Timothy I of Alexandria

Saint 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	Egypt
Died	20 July 384 Egypt
Buried	Dominicium, Alexandria
Nationality	Egyptian
Denomination	Church of Alexandria
Residence	Saint Mark's Church
Sainthood
Feast day	20 July (26th day of Epip in the Coptic calendar).

Pope Timothy I of Alexandria, 22nd Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, died about July 20, 384. As the Pope of Alexandria, he was the head of the Coptic Church.

Biography

When he was younger, he knew Athanasius, 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. He was the brother of Pope Peter II of Alexandria. He was unanimously chosen to become the 22nd bishop of the Alexandrian church. The date when his reign began is disputed, but seems to have been in the range of 378-381.

Ecumenical Council at Constantinople

He presided over the second First Council of Constantinople called by Emperor Theodosius. However, he was not originally in control. Rather, he arrived after the conference had already begun, led by Gregory of Nazianzus and Melitius of Antioch. But Melitius died soon thereafter and Gregory resigned his role as bishop, which resulted in Timothy presiding over part of the council. This council was also known as the Second Ecumenical Council, with the Council of Nicaea being the first.

Constantinople, the city that hosted this council, had gained much in importance since the emperor Constantine the Great transformed it into an imperial capital. This council determined that the see of Alexandria ranked third in importance, after both Rome and Constantinople. Both Timothy and the Bishop of Rome rejected this claim, considering Alexandria to remain second only to Rome in the ranking of Christian cities.

According to Coptic hagiography Timothy played a large part at the council. He condemned Macedonius for his belief that the Holy Spirit was created instead of existing from the beginning of time. Similarly, he questioned Sabellius for his belief that the Trinity was in fact a singularity, that each member was the same as each other member. He also argued with Apollinaris who claimed that Jesus 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. It is worth noting, however, that this source should perhaps not be taken completely literally, since Macedonius seems likely to have died shortly after being deposed in 360 AD and Sabellius was excommunicated around 220 AD 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.

Sources

• "Timotheos I, the Destitute (381–385)". Official web site of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa. Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2011-02-08.