Coptic Centre, UK


The Official Website of the Coptic Orthodox Church Centre, United Kingdom Under the care of H.G. Bishop Angaelos

By Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malty

FAN	A fan made of ostrich or peacock feathers, linen cloth, thin sheets, or fine threads of metal is sometimes used in the church during the divine Liturgy to drive flies and other insects away from the chalice. It usually carries a draw ing of the six-winged cherubim or is made in the shape of the cherubim, but is rarely used in modern churches.
FASTING	* Fasting, which was practised in Judaism and by the disciples of St. John the Baptist, was recommended by Christ both by example and teaching (Luke 4:2; Matt. 6:16-18 and Mark 2:20). It was observed by the Apostles (Acts 13:2; 14:23; 2 Cor. 11:27), and in the early Church fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays was mentioned in the Didache. * In early times fasting meant the entire abstention from food for the whole or part of the day. In the Coptic Orthodox Church it is still observed with considerable strictness. The ancient rules continue to be followed by us, no meat being eaten, nor animal products (eggs, milk, butter, cheese), and fish only on certain fastings. * Our Lord, Jesus Christ fasted for our sake 40 days. * The Church arranged fastings as follows: Lent, for fifty-five days. Fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays (except during the fifty days following the Resur rection). Paramone fasting (the day before Christmas and Epiphany). Christmas fasting, fourty-three days. Apostles fasting. Jonah fasting, for three days. The Virgin's fasting, for fifteen days. * Fasting is presented to God alone. It should be accompanied by repentance. * As a penitential practice, fasting is designed to strengthen the spiritual life by weakening the attractions of sensible pleasure. The Lord Himself coupled it with prayer, and in the lives of the saints the two almost always go together. * Believer can practice private fasting under the guidance of his spiritual father. He also may not practice all the church fastings, with special permission from the priest under certain terms.
FATHER	* God is our Father (Isaiah 63:16). * Through baptism we are called childrenof God (John 3:5).
FATHER (SPIRITUAL)	* The spiritual father (either the bishop or the priest) cares for his children, and breeds them. * St. John the Apostle calls his people: "my little children" 1 John 2:1.
FEAST	* The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to our world made our days turn out to be a continuous feast. * The feast reminds us of God's redeeming deeds with us, or His work through the martyrs and saints' lives.
FEASTS OBSERVED BY THE COPTIC CHURCH	* These come under three chief headings: Weekly feast, i.e. Sundays. The weekly commemoration of the Resurrection, which falls on the first day of every week. Sundays have been kept by Christians from Apostolic times as days of worship, and in 321 the Emperor Constantine proclaimed that Sunday should be a an official holiday. Movable Feasts. Immovable Feasts. * Some scholars divide them into four main divisions: the seven major feasts, the seven minor feasts, the seven Marian feasts, and the saints' and martyrs' feast days. There are other feasts for certain joyful events, such as the discovery of the Cross and the miracle of the Mokatam mountain, which was moved and saved the lives of all Copts when moved.
THE SEVEN MAJOR FEASTS	The Annunciation (29 Baramhat). The Nativity (29 Kiahk). The Epiphany (11 Tubah). Palm Sunday, on the seventh Sunday of Great Lent. Easter Sunday, a movable feast celebrated on the first Sunday after Passion Week. Ascension Day, on the fortieth day after the Resurrection. Pentecost, on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection.
THE SEVEN MINOR FEASTS	Circumcision (6 Tubah). The first miracle at Cana of Galilee (13 Tobah). Candlemas (8 Amshir). Maundy Thursday. Saint Thomas's Sunday, on the Sunday following Easter Sunday. Entry of the Holy Family into Egypt (24 Bashans). Transfiguration (13 Misra).
THE FEASTS OF THE THEOTOKOS	Annunciation of her Nativity (7 Misra). Nativity (1 Bashans). Candlemas (3 Kiahk). Dormition (21 Tubah). Assumption (16 Misra). The Iron Dissolver (21 Baounah). 7. Apparition in the church of Zeitoon (24 Baramhat).
SAINTS AND MARTYRS DAYS	* The Coptic Synaxarion records the history of the saints and the martyrs who gave their lives for the Christian faith. Various churches also celebrate the anniversaries of their patron saints.
FEASTS (IMMOVABLE)	* Feasts and holidays of the church which always occur on the same date, as Christmas and Epiphany, Transfiguration etc...
FEASTS AND FASTINGS (MOVABLE)	* Holidays which are not observed on fixed dates but depend on the variable date of Easter, as Palm-Sunday, Ascension and Pentecost...
FISH	* The fish was a symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ and Christians. * The Greek letters of the word "fish" correspond to the initials of the words: "Jesus Christ the Son of God, our Saviour." * A secret sign used by the early persecuted Christians to designate themselves as believers in Jesus Christ.
FLIGHT OF THE HOLY FAMILY	* The only country that had the honor of the Holy family's coming to it, is Egypt. * This feast fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah the prophet (Isa. 19: 1).
FONT	* in Latin "fons," means "spring of water." * See Baptismal Font.
FRACTION	* The breaking of the bread which in all Eucharistic Liturgies takes place before the Communion. It goes back to Christ's action at the original institution (Matt. 26:26), and was a sufficiently striking element in the primitive rite to make the "breaking of bread" (Acts 2:42; 20:7) a regular name for the Eucharist. * According to the Coptic rites, "Fraction" is performed in two stages during the celebration of the Liturgy: * Immediately after the prayers of crossing the gifts, known also as the recitation of the words of institution, where the celebrant takes the Oblation and slightly divides it into onethird and two-thirds sections, without actually separating them. * The second stage follows the Epiclesis of the Liturgy, and is accompanied by special prayers known as fraction prayers. * "Fractions" follows the rite of Commemoration, in it the celebrant divides the Holy Body into thirteen parts. This numeral refers to the Lord Jesus Christ gathering together with His twelve disciples. *Through the Fraction we can recognize in Christ His church united in Him.

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, U, V, W

FAN A fan made of ostrich or peacock feathers, linen cloth, thin sheets, or fine threads of metal is sometimes used in the church during the divine Liturgy to drive flies and other insects away from the chalice. It usually carries a draw ing of the six-winged cherubim or is made in the shape of the cherubim, but is rarely used in modern churches.
FASTING * Fasting, which was practised in Judaism and by the disciples of St. John the Baptist, was recommended by Christ both by example and teaching (Luke 4:2; Matt. 6:16-18 and Mark 2:20). It was observed by the Apostles (Acts 13:2; 14:23; 2 Cor. 11:27), and in the early Church fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays was mentioned in the Didache.
* In early times fasting meant the entire abstention from food for the whole or part of the day. In the Coptic Orthodox Church it is still observed with considerable strictness. The ancient rules continue to be followed by us, no meat being eaten, nor animal products (eggs, milk, butter, cheese), and fish only on certain fastings.
* Our Lord, Jesus Christ fasted for our sake 40 days.
* The Church arranged fastings as follows:

Lent, for fifty-five days.
Fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays (except during the fifty days following the Resur rection).
Paramone fasting (the day before Christmas and Epiphany).
Christmas fasting, fourty-three days.
Apostles fasting.
Jonah fasting, for three days.
The Virgin's fasting, for fifteen days.
* Fasting is presented to God alone. It should be accompanied by repentance.
* As a penitential practice, fasting is designed to strengthen the spiritual life by weakening the attractions of sensible pleasure. The Lord Himself coupled it with prayer, and in the lives of the saints the two almost always go together.
* Believer can practice private fasting under the guidance of his spiritual father. He also may not practice all the church fastings, with special permission from the priest under certain terms.
FATHER * God is our Father (Isaiah 63:16).
* Through baptism we are called childrenof God (John 3:5).
FATHER (SPIRITUAL) * The spiritual father (either the bishop or the priest) cares for his children, and breeds them.
* St. John the Apostle calls his people: "my little children" 1 John 2:1.
FEAST * The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to our world made our days turn out to be a continuous feast.
* The feast reminds us of God's redeeming deeds with us, or His work through the martyrs and saints' lives.
FEASTS OBSERVED BY THE COPTIC CHURCH * These come under three chief headings:

Weekly feast, i.e. Sundays. The weekly commemoration of the Resurrection, which falls on the first day of every week. Sundays have been kept by Christians from Apostolic times as days of worship, and in 321 the Emperor Constantine proclaimed that Sunday should be a an official holiday.
Movable Feasts.
Immovable Feasts.
* Some scholars divide them into four main divisions: the seven major feasts, the seven minor feasts, the seven Marian feasts, and the saints' and martyrs' feast days. There are other feasts for certain joyful events, such as the discovery of the Cross and the miracle of the Mokatam mountain, which was moved and saved the lives of all Copts when moved.
THE SEVEN MAJOR FEASTS
The Annunciation (29 Baramhat).
The Nativity (29 Kiahk).
The Epiphany (11 Tubah).
Palm Sunday, on the seventh Sunday of Great Lent.
Easter Sunday, a movable feast celebrated on the first Sunday after Passion Week.
Ascension Day, on the fortieth day after the Resurrection.
Pentecost, on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection.

THE SEVEN MINOR FEASTS
Circumcision (6 Tubah).
The first miracle at Cana of Galilee (13 Tobah).
Candlemas (8 Amshir).
Maundy Thursday.
Saint Thomas's Sunday, on the Sunday following Easter Sunday.
Entry of the Holy Family into Egypt (24 Bashans).
Transfiguration (13 Misra).
THE FEASTS OF THE THEOTOKOS

Annunciation of her Nativity (7 Misra).
Nativity (1 Bashans).
Candlemas (3 Kiahk).
Dormition (21 Tubah).
Assumption (16 Misra).
The Iron Dissolver (21 Baounah). 7. Apparition in the church of Zeitoon (24 Baramhat).

SAINTS AND MARTYRS DAYS * The Coptic Synaxarion records the history of the saints and the martyrs who gave their lives for the Christian faith. Various churches also celebrate the anniversaries of their patron saints.
FEASTS (IMMOVABLE) * Feasts and holidays of the church which always occur on the same date, as Christmas and Epiphany, Transfiguration etc...
FEASTS AND FASTINGS (MOVABLE) * Holidays which are not observed on fixed dates but depend on the variable date of Easter, as Palm-Sunday, Ascension and Pentecost...
FISH * The fish was a symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ and Christians.
* The Greek letters of the word "fish" correspond to the initials of the words: "Jesus Christ the Son of God, our Saviour."
* A secret sign used by the early persecuted Christians to designate themselves as believers in Jesus Christ.
FLIGHT OF THE HOLY FAMILY * The only country that had the honor of the Holy family's coming to it, is Egypt.
* This feast fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah the prophet (Isa. 19: 1).
FONT * in Latin "fons," means "spring of water."
* See Baptismal Font.
FRACTION * The breaking of the bread which in all Eucharistic Liturgies takes place before the Communion. It goes back to Christ's action at the original institution (Matt. 26:26), and was a sufficiently striking element in the primitive rite to make the "breaking of bread" (Acts 2:42; 20:7) a regular name for the Eucharist.
* According to the Coptic rites, "Fraction" is performed in two stages during the celebration of the Liturgy:

* Immediately after the prayers of crossing the gifts, known also as the recitation of the words of institution, where the celebrant takes the Oblation and slightly divides it into onethird and two-thirds sections, without actually separating them.
* The second stage follows the Epiclesis of the Liturgy, and is accompanied by special prayers known as fraction prayers.
* "Fractions" follows the rite of Commemoration, in it the celebrant divides the Holy Body into thirteen parts. This numeral refers to the Lord Jesus Christ gathering together with His twelve disciples.
*Through the Fraction we can recognize in Christ His church united in Him.