al-Mu‘allaqah - Page 3 of 3

John V

JOHN V The seventy-second patriarch of the See of Saint Mark (1147-1167). John was a monk in the Monastery of Saint John (Dayr Abu Yuhannis). Tradition claims that his name was included among the three candidates from whom the name of his predecessor MICHAEL V was chosen. This time he was chosen outright because of …

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John XI

Eminent / By Armia FAYEZ

JOHN XI Eighty-ninth patriarch of the See of Saint Mark (1427-1452). John’s life before his selection is unknown. His biography in the HISTORY OF THE PATRIARCHS is restricted to the dates of his investiture and decease. In fact, the biographers of that period of the fourteenth century have refrained from dealing with the events of …

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Ibn Kabar

Eminent / By Armia FAYEZ

IBN KABAR (al-Shaykh al-Mu’taman Shams al-Riyasah ibn al-Shaykh al-As‘ad Abu al-Barakat ibn Kabar) Scholar born to a wealthy Coptic family toward the end of the thirteenth century; he lived to the early decades of the fourteenth. His parents’ palatial residence in Old Cairo was frequented by state dignitaries. Ibn Kabar received his early education in …

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Abu Shakir Ibn Al-Rahib

Eminent / By Youssef Matta

ABU SHAKIR IBN AL-RAHIB Abu al-Karam Butrus ibn al-Muhadhdhab was the son of al-Shaykh al-Mu’taman al-Saniy Anba Butrus al-Rahib, one of the leading Coptic personalities and eminent scribes of Egypt, who lived in the thirteenth century. After being widowed, he retired from public service, and on becoming a monk—which explains the use in his name …

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Abraham, Saint, The Patriarch

Eminent / By Youssef Matta

ABRAHAM, SAINT, the patriarch The sixty-second patriarch of the See of Saint Mark (975-978), who was a great reformer (feast day: 6 kiyahk). Abraham was also known as Ephraem the Syrian, indicating his native origin, with the ascription Ibn Zar‘ah always accompanying his name. He was a distinguished layman who made a large fortune in …

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