Saint Demetrius of Alexandria | |
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Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria | |
Archdiocese | Alexandria |
See | Alexandria |
Papacy began | early 189 |
Papacy ended | 9 October c. 224-232 |
Predecessor | St. Julian of Alexandria |
Successor | St. Heraclas of Alexandria |
Personal details | |
Born | c. 127 AD |
Died | 9 October c. 224-232 Alexandria, Egypt |
Buried | Baucalis, Alexandria |
Denomination | Church of Alexandria |
Residence | Saint Mark's Church |
Sainthood | |
Feast day | Coptic Church: 12 Ⲡⲁⲟⲡⲓ (Julian Calendar: 9 October) Catholic Church: 9 October [1] |
Venerated in | Oriental Orthodox Church Coptic Catholic Church Roman Catholic Church |
Papal styles of Pope Demetrius I | |
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Reference style | His Holiness |
Spoken style | Your Holiness |
Religious style | Pope and Patriarch |
Posthumous style | Saint |
Demetrius I (died 22 October 232), 12th Bishop and Patriarch of Alexandria. Sextus Julius Africanus, who visited Alexandria in the Bishoprice of Demetrius, places his accession as eleventh bishop from Mark in the tenth year of Roman Emperor Commodus; Eusebius of Caesarea places it in the tenth year of Septimus Severus. [2]
Demetrius was a farmer, who cohabited with his wife as celibates, for 47 years, until he was chosen Patriarch. [3] According to the Coptic Synaxarium, a biographical collection of the Church's saints, the ailing Patriarch Julian had a vision informing him that his successor would visit him, with a cluster of grapes, while out of season at that time of year. The next day, a farmer named Demetrius arrived with a cluster of grapes for the Bishop, asking for his blessings, and was announced next as Bishop Demetrius I, the twelfth bishop of Alexandria.
Bishop Demetrius was eager to establish a fixed calendar for church fasts and feast days. He established a liturgical calendar by which fast dates were determined. [3] As bishop of the great metropolis, Demetrius was engaged in the controversy over the canonical calculation of Easter. He was the first to apply the calculation method for determining the dates of Easter. His edict was approved by the Nicene Council (325 AD). The Oriental Orthodox churches continue to follow Alexandria. [4]
Jerome claimed that Demetrius sent Pantaenus on a mission to India, [5] it is likely that Clement succeeded Pantaenus as head of the Catechetical School before the patriarchy of Demetrius. When Clement left Alexandria (c. 203), Demetrius appointed Origen, who was in his eighteenth year, as Clement's successor. [6]
Demetrius supported Origen in the beginning of his career, it is said to have admired his scholarship. He dispatched Origen to Arabia, upon an invitation for his visit in letters to the prefect of Alexandria. When the Emperor Caracalla sacked Alexandria in 215 AD, Origen fled to Caesarea, where the Palestinean bishops requested him to give sermons. Demetrius was enraged and wrote to rebuke that his teaching was not canonical for him, as a layman. Bishops Alexander of Jerusalem and Theoctistus of Caesarea wrote in his defense and mentioned precedents for laymen to give sermons, but despite their efforts Demetrius recalled Origen. [7]
In 230, Origen was asked to settle a dispute in Achaea which required his presence, so he set out by way of Palestine. Origen was then ordained priest at Caesarea. [8] When Demetrius learned of this, he considered it an act of emancipation, which deteriorated their relationship. Demetrius convened a synod in 232 that banished Origen, then sent a condemnation of Origen's behavior to all the churches. It is evident, it was personal jealousy not merely non ordination, that have been alleged by Demetrius for such a reaction. [7] Rome accepted the decision, but Caesarea, Phoenicia, Arabia, Achaea disputed it. From Caesarea Origen sent forth letters in his self defence, and attacked Demetrius.
Demetrius then passed Catechetical School under the charge of Heraclas, an assistant of Origen, who had long been his associate. This may have been Demetrius' final act as bishop. Demetrius governed the Church of Alexandria for forty-two years, [9] and died at the age of 105. [10]
Ambrose of Alexandria was a friend of the Christian theologian Origen. Ambrose was attracted by Origen's fame as a teacher, and visited the Catechetical School of Alexandria in 212. At first a gnostic Valentinian and Marcionist, Ambrose, through Origen's teaching, eventually rejected this theology and became Origen's constant companion, and was ordained deacon. He plied Origen with questions, and urged him to write his Commentaries on the books of the Bible, and, as a wealthy nobleman and courtier, he provided his teacher with books for his studies and secretaries to lighten the labor of composition.
Athanasius I of Alexandria, also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor, or, among Coptic Christians, Athanasius the Apostolic, was a Christian theologian and the 20th pope of Alexandria. His intermittent episcopacy spanned 45 years, of which over 17 encompassed five exiles, when he was replaced on the order of four different Roman emperors. Athanasius was a Church Father, the chief proponent of Trinitarianism against Arianism, and a noted Egyptian Christian leader of the fourth century.
Origen of Alexandria, also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theologian who was born and spent the first half of his career in Alexandria. He was a prolific writer who wrote roughly 2,000 treatises in multiple branches of theology, including textual criticism, biblical exegesis and hermeneutics, homiletics, and spirituality. He was one of the most influential and controversial figures in early Christian theology, apologetics, and asceticism. He has been described by John Anthony McGuckin as "the greatest genius the early church ever produced".
Didymus the Blind was a Christian theologian in the Church of Alexandria, where he taught for about half a century. He was a student of Origen, and, after the Second Council of Constantinople condemned Origen, Didymus's works were not copied. Many of his writings are lost, but some of his commentaries and essays survive. He was seen as intelligent and a good teacher.
The Patriarch of Alexandria is the archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation "pope".
Theophilus was the 23rd Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the Seat of Saint Mark. He became pope at a time of conflict between the newly dominant Christians and the pagan establishment in Alexandria, each of which was supported by a segment of the Alexandrian populace.
Pope Heraclas was the 13th Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria, reigning 232–248.
Dionysius the Great was the 14th Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria from 28 December 248 until his death on 22 March 264. Most information known about him comes from a large corpus of correspondence. Only one complete letter survives; the remaining letters are excerpted in the works of Eusebius.
The archiepiscopal see of Caesarea in Palaestina, also known as Caesarea Maritima, is now a metropolitan see of the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and also a titular see of the Catholic Church. It was one of the earliest Christian bishoprics, and was a metropolitan see at the time of the First Council of Nicaea, but was later subjected to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The city remained largely Christian until the Crusades, its bishop maintaining close ties to the Byzantine Empire. After the establishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem by the crusaders, the see was transformed into a Latin archdiocese, subordinate to the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem.
The Patrologia Graeca is an edited collection of writings by the Church Fathers and various secular writers, in the Greek language. It consists of 161 volumes produced in 1857–1866 by J.P. Migne's Imprimerie Catholique, Paris.
The Pope, also known as the Bishop of Alexandria, or Patriarch of Alexandria, is the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, with ancient Christian roots in Egypt. The primacy of the Patriarch of Alexandria is rooted in his role as successor to Saint Mark, who was consecrated by Saint Peter, as affirmed by the Council of Nicaea. It is one of three Peterine Sees affirmed by the council alongside the Patriarch of Antioch and the Patriarch of Rome. The current holder of this position is Pope Tawadros II, who was selected as the 118th pope on November 18, 2012.
Saint Pantaenus the Philosopher was a Greek theologian and a significant figure in the Catechetical School of Alexandria from around AD 180. This school was the earliest catechetical school, and became influential in the development of Christian theology.
Alexander of Jerusalem was a third century bishop who is venerated as a martyr and saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Roman Catholic Church. He died during the persecution of Emperor Decius.
The Catechetical School of Alexandria was a school of Christian theologians and bishops and deacons in Alexandria. The teachers and students of the school were influential in many of the early theological controversies of the Christian church. It was one of the two major centers of the study of biblical exegesis and theology during Late Antiquity, the other being the School of Antioch.
This article lists people, events and other subjects which are referred to as "of Alexandria".
The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical period in which they worked became known as the Patristic Era and spans approximately from the late 1st to mid-8th centuries, flourishing in particular during the 4th and 5th centuries, when Christianity was in the process of establishing itself as the state church of the Roman Empire.
Pope is a religious title traditionally accorded to the Bishop of Rome, the Coptic and the Greek Orthodox bishops of Alexandria, and some leaders of other ecclesial communities. Popes may also claim the title patriarch. Both terms come from the Greek πάππας.
In Christianity, the concept of an Apostolic Throne refers to one of the historic Patriarchates that was associated with a specific apostle. Not all of the apostles are associated with specific "thrones"; in general, the phrase applies to Apostles that presided over a specific geographic church. Notably, there is no apostolic throne associated with St. Paul, who along with St. Peter was present, at different times, in both Antioch and Rome. The phrase is also somewhat interchangeable with the "Apostolic See".