School of Alexandriawriter
Who he was
- He embraced Christianity at the hands of Athenagoras and succeeded him as dean of the theological school.
- In 190, Pope Demetrius sent him on a mission to preach in India. He also preached in Ethiopia, Arabia and Yemen.
- According to Coptic tradition, he brought back the Hebrew original of St. Matthew’s Gospel.
What he wrote
- He introduced philosophy and sciences into the school to gain heretics and educated pagans.
- He interpreted the whole Bible, but nothing remained of his writings except for the few excerpts mentioned in St. Clement’s books.
- He presented the Coptic alphabet by using the Greek alphabet and adding seven letters from the ancient Demotic language.
- Under his guidance the Bible was translated into Coptic.