Pope Michael III of Alexandria

Pope Michael III of Alexandria (also known as Khail III) was the Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark (880–907).[1]

Saint

Michael III of Alexandria
Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark
Papacy began25 April 880
Papacy ended16 March 907
PredecessorShenouda I
SuccessorGabriel I
Personal details
Born
Died16 March 907
BuriedMonastery of Saint Macarius the Great
NationalityEgyptian
DenominationCoptic Orthodox Christian
ResidenceSaint Mark's Church
Sainthood
Feast day16 March (20 Baramhat in the Coptic calendar)

The patriarchal biography of Michael III comes from the writings of Michael of Damrū (Mīkhāʾil al-Damrāwī), bishop of Tinnis, in History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria.[2] During the consecration of a church to St. Ptolemy in Xois (present day Sakha, Egypt), the bishop of the diocese was late to attend the consecration and came into conflict with Pope Michael, throwing the offered but not yet consecrated bread on the floor of the church. The Patriarch and other bishops unanimously decided to condemn the bishop of Xois. The deposed and vengeful bishop then convinced ibn Tulun that the patriarch had vast wealth, and so ibn Tulun imprisoned Pope Michael for one year. The Coptic lay notables eventually negotiated for his release as paying 20,000 dinars in two installments. Michael of Damrū notes that the patriarch raised funds after his release from prison to pay the debt to ibn Tulun and also built a private latrine for himself in prison, at the cost of 300 dinars.[3]

In 882, when forced to come up with the funds to free the patriarch from prison, the Coptic church sold a church, which had originally been a synagogue and was converted into the church during the Byzantine era, to the local Jewish community.[4] This building was at one time believed to have later become the site of the Cairo Geniza.

References edit

  1. ^ "The Departure Of the St. Anba Khail (Mikhail) the Fifty Six Pope of the See of St. Mark". CopticChurch.net. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  2. ^ N. Swanson, Mark (2010-03-24), "Michael of Damrū", Christian-Muslim Relations 600–1500, Brill, retrieved 2022-11-04
  3. ^ Swanson, Mark N. (2010). The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt (641-1517). American Univ in Cairo Press. pp. 44–45. ISBN 978-977-416-093-6.
  4. ^ Goitein, S. D. (1960). "The Documents of the Cairo Geniza as a Source for Mediterranean Social History". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 80 (2): 91–100. doi:10.2307/595583. ISSN 0003-0279. JSTOR 595583.
Preceded by Coptic Pope
880–907
Succeeded by