Cyrus of Alexandria

Cyrus of Alexandria ( al-Muqawqis, ; ) was a prominent figure in the 7th century Byzantine Empire. He served as a Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria, as well as the de facto governor of Egypt. As governor, he heavily persecuted the Copts, and during the Arab conquest of Egypt, continually pushed for surrender and sabotaged the Byzantine military's defence of the country. Cyrus died in Alexandria on March 21, 642.

Early life Cyrus was born in the late 6th century. He was from the Caucasus region, hence the nickname Al-Muqawqis, from the Coptic ⲡⲓⲕⲁⲩⲕⲟⲥ meaning "the Caucasian". He had a sister, who married Domentianus the governor of Faiyum. However, historian Karl Stowasser describes these relatives as "pure legend".

Bishop of Phasis In 620, he assumed the position of Bishop of Phasis in Colchis. In 626, during the Persian campaign led by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, he was consulted regarding a plan proposed by Sergius, the Patriarch of Constantinople, aimed at reconciling the Miaphysites of Egypt with the Church and gaining their support for the empire. This plan, known as the monenergist plan, involved accepting the Chalcedonian principle of two natures of Christ while effectively nullifying it by asserting that he possessed only one energy, referred to as (ἓν θέλημα καὶ μία ἐνέργεια). Cyrus embraced this formula after Sergius assured him that Pope Honorius I in Rome had endorsed it and that it did not contradict the teachings of the Church Fathers or the decisions made at the Council of Chalcedon. Cyrus was subsequently appointed by Heraclius as the Bishop of Alexandria in 630, in opposition to the Miaphysite Patriarch of Alexandria, with the intention of implementing this plan.

Patriarch of Alexandria

Cyrus, once patriarch, made persistent efforts to reconcile the Miaphysites and Chalcedonians by promoting monenergism, which eventually developed into monothelitism—a belief in a single will. In June 633, he presented the Pact of Union, also known as the plerophoría of "Satisfactio," during a synod held in Alexandria. This agreement consisted of nine articles, with the seventh one boldly asserting monothelitism. Such a combination of secular and religious positions was contrary to ecclesiastical canons and extremely rare in Byzantine history.

During the period when Umar's general, 'Amr ibn al-'As, also known as Amru to the Romans, posed a threat to the Prefecture of Egypt, Cyrus was both the de facto governor of Egypt and the government-appointed Patriarch of Alexandria, and Theodore was the commander-in-chief of the Byzantine army in the province. At this time, the governor of Faiyum was Domentianus (who was married to Cyrus' sister), while Theodosius was the prefect of its province, Arcadia Aegypti, and Anastasius was the prefect of Alexandria (and by extension the de jure governor of Egypt).

The defence of Arcadia Aegypti was entrusted to a certain John, whom Hermann Zotenberg identifies with the John, Duke of Barca or Barcaina mentioned by Nicephorus. He had brought the Ecthesis and a portion of the True Cross from Patriarch Sergius to Cyrus, and was likely on a direct commission from Emperor Heraclius. For three years after the Muslim conquest of the Levant, Cyrus paid them tribute not to conquer Egypt. When the Arabs entered Egypt and besieged Pelusium for two months, Cyrus did not react at all (although his daughter Armenousa may have sent reinforcements there). The city eventually fell in February 640.

Loss of Belbeis After taking Pelusium, the Muslims marched on to Belbeis. Two Christian monks, accompanied by Cyrus of Alexandria and the famous Roman general Aretion, came out to negotiate with 'Amr ibn al-'As. Aretion had been the Byzantine governor of Jerusalem, but had gone to Egypt shortly after losing the Battle of Ajnadayn. 'Amr gave them three options: convert to Islam, pay the jizya, or fight. They requested three days to reflect and then, according to Al-Tabari, requested two extra days.

At the end of the five days, Aretion, the two monks, and Armenousa decided to reject Islam and the jizya and fight the Muslims, thus disobeying Cyrus, who wanted to surrender and pay jizya. Cyrus left for the Babylon Fortress. The battle resulted in a Muslim victory during which Aretion was killed and Armenousa was captured, but sent back to Cyrus. 'Amr ibn al-'As subsequently attempted to convince the native Egyptians to aid the Arabs and surrender the city, based on the kinship between Egyptians and Arabs via Hajar. Cyrus asked Heraclius to ratify the treaty and offered an argument in support. 'Amr submitted a detailed report to Umar recommending ratification. Upon hearing about this, Heraclius was furious and had Cyrus recalled to Constantinople. Cyrus tried to defend his actions, but Heraclius angrily threatened to kill him, calling him an abject coward and a heathen, and asking whether 100,000 Romans were a match for 12,000 barbarians. He then handed him to the city Prefect to humiliate him, and sent him to exile.

Summons to Constantinople Heraclius died in February 641, two months before the fall of the Babylon Fortress, and was succeeded by his two sons Constantine III and Heraclonas as co-emperors. Heraclonas' mother, Martina, ruled through Heraclonas because of his young age and consistently opposed Constantine. Constantine, following his father's wishes, summoned Cyrus from exile and Theodore from Egypt to Constantinople to discuss the invasion. Cyrus was in favour of surrendering to the Muslims, whereas Theodore wanted to continue fighting them and hoped the Emperor would send reinforcements to Egypt. Constantine had been preparing a fleet to send to Egypt, but died on May 25 after a reign of just 100 days. With Heraclonas as sole emperor, Martina gained complete control over the government. She had Heraclonas give Cyrus express permission to make peace at any price with the Arabs, but also gave him reinforcements and a new general named Constantine to replace John. After Theodore and Cyrus' left for Egypt with reinforcements, Martina was deposed by Valentine, who sent envoys to Rhodes with a message to Cyrus' troops, telling them to return to Constantinople and not to side with Cyrus. He also sent a letter to Alexandria telling the defenders not to obey Martina, and to keep fighting. Theodore was pleased to hear this, and without telling Cyrus or anyone but the captain, he secretly attempted to sail from Rhodes to Pentapolis. However, the captain of the ship claimed the wind was contrary to him, and Theodore was stuck with Cyrus. They returned to Alexandria on September 14, 641, the Feast of the Cross. was carried with Cyrus and Theodore. The procession passed between Cleopatra's Needles and entered the Caesareum Church, where a liturgy was prayed. Cyrus then gave a sermon about the discovery of the True Cross, perhaps encouraging them to resist the siege in the name of the Cross, despite having already decided in himself to forsake the Cross and surrender to the Muslims.

Writings Cyrus communicated with Sergius through three letters, known as the "Satisfactio," which have been preserved in the acts of the Roman Synod of the Lateran and the Sixth Ecumenical Council (Mansi, X, 1004; XI, 560, 562, 964).

In the first letter, Cyrus expressed his acceptance of the Ecthesis. The second letter described his dilemma between Pope Leo and Sergius, while the third letter narrated the conversion of the Theodosians.

Cyrus faced opposition from St. Sophronius, who died in 638 (Epistola synodica, Mansi, XI, 480), and St. Maximus, who died in 662 (Epistola ad Nicandrum; disputatio cum Pyrrho, P.G., XCI, 101, 345). They accused him of tempering with the revered text of Dionysius and introducing alterations. They also refuted his claim of support from the Church Fathers and explained that while the divine and human natures of Christ are referred to as one because they belong to the same person and work in harmony, they cannot be physically identified, as they have distinct origins. Historians hold differing opinions on how Cyrus adopted these views. Some believe he had a predisposition towards Monophysitism from the beginning, while others argue that he was influenced by Sergius and Heraclius.

Posthumously, Cyrus was condemned as a heretic at the Lateran Council of 649 and again in 680 at the Third Ecumenical Council of Constantinople.

There are letters associated with Prophet Muhammad sent a letter to Al-Muqawqis, the ruler of Egypt widely identified with Cyrus of Alexandria, inviting him to embrace Islam. Carried by the envoy Ḥātib ibn Abī Baltaʿah around 628 CE, the epistle pledged protection for the Christian community and bore Muhammad’s seal of prophethood. Although no original seventh-century manuscript survives, copies purportedly discovered in an Akhmīm monastery were acquired by Sultan ʿAbdülmecid I and now reside in the Topkapı Palace’s Holy Relics collection in Istanbul.

Al-Muqawqis replied courteously but declined conversion, returning gifts including two Coptic women—Maria al-Qibṭiyya, who became Muhammad’s wife, and her sister Sirīn—alongside fine textiles and a mule.