Coptic Christianity: Desert Fathers and Mothers
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the features of the Coptic church and the impact of Desert Fathers and Mothers.
Key learning points
- The Coptic church in Egypt is one of the most ancient Christian churches. Tradition says it was started by St Mark.
- The Desert Fathers and Mothers were people who chose to live a life as hermits and ascetics in the desert.
- The life of St Antony was hugely influential on important figures in western Christianity such as St Augustine.
- Figures such as Desert Fathers and Mothers help us understand the diversity of Christian worldviews better.
Keywords
Coptic - belonging to part of the Christian church which began in Egypt
Monasticism - a religious practice of withdrawing from the world to pursue spiritual devotion
Monk - a religious man living in spiritual discipline and seclusion
Ascetic - someone who lives simply, giving up comforts to focus on growing spiritually
Hermit - someone who chooses to live away from other people often in a remote place
Common misconception
Christianity spread from the Middle East to Europe and that is where the most ancient forms of Christianity began.
The Coptic church shows that Christianity had spread to the continent of Africa many centuries before the impact of colonialism.
Teacher tip
There is a rich and distinctive tradition of Coptic art. You might want to find different examples to show students as well as exploring the restoration of the monastrey of St Anthony in Egypt.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What do most Christians believe about Mary, the mother of Jesus?
Q2.What does “almah” mean in Hebrew?
Q3.Which of these is true about women in early Christianity?
Q4.Why is there debate about Mary mother of Jesus as a feminist role model?
Q5.Why do some Christians view Mary Magdalene as a leader in early Christianity?
Q6.What is the Gospel of Mary?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The word ‘Coptic’ means Christian, referring to the ancient Christian church in Egypt.
Q2.The Desert Fathers and Mothers lived as , choosing to withdraw from society for spiritual reasons.
Q3.What was the main reason the Desert Fathers and Mothers lived in the desert?
Q4.How did St. Antony influence St. Augustine?
Q5.Which female leader was known for her wisdom and spiritual guidance in the monastic tradition?
Q6.Why is the Coptic Church important in Christian history?
To help you plan your 9 religious education lesson on: Coptic Christianity: Desert Fathers and Mothers, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 religious education lesson on: Coptic Christianity: Desert Fathers and Mothers, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 religious education lessons from the Christianity: how have the experiences of the Global South shaped it? unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.