Pope Heraclas ( grc, Ἡρακλῆς, Theoclas) was the 13th
Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria, reigning 232–248.
Pope Heraclas of Alexandria was born to pagan parents who became Christians and were baptized after his birth. They taught him the Greek philosophy, then Christian doctrine. He also studied the four gospels and the epistles. Demetrius, 12th Patriarch of Alexandria, ordained him deacon, then a priest over the church of
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
. He was successful in the ministry and was faithful in all that was entrusted to him. He followed
Origen
Origen of Alexandria, ''Ōrigénēs''; Origen's Greek name ''Ōrigénēs'' () probably means "child of Horus" (from , "Horus", and , "born"). ( 185 – 253), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theolo ...
as head of the
Catechetical School of Alexandria
The Catechetical School of Alexandria was a school of Christian theologians and bishops and deacons in Alexandria. The teachers and students of the school (also known as the Didascalium) were influential in many of the early theological controvers ...
.
When Demetrius died, Heraclas was chosen as Patriarch. He converted many pagans and baptized them. He devoted his efforts to teaching, preaching and instructing. He assigned to
St. Dionysius the work of judging between the believers, and taking care of their affairs. Pope Heraclas sat on the throne of St. Mark for 16 years until his death.
He was the first
Patriarch of Alexandria
The Patriarch of Alexandria is the archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation "pope" (etymologically "Father", like "Abbot").
The Alexandrian episcopate was revered as one of the three major episco ...
to be referred to as "Pope" (in Greek, ''Papás''), a term, originally a form of address meaning 'Father', that was used by several bishops). The first known record of this designation being assigned to Heraclas is in a letter written by the bishop of Rome,
Dionysius
The name Dionysius (; el, Διονύσιος ''Dionysios'', "of Dionysus"; la, Dionysius) was common in classical and post-classical times. Etymologically it is a nominalized adjective formed with a -ios suffix from the stem Dionys- of the name ...
, to Philemon:
''
τοῦτον ἐγὼ τὸν κανόνα καὶ τὸν τύπον παρὰ τοῦ μακαρίου πάπα ἡμῶν Ἡρακλᾶ παρέλαβον.
Eusebius
Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christia ...
, '' Historia Ecclesiastica'' Book VII, chapter 7.4
trans.
received this rule and ordinance from our blessed Pope, Heraclas./blockquote>''
References
;General
St. Heraclas (Theoclas), 13th Pope of Alexandria.
*
*Atiya, Aziz S. ''The Coptic Encyclopedia
The ''Coptic Encyclopedia'' is an eight-volume work covering the history, theology, language, art, architecture, archeology and hagiography of Coptic Egypt. The encyclopedia was written by over 250 Western and Egyptian contributing experts in th ...
''. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1991.
External links
The Official website of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy See of Saint Mark the Apostle
Coptic Documents in French
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heraclas of Alexandria
Saints from Roman Egypt
Egyptian theologians
3rd-century Popes and Patriarchs of Alexandria
3rd-century Christian saints
240 deaths
Year of birth unknown