Lesson video

Hello, there.

I'm Mr. Robertson, and I think RE is just marvellous.

Welcome to today's lesson, which is the first lesson in our exciting unit called "Christianity: How have the experiences of the Global South shaped it?" In this unit, we are looking at Christianity's interaction with countries in Africa and South America.

In this particular unit, we are looking at Coptic Christianity, the Desert Fathers and Mothers.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain the features of the Coptic Church and the impact of Desert Fathers and Mothers.

We have five keywords in this lesson.

Coptic, monasticism, monk, ascetic, and hermit.

Coptic means belonging to a part of the Christian Church which began in Egypt.

Monasticism is a religious practise of withdrawing from the world to pursue spiritual devotion.

A monk is a religious man living in spiritual discipline and seclusion.

An ascetic is someone who lives simply, giving up comforts to focus on growing spiritually.

And a hermit is someone who chooses to live away from other people, often in a remote place.

We'll be meeting these keywords throughout this lesson.

So we begin this lesson by asking this question, who were the Desert Fathers and Mothers? Can't wait to get started.

Let's go.

So this lesson is a theology lesson.

Theologians are academics and people who study beliefs and interpret texts.

They ask questions about when and who they were written for, and what meanings they might hold today.

Whether you have a religious or a non-religious worldview, you can use theology as a tool to better understand different people's worldviews.

And in this lesson, we'll study the Coptic Christian Church and use text and paintings to better understand Christian worldviews.

The Coptic Church is an ancient church, and this is gonna help us expand our envelope of the understanding of how Christianity has arisen in the world and the way it's been shaped as it's come into contact with different cultures.

So we're gonna start by doing some etymology.

The word Coptic comes to us from both Arabic and Greek influences.

We can see the word written out here.

And if we take the first part of the word copt, well that comes from Arabic and Greek words, and these words mean Egyptian.

And the word ic means related to.

So etymology is a really useful way of helping us understand these quite unusual and difficult words.

So over time, Coptic came to specifically refer to Egyptian Christians, and particularly those belonging to the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Let's just check our understanding so far.

Which word describes best the meaning of the word Coptic? Is it A, Greek? B, Egyptian? Or C, Arabic? Pause the video.

Have a think, theologians.

Excellent thinking.

It's Egyptian, isn't it? The word copt came from the Greek and Arabic word for Egyptian.

Well done if you got that right.

Okay, so we have a map here.

If you look carefully, you might have immediately identified where we are.

We've got the Mediterranean Sea.

You can see Greece in the north, the island of Cyprus.

And, of course, we've got the land of Egypt.

Coptic tradition says Christianity arrived in Egypt in the first century, making it one of the oldest Christian communities.

So this is really interesting, isn't it? Because there's sometimes a misconception that Christianity began in the Middle East and spread to Europe, and that's where the oldest Christians were.

But actually, the Coptic tradition is really interesting because it shows that this is a very ancient form of Christianity.

St.

Mark, the writer of the Gospel of Mark, is believed to have brought the faith and founded the church in Alexandria.

And Alexandria, a city in Egypt, still exists today, was a really, really important city in the ancient world.

Now look carefully at this picture here, this photograph.

What can you see? What might you speculate? You might be thinking, yes, I absolutely know what this is.

I can see what I'm looking at.

Maybe there are some particular things that you can notice.

How does it connect with what you already know? So is there something you studied in the past which is making you make links between them? You might want to pause the video, talk to the person next to you, have a bit of a think about this.

Some interesting thoughts.

Let's find out what we got here.

So this is St.

Mark's Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria in Egypt, and it's believed to be built on the site of the original church in 42 CE.

This is a really ancient Christian place.

Coptic Christians have developed their own tradition of art and ornamentation.

You might have seen, if you look up, you can see some figures.

It's actually showing the Last Supper, I think.

We can see archways.

We can see architecture that might remind you of other Orthodox churches.

The interesting thing is that this incredibly ancient form of Christianity is still being practised in Egypt today.

Egypt is a majority Muslim country, but it has a small Christian community continuing that tradition from all the way back to St.

Mark in the very first century.

Okay, let's just check our understanding.

I've got a true or false for you here.

The continent of Africa was one of the last places to receive the Christian faith.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent, theologians.

It's false, isn't it? But why is it false? Well, it's false because Christianity, as we've seen, has been practised in Africa since the first century, particularly in Egypt and places like Ethiopia.

And it's still practised today by Coptic Christians.

Well done if you got that right.

What can we see here? How might it feel to be in this place? What an extraordinary photograph.

Look at the blue of that sky.

Isn't it incredible? Look at that rugged terrain, the sand, the mountains.

It looks absolutely empty, doesn't it? Absolutely remote.

Maybe you've been to places like this.

I've actually been to the desert once in my life and it was really quite mind blowing.

The desert is a powerful symbol in the Abrahamic faiths, and there are many stories connected with it.

Can you think of any? You might be thinking about Moses leading the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt into the desert.

Maybe you were thinking about Jesus going off into the wilderness, or perhaps you were thinking of the Prophet Muhammad going up to the cave high above the city of Makkah.

It's a recurring symbol in Christian, Muslim, Jewish traditions.

Coptic Christians lived in a land surrounded by desert.

By the second to third century, some Christians felt that true faith required them to withdraw from society, and so many retreated as hermits or joined monastic communities in the desert.

This was an extraordinarily vibrant, spiritual time in history.

And this early Christian Church developing couple of hundred years after the death of Christ and developing this new and interesting way of thinking about taking yourself out of society, spending time in remote places.

By 400 AD, Egypt had become a thriving centre for Christian monasticism, attracting believers from various backgrounds.

And so it wasn't just Egyptian Christians there, people were coming from North Africa and Southern Europe as well.

And these ascetics, people who live very simple, quite austere lives later became known as the Desert Fathers and mothers.

And they were really influential in shaping Christian monasticism, which you know, right through the Middle Ages was a really enormous part of societies in Europe as well.

Okay, let's just check our understanding again.

Laura's got a sentence here.

I'd like you to think of the missing word.

So is it A, Rome? B, Jerusalem? or C, Egypt? Played an important role in shaping Christian monasticism.

Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent.

It's Egypt, isn't it? Let's have another check for understanding.

True or false this time.

The Desert Fathers and Mothers was the name given to those who practise Coptic Christianity.

Is that true or is that false? Pause the video, theologians.

Have a think.

Well done, theologians.

It's false, isn't it? But why? Why is it false? It's false because many were associated with Coptic Christianity, but actually the Desert Fathers and Mothers were Christians from various backgrounds who lived in the Egyptian desert.

Well done if you got that right.

So the Desert Fathers and Mothers were inspired, as we've said earlier, by figures like Jesus, but also other figures like John the Baptist.

And they sought this life of solitude and prayer, believing that by going out into the desert, they could grow closer to God because they were alone in a remote place.

And really, they were just left with their own inner struggles.

This is a really, really important point.

The wisdom and experience which they gained by being out there, talking to followers and visitors who came to see them was later written down.

And it's influenced Christian spirituality for many generations, including our own generation.

These Desert Fathers and Mothers still have an impact today on many contemporary Christians.

Many chose a simple life, practising silence, prayer, minimal food.

The ultimate goal was pursuing a deeper relationship with God.

I wonder what some of the challenges might be of living as a hermit or as an ascetic.

Hmm, maybe pause the video and think, what would be challenging about this life? I imagine, don't you, it would've been really difficult living a very long way away from other people.

This is a society long before connections and food being easily available.

So food would've been quite scarce.

It was possibly quite dangerous.

Cold at night, not an easy existence.

So let's think about our first task.

Laura, Lucas, Sam.

They're discussing why the Desert Fathers and Mothers retreated into the desert.

Lucas says, "The Desert Mothers and Fathers withdrew into the desert mainly to escape Roman persecution." Laura says, "The Desert Mothers and Fathers withdrew to primarily focus on the physical discipline and simple living." Sam says, "The Desert Mothers and Fathers were early Christians who sought God through solitude and prayer." So Lucas, Laura, Sam, they've all had a go at this.

Which do you think is the best explanation for why the Desert Fathers and Mothers retreated and why? Okay, theologians.

Take a break, pause the video.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Excellent.

So Sam gave us the best answer.

But why? Well, you might have said something like, "Sam's explanation is best because it shows the motivation for why the Desert Mothers and Fathers retreated into the desert, which was to devote themselves to God.

Laura's explanation is inaccurate because although many did adopt ascetic lifestyles, that wasn't really why they went there.

That was to help them grow closer to God.

And Lucas's answer is also inaccurate because there may have been some idea of persecution, but actually the fundamental aim was to go and get spiritually closer and more devoted to God.

So theologians, brilliant if you've managed to get that right.

So in the second part of this lesson, we are going to be learning about St.

Antony the Great.

St.

Antony the Great.

We can see a image of him here.

He wasn't the first monk, but he is widely regarded as the Father of Christian Monasticism.

He was a hugely influential person.

His life and story was well documented by his friend St.

Athanasius, and he became a best seller.

Hard to believe, I know.

But back in the day, people really wanted to find out about these mysterious people.

And their wisdom was spread throughout the known world, at that point translated into Latin and other languages.

The impact of his life was significant.

As I've said, he helped to spread monasticism throughout the East and into the West and actually helped it become a huge force in Europe today that it was at the time.

So Antony was born around 251 CE into a wealthy Christian family in the Egyptian town of Koma.

In his late teens, he was orphaned after the death of his parents and left to care for his younger sister.

During this time, he reflected on how the apostles had abandoned everything to follow Jesus and he was deeply moved by Matthew 19:21.

You can see the verse on your screens.

"If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.

Then come, follow me." And Antony saw this as a personal call, as a call to himself.

He gave away part of his family's land to the villagers, sold his remaining possessions, and after ensuring his sister's care in a community of Christian virgins, he embraced life as an ascetic.

Antony first sought guidance from an experienced hermit on the outskirts of his village.

Under their instruction, he devoted himself to self-discipline, prayer, and fasting.

As he grew in spiritual strength, he withdrew further into the desert, learning from other hermits and testing himself in harsh conditions.

Eventually, he retreated into complete solitude, dedicating his life to prayer, fasting, and extreme asceticism.

Now, this is quite an extraordinary painting, isn't it? And this is a really famous painting by the artist Michelangelo called "The Temptation of St.

Antony." If you look very carefully, you can see strange demonic-like creatures surroundings St.

Antony.

And I wonder what temptations can you see in this image if you look very carefully? So one of the most famous aspects of Antony's life is his struggle against temptations and demonic attacks in the desert.

According to Athanasius, these trials were both physical and psychological.

He was first tempted by thoughts of his former wealth and comfort, followed by carnal desires of the body which he overcame through prayer and fasting.

He withdrew to a tomb where demons appearing as wild beasts attacked him so violently that he was later found unconscious.

Undeterred, he moved deeper into the desert where he resisted temptations, including visions of gold and silver meant to lure him back to wealth.

Demons later appeared as women to incite lust, but he counted them with discipline and faith.

At times, he saw terrifying visions of wild animals, lions, serpents, scorpions, and wolves.

Each time, he overcame these attacks through constant prayer and unwavering faith in God.

And it's those extraordinary stories which Michelangelo has rendered so beautifully in the image you see there.

For many years, Antony remained in solitude, yet his reputation as a spiritual leader spread far and wide.

People sought him out, eager to learn from his wisdom.

And when they eventually broke down the door to his desert fortress, they were astonished to find him healthy and serene.

A sign of God's grace.

By around 305 CE, monasticism was flourishing and Antony was regarded as his spiritual father, teaching those who gathered around him the ways for ascetic living.

His example of renouncing worldly comforts inspired figures like Augustine, who saw the contrast between his own life and true Christian discipleship.

And his legacy continued to influence the development of Christian monasticism, with Augustine later shaping Western Christianity through his own teachings on monasticism.

So you could see how deeply Augustine was impacted.

Okay, so we've learned quite a lot about the life of St.

Antony there.

Jacob and Aisha have been thinking about St.

Antony.

Jacob says, "St.

Antony's legacy is that he is seen as the father of Christian monasticism.

He inspired many to form their own monastic communities or adopt a ascetic living." Aisha says, "St.

Antony's legacy lies in his deep commitment to prayer and faith, which enabled him to resist temptations.

He inspires individuals to pursue deeper spiritual lives today." I'd like you to use what you've learned from this lesson so far to explain why both statements are true.

Think about the life of St.

Antony that we've learned so far.

Can you find some evidence in both of what they're saying which will help make sure this is true? Pause the video and have a think.

Oh, amazing thinking there.

So you might have said that Jacob mentions the historical impact that St.

Antony had on the development of Christian monasticism.

We talked about the fact that Augustine was really influenced by him and that that helped spread monastic ideas.

But Aisha's also correct because she talks about his devotion to prayer and the fact that this still impacts spiritual lives of Christians today.

People still read St.

Antony, people still look at that amazing picture by Michelangelo.

And so his idea of discipline and devotion, and even though not all Christians obviously will find themselves in remote places like deserts, still resonates today.

For the final part of this lesson, we're going to look at the figure of Amma Syncletica.

Now, in the early Christian Church, many women gained new freedom to lead unlike the traditional Roman society of the time.

However, as Christianity integrated into the Roman world in the fourth century, women's leadership roles diminished.

So previously, early Christians have been separate from Roman society, and in that situation, women had been relatively powerful.

But as Rome made Christianity the institutional religion of the empire, so interestingly, women's roles diminished as the church became more enmeshed with the societal norms of the Roman world.

Despite this, the desert and monasteries offered women spiritual and physical autonomy.

And by that I mean that they were able to physically take themselves out away from society and spiritually they were free to practise in a way in which they wished rather than be constrained by the society expectations.

Amma Syncletica of Alexandria, a prominent spiritual leader, was given the title Amma, meaning wise mother, for her wisdom and teaching, and what a wonderful word that is.

And she was a hugely influential person as well.

True or false? As Christianity became integrated into the Roman world in the fourth century, women's leadership roles increased.

Theologians, from what we've heard, is that true or false? Pause the video.

Have a think Well done, theologians.

It's false, isn't it? But why is it false? Well, it's false because actually we said as Christianity became more integrated into the Roman world, women's leadership roles actually diminished.

And actually, the desert provided an alternative space for autonomy.

Well done if you got that right.

Let's find out a little bit more about Amma Syncletica.

So she was well educated.

She was born around 380 CE in Alexandria to a wealthy Christian family.

And she was deeply committed to loving God.

She was known for her beauty.

She was well educated.

Despite the encouragement to marry, enjoy the comforts of wealth, she chose to reject these in favour of a life of asceticism.

Upon the death of her parents, she gave away her inheritance to the poor, cut her hair as a sign of consecration, that means dedication to God, and moved to an empty family crypt with her blind, younger sister.

This began her life as a desert ascetic, where she committed herself to prayer and solitude.

She was focused on the disciplines of the inner life where she sought to empty herself of anything that was not aligned to Christ.

Over time, her reputation spread and many women sought her guidance in the desert.

Although Amma Syncletica desired to remain in silence and prayer, she recognised the need to teach.

Amma Syncletica was known for her discernment in guiding women towards spiritual maturity, as she was careful to ensure those who sought her for mentoring were prepared for the hardships.

She turned away those who were not ready for poverty and instructed them in what qualities they needed to look for in a spiritual teacher.

She's said to have counselled hundreds of men and women.

Her teachings and sayings, especially those on the importance of developing self-awareness and purifying the inner world, were a lasting legacy that inspired many others.

Her influence in monasticism, particularly for women, was pivotal.

Despite enduring years of physical pain, most likely from cancer, she lived into her eighties.

So what a remarkable woman she was.

Think about the time in which she was living and the extraordinary impact she had on women at the time and subsequently.

How did her choice challenge societal expectations of women during that time? You might want to pause the video and think about that.

We heard, didn't we, she would've been expected to marry.

She chose not to do that.

She was known to be beautiful, but she cut her hair.

She wasn't interested in those physical things.

She was entirely interested in developing her inner life.

And she had a vocation.

She wanted to go away and learned to become more devoted to God, but then she used the gift she had to help teach men and women to influence them to become better as well.

Let's hear a quote from Amma Syncletica.

She said, "It's possible to be a solitary in one's mind while living in a crowd, and it is possible for one who is a solitary to live in the crowd of his own thoughts." I love that quote, don't you? I wonder what she meant by that teaching.

Lucas and Izzy are reflecting on the meaning of Amma Syncletica's teaching.

Lucas says, "I think she's saying it's possible to find inner peace and solitude even in busy surroundings.

Peace is a state of mind that can be learned and practised no matter where you are." Izzy is saying, "I think she's saying that even without external distractions, our own minds can be overwhelming at times.

It's hard to find peace when our thoughts are full of worries and fears." What beautiful thoughts there, Lucas and Izzy.

I wonder whether you agree with Lucas or Izzy's perspective.

I wonder what ways you think they're different or similar.

I wonder what you think about this idea of peace and solitude.

You might want to pause and reflect on that for yourself.

You might want to talk to someone about that.

Most importantly, think about why you think that.

Why do you have the view you do? What's influenced you? Where have those ideas come from? Okay, we're going to have our final task now.

So using the learning that we've had today on the Desert Mothers and Fathers, we're gonna think about the unit question.

How have the experiences of the Global South shaped Christianity? We're gonna try and answer that question using what we know so far in this lesson about the Desert Mothers and Fathers.

You might want to use some example sentences like this.

The Desert Fathers and Mothers, particularly the examples of.

Can you think about who we've been learning about today? St.

Antony inspired many, including figures like.

Who were the people that were inspired by St.

Antony? Often regarded as the father of monasticism, his influence.

What was it that he did and how did he influence people? And what happened as a result of his ideas and teachings about being in the desert? Amma Syncletica was pivotal in Christian monachism, especially for.

Who was she? What was her contribution here? What did she do that was different and interesting, and how did that impact people? And finally, she set an example through.

Think a little bit about the way perhaps that Amma Syncletica challenged ideas of the time.

You don't have to use these as sentence started, it's up to you, but have a go at constructing a really good paragraph using what we've learned today and those sentence starters to help you.

Doing some great theology here, thinking about texts, thinking about people's lives.

Look forward to hearing what you've done.

Pause the video.

Off you go.

Wow, so amazing thoughts here.

These were some of my ideas.

The Desert Fathers and Mothers, particularly examples of St.

Antony and Amma Syncletica, greatly shaped early Christian monasticism.

St.

Antony inspired many figures, including figures like Augustine, through his solitary prayer, asceticism, and devotion to overcoming temptation.

Often regarded as the father of monasticism, his influence led to the growth of monastic communities in Egypt and beyond.

So you might have said something about his influence, the fact he inspired people like Augustine, the fact that thanks to him, monasticism spread throughout Egypt and beyond into Europe, and that his ideas have continued to be influential today.

You might have gone on to talk about Amma Syncletica and talk about her pivotal role, especially for women.

She set an example through her rejection of wealth in favour of a life of prayer and solitude.

You might have mentioned her cutting of her hair and how she rejected gender norms of the time.

Her teachings on self-awareness and inner purification offered a model for Christian women seeking a deeper connection with God.

So those are the ways I've decided to write these, but I'm sure you've had some brilliant ideas of your own.

Fantastic work if you managed to think through and developed your understanding of these two really influential figures and this very powerful movement.

Okay, let's sum up what we've learned today.

We've learned that Coptic Christianity was one of the first Christian communities outside Jerusalem, and it's still practised today.

We've learned that the Desert Fathers and Mothers in Egypt retreated to the desert to live as hermits and ascetics, forming the model for later Christian monastic communities.

We've learned that St.

Antony the Great is known as the father of Monasticism.

His example and the story of his temptations influenced countless early Christian ascetics, including figures like St.

Augustine.

And finally, we've learned that the Amma Syncletica was a significant female ascetic known for her wisdom and spiritual guidance, particularly for women seeking a monastic life.

I've absolutely loved learning with you today.

Thanks very much for being here and for your great ideas, and I really look forward to learning with you in a future lesson.

Thank you.