The Patriarch of Alexandria

The Patriarch of Alexandria is the archbishop of Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation pope (etymologically "Father", like "Abbot"). The first bishop known to be called "Pope" was the thirteenth Patriarch of Alexandria, Papas Heraclas.^[1]

The Alexandrian episcopate was revered as one of the three major Christian sees (along with Romeand Antioch) before Constantinople or Jerusalem were granted similar status (in 381 and 451, respectively). In the sixth century, these five archbishops were formally granted the title of patriarchand were subsequently known as the Pentarchy. Alexandria was elevated to de facto archiepiscopalstatus by the Alexandrine Council^{[citation needed][which?]}, and this status was ratified by Canon Six of the First Ecumenical Council, which stipulated that all the Egyptian episcopal provinces were subject to the metropolitan see of Alexandria (already the prevailing custom).^{[citation needed]}

"Papa" has been the designation for the Archbishop of Alexandria and Patriarch of Africa in the See of Saint Mark.^{[contradictory][citation needed]} This office has historically held the title of Pope—"Παπας" (papas), which means "Father" in Greek and Coptic—since Pope Heracleus, the 13th Alexandrine Bishop (227–240 AD), was the first to associate "Pope" with the title of the Bishop of Alexandria.

The word pope derives from the Greek πάππας, meaning "Father". In the early centuries of Christianity, this title was applied informally (especially in the east) to all bishops and other senior clergy. In the west it began to be used particularly for the Bishop of Rome (rather than for bishops in general) in the sixth century; in 1075, Pope Gregory VII issued a declaration widely interpreted as stating this by-then-established convention.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} By the sixth century, this was also the normal practice in the imperial chancery of Constantinople.^[2]

The earliest record of this title was regarding Pope Heraclas of Alexandria (227–240) in a letter written by his successor, Pope Dionysius of Alexandria, to Philemon (a Roman presbyter):

τοῦτον ἐγὼ τὸν κανόνα καὶ τὸν τύπον παρὰ τοῦ μακαρίου πάπα ἡμῶν Ἡρακλᾶ παρέλαβον.^[7]

This is translated:

I received this rule and ordinance from our blessed father/pope, Heraclas.^[8][9]

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest recorded use of "pope" in English is in an Old English translation (c. 950) ofBede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People:

Þa wæs in þa tid Uitalius papa þæs apostolican seðles aldorbiscop.^[10]

In modern English:

At that time, Pope Vitalian was chief bishop of the apostolic see.

According to church tradition, the patriarchate was founded in AD 42 by Mark the Evangelist.^{[citation needed]} All churches acknowledge thesuccession of church leaders until the time of the monophysite Second Council of Ephesus (the so-called "Robber Council") of 449 and the orthodox Council of Chalcedon in 451, which gave rise to the non-Chalcedonian (miaphysite-monophysite) Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and the Chalcedonian Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria