http://sites.google.com/site/demontortoise2000/hist10-htm
Matthew (Mattaus) the Patriarch, and he is the ninetieth of (their) number.
This father Matthew (Mattaus) the patriarch (was) from the Monastery Al-Muharrak (7). He was consecrated patriarch on the thirteenth of the month of Tut (in the) year one thousand, one hundred and
(l) Cf. O.F.A. Meinardus, Monks and Monasteries of the Egyptian Deserts, Cairo, 1961, pp. 311-336.
(7) Cf. O.F.A. Meinardus, Monks and Monasteries of the Egyptian Deserts, pp. 285-308.
— 273 —
sixty-nine of the Martyrs [1451 A.D.], and he remained patriarch for thirteen years, and he went to his rest on the thirteenth of (the month of) Tut (in the) year one thousand, one hundred and eighty-two of the Martyrs [1465 A.D.].
The Thirteenth Day of the Blessed Month of Tute
1. The Departure of Pope Mattheos II, 90th Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.
2. The Commemoration of the Miracle performed by St. Basilius (Basil), Bishop of Caesarea, Cappadocia.
1. On this day of the year 1182 of martyrs, the honored father Abba Mattheos (Matthias) the Second, 90th Pope of the See of St. Mark, departed. He was a monk in El-Muharraq monastery. He was chosen and enthroned in the year 1169 A.M. He sat on the throne of St. Mark for 13 years and then departed in peace.
The blessings of his prayers be with us. Amen.
2. On this day also is the commemoration of the great miracle performed by St. Basilius, Bishop of Caesarea, Cappadocia.
A young man, who loved his master's daughter, Satan, his enemy and the enemy of the human race, deceived him. Satan made him resort to a magician who made him write a covenant to deny the faith and to surrender completely to Satan, so that Satan might grant him his wish. Satan kindled lust in the heart of the girl, and she loved the young man exceedingly. She asked her father insistingly not to object to her marriage to that young man. Eager for his honor and fearing for her life, he married her to him.
When she had spent with him a long period of time, she noticed that he did not enter the church or partake of the Holy Sacraments, or make the sign of the Holy Cross over himself. She revealed to him her doubt about his faith and his love of God. He told her what had happened to him, and how he had written to Satan a covenant of obedience till death.
She cried much and rebuked him for his deed. She took him to St. Basilius, Bishop of Caesarea. He listened to the confession of the young man and saw his grief and desire to go back to the life of worship, fellowship, and righteousness. St. Basilius comforted him and asked him to stay with him for a while in seclusion, fasting and praying. He shut him up in a nearby room for three days. On the third day St. Basilius visited him and the young man told him that the evil spirits had not ceased disturbing and fighting him in many ways. He strengthened him, calmed him down, gave him food and prayed for him. St. Basilius asked him to remain in seclusion, praying and fasting.
After a few days, he came back to visit him again. The young man told St. Basilius that he did not see the devils any more, but he still heard their cries and threats. St. Basilius fed him again and prayed for him and left him to the life of seclusion to fight and pray, and the bishop went to pray on his behalf also. And this went on until 40 days were completed. When the Saint came to him and asked him about his state, he told the Saint that he saw him (the Saint) fighting against Satan on his behalf, and he vanquished him and finally was victorious.
The Bishop gathered all the priests and the monks and prayed for the young man all that night. On the following morning he led him into the church while everyone was crying, "Lord have mercy on us," and they continued to cry out until that writing, which the young man had written as a covenant to deny the faith and to surrender to Satan, fell down in the midst of all the people. The Bishop, the young man and his wife, and all the people rejoiced exceedingly. The Bishop blessed that man and administered to him the Holy Sacraments. The man and his wife departed to their house full of joy for the peace and repentance they received. They praised God and thanked St. Basilius by whose prayers they were saved.
The blessings of his prayers be with us all, and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
Showing posts with label popes' history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label popes' history. Show all posts
Monday, 20 September 2010
Thursday, 16 September 2010
25th PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA SAINT DIOSCOROS
DIOSCORUS I, THE TWENTY-FIFTH PATRIARCH. A. D. 444-458.
After the holy patriarch Cyril had departed to his rest, Dioscorus was made patriarch in the see of the city of Alexandria. He endured severe persecution for the orthodox faith at the hands of the prince Marcian and his wife; and they banished him from his see, through the partial action of the council of Chalcedon, and their subserviency to the will of the prince and his wife. It is for this reason that the members of that council and all the followers of their corrupt creed are called Melkites, because they follow |444 the opinion of the prince and his wife, in proclaiming and renewing the doctrine of Nestorius.
It was a custom of the ancients to write histories of their predecessors in every generation. In the time of the Israelites, Philo, the Pharian, and Justus and Josephus and Hegesippus wrote part of the life of Jesus Christ, and an account of the ruin of Jerusalem by Vespasian and Titus his son, and of what took place after them. And after that, Africanus and Eusebius wrote, and Mennas wrote of the trials and persecution endured by the pastors and their flocks in the days of the patriarch Abba Cyril the Wise, and what passed between him and Nestorius; also of what the Father Dioscorus after him suffered in the council of Chalcedon. But at that time the creeds were separated, and the sees were torn asunder, so that none was left to write histories of the patriarchs, and the practice of composing them was interrupted. But the Lord remains for ever. In this way no biography of the holy patriarch Dioscorus after his banishment has been found. He preserved the orthodox faith, which persists in the see of the evangelist Saint Mark to this day and for ever, until he received the crown of martyrdom in the island of Gangra, by the command of the prince Marcian; for it was in that island that Dioscorus died. |445
After the holy patriarch Cyril had departed to his rest, Dioscorus was made patriarch in the see of the city of Alexandria. He endured severe persecution for the orthodox faith at the hands of the prince Marcian and his wife; and they banished him from his see, through the partial action of the council of Chalcedon, and their subserviency to the will of the prince and his wife. It is for this reason that the members of that council and all the followers of their corrupt creed are called Melkites, because they follow |444 the opinion of the prince and his wife, in proclaiming and renewing the doctrine of Nestorius.
It was a custom of the ancients to write histories of their predecessors in every generation. In the time of the Israelites, Philo, the Pharian, and Justus and Josephus and Hegesippus wrote part of the life of Jesus Christ, and an account of the ruin of Jerusalem by Vespasian and Titus his son, and of what took place after them. And after that, Africanus and Eusebius wrote, and Mennas wrote of the trials and persecution endured by the pastors and their flocks in the days of the patriarch Abba Cyril the Wise, and what passed between him and Nestorius; also of what the Father Dioscorus after him suffered in the council of Chalcedon. But at that time the creeds were separated, and the sees were torn asunder, so that none was left to write histories of the patriarchs, and the practice of composing them was interrupted. But the Lord remains for ever. In this way no biography of the holy patriarch Dioscorus after his banishment has been found. He preserved the orthodox faith, which persists in the see of the evangelist Saint Mark to this day and for ever, until he received the crown of martyrdom in the island of Gangra, by the command of the prince Marcian; for it was in that island that Dioscorus died. |445
Saturday, 21 August 2010
102nd patriarch of Alexandria
Sawirus Ibn Muqaffa`, History of the Church part 10 - CYRIL III — CYRIL V (A. D. 1235-1894)
HISTORY OF THE PATRIARCHS OF THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH
KNOWN AS THE HISTORY OF THE HOLY CHURCH
BY
SAWIRUS IBN AL-MUKAFFA`
BISHOP OF AL-ASHMUNIN
VOLUME III. PART III
CYRIL III — CYRIL V
(A. D. 1235-1894)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
•Cyril III. Ibn Laklak. (1235-1243 A.D.) — Cyril (Kirullus) the Patriarch, the seventy-fifth of (their) number.
•Athanasius III. (1250-1270 A.D.) — Athanasius (Atanasius) the Patriarch, and he is the seventy-six of (their) number.
•Gabriel ??? (1262-1274 A.D.) — Gabriel (Ghabryal) the Patriarch, and he is the seventy-seventh of (their) number.
•John VII.(1271-1293 A.D.) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch, the seventy-eighth of (their) number.
•Theodosius II.(1294-1300 A.D.) — Theodosius (Taudusius) the Patriarch, and he is the seventy-ninth of (their) number.
•John VIII. (1300-1320) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch, and he is the eightieth of (their) number.
•John IX. (1320-1327 A.D.) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-first of (their) number.
•Benjamin ??? (1327-1339 A.D.) — Benjamin (Banyamin) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-second of (their) number.
•Peter V. (1340-1348 A.D.) — Peter (Butrus) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-third of (their) number.
•Mark V. (1349-1363 A.D.) — Mark (Markus) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-fourth of (their) number.
•John X. (1363-1369 A.D.)— John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch and he is the eighty-fifth of (their) number.
•Gabriel ??? (1370-1378 A.D.) — Gabriel (Ghabryal) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-six of (their) number.
•Matthew I. (1378-1409 A.D.) — Matthew (Matta) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-seventh of (their) number, and he was known as the wretched (Al-Maskin).
•Gabriel ??? (1409-1427 A.D.) — Gabriel (Ghabryal) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-eighth of (their) number.
•John XI. (1479-1482 A.D.) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-ninth of (their) number.
•Matthew II. (1451-1465 A.D.) — Matthew (Mattaus) the Patriarch, and he is the ninetieth of (their) number.
•Gabriel ??? (1466-1475 A.D.) — Gabriel (Ghabryal) the Patriarch, and he is the ninety-first of (their) number.
•Michael III. (1476-1478 A.D.) — Michael (Mikhayil) the Patriarch, and he is the ninety-second of (their) number.
•John XII. (1479-1482 A.D.) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch (surnamed) Al-Nakkadi and he is the ninety-third of (their) number.
•John XIII. (1482-1524 A.D.) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch (surnamed) Al-Misri, and he is the ninety-fourth of (their) number.
•Gabriel ??? (1524-1569 A.D.) — Gabriel (Ghabryal) the Patriarch, and he is the ninety-fifth of (their) number.
•John XIV. (1570-1585 A.D.) — John (Yuhanna) the Patriarch (surnamed) Al-Manfaluti, and he is the ninety-sixth of (their) number.
•Gabriel ??? (1585-1600 A.D.) — Gabriel (Ghabryal) the Patriarch, and he is the ninety-seventh of (their) number.
•Mark VI. (1601-1618 A.D.) — Mark (Markus) the Patriarch, and he is the ninety-eighth of (their) number.
•John XV. (1618-1634 A.D.) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch, and he is the ninety-ninth of (their) number.
•Matthew III. (1634-1650 A.D.) — Matthew (Mattaus) the Patriarch (surnamed) At-Tukhi, and he is the hundredth of (their) number.
•Mark VI. (1650-1660 A.D.) — Mark (Markus). the Patriarch (surnamed) Al-Bahguri and he is the one hundred and first of (their) number.
•Matthew IV. (1660-1675 A.D.) — Matthew (Mattaus) the Patriarch (surnamed) Al-Miri, and he is the one hundred and second of (their) number.
•John XVI (1676-1718 A.D.) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch (surnamed) At-Tukhi, and he is the hundred and third of (their) number.
•Peter VI. (1718-1726 A.D.) — Peter (Butrus) the Patriarch, and he is the one hundred and fourth of (their) number.
•John XVII (1726-1745 A.D.) — Abba (Anba) John (Yu'annis), and he is the one hundred and fifth of (their) number.
•Mark VII (1745-1769 A.D.) — Mark (Markus) the Patriarch, and he is the one hundred and sixth of (their) number.
•John XVIII (1769-1796 A.D.) — Abba (Anba) John (Yuhanna) the Patriarch, and he is the one hundred and seventh of the number of the Patriarchs.
•John XIX (1796-1809 A.D.) — Abba (Anba) John (Yuannis), and he is the one hundred and eighth of the number of the Patriarchs.
•Peter VII. (1809-1852 A.D.) — Abba (Anba) Peter (Butrus) the Patriarch, and he is the one hundred and ninth of the number of the patriarchs.
•Cyril IV. (1854-1861 A.D.) — Abba (Anba) Cyril (Kirillus) the Patriarch, and he is the one hundred and tenth of the number of the patriarchs.
•Demetrius II. (1862-1870 A.D.) — Abba (Anba) Demetrius (Dimitrius) the Patriarch, and he is the one hundred and eleventh.
•Cyril V. (1874-1927 A.D.) — Abba (Anba) Cyril (Kirullus) the Patriarch, the one hundred and twelfth of the number of the patriarchs
http://sites.google.com/site/demontortoise2000/hist10-htm
Matthew (Mattaus) the Patriarch (surnamed) Al-Miri, and he is the one hundred and second of (their) number.
This father was a devout monk at the Monastery of the Mistress at Al-Baramus. And when he had been chosen for the patriarchate, he was consecrated on the thirtieth of (the month of) Hatur (in the) year one thousand, three hundred and seventy-seven [1660 A.D]. And he went to his rest on the twelfth of (the month of) Misra (in the) year one thousand, three hundred and ninety-one [1675 A.D.]; and he remained patriarch on the Throne for fourteen years and (some) months.
HISTORY OF THE PATRIARCHS OF THE EGYPTIAN CHURCH
KNOWN AS THE HISTORY OF THE HOLY CHURCH
BY
SAWIRUS IBN AL-MUKAFFA`
BISHOP OF AL-ASHMUNIN
VOLUME III. PART III
CYRIL III — CYRIL V
(A. D. 1235-1894)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
•Cyril III. Ibn Laklak. (1235-1243 A.D.) — Cyril (Kirullus) the Patriarch, the seventy-fifth of (their) number.
•Athanasius III. (1250-1270 A.D.) — Athanasius (Atanasius) the Patriarch, and he is the seventy-six of (their) number.
•Gabriel ??? (1262-1274 A.D.) — Gabriel (Ghabryal) the Patriarch, and he is the seventy-seventh of (their) number.
•John VII.(1271-1293 A.D.) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch, the seventy-eighth of (their) number.
•Theodosius II.(1294-1300 A.D.) — Theodosius (Taudusius) the Patriarch, and he is the seventy-ninth of (their) number.
•John VIII. (1300-1320) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch, and he is the eightieth of (their) number.
•John IX. (1320-1327 A.D.) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-first of (their) number.
•Benjamin ??? (1327-1339 A.D.) — Benjamin (Banyamin) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-second of (their) number.
•Peter V. (1340-1348 A.D.) — Peter (Butrus) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-third of (their) number.
•Mark V. (1349-1363 A.D.) — Mark (Markus) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-fourth of (their) number.
•John X. (1363-1369 A.D.)— John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch and he is the eighty-fifth of (their) number.
•Gabriel ??? (1370-1378 A.D.) — Gabriel (Ghabryal) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-six of (their) number.
•Matthew I. (1378-1409 A.D.) — Matthew (Matta) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-seventh of (their) number, and he was known as the wretched (Al-Maskin).
•Gabriel ??? (1409-1427 A.D.) — Gabriel (Ghabryal) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-eighth of (their) number.
•John XI. (1479-1482 A.D.) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch, and he is the eighty-ninth of (their) number.
•Matthew II. (1451-1465 A.D.) — Matthew (Mattaus) the Patriarch, and he is the ninetieth of (their) number.
•Gabriel ??? (1466-1475 A.D.) — Gabriel (Ghabryal) the Patriarch, and he is the ninety-first of (their) number.
•Michael III. (1476-1478 A.D.) — Michael (Mikhayil) the Patriarch, and he is the ninety-second of (their) number.
•John XII. (1479-1482 A.D.) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch (surnamed) Al-Nakkadi and he is the ninety-third of (their) number.
•John XIII. (1482-1524 A.D.) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch (surnamed) Al-Misri, and he is the ninety-fourth of (their) number.
•Gabriel ??? (1524-1569 A.D.) — Gabriel (Ghabryal) the Patriarch, and he is the ninety-fifth of (their) number.
•John XIV. (1570-1585 A.D.) — John (Yuhanna) the Patriarch (surnamed) Al-Manfaluti, and he is the ninety-sixth of (their) number.
•Gabriel ??? (1585-1600 A.D.) — Gabriel (Ghabryal) the Patriarch, and he is the ninety-seventh of (their) number.
•Mark VI. (1601-1618 A.D.) — Mark (Markus) the Patriarch, and he is the ninety-eighth of (their) number.
•John XV. (1618-1634 A.D.) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch, and he is the ninety-ninth of (their) number.
•Matthew III. (1634-1650 A.D.) — Matthew (Mattaus) the Patriarch (surnamed) At-Tukhi, and he is the hundredth of (their) number.
•Mark VI. (1650-1660 A.D.) — Mark (Markus). the Patriarch (surnamed) Al-Bahguri and he is the one hundred and first of (their) number.
•Matthew IV. (1660-1675 A.D.) — Matthew (Mattaus) the Patriarch (surnamed) Al-Miri, and he is the one hundred and second of (their) number.
•John XVI (1676-1718 A.D.) — John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch (surnamed) At-Tukhi, and he is the hundred and third of (their) number.
•Peter VI. (1718-1726 A.D.) — Peter (Butrus) the Patriarch, and he is the one hundred and fourth of (their) number.
•John XVII (1726-1745 A.D.) — Abba (Anba) John (Yu'annis), and he is the one hundred and fifth of (their) number.
•Mark VII (1745-1769 A.D.) — Mark (Markus) the Patriarch, and he is the one hundred and sixth of (their) number.
•John XVIII (1769-1796 A.D.) — Abba (Anba) John (Yuhanna) the Patriarch, and he is the one hundred and seventh of the number of the Patriarchs.
•John XIX (1796-1809 A.D.) — Abba (Anba) John (Yuannis), and he is the one hundred and eighth of the number of the Patriarchs.
•Peter VII. (1809-1852 A.D.) — Abba (Anba) Peter (Butrus) the Patriarch, and he is the one hundred and ninth of the number of the patriarchs.
•Cyril IV. (1854-1861 A.D.) — Abba (Anba) Cyril (Kirillus) the Patriarch, and he is the one hundred and tenth of the number of the patriarchs.
•Demetrius II. (1862-1870 A.D.) — Abba (Anba) Demetrius (Dimitrius) the Patriarch, and he is the one hundred and eleventh.
•Cyril V. (1874-1927 A.D.) — Abba (Anba) Cyril (Kirullus) the Patriarch, the one hundred and twelfth of the number of the patriarchs
http://sites.google.com/site/demontortoise2000/hist10-htm
Matthew (Mattaus) the Patriarch (surnamed) Al-Miri, and he is the one hundred and second of (their) number.
This father was a devout monk at the Monastery of the Mistress at Al-Baramus. And when he had been chosen for the patriarchate, he was consecrated on the thirtieth of (the month of) Hatur (in the) year one thousand, three hundred and seventy-seven [1660 A.D]. And he went to his rest on the twelfth of (the month of) Misra (in the) year one thousand, three hundred and ninety-one [1675 A.D.]; and he remained patriarch on the Throne for fourteen years and (some) months.
23re patriarch of Alexandria 385-412
http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/severus_hermopolis_hist_alex_patr_02_part2.htm#THEOPHILUS
THEOPHILUS, THE TWENTY-THIRD PATRIARCH. A. D. 385-412.
When the Father Timothy died, the bishops and people assembled, and appointed Theophilus patriarch. He had been secretary to the patriarch Athanasius, and was righteous in his conduct before God and men. When he took his seat upon the patriarchal throne, news was brought to him that the idolaters had gone to Jerusalem, to open the house of their idols. So he sent some monks thither to drive them away; but the monks were unable to overcome the idolaters. Then Theophilus sent to the monastery of Pachomius in Upper Egypt, and fetched the religious thence, and despatched them to Jerusalem. And when they reached that city, they offered up prayers, |426 and the devils fled from the heathen temple; and that temple was made a habitation for the monks of Jerusalem. When the monks of Upper Egypt returned homewards, the patriarch Theophilus forced them to remain and eat with him by themselves, and entertained them from Sunday to the following Sunday; and he gave them a garden which had belonged to the patriarch Athanasius.
Then the Father Theophilus, the patriarch, remembered the words of Athanasius, which he uttered when he was eating with Theophilus, while he was his scribe. Athanasius said that it was his desire to clear away the mounds of rubbish which he saw, and to build on their site a church to the names of the Baptist and the prophet Eliseus. And at that time, a woman, who had two sons, cleared away the mounds, as his letter testifies, and a stone slab was discovered, upon which three thetas were inscribed; and her history is related in that letter, besides a story of Theophilus and the Angel Raphael, which is not written in this biography. And when Theophilus removed the slab, he found beneath it the money which he required; so he built the churches with it. He built in a certain spot beside the garden a church to which he translated the body of Saint John the Baptist, and the body of the prophet Eliseus; and many miracles were performed by them both on that day, and a number of people who had been sick were healed.
Theophilus wrote, in the course of his life, many homilies and treatises. |427 Now the emperor Valentinian had died after reigning twelve years; and Valentinian and Gratian, his two sons, reigned after him; and they were believers, and loved God, whose name is glorious. When Theophilus administered the sacrament of baptism, he used to behold a beam of light in the form of a cross over the font before him. But in a certain year, when he stood and blessed the font, during the week of baptism, the cross of light did not appear to him; and he was sad. And it was revealed to him that the reason was that he had not sent for the deacon Arsenius to pray with him, and that if he did not do so the light would not appear to him. So Theophilus dismissed the congregation that day, and sent to seek Arsenius, and found him in the neighbourhood of Ushmûn, and brought him to the church in haste. And the patriarch rejoiced greatly over the arrival of Arsenius, and was consoled; and the cross appeared once more over the font. Theophilus, when he saw the humility of this deacon, and his virtue, desired to ordain him priest; but Arsenius would not consent, and begged the patriarch to spare him that promotion, and to bless him, and let him return to his native country. So the patriarch granted the request of Arsenius.
Now Theophilus had a nephew, his sister's son, named Cyril, whom he had instructed and brought up to the best of his power. And after some time the patriarch sent him to the Mount of Nitria, to the desert of Saint Macarius. And Cyril dwelt there five years in the monasteries, reading the books of the Old and New Testaments; for Theophilus urged him to apply himself assiduously to his studies, saying to him : «By these studies thou |428 wilt some day arrive in Jerusalem on high, which is the dwelling-place of the saints». For Cyril was the attendant of Theophilus in the patriarchal cell, and was ordained reader. The patriarch, when he sent Cyril to the desert, entrusted him to Serapion the Wise, and charged him to teach Cyril the doctrines of the Church, which are the true doctrines of God; so Cyril learnt all the Scriptures by heart. He used to stand before his teacher studying, with a sword of iron in his hand; and if he felt an inclination to sleep, he pricked him with the sword, and so he woke up again; and during most of his nights he would read through in a single night the Four Gospels, and the Catholic Epistles, and the Acts, and the first Epistle of the Blessed Paul, namely, that addressed to the Romans; and on the morrow after this, Cyril's teacher would know, by looking at his face, that he had studied all night. And the grace of God was with Cyril, so that when he had read a book once, he knew it by heart; and in these years in the desert he learnt by heart all the canonical books. After this, the patriarch Theophilus sent to him and brought him back to Alexandria, and there Cyril dwelt with the patriarch in his cell, and read aloud in his presence; and the priests and learned men and philosophers were astonished at him, and rejoiced over him on account of the beauty of his form, and the sweetness of his voice which never changed, as it is written 5 : «I opened my mouth and drew in my breath». And all the people, when they heard him read, desired that he might never cease |429 reading, because he read so sweetly, and was so beautiful in countenance. And his uncle Theophilus loved him greatly, and thanked God that he had granted him a spiritual son who had grown in grace and wisdom. Cyril's conduct was excellent, and his humility great; and he never ceased to study theology, nor to meditate upon the words of the doctors of the orthodox Church, Athanasius and Dionysius and Clement, patriarch of Rome, and Eusebius, and Basil, bishop of Armenia, and Basil, bishop of Cappadocia. These are the orthodox fathers whose works he studied. And he would not follow the doctrine of Origen, nor even take his books into his hand for a single day; but when he heard that one of the faithful had read Origen, he condemned and excommunicated him who had so read. When Cyril read in the Gospel the words 6: «Ask and ye shall receive; seek and ye shall find», he understood these words, and prayed to God for knowledge, and God gave it him. For he was like the bee, which goes forth to feed upon every plant and tree, and collects what is profitable for itself, until it has filled its bag with pure untainted honey.
Now the history of the Father Theophilus is very copious; for it contains the account of his dealings at Alexandria with Theodosius, the great prince; and the miracles which the Angel Raphael performed for him; and the affair of the widow and her two sons, whom he made bishops; and the three thetas |430 which were found written on the slab of stone which concealed the treasures that were discovered at Alexandria; and the wonders manifested by the Angel Raphael in the church which Theophilus built upon the island; and then the authority given to him by the prince over the property of the heathen temples, from Aswan to the confines of Syria, and in the provinces that lie between them.
THEOPHILUS, THE TWENTY-THIRD PATRIARCH. A. D. 385-412.
When the Father Timothy died, the bishops and people assembled, and appointed Theophilus patriarch. He had been secretary to the patriarch Athanasius, and was righteous in his conduct before God and men. When he took his seat upon the patriarchal throne, news was brought to him that the idolaters had gone to Jerusalem, to open the house of their idols. So he sent some monks thither to drive them away; but the monks were unable to overcome the idolaters. Then Theophilus sent to the monastery of Pachomius in Upper Egypt, and fetched the religious thence, and despatched them to Jerusalem. And when they reached that city, they offered up prayers, |426 and the devils fled from the heathen temple; and that temple was made a habitation for the monks of Jerusalem. When the monks of Upper Egypt returned homewards, the patriarch Theophilus forced them to remain and eat with him by themselves, and entertained them from Sunday to the following Sunday; and he gave them a garden which had belonged to the patriarch Athanasius.
Then the Father Theophilus, the patriarch, remembered the words of Athanasius, which he uttered when he was eating with Theophilus, while he was his scribe. Athanasius said that it was his desire to clear away the mounds of rubbish which he saw, and to build on their site a church to the names of the Baptist and the prophet Eliseus. And at that time, a woman, who had two sons, cleared away the mounds, as his letter testifies, and a stone slab was discovered, upon which three thetas were inscribed; and her history is related in that letter, besides a story of Theophilus and the Angel Raphael, which is not written in this biography. And when Theophilus removed the slab, he found beneath it the money which he required; so he built the churches with it. He built in a certain spot beside the garden a church to which he translated the body of Saint John the Baptist, and the body of the prophet Eliseus; and many miracles were performed by them both on that day, and a number of people who had been sick were healed.
Theophilus wrote, in the course of his life, many homilies and treatises. |427 Now the emperor Valentinian had died after reigning twelve years; and Valentinian and Gratian, his two sons, reigned after him; and they were believers, and loved God, whose name is glorious. When Theophilus administered the sacrament of baptism, he used to behold a beam of light in the form of a cross over the font before him. But in a certain year, when he stood and blessed the font, during the week of baptism, the cross of light did not appear to him; and he was sad. And it was revealed to him that the reason was that he had not sent for the deacon Arsenius to pray with him, and that if he did not do so the light would not appear to him. So Theophilus dismissed the congregation that day, and sent to seek Arsenius, and found him in the neighbourhood of Ushmûn, and brought him to the church in haste. And the patriarch rejoiced greatly over the arrival of Arsenius, and was consoled; and the cross appeared once more over the font. Theophilus, when he saw the humility of this deacon, and his virtue, desired to ordain him priest; but Arsenius would not consent, and begged the patriarch to spare him that promotion, and to bless him, and let him return to his native country. So the patriarch granted the request of Arsenius.
Now Theophilus had a nephew, his sister's son, named Cyril, whom he had instructed and brought up to the best of his power. And after some time the patriarch sent him to the Mount of Nitria, to the desert of Saint Macarius. And Cyril dwelt there five years in the monasteries, reading the books of the Old and New Testaments; for Theophilus urged him to apply himself assiduously to his studies, saying to him : «By these studies thou |428 wilt some day arrive in Jerusalem on high, which is the dwelling-place of the saints». For Cyril was the attendant of Theophilus in the patriarchal cell, and was ordained reader. The patriarch, when he sent Cyril to the desert, entrusted him to Serapion the Wise, and charged him to teach Cyril the doctrines of the Church, which are the true doctrines of God; so Cyril learnt all the Scriptures by heart. He used to stand before his teacher studying, with a sword of iron in his hand; and if he felt an inclination to sleep, he pricked him with the sword, and so he woke up again; and during most of his nights he would read through in a single night the Four Gospels, and the Catholic Epistles, and the Acts, and the first Epistle of the Blessed Paul, namely, that addressed to the Romans; and on the morrow after this, Cyril's teacher would know, by looking at his face, that he had studied all night. And the grace of God was with Cyril, so that when he had read a book once, he knew it by heart; and in these years in the desert he learnt by heart all the canonical books. After this, the patriarch Theophilus sent to him and brought him back to Alexandria, and there Cyril dwelt with the patriarch in his cell, and read aloud in his presence; and the priests and learned men and philosophers were astonished at him, and rejoiced over him on account of the beauty of his form, and the sweetness of his voice which never changed, as it is written 5 : «I opened my mouth and drew in my breath». And all the people, when they heard him read, desired that he might never cease |429 reading, because he read so sweetly, and was so beautiful in countenance. And his uncle Theophilus loved him greatly, and thanked God that he had granted him a spiritual son who had grown in grace and wisdom. Cyril's conduct was excellent, and his humility great; and he never ceased to study theology, nor to meditate upon the words of the doctors of the orthodox Church, Athanasius and Dionysius and Clement, patriarch of Rome, and Eusebius, and Basil, bishop of Armenia, and Basil, bishop of Cappadocia. These are the orthodox fathers whose works he studied. And he would not follow the doctrine of Origen, nor even take his books into his hand for a single day; but when he heard that one of the faithful had read Origen, he condemned and excommunicated him who had so read. When Cyril read in the Gospel the words 6: «Ask and ye shall receive; seek and ye shall find», he understood these words, and prayed to God for knowledge, and God gave it him. For he was like the bee, which goes forth to feed upon every plant and tree, and collects what is profitable for itself, until it has filled its bag with pure untainted honey.
Now the history of the Father Theophilus is very copious; for it contains the account of his dealings at Alexandria with Theodosius, the great prince; and the miracles which the Angel Raphael performed for him; and the affair of the widow and her two sons, whom he made bishops; and the three thetas |430 which were found written on the slab of stone which concealed the treasures that were discovered at Alexandria; and the wonders manifested by the Angel Raphael in the church which Theophilus built upon the island; and then the authority given to him by the prince over the property of the heathen temples, from Aswan to the confines of Syria, and in the provinces that lie between them.
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
26th patriarch of Alexandria
feast on the 7th of Misra
http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/severus_hermopolis_hist_alex_patr_02_part2.htm#TIMOTHY_II
Severus of Al'Ashmunein (Hermopolis), History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic church of Alexandria (1904) Part 2: Peter I - Benjamin I (661 AD). Patrologia Orientalis 1 pp. 383-518 (pp.119-256 of text).
TIMOTHY II, THE TWENTY-SIXTH PATRIARCH. A. D. 458-480.
And after the militant Father Dioscorus, the patriarch, went to his rest, the Lord Christ raised up a patriarch, named Timothy, upon the episcopal throne of the city of Alexandria; and he suffered from hardships, and from warfare with the dissidents. He and his brother Anatolius were banished to the island of Gangra, like Dioscorus, for seven full years, but he returned by the grace of God, at the command of the prince, to Alexandria. His ordination took place in the days of Leo, the prince. He remained patriarch twenty-two years, and went to his rest on the seventh day of Misri.
Meleka Youssef
http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/severus_hermopolis_hist_alex_patr_02_part2.htm#TIMOTHY_II
Severus of Al'Ashmunein (Hermopolis), History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic church of Alexandria (1904) Part 2: Peter I - Benjamin I (661 AD). Patrologia Orientalis 1 pp. 383-518 (pp.119-256 of text).
TIMOTHY II, THE TWENTY-SIXTH PATRIARCH. A. D. 458-480.
And after the militant Father Dioscorus, the patriarch, went to his rest, the Lord Christ raised up a patriarch, named Timothy, upon the episcopal throne of the city of Alexandria; and he suffered from hardships, and from warfare with the dissidents. He and his brother Anatolius were banished to the island of Gangra, like Dioscorus, for seven full years, but he returned by the grace of God, at the command of the prince, to Alexandria. His ordination took place in the days of Leo, the prince. He remained patriarch twenty-two years, and went to his rest on the seventh day of Misri.
Meleka Youssef
Sunday, 8 August 2010
5th patriarch of Alexandria
the 3rd of Misra
Severus of Al'Ashmunein (Hermopolis), History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic church of Alexandria (1904) Part 1: St. Mark - Theonas (300 AD). Patrologia Orientalis 1 pp. 105-211 (p.1-113 of text).
PRIMUS, THE FIFTH PATRIARCH. A. D. 109-122.
After this there was among the orthodox people of Christ a man named Primus, who was chaste as the angels, and piously performed many good works. So they took counsel with regard to this man, and chose him, and appointed him to the evangelical see, as patriarch. He remained in possession of it twelve years, and there was peace in the Church in his days. He went to his rest on the 3rd. of Misri, in the fifth year of the reign of Hadrian the prince.
http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/severus_hermopolis_hist_alex_patr_01_part1.htm#PRIMUS
Severus of Al'Ashmunein (Hermopolis), History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic church of Alexandria (1904) Part 1: St. Mark - Theonas (300 AD). Patrologia Orientalis 1 pp. 105-211 (p.1-113 of text).
PRIMUS, THE FIFTH PATRIARCH. A. D. 109-122.
After this there was among the orthodox people of Christ a man named Primus, who was chaste as the angels, and piously performed many good works. So they took counsel with regard to this man, and chose him, and appointed him to the evangelical see, as patriarch. He remained in possession of it twelve years, and there was peace in the Church in his days. He went to his rest on the 3rd. of Misri, in the fifth year of the reign of Hadrian the prince.
http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/severus_hermopolis_hist_alex_patr_01_part1.htm#PRIMUS
Sunday, 1 August 2010
33rd patriarch of Alexandria
TODAY THE 28TH OF BAOONAH IS THE FEAST OF THE 33RD PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA
EXTRACT FROM
HISTORY OF THE PATRIARCHS OF THE
COPTIC CHURCH OF ALEXANDRIA
II
PETER I TO BENJAMIN I (661)
ARABIC TEXT EDITED, TRANSLATED, AND ANNOTATED
BY
B. EVETTS
THEODOSIUS I, THE THIRTY-THIRD PATRIARCH. A. D. 535-567.
By the command of God, the bishops and orthodox people assembled after the death of Timothy, and, by the dispensation of the Lord Christ, they ordained the holy Father Theodosius patriarch. He was a virgin, and a |456 master of the literary style used in ecclesiastical writings. But, after a short time, the hater of good raised up a trial for him, and stirred up trouble among evil people of the inhabitants of the city, the masters of vile arts. For there was a man who was old and advanced in age, and whose name was Gaianus; and he was archdeacon of the church of Alexandria; and he was standing, at the time of the ordination of the Father Theodosius as patriarch, among the bishops and priests and chief men of the city, until they had ordained him, and written his diploma of consecration, and promoted him to the degree of primate over the apostolic diocese, and ratified his appointment with the consent of all Christian and God-loving people. But after that, certain persons led the archdeacon astray, and changed his thoughts, in his simplicity, and gave him counsel, saying : «This degree and this promotion are thy due, and it is not lawful for anyone to be promoted before thee.» Thus they insinuated their evil suggestions into his mind little by little, until he accepted their advice. So they took him, and went with him to the house of a priest, named Theodore, who was an evil-doer and had much wealth; and there they ordained Gaianus, the archdeacon, as patriarch. And there was with them, assisting them, Julian, the corrupt of faith, in agreement with Theodore the priest; for Theodosius the blessed, when he became patriarch, had anathematized Julian, because |457 he was the refuge of the heretics. Then Gaianus went to the governor, and to the commander of the forces, and offered them bribes, and won their hearts by his many gifts, until they were induced to stir up great trouble against the Father Theodosius, the patriarch, and against the Church, and drove out the holy Theodosius from the see of Alexandria to Hierasycaminus, where he remained six months. And the governor hid from the prince what they had done to the patriarch, and also that they had ordained another in his place, and all that was done by Julian and Theodore and Gaianus, who joined together against him. But the wise Severus, the patriarch, used to call Theodosius brother and helper and partner in the one true evangelical work, and used to console and encourage him in his sufferings for the orthodox faith, comparing him to the great Paul the Apostle, when he was first chosen and first believed in Christ, and reminding Theodosius how Paul's family and friends rejected him, and how the believers let him down from the wall in a basket, so that he could flee from Damascus. For the Father Theodosius suffered continual trouble and persecution from the heretics. And this was in the year 242 of Diocletian. Now Severus, the patriarch, was hiding himself from Justinian, the heretical prince, in a Christ-loving town, called Sakhâ, in Egypt, at the house of a man, named Dorotheus, who took care of the affairs of the aged monks who had rejected the error of Julian the unbeliever. And the said |458 man was allowed to visit the governor of Egypt, Aristomachus, and begged him to take pity on the aged among the monks who were in the desert, by granting them the favour of authorizing them to build churches and towers, instead of those that had been taken from them by Julian and his companions, that so he might give rest to the monks. Accordingly the governor gave orders to Dorotheus to do as he wished; and Dorotheus returned thanks to God most high.
Severus, the patriarch, had composed books in which he refuted the heresy of those that believe in the Two Natures, and brought to naught most of those that hold this view, by the glory of God, and through the instructions that he gave with his tongue, which was a spiritual sword. And he continued to teach concerning the books of divine wisdom, until he grew old, and the days of his removal from trouble to rest grew near. For he remained in the midst of struggles, and enduring persecution from the heretics for thirty years, upon the throne of Antioch, and amid opposition and distress for six years; and he did not cease from this life of fighting for the orthodox faith until death. So when he had accomplished his course, still preserving the true faith, he went to the Lord Christ whom he loved, and received the crown of victory with the holy fathers in the assembly of the heavenly virgins.
And as for the blessed Father Theodosius, he was greatly troubled by the heretic Gaianus and his followers. But John, the governor of |459 Alexandria, and others were struggling to save him from them: and so they consulted with the fathers, and took Theodosms secretly, and put him on board of a boat on the river, and conveyed him to a town called Malij, within the province of Egypt, and there he remained two years.
And the laity of Alexandria, and the clergy and officials of the city, were troubled because their patriach was taken away from them, and said to the governor : «Why hast thou removed the good shepherd Theodosius from us?» Then the governor was afraid of them, and dreaded lest the affair should be reported to the prince; and so he sent Gaianus, the heretic, out of the city. After that, one of the officials went to carry out some business which he had with the prince, and so he made known to the faithful princess Theodora that the blessed Theodosius had been banished from the city of Alexandria, whence she herself had originally come. So she went in to the prince calmly and wisely and humbly, and informed him of all that had happened, without his sanction, to the Father Theodosius, patriarch in the city of Alexandria. Then, when the prince heard that, he rejoiced in his heart at the trouble and conflict which the orthodox had endured, because they would not consent to share the corrupt and impure faith of Chalcedon, which he held. But afterwards, wishing to please the |460 princess, and to delight her heart, he gave her power to do by his authority in this matter whatever she desired. So she sent to the city of Alexandria, to enquire into the matter, and to restore the Father Theodosius, the patriarch, to his see; and she bade the messengers inform her how his appointment as patriarch took place at his ordination, and whether it was accomplished according to the canon of the Church. So when her messengers came to the city, according to what she commanded them to do, they enquired into what she bade them enquire into, and examined the circumstances of his ordination, and sought to discover whether it was accomplished according to the canon of the Church; and they also enquired how Gaianus, the archdeacon, had been appointed, and which of them was the first to be consecrated. Therefore the governor, and the commander of the forces, in return for the gifts and bribes which they had received, suborned certain persons who cried aloud saying : «Gaianus was the first to be ordained.» Their words, however, were not confirmed; for one hundred and twenty men, of the priests and officials of the city, subscribed their signatures to a statement that it was Theodosius who was the first to be ordained.
Then they assembled together, and the help of the Lord Christ was with them, and the officers and military chiefs of the prince, who were his envoys and trusted counsellors, were present, and all the Alexandrians were assembled with them in the holy church. And they brought the holy |461 gospels and the prince's decree to which his seal and image were attached, and they introduced the Father Theodosius, the blessed patriarch, and the body of bishops who had been present at his consecration; and they separated them, and questioned them one by one, and wrote down what they said. And their confession proved true, in each case, for they all stated, without hesitation or discrepancy, that it was Theodosius, the blessed, who was ordained first, with the consent of the bishops and people, according to the canon of the Church; and that two months after that they heard that Gaianus had been made patriarch. Then Gaianus came forward before the assembly, and confessed to them that the statement was true, and asked pardon for what he had done. And the assembly begged of the blessed Father Theodosius to receive Gaianus, and prayed him to accept his repentance, on condition that he would write in his own handwriting that he had done this in contradiction to the ecclesiastical canon, and that he would remain in his office of deacon, becoming archdeacon again, as he had been before, and would humble himself and submit to the Father Theodosius, and obey him till the time of his death; and Gaianus consented to do all this. And they all set their seals to this statement as being true and veracious; and the whole assembly rejoiced, and glorified God, and thanked him because their good shepherd Theodosius, the patriarch, had returned to them, and had taken his seat upon his throne, to rule the Church and the people in peace. |462
And as for Julian and Theodore and Manes and all those that dissented, and their followers, the name of heretic was established as their due, for they did not repent; but Gaianus submitted to the obedience of Theodosius, the patriarch.
So when the affairs of the Church and the faithful Christian people were well established, the Father Theodosius rejoiced, and wrote letters in which he thanked the prince and princess; and these letters he sent by their messengers, namely Aristaenetus and Nicetas and Philodorus, whom he thanked for what they had done. And when the envoys arrived, and delivered the letters to the prince, and made known to him all that had happened, his thoughts were despondent and troubled. For he thought : «Behold, I have given up the throne of Alexandria to Theodosius; and yet, even if I bestowed upon him in addition all the provinces of Egypt and Africa and all other countries, he would never agree with me in the creed which I prefer, so that the whole Church might be of one faith.»
Then the prince Justinian, after that, took thought, and wrote to the governor and officials of Alexandria, and to the Father Theodosius, with the view of attracting him by the hope of reward, praying him to receive the Tome of Leo, and yield to him on that point, and promising in that case that he should have the two offices, both the civil patriarchate, and the civil governorship, and that all the bishops of Africa should be under |463 his obedience, and that he should have the command over all that territory; «but» added the prince, «if he will not obey nor consent, then let him be driven out of the Church, and depart whithersoever he will; for he that does not agree with me in my faith shall have no prelacy either over people or Church».
But when the blessed father and patriarch Theodosius, the confessor of Christ, heard the letter and proposals of the prince, he exclaimed in the presence of the assembly, and of the governor and envoys : «The holy gospel says 21 that the Devil took the Lord and Saviour, and led him to the summit of a high mountain, and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of it, and said to him : All this is mine, and if thou wilt worship me I will give it to thee. So likewise what you promise me will be the destruction of my soul, if I do as you propose, and I shall become thereby a stranger to Christ, the true king». And he raised his hands before the envoy sent by the prince, and before the governor and that great assembly, and said : «In truth I anathematize the Tome of Leo and the council of Chalcedon; and whoever acknowledges them is anathema henceforth for ever. Amen.» Then he said to the governor and to all the prince's troop : «The prince has no power except over my body; but the Lord Jesus Christ, the true and great prince, has power over my soul and body together. And now behold the churches are before you |464 with all that they contain, therefore do whatever you wish with regard to them. But as for me, I follow my fathers who have preceded me, the doctors of the apostolic Church, Athanasius and Cyril and Dioscorus and Timothy, and those who were before them, whose deputy I am, although unworthy.» Then Theodosius arose and went out, saying : «Let those that love God follow me. For I came forth from my mother's womb naked, and I shall return to it naked. And he that loses his life at this time for the Faith, shall save it.»
So they took him to the palace, where they guarded him for a day and a night; but when the morrow came, they sent him away, as the prince had commanded in his letter, saying : «Let him go whithersoever he pleases.» Therefore he went out from the city, and the power of the Lord Christ guided him; for Aristomachus provided for his needs, and prepared for him all that he required, and carried him in a boat to Upper Egypt, where he remained teaching the people and the monks in the monasteries, and confirming them in the orthodox faith, and encouraging them to, endure the conflict until death.
And the prince's envoy returned to him, and made known to him all that had happened, and how Theodosius, the patriarch, had gone forth from the city, and would not accept any of the offers made by the prince. When the prince heard that, he and all his attendants were astonished that the patriarch had rejected that post of governor, and had disputed the royal command, and remained firm in the faith. Then Justinian |465 thought within himself and said : «If I leave him where he is, then all the people will follow his faith, and he will not allow them to accept the Tome of Leo.» So he wrote a letter full of assurances and promises to the patriarch Theodosius, declaring that no pain nor damage should come to him from him, but all good and kindness; and he sent this letter by a scribe, to whom he said : «Treat him courteously until thou bringest him to me, and say to him : The prince desires to confer with thee.» So when the blessed patriarch had perused the prince's letter, he prayed for the help of the power of the Lord Christ, and took with him of the clergy certain wise men, learned and excellent; and they embarked in a ship, and journeyed until they arrived at Constantinople. There Theodosius entered to the prince and princess, who, when they saw his serenity and humility and excellence, received him kindly, and lodged him in chambers which they had prepared for him and his companions. Afterwards the prince sent for him a second time, and a third time, until the sixth time, and each time he addressed him courteously, and desired of him that he should yield to him in confirming the council of Chalcedon, and gave him many marks of honour and priority and precedence. But Theodosius said : «Neither life nor death nor dearth nor nakedness nor sword will turn my heart from the faith of my fathers; nor will I abandon a jot or tittle of what my fathers, the inspired doctors, wrote before me, those shepherds of the reasonable flock of Christ, from Mark the evangelist |466 to the day on which I was made a deacon by the Father Timothy, after whom I became patriarch by the dispensation of God.»
So when the prince could not draw Theodosius to his doctrine, he left him and sent him into banishment in disgrace. But he showed favour to the clergy of Alexandria, and caused Mennas, patriarch of Constantinople, to ordain for them a man, named Paul of Tinnis, that he might be patriarch on the throne of Alexandria, and sent him, accompanied by a troop of soldiers, to the city of Alexandria. But when Paul arrived there, not one of the inhabitants would receive him; for they said : «This is the new Judas!» And he remained a year, during which none would listen to him, nor would any communicate from his hand, except the envoy who accompanied him, and the soldiers who arrived with him, and the governor and his attendants only. And the people of the city used to insult Paul, saying : «This is Judas the betrayer!» So he wrote to the prince to make known to him what had happened to him, and how they fled from him as sheep flee from a wolf; and he sent the letter by a patrician. Then the prince was enraged, and sent a letter by another patrician, in which he commanded that the doors of the churches in the city of Alexandria should be shut and sealed with his seal, and guards set before them, so that no one at all might enter. When that sinful letter arrived in the city, there was great sadness on account of it, and anguish and unbounded sorrow that cannot |467 be described, upon the orthodox people. And they remained in this condition for a whole year, without communion, or church to pray in, or place to be baptized in. But the letters of their blessed Father Theodosius came to them from his place of exile, reminding them of the faith, and consoling them, and encouraging them to patience. So when their trouble increased, an assembly of the orthodox met together, priests and laymen, and took counsel together as to building a church in which they might take refuge, so that they might not be like the Jews. And they did what they proposed, and built a church by the power of Christ, in the western part of Alexandria, in the place called the Pillars, or the Serapeum; and this church is the Angelion, which they built secretly at the hundred and five steps. And another congregation of the people also built another church, in the name of Cosmas and Damian, to the east of the amphitheatre, and a little to the west of the colonnade; and they finished it in the year 278 of Diocletian. When the prince learnt this, he sent and opened all the churches, and put them under the authority of the Chalcedonians. So when the blessed Father Theodosius learnt that there remained to him no other than these two newly-built churches, the church of the Angelion, and the church of Cosmas and Damian the Martyrs, he sighed and wept, because he knew the people of Alexandria, and that they loved pomp and honour, and he feared that they would depart from the orthodox Faith, with a view to gaining honour from the prince. And he used to pray, saying : «O my Lord Jesus Christ, thou |468 didst buy this people with thy precious blood, and thou providest for them; therefore remove not thy hand from them; but thy will be done!» And Theodosius remained twenty-eight years in banishment and otherwise, and in Upper Egypt four years, preserving the orthodox faith. And he composed of homilies and doctrinal treatises during his patriarchate, which lasted for thirty-two years, too many to be counted.
Theodosius was removed, in the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ whom he loved, on the 28th day of Baunah; and he received the crown of victory with the assembly of the saints in the land of the living for ever.
And let us, the believers who remain in the orthodox faith, and are counted worthy to be called Theodosians after his name, supplicate and implore God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, that we may have spiritual thoughts, and encouragement, while we keep the right faith without wearying, as it was kept by this holy father and prelate, who confessed before heretics, kings and princes and authorities who lived at that evil time, and that our life before him may be without offence, and that we may not turn aside from his will, and that we may have a full share together with him in the kingdom of heaven, by the grace and mercy and compassion of our God, the Lover of Mankind, Jesus Christ our Lord and |469 Saviour, to whom is due glory with the Father and the Holy Ghost, the Giver of Life, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
CHAPTER XIV
EXTRACT FROM
HISTORY OF THE PATRIARCHS OF THE
COPTIC CHURCH OF ALEXANDRIA
II
PETER I TO BENJAMIN I (661)
ARABIC TEXT EDITED, TRANSLATED, AND ANNOTATED
BY
B. EVETTS
THEODOSIUS I, THE THIRTY-THIRD PATRIARCH. A. D. 535-567.
By the command of God, the bishops and orthodox people assembled after the death of Timothy, and, by the dispensation of the Lord Christ, they ordained the holy Father Theodosius patriarch. He was a virgin, and a |456 master of the literary style used in ecclesiastical writings. But, after a short time, the hater of good raised up a trial for him, and stirred up trouble among evil people of the inhabitants of the city, the masters of vile arts. For there was a man who was old and advanced in age, and whose name was Gaianus; and he was archdeacon of the church of Alexandria; and he was standing, at the time of the ordination of the Father Theodosius as patriarch, among the bishops and priests and chief men of the city, until they had ordained him, and written his diploma of consecration, and promoted him to the degree of primate over the apostolic diocese, and ratified his appointment with the consent of all Christian and God-loving people. But after that, certain persons led the archdeacon astray, and changed his thoughts, in his simplicity, and gave him counsel, saying : «This degree and this promotion are thy due, and it is not lawful for anyone to be promoted before thee.» Thus they insinuated their evil suggestions into his mind little by little, until he accepted their advice. So they took him, and went with him to the house of a priest, named Theodore, who was an evil-doer and had much wealth; and there they ordained Gaianus, the archdeacon, as patriarch. And there was with them, assisting them, Julian, the corrupt of faith, in agreement with Theodore the priest; for Theodosius the blessed, when he became patriarch, had anathematized Julian, because |457 he was the refuge of the heretics. Then Gaianus went to the governor, and to the commander of the forces, and offered them bribes, and won their hearts by his many gifts, until they were induced to stir up great trouble against the Father Theodosius, the patriarch, and against the Church, and drove out the holy Theodosius from the see of Alexandria to Hierasycaminus, where he remained six months. And the governor hid from the prince what they had done to the patriarch, and also that they had ordained another in his place, and all that was done by Julian and Theodore and Gaianus, who joined together against him. But the wise Severus, the patriarch, used to call Theodosius brother and helper and partner in the one true evangelical work, and used to console and encourage him in his sufferings for the orthodox faith, comparing him to the great Paul the Apostle, when he was first chosen and first believed in Christ, and reminding Theodosius how Paul's family and friends rejected him, and how the believers let him down from the wall in a basket, so that he could flee from Damascus. For the Father Theodosius suffered continual trouble and persecution from the heretics. And this was in the year 242 of Diocletian. Now Severus, the patriarch, was hiding himself from Justinian, the heretical prince, in a Christ-loving town, called Sakhâ, in Egypt, at the house of a man, named Dorotheus, who took care of the affairs of the aged monks who had rejected the error of Julian the unbeliever. And the said |458 man was allowed to visit the governor of Egypt, Aristomachus, and begged him to take pity on the aged among the monks who were in the desert, by granting them the favour of authorizing them to build churches and towers, instead of those that had been taken from them by Julian and his companions, that so he might give rest to the monks. Accordingly the governor gave orders to Dorotheus to do as he wished; and Dorotheus returned thanks to God most high.
Severus, the patriarch, had composed books in which he refuted the heresy of those that believe in the Two Natures, and brought to naught most of those that hold this view, by the glory of God, and through the instructions that he gave with his tongue, which was a spiritual sword. And he continued to teach concerning the books of divine wisdom, until he grew old, and the days of his removal from trouble to rest grew near. For he remained in the midst of struggles, and enduring persecution from the heretics for thirty years, upon the throne of Antioch, and amid opposition and distress for six years; and he did not cease from this life of fighting for the orthodox faith until death. So when he had accomplished his course, still preserving the true faith, he went to the Lord Christ whom he loved, and received the crown of victory with the holy fathers in the assembly of the heavenly virgins.
And as for the blessed Father Theodosius, he was greatly troubled by the heretic Gaianus and his followers. But John, the governor of |459 Alexandria, and others were struggling to save him from them: and so they consulted with the fathers, and took Theodosms secretly, and put him on board of a boat on the river, and conveyed him to a town called Malij, within the province of Egypt, and there he remained two years.
And the laity of Alexandria, and the clergy and officials of the city, were troubled because their patriach was taken away from them, and said to the governor : «Why hast thou removed the good shepherd Theodosius from us?» Then the governor was afraid of them, and dreaded lest the affair should be reported to the prince; and so he sent Gaianus, the heretic, out of the city. After that, one of the officials went to carry out some business which he had with the prince, and so he made known to the faithful princess Theodora that the blessed Theodosius had been banished from the city of Alexandria, whence she herself had originally come. So she went in to the prince calmly and wisely and humbly, and informed him of all that had happened, without his sanction, to the Father Theodosius, patriarch in the city of Alexandria. Then, when the prince heard that, he rejoiced in his heart at the trouble and conflict which the orthodox had endured, because they would not consent to share the corrupt and impure faith of Chalcedon, which he held. But afterwards, wishing to please the |460 princess, and to delight her heart, he gave her power to do by his authority in this matter whatever she desired. So she sent to the city of Alexandria, to enquire into the matter, and to restore the Father Theodosius, the patriarch, to his see; and she bade the messengers inform her how his appointment as patriarch took place at his ordination, and whether it was accomplished according to the canon of the Church. So when her messengers came to the city, according to what she commanded them to do, they enquired into what she bade them enquire into, and examined the circumstances of his ordination, and sought to discover whether it was accomplished according to the canon of the Church; and they also enquired how Gaianus, the archdeacon, had been appointed, and which of them was the first to be consecrated. Therefore the governor, and the commander of the forces, in return for the gifts and bribes which they had received, suborned certain persons who cried aloud saying : «Gaianus was the first to be ordained.» Their words, however, were not confirmed; for one hundred and twenty men, of the priests and officials of the city, subscribed their signatures to a statement that it was Theodosius who was the first to be ordained.
Then they assembled together, and the help of the Lord Christ was with them, and the officers and military chiefs of the prince, who were his envoys and trusted counsellors, were present, and all the Alexandrians were assembled with them in the holy church. And they brought the holy |461 gospels and the prince's decree to which his seal and image were attached, and they introduced the Father Theodosius, the blessed patriarch, and the body of bishops who had been present at his consecration; and they separated them, and questioned them one by one, and wrote down what they said. And their confession proved true, in each case, for they all stated, without hesitation or discrepancy, that it was Theodosius, the blessed, who was ordained first, with the consent of the bishops and people, according to the canon of the Church; and that two months after that they heard that Gaianus had been made patriarch. Then Gaianus came forward before the assembly, and confessed to them that the statement was true, and asked pardon for what he had done. And the assembly begged of the blessed Father Theodosius to receive Gaianus, and prayed him to accept his repentance, on condition that he would write in his own handwriting that he had done this in contradiction to the ecclesiastical canon, and that he would remain in his office of deacon, becoming archdeacon again, as he had been before, and would humble himself and submit to the Father Theodosius, and obey him till the time of his death; and Gaianus consented to do all this. And they all set their seals to this statement as being true and veracious; and the whole assembly rejoiced, and glorified God, and thanked him because their good shepherd Theodosius, the patriarch, had returned to them, and had taken his seat upon his throne, to rule the Church and the people in peace. |462
And as for Julian and Theodore and Manes and all those that dissented, and their followers, the name of heretic was established as their due, for they did not repent; but Gaianus submitted to the obedience of Theodosius, the patriarch.
So when the affairs of the Church and the faithful Christian people were well established, the Father Theodosius rejoiced, and wrote letters in which he thanked the prince and princess; and these letters he sent by their messengers, namely Aristaenetus and Nicetas and Philodorus, whom he thanked for what they had done. And when the envoys arrived, and delivered the letters to the prince, and made known to him all that had happened, his thoughts were despondent and troubled. For he thought : «Behold, I have given up the throne of Alexandria to Theodosius; and yet, even if I bestowed upon him in addition all the provinces of Egypt and Africa and all other countries, he would never agree with me in the creed which I prefer, so that the whole Church might be of one faith.»
Then the prince Justinian, after that, took thought, and wrote to the governor and officials of Alexandria, and to the Father Theodosius, with the view of attracting him by the hope of reward, praying him to receive the Tome of Leo, and yield to him on that point, and promising in that case that he should have the two offices, both the civil patriarchate, and the civil governorship, and that all the bishops of Africa should be under |463 his obedience, and that he should have the command over all that territory; «but» added the prince, «if he will not obey nor consent, then let him be driven out of the Church, and depart whithersoever he will; for he that does not agree with me in my faith shall have no prelacy either over people or Church».
But when the blessed father and patriarch Theodosius, the confessor of Christ, heard the letter and proposals of the prince, he exclaimed in the presence of the assembly, and of the governor and envoys : «The holy gospel says 21 that the Devil took the Lord and Saviour, and led him to the summit of a high mountain, and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of it, and said to him : All this is mine, and if thou wilt worship me I will give it to thee. So likewise what you promise me will be the destruction of my soul, if I do as you propose, and I shall become thereby a stranger to Christ, the true king». And he raised his hands before the envoy sent by the prince, and before the governor and that great assembly, and said : «In truth I anathematize the Tome of Leo and the council of Chalcedon; and whoever acknowledges them is anathema henceforth for ever. Amen.» Then he said to the governor and to all the prince's troop : «The prince has no power except over my body; but the Lord Jesus Christ, the true and great prince, has power over my soul and body together. And now behold the churches are before you |464 with all that they contain, therefore do whatever you wish with regard to them. But as for me, I follow my fathers who have preceded me, the doctors of the apostolic Church, Athanasius and Cyril and Dioscorus and Timothy, and those who were before them, whose deputy I am, although unworthy.» Then Theodosius arose and went out, saying : «Let those that love God follow me. For I came forth from my mother's womb naked, and I shall return to it naked. And he that loses his life at this time for the Faith, shall save it.»
So they took him to the palace, where they guarded him for a day and a night; but when the morrow came, they sent him away, as the prince had commanded in his letter, saying : «Let him go whithersoever he pleases.» Therefore he went out from the city, and the power of the Lord Christ guided him; for Aristomachus provided for his needs, and prepared for him all that he required, and carried him in a boat to Upper Egypt, where he remained teaching the people and the monks in the monasteries, and confirming them in the orthodox faith, and encouraging them to, endure the conflict until death.
And the prince's envoy returned to him, and made known to him all that had happened, and how Theodosius, the patriarch, had gone forth from the city, and would not accept any of the offers made by the prince. When the prince heard that, he and all his attendants were astonished that the patriarch had rejected that post of governor, and had disputed the royal command, and remained firm in the faith. Then Justinian |465 thought within himself and said : «If I leave him where he is, then all the people will follow his faith, and he will not allow them to accept the Tome of Leo.» So he wrote a letter full of assurances and promises to the patriarch Theodosius, declaring that no pain nor damage should come to him from him, but all good and kindness; and he sent this letter by a scribe, to whom he said : «Treat him courteously until thou bringest him to me, and say to him : The prince desires to confer with thee.» So when the blessed patriarch had perused the prince's letter, he prayed for the help of the power of the Lord Christ, and took with him of the clergy certain wise men, learned and excellent; and they embarked in a ship, and journeyed until they arrived at Constantinople. There Theodosius entered to the prince and princess, who, when they saw his serenity and humility and excellence, received him kindly, and lodged him in chambers which they had prepared for him and his companions. Afterwards the prince sent for him a second time, and a third time, until the sixth time, and each time he addressed him courteously, and desired of him that he should yield to him in confirming the council of Chalcedon, and gave him many marks of honour and priority and precedence. But Theodosius said : «Neither life nor death nor dearth nor nakedness nor sword will turn my heart from the faith of my fathers; nor will I abandon a jot or tittle of what my fathers, the inspired doctors, wrote before me, those shepherds of the reasonable flock of Christ, from Mark the evangelist |466 to the day on which I was made a deacon by the Father Timothy, after whom I became patriarch by the dispensation of God.»
So when the prince could not draw Theodosius to his doctrine, he left him and sent him into banishment in disgrace. But he showed favour to the clergy of Alexandria, and caused Mennas, patriarch of Constantinople, to ordain for them a man, named Paul of Tinnis, that he might be patriarch on the throne of Alexandria, and sent him, accompanied by a troop of soldiers, to the city of Alexandria. But when Paul arrived there, not one of the inhabitants would receive him; for they said : «This is the new Judas!» And he remained a year, during which none would listen to him, nor would any communicate from his hand, except the envoy who accompanied him, and the soldiers who arrived with him, and the governor and his attendants only. And the people of the city used to insult Paul, saying : «This is Judas the betrayer!» So he wrote to the prince to make known to him what had happened to him, and how they fled from him as sheep flee from a wolf; and he sent the letter by a patrician. Then the prince was enraged, and sent a letter by another patrician, in which he commanded that the doors of the churches in the city of Alexandria should be shut and sealed with his seal, and guards set before them, so that no one at all might enter. When that sinful letter arrived in the city, there was great sadness on account of it, and anguish and unbounded sorrow that cannot |467 be described, upon the orthodox people. And they remained in this condition for a whole year, without communion, or church to pray in, or place to be baptized in. But the letters of their blessed Father Theodosius came to them from his place of exile, reminding them of the faith, and consoling them, and encouraging them to patience. So when their trouble increased, an assembly of the orthodox met together, priests and laymen, and took counsel together as to building a church in which they might take refuge, so that they might not be like the Jews. And they did what they proposed, and built a church by the power of Christ, in the western part of Alexandria, in the place called the Pillars, or the Serapeum; and this church is the Angelion, which they built secretly at the hundred and five steps. And another congregation of the people also built another church, in the name of Cosmas and Damian, to the east of the amphitheatre, and a little to the west of the colonnade; and they finished it in the year 278 of Diocletian. When the prince learnt this, he sent and opened all the churches, and put them under the authority of the Chalcedonians. So when the blessed Father Theodosius learnt that there remained to him no other than these two newly-built churches, the church of the Angelion, and the church of Cosmas and Damian the Martyrs, he sighed and wept, because he knew the people of Alexandria, and that they loved pomp and honour, and he feared that they would depart from the orthodox Faith, with a view to gaining honour from the prince. And he used to pray, saying : «O my Lord Jesus Christ, thou |468 didst buy this people with thy precious blood, and thou providest for them; therefore remove not thy hand from them; but thy will be done!» And Theodosius remained twenty-eight years in banishment and otherwise, and in Upper Egypt four years, preserving the orthodox faith. And he composed of homilies and doctrinal treatises during his patriarchate, which lasted for thirty-two years, too many to be counted.
Theodosius was removed, in the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ whom he loved, on the 28th day of Baunah; and he received the crown of victory with the assembly of the saints in the land of the living for ever.
And let us, the believers who remain in the orthodox faith, and are counted worthy to be called Theodosians after his name, supplicate and implore God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, that we may have spiritual thoughts, and encouragement, while we keep the right faith without wearying, as it was kept by this holy father and prelate, who confessed before heretics, kings and princes and authorities who lived at that evil time, and that our life before him may be without offence, and that we may not turn aside from his will, and that we may have a full share together with him in the kingdom of heaven, by the grace and mercy and compassion of our God, the Lover of Mankind, Jesus Christ our Lord and |469 Saviour, to whom is due glory with the Father and the Holy Ghost, the Giver of Life, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
CHAPTER XIV
26 Abeeb feast
http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/severus_hermopolis_hist_alex_patr_02_part2.htm#TIMOTHY_I
CHAPTER X
FROM THE HISTORY OF THE PATRIARCHS OF ALEXANDRIA BY SAINT SEVERUS BISHOP OF ELASHMOONAIN
TIMOTHY I, THE TWENTY-SECOND PATRIARCH. A. D. 380-385.
And the people assembled, with the bishops, after the death of the Father Peter, and laid their hands upon a priest named Timothy, and made him patriarch. In his days took place the council of Constantinople, at which the number of the bishops who took part in it was one hundred and fifty; and they excommunicated Macedonius, the misbeliever, patriarch of Constantinople, where the council was held, and another, Eunomius, because those two had blasphemed against the Holy Ghost, and said, in their misbelief, |425 that he was created. This was in the time of Theodosius, the faithful prince. And Timothy remained all his days in tranquillity and peace. The period of his occupation of the throne of Alexandria was nine years and a half; and he died on the 7th of Abib, maintaining the orthodox faith.
FROM THE SYNAXARION OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH
The Twenty-Sixth Day of the Blessed Month of Abib
1. The Departure of the Upright St. Joseph, the Carpenter.
2. The Departure of St. Timothy, 22nd Pope of Alexandria.
1. On this day, the righteous man St. Joseph, the carpenter, who was worthy to be called the father of Christ in the flesh, departed at a good old age. The Holy Gospel bore witness that he was a righteous man, and God chose him to be betrothed to the all-pure, our lady, the Virgin St. Mary. When he finished his course, his strife, his toil in the journey together with the Lord and the Virgin Lady from Bethlehem to the land of Egypt, and the tribulations that befell him from the Jews, he departed in peace. When the time came for him to depart from this world, to the world of the living, the Lord Christ was present at his departure, and laid His hand upon his eyes. He extended his arms, and delivered up his soul, and was buried in the tomb of his father Jacob. All the days of his life were one hundred and eleven years; forty years before his marriage, fifty-two years married, and nineteen years a widow. His departure was in the sixteenth year of the advent of the Lord Christ.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
2. On this day also, of the year 101 A.M. (July 20th, 385 A.D.), St. Timothy, 22nd Pope of Alexandria, departed. This saint was enthroned in the seventeenth of Baramhat, 95 A.M. (March 14th, 379 A.D.). He shepherded the flock of Christ with the best of care, and guarded them from the Arian wolves. In the sixth year of his papacy, Emperor Theodosius the Great reigned, who ordered the assembly of the Ecumenical Council at Constantinople to judge Macedonius the enemy of the Holy Spirit. This Pope presided over this council, and he disputed with Macedonius, Sabilius, and Apolinarius and refuted their erroneous council as it is mentioned in the first day of Amshir. This saint took great care concerning the buildings of the churches in Alexandria and elsewhere. He was knowledgeable and eloquent, and he left many sayings refuting the heresy of the Arians. He remained on the Chair for six years, four months and six days, then departed in peace.
May his prayers be with us and Glory be to God forever. Amen.
CHAPTER X
FROM THE HISTORY OF THE PATRIARCHS OF ALEXANDRIA BY SAINT SEVERUS BISHOP OF ELASHMOONAIN
TIMOTHY I, THE TWENTY-SECOND PATRIARCH. A. D. 380-385.
And the people assembled, with the bishops, after the death of the Father Peter, and laid their hands upon a priest named Timothy, and made him patriarch. In his days took place the council of Constantinople, at which the number of the bishops who took part in it was one hundred and fifty; and they excommunicated Macedonius, the misbeliever, patriarch of Constantinople, where the council was held, and another, Eunomius, because those two had blasphemed against the Holy Ghost, and said, in their misbelief, |425 that he was created. This was in the time of Theodosius, the faithful prince. And Timothy remained all his days in tranquillity and peace. The period of his occupation of the throne of Alexandria was nine years and a half; and he died on the 7th of Abib, maintaining the orthodox faith.
FROM THE SYNAXARION OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH
The Twenty-Sixth Day of the Blessed Month of Abib
1. The Departure of the Upright St. Joseph, the Carpenter.
2. The Departure of St. Timothy, 22nd Pope of Alexandria.
1. On this day, the righteous man St. Joseph, the carpenter, who was worthy to be called the father of Christ in the flesh, departed at a good old age. The Holy Gospel bore witness that he was a righteous man, and God chose him to be betrothed to the all-pure, our lady, the Virgin St. Mary. When he finished his course, his strife, his toil in the journey together with the Lord and the Virgin Lady from Bethlehem to the land of Egypt, and the tribulations that befell him from the Jews, he departed in peace. When the time came for him to depart from this world, to the world of the living, the Lord Christ was present at his departure, and laid His hand upon his eyes. He extended his arms, and delivered up his soul, and was buried in the tomb of his father Jacob. All the days of his life were one hundred and eleven years; forty years before his marriage, fifty-two years married, and nineteen years a widow. His departure was in the sixteenth year of the advent of the Lord Christ.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
2. On this day also, of the year 101 A.M. (July 20th, 385 A.D.), St. Timothy, 22nd Pope of Alexandria, departed. This saint was enthroned in the seventeenth of Baramhat, 95 A.M. (March 14th, 379 A.D.). He shepherded the flock of Christ with the best of care, and guarded them from the Arian wolves. In the sixth year of his papacy, Emperor Theodosius the Great reigned, who ordered the assembly of the Ecumenical Council at Constantinople to judge Macedonius the enemy of the Holy Spirit. This Pope presided over this council, and he disputed with Macedonius, Sabilius, and Apolinarius and refuted their erroneous council as it is mentioned in the first day of Amshir. This saint took great care concerning the buildings of the churches in Alexandria and elsewhere. He was knowledgeable and eloquent, and he left many sayings refuting the heresy of the Arians. He remained on the Chair for six years, four months and six days, then departed in peace.
May his prayers be with us and Glory be to God forever. Amen.
Sunday, 25 July 2010
19 abeeb
http://sites.google.com/site/demontortoise2000/hist10-htm
John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch and he is the eighty-fifth of (their) number.
This trustworthy father, known as As-Shami, was consecrated patriarch on the twelfth day of the month of Bashuns (in the) year one thousand and seventy-nine of the Martyrs [1363 A.D.]. And he remained patriarch for six years and two months. And he was learned (and) virtuous, and he went to his rest on the nineteenth day (of the month) of Abib (in the) year one thousand and eighty-five of the Martyrs [1369 A.D.].
John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch and he is the eighty-fifth of (their) number.
This trustworthy father, known as As-Shami, was consecrated patriarch on the twelfth day of the month of Bashuns (in the) year one thousand and seventy-nine of the Martyrs [1363 A.D.]. And he remained patriarch for six years and two months. And he was learned (and) virtuous, and he went to his rest on the nineteenth day (of the month) of Abib (in the) year one thousand and eighty-five of the Martyrs [1369 A.D.].
19 abeeb
http://sites.google.com/site/demontortoise2000/hist10-htm
John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch and he is the eighty-fifth of (their) number.
This trustworthy father, known as As-Shami, was consecrated patriarch on the twelfth day of the month of Bashuns (in the) year one thousand and seventy-nine of the Martyrs [1363 A.D.]. And he remained patriarch for six years and two months. And he was learned (and) virtuous, and he went to his rest on the nineteenth day (of the month) of Abib (in the) year one thousand and eighty-five of the Martyrs [1369 A.D.].
John (Yu'annis) the Patriarch and he is the eighty-fifth of (their) number.
This trustworthy father, known as As-Shami, was consecrated patriarch on the twelfth day of the month of Bashuns (in the) year one thousand and seventy-nine of the Martyrs [1363 A.D.]. And he remained patriarch for six years and two months. And he was learned (and) virtuous, and he went to his rest on the nineteenth day (of the month) of Abib (in the) year one thousand and eighty-five of the Martyrs [1369 A.D.].
Friday, 16 July 2010
9th patriarch of Alexandria
CELADION 33, THE NINTH PATRIARCH. A.D. 157-167.
(FEAST TODAY THE 9TH OF ABEEB)
There was in those days among the people a man who loved God, and whose name was Celadion. So the orthodox laity assembled, together |153 with the bishops who were at Alexandria in those days, and took Celadion, and appointed him patriarch, and placed him upon the evangelical throne. He was beloved by all the people. He remained fourteen years, and died in the reign of Aurelius and Verus, the two sons of the princes, on the 9th. of Abib. He was enshrouded, and buried with his fathers, the patriarchs, whose names have been mentioned above.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/pearse/morefathers/files/severus_hermopolis_hist_alex_patr_01_part1.htm#CELADION
(FEAST TODAY THE 9TH OF ABEEB)
There was in those days among the people a man who loved God, and whose name was Celadion. So the orthodox laity assembled, together |153 with the bishops who were at Alexandria in those days, and took Celadion, and appointed him patriarch, and placed him upon the evangelical throne. He was beloved by all the people. He remained fourteen years, and died in the reign of Aurelius and Verus, the two sons of the princes, on the 9th. of Abib. He was enshrouded, and buried with his fathers, the patriarchs, whose names have been mentioned above.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/pearse/morefathers/files/severus_hermopolis_hist_alex_patr_01_part1.htm#CELADION
Friday, 9 July 2010
saint CYRIL I OF ALEXANDRIA
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/pearse/morefathers/files/
Cyril of Alexandria
Five tomes against Nestorius (Adversus Nestorii blasphemias)
Introduction
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
That Christ is One (Quod unus sit Christus)
English translation
Scholia on the incarnation of the Only-Begotten (Scholia de incarnatione Unigeniti)
English translation
Against Diodore of Tarsus and Theodore of Mopsuestia (fragments)
Fragments of Book 1 - Against Diodore
Fragments of Book 2 - Against Theodore
Fragments of Book 3 - Against Theodore
Against the synousiasts (fragments)
English translation
Commentary on the Gospel of Luke
Preface to the online edition
Translator's Introduction
Sermons 1-11 (Luke 1:1-3:3:23)
Sermons 12-25 (Luke 4:1-6:17)
Sermons 27-38 (Luke 6:20-7:28)
Sermons 39-46 (Luke 7:31-8:56)
Sermons 47-56 (Luke 9:1-56)
Sermons 57-65 (Luke 9:57-10:21)
Sermons 66-80 (Luke 10:22-11:18)
Sermons 81-88 (Luke 11:19-12:10)
Sermons 89-98 (Luke 12:13-13:9)
Sermons 99-109 (Luke 13:22-16:13)
Sermons 110-123 (Luke 16:14-18:27)
Sermons 124-134 (Luke 18:28-20:18)
Sermons 135-145 (Luke 20:19-22:38)
Sermons 146-156 (Luke 22:39-24:45)
Commentary on the Gospel of John
Preface to the online edition
Introduction to volume 2 -- by H. P. Liddon.
Praefatio - by Cyril of Alexandria
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
Book 7 (Fragments)
Book 8 (Fragments)
Book 9
Book 10
Book 11
Book 12
Against Julian
Prefatory address to the Emperor Theodosius
Book 2 (start)
Cyril of Alexandria
Five tomes against Nestorius (Adversus Nestorii blasphemias)
Introduction
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
That Christ is One (Quod unus sit Christus)
English translation
Scholia on the incarnation of the Only-Begotten (Scholia de incarnatione Unigeniti)
English translation
Against Diodore of Tarsus and Theodore of Mopsuestia (fragments)
Fragments of Book 1 - Against Diodore
Fragments of Book 2 - Against Theodore
Fragments of Book 3 - Against Theodore
Against the synousiasts (fragments)
English translation
Commentary on the Gospel of Luke
Preface to the online edition
Translator's Introduction
Sermons 1-11 (Luke 1:1-3:3:23)
Sermons 12-25 (Luke 4:1-6:17)
Sermons 27-38 (Luke 6:20-7:28)
Sermons 39-46 (Luke 7:31-8:56)
Sermons 47-56 (Luke 9:1-56)
Sermons 57-65 (Luke 9:57-10:21)
Sermons 66-80 (Luke 10:22-11:18)
Sermons 81-88 (Luke 11:19-12:10)
Sermons 89-98 (Luke 12:13-13:9)
Sermons 99-109 (Luke 13:22-16:13)
Sermons 110-123 (Luke 16:14-18:27)
Sermons 124-134 (Luke 18:28-20:18)
Sermons 135-145 (Luke 20:19-22:38)
Sermons 146-156 (Luke 22:39-24:45)
Commentary on the Gospel of John
Preface to the online edition
Introduction to volume 2 -- by H. P. Liddon.
Praefatio - by Cyril of Alexandria
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
Book 7 (Fragments)
Book 8 (Fragments)
Book 9
Book 10
Book 11
Book 12
Against Julian
Prefatory address to the Emperor Theodosius
Book 2 (start)
saint Kyrellos I the 24th patriarch of Alexandria
Tomorrow the third of Abeeb is the feast of saint Kyrellos I the 24th patriarch of Alexandria.
http://jesusmarie.free.fr/cyrille_d_alexandrie.html
Article du Dictionnaire de Théologie Catholique
• The Departure of St. Kyrillos (Cyril) the First, the Twenty- Fourth Pope of Alexandria.
• The Departure of St. Celestine, Pope of Rome.
http://copticchurch.net/synaxarium/11_3.html
1. The Departure of St. Kyrillos (Cyril) the First, the Twenty- Fourth Pope of Alexandria.
On this day, of the year 160 A.M. (June 27th, 444 A.D.), the great father, the pillar of faith and the lamp of the Orthodox church, St. Kyrillos (Cyril) the First, the Alexandrian Pope, and the twenty-fourth Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, departed.
This saint was the son of the sister of Pope Theophilus (23rd patriarch). He was raised by his uncle at the school of Alexandria where he was educated in its Theological and Philosophical subjects needed to defend Christianity and the Orthodox faith. After he learned a great deal of these subjects, his uncle sent him to the monastery of St. Macarius in the wilderness. There, he became a disciple to a righteous old monk called Sarabamon. He taught him the church books, and the sayings of the pure fathers. He trained his mind and body by practicing the works of righteousness and virtues for a period of time.
After he spent in the wilderness five years, Pope Theophilus sent him to Abba Sarapion, the honorable bishop, so he increased in wisdom and knowledge. Shortly after, the bishop returned him to Alexandria. His uncle was rejoiced, ordained him a deacon, appointed him a preacher in the cathedral and made him his scribe. Whenever Kyrillos gave a sermon, he captured the hearts of his listeners with his eloquence, fluency, and his strong influence. Since that time, he became well known for his vast knowledge, his great righteousness, and his deep influence in his teaching.
When his uncle Pope Theophilus departed in the 18th of Babah 128 A.M. (October 15th, 412 A.M.), they enthroned this father in his place on the 20th day of Babah, 128 A.M. (Oct. 17th, 412 A.D.). The church was illumined with his knowledge, and he gave special attention to resisting paganism and defending the Christian faith. He started to refute the falsity of Emperor Julian the Infidel in his ten essays that had been written after his apostasy. These were the favorite readings of the pagan young people of Alexandria and their pride, for they believed that it destroyed the principles of the Christian faith. Pope Kyrillos refuted them in terms that were clear, strong and convincing.
He set out to rebut the heretics until he was able to close their churches and seize their contents. He ordered the expulsion of the Jews from Alexandria which led to a disturbance and confrontation between the Jews and the Christians. This led to the widening of the contention between the governor and this great saint. Because of his strong devotion to the Christian ethics and teachings, he found himself compelled to ask for reconciliation with the governor. However, the governor refused to accept the reconciliation, and the conflict between them continued for a period of time.
When the heresy of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, emerged, a Universal Council convened for him. He denied that the Virgin was the mother of God (Theotokos). Two hundred bishops assembled in the city of Ephesus during the reign of Emperor Theodosius II, known by Theodosius the Less. St. Cyril (Kyrillos), Pope of Alexandria, presided over this council. He debated Nestorius, explained to him his heretic opinion, and threatened him with excommunication and exile from his Chair, if he did not change his erroneous opinion. St. Kyrillos composed twelve discourses wherein he explained the true faith, refuting the error of Nestorius. Anba John, Patriarch of Antioch, and some of the bishops of the East disagreed with him, taking Nestorius' side. Nevertheless, shortly after, they came back and agreed with Kyrillos who was victorious over the enemies of the church. He wrote many discourses and valuable epistles, confirming in them, that God the Word is One Nature, One Will, and One Person incarnated. He anathematized anyone who separated Christ or differed from this true faith. The Emperor exiled Nestorius in the year 435 A.D. to the land of Egypt, and remained in the city of Akhmim until his death in the year 440 A.D.
From the monumental works of Pope Kyrillos was the commentary of the Holy Books. When he finished his strife, he fell sick for a short time and departed in peace. He remained on the Alexandrian Chair for thirty-one years, eight months, and ten days.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Meleka Youssef
http://jesusmarie.free.fr/cyrille_d_alexandrie.html
Article du Dictionnaire de Théologie Catholique
• The Departure of St. Kyrillos (Cyril) the First, the Twenty- Fourth Pope of Alexandria.
• The Departure of St. Celestine, Pope of Rome.
http://copticchurch.net/synaxarium/11_3.html
1. The Departure of St. Kyrillos (Cyril) the First, the Twenty- Fourth Pope of Alexandria.
On this day, of the year 160 A.M. (June 27th, 444 A.D.), the great father, the pillar of faith and the lamp of the Orthodox church, St. Kyrillos (Cyril) the First, the Alexandrian Pope, and the twenty-fourth Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, departed.
This saint was the son of the sister of Pope Theophilus (23rd patriarch). He was raised by his uncle at the school of Alexandria where he was educated in its Theological and Philosophical subjects needed to defend Christianity and the Orthodox faith. After he learned a great deal of these subjects, his uncle sent him to the monastery of St. Macarius in the wilderness. There, he became a disciple to a righteous old monk called Sarabamon. He taught him the church books, and the sayings of the pure fathers. He trained his mind and body by practicing the works of righteousness and virtues for a period of time.
After he spent in the wilderness five years, Pope Theophilus sent him to Abba Sarapion, the honorable bishop, so he increased in wisdom and knowledge. Shortly after, the bishop returned him to Alexandria. His uncle was rejoiced, ordained him a deacon, appointed him a preacher in the cathedral and made him his scribe. Whenever Kyrillos gave a sermon, he captured the hearts of his listeners with his eloquence, fluency, and his strong influence. Since that time, he became well known for his vast knowledge, his great righteousness, and his deep influence in his teaching.
When his uncle Pope Theophilus departed in the 18th of Babah 128 A.M. (October 15th, 412 A.M.), they enthroned this father in his place on the 20th day of Babah, 128 A.M. (Oct. 17th, 412 A.D.). The church was illumined with his knowledge, and he gave special attention to resisting paganism and defending the Christian faith. He started to refute the falsity of Emperor Julian the Infidel in his ten essays that had been written after his apostasy. These were the favorite readings of the pagan young people of Alexandria and their pride, for they believed that it destroyed the principles of the Christian faith. Pope Kyrillos refuted them in terms that were clear, strong and convincing.
He set out to rebut the heretics until he was able to close their churches and seize their contents. He ordered the expulsion of the Jews from Alexandria which led to a disturbance and confrontation between the Jews and the Christians. This led to the widening of the contention between the governor and this great saint. Because of his strong devotion to the Christian ethics and teachings, he found himself compelled to ask for reconciliation with the governor. However, the governor refused to accept the reconciliation, and the conflict between them continued for a period of time.
When the heresy of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, emerged, a Universal Council convened for him. He denied that the Virgin was the mother of God (Theotokos). Two hundred bishops assembled in the city of Ephesus during the reign of Emperor Theodosius II, known by Theodosius the Less. St. Cyril (Kyrillos), Pope of Alexandria, presided over this council. He debated Nestorius, explained to him his heretic opinion, and threatened him with excommunication and exile from his Chair, if he did not change his erroneous opinion. St. Kyrillos composed twelve discourses wherein he explained the true faith, refuting the error of Nestorius. Anba John, Patriarch of Antioch, and some of the bishops of the East disagreed with him, taking Nestorius' side. Nevertheless, shortly after, they came back and agreed with Kyrillos who was victorious over the enemies of the church. He wrote many discourses and valuable epistles, confirming in them, that God the Word is One Nature, One Will, and One Person incarnated. He anathematized anyone who separated Christ or differed from this true faith. The Emperor exiled Nestorius in the year 435 A.D. to the land of Egypt, and remained in the city of Akhmim until his death in the year 440 A.D.
From the monumental works of Pope Kyrillos was the commentary of the Holy Books. When he finished his strife, he fell sick for a short time and departed in peace. He remained on the Alexandrian Chair for thirty-one years, eight months, and ten days.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Meleka Youssef
Sunday, 4 July 2010
33RD PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA
TODAY THE 28TH OF BAOONAH IS THE FEAST OF THE 33RD PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA
EXTRACT FROM
HISTORY OF THE PATRIARCHS OF THE
COPTIC CHURCH OF ALEXANDRIA
II
PETER I TO BENJAMIN I (661)
ARABIC TEXT EDITED, TRANSLATED, AND ANNOTATED
BY
B. EVETTS
THEODOSIUS I, THE THIRTY-THIRD PATRIARCH. A. D. 535-567.
By the command of God, the bishops and orthodox people assembled after the death of Timothy, and, by the dispensation of the Lord Christ, they ordained the holy Father Theodosius patriarch. He was a virgin, and a |456 master of the literary style used in ecclesiastical writings. But, after a short time, the hater of good raised up a trial for him, and stirred up trouble among evil people of the inhabitants of the city, the masters of vile arts. For there was a man who was old and advanced in age, and whose name was Gaianus; and he was archdeacon of the church of Alexandria; and he was standing, at the time of the ordination of the Father Theodosius as patriarch, among the bishops and priests and chief men of the city, until they had ordained him, and written his diploma of consecration, and promoted him to the degree of primate over the apostolic diocese, and ratified his appointment with the consent of all Christian and God-loving people. But after that, certain persons led the archdeacon astray, and changed his thoughts, in his simplicity, and gave him counsel, saying : «This degree and this promotion are thy due, and it is not lawful for anyone to be promoted before thee.» Thus they insinuated their evil suggestions into his mind little by little, until he accepted their advice. So they took him, and went with him to the house of a priest, named Theodore, who was an evil-doer and had much wealth; and there they ordained Gaianus, the archdeacon, as patriarch. And there was with them, assisting them, Julian, the corrupt of faith, in agreement with Theodore the priest; for Theodosius the blessed, when he became patriarch, had anathematized Julian, because |457 he was the refuge of the heretics. Then Gaianus went to the governor, and to the commander of the forces, and offered them bribes, and won their hearts by his many gifts, until they were induced to stir up great trouble against the Father Theodosius, the patriarch, and against the Church, and drove out the holy Theodosius from the see of Alexandria to Hierasycaminus, where he remained six months. And the governor hid from the prince what they had done to the patriarch, and also that they had ordained another in his place, and all that was done by Julian and Theodore and Gaianus, who joined together against him. But the wise Severus, the patriarch, used to call Theodosius brother and helper and partner in the one true evangelical work, and used to console and encourage him in his sufferings for the orthodox faith, comparing him to the great Paul the Apostle, when he was first chosen and first believed in Christ, and reminding Theodosius how Paul's family and friends rejected him, and how the believers let him down from the wall in a basket, so that he could flee from Damascus. For the Father Theodosius suffered continual trouble and persecution from the heretics. And this was in the year 242 of Diocletian. Now Severus, the patriarch, was hiding himself from Justinian, the heretical prince, in a Christ-loving town, called Sakhâ, in Egypt, at the house of a man, named Dorotheus, who took care of the affairs of the aged monks who had rejected the error of Julian the unbeliever. And the said |458 man was allowed to visit the governor of Egypt, Aristomachus, and begged him to take pity on the aged among the monks who were in the desert, by granting them the favour of authorizing them to build churches and towers, instead of those that had been taken from them by Julian and his companions, that so he might give rest to the monks. Accordingly the governor gave orders to Dorotheus to do as he wished; and Dorotheus returned thanks to God most high.
Severus, the patriarch, had composed books in which he refuted the heresy of those that believe in the Two Natures, and brought to naught most of those that hold this view, by the glory of God, and through the instructions that he gave with his tongue, which was a spiritual sword. And he continued to teach concerning the books of divine wisdom, until he grew old, and the days of his removal from trouble to rest grew near. For he remained in the midst of struggles, and enduring persecution from the heretics for thirty years, upon the throne of Antioch, and amid opposition and distress for six years; and he did not cease from this life of fighting for the orthodox faith until death. So when he had accomplished his course, still preserving the true faith, he went to the Lord Christ whom he loved, and received the crown of victory with the holy fathers in the assembly of the heavenly virgins.
And as for the blessed Father Theodosius, he was greatly troubled by the heretic Gaianus and his followers. But John, the governor of |459 Alexandria, and others were struggling to save him from them: and so they consulted with the fathers, and took Theodosms secretly, and put him on board of a boat on the river, and conveyed him to a town called Malij, within the province of Egypt, and there he remained two years.
And the laity of Alexandria, and the clergy and officials of the city, were troubled because their patriach was taken away from them, and said to the governor : «Why hast thou removed the good shepherd Theodosius from us?» Then the governor was afraid of them, and dreaded lest the affair should be reported to the prince; and so he sent Gaianus, the heretic, out of the city. After that, one of the officials went to carry out some business which he had with the prince, and so he made known to the faithful princess Theodora that the blessed Theodosius had been banished from the city of Alexandria, whence she herself had originally come. So she went in to the prince calmly and wisely and humbly, and informed him of all that had happened, without his sanction, to the Father Theodosius, patriarch in the city of Alexandria. Then, when the prince heard that, he rejoiced in his heart at the trouble and conflict which the orthodox had endured, because they would not consent to share the corrupt and impure faith of Chalcedon, which he held. But afterwards, wishing to please the |460 princess, and to delight her heart, he gave her power to do by his authority in this matter whatever she desired. So she sent to the city of Alexandria, to enquire into the matter, and to restore the Father Theodosius, the patriarch, to his see; and she bade the messengers inform her how his appointment as patriarch took place at his ordination, and whether it was accomplished according to the canon of the Church. So when her messengers came to the city, according to what she commanded them to do, they enquired into what she bade them enquire into, and examined the circumstances of his ordination, and sought to discover whether it was accomplished according to the canon of the Church; and they also enquired how Gaianus, the archdeacon, had been appointed, and which of them was the first to be consecrated. Therefore the governor, and the commander of the forces, in return for the gifts and bribes which they had received, suborned certain persons who cried aloud saying : «Gaianus was the first to be ordained.» Their words, however, were not confirmed; for one hundred and twenty men, of the priests and officials of the city, subscribed their signatures to a statement that it was Theodosius who was the first to be ordained.
Then they assembled together, and the help of the Lord Christ was with them, and the officers and military chiefs of the prince, who were his envoys and trusted counsellors, were present, and all the Alexandrians were assembled with them in the holy church. And they brought the holy |461 gospels and the prince's decree to which his seal and image were attached, and they introduced the Father Theodosius, the blessed patriarch, and the body of bishops who had been present at his consecration; and they separated them, and questioned them one by one, and wrote down what they said. And their confession proved true, in each case, for they all stated, without hesitation or discrepancy, that it was Theodosius, the blessed, who was ordained first, with the consent of the bishops and people, according to the canon of the Church; and that two months after that they heard that Gaianus had been made patriarch. Then Gaianus came forward before the assembly, and confessed to them that the statement was true, and asked pardon for what he had done. And the assembly begged of the blessed Father Theodosius to receive Gaianus, and prayed him to accept his repentance, on condition that he would write in his own handwriting that he had done this in contradiction to the ecclesiastical canon, and that he would remain in his office of deacon, becoming archdeacon again, as he had been before, and would humble himself and submit to the Father Theodosius, and obey him till the time of his death; and Gaianus consented to do all this. And they all set their seals to this statement as being true and veracious; and the whole assembly rejoiced, and glorified God, and thanked him because their good shepherd Theodosius, the patriarch, had returned to them, and had taken his seat upon his throne, to rule the Church and the people in peace. |462
And as for Julian and Theodore and Manes and all those that dissented, and their followers, the name of heretic was established as their due, for they did not repent; but Gaianus submitted to the obedience of Theodosius, the patriarch.
So when the affairs of the Church and the faithful Christian people were well established, the Father Theodosius rejoiced, and wrote letters in which he thanked the prince and princess; and these letters he sent by their messengers, namely Aristaenetus and Nicetas and Philodorus, whom he thanked for what they had done. And when the envoys arrived, and delivered the letters to the prince, and made known to him all that had happened, his thoughts were despondent and troubled. For he thought : «Behold, I have given up the throne of Alexandria to Theodosius; and yet, even if I bestowed upon him in addition all the provinces of Egypt and Africa and all other countries, he would never agree with me in the creed which I prefer, so that the whole Church might be of one faith.»
Then the prince Justinian, after that, took thought, and wrote to the governor and officials of Alexandria, and to the Father Theodosius, with the view of attracting him by the hope of reward, praying him to receive the Tome of Leo, and yield to him on that point, and promising in that case that he should have the two offices, both the civil patriarchate, and the civil governorship, and that all the bishops of Africa should be under |463 his obedience, and that he should have the command over all that territory; «but» added the prince, «if he will not obey nor consent, then let him be driven out of the Church, and depart whithersoever he will; for he that does not agree with me in my faith shall have no prelacy either over people or Church».
But when the blessed father and patriarch Theodosius, the confessor of Christ, heard the letter and proposals of the prince, he exclaimed in the presence of the assembly, and of the governor and envoys : «The holy gospel says 21 that the Devil took the Lord and Saviour, and led him to the summit of a high mountain, and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of it, and said to him : All this is mine, and if thou wilt worship me I will give it to thee. So likewise what you promise me will be the destruction of my soul, if I do as you propose, and I shall become thereby a stranger to Christ, the true king». And he raised his hands before the envoy sent by the prince, and before the governor and that great assembly, and said : «In truth I anathematize the Tome of Leo and the council of Chalcedon; and whoever acknowledges them is anathema henceforth for ever. Amen.» Then he said to the governor and to all the prince's troop : «The prince has no power except over my body; but the Lord Jesus Christ, the true and great prince, has power over my soul and body together. And now behold the churches are before you |464 with all that they contain, therefore do whatever you wish with regard to them. But as for me, I follow my fathers who have preceded me, the doctors of the apostolic Church, Athanasius and Cyril and Dioscorus and Timothy, and those who were before them, whose deputy I am, although unworthy.» Then Theodosius arose and went out, saying : «Let those that love God follow me. For I came forth from my mother's womb naked, and I shall return to it naked. And he that loses his life at this time for the Faith, shall save it.»
So they took him to the palace, where they guarded him for a day and a night; but when the morrow came, they sent him away, as the prince had commanded in his letter, saying : «Let him go whithersoever he pleases.» Therefore he went out from the city, and the power of the Lord Christ guided him; for Aristomachus provided for his needs, and prepared for him all that he required, and carried him in a boat to Upper Egypt, where he remained teaching the people and the monks in the monasteries, and confirming them in the orthodox faith, and encouraging them to, endure the conflict until death.
And the prince's envoy returned to him, and made known to him all that had happened, and how Theodosius, the patriarch, had gone forth from the city, and would not accept any of the offers made by the prince. When the prince heard that, he and all his attendants were astonished that the patriarch had rejected that post of governor, and had disputed the royal command, and remained firm in the faith. Then Justinian |465 thought within himself and said : «If I leave him where he is, then all the people will follow his faith, and he will not allow them to accept the Tome of Leo.» So he wrote a letter full of assurances and promises to the patriarch Theodosius, declaring that no pain nor damage should come to him from him, but all good and kindness; and he sent this letter by a scribe, to whom he said : «Treat him courteously until thou bringest him to me, and say to him : The prince desires to confer with thee.» So when the blessed patriarch had perused the prince's letter, he prayed for the help of the power of the Lord Christ, and took with him of the clergy certain wise men, learned and excellent; and they embarked in a ship, and journeyed until they arrived at Constantinople. There Theodosius entered to the prince and princess, who, when they saw his serenity and humility and excellence, received him kindly, and lodged him in chambers which they had prepared for him and his companions. Afterwards the prince sent for him a second time, and a third time, until the sixth time, and each time he addressed him courteously, and desired of him that he should yield to him in confirming the council of Chalcedon, and gave him many marks of honour and priority and precedence. But Theodosius said : «Neither life nor death nor dearth nor nakedness nor sword will turn my heart from the faith of my fathers; nor will I abandon a jot or tittle of what my fathers, the inspired doctors, wrote before me, those shepherds of the reasonable flock of Christ, from Mark the evangelist |466 to the day on which I was made a deacon by the Father Timothy, after whom I became patriarch by the dispensation of God.»
So when the prince could not draw Theodosius to his doctrine, he left him and sent him into banishment in disgrace. But he showed favour to the clergy of Alexandria, and caused Mennas, patriarch of Constantinople, to ordain for them a man, named Paul of Tinnis, that he might be patriarch on the throne of Alexandria, and sent him, accompanied by a troop of soldiers, to the city of Alexandria. But when Paul arrived there, not one of the inhabitants would receive him; for they said : «This is the new Judas!» And he remained a year, during which none would listen to him, nor would any communicate from his hand, except the envoy who accompanied him, and the soldiers who arrived with him, and the governor and his attendants only. And the people of the city used to insult Paul, saying : «This is Judas the betrayer!» So he wrote to the prince to make known to him what had happened to him, and how they fled from him as sheep flee from a wolf; and he sent the letter by a patrician. Then the prince was enraged, and sent a letter by another patrician, in which he commanded that the doors of the churches in the city of Alexandria should be shut and sealed with his seal, and guards set before them, so that no one at all might enter. When that sinful letter arrived in the city, there was great sadness on account of it, and anguish and unbounded sorrow that cannot |467 be described, upon the orthodox people. And they remained in this condition for a whole year, without communion, or church to pray in, or place to be baptized in. But the letters of their blessed Father Theodosius came to them from his place of exile, reminding them of the faith, and consoling them, and encouraging them to patience. So when their trouble increased, an assembly of the orthodox met together, priests and laymen, and took counsel together as to building a church in which they might take refuge, so that they might not be like the Jews. And they did what they proposed, and built a church by the power of Christ, in the western part of Alexandria, in the place called the Pillars, or the Serapeum; and this church is the Angelion, which they built secretly at the hundred and five steps. And another congregation of the people also built another church, in the name of Cosmas and Damian, to the east of the amphitheatre, and a little to the west of the colonnade; and they finished it in the year 278 of Diocletian. When the prince learnt this, he sent and opened all the churches, and put them under the authority of the Chalcedonians. So when the blessed Father Theodosius learnt that there remained to him no other than these two newly-built churches, the church of the Angelion, and the church of Cosmas and Damian the Martyrs, he sighed and wept, because he knew the people of Alexandria, and that they loved pomp and honour, and he feared that they would depart from the orthodox Faith, with a view to gaining honour from the prince. And he used to pray, saying : «O my Lord Jesus Christ, thou |468 didst buy this people with thy precious blood, and thou providest for them; therefore remove not thy hand from them; but thy will be done!» And Theodosius remained twenty-eight years in banishment and otherwise, and in Upper Egypt four years, preserving the orthodox faith. And he composed of homilies and doctrinal treatises during his patriarchate, which lasted for thirty-two years, too many to be counted.
Theodosius was removed, in the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ whom he loved, on the 28th day of Baunah; and he received the crown of victory with the assembly of the saints in the land of the living for ever.
And let us, the believers who remain in the orthodox faith, and are counted worthy to be called Theodosians after his name, supplicate and implore God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, that we may have spiritual thoughts, and encouragement, while we keep the right faith without wearying, as it was kept by this holy father and prelate, who confessed before heretics, kings and princes and authorities who lived at that evil time, and that our life before him may be without offence, and that we may not turn aside from his will, and that we may have a full share together with him in the kingdom of heaven, by the grace and mercy and compassion of our God, the Lover of Mankind, Jesus Christ our Lord and |469 Saviour, to whom is due glory with the Father and the Holy Ghost, the Giver of Life, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
CHAPTER XIV
EXTRACT FROM
HISTORY OF THE PATRIARCHS OF THE
COPTIC CHURCH OF ALEXANDRIA
II
PETER I TO BENJAMIN I (661)
ARABIC TEXT EDITED, TRANSLATED, AND ANNOTATED
BY
B. EVETTS
THEODOSIUS I, THE THIRTY-THIRD PATRIARCH. A. D. 535-567.
By the command of God, the bishops and orthodox people assembled after the death of Timothy, and, by the dispensation of the Lord Christ, they ordained the holy Father Theodosius patriarch. He was a virgin, and a |456 master of the literary style used in ecclesiastical writings. But, after a short time, the hater of good raised up a trial for him, and stirred up trouble among evil people of the inhabitants of the city, the masters of vile arts. For there was a man who was old and advanced in age, and whose name was Gaianus; and he was archdeacon of the church of Alexandria; and he was standing, at the time of the ordination of the Father Theodosius as patriarch, among the bishops and priests and chief men of the city, until they had ordained him, and written his diploma of consecration, and promoted him to the degree of primate over the apostolic diocese, and ratified his appointment with the consent of all Christian and God-loving people. But after that, certain persons led the archdeacon astray, and changed his thoughts, in his simplicity, and gave him counsel, saying : «This degree and this promotion are thy due, and it is not lawful for anyone to be promoted before thee.» Thus they insinuated their evil suggestions into his mind little by little, until he accepted their advice. So they took him, and went with him to the house of a priest, named Theodore, who was an evil-doer and had much wealth; and there they ordained Gaianus, the archdeacon, as patriarch. And there was with them, assisting them, Julian, the corrupt of faith, in agreement with Theodore the priest; for Theodosius the blessed, when he became patriarch, had anathematized Julian, because |457 he was the refuge of the heretics. Then Gaianus went to the governor, and to the commander of the forces, and offered them bribes, and won their hearts by his many gifts, until they were induced to stir up great trouble against the Father Theodosius, the patriarch, and against the Church, and drove out the holy Theodosius from the see of Alexandria to Hierasycaminus, where he remained six months. And the governor hid from the prince what they had done to the patriarch, and also that they had ordained another in his place, and all that was done by Julian and Theodore and Gaianus, who joined together against him. But the wise Severus, the patriarch, used to call Theodosius brother and helper and partner in the one true evangelical work, and used to console and encourage him in his sufferings for the orthodox faith, comparing him to the great Paul the Apostle, when he was first chosen and first believed in Christ, and reminding Theodosius how Paul's family and friends rejected him, and how the believers let him down from the wall in a basket, so that he could flee from Damascus. For the Father Theodosius suffered continual trouble and persecution from the heretics. And this was in the year 242 of Diocletian. Now Severus, the patriarch, was hiding himself from Justinian, the heretical prince, in a Christ-loving town, called Sakhâ, in Egypt, at the house of a man, named Dorotheus, who took care of the affairs of the aged monks who had rejected the error of Julian the unbeliever. And the said |458 man was allowed to visit the governor of Egypt, Aristomachus, and begged him to take pity on the aged among the monks who were in the desert, by granting them the favour of authorizing them to build churches and towers, instead of those that had been taken from them by Julian and his companions, that so he might give rest to the monks. Accordingly the governor gave orders to Dorotheus to do as he wished; and Dorotheus returned thanks to God most high.
Severus, the patriarch, had composed books in which he refuted the heresy of those that believe in the Two Natures, and brought to naught most of those that hold this view, by the glory of God, and through the instructions that he gave with his tongue, which was a spiritual sword. And he continued to teach concerning the books of divine wisdom, until he grew old, and the days of his removal from trouble to rest grew near. For he remained in the midst of struggles, and enduring persecution from the heretics for thirty years, upon the throne of Antioch, and amid opposition and distress for six years; and he did not cease from this life of fighting for the orthodox faith until death. So when he had accomplished his course, still preserving the true faith, he went to the Lord Christ whom he loved, and received the crown of victory with the holy fathers in the assembly of the heavenly virgins.
And as for the blessed Father Theodosius, he was greatly troubled by the heretic Gaianus and his followers. But John, the governor of |459 Alexandria, and others were struggling to save him from them: and so they consulted with the fathers, and took Theodosms secretly, and put him on board of a boat on the river, and conveyed him to a town called Malij, within the province of Egypt, and there he remained two years.
And the laity of Alexandria, and the clergy and officials of the city, were troubled because their patriach was taken away from them, and said to the governor : «Why hast thou removed the good shepherd Theodosius from us?» Then the governor was afraid of them, and dreaded lest the affair should be reported to the prince; and so he sent Gaianus, the heretic, out of the city. After that, one of the officials went to carry out some business which he had with the prince, and so he made known to the faithful princess Theodora that the blessed Theodosius had been banished from the city of Alexandria, whence she herself had originally come. So she went in to the prince calmly and wisely and humbly, and informed him of all that had happened, without his sanction, to the Father Theodosius, patriarch in the city of Alexandria. Then, when the prince heard that, he rejoiced in his heart at the trouble and conflict which the orthodox had endured, because they would not consent to share the corrupt and impure faith of Chalcedon, which he held. But afterwards, wishing to please the |460 princess, and to delight her heart, he gave her power to do by his authority in this matter whatever she desired. So she sent to the city of Alexandria, to enquire into the matter, and to restore the Father Theodosius, the patriarch, to his see; and she bade the messengers inform her how his appointment as patriarch took place at his ordination, and whether it was accomplished according to the canon of the Church. So when her messengers came to the city, according to what she commanded them to do, they enquired into what she bade them enquire into, and examined the circumstances of his ordination, and sought to discover whether it was accomplished according to the canon of the Church; and they also enquired how Gaianus, the archdeacon, had been appointed, and which of them was the first to be consecrated. Therefore the governor, and the commander of the forces, in return for the gifts and bribes which they had received, suborned certain persons who cried aloud saying : «Gaianus was the first to be ordained.» Their words, however, were not confirmed; for one hundred and twenty men, of the priests and officials of the city, subscribed their signatures to a statement that it was Theodosius who was the first to be ordained.
Then they assembled together, and the help of the Lord Christ was with them, and the officers and military chiefs of the prince, who were his envoys and trusted counsellors, were present, and all the Alexandrians were assembled with them in the holy church. And they brought the holy |461 gospels and the prince's decree to which his seal and image were attached, and they introduced the Father Theodosius, the blessed patriarch, and the body of bishops who had been present at his consecration; and they separated them, and questioned them one by one, and wrote down what they said. And their confession proved true, in each case, for they all stated, without hesitation or discrepancy, that it was Theodosius, the blessed, who was ordained first, with the consent of the bishops and people, according to the canon of the Church; and that two months after that they heard that Gaianus had been made patriarch. Then Gaianus came forward before the assembly, and confessed to them that the statement was true, and asked pardon for what he had done. And the assembly begged of the blessed Father Theodosius to receive Gaianus, and prayed him to accept his repentance, on condition that he would write in his own handwriting that he had done this in contradiction to the ecclesiastical canon, and that he would remain in his office of deacon, becoming archdeacon again, as he had been before, and would humble himself and submit to the Father Theodosius, and obey him till the time of his death; and Gaianus consented to do all this. And they all set their seals to this statement as being true and veracious; and the whole assembly rejoiced, and glorified God, and thanked him because their good shepherd Theodosius, the patriarch, had returned to them, and had taken his seat upon his throne, to rule the Church and the people in peace. |462
And as for Julian and Theodore and Manes and all those that dissented, and their followers, the name of heretic was established as their due, for they did not repent; but Gaianus submitted to the obedience of Theodosius, the patriarch.
So when the affairs of the Church and the faithful Christian people were well established, the Father Theodosius rejoiced, and wrote letters in which he thanked the prince and princess; and these letters he sent by their messengers, namely Aristaenetus and Nicetas and Philodorus, whom he thanked for what they had done. And when the envoys arrived, and delivered the letters to the prince, and made known to him all that had happened, his thoughts were despondent and troubled. For he thought : «Behold, I have given up the throne of Alexandria to Theodosius; and yet, even if I bestowed upon him in addition all the provinces of Egypt and Africa and all other countries, he would never agree with me in the creed which I prefer, so that the whole Church might be of one faith.»
Then the prince Justinian, after that, took thought, and wrote to the governor and officials of Alexandria, and to the Father Theodosius, with the view of attracting him by the hope of reward, praying him to receive the Tome of Leo, and yield to him on that point, and promising in that case that he should have the two offices, both the civil patriarchate, and the civil governorship, and that all the bishops of Africa should be under |463 his obedience, and that he should have the command over all that territory; «but» added the prince, «if he will not obey nor consent, then let him be driven out of the Church, and depart whithersoever he will; for he that does not agree with me in my faith shall have no prelacy either over people or Church».
But when the blessed father and patriarch Theodosius, the confessor of Christ, heard the letter and proposals of the prince, he exclaimed in the presence of the assembly, and of the governor and envoys : «The holy gospel says 21 that the Devil took the Lord and Saviour, and led him to the summit of a high mountain, and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of it, and said to him : All this is mine, and if thou wilt worship me I will give it to thee. So likewise what you promise me will be the destruction of my soul, if I do as you propose, and I shall become thereby a stranger to Christ, the true king». And he raised his hands before the envoy sent by the prince, and before the governor and that great assembly, and said : «In truth I anathematize the Tome of Leo and the council of Chalcedon; and whoever acknowledges them is anathema henceforth for ever. Amen.» Then he said to the governor and to all the prince's troop : «The prince has no power except over my body; but the Lord Jesus Christ, the true and great prince, has power over my soul and body together. And now behold the churches are before you |464 with all that they contain, therefore do whatever you wish with regard to them. But as for me, I follow my fathers who have preceded me, the doctors of the apostolic Church, Athanasius and Cyril and Dioscorus and Timothy, and those who were before them, whose deputy I am, although unworthy.» Then Theodosius arose and went out, saying : «Let those that love God follow me. For I came forth from my mother's womb naked, and I shall return to it naked. And he that loses his life at this time for the Faith, shall save it.»
So they took him to the palace, where they guarded him for a day and a night; but when the morrow came, they sent him away, as the prince had commanded in his letter, saying : «Let him go whithersoever he pleases.» Therefore he went out from the city, and the power of the Lord Christ guided him; for Aristomachus provided for his needs, and prepared for him all that he required, and carried him in a boat to Upper Egypt, where he remained teaching the people and the monks in the monasteries, and confirming them in the orthodox faith, and encouraging them to, endure the conflict until death.
And the prince's envoy returned to him, and made known to him all that had happened, and how Theodosius, the patriarch, had gone forth from the city, and would not accept any of the offers made by the prince. When the prince heard that, he and all his attendants were astonished that the patriarch had rejected that post of governor, and had disputed the royal command, and remained firm in the faith. Then Justinian |465 thought within himself and said : «If I leave him where he is, then all the people will follow his faith, and he will not allow them to accept the Tome of Leo.» So he wrote a letter full of assurances and promises to the patriarch Theodosius, declaring that no pain nor damage should come to him from him, but all good and kindness; and he sent this letter by a scribe, to whom he said : «Treat him courteously until thou bringest him to me, and say to him : The prince desires to confer with thee.» So when the blessed patriarch had perused the prince's letter, he prayed for the help of the power of the Lord Christ, and took with him of the clergy certain wise men, learned and excellent; and they embarked in a ship, and journeyed until they arrived at Constantinople. There Theodosius entered to the prince and princess, who, when they saw his serenity and humility and excellence, received him kindly, and lodged him in chambers which they had prepared for him and his companions. Afterwards the prince sent for him a second time, and a third time, until the sixth time, and each time he addressed him courteously, and desired of him that he should yield to him in confirming the council of Chalcedon, and gave him many marks of honour and priority and precedence. But Theodosius said : «Neither life nor death nor dearth nor nakedness nor sword will turn my heart from the faith of my fathers; nor will I abandon a jot or tittle of what my fathers, the inspired doctors, wrote before me, those shepherds of the reasonable flock of Christ, from Mark the evangelist |466 to the day on which I was made a deacon by the Father Timothy, after whom I became patriarch by the dispensation of God.»
So when the prince could not draw Theodosius to his doctrine, he left him and sent him into banishment in disgrace. But he showed favour to the clergy of Alexandria, and caused Mennas, patriarch of Constantinople, to ordain for them a man, named Paul of Tinnis, that he might be patriarch on the throne of Alexandria, and sent him, accompanied by a troop of soldiers, to the city of Alexandria. But when Paul arrived there, not one of the inhabitants would receive him; for they said : «This is the new Judas!» And he remained a year, during which none would listen to him, nor would any communicate from his hand, except the envoy who accompanied him, and the soldiers who arrived with him, and the governor and his attendants only. And the people of the city used to insult Paul, saying : «This is Judas the betrayer!» So he wrote to the prince to make known to him what had happened to him, and how they fled from him as sheep flee from a wolf; and he sent the letter by a patrician. Then the prince was enraged, and sent a letter by another patrician, in which he commanded that the doors of the churches in the city of Alexandria should be shut and sealed with his seal, and guards set before them, so that no one at all might enter. When that sinful letter arrived in the city, there was great sadness on account of it, and anguish and unbounded sorrow that cannot |467 be described, upon the orthodox people. And they remained in this condition for a whole year, without communion, or church to pray in, or place to be baptized in. But the letters of their blessed Father Theodosius came to them from his place of exile, reminding them of the faith, and consoling them, and encouraging them to patience. So when their trouble increased, an assembly of the orthodox met together, priests and laymen, and took counsel together as to building a church in which they might take refuge, so that they might not be like the Jews. And they did what they proposed, and built a church by the power of Christ, in the western part of Alexandria, in the place called the Pillars, or the Serapeum; and this church is the Angelion, which they built secretly at the hundred and five steps. And another congregation of the people also built another church, in the name of Cosmas and Damian, to the east of the amphitheatre, and a little to the west of the colonnade; and they finished it in the year 278 of Diocletian. When the prince learnt this, he sent and opened all the churches, and put them under the authority of the Chalcedonians. So when the blessed Father Theodosius learnt that there remained to him no other than these two newly-built churches, the church of the Angelion, and the church of Cosmas and Damian the Martyrs, he sighed and wept, because he knew the people of Alexandria, and that they loved pomp and honour, and he feared that they would depart from the orthodox Faith, with a view to gaining honour from the prince. And he used to pray, saying : «O my Lord Jesus Christ, thou |468 didst buy this people with thy precious blood, and thou providest for them; therefore remove not thy hand from them; but thy will be done!» And Theodosius remained twenty-eight years in banishment and otherwise, and in Upper Egypt four years, preserving the orthodox faith. And he composed of homilies and doctrinal treatises during his patriarchate, which lasted for thirty-two years, too many to be counted.
Theodosius was removed, in the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ whom he loved, on the 28th day of Baunah; and he received the crown of victory with the assembly of the saints in the land of the living for ever.
And let us, the believers who remain in the orthodox faith, and are counted worthy to be called Theodosians after his name, supplicate and implore God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, that we may have spiritual thoughts, and encouragement, while we keep the right faith without wearying, as it was kept by this holy father and prelate, who confessed before heretics, kings and princes and authorities who lived at that evil time, and that our life before him may be without offence, and that we may not turn aside from his will, and that we may have a full share together with him in the kingdom of heaven, by the grace and mercy and compassion of our God, the Lover of Mankind, Jesus Christ our Lord and |469 Saviour, to whom is due glory with the Father and the Holy Ghost, the Giver of Life, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
CHAPTER XIV
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
popes of Alexnaria
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List of Coptic Orthodox Popes of Alexandria
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v • d • e
The following is a list of all the Coptic Orthodox Popes of Alexandria who have led the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and have succeeded the Apostle Mark the Evangelist in the office of Bishop of Alexandria, who founded the Church in the 1st century, and therefore marked the beginning of Christianity in Africa. It is one of the five ancient patriarchates of the early Church (designated as "equals" and called the Pentarchy).
The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is one of the Oriental Orthodox churches (not to be mistaken with the Byzantine Orthodox group of churches) and is presided over by the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria who is the body's spiritual leader.
The Oriental Orthodox believe that they are the "One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic" Church of the ancient Christian creeds. Currently this position is held by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of all Africa on the Holy See of St. Mark.
Contents [hide]
1 The title Pope
2 Coptic Orthodox Popes of Alexandria
3 References
4 External links
[edit] The title Pope
The title Pope has been first adopted by Pope Heraclas as the first Alexandrian Bishop to be known by this title. Papa has been the specific designation for the Archbishop of Alexandria, Patriarch of Egypt, and the See of Saint Mark, whose ecclessiastic title is, Papa Abba, the Abba stands for the devotion of all monastics, from Pentapolis in the West to Constantinople in the East, to his guidance. Abba is the most powerful designation, that for all Monks in the East to volanterily follow his spiritual authority, it should be assumed he was a bearer of Christ.
Historically, this office has held the title of Papa, Father in Coptic, since Papa Heracleus, 13th Alexandrine Patriarch (232-249 AD) was first to associate with the title three centuries before it was assumed by John I, the Roman Bishop (523- 526), who ratified the Alexandrian computation of the date of Easter. Bestowing the title on Rome's Pontiff did not strip it from Alexandria's, and the Roman Catholic Church recognizes this.[1]
For the Patriarchs of Alexandria prior to the schism after the Council of Chalcedon, see List of Patriarchs of Alexandria. For the patriarchs of the Byzantine Orthodox church after the split with the Oriental Orthodox church, see List of Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Alexandria.
Note: Not all of the dates given are certain. Some of these dates disagree with those given in Coptic publications such as The English Katameros. In some cases this is due to publications errors which have been corrected. In other cases, calendar differences may have caused some confusion.
Note: Dioscorus I served as Patriarch of Alexandria since 444 until being deposed and exiled by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 but was still recognized as the Coptic Pope until his death in 454.
[edit] Coptic Orthodox Popes of Alexandria
1.Mark I (43-68)
2.Anianus (68-82)
3.Avilius (83-95)
4.Kedron (96-106)
5.Primus (106-118)
6.Justus (118-129)
7.Eumenes (131-141)
8.Markianos (142-152)
9.Celadion (152-166)
10.Agrippinus (167-178)
11.Julian (178-189)
12.Demetrius I (189-232)
13.Heraclas (232-248)
14.Dionysius (248-264)
15.Maximus (265-282)
16.Theonas (282-300)
17.Peter I (300-311)
18.Achillas (312-313)
19.Alexander I (313-326) First ecumenical Council occurred
vacant (326-328)
20.Athanasius I (328-339) Served as a Deacon for the First Council; became Pope of Alexandria
Gregory of Cappadocia (339-346), Arian Patriarch; not accepted by the adherents of the Nicene creed (and thus not counted by Coptic Orthodox, Byzantine Orthodox or Catholic lineages).
Athanasius I (restored) (346-373)
21.Peter II (373-380)
22.Timothy I (380-385) Second Ecumenical Council occurred
23.Theophilus I (385-412)
24.Cyril I (412-444) Third Ecumenical Council occurred
25.Dioscorus I (444-454) Fourth Ecumenical Council occurred/Schism between Oriental Orthodoxy and Dyophysitism
vacant (454-457)
26.Timothy II (457-477)
27.Peter III (477-490)
28.Athanasius II (490-496)
29.John I (496-505)
30.John II (505-516)
31.Dioscorus II (516-517)
32.Timothy III (517-535)
33.Theodosius I (535-567) Last to serve as Patriarch of the Copts and the Greeks
34.Peter IV (567-569)
35.Damian (569-605)
36.Anastasius (605-616)
37.Andronicus (616-622)
38.Benjamin I (622-661) Islam entered Egypt
39.Agatho (661-677)
40.John III (677-688)
41.Isaac (688-689)
42.Simeon I (689-701)
43.Alexander II (702-729)
44.Cosmas I (729-730)
45.Theodosius II (730-742)
46.Michael I (743-767)
47.Mina I (767-775)
48.John IV (776-799)
49.Mark II (799-819)
50.Jacob (819-830)
51.Simeon II (830)
52.Joseph I (831-849)
53.Michael II (849-851)
54.Cosmas II (851-858)
55.Shenouda I (859-880)
56.Michael III (880-907)
vacant (907-910)
57.Gabriel I (910-921)
58.Cosmas III (921-933)
59.Macarius I (933-953)
60.Theophilus II (953-956)
61.Mina II (956-974)
62.Abraham (975-978)
63.Philotheos (979-1003)
64.Zacharias (1004-1032)
65.Shenouda II (1032-1046)
66.Christodolos (1047-1077)
67.Cyril II (1078-1092)
68.Michael IV (1092-1102)
69.Macarius II (1102-1131)
70.Gabriel II (1131-1145)
71.Michael V (1145-1146)
72.John V (1147-1166)
73.Mark III (1166-1189)
74.John VI (1189-1216)
vacant (1216-1235)
75.Cyril III (1235-1243)
vacant (1243-1250)
76.Athanasius III (1250-1261)
77.John VII (1262-1268)
78.Gabriel III (1268-1270)
John VII (restored) (1270-1293)
79.Theodosius III (1293-1300)
80.John VIII (1300-1320)
81.John IX (1320-1327)
82.Benjamin II (1327-1339)
83.Peter V (1340-1348)
84.Mark IV (1348-1363)
85.John X (1363-1369)
86.Gabriel IV (1370-1378)
87.Matthew I (1378-1408)
88.Gabriel V (1408-1427)
89.John XI (1427-1452)
90.Matthew II (1453-1466)
91.Gabriel VI (1466-1475)
92.Michael VI (1475-1477)
93.John XII (1480-1483)
94.John XIII (1483-1524)
vacant (1524-1526)
95.Gabriel VII (1526-1569)
vacant (1569-1573)
96.John XIV (1573-1589)
97.Gabriel VIII (1587-1603)
vacant (1603-1610)
98.Mark V (1610-1621)
99.John XV (1621-1631)
100.Matthew III (1631-1645)
101.Mark VI (1645-1660)
102.Matthew IV (1660-1676)
103.John XVI (1676-1718)
104.Peter VI (1718-1726)
105.John XVII (1727-1745)
106.Mark VII (1745-1769)
107.John XVIII (1769-1796)
108.Mark VIII (1797-1810)
109.Peter VII (1810-1852)
vacant (1852-1854)
110.Cyril IV (1854-1861)
111.Demetrius II (1862-1870)
vacant (1870-1874)
112.Cyril V (1874-1927)
113.John XIX (1928-1942)
114.Macarius III (1942-1944)
vacant (1944-1946)
115.Joseph II (1946-1956)
vacant (1956-1959)
116.Cyril VI (1959-1971)
117.Shenouda III (1971-Present)
[edit] References
1.^ http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/W4O42BT6T7FQ
[edit] External links
The Official website of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy See of Saint Mark the Apostle
Coptic Documents in French
[hide]v • d • ePopes of the Coptic Orthodox Church
Mark I · Anianus · Avilius · Kedron · Primus · Justus · Eumenes · Markianos · Celadion · Agrippinus · Julian · Demetrius I · Heraclas · Dionysius · Maximus · Theonas · Peter I · Achillas · Alexander I · Athanasius I · Peter II · Timothy I · Theophilus I · Cyril I · Dioscorus I · Timothy II · Peter III · Athanasius II · John I · John II · Dioscorus II · Timothy III · Theodosius I · Peter IV · Damian · Anastasius · Andronicus · Benjamin I · Agatho · John III · Isaac · Simeon I · Alexander II · Cosmas I · Theodosius II · Michael I · Mina I · John IV · Mark II · Jacob · Simeon II · Joseph I · Michael II · Cosmas II · Shenouda I · Michael III · Gabriel I · Cosmas III · Macarius I · Theophilus II · Mina II · Abraham · Philotheos · Zacharias · Shenouda II · Christodolos · Cyril II · Michael IV · Macarius II · Gabriel II · Michael V · John V · Mark III · John VI · Cyril III · Athanasius III · John VII · Gabriel III · John VII · Theodosius III · John VIII · John IX · Benjamin II · Peter V · Mark IV · John X · Gabriel IV · Matthew I · Gabriel V · John XI · Matthew II · Gabriel VI · Michael VI · John XII · John XIII · Gabriel VII · John XIV · Gabriel VIII · Mark V · John XV · Matthew III · Mark VI · Matthew IV · John XVI · Peter VI · John XVII · Mark VII · John XVIII · Mark VIII · Peter VII · Cyril IV · Demetrius II · Cyril V · John XIX · Macarius III · Joseph II · Cyril VI · Shenouda III (Current)
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List of Coptic Orthodox Popes of Alexandria
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v • d • e
The following is a list of all the Coptic Orthodox Popes of Alexandria who have led the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and have succeeded the Apostle Mark the Evangelist in the office of Bishop of Alexandria, who founded the Church in the 1st century, and therefore marked the beginning of Christianity in Africa. It is one of the five ancient patriarchates of the early Church (designated as "equals" and called the Pentarchy).
The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is one of the Oriental Orthodox churches (not to be mistaken with the Byzantine Orthodox group of churches) and is presided over by the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria who is the body's spiritual leader.
The Oriental Orthodox believe that they are the "One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic" Church of the ancient Christian creeds. Currently this position is held by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of all Africa on the Holy See of St. Mark.
Contents [hide]
1 The title Pope
2 Coptic Orthodox Popes of Alexandria
3 References
4 External links
[edit] The title Pope
The title Pope has been first adopted by Pope Heraclas as the first Alexandrian Bishop to be known by this title. Papa has been the specific designation for the Archbishop of Alexandria, Patriarch of Egypt, and the See of Saint Mark, whose ecclessiastic title is, Papa Abba, the Abba stands for the devotion of all monastics, from Pentapolis in the West to Constantinople in the East, to his guidance. Abba is the most powerful designation, that for all Monks in the East to volanterily follow his spiritual authority, it should be assumed he was a bearer of Christ.
Historically, this office has held the title of Papa, Father in Coptic, since Papa Heracleus, 13th Alexandrine Patriarch (232-249 AD) was first to associate with the title three centuries before it was assumed by John I, the Roman Bishop (523- 526), who ratified the Alexandrian computation of the date of Easter. Bestowing the title on Rome's Pontiff did not strip it from Alexandria's, and the Roman Catholic Church recognizes this.[1]
For the Patriarchs of Alexandria prior to the schism after the Council of Chalcedon, see List of Patriarchs of Alexandria. For the patriarchs of the Byzantine Orthodox church after the split with the Oriental Orthodox church, see List of Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Alexandria.
Note: Not all of the dates given are certain. Some of these dates disagree with those given in Coptic publications such as The English Katameros. In some cases this is due to publications errors which have been corrected. In other cases, calendar differences may have caused some confusion.
Note: Dioscorus I served as Patriarch of Alexandria since 444 until being deposed and exiled by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 but was still recognized as the Coptic Pope until his death in 454.
[edit] Coptic Orthodox Popes of Alexandria
1.Mark I (43-68)
2.Anianus (68-82)
3.Avilius (83-95)
4.Kedron (96-106)
5.Primus (106-118)
6.Justus (118-129)
7.Eumenes (131-141)
8.Markianos (142-152)
9.Celadion (152-166)
10.Agrippinus (167-178)
11.Julian (178-189)
12.Demetrius I (189-232)
13.Heraclas (232-248)
14.Dionysius (248-264)
15.Maximus (265-282)
16.Theonas (282-300)
17.Peter I (300-311)
18.Achillas (312-313)
19.Alexander I (313-326) First ecumenical Council occurred
vacant (326-328)
20.Athanasius I (328-339) Served as a Deacon for the First Council; became Pope of Alexandria
Gregory of Cappadocia (339-346), Arian Patriarch; not accepted by the adherents of the Nicene creed (and thus not counted by Coptic Orthodox, Byzantine Orthodox or Catholic lineages).
Athanasius I (restored) (346-373)
21.Peter II (373-380)
22.Timothy I (380-385) Second Ecumenical Council occurred
23.Theophilus I (385-412)
24.Cyril I (412-444) Third Ecumenical Council occurred
25.Dioscorus I (444-454) Fourth Ecumenical Council occurred/Schism between Oriental Orthodoxy and Dyophysitism
vacant (454-457)
26.Timothy II (457-477)
27.Peter III (477-490)
28.Athanasius II (490-496)
29.John I (496-505)
30.John II (505-516)
31.Dioscorus II (516-517)
32.Timothy III (517-535)
33.Theodosius I (535-567) Last to serve as Patriarch of the Copts and the Greeks
34.Peter IV (567-569)
35.Damian (569-605)
36.Anastasius (605-616)
37.Andronicus (616-622)
38.Benjamin I (622-661) Islam entered Egypt
39.Agatho (661-677)
40.John III (677-688)
41.Isaac (688-689)
42.Simeon I (689-701)
43.Alexander II (702-729)
44.Cosmas I (729-730)
45.Theodosius II (730-742)
46.Michael I (743-767)
47.Mina I (767-775)
48.John IV (776-799)
49.Mark II (799-819)
50.Jacob (819-830)
51.Simeon II (830)
52.Joseph I (831-849)
53.Michael II (849-851)
54.Cosmas II (851-858)
55.Shenouda I (859-880)
56.Michael III (880-907)
vacant (907-910)
57.Gabriel I (910-921)
58.Cosmas III (921-933)
59.Macarius I (933-953)
60.Theophilus II (953-956)
61.Mina II (956-974)
62.Abraham (975-978)
63.Philotheos (979-1003)
64.Zacharias (1004-1032)
65.Shenouda II (1032-1046)
66.Christodolos (1047-1077)
67.Cyril II (1078-1092)
68.Michael IV (1092-1102)
69.Macarius II (1102-1131)
70.Gabriel II (1131-1145)
71.Michael V (1145-1146)
72.John V (1147-1166)
73.Mark III (1166-1189)
74.John VI (1189-1216)
vacant (1216-1235)
75.Cyril III (1235-1243)
vacant (1243-1250)
76.Athanasius III (1250-1261)
77.John VII (1262-1268)
78.Gabriel III (1268-1270)
John VII (restored) (1270-1293)
79.Theodosius III (1293-1300)
80.John VIII (1300-1320)
81.John IX (1320-1327)
82.Benjamin II (1327-1339)
83.Peter V (1340-1348)
84.Mark IV (1348-1363)
85.John X (1363-1369)
86.Gabriel IV (1370-1378)
87.Matthew I (1378-1408)
88.Gabriel V (1408-1427)
89.John XI (1427-1452)
90.Matthew II (1453-1466)
91.Gabriel VI (1466-1475)
92.Michael VI (1475-1477)
93.John XII (1480-1483)
94.John XIII (1483-1524)
vacant (1524-1526)
95.Gabriel VII (1526-1569)
vacant (1569-1573)
96.John XIV (1573-1589)
97.Gabriel VIII (1587-1603)
vacant (1603-1610)
98.Mark V (1610-1621)
99.John XV (1621-1631)
100.Matthew III (1631-1645)
101.Mark VI (1645-1660)
102.Matthew IV (1660-1676)
103.John XVI (1676-1718)
104.Peter VI (1718-1726)
105.John XVII (1727-1745)
106.Mark VII (1745-1769)
107.John XVIII (1769-1796)
108.Mark VIII (1797-1810)
109.Peter VII (1810-1852)
vacant (1852-1854)
110.Cyril IV (1854-1861)
111.Demetrius II (1862-1870)
vacant (1870-1874)
112.Cyril V (1874-1927)
113.John XIX (1928-1942)
114.Macarius III (1942-1944)
vacant (1944-1946)
115.Joseph II (1946-1956)
vacant (1956-1959)
116.Cyril VI (1959-1971)
117.Shenouda III (1971-Present)
[edit] References
1.^ http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/W4O42BT6T7FQ
[edit] External links
The Official website of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy See of Saint Mark the Apostle
Coptic Documents in French
[hide]v • d • ePopes of the Coptic Orthodox Church
Mark I · Anianus · Avilius · Kedron · Primus · Justus · Eumenes · Markianos · Celadion · Agrippinus · Julian · Demetrius I · Heraclas · Dionysius · Maximus · Theonas · Peter I · Achillas · Alexander I · Athanasius I · Peter II · Timothy I · Theophilus I · Cyril I · Dioscorus I · Timothy II · Peter III · Athanasius II · John I · John II · Dioscorus II · Timothy III · Theodosius I · Peter IV · Damian · Anastasius · Andronicus · Benjamin I · Agatho · John III · Isaac · Simeon I · Alexander II · Cosmas I · Theodosius II · Michael I · Mina I · John IV · Mark II · Jacob · Simeon II · Joseph I · Michael II · Cosmas II · Shenouda I · Michael III · Gabriel I · Cosmas III · Macarius I · Theophilus II · Mina II · Abraham · Philotheos · Zacharias · Shenouda II · Christodolos · Cyril II · Michael IV · Macarius II · Gabriel II · Michael V · John V · Mark III · John VI · Cyril III · Athanasius III · John VII · Gabriel III · John VII · Theodosius III · John VIII · John IX · Benjamin II · Peter V · Mark IV · John X · Gabriel IV · Matthew I · Gabriel V · John XI · Matthew II · Gabriel VI · Michael VI · John XII · John XIII · Gabriel VII · John XIV · Gabriel VIII · Mark V · John XV · Matthew III · Mark VI · Matthew IV · John XVI · Peter VI · John XVII · Mark VII · John XVIII · Mark VIII · Peter VII · Cyril IV · Demetrius II · Cyril V · John XIX · Macarius III · Joseph II · Cyril VI · Shenouda III (Current)
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Categories: Popes of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria | Patriarchs of Alexandria | Religion in Egypt | Egyptian people | Coptic Orthodox Church | Coptic history | Lists of Oriental Orthodox Christians | Pope-related lists | Lists of Popes, Primates, and Patriarchs | Christianity of the Middle Ages | Oriental Orthodox history | Egypt-related listsPersonal tools
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