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Document Details : Title: Traditions of Selecting Coptic Patriarchs over Two Millennia Author(s): SAAD, Saad Michael , RIEGELS, Nardine Saad , WESTBROOK, Donald A. Journal: Journal of Coptic Studies Volume: 16 Date: 2014 Pages: 139-153 DOI: 10.2143/JCS.16.0.3066725 Abstract : From the earliest days of the Coptic Orthodox Church to the 2012 election of Pope Tawadros II, the methods of selecting 118 Coptic patriarchs have been multifarious and in some aspects unique in the history of Christendom. Existing scholarship on the traditions of Coptic patriarchal selection often includes generalizations in place of rigorous statistical analysis. This study remedies the deficiency through historical and quantifiable analysis of the methods of patriarchal selection over the nearly two thousand-year history of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The following eight methods of selection were identified in order of frequency: consensus among clergy and laity, election by the presbyters of Alexandria, appointment by predecessor, election by laity acting alone, casting of lots among final nominees, governmental interference, divine appointment or vision, and election by bishops acting alone. Despite the variety of methods — and despite the social and political trials of the Copts — a democratic thrust has continued to exert itself, with the most recent patriarchal election being no exception. The study also includes critical examination of the current patriarchal election law, decreed in Egypt in 1957, which formalized casting of lots among the top three elected candidates. |
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