Change - Borders, Politics, National Identity

Since the beginning of its establishment, Egypt has gone through many changes. These changes include boundaries, politically and naturally. Because of the location and events of these boundaries, Egypt has been an important geographical and political power since the earliest times.

Egypt’s natural borders have positively kept the nation from suffering from an outside enemy. In Ancient Egypt and today, the natural boundaries have stayed the same. Today, the boundaries are more defined and civilized, but the areas and structures are identical. The boundaries in the north is the Mediterranean Sea and the south was Elephantine (modern day Aswan). The natural border in the east and west were the high desert on both sides of the narrow strip of the Nile Valley and the low desert. One of the most important features geographically that Egypt has to offer is the Nile River, which runs the length of the country and flows from south to north (http://www.carnegiemnh.org/online/egypt/orientation.html).  

On the political map of Egypt, seen below, shows international boundaries, the governorate boundaries with their capitals, and the national capital. The international boundaries are seen on the map which include: Sudan in the south, Libya to the west, and Israel to the east. The political map shows a circled star to show the location of Egypt’s Capital. Cairo is the largest city in Egypt and has always been the most populous (http://www.mapsofworld.com/egypt/egypt-political-map.html). Egypt is divided into twenty-seven governorates that each have their own capital and leader. Primarily, Egypt is a presidential republic with one president being the head of state (http://www.mapsofworld.com/egypt/egypt-political-map.html).

Today, the political and natural boundaries have primarily stayed the same. They have affected the nation positively because the national borders not only protect the nation from outside enemies, but also provide the nation with natural resources to help the nation survive.

References:

Text-

"Carnegie Museum of Natural History: Life in Ancient Egypt." Carnegie Museum of Natural History: Life in Ancient Egypt. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <http://www.carnegiemnh.org/online/egypt/orientation.html>.

"Political Map of Egypt." Political Map of Egypt. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <http://www.mapsofworld.com/egypt/egypt-political-map.html>.

Pictures:

http://www.carnegiemnh.org/online/egypt/orientation.html

https://www.google.com/search?q=political+map+of+egypt&biw=1366&bih=633&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=FeRCVezWBezlsATn64DIDA&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#imgrc=bYjn-Xk_cRiDVM%253A%3BXFw08k0bNnsSzM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.nationsonline.org%252Fmaps%252Fegypt_map.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.nationsonline.org%252Foneworld%252Fmap%252Fegypt_map.htm%3B1200%3B891

Missions in Egypt

                According to Elesha Coffman, missionaries have been coming to Africa since biblical times. In the Bible, the New Testament gives an example in Acts 8:26-39, the Ethiopian eunuch evangelized and baptized by Philip. More specifically, in Egypt, there were evidences in Matthew 2:13-18 that point to Christians visitors in early Egypt. Coffman states “Jesus and his parents, who fled to Egypt to escape the murderous King Herod). According to research, there are no known churches that were linked to these events. According ancient traditions, a man named Mark was the first official missionary to Africa. There are evidences that say Mark preached in Alexandria, Egypt where he was also martyred. Coffman states that the ancient Egyptian tradition about the first missionary is difficult to document. When Christianity was introduced to Alexandria, it quickly grew strong and spread. The city of Alexandria was one of the three most church centers in the ancient world, along with Rome and Antioch. Christianity was mainly stationed in Northern Africa- Egypt, Nubia, and Ethiopia.  Churches in these nation kept close relationships with eastern Christendom and made many important contributions. It produced variations by early councils including: Arianism, Monophysitism, Nestorianism, and Donatism. Elesha Coffman implies that Christianity was the first and had the most impact in Egypt.

One of the first and most influential missionary to Egypt was a Christian missionary named Lillian Hunt Trasher. Lillian was born in 1887 in Florida but was raised in Georgia. In her teens, she attended a bible college for a short time and then began working in North Carolina at an orphanage. She was engaged to a minister named Tom Jordan. In 1910, she heard a missionary from India speak. She decided to direct her passion to the country of Africa. After calling off her engagement because of different views, she decided to leave the country for Africa. While in Africa, she shared the Christian faith to the Egyptians and began an orphanage in 1918. By the time Lillian Trasher died in 1961, the African orphanage had grown to 1,200 children. Today, the Lillian Trasher Orphanage is conducted by the Assemblies of God of Egypt. She reached many families, woman, and children with her passion of the Christian faith and her orphanage institution. 

Mark- First missionary to Egypt

 

                                            

Lillian Hunt Trasher, 1901.

Lillian and her orphanage children, 1960

 References:

Coffman, Elesha. "What Does History Say about the First Christians of Africa?" What Does History Say about the First Christians of Africa? 1 Jan. 2008. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/asktheexpert/sep14.html>.

https://www.google.com/search?q=mark+the+missionary+in+egypt&biw=1525&bih=707&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=o7k5Vcz_E7OwsASNuoHwDg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&dpr=0.9#imgrc=TsFcmKH4XvvsWM%253A%3BQlPLuwuUdBP3bM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fimages.oca.org%252Ficons%252Flg%252Fapril%252F0425cMark.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Foca.org%252Fsaints%252Flives%252F2000%252F01%252F04%252F100019-apostle-mark-the-evangelist-of-the-seventy%3B600%3B833

https://www.google.com/search?q=mark+the+missionary+in+egypt&biw=1525&bih=707&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=o7k5Vcz_E7OwsASNuoHwDg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&dpr=0.9#tbm=isch&q=lillian+trasher&imgrc=LOJFzShmfpA-2M%253A%3BFomDI8NMkmzFiM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fagchurches.org%252FSitefiles%252FDefault%252FRSS%252FAGWM%252520images%252FTop%252520Story%252520Images%252F05-07-600-Trasher.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fworldmissions.ag.org%252Fregions%252Feurasia%252F1.cfm%3B600%3B442

https://www.google.com/search?q=mark+the+missionary+in+egypt&biw=1525&bih=707&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=o7k5Vcz_E7OwsASNuoHwDg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&dpr=0.9#tbm=isch&q=lillian+trasher&imgrc=S4t48v6GQdeNKM%253A%3BhkXlfixsF6RZ8M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fupload.wikimedia.org%252Fwikipedia%252Fen%252Fthumb%252Fd%252Fdb%252FLillianTrasher.jpg%252F150px-LillianTrasher.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fen.wikipedia.org%252Fwiki%252FLillian_Trasher%3B150%3B178