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History of Meditation in Coptic Christianity
Rich Christian Meditation Traditions That Elevate The Spiritual Journey
Finding The Mindset of Christ Through Meditation
The Coptic Orthodox Church is an ancient denomination that dates back to the first century, not long after Christ’s physical body left Earth. This traditional faith shares many themes and traditions with the Eastern Orthodox Church, including an aligned approach to meditation practices.
Coptic Orthodox leaders and historical influences hold that meditation strengthens spiritual life.[1] Through meditation on icons, practicing contemplation, focused dwelling, and conscious reflecting on good things, believers can find the mindset of Christ through holy abiding in Him.
Historical Influences on The Christian Tradition of Meditation In The Coptic Faith
The early church fathers and spiritual influences of the Coptic Church exemplified an admirable love and thirst for God. These desires led them to experience the “hoards in secret places,” as Isaiah 45:3 says. (ESV) Being enriched by this depth of hidden riches, they were filled with grace, and we get to share in the inheritance of their spiritual influence.
The Coptic Christian orthodoxy views spiritual meditation as directed contemplation, thoughtful dwelling, praying through Psalms, and intentional reflection, considering “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable…” as Philippians 4:8 says. (ESV)
St. Macarius the Great
St Macarius was one of the Desert Fathers who resided in the Egyptian desert in the 4th century. He was unwillingly ordained as a priest and eventually led the monks living in the Skete desert. He learned and perpetuated the spiritual science of watchfulness and was widely known for his patterns of prayer and meditation in solitude.
St. Macarius taught that
The perfect meditation is the saving and blessed name of our Lord Jesus Christ dwelling without interruption in you,” and “the inner action of the Christian determines the extent of his perception of divine truth and love.”[2]
Each believer is granted salvation by grace and given the Holy Spirit’s divine presence. However, he taught that the soul’s assimilation of the Spirit depends on their ability to “strengthen the free will.
This suggests a personal discipline to maintain “the extent of his perception of divine truth and love” in order to commune with the Spirit—something that requires focused meditation and prayer. The Desert Fathers taught that there is always an honorable place for the man who thinks.
St. Moses The Black
St. Moses the Black, or the Ethiopian, was an escaped slave, robber, and general rabble-rouser who lived around the fourth century. As a fugitive, he took refuge among the monks and Desert Fathers, where he was taught and nurtured by St. Macarius, St. Isadore, and others. He learned their teachings and spiritual practices of prayer and meditation, ultimately surrendering his life to monasticism.
As he engaged in thoughtful, practiced meditation, St. Moses explored his inner nature and understood that none could attain anything higher than the depth of their meditations and what was contemplated. He attributed the sharpness of his spiritual perception and holistic transformation to years of concentrated meditation.[3]
Like the Desert Fathers he learned from, St. Moses discovered the deepest parts of human nature, the love and peace of God, and deep self-acceptance through the rich tradition of Christian meditation. St. Moses’ example shows us that sober meditation, personal reflection, contemplative prayer, and an openness to spiritual things give us hope and inspiration for a future that’s aligned with the purpose of the Divine. These spiritual practices offer transformation and renewal for the soul.
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Forms of Meditation in The Coptic Christian Church
Liturgy and Scripture Reading
Divine Liturgy is where believers participate in the sacraments (communion) and commune with God. This practice is central to Coptic orthodoxy and may include reading scripture, praying through the Psalms or other books of the Word of God, as well as rote liturgical texts in silence and solitude for the purpose of concentrated reflection and meditation, similar to lectio divina. This type of quiet reflection and focused form of prayer helps believers cultivate a deeper connection with God.
Meditating On Icons
One way Coptic Christianity practices meditative prayer is by meditating on icons. These icons represent significant events, people, and works of God that can aid in focusing prayer and fostering a sense of the divine presence. These icons must be remembered and experienced by meditating on them, describing what’s being depicted, exploring the implications, grasping the work of God, understanding the state of man, and seeing the inspiration it sparks.
For example, meditate on the Crucifixion and feel how much suffering Jesus Christ had to endure to enact God’s salvation plan. This can be done as a congregation or in solitude. This form of meditation is an avenue to find the mindset of Christ and connect with the divine on a deeper, transformative level.
Contemplative Prayer
Contemplative prayer is a form of meditation that is rooted in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Official Orthodox doctrine expounds on the importance of prayer and praying like Jesus.
Referencing the Lord’s Prayer, the doctrine states this:
By praying this prayer, they could at length learn what all prayer should be. It was concise enough to be immediately committed to memory and stored in their heart for meditation. It was not just a model, however. It was an actual prayer, meant to be prayed, for Jesus did not just say, “Pray like this” (Greek outos) in Matthew 6:9, but in Luke 9:2, He also said, “When you pray, say” (legete). And the Church has ever after obeyed him, using this prayer along with all her other prayers. [4]
This type of meditation is for the purpose of “storing in the heart” and dwelling on the themes found therein. This practice of meditation and repetition was given as a prescriptive instruction in an early example of official church orders in the Didache, which is from the early second century. This work bids believers to recite the Lord’s Prayer three times a day from the book of Matthew.[5]
Modern Teachings on Meditation In The Coptic Orthodox Church
Bishop Mettaous
Bishop Meeaous was born in 1939 and is the abbot of the Syrian Monastery, Dayr al-Suryan. He is widely recognized as a leading teacher of liturgical theology in the Coptic church. In his work, The Spirituality of the Holy Liturgy in The Coptic Orthodox Church, Bishop Mettaous teaches that chanting and meditation are integral parts of the Coptic Orthodox service that have been a custom since the Apostolic era.
The church does the correct thing in chanting the joyous hymns during the distribution of the Sacraments, as the people of the church stand in awe during such blessed moments, meditating on the sacrifice of the cross and the slain Lamb for the sins of the world. They listen and participate in the hymns of the distribution. This has been the church’s custom since the Apostolic era… [6]
He drives home the point that meditation in church services and devotional time is so much more than obligatory; they are traditions that spark a deep sense of awe at the work of God and are an integral part of rich Christian traditions.
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
The current sitting Pope of the Coptic Christian Orthodox Church has written many works on prayer, the Coptic faith, the Orthodox life, the Bible, the early church fathers, Eastern Christianity, and meditation. In a 2024 publication, he wrote a Homily on Prayer, which states:
Thus prayer begins firstly in the heart as love, is then elevated to the mind as thought, and finally the tongue utters it as a word. But it is, in the first instance, love. Love![7]
This implies that prayer is an experience that builds on itself and is much more than simply asking God to supply our needs. It is a communion with God Himself that begins as love and is then elevated into thought before being spoken. This is the meditative process that engages both emotion and mindfulness.
He goes on to quote Psalm 119:97, which says,
Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (ESV) and adds, “Out of his love for God, the name of God is on his tongue and mind all day long in meditation….So, prayer is satisfaction for the soul. Just as the flesh is nourished by food, so also the soul is nourished by being in the presence of God, and by conversing with God, and with the connection of the heart with God. This is nourishment for the soul. [8]
This verse is believed by commentators to be a callback to vs. 15 of the same chapter, which says, “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.” (ESV). This is the model for meditation that believers can enjoy today, as the “soul is nourished by being in the presence of God.”
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Sources
All Scripture references were cited from: English Standard Version Bible. (2001). ESV Online. https://www.esv.org
[1] Pope Kyrillos VI. (2020, November 13). Pope Kyrillos VI Church | History of Coptic Orthodox Church – Pope Kyrillos VI. https://stpopekyrillos.org/who-we-are/
[3][7]St. moses the black: Meditation strengthens spiritual life – literature – resources. Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. (n.d.). https://suscopts.org/resources/literature/176/st-moses-the-black-meditation-strengthens-spiritua/
[2]St. Macarius the great of egypt – St. Macarius Monastery. St. Macarius Monastery – Orthodox Church in America | Diocese of the West. (2020, August 14). https://www.stmacariusoca.org/about/st-macarius-the-great-of-egypt/
[4][5]Essential orthodox Christian beliefs. (n.d.-a). https://www.oca.org/cdn/PDFs/2023-0609-EOCB.pdf
[6]Bishop Mettaous, B. of St. M. M. (n.d.). The Spirituality of the Rites of the Holy Liturgy in the Coptic Orthodox Church by H.G. Bishop Mettaous. Tasbeha. https://tasbeha.org/content/books/Spirituality_of_Rites_Bishop_Mettaous/
[7][8]Doss, A. D. & A. (2024, March 28). Homily on prayer – H.H. Pope Shenouda III. Doss Press. https://www.dosspress.com/post/homily-on-prayer-h-h-pope-shenouda-iii