The Story of The Coptic Cross

Egypt was a fertile ground for Christianity in the first few centuries after Christ. The Coptic Church was very strong and influential in the time, with some of the early debates of Christianity being held in the city of Alexandria. Monasticism started in Egypt, and altogether, Egypt was a Christian country for a while. However, in the late 630's there occurred Arab invasions of Egypt, and thus a widely Christian majority became a minority in their own land. At first, there was a minority Muslim government in Egypt, but they realized that in order to maintain power and grow, they had to make life more difficult for Christians who refused to convert to Islam. They made Christians pay very high taxes, limited their traditional dress, and expanded the use of the Arabic language, and eventually, the Copts became a persecuted minority.

Originally, tattooing was used as a degrading practice in the Roman Empire to brand slaves. Some Pagan worship adopted this, and would worshippers would tattoo themselves as slaves to a god. The practice was adopted also by some early Coptic monks, marking themselves as "slaves for Christ," but the widespread of the Coptic Cross tattoo arose amidst persecutions.

As years went by, some Muslim authorities would attempt to eradicate Christianity by using very severe tortures and methods. There came a point where Copts were given a choice: either convert to Islam, or pay an extremely high tax, or die. Copts were humiliated, and made to ride donkeys backwards, while wearing a bell around their necks. The 1200's were an especially difficult time for the Coptic church. If the Christians spoke Coptic in public, their tongues would be cut off. It was a time of hardship and tribulation, but it is through tests and trials that the church continues to grow. The Coptic Cross become famous in this time. Parents would tattoo their young with a small cross on their wrist, to remind them of their Christian faith in the case that their parents were killed or if they were kidnapped. Some Copts actually got the tattoo on their foreheads as a way of showing everyone around them their pride in their Christian faith. The cross tattoo became a symbol of belonging to Christ and a method to preserve the youth's faith in the even that parents were no longer with them. The Coptic faith gave Copts a sense of being different, and it is that feeling that has helped preserve the Coptic church through so many years of persecution. Now, the Coptic cross tattoo is carried on by many Copts, not only as a tradition, but as a symbol of the enduring Christian faith, and a sign of dedication to the One who bore the true sufferings and countless scars for our sakes. It is not a sign of teenage rebellion or any sort of fashion statement. It is a symbol of pride in our faith and defiance of the "norms" in Egypt and during persecution.