Coptic Christianity: Desert Fathers and Mothers
I can explain the features of the Coptic church and the impact of Desert Fathers and Mothers.
Coptic Christianity: Desert Fathers and Mothers
I can explain the features of the Coptic church and the impact of Desert Fathers and Mothers.
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Lesson details
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.
To help you plan your year 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 year 9 religious education lesson on: Coptic Christianity: Desert Fathers and Mothers, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
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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.