Antonius (,), is the 22nd Metropolitan of the Holy and Great City of Our Lord, Jerusalem (Holy Zion), and Archbishop of the Holy and Ancient Archdiocese of Jerusalem, all Palestine and the Near East. He is also the Abbot of the Monastery of Saint Anthony, Jerusalem, and the Monastery of Saint George, Jerusalem.

Early life

He was born Emad Timotheos Sharmokh (), in Abu Tig,

Asyut AsyutAlso spelled ''Assiout'' or ''Assiut'' ( ar, أسيوط ' , from ' ) is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt. It was built close to the ancient city of the same name, which is situated nearby. The modern city is located at , ...

, Egypt, on July 25, 1969. His father is Hegumen Timotheos Sharmokh, the vicar for the Diocese of Abu Tig. His two younger brothers were also later ordained priests in the Diocese of Abu Tig. He received a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

Agricultural Science Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Profession ...

from

Assiut University Assiut University is a university located in Assiut, Egypt. It was established in October 1957 as the first university in Upper Egypt. Statistics *Faculty members: 2,442 *Assistant lecturers and demonstrators: 1,432 *Administrative staff: 11,686 ...

, and a second B.S. in

Pharmaceutical Sciences Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links healt ...

from

Mansoura University Mansoura University was founded in 1972 in Mansoura city, Egypt. It is in the middle of the Nile Delta. It is one of the biggest Egyptian universities and has contributed much to the cultural and scientific life in Mansoura and Egypt. History T ...

. He went on to work as a pharmacist before pursuing the monastic life.

Monastic life

He entered the

Monastery of Saint Anthony The Monastery of Saint Anthony is a Coptic Orthodox monastery standing in an oasis in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, in the southern part of the Suez Governorate. Hidden deep in the Red Sea Mountains, it is located southeast of Cairo. The Monas ...

, in 2004, and was tonsured a monk there on December 27, 2006, under the name Theodore (,). He was later ordained a priest in 2013. In 2014, he was chosen by

Pope Tawadros II Pope Tawadros II or Theodore II ( cop, Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲑⲉⲟ́ⲇⲱⲣⲟⲥ ⲡⲓⲙⲁϩ ⲃ̅', translit=Papa Abba Theódōros II ; ar, البابا تواضروس الثاني, translit=al-Bābā Tawāḍurūs al-Th ānī, ...

, among two other monks, to go study theology in Greece. He completed the four-year program even after he was recalled early in 2016, in order to be consecrated as Metropolitan Archbishop of the See of Jerusalem. He was elevated to the dignity of

Hegumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen ( el, ἡγούμενος, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called a hegumenia ...

on Sunday, February 21, 2016, in preparation for his consecration.

Consecration as Metropolitan Archbishop

On Sunday, February 28, 2016, he was consecrated as Antonius, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and Archbishop of all Palestine, Philadelphia of Jordan, and all the Near East, by Pope Tawadros II, and the bishops and metropolitans of the

Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox C ...

, in the

Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Azbakeya Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral is a Coptic Orthodox church in Azbakeya, Cairo. It was the seat of the Coptic Pope from 1800 to 1971. Due to Ibrahim El-Gohary's influential position in the government and his great favor to the Muslim rule ...

(the old See of the Patriarchate of Alexandria). He was given the name Antonius, in honor of the patron Saint of his Monastery,

Saint Anthony the Great Anthony the Great ( grc-gre, Ἀντώνιος ''Antṓnios''; ar, القديس أنطونيوس الكبير; la, Antonius; ; c. 12 January 251 – 17 January 356), was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is d ...

. The ceremony couldn't be held at the current See of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Abbassia, due to the renovations that were taking place there at the time in preparation for the celebration of its 50th anniversary. On Saturday, March 5, 2016, he was enthroned as the 22nd Coptic Metropolitan of Jerusalem, and all the Near East. He was lead with a great procession through the

Jaffa Gate Jaffa Gate ( he, שער יפו, Sha'ar Yafo; ar, باب الخليل, Bāb al-Khalīl, "Hebron Gate") is one of the seven main open Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. The name Jaffa Gate is currently used for both the historical Ottoman gate ...

of the Old City, and the

Church of the Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, hy, Սուրբ Հարության տաճար, la, Ecclesia Sancti Sepulchri, am, የቅዱስ መቃብር ቤተክርስቲያን, he, כנסיית הקבר, ar, كنيسة القيامة is a church i ...

, visiting and venerating many of the Holy Sites therein. The procession ended in the Monastery of Saint Anthony, Jerusalem, (the headquarters of the

Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of Jerusalem The Holy and Ancient Archdiocese of Jerusalem, All Palestine, and All the Near East or the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem ( ar, بطريركية الاقباط الأرثوذكس بالقدس �برشية أورشليم المقدسة � ...

) where he was installed on the throne by numerous other Metropolitans of the

Coptic Orthodox Church The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...

References

{{s-end Coptic Orthodox bishops 1969 births Living people Jerusalem