Christianity was established early in Egypt and it was not until AD 639 that the Muslim faith made inroads and now is the dominant religion in the country. It may well be that the tattoo was a statement of faith and it certainly is that today. And it may be even more than that since security measures have been in place for the church, it is one way to quickly identify someone as being safe to allow into a church building. Tattoos have never been a symbol of fashion or rebellion but a bold claim of Christian identity. It does make me wonder about what it is that visually identifies us in our culture where it is easy to blend in.
Tattoos go in an out of fashion in the West but not so in Egypt for Coptic Christians. Though its origins are not exactly known it seems that since about the 8th Century Copts have had a cross tattooed somewhere visible on the body to identify themselves as Christian believers. In our time in Egypt it was easy for us to notice the small Coptic cross tattooed on people's wrists. The Coptic Orthodox Christians trace their heritage to the very beginnings of the post resurrection church, to the apostle and evangelist Mark in the 1st Century. According to legend there may even have been believers from before the time of Christ’s death and resurrection, when Mary and Joseph escaped to Egypt with Jesus to avoid death by King Herod’s threat to kill all newborns. Copts have a very clear sense of the journey of the three over the course of one to three years before their return to Nazareth.
Christianity was established early in Egypt and it was not until AD 639 that the Muslim faith made inroads and now is the dominant religion in the country. It may well be that the tattoo was a statement of faith and it certainly is that today. And it may be even more than that since security measures have been in place for the church, it is one way to quickly identify someone as being safe to allow into a church building. Tattoos have never been a symbol of fashion or rebellion but a bold claim of Christian identity. It does make me wonder about what it is that visually identifies us in our culture where it is easy to blend in.
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