Heritage & Theology
The Orthodox Rock
Doctrinal lectures on the faith, worship and traditions of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the religious debates of modern Egypt.
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About This Book
How does the Church remain steadfast when competing teachings claim her allegiance?
In The Orthodox Rock, St Habib Guirgis meets the Catholic and Protestant controversies of his Egyptian setting with the urgency of a teacher and preacher. He examines papal claims, faith and works, Scripture and tradition, the Virgin Mary, the sacraments, fasting, saints, icons, feasts, the Cross and monasticism.
His language is forceful and rooted in the struggles of his time. This English edition preserves that voice while adding concise notes where an attribution, historical claim or description of another Christian tradition needs context.
Both doctrinal defence and historical witness, this is an encounter with the convictions and pastoral mission of one of modern Coptic Christianity’s formative educators.
Written amid the religious controversies facing modern Egypt, these lectures belong to St Habib Guirgis’s lifelong work of strengthening the Coptic Church through education. He sought to equip her people to understand their faith, answer objections and recognise the meaning of the worship and traditions they had inherited.
Behind the forceful arguments stands a teacher’s concern for his congregation. Read alongside his work in theological education and Sunday Schools, this book reveals how closely he connected the defence of Orthodox belief with the formation of a faithful and informed Christian life.
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This edition is intended to improve access to the work. Advanced digital tools, including generative AI, were used in its production, with responsibility for the final text and editorial decisions remaining with the editor.
This access edition is intended for general reading, discovery and further exploration. It may also serve as a stepping stone for academic study. Some passages may remain uncertain or benefit from further refinement. Readers undertaking academic research or detailed theological study should consult the original-language sources, relevant manuscripts and specialist scholarship; this edition is not presented as a scholarly translation or critical edition.
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