In the previous articles, we tackled the conflicts which Egypt had witnessed during the wars and battles that broke out between its people and rulers. There was so much instability that some rulers reigned for only one month! We started speaking of Pope Jacob who had a hard time.
Pope Jacob (819-830 A.D.)
Pope Jacob is the fiftieth patriarch. He was a monk at the St. Maqar’s Monastery, Natrun Valley wilderness. Yet, after the wilderness had been attacked, he headed to one of the monasteries of Thebes. However, he returned hurriedly and led a life of fast and prayer. In effect, whoever yearned to monasticism gathered at his place, which made him a father and mentor for everybody. He used to spend most of the night in prayer, then work. One night, he saw a vision in which he got to know that Pope Mark II was to depart in that year. The monk wept, beseeching God to send a good shepherd to his people.
According to some historians, as Pope Mark was on his death bed, the bishops who were with him asked him to nominate his successor, but he mentioned nobody. But, a pious bishop insisted. So, he mentioned the name of the saintly monk Jacob who honestly shepherded St. Maqar’s Monastery’s monks honestly. Yet, he asked the bishop not to tell anybody.
After Pope Mark’s departure, prayers were conducted that God might choose a shepherd in accordance with His will. The bishops and the congregation assembled to see to who is worthy of this dignity. They mentioned several names, including that of monk Jacob of St. Maqar’s Monastery. At that time, the bishop disclosed to the congregation what the pope had told him before his departure. So, everybody said the monk was worthy for his angelic work. Then, they headed to the monastery to escort monk Jacob to Alexandria and ordain him patriarch, unbeknownst to him. Yet, he got to know on the way and refused tearfully, declaring his unworthiness of this great dignity and awesome responsibility.
Upon his enthronement, Pope Jacob wrote an article against heretics, excommunicating them and rejecting the council of Chalcedon (451 A.D.) It also came to pass that a group of nonconformists came to the church, but the pope refused their presence. So, they left. One of them was a rich, influential man who got quite angry and spoke ill of the pope and the Church. When the patriarch got to know, he said that God would respond to that person in accordance to what he had said, and that he wouldn’t enter the church until this had been fulfilled. After a short time, that person got into great trouble, was killed, and all his possessions were robbed! In effect, all dissenters got to awe the pope.
As for his life, he became more ascetic. So much so that he ate very little. He kept educating his congregation. Once, he told them, “I got to know that some of you are lazy. I call upon to work meekly, and make a living in like manner St. Paul said, ‘I will not be a burden to you’.
During his papacy, Pope Jacob went through many tribulations: including the time at which war got fiercer among the Andalusians, Midlijs, and the Egyptians. Wars were associated with costliness and captivity. The patriarch did not find enough money to steer the churches’ affairs. Likewise, the congregation could neither go to St. Mina’s Church, Marriott, nor return from thence to Alexandria due to the war.
At that time, a deacon called George was the steward of the Alexandria Church. He was cruel. He asked the pope to give him the money required by the church, otherwise he would go to the wilderness. Having heard his request, the Pope asked him to leave the church. So, the deacon left angrily, showing no regret for what he did. When he arrived at his place, he got severely ill and died on the self same day. When the Pope got to know of this, he beseeched God to forgive that man. The congregation continued to revere the Pope immensely.
In like manner all popes do, Pope Jacob used to go to the wilderness during Great Lent and remain there until Easter. There, the Pope used to take care of the monks. Likewise, he embarked on a pastoral trip in Upper Egypt to visit the churches and the congregation. Concerning his relationship with the church of Antioch, there was mutual love between him and patriarch Dionysus of Antioch, and he wanted to meet him. However, the war in Egypt prevented him from this, as roads were unsafe.
The turmoil caused by the conflict between the Andalusians and Abdul Aziz al-Jarawi negatively affected the Egyptians’ life. Pope Jacob used to beseech God to alleviate the war that led to killing numerous people whose corpses became food for birds! Bin al-Muqafa’ maintains that, “Al-Jarawi never refrained from killing people and robbing their money. He used to bury his booties at night, and, having done so, he would kill his assistants that nobody might know the place of the booty!”
Likewise, al-Jarawi used to monopolize wheat. So much so that a costliness struck the country, and wheat became quite expensive. A handful of wheat was worth a dinar! Moreover, al-Jarawi did not send wheat to Alexandria that the Andalusians, who occupied the city, might perish. Thus, in Alexandria, two handfuls of wheat became worth two dinars and a dirham! Scarcity of wheat led to the death of many people, especially in Alexandria. However, when al-Jarawi got to know of this, he said haughtily, “I shall make people sell a handful of flour for a dinar!” Then he marched with his army to Alexandria to fight the Andalusians. So, they fled to the city center, shut the fortress, and remained in this hardship until people ate beasts.
At that time, al-Jarawi attacked the fortress with catapults to demolish it. He wanted to meet the Pope, having already requested to have one of his acquaintances ordained bishop, which the Pope refused: for this contravened the Church’s rules. So, al-Jarawi got furious and requested the Pope’s audience, threatening to demolish churches and kill bishops wherever he went.
A person called Maqarah of Nabaroh got to know of this. He was a kin of the Pope’s. So, he sent him a letter, asking him to meet al-Jarawi lest he demolish churches and kill people and promising to pay all his money to save him. When Pope Jacob received the message, he accompanied a priest, Youssab of St. Maqar’s Monastery to meet al-Jarawi. Yet, before reaching him, they got to know that a stone struck al-Jarawi dead. So, they never met each other. Then, Ali bin Abdul Aziz al-Jarawi took over after his father, but did not behave the same way. So, the country witnessed great prosperity, and the hard days were gone. What a story! Stories never end in Beautiful Egypt.
General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
