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Pope Shenouda III series 2

The Holy Virgin St. Mary

BY HIS HOLINESS AMBA SHENOUDA III, POPE AND PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA

AND OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE OF ALL THE PREDICATION OF SAINT MARK

Translated from the Arabic edition of 1999

Available from: http://www.copticchurch.net

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Name of the book: The Holy Virgin St. Mary

Author: His Holiness Pope Shenouda III

Editor: Orthodox Coptic Clerical College, Cairo Edition: 1999 Press: Amba Rueiss, (Offset) Deposition number at "The Library": 9173/96

All rights reserved to the author His Holiness Pope Shenouda III

Pope and Patriarch of the See of Alexandria and of all the Predication of the Evangelist St. Mark

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In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

the One God, Amen

In this pamphlet, you read about: Our mother the Saint Holy Virgin The greatness of the Virgin The oldest churches in her name A life which was surrounded by miracles The Virgin's fast Her feasts The Vigin in the Faith Her surnames and symbols The Virgin's virtues Blessing her. Her icons. Pope Shenouda III

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OUR MOTHER THE SAINT VIRGIN

There is no woman about whom the prophets prophesied, and about whom the Holy Bible cared, like the Virgin Mary.......There are numerous symbols about her in the Old Testament. In the New Testament also, there are her biography, her praise, and the miracles. How many are the glorifying expressions and the contemplations, which were cited about the Virgin in the books of the fathers.........How full of praise are the surnames by which the Church calls her, and which are inspired from the Spirit of the Holy Bible.......! She is the mother of all of us, the lady of all of us, the pride of our kind, the queen at the right side of the King, the Virgin with perpetual virginity, the pure, the filled with grace, the saint Mary, the powerful and helpful compassionate mother, the mother of the Light, the mother of mercy and salvation, the true vine. This is the one whom the Church elevates over the rank of archangels, so that we say about her in her hymns and songs: O Mary, you have been raised above the cherubims, and have become higher than the seraphims, O Mary. Mary who was bred up in the temple, and lived the life of prayer and contemplation since her childhood, and who was the sacred vessel whom the Lord has chosen to come inside her. Long generations waited for the birth of this Virgin, so that the fullness of the time would become complete by her (Gal.4:4)........... She has removed the shame of Eva, and saved the reputation of women after sin. She is the mother of God, in perpetual virginity. She is the Virgin who came to our country during the childhood of Christ, and inhabited our land for years, during which she sanctified it, and blessed it......... She is the Virgin who appeared in Zeitoun 32 years ago, and attracted to her the feelings of the crouds, with her light, her appearance, and her visit to us......... She is the Virgin who makes miracles in numerous places, where we celebrate feasts for he. The stories of her miracles are innumerable..... The Virgin is not a stranger to us; because she is profoundly assimilated with the feelings of Copts that come out from faith to special experience and emotion. How great an honor is it for our country and our Church, to be visited in past times by our Lady the Virgin! How great an honor is it that our Lady appeared on her domes many years ago! There is not a human being whom christians have loved so much as our Lady the Virgin Mary.

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The majority of churches in Egypt celebrate her feast. In the rites, how many are the compliments, the songs, the veneration, the psalms, the doxologies, (glorifying blessings), which are dedicated to her, especially in the month of Kiahk! The catholics have a month for her, which is called the Mary month......... Among the monasteries of monks in Egypt, there are the monastery of El Baramous, the monastery of El Sourian, the monastery of El Moharrak, which are all dedicated to her name; they represent the quarter of the number of present monasteries. There is a monastery for nuns which is dedicated to her name, in Haret Zuwalah in Cairo. How many are the monasteries and the schools which are dedicated to her name in the Western Churches.

THE OLDEST CHURCHES

DEDICATED TO HER NAME The oldest church which was built and dedicated to the name of the Virgin in the apostolic times, is the church of Philippi. The oldest church which was built and dedicated to her name in Egypt, was in the times of the Pope Theonas, the 16 th patriarch (year 274 AD). Among the most reknown of her churches, there is the church of the monastery El Moharrak, which was inuagurated in the times of the Pope Theophilus, (the 23 rd pope), at the beginning of the fifth century, on the 6th of Hator. Also the churches which were built in the places that she visited in Egypt. On this occasion, we have two churches in Europe w ith the name of "The Virgin of Zeitoun"; one is in France, and the other is in Vienna.

THE GREATNESS OF THE VIRGIN The greatness of the Virgin has been decreed in the sacred œcumenical council of Ephesus, which was assembled in 431 AD. Two hundred bishops from the world were present. They formulated the prelude to the creed of the Christian Faith, in which it is cited: "We venerate you, O mother of the true Light, and we glorify you, O Saint Virgin Mother of God, because you gave birth for us to the Saviour of the world, who has come and delivered our souls". What are the foundations upon which the œcumenical council formulated this prelude? That is what we shall explain now:

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The Virgin is the blessed saint, whose blessing is contin uous throughout the generations, as it has been mentioned in her hymn: "For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed" (Luke 1:46). The Church calls the Virgin by the surname of "the queen". This was mentionned by the psalm, about her: "At Your right hand stands the queen" (Ps. 45:9). That is why, many artists, when they draw the pictures of the Virgin, they put a crown on her head, and she appears in the image, on the right side of the Lord Christ. The reverence of the Virgin appears in the salutation of the archangel Gabriel to her: "Peace to you, O you full of grace, "the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women" (Luke 1:28). That is, with a special blessing, to which also saint Elisabeth gave testimony. "Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Luke 1:42). Saint Elisabeth found herself small in front of the greatness of the Virgin, and she spoke with the feeling that she was not deserving, although she knew that her son "will be great in the sight of the Lord", and that "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1: 15-17). She said: "But why is it granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:43). Probably the most evident proof of the greatness of the Virgin, and of her position in the sight of the Lord, is that when her mere greeting arrived to Elisabeth, the latter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and her babe felt it and leaped in her womb for joy. The divine Intuition says in that: "And it happened, when Elisabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb, and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit" (Luke 1:41). It is really an amazing greatness, that her mere greeting makes Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit! Who is he among the saints, whose greeting caused another to be filled with the Holy Spirit?! But here is Elizabeth testifying and saying: "For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy" (Luke 1:44). Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, by the greeting of Mary, and she also obtained the gift of prophecy and revelation: She then knew that this is the mother of her Lord, and that she believed " those things which were told her from the Lord", and she also knew that the leaping of the babe was "for joy". This joy, of course, was

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because of the Blessed One who was in the womb of the Virgin, "blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Luke 1: 41-45). The majesty of the Virgin shines brilliantly in the choice of her by the Lord, from among all the women of the world....... The only human being for whom the divine providence waited thousands of years, till He found her, and judged that she deserved that immense honor which the angel Gabriel explained saying: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). The Virgin excels all women in her eminence: For that reason, the divine Intuition said about her: "Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all" (Prov. 31:29). It is probably from this divine text, that the song of the Church was taken: "Many women have obtained honors, but no one of them obtained like you"......... This Saint Virgin, was in the thought and in the providence of God, since the beginning. He said to our first parents, in the salvation which He promised them, that the Seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). This woman is the Virgin, and her Seed is Christ, who has crushed the head of the serpent on the Cross.......

A LIFE SURROUNDED BY MIRACLES In the life of The Virgin, miracles begin before her birth, and continue after her death. From these: 1. She was generated with a miracle, from sterile parents, with an annunciation from the angel. 2. The miracle of her bethrothal, in a divine manner which determined who will take her and care for her. 3. The miracle of her conception of Christ while she is a virgin, and the continuation of her virginity after giving birth. 4. The miracle during her visit to Elizabeth who, when she heard the voice of her greeting, the babe leaped for joy in her womb, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. 5. Innumerable miracles during her visit to Egypt, one of which is the fall of idols (Is. 19:1). 6. The first miracle which the Lord did in Cana of Galilea, happened through her request. 7. The miracle of the dissolution of iron, and the deliverance of the apostle Matthias, happened through her intervention. 8. The miracle of Christ receiving her soul, at the hour of her death.

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9. The miracle of the striking of the jews by the Lord, when they wanted to attack her corpse after her death. 10. The miracle of the ascent of her body to heaven. 11. The miracles which happened everywhere by her hands, about which books were written. 12. Her apparition in numerous places, and especially her wonderful apparation in our churches in Zeitoun, and in Papadopoulo. Miracles are still happening everywhere, and will happen as a testimony to the honor of this saint.

THE VIRGIN'S FAST The Church celebrates the fast of our Lady the Virgin beginning with the first of Mesra, (the 7th of August). It is a fast for which people care very much, and they practice it with forceful ascetism. Some add days to it, in regard of the great love of people for The Virgin. The fast of The Virgin is an occasion for spiritual renaissance in the majority of churches. They prepare a spiritual program for daily sermons, and daily masses too in some churches, even the churches which are not named by the name of The Virgin. There is a great feast for our Lady The Virgin, which is celebrated in her ancient church in Mostorod. Feasts of other saints are also celebrated in these days: The feast of saint Georges at the monastery in Mit Damsis, is celebrated in the second half of August, and also the feast of saint Abba Macarius the Great, and the feast of saint Georges in his monastery at Ruzeykat. In the same fast of The Virgin, we celebrate the feasts of reknown she saints: like saint Baïssa (2 Misra, 6 August), saint Julita (6 Misra, 12 August), saint Marina (15 Misra, 21 August). In the fast of The Virgin, we also celebrate the feast of the glorious Transfiguration (13 Misra, 19 August). In the same month (7 Misra, 13 August), we celebrate the feast of the announcement, by the angel Gabriel to Joachim, of the birth of The Virgin Mary. The feast of The Virgin is not the only occasion on which the Church celebrates the feasts of The Virgin, but more is celebrated in the month of Kiahk which is full of hyms, doxologies, and psalms for the saint Virgin Mary. Copts in Egypt, and specially women, take care for the fast of The Virgin, in a manner that exceeds description.

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There are many who fast it (with water and salt), that is without oil........Many add a third week to it, as a kind of vow. There are also those who vow to fast this fast without eating or drinking till the appearance of the stars in heaven........ What then is the secret behind this care? First: The love of Copts for The Virgin who had visited and blessed their country, and left her traces in numerous places where churches have been built. Second: The multiple miracles which happened in Egypt through the intercession of our Lady The Virgin, made many people optimistic to build churches dedicated to her name. The apparition of The Virgin in her church at Zeitoun, and the many miracles that accompanied this apparition, have certainly increased the affection of the Copts for The Virgin, and for the fast which bears her name.

HER FEASTS Each saint has one feast in the Church, that is the day of his death or his martyrdom; and may be another one that is the finding of his remnants, or a miracle which happened relatively to his name, or the building of a church for him. But The Holy Virgin has a very great number of feasts. Of them, there are: 1. The feast of the announcement of her nativity: It is on the 7th of Misra, when the angel of the Lord announced her father Joachim of her birth. He and her mother Anna were then joyful, and they vowed her for the Lord. 2. The feast of her nativity: The Church celebrates it on the first of Bashans. 3. The feast of her entry to the Temple: The Church celebrates it on the 3rd of Kiahk. It is the day when she entered the Temple to adore God in the special house for the virgins. 4. The feast of her coming to Egypt: She was with the Christ our Lord, and Joseph the carpentar. The Church celebrates it on the 24th of Bashans 5. The feast of the death of The Virgin: It is on the 21st of Tubah. The Church also commemorates in it the miracles which were accomplished in that day, when the fathers apostles were surrounding her, with the exception of saint Thomas who was then preaching in India. 6. The monthly feast of the Virgin:

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It is on the 21st of every coptic month, in commemoration of her death on the 21st of Tubah. 7. The feast of the ascent of her body to heaven: The Church celebrates it on the 16th of Misra , the 22nd of August, which is preceded by the Fast of The Virgin (15 days). 8. The feast of her miracle: (the disssolution of iron): It is on the 21st of Baouna. In it we commemorate her miracle in delivering the apostle saint Matthias and those who were with him from prison, by dissoluting the iron which bounded them. In that day also we celebrate the feast of the building of the first church on her name in Philippi. All these feasts have special hymns and doxologies in the rites of the Church, which contain many prophecies and special symbols from the Old Testament, concerning her. 9. The feast of her apparition in Zeitoun on the domes of the church of The Virgin. It was on the 2nd of April 1968, the 24th of Baramhat, and it remained during years. In addition to all that, we celebrate during all the month of Kiahk, (from December until the 7th of January), with hymns which are all about the honor of our Lady The Virgin.

THE HOLY VIRGIN MARY IN THE CHURCH'S FAITH

The Orthodox Coptic Church honors our Lady The Virgin with due honor without exageration, and without lessening of her position. 1. She is, in the belief of the Church, the mother of God, (Theotokos in Coptic), and not the mother of "Jesus" as the Nestorians had claimed, those whom saint Kirillos the Alexandrian fought, and whom the sacred œcumenical council of Ephesus excommuniated. 2. The Church believes that the Holy Spirit has sanctified the depository of The Virgin during the pregnancy with Christ. That was according to what the angel said to her "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). The sanctifying by the Holy Spirit of her depository, makes the One born of her, be conceived without the impurity of the original sin. As for The Virgin herself, her mother conceived, like all people, and so The Virgin said in her hymn: "my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior" (Luke 1:47).

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That is why the Church does not agree that The Virgin was conceived without the impurity of the original sin, as our brothers the Catholics beleive. 3. The Church believes in the intercession of The Virgin. She places her intercession before the intercession of angels and archangels, because she is the mother of God, and she is the Queen who is at the right hand of the King. 4. The Holy Bible gives to The Virgin the surname "filled with grace". It is regrettable that the Beyrouth translation of the Bible, in a way that lessens the situations of The Virgin, translates this surname "highly favored one".........All human beings are highly favoured, but The Virgin is filled with grace........ although grace does not mean infallibility. 5. The Church believes in the perpetuality of the virginity of The Virgin. The only exception to this rule, are our brothers the Protestants, who claim that The Virgin gave birth to sons after Christ. 6. The Church believes in the Ascent of the body of The Virgin to heaven, and celebrates that feast on the 16th of Misra.

HER SURNAMES AND SYMBOLS A. Surnames as regards her greatness

and her relation with God:

1. We give her the surname of The Queen who is by the right side of The King. In this, we mention the words of the psalm "At your hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir" (Ps. 45:9). That is why, in her icon, she is portrayed at the right hand of the Christ our Lord. And we say about her in the divine mass "the Lady and the Queen of us all"...... 2. Also we say about her: "Our mother the Holy Virgin". When the Christ our Lord was on the Cross, He said about that to his disciple the beloved saint John: "Behold your mother" (John 19:27). 3. The Virgin is also compared to the ladder of Jacob" That ladder which "was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven" (Gen. 28:12). That is the symbol of The Virgin who, by her giving birth to Christ, made the inhabitants of the earth reach to heaven. 4. She was also called "the bride" because she is the true bride of the Lord of glory. The word of the Lord in the psalm was realised in her: "Listen, O daughter consider and incline your ear; forget your own people also, and your father's house; so the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord,

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worship Him" (Ps. 45:10-11). That is why she was called the friend of Solomon, who is the virgin of the Song of Songs. It was said of her in the same psalm: "The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; her clothing is woven with gold. She shall be brought to the king in robes of many colors" (Ps. 45:13-14). 5. We also give her the surname "the beautiful pigeon" in remembrance of the beautiful pigeon that carried to our father Noah a branch of olive tree, as a symbol of peace, bringing to him the good news of the deliverance from the waters of the flood......... (Gen. 8:11). With this surname, the priest burns incense in front of her icon when he goes out of the sanctuary and says: "Hail to you, O Virgin Mary, the beautiful pigeon". The Virgin is compared to the pigeon in her simplicity and her purity and the action of the Holy Spirit in her. She resembles the pigeon which brought the good news of the deliverance after the flood, because she brought the good news of the deliverance by Christ. 6. The Virgin is also compared to the cloud because of her height on the one hand, and because the prophecy of her coming to Egypt, compared her in this manner. It was mentionned about this in the book of the prophet Isaiah: "The burden against Egypt. Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud, and will come into Egypt; the idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, and the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst" (Is. 19:1). The expression "cloud" is a symbol of the Lord who will come upon the clouds. (Matt. 16:27).

B. Her surnames and symbols as regards her motherhood to the Christ our Lord:

7. One of the surnames by which The Virgin has been described is "Theotokos" that is: "the mother of God". This surname has been called upon her by the sacred œcumenical council of Ephesus in 431 AD. Saint Kirillos the Great insisted on that surname in his response to Nestorius...... Saint Elizabeth addressed her with that surname "the mother of my Lord" (Luke 1:43). 8. One of her surnames is also: "the golden censer". We call her "Te shury" that is the censer in Coptic; and sometimes "the censer of Aaron".......... As for the fire which it contains inside her, coal in it symbolises the human nature of Christ, and fire symbolises His divine nature, as it has been said in the Holy Bible: "our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29).

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The censer symbolises the womb of The Virgin where divinity was united with humanity. The censer being of gold, that points to the greatness and the purity of The Virgin. Regarding the purity and the sanctity of The Virgin, we call The Virgin in her hymns "the golden censer" (Te shury ennub, in Coptic). 9. The Virgin is also surnamed "the second heaven" because as heaven is the abode of God, so The Virgin Mary was an abode of God during the sacred pregnancy. 10. The Virgin is also surnamed "the city of God": The prophecy in the psalm is realised in her: "Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God" (Ps 87:3). Or what was said of her "the city of the great King", or certain prophecies which were said about Jerusalem, are realised in her..........or Zion as it was also said in the psalm: "And of Zion it will be said, "This one and that one were born in her; and the most High Himself shall establish her" (Ps. 87:5). 11. In this quality, she was surnamed "the vine where was found the cluster of life" that is Christ. The Church asks for her intercession with that surname in the prayer of the third hour, saying to her: "O mother of God, you are the true vine who bears the cluster of life"........ 12. By this quality of motherhood, she has other surnames of which we mention: The mother of the true light, considering that it has been said of the Christ our Lord, that He is "the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world" (John 1:9). Likewise she was surnamed "the golden lamp" because she bears the Light. And also: "the mother of the Holy One", considering that the angel, when he announced her with the birth of Christ, said to her: "also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). "The mother of the Saviour", because the Christ our Lord is the Saviour of the world: "and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). 13. Among her symbols also: "the bush which the prophet Moses saw" (Exodus 3:2). We say in the song: "The bush which the prophet Moses saw in the desert, is the symbol of the mother of Light, blessed be she. She has carried the fire of divinity in her womb, without being touched by any harm". It was said of the Lord that He is "a consuming fire" (Heb 12:29) to which the fire which is burning inside the bush, is a symbol, and the bush symbolises The Virgin. 14. Also among her symbols: "the ark of the Testimony".

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This ark was made of acacia wood that cannot be moth -eaten, and was covered with gold from inside and outside (Ex. 25:10, 22), as a symbol of the purity and the greatness of The Virgin. It also symbolised the things which were inside the ark that were a symbol of the Christ our Lord. There was kept "the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant" (as a symbol of the incarnated Word of God). 15. The Virgin is also compared to the pot of the manna; because the manna was a symbol of the Christ our Lord, as being the live bread who came down from heaven, everybody who eats from him lives by Him, that is also the bread of life (John 6: 32,48,49). Since the Lord Christ is compared to the manna, so it is possible to compare the Virgin to the pot of the manna, who carried this celestial bread inside her. 16. The Virgin is also compared to the rod of Aaron which germinated: that is: she miraculously sprouted and carried the buds of life, (Num.17:6 -8); although a rod has of course no life in it that can produce blossoms and yield fruit. This symbolises the virginity of The Virgin who could not sprout or produce posterity; but she gave birth through a miracle. This description is mentioned in the hymn of Sunday. 17. The tabernacle of meeting (the dome of Moses). The tabernacle of meeting was the place upon which The Lord used to come, and The Virgin is she upon whom The Lord came. God manifested his love for his people in the two cases. That is what we say in the book of the hymns (Al Ipsalmodia): "You have been compared, O Virgin Mary, to the tabernacle which Moses made on the mountain of Sinaï, where God was inside". 18. The Virgin is compared to the gate in the East. That which the prophet Ezechiel saw, and of which the Lord said: "This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut" (Ez. 44: 1 -2). The prophet saw the glory of the Lord at this gate which is in the East, and the house was filled with it (Ez. 43: 2,4,5). That symbolises the virginity of the Virgin who was from the countries of the East; and how this virginity remained sealed. Because she was that gate from the East, she was qualified as: 19. The gate of life, the gate of deliverance: It was said about our Lady the Virgin in the book of Ezechiel: "As for the prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way" (Ez. 44:3).

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Since the Lord is the Life, then she is the gate of the Life. The Lord said: "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). That is why the Virgin is the gate of the Life, that gate out of which the Lord came out, granting life to all those who believe in Him....... It is not astonishing that we surname the Virgin "the gate", because the Church also was surnamed "the gate". Our father Jacob said about Bethel: "How awsome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!" (Gen. 28:17). 20. She was compared to the "Holiest of all" That in which the chief priest entered once a year, to make atonement for all the people. The Lord of glory came once inside the Virgin Mary for the redemption of all the world.

THE VIRGIN'S VIRTUES

LIFE OF HUMILITY Humility was a fundamental condition for her of whom the Lord of Glory will be born. It was indispensable that He would be born from a humble person, who could bear the glory of the divine Incarnation from her.........the glory of the coming of the Holy Spirit in her......and the glory of the nativity of the Lord from her, and the glory of all the generations blessing her, and the humility of Elizabeth in front of her saying to her: "But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:43). Likewise to bear the glory of all the apparitions of angels, and the worship of the Mages in front of her Son, and the many miracles which happened by her son in the land of Egypt, and the light of this Son in her bosom. That is why, "the fullness of the time" (Gal. 4:4) waited for this human being from whom the Son of God was born. This humility was manifested in her life, as we shall see: The angel announced to her that she will become the mother of the Lord, but she said: "Behold the maid-servant of the Lord" (Luke 1:38), that is his slave and his maiden. The magnificent glory which was given to her, absolutely did not decrease by her humility. But rather it was because of this humility that the Lord granted her that glory. "For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant" and made great things for her (Luke 1: 48, 49).

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The humility of the Virgin was also manifested in her going to Elizabeth in order to serve her, during the period of her pregnancy. As soon as she heard that she was pregnant, in her sixth month, she travelled to her in a tiring journey across the mountains. She remained with her for three months, till her days were complete to give birth (Luke 1: 39-56). She did so while she was pregnant with the Lord of glory. Her lack of talking about the glories of the divine Incarnation, is a sign of her humility.

LIFE OF ABANDON She lived saintly and purely in the temple. Then came a time when they said to her to go out of the temple. She did not protest or object, such as many women do, when they are forbidden by the ecclesiastical laws, to enter the church in certain periods; and they protest and discuss much ....! She wanted to live without marriage, but they ordered her to live under the guardianship of a man, according to the custom in her days..... She did not protest then, and she accepted to live in the custody of a man, as she had accepted to go out of the temple........ She lived the life of abandon, not protesting, not resisting, not objecting, but quietly abandonning to the will of God, without discussion. She was determined to live the life of virginity, and did never think at any time of becoming a mother. And when God willed that she becomes a mother by the coming of the Holy Spirit upon her (Luke 1:35), she did not discuss, but replied with her immortal expression: "Behold the maid -servant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38)..... For that, God granted her the motherhood, and kept her virginity too, and she became a mother, the thing in which she had absolutely never thought ...... Through abandon, she became the mother of the Lord....... rather the greatest in value of all mothers. She was ordered to go to Egypt, and she went. And she was ordered to come back from Egypt, and she came back. She was ordered to move from Bethlehem and to reside in Nazareth, and she moved and resided. She was a calm human being, living the life of abandon, without discussion. That is why "He who is mighty has done great things" to her........ "For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant".

THE LIFE OF ENDURANCE She became an orphan from her two parents, when she was eight years old, and she endured the life of orphanage. She lived in the temple while she was a child, and she endured the life of solitude there. She came out of the temple in order to live in the custody of a carpentar, and

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she endured the life of poverty. When she gave birth to her only Son, "there was no room for them in the inn", then she "laid Him in a manger" (Luke 2:7). She supported that also....... She endured the responsability while she was in a tender age. She supported the magnificent glory which surrounded her, without being harrassed by the thoughts of greatness. It was not possible for her to declare that she has given birth while she was a virgin, so she kept silent and endured that. She suffered the tiring voyage to Egypt and back. She suffered to be expelled there from town to town, because the idols were falling down in front of the Christ (Is. 19:1). She suffered to be a poor foreigner. She suffered that a sword would pierce through her own soul also (Luke 2:35) because of that which her Son met, the persecutions, the insults, and lastly the suffering and the shame of the cross....... The Virgin was not satisfied only to endure negatively, but she lived in the jubilation by the Lord as she said in her hymn: "my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour" (Luke 1:47).

FAITH AND NOT GRUMBLING She did not grumble at all in all that she suffered. When Herod menaced to kill her Son, in the flight to Egypt, and in the persecutions from the Jews, she did not say, where is the announcement that He will sit to reign on the throne of his father David....and there will be no end to his kingdom (Luke 1: 32-33)! But she was rather patient; and as Elizabeth said about her "And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord" (Luke 1:45). She believed that she will give birth while remaining a virgin, and that was realised for her. She believed that the "Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35), in spite of his birth in a manger. What she believed in, was realised for her, by way of the visions and the angels whom she saw, and the miracles which were accomplished by Him. She believed in all that, in spite of the persecutions to which He was exposed....... She believed while He was on the cross, then she saw Him after His resurrection from the dead (Matt. 28).

SILENCE, PRAYER, AND MEDITATION It was God who arranged that she became an orphan and lived in the temple.

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In the temple, she learned the life of solitude and silence, and to become preoccupied with prayer and meditation. Having lost the love and tenderness of her parents, she became preoccupied with the love of God alone. She lived a life of seclusion with prayers, hymns, reading of the Holy Bible, study and recall from memory of many of its verses, and of the psalms. Certainly her hymn in the house of Elizabeth is a proof of that, because the majority of its verses are taken from the psalms and the verses of the Holy Bible. Silence became one of the characteristics of her spirituality. Although she was in the events of the Nativity: having seen wonderful things which probably exceed the endurance of her age as a small girl, and miracles that surrounded her, and having heard the words of angels, shepherds, and wise men from the East.......... she did not speak proudly about the events of the Nativity, but "kept all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2"19). The silent meditating Virgin is a lesson for us. May we be like her: meditating much, and speaking a little. Nevertheless I see, that when time came for her to speak, she became a source for the ecclesiastical tradition, in some of the news which the apostles and the evangelists learned from her: the miracles and the events during the flight to Egypt, and the conversation of the Christ among the masters in the temple while He was young (Luke 3: 46-47).

OTHER VIRTUES The Lord has chosen this poor orphan girl, to become the foremost woman in existence. She possessed in her virtues what is more than riches. Also among her virtues, there are her personal sanctity, her purity and her virginity, her spiritual knowledge, her service to others, and her spiritual motherhood to the fathers apostles. Time would lack if we were to speak about all her virtues.

HER BLESSINGS O how many are the blessings that were given to the Virgin! They were mentionned in the melodies of the Church, in the hymns, in the "theotokies" (praise of the mother of God), the songs, the doxologies (praise of benediction), in each day of her feasts days, in the book of praises for the month of Kiahk, in the hymns of the Church, and in the book of praises (Psalmodiah). The Church mentions her before the archangels when citing the names of the assembly of the saints; and so also in all her intercessional

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prayers. The Church, in her blessing of the Virgin, realises the prophecy which she said in her hymn: "For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed" (Luke 1:48). The Church offers incense to her, and presents greetings to her. Many are the hymns which begin with the expression "Hail to Mary" (shara na Maria, in Coptic), or the hymns which begin with the expression "Rejoice O Mary", or the hymn where the prophet David moves the ten cords of his guitar, and he mentions a blessing to her in each cord. We mention her in the book of prayers of the hours, and in the mass, and in all the books of the Church: In the Synaxaire, in the "Difnar", in the "Katamaras", in the "Psalmodia", and in all the books of hymns and responses......... We mention her in the book of the prayers of the hours, in the third paragraph of every prayer in the prayers of the day, asking for her intercession. We mention her in the creed, and we say in its prelude:" We exalt you, O mother of the True Light and we glorify you, O saint Virgin, mother of God......." We mention her in the prayer of the benediction, in its beginning and in its end. We begin the benediction saying: "through the prayers and supplications and implorations which the mother of God, the saint pure Virgin, raises every time for our sake". And after mentioning the names of the angels, the apostles, the prophets, the martyrs, and all the saints, we terminate the benediction saying: "and the blessing of our Lady the Virgin firstly and lastly".....

THE ICON OF THE VIRGIN There is a difference between images for meditation, and an icon for the rites. In the icons, it is indispensable that she appears with the Christ, as being the mother of God. She must be at his right side, for it has been said in the psalm: "At your right hand stands the queen" (Ps. 45:9). And because she is a queen, there must be a crown on her head, and so the Christ. As a saint, there must be a halo of light around her head, for the Lord said: "You are the light of the world" (Matt. 5:14). Because she is the second heaven, there are stars, angels, and clouds around her.

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Intercede for us, O saint Virgin, in order that the Lord would include us in His mercy.

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Pope Shenouda III series 7

THE TWO SAINTS

PETER & PAUL

(ON THE FEAST'S DAY OF THE APOSTLES WHICH IS THEIR FEAST)

BY HIS HOLINESS AMBA SHENOUDA III, POPE AND PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA

AND OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE OF ALL THE PREDICATION OF SAINT MARK

First print: Cairo, July 1997 Available from: http://www.copticchurch.net

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Name of the book: The two saints Peter & Paul Author: His Holiness Pope Shenouda III

Editor: Orthodox Coptic Clerical College, Cairo Edition: July 1997 Press: Amba Rueiss, (Offset), The Cathedral, Abbassia Deposition number at "The Library": 8476/97 I.S.B.N. 977 - 5345 - 43 - X

All rights reserved to the author His Holiness Pope Shenouda III

Pope and Patriarch of the See of Alexandria and of all the Predication of the Evangelist St. Mark

The feast of the the apostles (5 Abib) is the feast of the martyrdom of S. Peter & S. Paul. I shall talk to you about them, not as regards History, but as a spiritual life which can be a lesson. What were the points of resemblance, and the points of difference in their lives? and how God had chosen these two kinds for the building up of His kingdom? Both are two apostles, and martyrs. Each of them has his own style. But both the two styles were for the glory of God. Pope Shenouda III

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PREFACE On the occasion of the feast of the apostles, I had wished to talk to you about the apostles in a general manner. But I have found that this is greater than to be contained in a summary pamphlet like this one. So I preferred to write for you only about these two great apostles: S. Peter & S. Peter; especially that the feast of the apostles (5 Abib) is the feast of the martyrdom of S. Peter & S. Paul. As for the talk about our fathers the apostles in a general manner, there will be a special pamphlet for that, later on, if the Lord permits and we live. And believe me, a single pamphlet is not enough even for our limitation only to these two apostles, but we shall talk very briefly. We do not write History in this pamphlet, because History would need volumes, and researches, and maps.... But I shall write to you here about the spiritual lessons and not about History. That is what we can learn, as much as it is possible, from the lives of the apostles. If we turn to History, it will be in a secondary manner. On the occasion of the feast of the apostles Pope Shenouda III

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The Church celebrates the memory of the martyrdom of these two saints on the 5th of Abib, which is the 12th of July.This feast is called in our Church by the name of "the feast of the apostles". Its date is unchanged in every year. The Church venerates these two apostles very profoundly; and praises them and honors them exceedingly; especially in the prayer of "the partition" or "the division" which pertains to the fast of the apostles and to the feast of the apostles, which we pray during the holy mass. Although there are not many churches which are called by their two names together, there is a church which is called by their two names in the region of Amba Roueiss in Cairo, and another church which is called by their two names in Los Angeles, California, USA. These two saints represent two distinguished kinds as regards the personality, the mission, and the style. Each one of them has distinct characteristics.

THE POINTS OF DIFFERENCE

Peter was among the first whom the Lord had chosen to work with Him (Matt. 10). And Paul was not among the twelve, and not even among the seventy apostles, but the Lord chose him lastly, after the resurrection and years after the choice of Matthias...... He did not follow Christ during His predication on earth. He rather said about that: "Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" (1 Cor. 15: 8 -9). And although he was the last in his call, yet he "laboured more abundantly than they all" (1 Cor. 15:10). That shows that it is not a matter of precedence, but according to the amount of weariness from exertion for God. A person may not be the most ancient among the workers in ministry, and nevertheless he may be the strongest of all the workers. John the Baptist was not the first prophet in the Old Testament, but he was the last of them in their chronological order. Nevertheless it was said that "among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist" (Matt. 11:11).

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St. Augustin said to the Lord: "I have been very much late to love You". And with his lateness, he was more profound than millions who had preceded him. Peter was born in Bethsaide, and his family lived in Capernaum (Kafr Nahum). Paul was born in Tarsus of Cilicia. He went to Jerusalem in the early years of his youth to complete his religious instruction, in order to study the Law at the hands of one of the great teachers" (Acts 22:3). The apostle Peter was a married man. It was mentioned in the Gospel that Christ healed his step-mother from fever (Matt. 8: 14-15). In his journeys for the predication, he wandered accompanied by his wife as a sister (1 Cor. 9:5). But the apostle Paul was a virgin. (1 Cor. 7:7). He called for the preference of virginity. "But each one has his own gift from God", "as the Lord has called each one...... Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called" (1 Cor. 7: 7,17,20). That proves that the Lord calls everybody to His service, whether they are married like Peter, or virgins like Paul. Peter began his life with the Lord Christ with love, confidence, and faith. But on the contrary: Paul began by enemity, as a persecutor of the Church and of everyone who followed Christ, so that the Lord, when He met him on the road to Damascus, began his conversation with him by reprimanding him saying: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4). Saint Peter was a simple man, a fisherman (Matt. 4:18). He was ignorant and was not instructed into culture or science. He is one of whom "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise" (1 Cor. 27). It was said of him, of him and saint John, "that they were uneducated and untrained men" (Acts 4:13). But saint Paul was one of the learned of his age, who was educated at the University of Tarsus, and brought up at the feet of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He was well-known for his culture and for reading many books. (Acts 26:24). That shows us that the Lord equally employs everybody for His kingdom, the learned and the simple. The important thing for them is to be useful ustensils for the work of His grace...... There was also a distinction in the mission of each of the two saints Peter and Paul.

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The apostle Peter began his ministry while he was old-aged. Perhaps he was the oldest of all the apostles. Therefore they venerated his old age. As regards age, he said about saint Mark: "Mark my son " (1 Peter 5:13). But saint Paul was smaller than saint Peter in age. Also among the points of difference: the apostle Paul formed for himself disciples in a greater number than Peter did. Among his disciples were Timothy and Titus to whom he sent epistles. Also among his disciples, were Luke, Aristarchus, Tichycus, Carpus, the deaconess Phebe, Achilla and Priscilla......and others. Mark followed both of them: first he followed Peter, then he remained with Paul to the end of his life (2 Tim. 4:11). It was said about saint Peter that he was "the apostle of circumcision" He was confided in "the gospel of circumcision", that is the predication to the Jews; while Paul was confided in "the Gospel of uncircoumsision", that is the predication to the Gentiles. Such is what the apostle saint Paul said: "the gospel of the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter, for He who worked effectivey in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles" (Gal. 2: 7-8). The Lord said to Paul: "Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21). And He also said to him: "for as you testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome" (Rom.23:11). Paul wrote an epistle to the Romans, and some epistles to the churches of the Gentiles. Peter wrote to the Jews "the pilgrims of the Dispersion" (1 Peter 1:1). Saint Paul wrote 14 epistles which consisted of 100 chapters. Saint Peter wrote only two epistles which consisted of 8 chapters. Saint Peter was simple in his writings. As for saint Paul, saint Peter said about his epistles "in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16). Saint Paul talked about theological questions like the justification, the renovation, Law and grace, the baptism, the priesthood, choice and rejection, living as Jews ...... matters which saint Peter did not approach.

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Saint Peter was impulsive. That was probably because of his great zeal, or his jealousy. The Lord praised him when he testified of Him that He is the Son of the living God (Matt. 16: 15:19). But many times the Lord reprimanded him for his impulsiveness. Such as when He reprimanded him afterwards, when the Lord was talking about his future sufferings and His killing by the Jews. Then Peter said impetuously: "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to you! Then the Lord rebuked him saying: "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men"(Matt. 16: 21:23). Peter also was implusive during the Lord's washing of His apostles' feet. He refused and "said to Him: You shall never wash my feet!" But when "Jesus answered him: "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me. Simon Peter said to Him: "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head"...... (John 13: 8-10). Another time when the Lord Christ was arrested, Peter "having a sword", impulsively "drew it and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. So, Jesus said to Peter: "Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?" (John 18: 10-11). And He also said to him: "for all who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matt. 26: 51,52). Thus we see that the Lord has chosen him in spite of his impulsiveness, then He has transformed this impulsiveness into good since the day of the Pentecost. Then we see Peter beginning to speak in that day, and he explained what was happening to the people (Acts 2), and he called them to faith. He also began to speak on the day of the healing of the lame, and rebuked the Jews because they had preferred a murderer to the Lord Christ, before Pilate (Acts 3:12-26). He came forward in many occasions, as when he said: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Act 5:29). Thus the Lord employed the impulsiveness ot Peter for the good. As for saint Paul, he was also enthusiastic, but without impulsiveness..... Because of the difference in their style of work, saint Paul once reprimanded saint Peter himself: He explained this in the second chapter of his epistle to the Galatians saying: "Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before cetain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And

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the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all: "If you being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?" (Gal. 2: 11-14). Nevertheless the two saints participated together and resembled each other in substantial matters like zeal and martyrdom.

POINTS OF RESEMBLANCE Both were Jews. The apostle Paul mentioned that he was a Jew, from the tribe of Benjamin (Philippians 3:5). The Bible did not mention from which tribe was the apostle Peter. Both were called by the Lord. Peter was "casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them: [Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and followed Him" (Matt. 4: 18-20). The Lord called Paul as "he journeyed to Damascus, and suddently a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground" (Acts 9: 1--4), and the Lord called him, sending him first to Ananias of Damascus. And as the Lord Jesus-Christ called him, also the Holy Spirit called him, and said: "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them" (Acts 13:2). Likewise also God the Father called him. The apostle saint Paul said about that: "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me" (Gal. 1: 15-17). Thus we see that the apostle saint Paul was called by the three Persons, each separately. Although both the saint apostles Peter and Paul were likewise called by God, yet the manner of the call was different; and also the number of the calls. The Lord changed the name of each of them:

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Peter was called Simeon, son of Jonah (John 21:15). The Lord called him by the name of Peter. (Matt. 16: 17-18). The name of Saul was changed into Paul. At the beginning of his call, the Lord called him by the name of Saul (Acts 9:4). During his predication, He called him by the name of Paul (Acts 23:11). The Holy Spirit came upon each of them; and each of them spoke with tongues. It is evident that the apostle Peter spoke languages on the day of Pentecost, for the Spirit of the Lord had come upon him. The apostle Paul said in his epistle to the Corinthians: "I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all" (1 Cor. 14:18). And it was said in the story of Elymas the sorcerer: "Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said......" (Acts 13:9). Each of them had the power to give the Holy Spirit. It was said about Peter and John, that the apostles who were in Jerusalem, sent them to Samaria when it believed: "Then they laid hands on them, and the received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:17). It was likewise said about the apostle Paul that after the baptism of the Ephesians "when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prohesied" (Acts 19: 5-6). Each of them made wonders and miracles. It was said about the apostle Paul: "Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, wo that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them" (Acts 19:11). Each of them raised up a dead. The apostle Peter resuscitated from death "a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas". He "prayed. And turning to the body he said: Tabitha, arise". And she opened her eyes ..... Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up ........ and ...... presented her alive" (Acts 9: 36-41). The apostle Paul resuscitated from death "a certain young man named Euthychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead." But Paul ressuscitated him. "And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted" (Acts 20: 7-12).

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Each of them was a flame of energy, holy zeal, and work of predication. Each of them preached and taught, and made efforts in the ministry. Since the day of the Pentecost, Peter taught and preached, and testified to the resurrection of the Lord Christ, in the temple and outside the temple. He preached in Jerusalem, in Lydda, and in Joppa (Acts 9: 22,31). He moved from Joppa to Cesarea where he admonished and baptised Cornelius and those who were with him (Acts 10). He also preached the Jews of the Dispersion, and sent to them an epistle "To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia" (1 Peter 1:1). The apostle saint Paul "laboured more abundantly than they (the apostles) all" (1 Cor. 15:10). Therefore we shall select a special chapter for him. Each of them was bold and courageous in his predication. It is enough as regards the apostle Peter that he insisted upon his predication, and did not care about the threatening by the Jews, but said his famous expression: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). He rather rebuked the Jews saying: "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life" (Acts 3: 13-15). The apostle saint Paul was very courageous before the governors. It is that the governor Felix was terrified before him, who was a captive, "as he reasoned about righteousness, self -control, and the judgement to come" (Acts 24:25). And when he stood before the king Agrippa during his trial, he said to him: "King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe". Then Agrippa said to Paul: "You almost persuade me to become a Christian". And Paul said: "I would to God that not only youm but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains" (Acts 26: 27-29). Because of the courage of saint Paul, [as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by: "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying: "Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman"] And when the commander heard this, he was "afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had

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bound him". "Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him" (Acts 22: 25-29). Because of the courage of saint Paul, when the governor Festus wanted to deliver him to the Jews to kill him, he said: "I stand at Caesar's judgement seat, where I ought to be judged ....... For if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar. Then Festus ...... answered: "You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!" (Acts 25: 10-12). Each of the two saints Peter and Paul was firm in his punishment of the sinners. We touch this in the punishment by saint Peter of Ananias and Sapphira when they "kept back part of the proceeds" of their sold possession and lied to the Holy Spirit; then Peter said to Ananias: "You have not lied to men but to God" (Acts 5:4). Then Ananias "fell down and breathed his last". And when his wife Sapphira repeated the same lie, saint Peter said to her: ["How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out". Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last] (Acts 5:9). This firmness was necessary, in order for the Church not to begin with negligence and indifference. Therefore it was said afterwards: "So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things" (Acts 5:11). This punishment confirms the amount of power which God granted to that saint apostle. Another example is the position of saint Peter as regards Simeon the sorcerer. This one was astonished that "through the layin g of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money" to obtain the same gift! "But Peter said to him (with firmness and authority): "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! ........ Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity" (Acts 8: 18-22). The apostle Paul also acted with every firmness with the sinner of Corinth. That one who had fallen into the sin of adultery with his father's wife. When the apostle Paul heard about this, he sent to them saying: "I

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indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit,have already judged .... deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus". And he reprimanded the people and said to them: "put away from yourselves the evil person" (1 Cor. 5: 3-5, 13). This firmness had its effect for the repentance of that sinner and for the holy zeal of the people. Another example of the firmness of saint Paul, is his position as regards Elymas the sorcerer. ("For so his name is translated") The apostle "Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him", rebuked him and said: "now indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time. And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand" (Acts 13: 6-11). This event indicates also the authority which God granted to that saint apostle. And it happened as he said. In spite of all this, the two saint apostles were humble. At the beginning of the Lord's call of Peter, in the miracle of the catching of fish, we read that after the miracle that "he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (Luke 5:8). The tradition informs us that during his martyrdom and crucifixion, he asked to be crucified head down because of his feeling of his sins, and not to be crucified as the Lord ........ The apostle Paul, in spite of all his fights in preaching, in spite of his numerous miracles, we see him write to this disciple Timotheus saying: "although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Tim. 1:13). And he says in his first epistle to the Corinthians about the appearances of the Lord: "Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" (1 Cor. 15: 8 -9). The examples and proofs of the humility of these two great apostles are very numerous, and it is not the appropriate time for them, in this summary pamphlet...... Each of them was exposed to many persecutions. Saint Peter was persecuted together with the rest of the apostles at the beginning of Christianity. "the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them" (Acts 4:1). They arrested them, then they

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let them go. They conferred among themselves to kill them; were it not for the intervention of the Law teacher Gamaliel ..... (Acts 5: 32-40). They scourged them and "commanded them that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:41). Saint Peter suffered scourging for Christ, and likewise also he was confined to jail. Herod arrested him to please the Jews, and "he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover" (Acts 12: 3-4). But the angel of the Lord delivered Peter that night, and brought him out of prison..... As for Paul, how numerous are the persecutions which happened to him and to his participants in the ministry!? He said about this: "But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in sleeplessness, in fastings ........ (2 Cor. 6: 4 -5). "We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal body. For we who live are always delivered to death" (2Cor. 4: 8 -11). He has explained in (2 Cor. 11) a summary of his sufferings. He said: "in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in peril of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness". Each of the saints Peter and Paul obtained the crown of martyrdom. Each of them ended his life as a martyr in the year 67 AD at the hands of the ceasar Neron. The apostle saint Peter was crucified head down. The apostle saint Paul was beheaded with the sword.

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The apostle saint Peter

He has three names: Simon the son of Jonah, Cephas, and Peter. He and his brother Andrew were fishermen. His brother knew Christ before him. Simon began his acquaintance with Christ by way of his brother Andrew. It was mentioned in the gospel of John about Andrew: "He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him: "We have found the Messiah (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said: "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas [which is translated, (Peter,) A Stone] (John 1: 40-42). We note that the three names came in a single verse. Simon Peter became the first name among the twelve (Matt. 10:2). Rather he became one of three who were very near to the Lord Christ. They are Peter, James, and John, whom He took to the mount of the Transfiguration, and "His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light" (Matt. 17: 1,2); and they saw with Him Moses and Elijah talking to Him...... The Lord took these three with Him in the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus from death. The gospel of Mark says about that: "And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James" (Mark 5:37). These three are also those whom He took with Him to the garden of Gethsemany, in His agony before the crucifixion. The gospel of Matthew says about that: "And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee...." (Matt. 26:37). Hence, Peter, James and John had a certain familiarity by Christ. Therefore the apostle Paul considers Peter to be one of the three pillars of the church in the days of the apostles.........

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He says: "and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcision" (Gal. 2:9). The apostle saint Peter loved the Lord Christ very much. He loved His words and His instruction. Accordingly when some disciples returned back; and the Lord [said to the twelve: "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6: 66-68). His love for Him was manifested in his words on Maundy-Thursday night. When the Lord said to His disciples: "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night", Peter with his well-known implusiveness answered and said to Him: "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble ....... Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You" (Matt. 26: 31-35). "I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death" (Luke 22:33). Verily, he denied Him three times, but out of weakness, and not out of lack of love. A proof of this is that when the rooster crew, "he went out and wept bitterly" (Matt. 26:75). Another proof is that he answered the Lord after the resurrection: "You know that I love you" (John 21: 17). The Lord accepted his repentance, and established him in his apostleship and said to him: "Feed My lambs", "Tend My sheep" (John 21: 15,16). The apostle Peter manifested great courage and boldness after the coming of the Holy Spirit. The first chapters of the book of the Acts of the Apostles are nearly centered about the two apostles Peter and John; and narrate to us what they did in the building of the first Church, before the appearance of the apostle Paul. We do not forget the strength of the apostle Peter in exhortation: The effect of his sermon on the day of the Pentecost, which drew to faith nearly three thousand men who "were cut to the heart" (Acts 2:37), and were baptised; and likewise his sermon after the healing of the lame (Acts 3); and his courageous standing before all the chiefs and the priests of the Jews; and his unrestricted manifestation of his faith. It is evident that he could recall from memory the psalms and the verses of the Bible. He mentioned them in his profound interpretations. For example: what he said about Judas (Acts 1: 16-20); what he said on the day of the Pentecost; his quotation of what came in the book of the prophet Joel (Acts 2: 16-21); other quotations from the book of the Psalms (Acts :24-30) ..... all this in consequent verses. Add to this what he said

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on the day of the healing of the lame, and his quotation of the sayings of the prophets (Acts 3: 21-25). The apostle Peter is astonishing in his recalling from memory of the verses of the Bible, and their use. Examples of this are numerous. That is not the time to count them. We find the same situation in his two epistles which he wrote. It is the style of a man who filled with the spirit of the Bible, and with the soundness of the explanation of the words. He said: "knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21). It was he who said: "I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder, that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets...." (2 Peter 3: 1-2).

The apostle saint Paul

He is one of the giant capacities of ministry As soon as he entered into faith, the Lord employed him for the building of the kingdom, and he worked by him action. The book of the Acts of the Apostles begins by mentioning the work of the twelve, and specially Peter and John. After mentioning Paul, nearly the rest of the book is occupied bith this great apostle, specially after the council of Jerusalem. He "laboured more abundantly than they all" (1 Cor. 15:10), he enjoyed gifs and revelations, and ascended to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12: 2 -7). He suffered from every body for the predication (2 Cor. 11). He preached in all the great apostolic churches. He served much in Jerusalem and in Antioch. He founded the churches of Greece, as well as the church of Rome, where he stayed for two years preaching "the kingdom of God ......... with all confidence, no one forbidding him" (Acts 28: 30-31). He was tired on the land and at sea, preaching in three voyages, in Asia, Europe, till he arrived west to Spain where he founded its church. He served in many islands: in Cyprus, Crete, Malta, Sicilia, and he founded their churches.

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In Asia, he preached in Jerusalem, Tyr, Cesarea, Antioch, Ephesus, Meletis, and some cities in Minor Asia.... In Europe, he preached in Cyprus, Greece, Macedonia, Philippi, Thessalonique, Berea, Athens, Corinth, Troas, Rome and many cities in Italy. He spoke in the Temple and the synagogues, and in the houses, and in the Areopagus, and the temples and possibly in every place. He was exposed to many false accusations from the Jews; he stood before governors, and kings, as Felix, Festus, Agrippa, Ceasar, and the council of the Sanhedrim. He was imprisonned and captive many times: in Philippi, Cesarea, and twice in Rome ...... He wrote much. He wrote fourteen epistles. Two of the evangelists are his disciples, they are Mark and Luke. Also among his disciples there are Aristarchus, Timotheus, Titus, and others. He was surnamed the apostle of the Gentiles: The Lord said to him: "I will send you far from here to the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21), "as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome" (Acts 23:11). He obtained the crown of martyrdom by being beheaded at the hands of Neron in the year 67 AD. And he obtained the crown of virginity, and the crown of apostleship, and the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8). May the blessing of his prayers be with us all.

THE APOSTLE PAUL'S DISCIPLES

1. Saint Timotheus: to whom the apostle Paul wrote two epistles. The apostle Paul ordinated him bishop of Ephesus. He reminded him with the laying of his hands upon him. He was the assistant of saint Paul in many of his voyages. He went to Philippi (Philippi 2: 19-20); to Corinth (2 Cor. 1:1), to Macedonia (Acts 19:22), and likewise he went to Rome (Heb. 13:23). He was very active in ministry in spite of the sickness of his stomach and his "frequent infirmities" (1Tim. 5:23). He began his service from his youth, so that saint Paul said to him: "Let no one despise your youth" (1 Tim. 4:12). He was helped by his

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knowledge since his childhood of holy books, his origin in a saint family and specially his mother and his grandmother (Lois and Eunice). 2. Titus: He is one of the disciples of the apostle Paul to whom he wrote an epistle. He ordinated him bishop of Crete .... He called him his son (Titus 1:4), as he called also Timotheus his son (1 Tim.1:18). He accompanied the apostle in some of his journeys, and went with him to Nicopolis and Delmatia. The saint sent him to Corinth, and left him to arrange the matter of pastorship, and to ordinate priests, in Crete. 3. Tychicus: One of the disciples of the apostle Paul. He sent him to Ephesus (Eph. 6:21), and to Colosse (Co;. 4:7). He was among the most united sons to him. He mentioned in some of his epistles. (Titus 3:12), (2 Tim. 4:12). The rest of Paul's disciples: Those who loved saint Paul, and whom he mentioned in his epistles, are many, as for example it was mentioned in (Rom. 16)..... Among his well-known disciples: Aristarchus whose name he once mentioned before the evangelist Luke (Philemon 23), and he described him as his fellow labourer. Among the disciples of Paul also, Epaphras (Philemon 22), and also the apostle Mark, the evangelist Luke, and others......

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THE BEHOLDER OF GODMARK THE EVANGELIST

SAINT AND MARTYR

BYBYH.H. POPE SHENOUDA IIIH.H. POPE SHENOUDA III

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THE BEHOLDER OF GOD

MARK THE EVANGELISTSAINT AND MARTYR

BY

HIS HOLINESS

POPE SHENOUDA III

THE 117 Th. PATRIARCHOF THE SEE OF ST. MARK THE EVANGELIST

A CONCISE ENGLISH TRANSLATIONOF THE FOURTH EDITION

TRANSLATED BYSAMIR F. MIKHAIL, MD.MAGED S. MIKHAIL, MD.

ST. PETER AND ST. PAUL COPTICORTHODOX CHURCH

1245 4TH STREETSANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA 90401

Tel. : (310) 917-1981

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THE BEHOLDER OF GODMARK THE EVANGELIST

SAINT AND MARTYR

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H.H. Pope Shenouda III, 117th Pope ofAlexandria and the See of St. Mark

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PREFACE

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, THE SON,AND THE HOLY SPIRIT,

ONE GOD AMEN.

The first Egyptian Orthodox Church in the United Statesof America was named after Saint Mark. It was logical to theearly Egyptians who came to the States to choose his name. fortheir first church in their new country. St. Mark was the apostleand the preacher and the first bishop to their church. He is theone who led their forefathers to accept the faith and to confessthat Jesus Christ is the Savior, and the Son of God. They hadalways been appreciative to this great apostle.

The prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled and the Lordbecame known to Egypt.: "In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord in the midst ofthe land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord.[Isaiah 19 - 19]

"Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed beEgypt my people".[Isaiah 19 - 25]

Here in our church at Santa Monica, we felt obliged tolet our children know about this great apostle and what he didfor Egypt. Since they can't read our books written in Arabicabout St. Mark and the See of Alexandria, it was necessary totranslate to them in English so they can benefit from it.

The Church Board of Directors unanimously chose thebook written by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III about St.Mark to be translated to the Egyptian Americans and for everyone who is seeking the knowledge and education.

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We feel proud to introduce a concise translation of thebook written by H.H. Pope Shenouda III which was publishedin Cairo in 1968 and was reprinted several times. This is a bookthat the new Egyptian Americans will be keen to read about thechurch, whose fathers brought with them to USA when theycame to the land of immigration and never traded it withanother.

In our humble effort we want to thank the directors ofthe Church Board for the support to print this book and to allwho contributed in that effort. Special thanks are in order toMr. Hany and Mr. Nabil for their help in expediting thepublication of this book.

We ask for God's blessing. We are thankful for theopportunity given to us to print this book in English. Thescholar who wrote "The Beholder of God, Mark the Evangelist,Saint and Martyr", is no stranger to St. Mark, he is PopeShenouda III, the 117 Patriarch in succession to our Saint. Lettheir prayers and blessings be with us, Amen.

September 1995 Father PaulMegally

Santa Monica, California. St. Peter & St. PaulCoptic Orthodox Church

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INTRODUCTION

We are indebted to this great preacher, who came to ourcountry to teach in the name of Christ. The Word of Godreached us after his blood was shed on our land.

We appreciate this Saint, the first to write the Gospelregistering the life of Lord Christ and His Works, so humanitycan be saved.

We are grateful to the Saint whose name was given tothe first church in our country, where his body was buried andafter him our Patriarchs were chosen. Their first duty was toget blessed by his tomb and holding his skull and dressing itwith a new garment.

The great Saint preached in the name of Christ inEgypt, Libya, Cyprus, some countries in Asia, Rome and otherEuropean countries. He is honored by Venice and othercountries are seeking his blessings.

That is the apostle, the preacher, the evangelist, themartyr, the beholder of God, whose home was the first churchin the world [Acts 12 - 12]. In this home, God instituted thesacrament of the Eucharist and His disciples were with theHoly Spirit.

He did many miracles and was symbolized by a lion.This lion is also the symbol of his Gospel and character.

Alas. we neglected the Saint in the past ! Now wewill try, from our hearts to honor him, as a father for all of us.

We celebrated the return of his relics with enormousjoy. A new cathedral was built and was given his name, sowere other churches built every where carrying his name, in

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Egypt and in the lands of immigration, where our sons anddaughters proudly feel, that they belong to this great preacher.

His name was given to our first bishop in France.His works, evoke the deep and cordial feelings in our hearts,whenever we celebrate his feast.

To follow his way, is the least to express our feelingstowards this great preacher. It is nice to complete his workin preaching and teaching, and to remember his struggle for thefaith. He took numerous trips, through the three continents,the ones known at his time. He walked along the long roadstill his sandals were torn.

Let his spirit be with us and by the Grace of God, wecan proudly follow his path .

This book is just a kind of expression of our gratitudetowards the great teacher and to acquaint his sons anddaughters all over the world, with his pure life, that suffered andstruggled so the faith can reach us.

This book was written in 1968 on the occasion of thereturn of the relics of St. Mark to Egypt and the establishmentof the Saint Mark Great Cathedral at Anba Ruweis in Cairo.The book was reprinted to satisfy the demands from the publicfor their benefit .

Thanks to those who contributed in issuing this edition,particularly the staff at the Printing Shop at the Great Cathedralin Anba Ruweis.

Shenouda III

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CHAPTER ONE

THE UPRAISING OF SAINT MARK

A Jew With A Gentile Character:

St. Mark was a Jew from the Levite Tribe (1), he preachedboth Jews and Gentiles, but mainly among the gentiles. Hehad two names, "John", is the Jewish name and "Mark", is thegentile one. Mark became his distinctive name. He was born aJew in Africa, thus he is an African born Apostle. Hisbirthplace was in Gyréne, one of the Five Western Cities inLibya, in a small village called Aberyatolos.(2)

Two Names:

His Jewish name, "John", meant "The Kindness of God" (3)and it was mentioned twice in the Book of Acts. [Acts 13:5,13]. His Roman name was "Mark" which meant a"hammer"(4), an unfamiliar name to the Jews. (5) Josephus, inhis book, mentioned that he was the cousin of Philo. (6) OurApostle was mentioned as Mark in all the epistles of St. Paul [Cor 4:10 ; Phi 24 ; II Tim 4:11] ; St. Peter in [1 Peter 5:13] andin the Book of Acts [Acts 15:39] On three occasions, his two names were mentioned together.It was either said, John who was named Mark, or John who wasknown as Mark.

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A Religious Family :

Mark was raised in a religious family, many of its memberswere the acquaintance to Lord Christ Himself. His mother wasone of the "Marys" who followed Christ. The believersgathered and prayed at her house, at the time of the Apostles.[Acts 12:12] She was a reverend woman and highly regardedby the early Christians. (7) His father was Artistopolos, a cousin of the wife of St. Peterthe Apostle. St. Paul mentioned that he was also related to Barnabas, oneof the seventy apostles (8) St. Paul told the Colossians, "Aristarchus my fellow prisoner salutes you, and Marcus, sister'sson to Barnabas." [Col 4:10]. However, some of the Greek,Latin and Coptic translations didn't mention the phrase"nephew of Barnabas" (9), may be due to the fact thatsome of the Greek words had more than one meaning. BishopYousab of Fouwa, in his book, "The History of The Patriarchs",wrote that St. Mark was related to St. Thomas the Apostle. A religious family with such ties to the Lord Christ was agood environment for young Mark to grow up. Anba Severus Ben Al Mokafaa, the Bishop of AlAshmouneen, wrote in his book, " The History of ThePatriarchs of Alexandria", that St. Mark the Apostle was born inGyréne to religious parents who knew the Law and theProphets. His uncle Barnabas, or his cousin, was one of the first whosold property and lived a shared life with the Apostles, asmentioned in the Book, "And Joseph who by the Apostles wassurnamed Barnabas, a Levite,(10) from Cyprus", "Having land,sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the Apostles' feet "[Acts 4:36.37]. The Book of Acts testified , "For he was a good

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man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith." The Holy Spiritchose him to preach with Paul, telling him, " Separate meBarnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them"[Acts 13:2] With Barnabas, who was filled by the Holy Spirit and faithand with Paul , John and Mark, served as the Book described,"And they had also John to their minister". [Acts 13:5]

His Birth and Upraising:

He was born in Gyréne, in the Western Five Cities, where hisfather and uncle were rich. His mother was also rich and wascapable of teaching him Greek, Latin and Hebrew. (11) Heexcelled in them, (12) and became well educated in religion.He studied The Law and the history of the prophets. Becauseof that wealth of knowledge, some thought he was a translatorto Peter the Apostle during his missionary. It was mentioned that some barbaric tribes attacked thefamily's properties in Gyréne, at the time of Augustus Caesar,that forced them to emigrate to Palestine. By the time LordChrist began His teaching, the family was already settledthere.(13) That was how Mark met The Lord and became one of hisdisciples. His mother Mary also hosted Him in her house andwas among the women who served Him. It was mentioned thatMark was at the Wedding of Cana of Galilee, where God didHis first miracle, changing the water into wine. [John 2} Hewas among those who tasted it. (14)

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ST. MARK'S HOMETHE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH

No home had more fame than St. Mark's home. It was therewhere Lord Jesus Christ observed the passover with his puredisciples. There He washed their feet and gave them HisCovenant, His Holy Body and Blood. That was where thedisciples hid before the resurrection. In it, the Holy Spirit filledthe disciples and they spoke in tongues. This great home wasthe first Christian Church and its most upper room was thefamous Zion chamber. All these facts were mentioned in our Coptic references aswell as in books of the Catholics, Protestants and otherchurches. In his book " Les Saints d'Egypte", Father Paul DorlianeChineau testified that Mark was known as 'son of Mary', theneighbor and the hostess of Christ, and that Mary's home waswhere Christ celebrated the last Passover, (15) It was built onMount Zion, on the big rock. Another distinctive testemony was what Cardinal Bareaunios,a Catholic scholar in the sixteenth century, referred to St.Mark's home, "It was a destination for the Lord Christ and Hisfollowers, where He celebrated the Passover with them andwhere they hid after His death. In its upper room, the HolySpirit filled them, thus it became the first Christian church. (16) The same was mentioned by Theodosius, a Sixth Centurywriter, in his book "The Holy Land", and was published byGildemeister in De Situ Terrae Sanctae ( 43 p. 20) The British Encyclopedia (17) mentioned that St. Mark'shome was the center of the Christian life in Jerusalem. As The Lord Christ celebrated the Passover in St. Mark'shome, all scholars concluded that he was the man who carried

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the water pitcher, Our God talked about to His disciples andsaid, " Go you into the city, and there shall meet you a manbearing a pitcher of water: follow him. And wheresoever heshall go in, say you to the goodman of the house, The Mastersaid, where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the Passoverwith my disciples? " [Mark 14: 13-15] & [Luke 22: 10-12] Alexander pointed to this in his book " Landatio Barnaboe "13 p. 440. The upper chamber in St. Mark's home, where the disciples ofGod assembled, was mentioned, "These all continued with oneaccord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Marythe mother of Jesus, and with His brethren." [Acts 1: 14] In the same room where they were sitting, the Holy Spiritfilled them, and it " Filled the house" ; "They began to speakwith other tongues". [Acts 2:1-4] Accordingly, this housewitnessed the establishment of the First Church. Thus it wasn't surprising to honor this house as the firstchurch. When the angel freed St. Peter from the prison, hewent directly to this house, "He came to the house of Mary themother of John, whose surname was Mark ; where many weregathered together praying". [Acts 12:12] (18) What a person he would be in such amazing spiritualenvironment ? A person who served the Lord. ! A person whowas raised in the arms of his righteous mother, among relativesof Christ's Apostles, in a house which God entered, whereHe gave His Body and His Blood and filled them with the HolySpirit. Nobody within such an environment, would be, other thanthe Beholder of God, St. Mark the Evangelist, who joined Hisdisciples, and became one of the selected Seventy Apostles.

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ONE OF THE SEVENTY APOSTLES

A: Historian's Opinions:

Throughout the years, the Coptic historians professed thatSt. Mark was one of the seventy apostles, as mentioned byLuke the Evangelist. [Luke 10:1-12] Our contemporarywriters, (19) as well as those in the Middle Ages. shared thisfact. Severus Ben Al- Mokafaa, Bishop of Al-Ashmouneen, inthe tenth century mentioned it in his book. (20) Ben Kabarincluded his name in both, the origional Coptic and the Greeklists of the apostles (21) This was also reported by Al Maqrizi, a Muslim historianfrom the Middle Ages, saying that he was among the seventy.Describing Mark as the Evangelist whose name was John, whospoke three "tongues", Foreign, Hebrew and Greek. (22) Ibn Al Salibi, Bishop of Amad, in 1149, included him amongthe seventy two .(23) St. Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus mentioned this fact in hisbook. Before him, Origen, a scholar of the second and thirdcenturies, reported this in his book the "Faith in God", sayingthat Mark was among the seventy, who were chosen by God tobe His messengers. (24) Among the non Orthodox, we find Al Mushreki in anintroduction, explaining the Gospel of St. Mark, included himamong the seventy apostles and was named Theophoros,meaning the bearer of God. Chineau, who is a Catholic, in his book " Les Saints d'Egypte ", called Mark an apostle. [ Apôtre]

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In our Church's Ritual Books:

Mark the apostle, (25) is the title given to this Saint, in all theprayers and praises. He has another title in the Doxlogies, as inthe song of Watus,(26) referring to him as 'Christ's disciple'.That is the same title which is repeated in all the songs for theSaint, in the book for the Annual Praises. (27) When we read his Gospel we say , "From the Book of St.Mark the preacher and the pure disciple" He is always mentioned as a disciple and an apostle of God.On his feast day 30, Baramoda, the readings are about theselection of the apostles, their work and their authority. (28) Among the very distictive testemonies that support thisbelief, are the readings of his Gospel during the "Cross andPalm Processions". In front of each icon, relevant readings are read. In front ofthe icon of the angels, the related readings are said, and so onfor the icons of the martyrs. When the icon of St. Mark isreached, the verses from the Gospel according to St. Luke areread, beginning with, "After these things the Lord appointedother seventy also and sent them two and two before Hisface...". Our Catholic brethren confess his apostleship as an apostle, asshown in the Theotokion (29) where it is said:

a- "O Mark the apostle the evangelist... all earth's tribes areblessed by you. Your words reached everywhere." Probablythe last phrase was taken from Psalms 18:4. that gives the ideathat his service was more universal than regional.

b- "Three heavenly names you were awarded O Mark, thetheologian, the evangelist and the apostle. You had been

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awarded three crowns O belover of God : the crown, you hadas an apostle, the crown of martyrdom and the crown ofevangelism."

c- " Your fellow apostles are proud of you and we are proud ofthem and you." The words of his fellows made him on thesame line of the apostles and that the fellowship bound them asequal.

All scholars agree that Mark was the young man whofollowed Christ at the time He was arrested, "And therefollowed a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast abouthis naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: And heleft the linen cloth, and fled from them naked." [Mark 14: 51-52] The church, to protect her sons and daughters from any falseassumption, insisted on calling Saint Mark with the title knownto all of us, that is " The Beholder of God "

THE BEGINNING OF THE PREACHING OF SAINTMARK

His First Miracle:

Aristopolis, St. Mark's father, was the first to receive the faiththrough his son. On their way to Jordan they were faced bytwo beasts, a lion and lioness. The father realized that theywould be eaten soon by the beasts. He urged his son to escape,and leave himself to the lions. Mark assured him that Christwould protect them and prayed saying, "O' Christ the Son of God,save us." Immediately the lions perished and they were saved.

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Arstopolis accepted Christ immediately (30) through his sonand confessed his faith The father died later as a believer.(31)

St. Mark And The Lion:

The lion's event led the artists to insert a lion in all of hispictures. It is possible also that because of the beginning of hisGospel, he described a roar of a lion, "The voice of one cryingin the wilderness." Or because that his Gospel represented LordChrist in His Majesty and His Kingdom, as He was " The lionof the tribe of Judea." Always it is referred to the four Evangelists, as the fourbeasts, mentioned in the Book of the Revelation, [4 : 7]. Thelion symbolized St. Mark the first among them. We noticed that the people of Venice, took St. Mark as theirPatron and intercessor, and adopted the lion as a symbol. Theyhave a big statue for a winged lion in St. Mark Square in theircity. The artists competed trying to show a tame lion with St.Mark as he extracted its cruelty and kept for it its courage.

Preaching With The Apostles:

St. Mark began his preaching at a very early age. At thebeginning he accompanied other apostles. In the Book of Acts,it is mentioned that he worked with St. Paul and St. Barnabasthe Apostles, but before that he worked with St. Peter inJerusalem and Judea. Severus Ibn Al Mokafaa stated that afterChrist's resurrection, Mark accompanied Peter, preaching themultitudes in Jerusalem and went from there to Bethany topreach the Word of God. (32)

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References:1- Les Saints d'Egypte p. 465 .2- Severus Ibn Al Mokafaa: The History of The Patriarchs,: may be born in Adrenapolis, now called Darnis.3- Schaff: History of the Christian Church, vol. , I , 628.4- Ibid.5- Hastings' : Dictionary of the Bible p. 245.6- Ant. 18 :8 :1 and 19 :5 : 1.7- George Post: Dict. part Ii p. 226.8- Ibn Kabar: the Lamp of the Darkness: the 4 th book. Mosbah Al Zolma9- Ibn Kabar mentioned that Mark was Barnaba's cousin. Read for Guirgis Philuthawus Read for Kamel Nakhla :"St. Mark" p. 40 & p. 41.10- This may prove that Mark was a Levite.11- Synaxarion: 30, Baramoda.12- After Anba Severus,Bishop of Nastowa. [ nineth century.13- Severus Ibn A Mokafaa: The History of the Patriarchs.14- Ibn Kabar: The Lamp of the Darkness: the fourth book.15- Les Saintes d'Egypte p. 496.16- Francis Al Etre The Magazine of The Rock 1951 p. 118- The Church History for Vlademire Gitta part I P. 258 &

259. Concise History of The Coptic Nation, Selim Soliman

Francis El Etre p. 274.17- Encyclopedia- Britanica 11th edition. : Mark.18- Look for the last chapter of this book.19- Look Anba Isitheiros, Habeeb Guergis, Menasa Youhanna,

Francis El Etre, Kamel Saleh Nakhla & Iris Al Masri.20- The History of the Patriarchs. part I.21- The Lamb of the Darkness: the fourth book.22- Al Maqrizi : al Kawl Al Abrizi edition: 1898 p. 18.

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23- Explanation of St Mark Gospel [ introduction]24- De Recta in Deum Fide.25- Look the chapter of the church rites and prayers, this book.26- p. 113 - p. 119 .27- P. 122 - P. 123.28- as # 25.29- Rome edition for the Catholic Copts. Kiak month P. 175 - 177 The Magazine of The Rock, 1951, p. 105-P. 10730- Ibn Kabar: The Lamb of The Darkness: The fourth book.31- Kamel Saleh Nakhla : St. Mark the Preacher P. 48.32- The History of the Patriarchs: Part I

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CHAPTER TWO

MARK THE EVANGELISTA UNIVERSAL PREACHER NOT FOR EGYPT

ONLY.

1- A UNIVERSAL PREACHER

Although St. Mark was particularly the preacher for Egypt,yet he was a universal preacher for all humanity. St. Severus,Bishop of Nastora (from the ninth century ) truly said that thegreat St. Mark, enlightened Egypt, and the world. He was one of the seventy apostles, who were sent by God toserve. He was one of the four who preached the world by theGospels they wrote. The world still benefits from the bookswithout limitation. They were meant for all the world and notfor one particular church. With his holiness, all the world benefited. He established TheTheological School of Alexandria which enlightened the worldwith knowledge. The only known continents at that time were limited to Asia,Africa and Europe. St. Mark preached in all of them to spreadthe Word of God.

2- HIS PREACHING IN ASIA AND EUROPE

St. Mark preached in Judea, Lebanon, Syria, Antioch and inCyprus. He reached Paphos, Pamphylia, Rome, Colossi ,Venice and Aquila.

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Preaching in Judea:

He preached with St. Peter in Judia, Jerusalem, Bethany andother places.

Preaching in Antioch:

He accompanied St. Paul and St. Barnabas on their first trip.They went to Syria, and particularly to Antioch. [ Acts 11 : 27 -30] ; " And took with them John, whose surname was Mark."Thus he handled with them the Word of the Savior to Antiochabout 45 AD.(1) This was also mentioned by Josephus thefamous historian. (2) He went with them to Seleucia, [Acts 13 : 4] which was theport of Antioch. (3) St. Mark came again to Antioch withBarnabas the apostle, [Acts 15 : 37] after the council ofJerusalem. (4)

Preaching in Cyprus:

In his first trip with St. Paul and St. Barnabas, they preachedtogether in Cyprus. "They departed to Seleucia then they sailedto Cyprus. And when they were in Salamis,(5) they preachedthe word of God in the synagogues of the Jews : and they hadalso John to their minister." [Acts 13 : 4-5] Hasting mentioned in his book the " Dictionary of the Bible "(6) : that Mark was serving with them, meaning that he wasassisting them in the preaching. This word was used with thatmeaning in Luke 4 : 20 . It is probable that Mark was knownamong his fellow Jews by the name of John, the servant [ whowas in the service of God ]

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We hear about St. Mark after the council of Jerusalem in theyear 50 or 51 AD, when he went again to Cyprus with St.Barnabas. "And so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed untoCyprus." [Acts 15 : 39]

Preaching in other places in Asia:

In his first trip with Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas, St. Markpreached with them in Paphos, then went together tillPamphylia. Later he left them and returned to Jerusalem. [ Acts13 : 13] We don't know the reason why he left them, but we know thathis return saddened St. Paul the apostle, that he refused to takeMark with him when he returned to visit the believers in Syriaand Selukia. Paul disputed with Barnabas that they left eachother. Paul realized how important the service of St. Mark was,as we will see later. The Lebanese believe that St. Mark was one of theirpreachers and that he was the first bishop in Gobayel. HisHoliness Mar Aghnatius Yacoub, Patriarch of the SyrianOrthodox, said that Mount Gobayel is proud of her first bishopJohn Mark. (7) In the book "Antioch the Great, the City of God ", by Dr.Assad Rostom, (8) it is written that Mount Lebanon wasreached by St. Mark. St. Mark's seat was in Alexandria, and the five Western Citiesbelonged to this See.

His Preaching in Rome:(9)

St. Mark and St. Paul established the Church in Rome. Therelation between St. Mark and St. Peter was written in

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Moraweg Al Akhyar book, [ He traveled with him to theblessed city of Rome and shared with him the effort,(10) alsomentioned that when Peter left Rome for a long journey, he"ordered his dear disciple Mark to serve this church." (11)

His Preaching in Colossi:

This was clear from the recommendation of St. Paul to theCollosians, "Aristarchus my fellow prisoner salutes you, andMarcus, son of Barnabas' sister, touching whom you receivedcommandments: if he comes unto you, receive him." [ Col. 4 :10]

His Preaching In Venice and Aquila:

Other churches credited St. Mark for his preaching. Thepeople of Venice stole the body of the Saint, took him as theirintercessor and a Patron of their country.(12) They claimedalso that he preached them, before going to the Five WesternCities.... If he had gone to Italy and preached in Rome, nothingcould have stopped him from preaching Venice. Aquila, is nearVenice, was claimed to be within the area that belonged to thepreaching of St. Mark. It was said that St. Mark preached hisGospel in Akopla (14) and it had many antiquities. All theItalians appreciated his great services. Away from Asia and Europe, the preaching of St. Markcontinued in the Five Western Cities, Alexandria, the Egyptianregions and later after his martyrdom it was extended to Nuba,Sudan and Ethiopia.. Saint Mark's preaching wasn't limited to Egypt. The CopticChurch was his main work although his contributions wereuniversal.

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His Preaching In Africa:

At the ordination of the Patriarchs in Egypt, they repeat, "The seat of St. Mark, the Evangelist, with the true knowledgethat he called for in all the universe for the comfort and soulsaving." His individual great work, was his Gospel, hisLiturgy, and the establishment of the Theological School ofAlexandria. When we celebrate the feast of this Saint, the world shares thecelebration with us , expressing the gratitude towards the Saint.

References .:1- Selim Soliman and Francis El Etre : Concise History of the

Coptic Nation p. 274.2- Josephus: History of the Jews 2, 5.3- Ruined, near to it present village Al Kalsi.4- Haslings' Dictionary. of the Bible Vol. 4 P. 2455- Salamis, capital of Cyprus6- Hastings' Dictionary. of the Bible Vol. 4 P. 2457- The History of the Syrian Church of Antioch.

8- G. 3 P.398.11- Moraweg Al Akhyar fi Taragem Al Abrar [25 Nisan ] p.

233.12- La Rousse P. 1522.13- Cardinal Paronios in 45 AD [The Rock 1951]14- in Nuba, known as Marcusa, disappeared by the High

Aswan Dam.

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CHAPTER THREE

ST. MARK AND ST. PETER

ST. MARK AND THE INJUSTICE:

How much injustice did St. Mark receive from the followersof St. Peter ? They tried to rob him his apostolic dignity, andcredit all his efforts to somebody else? I mean St. Peter.

SUMMARY OF THEIR CLAIMS:

1- Denying his fellowship to the Lord during the period of theLord's ministry on earth and that he became Christian only afterthe resurrection at the hands of St. Peter.2- They claimed that St. Mark's Gospel was written by St.Peter.3- They attempted to credit all St. Mark's preaching, even thatin Egypt and the Five Western Cities to St. Peter.Strange was the fact that they tried to falsify the history of ourfathers and our church.

A- The Attempt To Deny Him His Faith And Being AnApostle.

They ignored the fact that Lord Christ used to enter hishouse, and ate the Passover with His disciples there, and that hewas the one who was carrying the pitcher of water when thetwo disciples met him on the road and followed him accordingto God's plan. [Mark 14 : 13, 14] All the references pointedthat St. Mark was the young man who followed Lord Christ the

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night He was arrested, "Having a linen cloth cast about hisnaked body ;and the young men laid hold on him : And he leftthe linen cloth, and fled from them naked." [Mark 14 : 51, 52] In spite of all of that, they tried to rob the great apostle hisfaith. They claimed that St. Mark was one of those whoaccepted the faith by St. Peter after the receiving of the HolySpirit at the beginning of Christianity. They claimed that St.Peter referred to him in his first epistle as his son, because hebecame a Christian by him. (1) In the book " Moraweg Al Akhyar", accepted by PatriarchMeximos Mazloom, it was written that St. Mark didn't acceptChrist except after His resurrection, through St. Peter, whotook him in his entourage. Again that was why he called him,his son, in his first epistle.(2) More strange, is the fact that they published what wasreferred to Papias, claiming that St. Mark, "didn't hear God norfollowed Him" They forgot that St. Mark was one of the seventy apostles aswe mentioned earlier. (3) This was proven in the history booksand rituals. The Coptic Catholics praise him in their ownTheotokion, (4) saying "O the evangelist, the apostle, thetheologian.evangelist, the apostle, you were awarded the crownof being an apostle, your fellow apostles were proud of you andwe are proud of them and you." So if he was an apostle to God, then how come he didn't hearGod nor followed Him. ?! If he was one of the seventyapostles, then how come he didn't become a believer till thePentecost by Peter, while his house was prepared forcelebrating the Passover for God. St. Peter, we are surewouldn't have approved what Papias wrote, in trying todiminish the credibility of Mark.

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The fact that Peter called Mark his "son", didn't mean that hewas a son in the faith, but as a father because of his age. (5) In the Catholic history and liturgy books, Mark was describedas an apostle. The French Encyclopedia, with its Catholic publishers, stated,"The claim that Mark was a disciple of Peter was nothing otherthan stupidity based on some failed writers."

B- The Attempt to refer his Gospel to Peter:

Some called it the "Book of St. Peter and His FollowerDisciple". Father Chineau called him, " His dear secretary andtranslator" (7) [ Marc, son secretaire et son cher interpréte.] Others said that Peter dictated the gospel to Mark. Othersclaimed that Mark wrote from the collection he had when heheard Peter, or from what he knew from him. Some even daredto call this Gospel, "Peter's memoir." Bizarre was the printing of these claims in our liturgy bookswhen they published them in their countries. As in the casewhen Rene Basset published a Synaxarium in Paris about theOriental Fathers, "Patrologia Orientales" and mentioned on St.Mark's feast on the 30 th of Baramoda, "He went to Peter inRome and became his disciple. There he wrote his Gospel thatPeter dictated to him, and preached in Rome."(8) That is whatit appeared in French : "Marc, alla trouver Pierre à Rome etdevint. son disciple. Ily êcrivit son evangile que Pierre lui dictaet l' annonça dans la ville" In order to express this wrong idea about the Book of Mark,they created an icon for St. Mark by the artist Angelico drawingMark at Peter's feet, while preaching in Rome, with a caption inthe book which read, : " Saint Marc assis au Pieds de SaintPierre Prechant au Romains, note dans un livre ses paroles"

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Here we may say that the Gospel was Mark's and it wasn'tdictated by Peter, but was from the filling of the Holy Spirit.Mark the apostle had no need to know from St. Peter anyinformation about Lord Christ, he knew it very well as hewitnessed God and saw His miracles from the start, beginningwith the first one at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, as one ofthe seventy apostles. He knew it all as his house was the placewhere the apostles assembled and with them was Saint Mary,the Mother of God.

C- The Attempt To Credit St. Peter For St. Mark'sPreaching:

According to their story, it was St. Peter who sent him toEgypt and the five western cities and he was the one to bereported to. Father Peter Fermag, a Jesuit, in his book, "Moraweg alAkhyar" he wrote, " When King Kilouddos dismissed the Jewsfrom Jerusalem, 49 AD (10) The Beloved St. Peter was sent toEgypt to preach the Holy Bible." Maximos Mazloom, The Roman Catholic Patriarch, aMelchite, repeated the same words saying, "St. Peter sent St.Mark to Egypt in 49 AD,(11) to preach these people with theGospel that he wrote." In a bizarre words Father Chineau in his book, "Saints ofEgypt" wrote that St. Mark, after preaching in the five westerncities, went to see his distinguished teacher, Peter the apostle,to give him an account for the assignment that was given tohim.(12) It is known, that the Holy Spirit directed the apostles in theirpreaching. This was shown in the Book of Acts, where it wasmentioned that St. Paul and his company, after going through

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Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit togo to Asia. When they arrived to Mysia they tried to go toBithynia, and the Holy Spirit stopped them. During the night,when Paul saw a man from Macedonia in a vision pleading to bereached for help, he realized that the Holy Spirit was guidingthem, and God was calling them to go and preach. [Acts 16 : 6-10] What Chineau mentioned was strange. He said that St. Markthe apostle, went to St. Peter, his teacher to deliver an accountabout the assignment that was given to him. However himselfin the same chapter in the Book of The Saints of Egypt, hereferred to St. Mark, "By the guide of the Holy Spirit he sailedto Cyrene, then to Alexandria. These were his words in French,"Ensuite sur L'inspiration d'Espirit Saint, il s'embarqua àCyréne et fit voitle vers Alexandrie" (13) There is difference when one speaks guided only by hisconscience, and when he speaks influenced by a fixed idea,trying to have the world to adopt his views. Historians agreed of what Severus Ibn Al Mokafaa, Bishop ofAshmouneen, in the tenth century when he said, "The region ofthe world was assigned to the apostles with the guide of theHoly Spirit, to preach the Word of God...St. Mark's assignmentwas to go to Alexandria by the order of the Holy Spirit, so theylisten to the words of the Gospel of Lord Christ." (14)

The Claim Of Being Ordained As A Bishop:

Among the strange things mentioned about St. Mark was hisappointment by Peter as a bishop in three different continents.It was said that Peter the apostle appointed him a bishop ofAkoyla, near Venice in Italy, in Europe. It was also mentionedthat he was appointed also by Peter as bishop for Gobayel (15)

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in Lebanon, that is in Asia. This was beside the appointment asBishop of Alexandria in Africa. That is, he was appointed as abishop in the only known three continents of the world at thattime. With these claims, they confused every body. Probably theywere trying to express their views about the Roman supremacy,at a time when Alexandria was on the top among the universalcouncils. At that period the pope of Alexandria was called as,"The judge of the universe".

The Works Of St. Mark With St. Peter:

St. Peter was related to St. Mark. Peter's wife was the cousinof Mark's father. Thus St. Peter was like a father, age wise. St.Peter used to visit their home frequently and when he was freedfrom jail by the angel, he went directly to, "The house of Marythe mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where manywere gathered together praying." [Acts 12 : 12] It may be possible that Mark had accompanied his relative inhis preaching in Jerusalem and 'Beth-Ania' and other Jewishplaces as was mentioned by Severus Ibn Al Mokafaa in his book"the History of the Patriarchs". St. Mark was with St. Peter when he wrote his first epistleand he wrote, "The church that is Babylon, elected togetherwith you salutes you and so does Marcus my son." [ I Peter 4 :13] A big dispute among the historians occurred about thisBabylon. Was it literally Babylon, or what meant was Rome.?Did St. Mark really preached in Rome with St. Peter.?DID HE PREACH WITH HIM IN ROME? It was proven in the history of the church and recorded inboth the Orthodox and the Catholic books, even the Holy Bible,that Mark the apostle did preach in Rome.

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References:1- Morawag Al Akhyar fi Taragem Al Abrar (25 Nissan) p.

233.2- Kinz Al Ebad Al Thameen fi Akhbar Al Kiddiseen (25 Nissan) p. 551.3- Referred to it earlier.4- From Theotokos month of Kihak p. 175-177.5- Look the book : Love your parents.6- part 16 p. 871 of The Rock 1951 p. 107.7- Chineau : Les Saints d'Egypte I, p. 500.8: Le Synaxaire Arab- Jacobite.9- Louis Reau Icongraphie de l'art chretien, III p. 87110- Not agreed upon by most of the historians.11-Look up the chapter for the five western cities in this book.12- Les Saints d'Egypte, I p.500.13- Ibid.14- The History of the Patriarchs Part I.15- Assad Rostom: The City of God, Antioch the Great. Part III

p. 298.

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CHAPTER FOUR

ST. MARK AND ST. PAUL

St. Mark accompanied St. Paul in his first journey, but hedidn't finish the trip to the end. At the beginning St. Paulwasn't pleased that he left him, but later he realized thesignificance of his service and St. Mark became the closestperson to St. Paul. He worked with St. Paul and his followers like Aristarchus,Demas, Lucas and other pillars of the church. St. Paulmentioned St. Mark in his epistle to Philemon as his "my fellowlabor" (Philemon 24). He then went to Colosse at the requestof St. Paul, where he met St. Timothy in Ephesus. St. Mark was called by St. Paul to come to Rome, as he wasalone with St. Luke, to help in establishing the church there. Heleft Rome only after the martyrdom of St. Paul in about 67 AD,to return to Alexandria where he received his martyrdom, oneyear later.

ST. MARK AND THE CHURCH OF ROME

St. Mark contributed in the establishment of the church ofRome. The Catholics mentioned that St. Mark wrote his bookfor Rome and the Romans and it was written in Greek St. Paul wrote while he was in Rome, in his epistle to thepeople of Colosse, "Aristarchus my fellow prisoner salutes you,and Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas,(touching whom youreceived commandments: if he come unto you, receive him.)And Jesus who is called Justus, who are of the circumcision.

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These only are my fellow workers unto the Kingdom of God...." (Colosseans 4 : 10, 11) St. Paul wrote also to Philemon, while he was still in Rome,"There salute you Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus ;Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellow laborers."(Philemon 24) Again St. Paul wrote from Rome in his second epistle to hisdisciple St.Timothy, "Only Luke is with me. Take Mark andbring him with you: for he is profitable to me for the ministry."(II Timothy 4 : 11) St. Paul found that his service with St. Luke in Rome neededSt. Mark's help. St. Mark did go to Rome and stayed with St.Paul there and only returned to Alexandria after St. Paul waskilled.

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CHAPTER FIVE

ST. MARK & THE FIVE WESTERN CITIES

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THESE CITIES:

1- St. Mark was born there before his family immigrated toPalestine.

2-He preached them the faith before coming to Egypt to preachin Alexandria in the name of Christ.

3- He went back and revisited them to ordain priests anddeacons and to serve. Many miracles occurred through him.

4- These cities were represented at the time the disciplesreceived the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost, "And in the parts ofLibya about Cyrene." [ Acts 2 : 10] These cities belonged tothe see of St. Mark for a long time. We pray God that our church be blessed to be able to work inthe Five Western Cities. We wouldn't be ashamed when wemeet St. Mark, who may ask, what did we do with what he leftus ?As many don't know the names of these cities nor their history,we feel obliged to write concisely about them, as theyrepresented an important role in St. Mark's preaching.

Introduction:

These cities are presently in Barka. It is one of the threepresent states of Libya. They were built by the Greeks betweenthe seventh and the fifth centuries BC,(1) and were called the

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"Pentapolis", but when it was conquered by the Arabs they wererenamed as "Antapols". Father Chineau called them "La Pentapole de Libye" in hisbook, "The Saints of Egypt."(2) "La Pentapole Libyque"means the Five Libyan Cities. La Rousse in his dictionarycalled them the same. These cities were called the western cities to differentiatethem from the other Five Eastern Cities, in the eastern part ofthe Mediterranean Sea [in Lebanon]. These were, Sodom,Gammorrha, Adams, Segor and Seboim. (3) These cities were built by the Greeks to accommodate theirpeople who left their country because of poverty. The Greekslived peacefully with the natives and spread their culture,education and their religion to them. They got involved inagriculture and breeding sheep, beside trading. This areabecame under Alexander The Great in the fourth century BC.,then under Ptolemy till it was considered a property ofEgypt.(4) In the year 56 BC, it was taken by the Romans.During this period, many Jews came to Barka and their numberincreased during the reign of Augustus Caesar and Octavius.(5)

NAMES OF THE CITIES:

1-Cyrene:

It is the first and the oldest city and was built in 631 BC onthe Green Mountain, away from the coast, to be safe from thepirates. It is a different city, not to be confused with Cyrene ofTunisia. Probably Simon from Cyrene was the one who carried Christ'scross, [Mark 15 : 21]; and Lucius the Cyrenian was from theprophets and teachers. [Acts 13 : 1]

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The old Greeks called Barka as Sirenka. At the present timeit is called Al Shahat or Ein Shahat.

2- Berenice:

It is also known as Bernika. Its old name was Hesperis orHesperides. During the era of the Ptolomey it was changed toBerenice, after the name of the wife of Ptolomais I. At thepresent time it is called "Beni Ghazi" and it is the capital ofBarka.

3 Barka "Berce"

It is the second or the third old city. It is in the middle of theGreen Mountain and its contemporary name is "Al Marg". Itsold port is called Ptolomais. Ptolemais, port of Barka, is considered by many historiansincluding La Rousse, that it was one of the five cities andknown also as Tolomita.

4- Tauchire"

Its present name is Tokra and was built in 510 BC by theGreeks on the coast and may have been used as another portfor Barka. At one time it was named as "Arsinoe" after the mother ofPtolomy III.

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5. Apollonia:

It is a port on the coast, known now as "Souzah". It mayhave been a port for Cyrene, before its present port "Darnis"This may be the place where St. Mark was born.

THEIR NAMES IN COPTIC:

These cities, had different names in Coptic, except Barka andCyrene which are similar. It needs to be mentioned that in North Africa there was aDiocese named "Kartaganah" that didn't belong to St. Mark.History tells us that St. Keperyanos was its bishop. St. Augustin was the bishop of Hippo, a small town in thisdiocese. In 419 AD, there was a council which was recognizedby our church. Two hundred and seventeen bishops includingSt. Augustin, attended the council under St. Orilos.

THE CITIES AT THE TIME OF ST. MARK:

These cities were prosperous at that time. They werepolitically stable till the time of the Romans. Their people were amixture of Libyans, Greeks, Romans and Jews. They had theirdifferent religions too. Some tribes worshipped trees andmountainsand, some were influenced by the Egyptians andworshipped Isis, Osiris, the sun, the moon and Amun. Thearistocrats worshipped the stars, like Mars etc.. The Greek language and culture were common. In the fourthcentury BC, a philosophical school appeared and was called "Cyranaica", by Arstipos,(6) a disciple of Aristocrat. Its

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philosophy was based on the assumption that pleasure was thebasis of man's behavior.

ST. MARK'S PREACHING:

After St. Mark served with St. Peter, St. Paul and SaintBarnabas, he went to preach the faith in his native country, thefive western cities. The Saint didn't forget his place of birth or his own poor peopleand wanted to lead them to the light to save their souls. When he arrived there, about 58 AD, he noticed that therewas a glimpse of light among the darkness. He met manyacquaintances, from Libya and Cyrene. [Acts 2 : 10] who werepresent during the Pentecost at his home when the Holy Spiritfilled them. Probably some of them returned back to Libya asbelievers. Another factor was, that the aristocrats wererejecting at that time the idea of having many Gods, and beganto conceive a new idea of the presence of one god only. (7) The history books didn't mention much about his serviceduring that time, but God blessed him by performing manymiracles that attracted many to the faith. Severus Ibn AlMokafaa, Bishop of Al Ashmouneen wrote in his book, "Thehistory of the Patriarchs" the following:- [When St. Markreturned from Rome, he went first to the five cities andpreached the Word of God. He showed them many miracles,the sick were cured, those with leprosy were cleansed and thosewith evil spirits were freed from them. Many believed in LordChrist and broke down their idols. He baptized them in thename of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.] Father Chineau confirmed these blessings in his book the "Saints of Egypt " (8) where he wrote: [St. Mark began first withthe Five Western Cities in Libya, he comforted the people

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during their suffering, and cured their sick. These miracles ledthem to accept Christianity.] Ibn Al Mokafaa, wrote that the Holy Spirit guided him to goto Egypt, so he left his fellow believers and prayed for them tostay in the faith till he would come back to share with them theDivine joy. They wished him well and they prayed together and againprayed for those who knew the Holy Name. (9) He left Libya heading towards Egypt and arrived toAlexandria in 61 AD.

THE RETURN OF ST. MARK TO THE WESTERNCITIES:

St. Mark left the Five Western Cities and went to Egypt,where he preached the faith. After he established the church inEgypt, he was advised by the believers to leave Egypttemporarily as they were concerned about his safety. Thepagans were thinking of killing him. He accepted to leave andreturn after a while. The Apostle came back to the Five Western Cities in 63 AD(10)and again met the believers and preached their people. Hestayed in Libya two years preaching in the name of Christ,organizing the church, and ordaining bishops, priests anddeacons. Then he left to go back to continue his universal ministry withSt. Paul, before returning back to Egypt after the martyrdom ofSt. Paul.

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THESE CITIES BELONGED TO ALEXANDRIA:

Through the Christian era, these five cities belongedspiritually to Alexandria. (11) This was confirmed by the sixthcannon of the council of Nicea in 325 AD where 318 bishopsfrom all over the world assembled. This decision was based on" Let the ancient customs in Egypt, Libya and Pentapolis prevailthat the Bishop of Alexandria has jurisdiction in all these." (12)

References:1- Hassan Soliman : Libya Between The Past and Present p.

55-65.2- Chineau : Les Saints d' Egypte I p. 464.3- La Rousse, p. 1601.4- Mrs. Butcher : The Coptic Church history : p.24.5- Dr. Zaher Riad : The Church of Alexandria in Africa. p. 30.6- Dr. Zaher Riad : Church of Alexandria in Africa. p.22-35.7- Ibid.8- Chineau: Les Saints d' Egypte, I p. 500.9- Ibn Al Mokafaa: The History of The Patriarch I10- Possible in 65 AD [ Ibn Al Mokafaa.11- Laws of Apostles, Universal and Regional.12- Nicene and P.N. Fathers Writings 2nd 9 Series Vol. 14.13- Chineau : Les Saints d' Egypte.

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CHAPTER SIX

ST. MARK AND THE CHURCH OFALEXANDRIA

1-THE GREATNESS OF ALEXANDRIA THEN:

Alexandria was the cultural capital of the world when St.Mark arrived there. Its famous School was the centre ofscience and philosophy with a library filled with hundreds ofthousands of books. The population of Alexandria was estimated to be from halfto three quarters of a million,(1) who were Egyptians, Greeks,Jews, Romans, Ethiopians, Nubians and other races.

2-ITS RELIGIOUS STATUS:

The people St. Mark faced were a complex of differentreligions. There was the old Pharaohnic religion, that had manygods like Isis, Oziris, Hirus, Amun, Abis, Hathur etc., underthe great god Ra. The Greeks had many gods under their supreme god Zius. Atthis period there was a movement calling to combine both theEgyptian and the Greek gods, as 'syncretism' to be under thegod 'Sirabis', the great idol. The Romans too had many godsunder Jupiter. There was also the Jews, with their prophets, laws and thescriptures and the heresies that the Pharisees introduced. Theirnumber in the city was huge, that they occupied one out of thefive districts of the city.

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At the same time some of the Jews who arrived recently fromJerusalem were already converted to Christianity before comingto Egypt. The name of Christ had already arrived to many individuals,through Apollo of Alexandria. Apollo was mentioned in theBook of Acts, "An eloquent man and mighty in scriptures... Hewas fervent in the spirit ... For he mightily convinced the Jewsand that publicly, showing by the scriptures that Jesus wasChrist." [ Acts 18 : 24 -28] It might be possible that some of the Jews of Alexandria hadreceived the Word of God through St. Simon of Cana orthrough "dear Theophilus" who was close to St. Luke. But allof these cases were limited to some individuals only. Beside all these religions, there were many wise men fromIndia, Persia and Egyptian priests who were leaders in a paganenvironment. Accordingly, the city was a mixture of idol religions with anatmosphere of philosophical arguments and discussions,particularly at the school of Alexandria and its museum. St. Mark stood alone to face all these religions andphilosophies, but he was capable in defeating them with thepower of God. He entered Alexandria with a torn sandal fromwalking the long way.

3- WHEN DID HE ARRIVE TO ALEXANDRIA ? :

It is difficult to determine the exact dates for the journeys ofthe apostles. Usually calculated in relation to the events, andthe time of the arrival of St. Mark was no exception. Jesophus, the famous historian, mentioned that St. Mark cameto Alexandria in 43 AD, while Mrs. Butler estimated it to be in45 AD. Patriarch Maximos Mazloom suggested that it was in

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49 AD. Selim Soliman, Francis Al Etre, Deacon MenassaYouhanna gave the date as 55 AD. For Ibn Akbar it was 58AD and for Father Chineau it was 60 AD, when St. Mark was50 years old. Abu Shaker Ibn Al Raheb, Anba Isedoros, HabibGuirgis, Kamel Saleh Nakhla and Iris Al Masri, said that hisarrival was in 61 AD. With such variations in dates, most of the ancient historianspreferred not to guess and rather to stress on the eventsthemselves. That was what the Book of Acts almost did. We don't accept the earlier dates, as St. Mark was still ayouth, in the company of other apostles. Certainly he didn'tcome before the Council of Jerusalem which was about 50 AD,as agreed by all the historians. After the Council of Jerusalem, he accompanied St. Barnabasto Cyprus where both preached together. Later, St. Paul,appreciating the importance of St. Mark in preaching, he calledhim to work with him. When St. Mark was alone on his own, he went to the FiveWestern Cities and stayed there for few years. He may havearrived there between 55-58 AD. It is most probable that hearrived in Alexandria about the year 60 or 61 AD and this wasaccepted by most of the Coptic historians who estimated hisstay in Alexandria to be seven years or seven years and eightmonths.(2)

4- ON THE WAY TO ALEXANDRIA:

On his way to Alexandria, the words of Isaiah might have beenon his thought, "The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rodeupon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt and the idols ofEgypt shall be removed at his presence, and the heart of Egyptshall melt in the midst of it." "And that day shall there be an

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altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt and a pillar atthe border thereof to the Lord...And it shall be a sign and for awitness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt...And theLord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know theLord in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation, yes, theyshall vow a vow unto the Lord, and perform it..." " Blessed beEgypt my people." [Isiah 19 : 1 , 19 -21 , 25] Also he might have been thinking about the journey of Christwith the Virgin St. Mary and the blessing they left to Egypt. It was said that he entered Alexandria, coming from the FiveWestern Cities, passing through the oasis to Upper Egypt andfrom there to Alexandria where he entered it east to the portwhere there was an oblisk.(3)

5- THE PREACHING OF ANIANUS THE COBBLER:

He was praying before entering Alexandria to God, to providehim with the spiritual needs for the success of his mission. By the time he arrived, his sandal was already torn, so hewent to Anianus, a cobbler, to repair it. While Anianus washolding the needle, it went through his finger and he screamedfrom pain and said, "O' the One God". St. Mark was delightedwhen he heard this phrase, which was an appropriate chance tobegin talking to him about that One God. It was also appropriate to ease him from his pain first, so hetook some mud and spat on it and put it on his wound,saying, "In the name of Jesus Christ, Son of God, heal thishand." (4) It was healed on the spot as if nothing happened to it. Anianus was surprised at the miracle which was done in thename of Jesus Christ and opened his heart to the Word of God.St. Mark asked him about the One God he called, but Anianusreplied that he heard about Him, but didn't know Him. Then

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St. Mark began to talk to him spiritually. When his sandal wasrepaired he was invited to go to Anianus' home to talk moreabout that God. As St. Mark entered the house he made the sign of the crossand asked God's Blessing to fill it. (5) He stayed with this familytalking about Lord Christ. When Anianus asked to see TheTrue God, St. Mark assured him that he will. He talked withhim about the scriptures, the prophets, the incarnation, themiracles, the crucifixion and the great sacrifice He provided tothe world. Anianus and his family became believers and St. Markbaptized them. This home was the first fruit in St. Mark'spreaching in Egypt.

6- SPREAD OF THE FAITH IN EGYPT:

St. Mark who is considered the, First Bishop of Alexandria,found that his first responsibility was to continue preachingfrom one place to another, challenging all the difficulties that hemet. With great enthusiasm he was able to convert many to thefaith in God, in spite of the different numerous religions of theEgyptians, Greeks, Romans, Persians and the arguments of theJews. The Catholic Jesuit, Father Frermaj reported in his book"Moraweg Al Akhyar" referring to St. Mark, that " God blessedhim for his unique enthusiasm. The land which was full ofdarkness of the filth among the unbelievers, was changed by St.Mark the Evangelist to a heavenly paradise, with justiceshinning over it." (6) Maximos Mazloom, the Patriarch of the Greek CatholicMelchites, wrote about St. Mark, " He pulled the inhabitants tothe faith in Christ, in grooves, with God's blessing and the

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marvelous miracles he did,.that Alexandria became a secondJerusalem, similar to what happened when the Holy Spiritdesended in the Chamber of Zion . (7) The Word of God flourished forcefully and very fast despitethe encountered difficulties, which were overcome. Weunderstand what St. Paul meant when he said about St. Mark,"For he is profitable to me in the ministry." [2 Titus 4 : 11]

7-ALEXANDRIA AFTER ST. MARK:

St. Mark had great impact on Alexandria. His success toconvert large numbers to believe was due to his deepspirituality, and his strong relation with God. Eusebius the famous historian, referred to this as such, "Therewere multitudes of believers, men and women, who gatheredfrom the beginning and lived the extraordinary simple life, thatPhillo noted to be worthy to describe. Their efforts,gatherings, and their comfort in all the ways of their lives weretremendous. (8) Eusebius in a complete chapter in his bookabout the philosopher Phillo admired the monastic life in Egypt. Father Chineau in his book " The Saints of Egypt " wrote,"Life became marvelous in Egypt after accepting the faith andPhillo, the famous Jew, confirmed that Alexandria brought backthe memory of the early days of the Church in Jerusalem. (9) Let us find what the philosopher Phillo said about thebelievers in Egypt as stated by Yousabius, "They left theirproperties, under the influence of their faith and followed thepath of the prophets" ; "There was a holy place in every house,to practice their religion in, in complete isolation. They didn'tpermit into it any food, drink or anything for the need of thebody" ; "All day long from the morning to the night they werepraying, reading the Holy Books".; "They created songs and

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praises for God with different tunes and rhythms" ; "They ateonly after sunset" ; "They enjoyed the wisdom, without limit,tremendously." He also referred to their purity and describedtheir prayers, silence and services.

8- OTHER WORKS OF ST. MARK:

St. Mark established a Theological School to stand against theschool for the pagans and to combat their ideas. He designatedSt. Justus to manage the school who later became the sixthbishop of Alexandria. He wrote the Holy Liturgy for St. Anianus and the priests touse in praying.

9- ANIANUS WAS ORDAINED A BISHOP FORALEXANDRIA AND ST. MARK'S TRAVEL:

With the tremendous success and achievement for the faithin Egypt, the unbelievers were very angry and they decided tokill St. Mark. The believers advised St. Mark to leave Egyptfor a while for the safety of the church. St. Mark, whopreached other cities in Egypt, agreed to leave, to return backto the Five Western Cities. He then ordained St. Anianus to bethe Bishop of Alexandria in 62 AD. He also ordained threepriests, Milius, Sabinus, Sardenus, and seven deacons.(10) It is noticed that Anianus was ordained a bishop while St.Mark was still living, which indicates St. Mark's apostolicuniversal authority to ordain bishops wherever he went, as hedid in the Five Western Cities. St. Jerome, mistakenly in his book, wrote that St. Mark waskilled in 62 AD the year Anianus was ordained, assuming that

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his predecessor must have died before such an event could bepossible.(11)

10-THE RETURN OF ST. MARK TO ALEXANDRIA:

St. Mark stayed for a few years among the church in the FiveWestern Cities and with St. Paul preaching in Rome. Then thetwo great apostles St. Paul and St. Peter were killed and St.Mark returned to Alexandria. On his return, he found that thechurch he planted, grew and became prosperous and thenumber of the believers increased tremendously. and a churchwas built in the eastern part of Alexandria, known as Pokalia.(12) St. Mark kept watching his people grow and visited andpreached other cities in Egypt. This annoyed the pagans to theextent that they named him as, " The exterminator of the idols".

References:1-The history of the Church of Alexandria in Africa.2- Refer to the numerous publications of Kamel Saleh Nakhla.

p. 106 & 107.3- Kamel Saleh Nakhla : The history of St. Mark p. 57,58.4- Les Saints d'Egypte I p. 501.5- This house became St. George Church, The History of the

Patriarchs by Ibn Al Mokafaa.6- Morawag Al Akhyar fi Taragem Al Abrar p. 233 [25 Nisan]7- Kenz Al Ebad Al Thameen fi Akhbar Al Kediseen, Part 2 p.

552 [25 Nissan]8- Eusebius: Ecclesiastical History, II 16, 2.

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9- Chineau : Les Saints d'Egypte, I p. 502.10- Chineau & Rene Basset: Le Synaxaire.11- St. Jerome: Illustrious Men: 8.12 - Pokalia meant place for the cows or place with plants forthe cows to eat. It is the present site for St. Mark Cathedral inAlexandria.

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CHAPTER SEVEN

THE MARTYRDOM OF THE SAINT

THE PAGANS HATING ST. MARK:

As the pagans watched the success of St. Mark, their hatetowards him became profound. They were shaken by hissuccess in preaching the name of Lord Christ. Even the Romangovernment saw him as a direct threat to them so they plannedto kill him.

HE WAS ARRESTED AND TORTURED

In 68 AD, the 14 th. year of Niron's reign, on the 29 th. ofBarmoda, while the Christians were celebrating Easter in thechurch in Pokalia, the Egyptians and the Greeks were alsocelebrating the national day for the idol god Sirabis. On this day the pagans gathered to kill St. Mark. It was toomuch for the pagans to see many of their own people wereconverting to Christianity as well as the fact that St. Markhimself was harsh in his criticism to the pagans. This increasedtheir rage. The people together with authority moved swiftlyagainst St. Mark. The crowd attacked the church at the timeSt. Mark just completed the Eucharist. They pushed away thecongregation and arrested him and with a long strong rope theyput around his neck, they pulled him along the streets and theroads of the city. With extreme cruelty they kept pulling him over the roughrocky surface of the streets that his flesh was cut into pieces

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with the blood all over the roads. The Saint thanked God whomade him worthy to suffer in His name. By the end of the day, they got tired, and they threw him in adark prison.

A VISION AND COMFORT IN THE JAIL:

St. Mark spent that night with his terribly lacerated body, witha high spirit, and was looking forward to meet the Lord in HisKingdom. God didn't leave him alone. At midnight, he saw an angel, who touched him and said, " OMark, the good servant, the time has arrived to receive youraward now ". " Be courageous, as your name has been writtenin book of life. " This comforted him and he raised his handtowards heaven and said, "Thank you my Savior Jesus, Younever left me alone, You accepted me with whom You blessedwith Your mercy." As the angel left, the Savior appeared to him and gave him thepeace and said. " O Mark, my disciple and my evangelist, peacebe with you." The disciple screamed and said, "O' my LordJesus." When the vision ended, he became cheerful andcomfortable, as his heart was ready to meet the Lord.

THE MARTYRDOM OF THE SAINT AND HIS BURIAL:

The following morning, on 30 Barmoda, the idolaters came,to take him from the prison and again surrounded his neck witha thick rope and repeated what they did with him the perviousday. While he was pulled over the stones he prayed God toforgive them. His soul left him for its Creator, to receive the crown ofmartyrdom.

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As if his killing was not enough in the eyes of the killers, sothey prepared a big fire to burn his body, but heavy stormy rainextinguished the fire and dispersed the crowds. Somecourageous believers took the body of their father in the faith,and put him in a coffin and headed to the church in Pokalia.Anianus together with the clergy and the people prayed at thismoment of their grieve. They dug a tomb under the church, in the east side and buriedthe Saint. The church was named after him, as St. MarkChurch. Ironically in the year 310 AD, and at the same site, thePatriarch of Alexandria St. Peter, the last of the martyrs, waskilled. The Holy Church celebrates his martyrdom on 30 Barmoda,while the Western Churches observe it on 25, April. [25 Nisan]. Chineau reported that St. Mark was 58 years old when he wasmartyred. Patriarch Maximos Mazloom in his book ,"Al Kenz AlThameen fi Akhbar Al Kidiseen" wrote, "His tomb became tothe Christians the place of respect with reverence and esteem,that they came from distant places to visit, as far as Galatia, asSt. Philoromis, the priest did."

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CHAPTER EIGHT

THE MIRACLES OF SAINT MARK

1- THE DEATH OF THE LION AND LIONESS:

That was his first miracle, after which his father accepted thefaith.

2- HEALING THE FINGER OF ANIANUS:

This was his first miracle in Egypt. When Anianus' finger waspunctured by the needle and was healed, he became the first tobelieve in Alexandria. He later became the first bishop. Many miracles followed which attracted the people andbecame believers accepting the Kingdom of God and supportingthe Gospel. Chineau described his miracles to be, "continuous andnumerous".

3- HIS MIRACLES IN THE FIVE WESTERN CITIES:

Severus Ibn Al Mokafaa, in his book, "The life of SaintMark", wrote, "He went first to the Five Western Citiespreaching the Word of God and showed many miracles, healingthe sick, cleaning the lepers, casting out the evil spirits by theblessing of God in him. Many believed in Lord Christ anddestroyed their idols they worshipped". In his book, "The Book of St. Mark" Al Mashriki, recordedthe miracles done by the saint in the Five Western Cities.

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Chineau, in his book, "Les Saints d' Egyple" on page 500,wrote, "He lessened their pain and healed their sick andbenefited from that to represent Christ to them."

4- HIS VISION IN THE JAIL:

When the angel appeared to him for comfort and support.

5- THE FIRE WAS DISTINGUISHED AND HIS BODYWASN'T BURNT:

When the pagans prepared the fire to burn his body, a bigstorm with heavy rain extinguished the fire. That served twopurposes, dispersing the crowds and giving the believers achance to take his body for burial.

6-THE MIRACLE TOLD BY THE PEOPLE OF VENICE:

It was said that while he was preaching along the Adriatic sea,his ship was pushed into shallow waters along the coast by astrong storm. Mark, then saw an angel who told him that a bigcity will be established there and named after him. Fourhundred years later, the people in this area came to these coastalislands and built Venice.

7- SAVING VENICE:

There is a great artistic picture in the museum of Venice by agreat famous artist, Pari d' Bordeaux, expressing the protectionof St. Mark in defending Venice. There was about a story thatcould be summarized as:, "Three persons asked a sailor to takethem to Lido. One of them had a reverend look and the two

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others were in uniform and were armed. As the ship began tosail into deep sea, they met a strong storm and saw many evilspirits hanging over them. The sailors were terribly frightened.The man who looked kind, looked towards heaven and prayedin humbleness, while the other two armed men were standingbeside him. It wasn't long that the sea became calm and thesaints expelled the evil spirits. The ship arrived safely toPiazza". The sailors were astonished when they heard this kind lookingman saying, "I am Mark, Christ's Apostle, take this ring andgive it to the ruler of the city, to reward you for what you didfor us during the night. I came tonight with the two martyrs,George and Theodore to save Venice from the evil. Thepeople of Venice had fallen to the devil without shame, and noregret. I trust they would repent their sins." The ruler received the ring and rewarded the sailors, who toldhim about the Saint. A celebration was in order for the safetyof the city and its people. Napoleon admired the painting and took it to Paris with him,however it was returned to Italy in 1815 AD. The people in the West are interested in our Saint, theyrecorded his miracles in their books and expressed theirimpressions in artistic paintings. We find ourselves limiting hismiracles which occured during the apostolic time only. Wehope that we declare his miracles of our time and ask that hecontinues to show us his miracles by the power of The Spirit inhim.

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Reference:1- Menassa Youhanna: History of The Coptic Church.2- Les Saints d' Egypte. I p.505.3- History of The Patriarchs- Part I.4- Tafseer Al Moshriki Part I p. 115.5- Christian Symbolics and its Meanings, George Firgoson,

Arabic Translation by Dr. Yacoub Guirgis, Part II p. 224.6- Habib Guirgis: St. Mark The Evangelist, p. 60 [ after La

Rousse ]

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CHAPTER NINE

"ST. MARKS HEAD AND BODY"

1- BOTH THE HEAD AND THE BODY TOGETHER:

Both the head and the body were buried in the church atPokalia in his coffin till the year 644 AD, This church wasknown as the Cave or the Subterranean Monastery . It was inthe eastern part of Alexandria, near the huge rocky area, wherehe was killed. During the (Chalcedonian) dispute, in 451 AD, St. Discoristhe 25 th. Pope was sent into exile. The Coptic church wassubject to severe persecution. The Melchite's persecutionextended for 190 years. [two natures] The Roman Melchitesconfiscated our churches. Many of our Patriarchs never sat inAlexandria. The Church of St. Mark in Alexandria fell to thehands of the Roman Melchites. As mentioned the remains ofSt. Mark were safe and complete till the year 644 AD.

2- THE HEAD WAS STOLEN AND RETURNED:

History recorded that the head [skull] of St. Mark was stolenor a sailor attempted to steal it during the Arab Conquest in 644AD. In our Synaxarium on Toba 8, this was mentioned as : "thecaptain of the ship entered the church and put his hand in thecoffin of St. Mark and touched the body of St. Mark. Realizingthat it belonged to a great person, he took the head and hid it inhis boat." Ibn Al Sabaa, a historian from the thirteenth century reportedthis in a different version. He said that one of the sailors went

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at night to the church of St. Mark the Evangelist, on theMediterranean, known as the Cave. As he entered it, he foundthe coffin of St. Mark and he thought that it might contain gold.He put his hand and picked the head and hid it in the ship. Both references stated that when Amr Ibn Al Aas proceededto Alexandria, all the ships left the port except one. This wasthe ship that had the Holy head. The ship failed to leave theport despite of the sailors' effort. Ibn Al Sabaa in his versionsaid that Amr Ibn Al Aas gave an order to search the ship andfound the head. After the head was removed the ship was ableto sail. The sailor who stole the head was brought to Ibn AlAas and, confessed his crime and was beaten. Amr Ibn Al Aas inquired about the Pope who fled earlier fromthe persecution and when he knew that he was hiding in upperEgypt, he sent him a hand written letter assuring his safety.The Pope returned to receive the head. When Amr was toldabout the saint's miracles, he gave the Pope ten thousand dinarsto build a church for the Saint. The church was built in Alexandria, and was located at theMissalla Street and is still present to this day. The "head"stayed there till the 13 th. century.

3- THE SEPARATION OF THE HEAD FROM THEBODY:

This information shows us that the Head of the Saint wasreturned to the Copts and that Pope Benjamin kept it, till thechurch was built. At the same time his body was in the hands ofthe Roman Melchites in the Pokalia church. Thus the head andthe body were in separate places at that time. Here is whathistory tells us:

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All the churches were in the hands of the Romans includingthe church that contained the body of this great Saint.Regardless of the order given by Amer Ibn Al Aas to enablePope Benjamin to get back all the churches, this order wasnever executed. Thus the Pokalia church with the body in, wasnot returned to the Copts. Was it that the Romans insisted to keep the Saint's body, atthat time or were the Copts helpless? Or did they reach anunderstanding with Amr? Or did they reach an agreement withthe Copts? We don't know. Abu Al Makarem reported thatthe churches were divided so were the Jacobites, [The Coptswith the one nature] who took the church of "Kamha" with thehead of St. Mark in it and the Melchites [The Roman Melchiteswith the two natures ] took the body and the SubterraneanMonastery. Later the Venetians stole the body. (Thismonastery was the church of Pokalia where St. Mark wasmartyred and pulled with a rope.) [ Fol. R. V. ] Accordingly, the Roman Melchites had the body in Pokaliachurch, that is the church which was taken by them with forcein the sixth century. Abu Al Makarem falsely said that theCopts let the Romans have the body when the churches weredivided among the Copts and the Melchites.The word Melchite come from the word " Malek " meaning a"King" and here it stood for authority which was the Romangovernment then.

4- THE STOLEN BODY:

Ibn Kabar reported that the body of St. Mark was still buriedin the eastern church on the Mediterranean till some Venetiansstole the body leaving the head, which was then with the Copts.They took the body with them to Venice. This was confirmed

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by Bishop Yusab of Fouwa, who stated, " The body was takenby the Romans to Venice." Abu Al Makarem didn't mentionthis in detail, but wrote, " The body was stolen and now it is inVenice. They put it in a hollowed marble pillar, secured withiron belts." The stealing of the body happened between 828 and 829 AD,or may be in 815. This was mentioned by Butler referring toBernre the wise French monk who visited Egypt in 870 AD. Hesaid, " Beyond the eastern door there was the Monastery of St.Mark where the monks were living. In the church the bodywas buried, and the Venetians came by sea and carried the bodyto their Island." Mr. Radamis Sani Al Lakani, treasurer of the ArcheologicalSociety in Alexandria, wrote in the, 'Progres Egyptiene', andwas reprinted in Watani on 27 June 1965 : "During the reign ofDuke Justinian Partisipatio who was appointed and transferredto Venice, in 823 AD, the body of St. Mark the Evangelist wastransferred to Venice. The body was in Alexandria under thecustody of two Greek priests in one of the churches there. " There were ten Venetian ships in the port. The captain of oneof these ships contacted the two Greek priests who agreed togive him the relics of the Saint. They carefully opened thecoffin and removed the cloth that covered the body withoutdisturbing the seals and took it to the ship. The Saint's relicswas carried to the church of the Dukedom with enormousenthusiasm and they adopted his name as their nationalinspiration." Guirgis Philothaus Awad, wrote in detail about St. Mark, andadded more information. He wrote, " The two custodians ofthe relics of St. Mark were, Astergios, a monk and Theodore apriest. Two sea captains or merchants named Woresticos andTriponos, from Venice tricked the priests saying that the

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government was about to take the churches and they wereafraid that the holy relics of Saint Mark would be lost. Theypromised to take it to a safe place till the waves of thepersecution stop. The priests agreed. When they reachedVenice, the people received the relics with extreme joy andcelebrations, and put their republic under the protection of thelion of St. Mark, in appreciation to his work in Italy."

5- THE BODY IN THE CHURCH IN VENICE:

When the relics reached Venice in 828 AD, Duke Justinian ,the ruler, built a splendid sanctuary for the relics. The sanctuarywas burned in 977 AD to be rebuilt by Duke Peter Orsillo. Another church again was built, one of the most splendidchurches of the world for St. Mark and was named after him.They began to build it in 1052 AD during the reign of DukeDemonico Contarini and was completed to its present shape inthe eighteenth century. Top architects and engineers competedto make it a landmark for the art in Lumbardo. The church is on the south-eastern side of the city, on one ofits famous canals. It is distinguished by its buildings, marbles,gold, pillars and decorations. Its corridor has many oriental pillars and leads to five doors.On its walls, many events, taken from the Old Testament, likethe early creation to Moses time, are painted. In the first floor,there are golden decorations representing the history of thetransfer of St. Marl's relics. The domes and the walls aredecorated with the most beautiful paints. At the beginning of the twentieth century, some repairs weredone in the domes which took about ten years to complete. Onthe day the dome was consecrated, April 25, 1912 AD. a big

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ceremony was attended by a deputy representing the King ofItaly. The Popes in Rome always showed their care for this churchand the relics. It was mentioned that Pope Leo IX visited theplace and knelt at the tomb of St. Mark the Evangelist.

6-HONORING THE HEAD BY THE PATRIARCHS:

It was a tradition that every newly appointed Patriarch, hadto go on the second day of his ordination, to where the headwas placed, accompanied by the bishops, priests and the people.He would kneel and bow before the holy head, then pray andraise incense, reading from the Book of Mark, and ending theprayers by asking for God's mercy. Then he would exclude himself from the clergy and puts theskull on his lap, changes the cloth on it with a new one andrestore for it, then appears to the public who would kiss it oneafter the other according to their ranks. The Pope is named thesuccessor of St. Mark, since St Mark was the one whoestablished its see. In the book of the Ordaination of the Patriarchs, it ismentioned that he embraces the head of the Saint as he becamehis successor.

7- TRANSFERRING THE HEAD:

A- At The Matra Monastery And The Church Of St. Mark

Pope Benjamin, [38 th.] received ten thousands dinars fromAmr Ibn Al Aas to build a church to contain the head of St.Mark. He began to build the church which was later known asthe "Suspended" or " Al Moalaqa" or " Al Kamha", but he

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never completed it. Pope Aghatho [39] completed it accordingto the Maqrizi, p.44. Thus it appears that Pope Benjamin kept the head with him atMatra monastery, where he was staying, as mentioned by AbuAl Makarem. This monastery was called "Episcorpion"meaning Bishopric . When the church of St. Mark " Al Mualaqa" was built, theyput the head there. It was not the church of Poklia which wastaken by the Romans. Ibn Al Sabaa said, "This church was builtin Alexandria and was known as 'Al Mualaqa' in Missalla Streetin Alexandria, till this day. ( the Thirteenth Century).

B- The Head In The Monastery Of St. Macarius!

Shortly later, the Romans tried to take the head, it wasconsidered valuable also to the rulers as they realized that theycan take money from the Copts under the threat of taking it orputting it for sale. In the Book Of the History of the Patriarchs,along with mentioning the life of Pope Zacharias [64] it iswritten that a Turkish Prince during time of the persecution bythe ruler, Al-Hakem Be- Amr- Ellah took it till Bakira AlRashidi the bearer of the cross retrieved it after paying 300Dinars. He carried it back to Pope Zacharias, who was then inhiding in the Abu Makar Monastery. The head was taken later to the Monastery of St. Macasrius inthe wilderness of Sciet in about 1013 AD. It remained thereduring the time of Pope Zacharius [64] who was in hiding. Thiswas mentioned also by Abu Al Makarem. It is probable thatthe head was returned to the church of St. Mark [Mualaqa] inAlexandria.

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C- The Head With The Eminent Copts Pillars InAlexandria:

From the Eleventh Century and through the Fourteenth , thehead was moved between the homes of the rich Copts. Thisplan probably was designed to keep it away from the rulers whowere actively interested in taking money from the Copts orselling the head to the Roman Melchites. These homes weremuch safer, and not known. The churches were well knowntargets. During the time of Pope Christotholo (the 66 th)[1077 AD],Mawhoob Ibn Mansur wrote, " The head of the Evangelist St.Mark was in the house of Abu Yehya Zakaria. When hebecame sick, ten Copts came to my father to tell him that AbuYehya was too sick that he may die, and were afraid his housemay be confiscated and were worried about the head whichwas in this house at that time. He left with them to see the sickman who was dying, and took the box containing the head tothe house of Gabriel Ben Kozman which was not far from AbuYehya's. At night they carried it to my father's house [father ofMawhoob Ben Mansur Ben Farag Al Iskandarani] and told himthat they we afraid to put it at Ben Kozman's house, as it wasnear that of Abu Yehya, and asked him to keep the head. Myfather refused as he was afraid from the Sultan who earlierpunished him and had problems with him. As Sorour Ben Matrouh took it to his house, Simon thepriest, who later became a bishop of Tanaithis, was willing totake it and to look after it with his brother. Then they wentand took it. The ruler ordered that my father be arrested with all whowere with him. He said he wanted the head and the 10,000

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dinars, as ordered by the Sultan. He told them that Ibn Bashirwrote to the Sultan that the Romans were ready to pay him10,000 Dinars . My father denied that he saw or took the head.My father regretted and blamed himself as he didn't take it andwas put in prison for 37 days." His father was then released from prison after he had seen avision of St. Mark telling him that he would be released fromthe prison after three days, and he was, after paying 600 Dinarsto the ruler. He arrived to Alexandria and took the head withhim to his house. According to the different sources, the head was taken to fiveor six different houses during this period. Bishop Yusab of Fouwa wrote in his book, "The head of St.Mark was taken from a family that became afraid to keep it, sothey put it in between two walls and built around it. By the endof the war, they put it back to its previous place and they litcandles around it as they used to do. Many miracles happenedthrough the blessing of the head." During the time of Pope Mark III [73], in between 1166-1189AD, it was mentioned, "After the ordination of Pope Mark BenZaraa he entered the city to the house where the head was,spent the night there and in the morning, he opened the boxwith the key and put the head on his lap, praying and praising." During the thirteenth and the fourteenth Centuries, the headwas in the house of Al Sukari, according to the History of thePatriarchs. During the life of Pope Cyril, Ben Laklak, III [75] (1235 -1243 AD ) He rode to the house of Ibn Al Sukari where thehead was, and put it on his lap and covered it with a new clothas was the custom.

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This coincided with what Ibn Kabar wrote in 1334 AD thatthe head was moved to a house in Alexandria, that belonged toAl Sukari's sons.

D- Between The Houses And The Church "Mualaqa"

It was proven that the head was moved from one house toanother. This was different from what Ibn Al Sabaa's recordedthat it was in the Mualaqa Church (St. Mark Church] till histime, in the Thirteenth Century. Probably the head was in the church except during theperiods of persecution when they were afraid that somethingmay happen to it, so it was transferred to a house. When it waspeaceful it would be returned to the church where it belonged.

ITS LAST DESTINATION:

It is probable that at a later date, a special tomb for the headwas built in the eighteenth century. In reference to St. YuanisXVI [103] that he went to Alexandria and stayed in St. MarkChurch and visited his tomb. The last of what was reported about the head was inreference to the life of Pope Peter VI [104]. It was stated thathe went to Alexandria, kissed the head of St. Mark theEvangelist. When he was about to leave Alexandria, he heardthat some people from Alexandria, or possibly from Venicewere planning to take the head, so he hid it in the monastery,may be in the church in eastern Alexandria which was calledthen as the monastery. After Pope Peter [104], at the beginning of the EighteenthCentury, 250 years ago, the custom of holding the head by the

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patriarchs after their ordaination and changing the cloth hadstopped. Since then we heard nothing about the head. Kamel Saleh Nakhla, a deacon, in his book " St. Mark" onpage 122, wrote, "I learned from the elderly Coptic Orthodox inAlexandria, according to what they were told by their ancestors,that the holy head was put among other skulls particularly of thesaints, in a marble space, located in the north eastern part of theChurch of St. Mark and known today as " Al Maksura". Thisserved the purpose that nobody would be able to recognize itand would be immune from being stolen. That was during PopePeter VI [104] era.

References:1- Severus Ben Al Mokafaa, History of The Patriarchs From

Pope 25 - Pope 38.2-Patrologia Orientalis: La Synaxaire Arab - Jacobite.3- Abu Al Sebaa: Al Gawhara Al Nifeesa Fi Olum Al Kanisa :p. 140 - 141, Chapter 87.4- Synaixre, the thief confessed before the search.5- Pope Benjamin [ 38 ] was hiding from the Melchites and

stayed 13 years away from his seat before the Arab conquest.6- Ibid.7- Other publications, St. Mark, was known also as Al Moalakaand Archangel Michael.8- Ibn Kabar: Mosbah Al Zolma: fourth book.9- History of the Patriarchs: Pope Cyril's III Life [75].10-Guirgis Philothaus Awad: Article about St. Mark, Al Yalaza

1929.11-Butler, Arab Conquest into Egypt, Trans. by Farid Abu

Hadid, p.322.

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12- From other transated books.13- As # 10.14- Attia Bey Wahba: Al Ather Al Zahabi, 1915, p:189-192.15- As # 3.16- After Bishop Mikhail, of Tanases , 1051 AD. He himself

had the head in his house for a while.17- History by Abu Shaker Ben Al Raheb.

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CHAPTER TEN

MARK THE APOSTLETHE CHURCH'S PRAISES, PRAYERS AND

LITURGY

1- THE PRAYER FOR BLESSING:

There is hardly any prayer in the church that doesn't mentionhis name , glorifying him or requesting his intercession andasking for blessing. His name is mentioned in the blessing prayer at the end of ourmeetings. It is said after the Matin Raising of Incense, at theend of the Eucharist, after Partaking and at the end of everyprayer or gathering. We begin, by asking our Lady The Motherof God The pure Mary, then we ask for the blessing of St.Mark, saying " The beholder of God, the Evangelist, St. Mark,the Saint and Apostle" In this phrase, the five titles of St. Markare mentioned.

2-THE MINISTERS' ABSOLUTION:

The priest asks for forgiveness for the priests, the ministers,the deacons, clergy and all the people " From The HolyTrinity, the church, the twelve Apostles and from the Beholderof God St. Mark the Apostle, the Saint and Martyr." The sametitles which are mentioned in the blessing of the "Grace prayer".Thus we ask for his blessing and absolution.

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3- OTHER PRAYERS IN THE LITURGY:

a- For his intercession, we say, " Through the prayers ofBeholder of God, the Evangelist, God forgive us our sins."b- In the [Praxis], we say, " Peace be with you O martyr, peacefor the Evangelist, peace for the apostle and peace for theBeholder of God."c- In the prayers for commemoration of Saints, we say, " Thebeholder of God,the Evangelist, Mark the apostle, thesaint and the martyr."d- In the songs the deacon adds to these titles another one, "Thehead of thebishops" saying : " St. Mark , the evangelist,head of the bishops and martyr "

4-IN THE AGPIAH BOOK: (Book of Prayers)

At the end of the prayers of midnight Absolution of the Priests,it is mentioned, "By the intercession of the intercessor, thesource of purity, blessing and giving, our Lady the Virgin, thepride of our race St. Mary, and the compassionate martyr St.Mark the evangelist the apostle and the preacher of Egypt andall the angels, the fathers, the prophets, the saints, theanchorites ,the worshipers and the struggling monks.."

5- IN THE DOXOLOGY:

a- In the praise for midnight : "Ask God O the beholder of Godthe evangelist Mark for forgiveness of our sins." Alsob- At the Vesper & Matin Raising of the Incense, it is said afterthe prayer of thanksgiving : "Through the prayers of thebeholder of God the evangelist Mark the apostle, forgive usGod our sins." Also it is said, " Peace for you O martyr, peace

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on you O evangelist, Peace O apostle Mark the beholder ofGod."c- In another song said after the Litanies in raising the incense atevening or that for the sick and for the traveler in Matin raisingof the incense, "Peace for our father Mark the evangelist whodemolished the idols " this is usually said after the matin's Psalmis read, and this is another title for him, " The great preacher, inEgypt, Mark the apostle, that denotes efforts to get rid of idolworship."

6- SONGS AND PRAISES: "PSALTIS"

a- Two songs in 'Doxology' for his feast if it falls on a Sunday,Monday or Tuesday, in Adaam's tune is said. On the other daysof the week the Watus song is performed. In these versions,Mark is called the, "disciple of Christ, Mark the apostle. TheLord our God chose you to be the preacher of His Gospel." InAdam's he is described as the priest and preacher.

b- in the book of Doxologies, there is a song for St. Mark, " OSt. Mark the evangelist , the disciple of Christ and the Patriarchof Alexandria." Referring to him as a Patriarch of Alexandria isan added title, and of course it wasn't known in the apostolicera, as there was no higher rank over a bishop other than anapostle. Another description was " The shinning torch"

7-THE KATAMAROS :

The church celebrates his feast on 30 Barmoda. The readingson that day are focused on preaching, choosing the apostles andtheir work.

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Referring to the preaching among the great congregation withsuccess and firmness" O come, let us make a joyful noise on the rock of oursalvation." The Gospel: all chosen from the Book of Mark, how theapostles were chosen, and what advice given to them, theirauthority and their rewards. When Jesus Christ called the twelve disciples and sent themto preach [ Mark 6 : 7 - 13] " Verily I say unto you, there is no man that had left house,or brethren, or sisters or father or mother, or wife or children,or lands, for my sake, and gospel. But he shall receive anhunderedfold now in this time, houses and brethren and sistersand mothers and children and lands with persecutions; and inthe world to come eternal life." [ Mark 10 : 17 - 30] " The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son ofGod...... Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."[ Mark 1 : 1 - 11]

IN THE EPISTLES AND PRAXIS :

From The Pauline Epistle St. Paul tells Timothy, "Take Markand bring him with you, he is profitable to me for the ministry."[II Timothy 4 :10 -18]

From The Catholicon , " The church that is in Babylon,elected together with you, salutes you and does Marcus myson." [ I Peter 5 : 1 - 14]

From The Praxis : " And some days after Paul said untoBarnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus." , " And so were

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the churches established in the faith, and increased in numberdaily." [Acts 15 : 36 , 16 : 5]

8-DURING THE PROCESSIONS OF THE FEASTS OFTHE CROSS & PALM SUNDAY

The priest, standing in front of the icon of St. Mark, reads thepart referring to the choosing the seventy disciples, sendingthem for the ministry and the punishment for those who rejectthem. This confirms that St. Mark was one of the seventy.

9-IN THE SYNAXARIUM:

The church celebrates the occasion of his martyrdom on 30Barmoda; and on 30 Baba for the finding [appearance of] hisholy head, beside some other events during the year

10- IN THE ORDINATION OF THE PATRIARCHS:

a- It is stated in the nomination of the Patriarch election, "Anba... the Saint, the Patriarch, who is worthy of the seat of St.Mark the evangelist, with the good knowledge that wasexpanded over the universe for comfort and the saving of thesouls." This shows that his work was universal and wasn'tlimited to our church. It continues to mention, ' which was preached , implanted andstrengthened in the apostolic universe, by our pure father Markthe evangelist, for the coming of its true groom, The only-Begotten Son Jesus Christ The Perfect Savior Who fulfillseverything.

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b- On seating the Patriarch, " We seat Anba... the chief bishopto the holy apostolic seat of our father the blessed Saint Markthe beholder of God, in the name of the Father, the Son and theHoly Spirit, Amen." After the Patriarch is seated, with the Book of St. Mark on hischest, (The bishops kiss him in the mouth, the priests on hischest and all the deacons kiss his hand.) The patriarch kisses the Gospel of Mark embraces theapostolic head of the beholder of God, as he becomes hissuccessor and is ready to follow his foot steps. A song saying, " in succession of Mark the honorable apostlethe speaker of the Divinity", another tittle known for him, wouldbe chanted.

c- The intercession of the Saint is asked for, at the end of theceremony, " By the intercession of our Lady The Mother ofGod the ever-Virgin, Saint Mary and by our father the Saint thepure apostle Mark the evangelist."

SUMMARY:

In our church's ceremonial customs, we find the following :

1- The name of St. Mark is in every prayer, song and churchreadings etc.

2- We ask in our prayers, his blessing, absolution andintercession...

3- The church gives him the many titles : Saint, martyr,beholder of God, the evangelist, the speaker of divinity, the

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apostle, the disciple of Christ, one of the seventy and the pureapostolic seat.

4- As for his preaching, the church mentions his universal workfor the great multitudes, where he called the name of Godamong the gentiles. He preached daily for the salvation andcomfort of every soul. 5- The church cares for his gospel.

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A HYMN OF ST. MARK

WRITTEN IN COPTIC AND TRANSLATED TOARABIC

BY DR. EMIL MAHER

Come o believers, the Orthodox folksTo honor our father St. MarkIn the cities in Egypt, and also in the villagesPeople glorify their intercessor , our father St. MarkOne thousand and nine hundreds years were completed this yearSince the martyrdom of our father St. MarkWorthy are you o ApostleThe great martyr our Father St. MarkFor your confession and declarationYou accepted the martyrdom, O father St. MarkTruly you declared freedom and salvationIn Jesus Christ, O our father St. MarkThe Egyptians and other gentilesBecame believers by, our father St. MarkThe lord Christ chose you a discipleAnd Evangelist too, our father St. MarkYour Gospel foreverLightens the way, our father St. MarkYou established for us our churchIn Alexandria, our father St. MarkAlso the other holy ChurchIn Libya, our father St. MarkDidn't your church reach EthiopiaAnd the rest of Africa, our father St. Mark

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You are the universal ApostleYou preached the Romans O St. MarkTruly blessed o my Lord ChristAs you chose our father St. MarkYou gathered with your apostlesIn the house of our father St. MarkSave the church to the endBy the intercession of our father St. MarkTruly we received your blessingIn our Church, O father St. MarkYour Church is in AlexandriaIt is the beacon, our father St. MarkWith the virtues and theologyWas the theological school our Faather St. MarkThe ideal man the lover of ChristThat is the apostle our father St. MarkPeace for the Virgin, peace for the ApostlePeace for the martyr our father St. MarkThe souls of the believers in the highestBlessing you our father St. MarkSame as the believers in the worldCelebrate for you our father St. MarkThis is the humble, deacon PeterChants for you our father St. Mark.

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CHAPTER ELEVEN

LITURGY OF ST. MARK"KNOWN AS ST. CYRIL LITURGY"

St. Mark put the Holy Liturgy , he used it in his prayers andgave it to St. Anianus to use it for praying together with thethree priests who were ordained with him At first It was in Greek then was translated into Coptic. It isone of the oldest Liturgies made by the church. The other threeliturgies used were taken from it. It is very rich of its contents.The holy Liturgy was learned by heart till 330 AD when PopeAthanasius the apostolic [20] put it in writing and gave it toAfromentius the first bishop of Ethiopia. Pope Cyril the great added many additions and wrote it in itspresent form, and since then, it was known after him. The Oxford Dictionary reported that in 1928 AD a papyruspaper was discovered among a collection in Strasbourgbelonging to the fourth and fifth centuries, on which this CopticLiturgy by St. Mark or St. Cyril was recorded. There was alsoanother copy of it in Ethiopian language. The library of theVatican has three copies.of: The God Rossanensis [ Vat. gr. 1970 sacc XIII] The Rotulus Vaticanus [ Vat. gr. 2281, Sacc XIII] The Rotulus Messanensis [ Cod Mes. gr. 177. sacc XIII ]

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CHAPTER TWELVE

ST. MARK, HIS EFFECT ON THE ARTS

St. Mark had a marked expressiveness on architecture,sculpture and painting. There are numerous churches, schoolsand institutions that carry his name. Statues were built, andmany paintings showed him in person or about his miracles.

His paintings in Egypt: (1) The oldest paintings belong to the Tenth and the ThirteenthCenturies. There are three paintings from each century

Of the Tenth Century :

Two are found in the church at Al Syrian Monastery in the .Natrun Valley. One of them is located on the Iconostasis of the Sanctuary,known as the door of prophecy which dates back to the year913 AD. It is the fifth painting, to the left on the veil. The second painting stands between the [ first and secondchoires ] and dates back to 929 AD. The third one that goes back to the Tenth Century, is locatedat the Mualaqa Church in old Cairo, on its southern wall. It hasa touch of the Byzantine and Greek arts.

Of the Thirteenth Century :

One of them dates back to 1220 AD and is placed in thelibrary of the Al Syrian Monastery in Wadi Al Natrun under #21 . It is a manuscript of the four Gospels that has on one of itspages, the pictures of the four evangelists.

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The second one, is in the church of St. Anthony at St.Anthony Monastery in the Eastern Desert. It probably goesback to 1233 AD and was discovered by the AmericanByzantine Institute Expedition in 1931 AD. The third one is under # 5/196 'holy' in the Patriarchal Libraryon the cover of the four Gospels and goes back to 1291 AD. There are many other paintings, of more recent dates, as inthe church of St. Mina in Fom Al Khaleeg, the church of theVirgin in Haret Zewela, the church of the Virgin in the Haret AlRum, the Botrossia church in Abbassia, the Cathedral of St.Mark in Alexandria and the Cathedral of St. Mark in Cairo.

St. Mark ICONS in The Churches and Museums inEurope:

Monte Pellier Museum in France: (2) Has some of the mosttraditional paintings representing St. Mark sitting, writing hisbook, looking towards heaven or to the book with a pen in hishand.

Florence, Italy: There is a painting that goes back to the year1507 AD by Fra Bartolomeo in the Monastery of St. Mark forthe Dominican Monks.

Louvre Museum in Paris: There is a painting with the lionappearing with him. It is by Peniez a famous painter who wasone of Durer students. There is also another painting for himwith the lion, in Venice by Bonifazeo.(3) In general the artists painted him as a young looking personwhen they showed him writing the Gospel, and looking older,when he was writing something else.

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The Saint was also painted with others saints, as a symbol tohis blessing to them, as in a portrait by Giovanni Martini in1501 AD with St. Hermagoras. (4) Another painting that goes back to 1511 AD is found in thechurch of Saint Mary Lady of Peace in Venice, by Titan,representing St. Mark on a throne , shown at his feet, somefamous saints like St. Quzman and others, who were known oftheir power in healing the sick. This is a confirmation from theWest of his power of healing , that was given to him by theHoly Spirit during his preaching. (5) In Munich, the artist Durer in 1526 AD, painted the fourapostles, Paul and Mark together and Peter and John together,indicating that the ministry of St. Mark was with St. Paul ratherthan with St. Peter. (6)

Unique paintings :

In Venice there is a painting representing the martyrdom ofSt. Mark, his torture, while receiving death with a peacefulspirit . It also showed how his body was brought to Venice.In Dar El Kutub in Cairo, there is a painting showing St. Markbaptizing Anianus, his successor. Another beautiful painting by Pari de Bordeaux, represented astory about a war fought by the Saint against the evils inVenice. This wasn't an imagination, but true events recorded bythe people of Venice, among the numerous miracles of the saint. One is by Nantorol from The Institute of Arts in Venice andwas painted in 1648 AD. It stayed in Venice till the year 1799AD, then was transferred to Paris by Napoleon. It showed aslave at the time of his execution, with his hands cut in front ofa big crowd of people. In the painting it showed St. Mark

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descending from heaven and replacing the miserable slave'shands, who was also fleeing from his enemies with joy.

Reference1-Coptic Museum Guide 1932, Part 2 p. 81.2- Habib Guirgis: St. Mark History, p. 57 - 60.3- Abid.4- Iconographie di l'art Chretien, III, p. 871.5- Ibid.6- Ibid.

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

THE SEAT OF ST. MARK

We don't mean the literal meaning of the word ' seat ', as St.Mark didn't have one. He kept going, preaching from one placeto another, seeking the believers, till his sandals were torn fromtraveling! What it means is the apostolic succession to the Saint, incompleting his work, preaching and spreading the Kingdom ofGod on earth.

1-THE FAME OF THE SEAT OF ALEXANDRIA ANDITS SERVICES

A- Alexandria Seat And The Universal Councils:

The Seat of St. Mark was known as the Seat of Alexandria,which attained a great fame in the early centuries. It was abreast in the holy councils, whether by presiding themor conducting theological and church studies. Nicea Council or the Ecumenical Council meeting in 325 ADwas under the supervision of the Seat of St. Mark. The mostimportant personality in it was Athnassius the Deacon of PopeAlexandros of Alexandria. He was the most distinguishedpersonality among the 318 saintly bishops who attended thiscouncil The Holy Council of Nicea established the Creed, for all theChristian world that was put undoubtedly, by Athanasius ofAlexandria himself.

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St. Athanasius became the Pope of Alexandria in about 328AD. He attacked the Arius doctrine and forcefully defended thefaith. He resisted all the opposing thoughts, standing alone, andwasn't defeated. Once he was told that the world was againsthim and he replied that he was also against the world. Thus hewas called the " Contra Modum". Without Athanasius' effort, with God's help, the faith mighthave been lost. That is why he was called 'Athanasius TheApostolic' a title that was never given to other popes inthe world. Pope Thimothos of Alexandria similarly excelled in TheEcumenical Holy Council in Constantinople, in 381 AD. Whenthis great saint arrived to the council, he was asked about allaspects of religion and his reply was taken as the legal edictwithin the church laws all over the world. This was published inthe " Nicene & Post -Nicene Fathers, Vol. 14." (1) The Ephesus Holy Council in 431 AD, it was chaired by PopeCyril of Alexandria, and was successful to defeat the teachingsof the Nastorians. He was the most effective personality of hisdays. During his time, the Theological School of Alexandria was thebeacon of learning.

B- Its Fame In Monasticism:

Monasticism which was established by the great St. Anthonywho was born in upper Egypt in the middle of the ThirdCentury. was extended from Egypt to the rest of the world.St. Pachumius established 'the sharing life' in monasteries whichwas soon adopted all over the world. St. Basilius and theBendictism followed the same style.

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People, from the West as well from the East came to Egypt tovisit the monks to receive their blessing and to write about theirlives. Peladius wrote about them in his famous book, "HistoriaLausiaca" Others like John Kasian, in his books, "Institutes"& "Conferences", Rouvinos in the " History of the Monks ",Jerome, St. Paul the First Anchorite and St. John of Assuit;etc. The holiness of the Egyptian monks and their fame,attributed to St. Mark's preaching, were acknowledged by Philoin his book, about the School of Alexandria.

2- THE POPES AND BISHOPS OF THE SEAT OF SAINTMARK:

One hundred and sixteen patriarchs sat on that seat before theour present Pope. St. Mark was considered their first. The firstto succeed him was St. Anainus, about whom the CatholicPatriarch Maximus Mazloom wrote, " St. Anainus the reverendman whose heart was as God's Heart, knew all His desires andfulfilled them." (2) At the beginning, the word ' Pope ' was not known and thesuccessor of St. Mark was called the ' Bishop of Alexandria '.(3) There were no other bishops, but in the Second Century,Pope Dimitrius [12] ordained other bishops with him. (4) Itmay be Pope Omanius [7] who ordained bishops and sent themto other cities in Egypt, Nuba, Libya and the Five WesternCities.(5) Thus the successor of St. Mark was given the title ofArchbishop, Patriarch and Pope. Later the number of the bishops increased in the church and inthe Fourth Century, by the time of "Arius" when PopeAlexandrus of Alexandria [19] called for a regional council itwas attended then by 100 bishops from Egypt and Libya. (6)

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During Pope Simon I time, who died in 700 AD a councilwas called to discuss ' marriage ' and was attended by 64bishops. (7) At the end of the Eleventh Century a council was called tojudge Pope Cyril II [67] and was attended by 47. Five bishopsdidn't attend because of their old age or because of the distance,among them were Anba Fam and Anba Kozman of the Oasis.Those who attended were 52 and among these, 22 were fromlower Egypt. At the time this book was written, in 1968 , wehad only five metropolitans and bishops in lower Egypt. The Dioceses of the seat of St. Mark needs to be studied andfurther research is encouraged. History (8)mentioned thatPope Mark VII ordained one Metropolitan for all upper Egypt,named Anba Peter.

The Decency in The Coptic Church:

The seat was occupied by others than from the CopticBishops. Some Syrians were ordained patriarchs to the church: (9) Pope Simon I [42] who died in 700 AD, was a Syrian whocame to Egypt to become a monk in Al Zogag Monastery. Hewas a saintly man that many miracles were performed throughhim. Pope Abram Ben Zaraa [63] who died in 978 AD, was also aSyrian who worked at the beginning in trade. During his timethe famous miracle of moving Mokattam mountain , occurred. Pope Mark III who died in 1189 AD was also a Syrian Pope Yoannis X [85] who died in 1369 came from Damascus,"Al Sham" and was called [The trusted from Al Sham.]

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3- THE DURATION OF OCCUPYING THE SEAT: (10)

Pope Cyril V stayed the longest as a patriarch, 52 years, 9months and 6 days. Pope Athanasius the apostolic [20] stayedfor 45 years, followed by Pope Gabriel VII [95], who stayed 43years. Four other Popes stayed more than forty years. Thesewere : Pope Dimitrius Al Karam [ 12] Pope Yoannis XIII [94],Pope Yoannis XVI [103] and Pope Peter Al Gawly the[109]. Six patriarchs stayed for 30 - 40 years these were : PopeCyril the great [ 24], Pope Theodore [33], Pope Damianus [35]Pope Benjamin [38 ], Pope Christotholus [ 66], and PopeMatthew I [ 87] Those who stayed for a short period were : Pope Arshilaos[18] who stayed 6 months, Pope Simon II for 5 months, orpossible seven and half months. Pope Mikhail [71] occupiedthe seat for eight months.

4- VACANCY OF THE SEAT:

At the beginning the seat was to be occupied as soon as itbecame vacant. Pope Theophans departed on 6 December 956AD. Pope Mina II succeeded him on 7 December 956 AD.Pope Cyril the great followed Pope Theophilos after two days.Pope Khael III followed Pope Shenouda I after six days. PopeKisma III followed Pope Gabriel I, 14 days after his departure. Occasionally, the seat became vacant for several months.Sometimes it extended to years. The first time that happenedwas after Pope Simon I. The seat was empty for three yearsand nine months. The longest time this seat was vacant in thehistory of the church was after the departure of Pope Yoannis

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VI [74] and it was for 19 years, five months and ten days.There were disputes and political reasons.

The Location Of The Seat:

1- Its first location was the house of Anianus then at St.Mark Church in Pokalia where St. Mark was buried. It becameknown as the Seat of Alexandria. Alexandria remained to bethe site of the patriarchs during the early centuries.During the periods of persecution, the Popes used to flee andhide, particularly at the time of " Chalcedon ", when theMelchite patriarchs took all the churches of Alexandria. Theirhiding place was usually in a monastery by the name of Al Sagasnear Alexandria.

2- With the Arab conquest in 644 AD, Pope Benjamin wascalled from hiding by Amr Ibn Al Aas, when his safety wasassured. The church in Pokalia was still in the hands of theRomans. The Pope took St. Mark Church, known also as AlKamha or Al Muallaqa as a place for the seat in Alexandria.Other favorite places for refuge were in Demira, MehalletDaniel and the monasteries in the Sciet in the Natrun Valley.

3- Pope Christozolo [66] in the Eleventh Century was the firstto relocate St. Mark's Seat to Cairo, to the Muallaqa Church inold Cairo.

4- The seat was again transferred to Abu Sefyn Church(St.Mercurius) in old Egypt by Pope Gabriel [70] and keptreturning back and forth between the two churches till thebeginning of the Fourteenth Century.

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5- Then to The Church of the Virgin in Haret Zewela by PopeYoannis VIII who departed in 1320 AD. It remained there tillthe Seventeenth Century.

6- Again transferred to The Church at Haret Al Rum duringPope Matthew IV [102] (1660 - 1670) till the earlyNineteenth Century.

7- In 1809 AD, Pope Mark VIII built St. Mark Church inAzbakia and the seat was transferred there. When the newCathedral of St. .Mark was completed in Anba RuweisMonastery in Abbassiah, it became Pope Shenouda III'sresidence.

5- THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ST. MARK'S SEATAND MONASTICISM:

A: Before The Seat Was tied to monasticism: St. Anianus was the first to succeed St. Mark. He wasfollowed by the three priests ordained. by St. Mark. St. Yustuswho was appointed to head the Theological School, waselevated to this seat, among the many who taught in that school,became patriarchs. Graduates of this school also became bishops, and priests. Atthat time, monasticism was not yet known, nor flourished. When monasticism was established, it was essentially to live alife totally full of prayers, away from the world, in solitude andsilence. Occasionally, some of the monks accepted to be prieststo serve the Eucharist Liturgy in the monasteries and thewilderness. When it began, monasticism was far away from having anyauthority over priesthood. It was only in the Fourth Century,

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after it had flourished, that many great men like Anba Anthony,Anba Pachonius, Anba Macarius and Anba Shenouda whoestablished monasticism that things changed. None of thepatriarchs was a monk in this early period. St. Athanasius whowas chosen to be a patriarch, was a deacon and a disciple ofAnba Anthony.

B- When did the monks become patriarchs ?:

The first monk to become a patriarch was Pope Cyril [24], in412 AD. He followed his uncle Pope Theophilus [23], whoused to visit the monasteries and benefited from the monks'services. His uncle sent him earlier to the Sciet desert, to callhim later to assist him. After his uncle passed away he replacedhim. He was a monk from Anba Makar Monastery. Between the time of Pope Cyril [24 ] and Pope Benjamin [38]there were 14 patriarchs, only five of them were monks. Theywere from the monasteries of Anba Makar, Al Zogag, Taborand Kabrius. Pope Yoannis III [ 40 ] was from Abu Makar Monastery,selected in 680 AD, after whom it became customary to choosethe patriarchs from the monks, to the extent that otherwise wasconsidered odd..

C- The relation of the monasteries with St. Mark seat:

The first and largest monastery was the Monastery of AbuMakar, out of which many monks were elevated to the seat ofSt. Mark, that it was called, "The father of the patriarchs andbishops". Traditionally at that time the first visit of the newpatriarch was to go to this monastery in Sciet. Out of thismonastery 28 were elevated to the seat of St. Mark. The first

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patriarch from this monastery was Pope Cyril the great [24], orpossibly Pope Yoannis I [ 29 ]. The following patriarchs : 40,41, 44, 46, 47, 49, 50, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 61, 63, 65, 66,67, 68, 76, 83, 98, 100, 111 were from this monastery. Theirlast was Pope Dimitrius II, who died in 1870 AD. Al Zogag Monastery: is second to Abu Makar Monastery.Four were selected there from : the 30, 34, 42, 43 rd. Their lastwas Pope Alexandrius II who died in 729 AD.

Al Baramus Monastery: From it there were six patriarchs.Their first was Pope Christotholus in 1046 AD [66] then thepopes : 96, 102, 112, 113 and Pope Cyril VI [116]

Al Muharaq Monastery: Four were selected from it, theirfirst was Pope Gabriel IV [86], then the popes 87, 90, 93. andtheir last was Pope Yuannis X II who died in 1480 AD.

Anba Anthony Monastery: Is the second largest contributorfor the patriarchs. Twelve patriarchs were chosen from thismonastery. Pope Gabriel VI [91] was the first , then the : 99,101, 103, 110 popesand their last was Pope Yusab II [ 115]who died in 1956.

Al Syrian Monastery: from it were Pope Gabriel VII [ 95 ](from 1525 - 1568) and Pope Shenouda III [ 117] on 14November 1971, the present pope.

Anba Bishoy Monastery : Had two,: Pope Gabriel VIII [97] in1587 and Pope Macarius III [114] who departed in 1945 AD.

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Other monasteries not presently existing : Eight patriarchscame from them, like the Monastery of Tamora in Marietta, theMonastery of Abu Yehnes, the Monastery of Pofanah(Epiphanius), the Monastery of Shahran, the Monastery ofMount Tora and the Monastery of Al Qalamon. There were eight patriarchs whose monasteries were notidentified.

D- Laymen who became Patriarchs:

There was a time when the church, selected laymen. It was adeviation from the established tradition of selecting thepatriarchs from monks. Among these were Pope Gabriel BenTreek [70] in 1131, Pope Abram Ben Zaraa [73] in 1166 ADand Pope Yoannis VI [74] in 1189 AD.

E-.Popes from among the priests:

Some of the patriarchs were priests as, Pope Zakharius [ 64]in 1004 AD, who was one of the priests at the Church of theAngel in Alexandria. The other was Pope Yuannis XI [89] in1427 AD. He was a priest at Abu Sefyn Church in old Cairo.

Reference:1-Nicene & Post Nicene Fathers. Vol. 14.2-Kinz al Abad Al Thameen Part II p. 553.3- And so Bishop of Rome. [ Law of Council of Nicea 325 AD].4- Concise History of The Coptic Nation.5- Anba Isithirus .6- Ibid.7- Ibid.8- Series of History of Patriarchs, 5th Part p. 34

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

ST. MARK AND THE THEOLOGICALCOLLEGE

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FAMOUS SCHOOL :

At the time St. Mark came to Egypt, Alexandria was alreadyan important center for education in pagan worshipping.Through its library and school, many philosophers and scientistswere well known. It was proper for the new church to have atheological school to support the faith in the hearts of itsbelievers. A school had to stand up against the idolatry. St.Mark, who himself was fluent in Hebrew, Latin and Greek,noticed the danger of the idolatry on the faith. He established aChristian Theological school and appointed Yustus, a scholar,to manage it. The new school was based on the "Catechism method", whereeducation was received through questions and answers. Besidespiritual and religious subjects, medicine, engineering and musicwere taught. The pagan philosophers studied the Holy Bible, not to believe,but to be able to criticize and to fight it. It was also theresponsibility of this school to be able to argue their claims andto respond to them.Amonius Al Sakat the top of the idyllic philosophers used tolisten to the lectures and enjoyed it.

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THE RELATION BETWEEN THE SCHOOL AND THESEAT OF ST. MARK:

Justus was the first to manage the school and later became thesixth patriarch. Others who attended this school and weredistinguished to have high caliber, were also selected to theseat. St. Mark. At that time monasticism was not yet known.St. Eumenius succeeded Justus at the school and later waselevated to the seat to become the seventh patriarch. The samehappened with Mark, who first followed Eumenius at the schoolthen to be the eighth patriarch. Pope Julian [ 11 ] was a student of the theological school.During the Papacy of Pope Dimetrios [12] Yaroclaus wasappointed as a director of the theological school after Origenand became the 13 th Pope. During his Papacy Dionesius wasteaching at the school, then became the 14 th Pope. BothYaroclaus and Dionesius were students of Origen. Also PopePeter [17] the seal of martyrs, Pope Archilaus [18] and PopeTimothy [22] were graduates of the school.

THE SCHOOL AND OTHER SEATS:

Many graduated from the school and became bishops outsidethe seat of St Mark. One of them for example was St. Gregory,known as the wonder-maker. He was the one who taughtOrigen and led him to accept the faith. He wrote extensivelyabout the school and the benefits he acquired studying there. Others received the benefit of its education through the bookswritten by its eminent teachers. Among those was St. Basil thegreat , Gregory, the Theologian, John Chrysostom, [ who readOrigen's books, defended him ]. St. John Chrysostom was triedand suffered in defending Origen.

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SOME OF ITS DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS ANDPHILOSOPHERS

Athenaghoras was one of the most eminent among them, whodefended Christianity and its apologists. St. Pentinus preached in India, and in the Arab Peninsula. Hewas known of his excellent command in the Coptic language.St. Clement of Alexandria accepted the faith at his hands andbecame one of the famous scholars in Christianity. He wrotemany books, including the well known " Stromata ". St. Origen became a famous writer through the ages. Heauthored many books, studied the Holy Bible for 28 years andmade a comparison between the different translations. Hewrote the "Hexabla" and explained most of the books of theBible. Among his famous books were, " Principles ","Answering Calsus " and " The Prayers." Pope Damian [14] became an authority on theology. Pope Athanasius who attended the school, was considered tobe the father to the scholars. He was credited to be the onewho wrote the Christian Creed. He defended the nature of theSon in the council of Nicea and throughout his life. He wrotemany books in reply to Arius, the "Incarnation of the Word","A message to the idolatry", "Messages about the Holy Spirit"and the "Life of Anthony". The last four books were translatedto Arabic by Reverend Fr. Morcus Dawoud. During the era of St. Athanasius, the head of the school was agreat blind scholar named St. Didimus. His fame attracted St.Jerome to study under him. He translated his book, "The HolySpirit" to Latin. St. Anthony the great praised him, saying,"Don't mourn that you lost your sight, the animals and theinsects have eyes, but rejoice because you have the spiritualeyes that can see the light of Divinity." He was very effective

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in convincing the others, and was decent in his arguments thatmany of the pagan philosophers came to study under him. Heleft for us many books on Divinity, dogmas and interpretation. Theugust Piraeus [ known also as the new Origen ] , Serapes,Makar, Rodon were some of the eminent names among theschool philosophers. The greatness of the school was in its teachers and not in itsbuildings. It didn't have a fixed place at the beginning. Thestudents followed the teachers where ever they were. Origenused to rent a place to preach during the time of thepersecution. The places were destroyed from time to time andthey had to seek alternative places.

THE SCHOOL'S CREDIT AND IMPORTANCE :

As there was prosperity and growth in the church, the schoolwas equally successful. The school unfortunately was neglectedgradually with the pressure on the church. Ultimately it wasclosed and that was a catastrophe to the church. Pope Cyril V , feeling the importance of such school,established a new school on November, 29 1893. The new Theological School provided the church in ourrecent times with hundreds of priests and preachers. The HolySynod, after appreciating its benefits, limited the ordination ofthe priests to its graduates only. Mr. Youssef Mancarius became the first director of theschool, followed by the Archdeacon Habib Guirgis and afterhim the Hegomen Attia Ibrahim Attia.

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CHAPTER FIFETEEN

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

THE FIRST GOSPEL:

It is agreed among scholars that the Book of Mark was thefirst of the Gospels, however they differed about the time it waswritten. Ibn Akbar estimated it to have been written in 45 AD.St. Irenaeus stated that it was written after the martyrdom ofboth St. Peter and St. Paul, that is after 67 AD. St. John Chrysostom said that it was written in Egypt, that isabout 61 AD. It was written in Greek, which was a spokenlanguage in both Egypt and Rome at that time and later it wastranslated to Latin and Coptic.

PRECISION AND DETAILS:

He wrote it in detail regarding the names, the time, the placethe numbers, the colors, with such an inspiration, proving thathe was present in all its events. Examples: In the names, he referred to Matthew to be a Levi,the son of Alphae, [Mark 2 : 14]. For the blind Bartimae, hesaid, he was the son of Timae [Mark 10 - 46]. About Simon,he described him as a Cyrenian and the father of Alexander andRufus [Mark 15 : 21 ] and so. on. As for the places, these are some examples: "And again,departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto thesea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis."[Mark 7 : 31] and his saying "He entered into a ship and sat inthe sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea." [Mark 4 :1]

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He wrote about the miracle of the five loaves in a markeddetail, "And he commanded them to make all sit down bycompanies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks,by hundreds, and by fifties." [Mark 6 : 39, 40] Other examplesin describing Christ when he slept in the ship on a pillow, orwhen He was transfigured before Peter, James and John saying,"And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; soas no fuller on earth can white them." [Mark 9 : 3] The same is true when he described healing the sick, [Mark 8: 7 ; 7 :28 ; 1 :13] He described the feelings and expressions and here we havesome examples like : Jesus moved with compassion, [Mark 1 :41] ; and straily charged him, [Mark 1 : 43] ; when Jesusperceived in his spirit, [Mark 2 : 8] ; looked round about onthem in anger being grieved, [Mark 3 : 5] ; that virtue had goneout of Him, [Mark 5 : 30] ; He sighed,[Mark 7 : 34], havecompassion on the multitude, [Mark 8 : 2] ; and sighed deeplyin His Spirit, [Mark 8 : 12] ; then Jesus beholding him lovedhim, [Mark 10 : 21] ; and began to be sore, and to be veryheavy, [Mark 14 : 33] ; and he took them up in his arms, putHis hands upon them, and blessed them, ( the children) [Mark10 : 16]

ST. MARK WROTE FOR THE GENTILES, "THEROMANS":

His gospel wasn't written for the Jews , as St. Matthew did.He addressed the Gentiles and particularly the Romans, as heshared in the establishment of the church in Rome with Paul.Following are some proofs:-

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a- He translated the Aramaic words in his writing, like the nameof Boanerges, which meant the sons of thunder. [Mark 3 :17]At the same time he didn't translate the name of Peter or otherLatin words. He mentioned that ( Talitha cumi is interpreted,Damsel, I say unto you , arise) [Mark 5 : 41] ; that "Corbanmeant "Gift" [Mark 7 : 11] and " Ephphatha" is be opened.[Mark 7 : 34] He followed after the word "hell" an explanationthat it was the fire that never be extinguished. [9 : 43] ; and theword "Abba", was followed by father. [Mark 14 : 36]. Heexplained that " Eloi, Eloi, lamasabachthani", meant "My God, myGod, why have you forsaken me?". [Mark 15 : 34]. He had no need to translate, if he was writing to the Jews.

b- Explaining the customs of the Jews and their places. He explained what was meant by (defile), " And when theysaw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say,with unwashed, hands, they found fault.... as washing of cups,and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables." [Mark 7 : 2 - 4] Heexplained ,"The first day of unleavened bread, when theyslaughtered the Passover." [Mark 14 : 12] ; and explained, "And now when the even was come, because it was thepreparation, that is the day before the Sabbath." [Mark 15 : 42] He explained the value of the " two mites which make afarthing" and he didn't do that for the dinar which was Roman.[Mark 6 : 37] When he talked about "Sadducees", he explained its meaningto the Roman readers, that they were the people who said 'noresurrection'. This was known of course to the Jews. When hespoke about the "Syrophenician", he said "The woman was aGreek, 'a Syrophenian by nation'. That was the style theRomans understood.

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As for the places, the Jews had no problem in understandingthem. He defined the 'Jordan' as a river, [Mark 1 : 5], that'mount of Olives' was over against the temple. [Mark 13 : 3]and both 'Bethphage' and Bethany were near Jerusalem. [Mark11 : 1]

c: Little reference to the Old Testament: The Book of Matthew quoted many references from the OldTestament, as it was written essentially to the Jews. On theother hand, St. Mark wrote his Book to the Gentiles with verylimited little reference to the Old Testament compared toMatthew's and Luke's.

INTRODUCING LORD CHRIST TO THE ROMANS"GENTILES":

St. Mark, realizing the fact that the Romans were people ofaction, he introduced Christ to them with His work and power.He concentrated on His deeds more than His speech. TheRomans were the rulers of the world and people of authority,thus he showed them the powerful Christ, the Son of theAlmighty God, Who has the authority on every thing.

1-BRIEF REVIEW:

Without introduction, he gave his message. They werepeople who were on the move, they travel, trade, and go towar. He didn't say who Christ was, nor gave a preparatorypreface such as the annunciation, Baptism, St. Mary's visit toElizabeth, the Nativity and His birth etc., but he began directlyto pronounce His work.

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He began his Book saying :"The beginning of the gospel ofJesus Christ, the Son of God" , versus St. Matthew who beganhis with "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son ofDavid, the son of Abraham." The road was prepared for the kings, so he described it thatway , "I send my messenger before thy face, which shall preparethy way before." [Mark 1 : 2] The voice of one crying in thewilderness. [Mark 1 : 3] For the remission of sins. [Mark 1 : 4 -5] John the Baptist said, "The latchet of whose shoes I am notworthy to stoop down and unloose." [Mark 1 : 7] , "And therecame a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, inwhom I am well pleased." [Mark 1 : 11] The evil spiritsconfessed that He was "The Holy One." [Mark 1 : 24] , "Andwas with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him."[Mark 1 : 13] As Matthew began to record Lord Christ's miracles of healingand casting out the unclean spirits in his 8 th. chapter, we findSt. Mark recording them in the first chapter, showing the overallauthority of Christ. He mentioned his authority over the evil, the unclean spirits,ordering them to obey him. [Mark 1 : 27] His power onsickness, [Mark 1 : 34], with authority, not like the scribes.[Mark 1 : 22] He mentioned His popularity and how the peoplecame to Him from every quarter. [Mark 1 : 45] and how he haddisciples who came after Him and followed. [Mark 1 : 16 - 20] All these were mentioned in the first chapter, where he put itforcefully and effectively. In effect, he showed them that thestrength of Christ and His Kingdom, were greater than theRomans and their admired country.

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2- CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD:

With this fact, he began his gospel. When the Romancenturion saw the crucifixion, he cried and said that "He wastruly the Son of God". [Mark 15 : 39] The Father said, "Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I amwell pleased." [Mark 1 : 11], and at the transfiguration, [Mark 8: 7]. When Jesus was asked by the high priest during His trial,"Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed. And Jesus said, Iam.." [Mark 14 : 61] and confessed knowing the last day.[Mark 13 : 32] Even the unclean spirits, " Fell down before Him, and criedsaying Thou art the Son of God. [Mark 3 : 11] Legion, criedand said, " What have I to do with thee Jesus , thou Son of themost high God." [Mark 5 : 6] When Christ took for Himself the name "Son of man" , hesaid that the Son of man had the power to forgive sins. [Mark 2: 10], that He was also the Lord of the Sabbath. [Mark 2 : 28],that He also will be sitting on the right of power and coming inthe clouds. [Mark 14 : 62 , 13 : 26] That was the truth, that St. Mark showed to the Romans, whorealized the unlimited authority of Christ.

3- HIS AUTHORITY ON DEVILS:

St. Mark told them about God's authority to castout uncleanspirits that obeyed Him. They all were amazed. [Mark 1 : 27]He cast out many devils. [Mark 1 : 34] The unclean spiritsscreamed and said, "What have we to do with You. ...You cameto destroy us." [Mark 1 : 24] They even fell down before him.[Mark 3 : 11 , 5 : 6] Legion, who had manly unclean spirits,

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was in the mountains, often bound with fetters and chains andno one could tame him except Christ. [Mark 5 : 4] Christ cleaned the people from their unclean spirits, evenwithout seeing them as when He told the Phqenician woman, togo her way as the devil had left her daughter. When she wenthome, she found the devil had gone out of her daughter. [Mark7 : 24 - 30] He gave the same authority to his disciples to cast out thedevil. [Mark 3 :15 , 6 : 7] He didn't stop any one from castingthem out in His Name. [Mark 9 : 39]

4- HIS AUTHORITY ON SICKNESS:

St. Mark recorded His healing of the sick and the disabledwith chronic problems. He healed the blind, [Mark 8 : 22 - 26],[Mark 10 : 46 - 52] , the deaf and mute, [Mark 7 :31 - 37], theleper, [Mark 1 : 42], cured the sick with palsy, [Mark 2 : 11],the man with the withered hand, [Mark 3 : 5], and the womanwho had an issue of blood for twelve years, [Mark 5 : 25 - 34]. The people were amazed and glorified God by saying thatthey had never seen something like it. [Mark 2 : 12] The miracles were so numerous to the extend that the peoplecarried their sick on beds and went to where He might havegone. [Mark 6 : 55 , 56] The power of healing was so obvious that they, "might touchif it were but the border of His garment: and as many astouched Him were made whole." [Mark 56 :6] This power was given by Him to His disciples too. [Mark 16 :18]

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5- HIS AUTHORITY ON NATURE AND DEATH:

He controlled the wind and the waves, "He arose and rebukedthe wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the windceased, and there was a great calm." [Mark 4 :39 - 41] Onanother occasion, He came walking upon the sea, "And Hewalked up into the ship and the wind ceased, and they wereamazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered." [Mark6 : 48 - 54]Equally He had authority on the plants, and He cursed thefruitless fig tree, and the tree became dry. [Mark 11 : 12 - 20] St. Mark mentioned His authority on death, as he held thehand of daughter of Jairus, who was dead and asked that Hemay lay hand on his dead daughter so she "may heal and live"and she did. [Mark 5 : 22 - 43] He mentioned also the resurrection of God Himself, [Mark16 : 6] and His Ascension to heaven and sitting on the right ofGod. At the time He was on the cross, nature responded, "Andwhen the sixth hour came, there was darkness over the wholeland, "And the veil of the temple rent in twain from the top tothe bottom." [Mark 15 : 33 - 38]

6- OTHER AUTHORITIES:

St. Mark explained how Christ reasoned what others had intheir heart (thoughts). [Mark 2 : 8] He was able to prophesyabout the temple, Jerusalem and the end of the world, [Mark13] and about His Own death, His Resurrection and the secondcoming. [Mark 8 : 31 , 38] He explained how He fed five thousand with five loaves andtwo fishes, that they were filled and what remained was twelve

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baskets full of the fragments and of the fishs. [Mark 6 : 23 -44] A similar miracle happened again. [Mark 8 : 1 - 9] With the power of His purity, He entered the temple leavingthe high priests helpless in resisting his authority. [Mark 11 :33]. St. Mark stated that Lord Christ said that He was the Lordof the Sabbath. [Mark 2 : 28] ; that He was the Lord, [Mark 11: 3] and He has the power on earth to forgive sins. [Mark 2 :10]

7- THE PEOPLE FOLLOWING HIM:

Beside the wonderful power that St. Mark portrayed JesusChrist with, he recorded how the multitudes followed Him andsaid , "Immediately His fame spread abroad throughout all theregion round about Galilee. And all the city gathered at Hisdoor. [Mark 1 : 28-33]. When He left with His disciples to the sea, "And a greatmultitude followed Him from Judea and Jerusalem and fromDumaea and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre andSidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great thingsHe did, came unto Him. And He spoke to His disciples, that asmall ship should wait on Him because of the multitude, lestthey should throng Him." [Mark 3 : 7 -9] "And He began again to teach by the sea side and theregathered unto Him a great multitude, so that He entered into aship and sat at the sea, and the whole multitude was by the seaon the land." [Mark 4 : 1 , 2] Even when He went with His disciples alone to a desertedplace, "And the people saw them departing and many knewHim and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and out went them,and came together unto Him. And Jesus, when he came out,saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward

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them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd."[Mark 6 : 32 - 34] Many people followed him, [Mark 5 : 24] " And all thepeople, when they beheld Him, were greatly amazed andrunning to Him saluted Him. [Mark 9 : 15] Each time that He"Entered a house , and would have no man know it; but Hecould not be hid." [Mark 7 : 24]

8- CHRIST THE TEACHER:

St. Mark mentioned that whenever the multitude gatheredaround him He taught them. His gospel mainly mentionedChrist's work more than His teaching, yet he stated Hisgreatness as a teacher and the people's admiration. He was preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God. [Mark1 : 14] He was teaching them differently. They asked Himabout His wisdom and how He got it? [Mark 6 : 2] , "and thecommon people heard Him gladly." [Mark 12 : 37], "All thepeople were astonished at His doctrine." [Mark 11 : 18] All the people called Him "Master". This was repeatedtwelve times in the Book of Mark. He was called the same byHis enemies, the Pharisees, the Herodians and the Sadducees,[Mark 12 : 14 , 19, 32] and also by the people, [Mark 5: 35 ,9 : 17 , 10 : 17 , 20]. He Himself called Himself the same.[Mark 14 : 14]

9- CHRIST THE KING:

St. Mark introduced Him as a King of a Spiritual Kingdom,preaching the Kingdom of God. In the gospel there was a greatdifference between Herod the King with his commanders livingin fun and the King Christ who gathered the people teaching

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them the path to God, healing and filling the hungry .... [Mark 6: 1 - 29]

10 THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE TRUTH AND THEFAKE:

St. Mark recorded all Christ's services that made the leadersof the Jews jealous. They fought Him, but were unable to stophim from convincing the people in His Ministry, so they killedHim. It was He Who was peaceful, but they worked againstHim. As much as the people gathered around Him and were pleasedwith His teaching, the more the leaders of the Jews wereannoyed because of His fame and popularity. They didn'tbenefit from His teaching, nor His miracles. They followed Himand even invited Him to their homes, just to watch and were readyto catch a wrong of Him. In the case of the man with the Palsy, the scribes reasoned intheir hearts, "Why does this man speak blasphemies", He replied"Why reason you these things in your hearts." [Mark 2 : 6 , 7]When they began to reason again they asked His disciples,"How is it that He ate and drank with the publicans and thesinners ?" He replied " They that they are whole have no needof the physician, but they that are sick." [Mark 2 : 16 , 17]Gradually the Jews began to speak and asked His disciples whythey didn't fast? Why they had to pluck the ears of the cornon the Sabbath ? He replied from the Book so they held theirpeace. When He healed the man with the withered hand on aSabbath, He looked at them with anger for the hardness of theirhearts, he healed the man and "The Pharisees went forth andstraightway took council with Herodidians against Him, howthey might destroy Him." [Mark 3 : 1 - 6]

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St. Mark with his style, clearly and speedily explained in thethird chapter, how the relation between Christ and the leadersof the Jews changed from doubt to a plot to destroy Him. LordChrist too, changed and became angry, as it was impossible tomake peace with those who wanted to stop the work of God. They later accused Him that He was the prince of the devilswith Beelzebub, but He replied that a kingdom if divided againstitself, that kingdom would not stand. [Mark 3 : 24] At one point they thought that He was caught by a mistake,that His disciples ate without washing their hands. He replied,"Well Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites...as it is written thepeople honored me with their lips, but their heart is far fromme." " For laying aside the commandments of God, you holdtradition of man. That they broke the fifth commandment forthat tradition, [Mark 7 : 6 - 23] and stopped honoring theirfathers and took the money from the temple. We notice here that the Lord Christ began to attack them andHe warned His disciples, " Take heed, beware of the leaven ofthe Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod." [Mark 8 : 15] . Hethen entered the temple without fear, " And sought how theymight, for they feared Him. [Mark 11 : 18] He resembledthem as the bad men of the vineyard, who killed the prophetsand the messengers of God and they wanted to kill his son also.They knew that He meant them. " And they sought to lay holdon Him, but feared the people." [Mark 12 : 1 - 12] They entered with Him in another phase and asked a questionto embarrass Him. He replied the Pharisees and the Herodiansby His famous reply " Render to Caesar the things that areCaesar's and to God the things that are God's." 12 : 13 , 17]Then came the Sadducees asking Him about resurrection andmarriage and He replied that in heaven they neither marry norare given in marriage, but like angels who are in heaven. He

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ended by saying "You therefore do greatly err." [Mark 12 : 28 -33] As they were unable to reason they began to plan to destroyHim. He was killed not through weakness but because He came"To His life a ransom for many." [Mark 10 : 45]

11- THE CROSS AND REDEMPTION:

With tremendous power St. Mark represented Christ to thegentile nations as The Son of God with all His Might, yet Heaccepted the cross without shame. It took him half the book toexplain its purpose. He mentioned His journey to Jerusalem,His crucifixion, His resurrection were to him equivalent to therest of the Christian Ministry as a whole. The Redemption isthe basis of the Christian faith. The effect of crucifixion wasreflected in the Book of St. Mark, beginning in its thirdchapter. [Mark 3 : 6] The struggle with the leaders was onlythe first step to crucifixion. St. Mark described how the Lord Christ walked with extremecourage to be crucified. He went with His own will toJerusalem knowing that the Jews were plotting against Him. Hewent to [Jesimanee] knowing that they will arrest Him there. St. Mark didn't picture Him to the Romans as a weak person.Neither that He was finished by His death. He had risen andappeared to many. He said that He will come "In the glory ofthe Father with the holy angels." [Mark 8 : 38] ; "Sitting on theright hand of power and coming in the clouds of heavens."[Mark 14 : 62." ; " And then shall they see the Son of mancoming in the clouds with great power and glory .. And thenshall he send his angels, and shall gather together His elect fromthe four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to theuttermost part of heaven." [Mark 13 : 26 , 27]

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12- A WORD TO ENCOURAGE THE GENTILES"ROMANS":

The mere fact that he mentioned about the struggle betweenChrist and the Jews was in fact an encouragement to theGentiles. St. Mark pointed that Christ came for the Gentiles.He went to Tyre and Sidon to the extent of the ten cities. Hehealed the daughter of the Phoenician woman [Mark 7 :24 - 30]; and said " My house shall be called of all nations." [Mark 16 :15] His advice to the Gentiles and the Romans: St. Mark introduced Lord Christ to the Romans as thepowerful, authoritative man with work, knowledge andmiracles. That was the picture they like as lovers of power andaction. He attracted them also to Christ's teaching which is fullof spirituality and humbleness, picturing Him as the King with aSpiritual Kingdom. He mentioned that Jesus asked those who were healed andsaw His miracles not to tell others or to point to Him. [Mark 3 :12 , 4 : 44 , 5 : 43 , 7 : 36 , 8 : 26 , 9 : 9] He also asked Hisdisciples to be humble and to carry the cross. The disciples disputed among themselves, "Who should be thegreatest?" He told them "You know that they which accountedto rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and theirgreatness exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not beamong you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall beyour minister. But whosoever will be great among you shall beservant of all . For even the son of man came not to beministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom formany." [Mark 10 : 35 , 45]

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If Christ the Son of God was as such, so it was fair for theRomans to be humble. Thus, he wrote about Christ's saying, "Beware of the scribes,which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in themarket places. And the chief seats in the synagogues, and theuppermost rooms at the feasts... and for a pretense make longprayers: these shall receive greater damnation." [Mark 12 : 38- 40] He asked them to leave the wealth and every thing forGod and to be satisfied with small things. [Mark 10 : 17 - 30]

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARKBELONGS TO ST. MARK

Some of the Westerners tried to claim that the Gospel writtenby St. Mark was dictated to him by St. Peter, discrediting himof that honor. This is absolutely untrue and they ignored factsand history.

A- Does it mean to them that the great Saint Peter lost the giftgiven to him and other apostles by the Holy Spirit on thePentecost to speak to the people of, "every nation underheaven." (Acts 2 : 5) St. Peter was capable to do that and didn'tneed to ask someone else to speak for him. He didn't need tohave a translator.

B- Papias claimed that St. Mark didn't hear nor followed theLord, however, he did not take the following into consideration:-

1-St. Mark was the young man who followed the Lord, thenight Jesus Christ was arrested, "And there followed Him acertain young man, having linen cloth cast about his naked

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body; and the young man laid hold on him." (Mark 14 : 51 &52)2- His mother was one of the Marys.3- Jesus Christ celebrated the Passover in his home.4- The Lord washed His Disciple's feet in his house.5- In his home God gave them His Holy Body and Blood.6- Almost one quarter of the Gospel according to St. John,recorded what the Lord said and what He did at St. Mark'shome. (Mark 13 to 17)

C- The claims by Papias are contrdictory to what was writtenby the Fathers and the Saints.

D- St. Mark recorded what he personally witnessed in detail.His home was the destination of the Virgin Saint Mary and theApostles, where they gathered in the famous Chamberof zion. (Acts 1 : 13 & 14) His home was the first ChristianChurch in the world.

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

THE NAME OF ST. MARK

Many churches, monasteries and schools were named after St.Mark. Many Popes, bishops and saints were given the nameMark. There was a city in Nuba named after St., Mark, " Morcosa"which was submerged under water because of the High Dam.In Ethiopia there is a city called " Debra Morcos" meaningMount Mark. The name 'Mark' meant a 'hammer'. St. Mark was thehammer that broke down idols. The church called St. Mark"The breaker of idols"

POPES NAMED AFTER ST. MARK:

1- Nineteen popes were named as John, which in Hebrew isYouhanna and pronounced in Coptic or Greek as Yoannis.That is the largest group among the popes with the same name,only followed by the Latin name of St. Mark. Eight popes were named Mark, including St. Mark himself.

2- Pope Mark II [ 49 ] He is named as New Mark and was ordained between 20 -23AD. He was the only Patriarch whose name was mentioned inthe Synaxarium. He died on April 17, 819 AD. His feast iscelebrated on 23 Barmoda. He was born in Alexandria, went to Abu Makar Monastery,His seat was at St. Mark Church in Alexandria. Died and was

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buried in Nabroa, but his relics were transferred later toAlexandria.3- Pope Mark III [ 73 ] He was called Ibn Zaraa, ordained and remained a Patriarchfor twenty years and half, till he died on January 1189 AD. He wasa Syrian and before his ordination he was a layman. His seatwas in Al Mualaqa church in old Cairo. He was buried in AbuMakar Monastery.

4- Pope Mark IV [ 84 ] He remained a Patriarch for fourteen years and five months.Died on January 31, 1363 AD. He was born in Kaliub andbecame a monk at the Shahran Monastery. His seat was in TheChurch of the Virgin at Haret Zewela. He was buried in theShahran Monastery. His period was full of stress and struggle.

5- Pope Mark V [ 98 ] He was a patriarch for sixteen years and two months. He diedon the First day of the Coptic year " Al Nayrouz" [ September1619 AD.] He was born in Bayadia and became monk at AbuMakar Monastery. He was ordained at the Church of St.Marcurius "Abu Sifyn" in Old Cairo. His seat was The Churchof the Virgin in Haret Zewela. He faced many problems duringhis life. One of the problems was the practice of taking morethan one wife. Another problem was the attempt by theCatholics to take over the church in Ethiopia. He was buried atAbu Makar Monastery.

6- Pope Mark VI [ 101] He remained on the seat of St. Mark for ten years and died onApril 20, 1656 AD on Good Friday. He was born in Bahgorahand became a monk at Anba Anthony Monastery. His seat was

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The Church of The Virgin at Haret Zewela. He built an upperprayer hall which is in existence to this day. He was not ongood terms with some of the pillars of the church and somemonks. He lived a stressful life. He was buried at Abu SifynMonastery in Old Cairo.

7- Pope Mark VII [106] He was the holiest of the six, selected to the seat andremained for twenty four years till he died on May 18, 1769AD, 12 of Bashans [St. Demianah's day]. He was born inKolosna and went to Anba Anthony Monastery. He madefrequent visits to the Monastery of St. Paula . He liked to stayalone and was said that he was pressured to accept hisordination as a patriarch. His seat was at Haret Al Rum. He ordained a Metropolitan for Ethiopia and another one forUpper Egypt. During his period there was an attempt from theCatholic Church to take over the Coptic Church. Theyordained a monk from Jerusalem to be a Catholic Bishop inEgypt, but he was unable to come to Egypt and stayed inJerusalem. They also ordained Raphael Al Tokhi as their bishopfor Upper Egypt, but he was unable to stay there, so the Pope ofRome called him to Rome to stay there . He kept writing booksabout the Coptic Church. He was faced with many difficulties and he was a saintly man.At the time of his death, he saw a vision of Anba Paula andAnba Anthony, supporting him at that moment. The people honored him with a big funeral. Anba Yusab,Metropolitan of Ethiopia and Anba Peter of Upper Egyptattended the funeral. His body was transferred to the monasteryof Abu Sifyn where he was buried in a special tomb for thepatriarchs.

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8- Pope Mark VIII [108] He occupied the seat of St., Mark for thirteen years and twomonths. He died on December 21, 1809 AD. Was born inTema and became a monk at the Anba Anthony Monastery. Hisseat was at Haret Al Rum, then transferred it to Al Azbakia.During his time the St. Mark Church was built. He was the firstPatriarch to be buried in it. The Mamlukes, rulers of Egypt then, caused him manyproblems. During his time the French invasion to Egypthappened. After they left, he sent a humble papal message tothe people full of compassion asking them to repent. Heattributed the difficulties they face to the corruption for stayingaway from God. He was not criticizing them, but said that hewas equally human like the rest of them, asking them to receivehis message without burden and that he was bitterly obliged tosend it as their kind father. He asked them to live in purity and with virtues and to prayfor anyone who had deficiency, asking for the mercy of God.He resembled the situation with the sheep surrounded bywolves with no shepherd.During that era, Anba Yusab Al-Abbah, Bishop of Girga andEkhmeem was one of the most eminent scholars of the church.

BISHOPS NAMED AFTER ST. MARK:

Many bishops were named after St. Mark along the years. Itwas mentioned that when Pope Benjamin [ 82 ] was preparing theChrism[ Myron] out of the 12 bishops who were present fourwere named Mark. They were Bishop Mark of Beheira, Bishop

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Mark of Fouwa, Bishop Mark of Sedfa and Al Benwaneen andBishop Mark of Abyar. During the period of Pope Demetrius II [ 111 ] , his deputywas Bishop Mark of Beheira. At the same time the Bishop ofAbu Teeg was also called Mark. Our Bishop of Marseilles and Toluene in France was ordainedby Pope Shenouda III as Bishop Mark on the Pentecost day inJune 1974. In the present Holy Synod, we have Bishop Mark the BishopGeneral for Africa. We have also a Sub bishop [ KhoryEpiscobes] with the same name, in Shoubra Al-Kheima,Kalubia.

SAINTS NAMED AFTER ST. MARK:

Mentioned here as examples only, are some martyrs,anchorites, monks and writers who were named after St. Mark.

a- Martyrs;The father of St. Demianah who was called Mark, was the rulerover Al Borollos and Zaafaran. Once he denied the faith due tofear, and his daughter rebuked him. He came back to hisreligion and confessed Jesus Christ and he was martyred.

b- Anchorites:It is reported that at the time of Mark Al Tarmaki's death, Godsent him St. Serapion to see him, bury him, and to write abouthis life. This was published in Al Kiraza.

c- Hermits:St. Mark, a hermit at Anba Anthony Monastery, contemporaryof Pope Matthew I [87]. He had a life full of virtue, education

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and wonders. This was mentioned in the third part of Historyof Patriarchs.

d- Monks:Mark, the aseetic and his colleague Nilos were disciples of St.John Chrysostom. Mark published many books. among thema work about the "Acts"

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHURCHES AND ANTIQUITIESCARRYING THE NAME OF "MARK"

[Written by Mr. Nabih Kamel Dawoud]

An extensive research was done regarding places named afterSt. Mark. They are classified as :-A- Beth "Home" of St. Mark.B- Churches and monasteries not exiting now.C- Churches present to this day.

A- Beth ST. Mark

His Holiness Mar Aghnatius Yacoub, Patriarch of Antioch forthe Syrian Orthodox(1) wrote under the title " Beth John Mark,The First Christian Church" : His mother had a house in Jerusalem, through tradition anddocumented history it is confirmed that in it God gathered Hisapostles, celebrated the Passover, washed the feet of Hisdisciples and gave them the mystery of His Body and Blood.There He talked to them. The apostles waited in it till the Lordcame back to them after His Resurrection, while its doors wereclosed. There He gave them the ecclesiastics, and thepriesthood authority. and filled them by His Holy Spirit. (2) Later the house was consecrated to be a church with the nameof Mother of God.... It became the seat of Jerusalem. St.James, became the first Bishop of Jerusalem, and stayed there.] At the present time, the place is known as the Monastery ofSt. Mark, or the house of Mary, mother of Mark. It is not far

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from the Church of Resurrection and is controlled by the SyrianOrthodox. It is mentioned in the visit and tour guide brochure of theJerusalem League [the Society of Rabtat Al Kods], printed in1966 some detailed information is inserted. :- The place at one time was a Coptic property. By agreement,the Syrian Orthodox Bishopric in Jerusalem looked after theinterests of the Copts in Jerusalem, while the CopticMetropolitan in Ethiopia, looked after the interests of the SyrianOrthodox there. The Syrian Orthodox Bishop in Jerusalemused the place as his permanent residence in Jerusalem, butwhen the Copts ordained Bishop Bacillius in 1237 as theCoptic Metropolitan in Jerusalem, the Syrian bishop keptstaying in it and claimed the place for himself. The Coptstraditionally when they visit Jerusalem, they go to the place andpraise St. Mark the preacher of Egypt.

The Holy places in it: (3)

1- The door on which Peter knocked on, after the angelfreed him from the prison and went to this house.

2- The Seat of St. James the apostle, the first bishop ofJerusalem.

3- The first baptismal place, the first in Christianity.

4- An icon for the Virgin, said to be painted by St. Luke theEvangelist.

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In the book, "History of Jerusalem" (4), It is mentioned thatthe Monastery of St. Mark, is in the alley of Al Gawa'anah,between the allies of the Armenians and the Jews. In themonastery there is a Byzantine church by the name of the Virginand a bishopric. The church was ruined during the rule of AlHakem Be Amr El lah Al Fatimi. in 1009 AD. The monasterywas abandoned during the Turkish rule, but the Syriansrenovated it in 1855, and also extended it in 1880 AD.

B-Churches and monasteries not in existence now

There were seven churches which were mentioned by Abu AlMakarem [1208 AD ] and by Al Maqrizi [1441 AD ]

St. Mark The Evangelist, South to Alexandria:

The believers, secretly built this church in the western part ofAlexandria, a place called Al Sawari. It was there where thepagans tried to burn the body of St. Mark. Both PopeTheodore and Pope Andronicus [37] stayed in this church. The Melchites succeeded in taking the church during the timeof Pope Mark [49] as was mentioned by Al Maqrizi [ page 47 ].It was also mentioned that the Patriarch of the Melchites, whohad good medical knowledge traveled to Bagdad to treat one ofthe Khalifa's harem and when she was cured he was awarded byan order to take all the churches from the Jacobites and he did.]This church disappeared with time.

2-St. Mark Church ( Al Mualaqa)

Originally it was a temple built by Cleopatra in Alexandria. Itwas later converted to a church by the name of Archangel.

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Michael. It was originally known as Al Caisaron during thetime of Pope Alexandrus [19] or King Constantine or theCaisaria Church. (6) It was still in existence during the Arab conquest, but wasburned during the invasion. It was built on the wall of the citynear one of its towers. Butler (6) wrote about it, " It was nearthe port, well built and was important that it replaced the largerchurch It had two obelisks in its yard and was over the wall ofthe city." It was also called "Al Mualaqa church" and sometime wasknown as Al Kamha Church. At one time it was rebuilt and named after St. Mark. Thehead of St. Mark was kept there after it was stolen in 644 AD.It was the church, Amr Ibn Al Aas asked to be built to housethe head of St. Mark. Probably, Pope Aghathon [39] ] was theone who completed it as was mentioned by Al Maqrizi.(7)This church was destroyed during the 5th battle by theCrusaders, as it was near the port. It is the same church where Pope Peter VI [ 104] hid the headof St. Mark. . The church was ruined during the French invasion in 1798.They destroyed it so the British wouldn't use it. The priestscarried the icons, its books and every precious item to anotherchurch in Rosetta. An antique icon for Archangel. Michael, isstill there. Some other items were taken to the Coptic museumon a later day. The place of the church was easily recognized by Butlerbecause of its two obelisks. One of these needles was sent toLondon in 1877 AD and the other in Central Park in New Yorksince 1879. We can locate its place in Alexandria which wouldbe the right side of the end of Al Nabi Daniel Street, betweenthe sea and Sultan Heissin and Safia Zaghlol Streets.

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3- St. Mark the Evangelist in Giza:

It was built by Ibn Soliman, the scribe during the Ayubian'sDynasty (1171 - 1250 AD) as was recorded by Abu AlMakarem (1209 AD page 75,76). It was built with wood takenfrom a house on the river he owned and other wood taken fromanother church called Martyr Boktor Church. [this wasexpanded with a better design.] Al Maqrizi ( 1441 AD) recorded that it was destroyedbetween 1397 - 1398 AD and was rehabilitated during the 15 thcentury. This church does not exist now and had no relation tothe present St. Mark Church in Giza.

4- Church of St. Mark in Bahnasa:

It was 12 kilometer to the west of Beni Mazar. Abu AlMakarem mentioned it twice in his book on pages 93 & 95.

5- St. Mark Church at Sakiet Mahfouz:

Also mentioned by Abu Al Makarem. Its present site isSakiet Dakook near Matay,in Minya Governorate.

6- St. Mark Church The Evangelist in Taha Al Madina:

It is near Samalout, province of Minya, also mentioned byAbu Al Makarem.

7- St. Mark Church in Ashmouneen:

Near Malawi, was mentioned also by Abu Al Makarem.

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C- Existing Churches named St. Mark:

By the year 1975 AD there were 31 Coptic Churches namedafter St. Mark. Most of them were recently built.At the beginning of the Twentieth Century there were only 5churches after his name. These, beginning with the oldest, werein : Alexandria, Rosetta, Azbakkia, Cairo, Ben Ady inManfalout, and Giza. Between 1900 -1950, 13 new churches were built. Since 1950, another 13 churches were added. Among the provinces, Minya had nine churches, Cairo had 6,and four in Assuit.

First - The Churches in Alexandria:

1- St. Mark Cathedral in Alexandria: [at the CopticOrthodox Patriarchate]. It is located at 19, Coptic Street, AlMessalla, district of Al-Atareen... It can be reached from Al-Naby Daniel Street and it isn't far from Al Ramla Tram Stationand Saad Zaghlol Square. The site of the church was known by different names atdifferent times. It was called one time or another as BethAnianus, Pokalia, Subterranean , St. George Church. Now it iscalled St. Mark Church. Its history began at the days of St. Mark preaching, beginningwith Anianus. Anianus invited him to his home, accepted thefaith and was baptized together with his family. This housebecame a church in between 60 - 68 AD. When St. Mark wasmartyred, he was buried under this church. Since then thetradition began to bury the patriarchs beside St. Mark. Emperor Justinian took over all the churches in Egypt [539 to540 AD ]. The churches were taken from the Coptic Egyptians

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and were given to the Chalcedain followers. When the Arabsinvaded Egypt by Amr Ibn Al Aas in 644 AD, he ordered PopeBenjamin to return from hiding and garanteed his safety. Healso ordered the return of the churches back to the Copts. Atthat time, Pope Benjamin had been in hiding for 13 years. Abu Al Makarem, recorded that the churches in Alexandriawere divided between the Copts and the Romans. The AlKamha church [called also Archangel Michael, Al Mualaqa orCaisaron] was given to the Copts. The Romans [Rum] got thesubterranean church [the site of the present St. Mark Churchtoday.] This was returned back to the Copts and PopeChristozolus consecrated it in 1046 AD and was renamed asSt. George Church. This name was in circulation in all thebooks and scripts up to 1800 AD. Probably that name waschosen because there was another church with St., Mark's name[ Al Mualaqa], or to protect it from being taken again by theRomans. Al Mualaqa Church was located in thenortheastern side of Alexandria and served to be the GreatCathedral for the Copts in the city of Alexandria in the seventhcentury. During the French invasion in 1800 AD, the three churches onthe site of the St. Mark Church were destroyed. The churcheswere transferred to Rosetta with their precious items.Alexandria remained without a Coptic church for a while.Then what is the history of the St. Mark Church from 1800 ADto the present time ?

a- In 1804 Pope Mark VIII renewed the church.

b- In 1818 AD, Pope Peter Al Gawli [109] reconstructed St.Mark Church, replacing the church built by Pope Mark VIII. atits present site. Mu'allem Saleh Attalla, obtained a decree from

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Mohammad Ali the Great to build it. Pope Peter Al Gawlyconsecrated it with Saint Anba Serapion, Bishop of Al Monofiaand Al Beheira.

c- In 1869 AD, some church eminent members from Alexandria,with the cooperation of Anba Mark, Bishop of Al Beheiraduring the time of Pope Demitrius [111] began to build the St.Mark Cathedral in Alexandria replacing its previous smallbuilding. It was completed in 1870 AD. but was demolished in1960 AD(8) and the tombs of the early fathers thePatriarchs were discovered.

d- The church which was built in 1870 AD, became unsafe, andon January 19, 1950 a permit was granted to replace it. It wasrebuilt during Pope Yusab's time. On September 25, 1950 theyput the new foundation and by November 9, 1952 Pope YusabII consecrated it in a big celebration.

e- During the time of Pope Cyril VI, another altar was added inits upper floor towards the southern wing of the church and wasconsecrated in June 1963. In 1968 a touristic area wasdesignated, leading to the tombs of the patriarchs under thechurch.

f- Further improvements were done by the direction of H.HPope Shenouda III.

2- The Church of St. Mark and St. Peter The last of theMartyrs in Sidi Bishre in Alexandria: is located atCultural Center Street that off Khaled Ibn Al Waleed Street inthe Sidi Bishre, Al Montaza. The first service was celebratedon July 12, 1971 AD.

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Secondly- The Saint's Churches in Lower Egypt:

3-St. Mark the Apostle, in the city of Rosetta: It belongs tothe Diocese of Al Beheirah at the Army Street, Rosetta. It has three altars, the eastern is for St. George, the middle isfor St. Mark- and the northern is for Archangel Michael. Ithas an old wooden iconstasis with ivory inlets. Some of the icons in the church were brought from theChurch of St. Mark in Alexandria when it was destroyed duringthe expedition of Napoleon in 1800 AD. They are fixed to thewall in such a way to prevent anybody from stealing them. There are two very old icons there, one is for St. George andthe other is for the resurrection. The church was refurbished in 1673 AD. At the end of theEighteenth Century, during the rule of Murad Bey, a decree wasissued to remove all the churches in Rosetta.[1785 AD] Thechurch was renovated by Metropolitan Yoannis of Beheira andagain in 1933 and 1956.

4- Church of St. Mark The Martyr At Zenara, near Tala,Province of Menofia: Zenara is to the east of Tala betweenShebeen Al Kom and Tanta. It was built in October 1965 at thetime of Metropolitan Dioscoris Bishop of Monofia.

5- Church of St. Mark in Talkha, province of Dakahlia.: Itwas built in 1971 AD.

6- Church of St. Mark in Met Mohsen, near Met Ghamre,province of Dakahlia. The building was completed about1959

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7- Church of St. Mark, in Al-Mansheya Al Gadida, inShoubra El Khema in the province of Qaliobia. It is on theroad leading to Bahteem. Its first service was on January 13,1968 AD.

Thirdly- The Churches of St. Mark in Cairo, and Giza:

8- St. Mark Cathedral in Azbakia, Cairo. St. Mark ChurchStreet, near Ramses Square, Cairo. The project to build thischurch began in 1795, Mu'allem Ibrahim Al Gawahri obtained adecree from the Sultan in Turkey . The land was purchased andit was designed to have a church and a residence for thepatriarch. On Sunday, September 15, 1800 AD Pope Mark VIII [108]consecrated the church and it was named St. Mark Church tocompensate for the loss of St. Mark Church which wasdestroyed during the French invasion in Alexandria. It becamethe residence of the Patriarchs. This church continued to exist till Pope Cyril IV [110]replaced it with the St. Mark Church in its present site now.They began building it on 28 Barmoda 1575 i.e. May 5, 1859D. It is still in existence. The church was completed at the time of Pope Demitrius II[111] and Pope Cyril V [112]. Some improvements werecompleted by Pope Yuannis XIX [113] and Pope Cyril VI in1965 AD.

9- The New Cathedral of St. Mark at the Monastery ofAnba Ruweis in Abbassiah: It is located on Ramses Streetnear El Demerdash [Ein Shams University] Hospital. Theproject began during the time of Pope Cyril VI [116]. Thecelebration for the foundation stone for this cathedral was

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attended by the Late President Gamal Abd Al Nasser onSaturday July 24, 1965. In August 1967 breaking the groundsstarted. Late on Monday June 24, 1968, the Relics of St. Markarrived to the cathedral, in the company of the Egyptian ChurchDelegation that received it from the Vatican. On Tuesday morning, July 25, 1968, there was an officialcelebration of inauguration of the Cathedral, which was attended alsoby President Gamal Abd Al Nasser, the Ethiopean Emperor andmany dignitaries, headed by H. H. Mar Aghnatonius Jacob II,Patriarch of Antioch for the Syrian Orthodox and His graceAnba Theophilus Metropolitan of Herrer representing theChurch in Ethiopia, Cardinal De Val representing H. H. PopePaul VI. On Wednesday June 26, 1968 the Liturgy was celebrated onthe altar of the new Cathedral. At the end of the service PopeCyril carried the relics of St. Mark to its present location underthe main altar in the eastern side of the cathedral. H.H. Pope Shenouda III [117] who became the first pope tobe ordained in the new cathedral on Sunday November 14,1971. During his papacy a tower [Minaret], with its bells rooms, andoffices were added. Under the cathedral there are twochurches, one is on the northern side, called the Virgin andAnba Ruweis, the other called after Anba Pishoy towards thesouth. In 1973 the floor was covered with marble. St. Athanasius Hall was opened in commemoration of the1600 years since the departure of the Saint.

10- St. Mark Church in Heliopolis: At 35 Cleopatra Street ,Heliopolis, Cairo. It was completed in 1925.

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11- St. Mark Church at the gardens of Shoubra, " HadayekShoubra in Ard Sheriff" It began as a temporary building in1953. The Friends of The Holy Bible Society, completed thepresent building.

12- St. Mark Church in Maadi: Its first service was onDecember 29, 1970. in a temporary building. A presidentialdecree # 1105 for the year 1973 was granted to build thechurch. The decree was published in the official journal forGovernmental Documents.

13- St. Mark Church in Helwan: H.G. Bishop Yuannis ofHelwan celebrated the beginning of the project on May 10,1972. It has a hall under it called Cana of Galilee.

14- Church of St. Mark in Giza: It goes back to 1883, whenSalama Bey Agami built it beside his house. He was the chiefclerk at the Province of Giza, a prestigious job at that time andhe has determined in his heart to build this church.

THE CHURCHES OF THE SAINT IN UPPER EGYPT:

15- St. Mark Church in Beni Suef. It was built in 1952 AD,during the Late Anba Athanasius the previous Metropolitan.

16- St. Mark Church in Maghagha, province of Minya. Itbelongs to the Diocese of Beni Suef and Bahnasa. The liturgyservice started in November 1972 AD.

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17- St. Mark The Evangelist Church in Obbad Sharuna,Near Maghagha, province of Minya, within the Diocese of BeniSuef and Bahnasa. It was established in 1929 AD.

18- St. Mark Church in Beni Samet, Near Beni Mazar,province of Minya, and belongs to the Diocese of Beni Suef andBahnasa. It was established in 1927 AD.

19- St. Mark Church in Menshat Abu Aziz, Ezbat Hanzal:Near Al Faroukiya, in Beni Mazar. Also within the Diocese ofBeni Suef and Bahnasa.. It was established in 1945 AD.

20- St. Mark Church in Kom Matay. near Matay, provinceof Minya and also belongs to the Diocese of Beni Suef andBahnasa.

21- St. Mark Church in Maasarat Samalout, Samalout ,province of Minya. It was consecrated in 1947 AD.

22- St. Mark Church, in Minya. It dates back to 1935 AD.

23- St. Mark Church in Nazlet Beni Ahmad, near Minya. Itgoes back to 1950 AD.

24- St. Mark Church in Malawi, province of Minya. Wasbuilt by the late Father Menassa Youhanna in 1927 AD.

25- The Old Small St. Mark Church in Beni Addi AlBahria, near Manfalout, province of Assuit and it goes back to1835 AD. It belongs to the diocese of Manfalout.

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26- The new Great St. Mark Church , near Manfalout,province of Assuit. It goes back to 1909 AD.

27- St. Mark Church in the old Bishopric Building inAssuit , was established in 1909 AD.

28- St. Mark Church In Abu Teeg, province of Assuit. Itbelongs to the diocese of Abu Teeg and was established in 1952AD.

29- St. Mark The Apostle in Al Darb, Sugar Factory, nearNagh Hamadi, province of Kena. It is on the Western side ofthe Nile. It was established in 1932 AD.

30- St. Mark Church in Kena, Al Hameeddat Street, Kena.Was established before 1927 AD.

31- St. Mark Church in Aswan. Belongs to the new dioceseof Aswan. It is near the High Aswan Dam. It wasestablishment in 1971 AD, as a temporary Altar for praying, tilla presidential decree, # 1130 was issued and published in theofficial government documentary paper on July 17, 1973.

ALTARS BY THE NAME OF ST. MARK:

There are three altars:

a- St. Mark Altar in the Mualaqa Church in Cairo.It is placed over one of the old Roman towers. The HolyChrism used to be made in it. Its iconstasis goes back to theTenth Century.

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b- An Altar in the Church of the Virgin in Dakados, nearMet Ghamre. It is named after St. Mark and is located onthe Northern side of the church. It is relatively recent.

c- St. Mark Altar at the church of the Virgin in thebishopric of Luxor. It was consecrated on February 25, 1934.

Churches Outside Egypt:

In Sudan:

1- The Old St. Mark Church. It is in Om Dorman. It islocated near the present church in the Bishopric in the district ofAl Mosalma, in Om Dorman. It was established in about 1910AD at the time of Bishop Sarabamon. Nowadays it is used assite for the burial for the bishops.

2- St. Mark and St. George Church in Khartoum, in one ofthe elegant districts in the Sudanese capital on an extensivearea of land [2400 square meter] and was donated as a gift bythe Sudanese Government during the rule of Ser Al Khetm,Khalifa. The celebration for laying the foundation, wasattended by the Sudanese ministers and the Chief Judge. TheCoptic Society arranged for the collection of donations to finishthe building. The late Anba Yuannis the Metropolitan ofKhartoum consecrated the church on Saturday April 6, 1968.The first Holy Liturgy was celebrated on the following day,Sunday the 7 Th.

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In Libya:

St. Mark Church in Tripoli. Anba Bakhomius, Bishop of AlBeheirah visited Algeria, Libya in January and February 1972,and met with the Copts in Tripoli and Beni Ghazi. Followingthis visit, H.H. Pope Shenouda sent Father Wisa Al Syriani toTripoli to serve them spiritually. On Monday, March 27, 1972,H. H. the Pope visited the Libyan Republic and prayed in thenew church at Gomorra Street, Zawyet Al Dahmani, Tripoli,.onMarch 31, 1972, the last Friday of the fast.

In Kuwait :-

St. Mark Church in Kuwait H.H. Pope Cyril VI, delegatedFr. Angelos Al-Muharaki [later Metropolitan Maximus ofQalyobia] to be the first Priest to serve at St. Mark Church inKuwait in 1961. Then Fr. Timothaus Al-Makary served for 9years. [At present Bishop Timothaus]. The Arab Gulf Churches became under the supervision ofH.G. Late Archbishop Basilios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem andthe Near East. Several churches in the area were founded laterin Basra, Iraq, also in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Duha and Oman.

In Lebanon:

The Virgin and St. Mark Church in Beirut. It wasestablished by some of the Copts who settled in Beirut. AMonk from our church in Jerusalem used to visit them monthlyto pray with them in the Church of Lady of Al Wardia, in FornEl Shebak. Bishop Basilius of Jerusalem, bought 1063 M2 landnear the presidential palace in an area called Sen El Pheel in1966. On Sunday October 29, 1972 the first Eucharist was

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celebrated by H.H. Pope Shenouda III, and was attended bymany bishops.

In France :

1- St. Mark Church in Paris. Since 1972, the Copts attendedthe Holy Liturgy in a church they called St. Mark. In 1973,they had a permanent place that belonged to the ChristianCouncil in the Sorbonne in the Place de Sorbonne, near theuniversity. " Communaute cheretienne de sorbonne 8 Place dela Sorbonne, Paris 5e Metro; Luxembourg."

2- Monastery of St. Mark in Le Revest Les- Eaux. It is theseat of The Coptic Orthodox Church in France. H.H. PopeShenouda ordained Anba Mark, Bishop of Marseilles andToulon and all France on Sunday July 2, 1974, assisted by'Khory Episkopos' Anba Athanasius. This monastery has achurch named after the Mother of God, that has a museum withCoptic, Greek and Russian icons, chalices crosses and relics ofsome saints. Its address : Fontanieu - 83760 - Le Revest LesEaux.

In Canada:

1- St. Mark in Toronto. The first to be ordained, was FatherMark Elias on August 9, 1964.

2- St. Mark in Montreal Father Raphael Yonan was also thefirst priest to be ordained for the church in March 1967. Thefirst service in the church was in June 1967.

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In The United States of America

1- St. Mark Church in Jersey City. The Copts in New Jerseyand New York bought an old church, built in 1882 and changedit to a Coptic Church. Father Raphael Yonan served the firstLiturgy on March 22, 1970. On Tuesday August 1970 the lateFather Ghobrial Ameen was ordained and on Sunday September13 he celebrated the first Eucharist. Its address is:Coptic Orthodox Church of Saint Mark, 427 West Side Ave,Jersey City, N. J. 07304, USA.

2- The Coptic Saint Mark The Apostle Church in The Cityof Los Angeles. It was on the feast of St. Mark, Friday May,8,1970 that the Copts celebrated the Eucharist at the Church ofMar Afram , a Syrian Orthodox church. The first Liturgy in St.Mark Coptic Church was on the Pentecost day, Sunday June14, 1970. Many priests from Cairo and Alexandria served inthis church till Father Antonious Lateef Henein was ordained.

In Australia:

St. Mark The Apostle Church in Sydney. It began as a largehall, which was opened by The Late Bishop Samuel, Bishop ofPublic, Ecumenical and Social Services, on Saturday, July 8,1972. Later a permanent church was established and manypriests from Egypt came to serve.

In Ethiopia

There are many churches in Ethiopia named after St. Mark.The main Church is in Addis Abbaba. There is also the

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Monastery of St. Mark in Addis Abbaba, headed by Abba WedGabriel.In Ethiopia there is a city by the name of Debra Marcus, whichmeans " Mount Mark".

ST. MARK CHURCHES IN OTHER DENOMINATIONS

1-THE GREEK ORTHODOX "AL RUM"

There is a historic church in "Haret al Rum" in Cairo. Itbecame the seat for the Melchite Patriarchs after it wastransferred from Alexandria to Cairo. At one time their largelibrary, was brought from Alexandria to Cairo, to be returnedback to Alexandria again. At the present time the church functions as a nursing home forthe old Greek people. It is possible that this is the church, Al-Wakdy, referred to as, the Monastery of Mount Mokattam orthe Monastery of St. Mark. They have another church in Port Sudan, Sudan called St.Mark Church.

2-THE COPTIC CATHOLICS:

They have one church named after St., Mark in Ismailiah, atthe Monofia and Dakahlia Streets.

3-THE ROMAN CATHOLIC :

They have three churches by the name of St. Mark.

1- St. Mark Church, Shatby, Alexandria. This is near St.Mark School that replaced St. Katherine School.

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2- St. Mark Church, Shoubra, Cairo at Al Be'atha Street. Itbelongs to the African Mission and was built in 1907.

3- St. Mark Church within the Jesuit School in Minya.

4- ANGLICAN BISHOPRIC

They have two churches named after St. Mark:

1- One in Alexandria, Midan Al Tahrir. It was established in1839 AD and was completed in 1855.

2- The other one is in Al Ibrahimia, Hermopolis Street,Alexandria.

MONASTERIES NAMED AFTER ST. MARK:

There were three monasteries named after him, that do not existat this time:-

1- The monastery which was known as The Subterranean,originally was the site of the present St. Mark Church inAlexandria. At one time it was in the hands of the Melchites,but it was returned back to the Copts. Abu Al Makarem [1208] reported that the churches weredivided between the Copts and the Melchites in 644 AD. TheMelchites took the Subterranean Monastery that contained the"body" of St. Mark. It is possible that it was called Pokaliawhere St. Mark was martyred.] (9) This monastery was mentioned also by Bernard The Wise, aFrench Monk about 870 AD. He said that behind the eastern

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door was the Monastery of St. Mark. The monks lived in thechurch where his tomb was. (10) Pierre Biloun de Manz, a French tourist who visited Egypt in1527, recorded : [There was a Coptic monastery and apatriarchal building beside their church. This was the placewhere the body of St. Mark was placed before it was stolen bythe people from Venice.] (11) In the Coptic Museum there is a cover for the Altar, on whichit is written, that it belonged to the Monastery of The GreatSaint Mark The Evangelist of "Morcussia", and was made in1173. (12) It was mentioned about Pope Peter VI [106], that, "he wentto Alexandria, in 1722 AD, and kissed the head of St. Mark TheApostle. When he returned, he learned that some gangmembers were after the " Head of St. Mark" so he hid it in themonastery at that time." (13) In the book written by Tawfik Eskaros, an eminent Copt ofthe nineteenth century, this was reported in Part 1, on page 284,showing the deeds of ownership of the monastery, and the factthat it belonged to the Copts. including the building and thefences. The latest renovation of the monastery was done in 1818AD. In the book, "Making the Chrism" it was mentioned aboutPope Peter Al Gawley, [109]. " The news about the repair ofthe Monastery of St. Mark, reached him. This monastery wasdestroyed earlier by the French. Later Mohammed Ali Pashaissued a decree to Mu'allem Saleh Attalla, a rich Copt, torebuild it with some assistance from the government."

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2- THE MONASTERY OF ST. MARK, ALSO KNOWNAS "MOUNT MOKATTAM MONASTERY":

It belonged originally to the Copts, and was mentioned by AlWakdy [823 AD] in his book, "Conquest of Al Sham [Syria]"He said : "Al Mokawkas forced the Jacobite Monks to accept aMelchite from Syria, to manage the monastery."

3-THE MONASTERY OF ST. MARK IN LUXOR:

This monastery was recently discovered by the ScientificFrench Institute for Oriental Antiquities in Luxor. It is about4000m2 and consists of a church and small buildings, that goesback to the Fifth and Sixth Centuries. The excavations began in1971 and they recovered about two thousand historic items.

ALTARS NAMED ST. MARK

Here we report only on the most important three altars, in thechurch history:.

1-IN MAHALET DANIEL:

This was mentioned in the History of the Patriarchs by SeverusIbn Al Mokafaa. Abu Al Makarem [1208 AD] said ," PopeMina, [61] [956 - 974 AD] established an altar by the name ofSt. Mark in Mahalet Daniel, where the patriarchs lived andmade the Chrism". Mahalet Daniel was a part of Tina, near Kafr Al Sheik. Itdoes not exist anymore. It was used by the patriarchs as theirresidence, during the rule of Al Khalifa Al Mo'ez, [972, 974].During this period there were many difficulties and hunger. The

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Patriarch himself had to live in lower Egypt, where a richwoman supported him and his staff.

2- IN THE MONASTERY OF ABBA MAKAR:

It was mentioned in reference to the making of the Chrism inthe days of Pope Mark III in 1167 AD. It may be related also,to the time when the head of the Saint was brought to theMonastery of Abba Makar, when the churches were raided in1013 AD. Pope Zacharias [64] lived in this monastery. This altar was renamed later as 'The Altar of John TheBaptist', underneath it, the bodies of both Isaiah, the Prophetand John the Baptist were buried, after their church wasdestroyed in 1321.

3- ST. MARK ALTAR AT THE CHURCH OF ST.ANTHONY IN THE EASTERN DESERT:

This altar was discovered by Professor Wattimoore in 1930. Awonderful portrait of St. Mark was found there.(14)

References:1- History of The Syrian Church of Antioch, Part I, pages

93 -94.2- See Chapter 2, this book.3- Rabettat Al Kuds Visiting Program.4- By Aref Pasha, 1951, p. 255.5- See Synaxarium, 12 Baoona.6-Butler, "The Arab Conquest" , translated by Farid Abu

Hadid, pages 323 - 325.7- Al Maqrizi, p. 44.

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8- Kamel Saleh Nakhla: St. Mark pages, 111 & 112.9- Fol. 94 P. & V.10- As # 6.11- Watani News Paper, 26-6-1966. p. 5 : St. Mark Church inAlexandria.12- Guide for the Coptic Museum, 1931, p. 150 : Hall 16, 17,

cabinet # 12.13- History of Abu Shaker the Monk.14- Otto Meinardus: Monks and Monasteries, p. 77.

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REFERENCES TO THIS BOOK

DIVINE BOOKS:1- The Holy Bible, The Two Testaments.2- The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version, 1952.

HISTORY BOOKS:3- Eusebius : Ecclesiastical History.4- St. Jerome : Lives of Illustrious Men.5- Le Synaxaire Arab - Jacobite, Redaction Copte ed. ReneBasset (Patrologia Orientalis).6- Patrologia Orientalis : History of the Patriarchs [ SeverusIbn Al Mokafaa, Bishop of Al Ashmouneen : History ofPatriarchs)7- Scaff : The History of the Christian Church, Michigan, 1955.8- Les Saints d' Egypte, pat Paul d' Orlean Chineau, Jerusalem,1923.9- Ibn Al Sebaa ( Scholar, Youhanna Ben Zakaria) : AlGawhara Al Nafissa fi Olum Al Kanisa, printed in 1618 M.10- Ibn Kabar : Misbah Al Zolma fi Eidah Al Khedma.11-Abu Al Makarem : (The Trusted Sheik Saad Allah GuirgisBen Masood) 1208 AD, The printed part, under the name ofAbu Saleh The Armenian., 1895 AD.12- Dr. Assad Rustom : Book of The Church of the City ofGod, Antioch the Great.13- Mar Aghnatius Yacoub : History of The Syrian Church ofAntioch.14- Iris Habib Al Masri : Coptic Church History.15- Anba Isiziros : Al Kharida Al Nafissa fi Tarikh Al Kanisa,1923.

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16- Anba Isiziros : Hosn Al Selook fi Tarikh Al Patareka wa AlMelook 1898 AD.17- Butler : The Arab Conquest, translated by Farid Abu Hadid.18- Father Peter Farmaj the Jesuit : Moraweg Al Akhbar fiTaragem Al Abrar (1880).19- Habib Guirgis : St. Mark The Apostle, Established of TheEgyptian Church.20- Dr. Hassan Soliman : Libya Between The Past And ThePresent, 1962.21- Dr. Zaher Riad : Church of Alexandria in Africa, 1962.22- Francis Al Eter & Selim Soliman : Concise of The CopticNation..23- Francis Al Eter : Al Sakhra Magazine, 1951, Articles aboutSt. Mark.24- Kamel Saleh Nakhla : History of St Mark The Preacher,1949.25- History and Lists of The Coptic Patriarchs of Alexandria.26- Series in History of the Patriarchs, Monastery of SyrianPublication.27- Al Maqrizi : Al Kawl Al Eprizi Lil Alama Al Maqrizi. 1898.28- Maximus Mazloom : Kinz Al Ebad Al Rhameen fi AkhbarAl Kidiseen, Beirut 1868.29-Deacon Menasi Youhanna : History of The Coptic Church.30 Anba Yusab. Bishop of Fouwa : History of The Patriarchs.hand written.31 -Josephus : History of The Jews.

GENERAL BOOKS32- Encyclopedia Britannica.33- La Rousse.34- The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church by Cross,London, 1958.

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35- Iconographic de l' art Chretien, par Louis Reau,Universitaires de France, Tome III.36- Mohamad Ramzy : Geographical Dictionary of Egypt.37- Coptic Museum Guide.

CHURCH RITUALS BOOKS38- Katomaros Al Kanisa Al Keptia.39- The Holy Liturgy.40- The Holy Annual Psaltis41- Cross & Palm Processions.42- Holy Books for Praise.43 Watus & Adam Psaltis44- Ordination for the Bishops, Metropolitans and Patriarchs.45- Consecration of the Patriarchs.

BOOKS OF INTERPRETATION AND STUDY OF THEHOLY BIBLE:46- Hasting's Dictionary of he Bible, 1906.47- Dr. Botros et al, Dictionary of the Holy Bible.48- George Post : Dictionary of the Holy Bible.49- An Introduction to the New Testament by E. Goodspeed,Chicago, 1937.50- An Introduction to the New Testament by Baumen,Philadelphia, 1952. The Riddle of the New Testament by Sir Edward Hoskyns,London, 1963.52- The Birth of the New Testament by C. F. Moule, London,1918.53- A Guide to the Gospels by Seroggie, London, 1948.54- The Gospel according to Mark by Campel Morgan,London.55- The Gospel of Mark by Erdman.

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56- Etefak Al Bashireen.(Beirut 1876)57- Ibn Al Salibi ( Mar Dionesius Yacoub ) 1149 AD. " Al Dor

Al Farid fi Tafseer Al Aad Al Gadeed. 58- Tafseer Al Mishriki.

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In This Book

In the Name of theFather, the Son and theHoly Spirit, One God

Amen.

Pope Shenouda III


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