Saint Damian of Alexandria | |
|---|---|
| Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark | |
| Papacy began | 26 June 576 |
| Papacy ended | 25 June 605 |
| Predecessor | Peter IV |
| Successor | Anastasius |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Died | 25 June 605 |
| Buried | Ennaton, monastery near Alexandria |
| Nationality | Syrian |
| Denomination | Coptic Orthodox Christian |
| Residence | Saint Mark's Church |
| Sainthood | |
| Feast day | 25 June (18Paoni in theCoptic calendar) |
Damian of Alexandria (Greek: Δαμιανός; died 605) was theCoptic pope and patriarch of Alexandria from 576.
Originally from Syria, where his brother was a prefect inEdessa,[1] he became a monk in his early years and spent sixteen years in the Egyptiandesert of Scete, where he was ordained a deacon in the monastery ofSt. John the Short. Afterward, he went to a monastery nearAlexandria and continued to practiceasceticism.
WhenPope Peter IV of Alexandria was enthroned on theSee of St. Mark, he made Damian a private secretary, during which Damian earned much esteem for his goodness. After Peter's death in 569,[2] the bishops unanimously agreed to ordain him apatriarch. In addition to pastoring the church, he wrote many epistles and discourses, including a reaffirmation of themiaphysite andnon-Chalcedonian views.[1] He reigned for almost thirty-six years.
While serving as Patriarch, Damian performed some controversial actions in trying to complete his predecessor's attempt to deposePatriarch Paul II of Antioch by traveling secretly to Antioch to install a replacement Patriarch. Although this action did not have the support of all the Syrian bishops, Damian had enough support to convene a meeting and choose a replacement. However, theChalcedonian patriarch, probablyGregory of Antioch, discovered the plan and prevented it, forcing Damian and his colleagues to flee.[1] Damian then went toConstantinople, where he consecrated some bishops and took part in a church council, which he later repudiated.[1]
TheSynaxarium entry for Damian recounts the following two theological controversies in which he was involved:[3]
Damian was very active in fighting views that he considered heretical, including not only tritheism, but also theChalcedonians, Pope Leo'sTome,Bishop Julian of Halicarnassus, theAgnoetae, theMelitians, theAcephali, theGaianites (supporters of a rival toTheodosius I),Stephen of Alexandria and Paul of Beth Ukame.[1] TheBarsanuphians split from the Acephali during the time of Damian and established their own episcopal hierarchy.[4] Although most of Damian's writings are lost, he did influence many writers in his own time, such as John ofParallos, who, like Damian, focused on combating heresy.[1]
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Coptic Pope 569–605 | Succeeded by |