According to the Gospel of Matthew, the Holy Family sought refuge in Egypt to escape Herod's Massacre of the Innocents. There is no contemporaneous account of this "Massacre" by any historian, including those critical to Herod, and today most scholars doubt that it ever occurred. Despite this, Christianity has a long history in Egypt. The Coptic Church traces its roots to Saint Mark, author of the Gospel of Mark, personal friend of Jesus Christ and martyr under the Emperor Nero in Alexandria, and a fragment of a Coptic Gospel of John dating from the 2nd Century has been found. Indeed, one might argue that Coptic history stretches beyond recorded history: the language used in Coptic masses is very similar to the Egyptian spoken by the Pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom. Despite persecution by Roman emperors and later by Islamic conquerors, the Copts have maintained their faith and identity.

When the first Christians arrived in Egypt, they found a society in transition. With Cleopatra's death, the Pharaonic god-rulers were a thing of the past. Egypt was now a provincial backwater of the Roman Empire, subject to arduous taxes and social repression. Amidst this turmoil, many Egyptians were favorably disposed to the new Christian religion. The crucifix reminded them of the Ankh; the story of a Messiah who died and was reborn echoed the ancient tale of Osiris slain and risen; the Holy Trinity resembled the godly triad of Isis, Osiris and Horus. Before long there was a thriving Christian community in Alexandria, and a Christian school, the Didascalia, which educated such famous Christian orators as Clement and Origen. As part of the Roman Empire, Egypt was subject to the same anti-Christian laws which governed elsewhere. The Coptic Church considers 284 CE its "Year One" - that year marked the beginning of Diocletian's persecutions and what the Copts call the "Era of Martyrs." Not until 313, when Constantine made Christianity legal, would the slaughter cease.

You might think that every Christian in Egypt welcomed these new freedoms… but such was not the case. Many lamented the new laxity among their fellow Christians. Taking leave of the city, they made their homes in the desert. St. Anthony, later immortalized by Bosch, is considered the first of these monks: he spent decades in the desert, where he endured scorching heat, grinding poverty and recurrent visions of naked women amidst snarling demons. The first monks lived alone; later, monasteries were established where whole groups of men and women could come together and share their solitude. These Egyptian communities became famous throughout Christiandom and influenced the later development of monasteries in Europe.

In any event, those who prayed for persecution soon found their prayers answered. Under the Byzantine Emperors, the Coptics were considered heretics for their insistence in Christ's wholly divine nature: they were treated so harshly that they welcomed the Islamic conquerers as saviors. At first the Copts were respected as "people of the Book;" later, they would be seen as a threat to the Islamic order. Some rulers branded the hands of Copts with crosses; others forced them to wear heavy crosses so that they could be easily identified. Churches were closed and Christian education forbidden… yet none of this stopped Coptic Christianity. Things have not improved for today's Coptic Christians. As Islamic Fundamentalism has gained wider acceptance in Egypt, the Copts have become the target of increasing mob violence. Christians in Egypt can be arrested for "evangelical activities" - encouraging Moslems to convert to Christianity - and accusations of "blasphemy against Islam" have become the Egyptian equivalent of the blood libel. For the most part the Egyptian government has done nothing to stop this violence; frequently they have arrested Coptic leaders on trumped-up charges of "incitement" while letting the mob leaders go free.

Today just 6% of Egyptians are Coptic Christians. Despite the growing anti-Christian feelings in Egypt, the Copts remain a relatively well-educated and prosperous minority in many cities. During the British occupation the majority of civil service positions were filled by Christian Copts. While these opportunities have largely vanished, in Egypt's cities the Copts are disproportionately represented in professional fields. Boutrous Boutrous-Ghali, the former UN Secretary, is probably today's most well-known Coptic Christian. The Copts have also resolved many long-standing differences with the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches; in 1987 the Coptic and Orthodox Churches agreed to a common statement on the nature of Christ, and in the 1990s Roman Catholic and Coptics declared themselves to be "sister churches."