Page 69 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

The Gospel Comes to Africa

Empire. As Baur notes, “The Greek language and culture were not
restricted to the many Greek traders who settled in Alexandria and other
cities but were accepted by practically the whole urban population” (22).

According to Kane: “The silence of the New Testament regarding the
entrance of the gospel into Egypt in the apostolic era is as puzzling as it is
tantalizing” (10). However, ancient tradition indicates that Mark was the
first apostle of Egypt and that he was martyred in Alexandria. Eusebius
comments: “Mark, they also say, being the first that was sent to Egypt,
proclaimed the gospel there which he had written, and first established
churches at the city of Alexandria” (Ecclesiastical History, 2.16.1). The
Coptic Church accepts the record of Mark’s ministry and martyrdom in
Alexandria as historical facts, although others refer to the story as tradition.
Be this as it may, we know there was a strong church in Egypt by the
second century B.C., and it must have been started long before that time.

Interestingly, Egypt, Libya, and Cyrene are mentioned as having
representatives present in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10).
So it is not too difficult to assume that after experiencing the power of
Pentecost and listening to Peter answer the question “What does this
mean?” and seeing the results (Acts 2:41), these eye witnesses were
eager to take the message back to their own people.

In time, Alexandria became a strong center of Christianity. Its
geographical location, being at a crossroads of communication and travel,
provided a means by which the news of Christianity could travel quickly.
The city became the home of the important catechetical school presided
over by men such as Clement of Alexandria (about A.D. 150–215). As
Sanneh observes:

Learning flourished there, with Jewish and Greek scholars carrying
on a vigorous tradition of study and philosophical reflection. It
was in Alexandria that a serious attempt was made to interpret
Christian teachings in the light of Greek philosophical thought, a
process begun under Jewish scholars. (1983, 6)

Origen (about A.D. 185–253) succeeded Clement of Alexandria as
the head of the Catechetical School at the age of eighteen, and he was
used to influence many students during times of severe persecution. He

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