taps New Pope
 Coptic Church Taps New Pope 

Coptic Church Taps New Pope

Pope Tawadros II will fill gap left by Shenouda III's death this year

(Newser) - Egypt's ancient Coptic Christian church chose a new pope in an elaborate ceremony today meant to invoke the will of God, in which a blindfolded boy drew the name of the next patriarch from a crystal chalice. Bishop Tawadros, 59, an aide to the acting pope, was selected to...

Jesus 'Wife' Papyrus Is a Fake: Expert

Francis Watson: Modern forger 'patched' it together

(Newser) - A New Testament scholar has weighed in on the ancient document that mentions Jesus having a wife, the Guardian reports. His verdict: Not worth the papyrus it's written on. "I would be very surprised if it were not a modern forgery," writes Francis Watson of Durham University...

7 Stories