Alexander S. Treiger The Arabic Circular Letter of Athanasius III, Patriarch of Alexandria (ca. 1300)

Abstract

The article presents, for the first time, an Arabic encyclical epistle by the Melkite Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria Athanasius III (sed. ca. 1275 — ca. 1315), written during his exile in Constantinople. It is preserved in the unicum 14th century manuscript Sinai ar. 451 and is addressed to Athanasius III's locum tenens archbishop Peter (otherwise unknown). In this epistle, Patriarch Athanasius shares his views on the proper order of church life and seeks to correct certain problematic practices that had become widespread among Orthodox Christians in Egypt. Patriarch Athanasius' recommendations include the following: the liturgy is to be celebrated at the third hour (9am in modern time-reckoning), the antidoron should be handled in a proper fashion, hot water must be added into the chalice towards the end of the liturgy, it is forbidden to rent candles for use at the church or to use oil from the church lamps for worldly purposes, and some others. The epistle sheds light on both day-to-day life and liturgical practices of the Egyptian Melkites, on the progressive Byzantinization of their church services, and on their struggles under Mamlūk rule; it adds important details to the portrait of this outstanding Alexandrian hierarch. If earlier we knew him only as a church official of the era of Emperors Michael VIII and Andronicus II Palaiologos, as the author of an epistle to the Russian Church, and as a bibliophile, the epistle published herein allows us to see him as a pastor caring for his flock. The article includes a critical edition and Russian translation of this important treatise.

Keywords

Athanasius III of Alexandria, Patriarchate of Alexandria, Patriarchate of Constantinople, Mamlūks, Typikon, Arab Christian Literature

For Citation

Treiger A.S. Patriarch Athanasius III of Alexandria's Arabic Encyclical Epistle (ca. 1300 AD) // The Historical Reporter. 2025. Vol. 53. P. 344-359. DOI: 10.35549/HR.2025.2025.53.009

Alexander S. Treiger

Priest, PhD (Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations), Professor, Department of Classics with Religious Studies, Dalhousie University, Canada.
e-mail: atreiger@dal.ca
ORCID: 0000-0001-5251-5389

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