How did Egyptian Christians contribute to the decline of hieroglyphic writing?

The decline of hieroglyphic writing was closely linked to the rise of Christianity in Egypt during the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE. As the new religion sought to replace traditional Egyptian polytheism and its associated cultural practices, the use of the ancient script—which was deeply intertwined with those religious traditions—diminished.12

Egyptian Christians adopted the Greek alphabet to write their spoken language, supplementing it with seven additional characters to represent specific Egyptian sounds. This new system, known as Coptic, became the standard for the Christian community. The widespread adoption of this alphabet led to the rapid disuse of the native hieroglyphic script, as it no longer served the needs of the evolving religious and social landscape. The final known instance of hieroglyphic writing is a graffito from the island of Philae dated to August 394 CE.12