By Theodore Shoebat
The oldest copy of the Gospel of Mark has just been discovered in an ancient Egyptian mummy. According to the report:
A fragment of what could be the earliest copy of the Gospel of Mark – the oldest of the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and central to the belief system of Christianity – is set to be published after being discovered in the face mask of an Egyptian mummy.
Not all mummies were created equal – we’re used to seeing them contained by stunning sarcophagi and masks coated in gold, but only Egyptian royalty were honoured with such finery. When regular citizens died and were mummified, their masks were made from simple papyrus – a plant-based, paper-thin material – which was glued together in layers and painted.
And while papyrus was obviously a whole lot cheaper to produce than gold, it came in limited supply, so people often recycled it, just like how kids use old newspapers to make Papier-mâché. Now, researchers have figured out how to loosen the glue that holds these papyrus layers together, thousands of years after it was applied, so they can be extracted from the mask with the original ink writings still intact.
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f the team’s first century calculation is accurate for the age of this fragment, it predates the current oldest copy of the Gospel of Mark by almost 150 years.
Here are some photos of the mummy:
What Christians were in Egypt in the first century? The Copts, the earliest Christians of Egypt, trace their lineage back to St. Mark, whose Gospel was found in this very mummy.
This proves that the Coptic Church is part of the Apostolic See that can trace their origin back to the Apostles, and ultimately, to Jesus Christ.
This changes the common American perception as to what is Christianity. We believe that the way church is typically done in America is true Christianity, but if this is true, then why do the Copts, who are amongst the oldest Christians in history, conduct their church services so radically different from what the Evangelical do?
To see what the Copts believe, is to see what the earliest Christians believed in. The Copts venerate Mary, have confessions to a priest, holy water, the Eucharist (which they believe is the flesh and blood of Jesus), reverence toward icons, the intercession of the saints in Heaven, and pretty much every thing else Protestants despise.
Here is a Coptic hymn praising the Virgin Mary as an intercessor for the cause of our salvation:
Here are the lyrics in English:
O come let us worship, the holy Trinity, the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We the Christian people, for He is God, in truth.
We have hope, in Saint Mary, that God will have mercy upon us, through her intercessions.
All calmness, in the world, is through the prayers, of the Theotokos Virgin Mary.
Hail to you O Mary, the beautiful dove, who gave birth to, God the Word.
Hail to you O Mary, a holy hail, hail to you O Mary, the Mother of the Holy.
Hail to Michael, the great archangel, hail to Gabriel, the Announcer.
Hail to the Cherubim, hail to the Seraphim, hail to all the heavenly orders.
Hail to John, the great forerunner, hail to the priest, the relative of Emmanuel.
Hail to my masters and fathers, the apostles, hail to the disciples, of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Hail to you O martyr, hail to the evangelist, hail to the apostle, Abba Mark the beholder of God.
Whats amazing is that the teachings expressed in this hymn is exactly what the Roman Catholic Church teaches. When someone affirms these beliefs in regards to Mary, Protestants will automatically think the person teaching is Roman Catholic. But, why are these beliefs always made exclusive to the Roman Catholic Church? The Coptic Church of Egypt, which goes all the way back to St. Mark himself, venerates Mary and affirms that she prays for to Christ for our salvation as a mediator.
The Protestant has two choices: he will either have to prove how the Coptic Church changed from being like him, to a Catholic church with Catholic rituals. Or, he will have to admit that the Christian Church was this way from the beginning.
Why are such Catholic beliefs isolated to Rome? Why not Egypt? When we study Christianity in Egypt, what we will find is that they always had such rituals and Catholic beliefs, and they are not Rome, nor are they the Vatican.
All of the beliefs and rites that have for centuries been condemned as “Romish” or “Popish,” was actually, before Luther, universally accepted Christian throughout Christendom. Hence why Christianity was given the title “Catholic” from the time of the Faith’s beginning, since the beliefs of the Catholic Church were indeed “universal” (which is what Catholic means).
Here is a video of the Coptic Pope (yes they have a pope), sprinkling holy water:
Again, the Coptic Church, which was founded by St. Mark, has all of the rituals that the Roman Catholic Church has. So what will it be? Were all of the ancient churches corrupt and evil until the Protestant Reformation? Did God allow the world to live in darkness for over a thousand years until the glutton, Martin Luther, showed up?
Think about it; read history, and you will see that the Protestant church is of recent origin.