one Timothy, surnamed the Cat.[1] He had been a friend of St. Cyril, then of Dioscor. He was a pronounced Monophysite, though he formally rejected Eutyches's special ideas.[2] Now he emerges as the chief Monophysite leader after Dioscor's death; he is one of the founders of the heretical Coptic Church. Timothy was schismatically ordained by three Monophysite bishops as Dioscor's successor. Proterius, protected by the soldiers, of course refused to acknowledge him in any way. But at Easter 457, Proterius was murdered by the mob, and his body was dragged around the city. Timothy at once occupied the Patriarch's palace, excommunicated and drove out all Chalcedonian bishops. These protested to the Emperor.[3] Meanwhile the mob shut up the soldiers in the old Serapeion (Temple of Serapis), set fire to it, and burned them alive. All Egypt was in an uproar. Timothy also had written to the Emperor asking to be recognized as Patriarch of Alexandria. The Emperor (Leo I) embarked on that futile policy of trying to conciliate the Monophysites which was to cause so much trouble for centuries. Instead of rejecting the Cat's insolent petition at once, instead of sending an army to avenge the massacre of his soldiers and punish the rebels, he fell back on the time-honoured expedient of summoning a new council to discuss Timothy's claim and, presumably, to reopen the whole question settled by Chalcedon. Anatolius of Constantinople urged him to do this. The self-styled Patriarch of Constantinople still felt uncertain about his position and his 28th Canon of Chalcedon. The legates and then the Pope had rejected it formally. Anatolius thought that a new council might, incidentally, fortify and regularize his own position. So in October 457, Leo, the Emperor, sent out a letter (composed by Anatolius)[4] to all bishops of the empire, asking their opinion about events in Egypt, and inviting them to a synod to discuss the matter. But this time there was no council. With one exception[5] they all answered that there is nothing to
- ↑ Τιμόθεος Αἴλουρος. Αἴλουρος is a cat or weasel; in Egypt more likely to be a cat. This is apparently a nickname given by his enemies.
- ↑ This is again evidence that a man may be a Monophysite and yet reject Eutyches.
- ↑ Evagrius: Hist. Eccl. ii. 8 (P.G. lxxxvi. 2524–2525); Mansi, vii. 524–530.
- ↑ Mansi, vii. 521–522; cf. 795.
- ↑ Amphilochius of Side in Pamphylia.
