What is the goal of ascetic life according to the Copts?

While most ancient civilizations were attached to the temporal life and so they pursued worldly pleasures, the Egyptian mind was consumed with the world to come. Ancient Egyptians believed in the so-called “resurrection,” which is the belief in the resurrection of the dead to eternal life, if certain rituals were performed. This is why bodies were mummified in sealed tombs, such that no one would be able to visit the tomb or live in it except for the soul. The tombs were supplied with one’s daily needs (clothes, food, drink, vessels, knives, chairs, weapons, chariots, jewelry, toys for children … etc.).

When the Copts accepted Christianity, their longing for the world to come grew, and their hearts were inflamed with longing for it, but now on a biblical basis. Instead of being concerned with the souls’ return to their bodies in the tombs, they desired for their souls, thoughts, and hearts to be lifted up to enjoy the heavenly life even when their bodies were still treading on the earth. In other words, their longing for the world to come drove them to lead an ascetic life on a biblical basis.