The Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the group called Oriental, or Non-Chalcedonian, Orthodox Churches.  The separation between these churches and Europe took place in 451 AD at the Council of Chalcedony.  The controversy was about the nature of our Lord, whether He would be described as having one or two natures.  The Oriental Churches clung to the idea of the One Nature in Him, and are therefore called Monophysites, in contrast with the Duophysites of the West.  Recently, in 1991, a declaration derived by theologians from the Eastern Orthodox and the Oriental Orthodox more accurately described our faith as Miaphysites, which means two natures in One. At the Council of Chalcedony, the Western Churches adopted Pope Leo of Rome?s tome which spoke about two natures of the Lord.  The one, the Divine, is resplendent with miracles, the other, the Human, submits to insults.  The Orientals felt that this Duophysitism meant that there was in Christ only a fellowship between the divinity and the humanity of Jesus, not an unity. This belief shook the foundation of our Salvation which could only be based on the ground that Christ has one composite nature.

We believe that there was no moment in history at which existed a separate human nature of the Lord to be united to His Divine nature, "not even for  a twinkle of the eye", as we pray in our Liturgy. This is true from the moment of His incarnation into the womb of the Virgin, through baptism, crucifixion, burial, resurrection, ascension and henceforth until His Second Coming (Revelation 1: 17-18).

On the Cross, Jesus Christ, the Son of God/Son of Man shed His precious divine blood in payment for humanity?s original sin.  Jesus the Son of Man, representing humanity, paid its debt to God the Father by Christ?s divine blood.  He is our Redeemer.  He is the "Chief Cornerstone" (Psalms 118:22).  Peter referred to Him and said, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Our Eucharist is a spiritual journey to worship Christ in heaven.  There, we join the heavenly hosts, the Four Living Creatures, the Cherubim and the Seraphim, to praise and glorify God saying: "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty" (Rev. 4:8, Isaiah 6:2-3). We offer our oblation to the Lord -- bread and wine. We receive back a Divine Gift -- His Holy Body and Honored Blood.

Here, in the U.S., the Coptic Liturgy is still celebrated in Coptic with parts in English and parts in Arabic.  It is one of the most enchanting features of our Church.  According to tradition, it was orally transmitted by Saint Mark, the Apostle, to other generations until finally it was recorded by Saint Cyril the Great, the 24th Pope of Alexandria, in the fifth century.  It is regarded as the greatest, the oldest and the most complete text of the Divine Liturgy in existence.