across the ages led to their acceptance of the New Faith,
which was compatible with their sense of mysticism. This
concord was doubtless due to their share in the legacy
bequeathed by God to man. Because they kept their
Inward Light burnished, they could easily perceive the
True Light when it shone upon them: "The True Light
which lighteth every man coming into the world. Little
wonder then, that the Prophet declared, "Out of Egypt
have I called my son."
9
Thus it was prophesied, and thus
did it come to pass. No trumpet heralded the entry of the
Christ Child into the Nile Valley. He came quietly and
gently, as comes the dawn, to take refuge in Egypt when
Herod wanted to kill Him.
10
Tradition says that as His
foot trod on Egyptian soil, the idols in all the temples fell
down before the eyes of their bewildered worshippers.
11
The import of this legacy lies not only in its veracity, but
rather in the qualities of the national temperament which it
uncovers-a temperament which could be imbued with such
an interpretation.
In due season, the Word was sown in Egypt, and
brought forth fruit: thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.
12
Before beginning the story, however, one remark is
necessary. James H. Breasted, the eminent American
Egyptologist and one of the greatest historians of all
times, said that what seems fabulous in other countries is
natural in Egypt. Also, during the less complex and less
sophisticated ages, man was in closer contact with God,
and a sort of fellow-feeling bound them. With these two
facts in mind, it is easier to comprehend the Copts and
their history.