Heraclas of Alexandria
Encyclopedia
Pope Heraclas of Alexandria served as the thirteenth Pope of Alexandria (head of the church that became the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Greek Church of Alexandria) between 232 and 248. He is commemorated in the Coptic Synaxarion on the 8th day of Koiak.
He followed Origen
as head of the Catechetical School of Alexandria
.
He has been identified as the first Bishop of Alexandria
to carry the appellation of "Pope" (in Greek, Papás, a term, originally a form of address meaning 'Father', that the church of Rome did not use until the sixth century). The first known record of this designation being assigned to Heraclas is in a letter written by the bishop of Rome, Dionysius, to Philemon:
He followed Origen
Origen
Origen , or Origen Adamantius, 184/5–253/4, was an early Christian Alexandrian scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Church. As early as the fourth century, his orthodoxy was suspect, in part because he believed in the pre-existence of souls...
as head of the Catechetical School of Alexandria
Catechetical School of Alexandria
The Catechetical School of Alexandria was and is a place for the training of Christian theologians and priests in Alexandria. The teachers and students of the school were influential in many of the early theological controversies of the Christian church.The earliest recorded instructor at the...
.
He has been identified as the first Bishop of Alexandria
Patriarch of Alexandria
The Patriarch of Alexandria is the Archbishop of Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation of Pope , and did so earlier than that of the Bishop of Rome...
to carry the appellation of "Pope" (in Greek, Papás, a term, originally a form of address meaning 'Father', that the church of Rome did not use until the sixth century). The first known record of this designation being assigned to Heraclas is in a letter written by the bishop of Rome, Dionysius, to Philemon:
τοῦτον ἐγὼ τὸν κανόνα καὶ τὸν τύπον παρὰ τοῦ μακαρίου πάπα ἡμῶν Ἡρακλᾶ παρέλαβον. [I received this rule and ordinance from our blessed pope, Heraclas.]