Timothy I of Alexandria | |
|---|---|
| Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark | |
| Papacy began | 381 |
| Papacy ended | 20 July 384 |
| Predecessor | Peter II |
| Successor | Theophilus |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Died | 20 July 384 |
| Buried | Dominicium,Alexandria |
| Nationality | Egyptian |
| Denomination | Church of Alexandria |
| Residence | Saint Mark's Church |
| Sainthood | |
| Feast day | 20 July (26th day ofEpip in theCoptic calendar). |
Pope Timothy I of Alexandria,22nd Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, died about 20 July 384.[1] As the Pope of Alexandria, he was the head of theCoptic Church.
When he was younger, he knewAthanasius, who was the 20th Pope of Alexandria, and this is thought to have had a major influence on his theological thinking. He also sold off his possessions to benefit the church and the poor.[2] He would become known as Timothy I, the Destitute.[3] He was the brother of Pope Peter II of Alexandria.[4] He was unanimously chosen to become the 22nd bishop of the Alexandrian church.[2] The date when his reign began is disputed, but seems to have been in the range of 378-381.[5][4]
He presided over the secondFirst Council of Constantinople called byEmperor Theodosius.[6] However, he was not originally in control. Rather, he arrived after the conference had already begun, led byGregory of Nazianzus andMelitius of Antioch. But Melitius died soon thereafter and Gregory resigned his role as bishop, which resulted in Timothy presiding over part of the council.[2] This council was also known as the Second Ecumenical Council, with theCouncil of Nicaea being the first. In addition to the 150 Orthodox (that is, conforming to the decisions of the Council of Nicaea), there were also 36followers of Macedonius.[2]
Constantinople, the city that hosted this council, had gained much in importance since the emperorConstantine the Great transformed it into an imperial capital. This council determined that the see ofAlexandria ranked third in importance, after bothRome andConstantinople. Both Timothy and the Bishop of Rome rejected this claim, considering Alexandria to remain second only to Rome in the ranking of Christian cities.[5]
According to Coptichagiography Timothy played a large part at the council. He condemnedMacedonius for his belief that theHoly Spirit was created instead of existing from the beginning of time. Similarly, he questionedSabellius for his belief that theTrinity was in fact a singularity, that each member was the same as each other member. He also argued withApollinaris who claimed thatJesus did not have a human mind or soul because his divine nature replaced them. Each of these views was condemned as heretical and the originators, who refused to recant them, were excommunicated.[7] However, this source should perhaps not be taken completely literally, since Macedonius seems likely to have died shortly after being deposed in 360 AD[8] and Sabellius was excommunicated around 220 AD[9] and therefore could not have been alive over a century and a half later when the council was held. Nevertheless, the author of the text puts Timothy in direct dialogue with those theologians he accuses of heresy, rather than their followers.[7]
Timothy was a big proponent of monastic orders, as exhibited partially in his writings. While his works on the topic are not extant,Sozomen used them as a source in his own writings. Timothy's influence on church law is also noticeable and arose from responses that he made to clerical queries in his role as the head of the church of Alexandria.[2] Further, he has been remembered for his strong stand against theArian heresy.[3]
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| Preceded by | Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria 378–384 | Succeeded by |
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