This day marks the martyrdom of St. Peter, 17th Pope of Alexandria and the seal of the
martyrs. His father was the archpriest of Alexandria and his name was Theodosius and his
mother's name was Sophia. They were God-fearing people and they had no children.
On the fifth day of the Coptic month of Abib, the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, his mother went
to church where she saw other mothers carrying their children. She was exceedingly sorrowful
and she wept. She besought our Lord Jesus Christ with many tears, to grant her a son. That night,
Peter and Paul appeared to her and told her that the Lord had accepted her prayers and that He
would give her a son, and to call him Peter. They commanded her to go to the Patriarch, to bless
her. When she woke up, she told her husband about what she saw and he was exceedingly glad.
Then she went to the father, the Patriarch and told him about what she saw and asked him to pray
for her. He prayed and blessed her.
Shortly after, she gave birth to this saint and called him Peter. When he was 7 years old, they gave
him to Pope Theonas, as was done with Samuel the prophet and he became as a son to him. He
placed him in the theological school where he received his education and excelled in preaching
and counseling. He then ordained him as a reader, then as a deacon, and shortly after as a priest.
He relieved the Pope of many church administrative duties.
Before Pope Theonas' departure, he recommended that Abba Peter be his successor. When he
was enthroned on the See of St. Mark, the church was enlightened by his teachings.
It came to pass in the city of Antioch, that a man of high authority had agreed with Diocletian the
Emperor, to return to paganism. That man had two children and because of him, their mother
could not baptize them there. Therefore, she took them to Alexandria. On her way there, the sea
was troubled by a violent storm and she was afraid that her two sons would drown and die
without being baptized. She therefore dipped them in the sea three times saying, "In the Name of
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit," then she cut her breast and with her blood made the
sign of the Holy Cross over their foreheads.
Eventually, the troubled sea calmed down and she arrived safely to Alexandria with her sons. On
the same day, she brought them to be baptized. Whenever, the Patriarch, St. Peter tried to baptize
them, the water would solidify as stone. This happened three times. When he questioned her, she
informed him of what had happened to her at sea. He marvelled and praised God saying, "That is
what the church proclaims, that it is one baptism." Therefore, the baptism she performed in the
sea was accepted by the Lord.
Also in the days of this Pope, Arius the heretic appeared and St. Peter advised him several times
to turn from his wicked thoughts, but he would not hearken to him. Consequently, he
excommunicated him and prevented him from the fellowship of the church.
Arius contacted Emperor Maximianus, the infidel, and reported to him that Peter, the Patriarch of
Alexandria, incited the people not to worship the gods. The Emperor was outraged and he sent
messengers with orders to cut off his head. When they arrived in Alexandria, they attacked the
people and destroyed most of the cities of Egypt. They robbed all their valuables, their women
and children. In total, about 840 thousand of them were killed, some with the sword, some with
starvation and some with imprisonment. Then they returned to Alexandria and captured the
father, the Patriarch, and imprisoned him.
When the people heard about their shepherd's arrest, they gathered in front of the prison door and
wanted to save him by force. The officer in charge of his slaying was worried that the general
peace would be disrupted, so he postponed the execution till the next day. When the saint saw
what had happened, he wanted to deliver himself to death for his people, for he feared what might
happen to his flock. He wished to depart and be with Christ, without causing any disturbances or
troubles. He sent for his people and he comforted them and advised them to adhere to the true
faith.
When Arius, the infidel, learned that St. Peter was departing to be with the Lord, leaving him
under the band of excommunication, he entreated him, through the high priests, to absolve him.
St. Peter refused and told them that the Lord Christ had appeared to him this night in a vision,
wearing a torn robe. St. Peter asked Him, "My Lord, who rent Your robe?" The Lord replied,
"Arius has rent My robe, because he separated Me from My Father. Beware of accepting him."
After this, St. Peter summoned the Emperor's messenger in secret and advised him to dig a hole in
the prison's wall on the side where there were no Christians. The officer was amazed at the
bravery of the father and he did as he commanded him. He took him out of prison secretly and
brought him outside the city, to where the tomb of St. Mark the evangelist, Egypt's evangelist.
There, he kneeled down and asked the Lord, "Let the shedding of my blood mark the end of the
worship of idols and be the end of the shedding of the blood of Christians." A voice came from
heaven and was heard by a saintly virgin who was near that place. It said, "Amen. May it be to
you according to your wishes." When he finished his prayer, the swordsman advanced and cut off
his holy head.
The body remained in its place until the people went out hurriedly from the city to the place where
he was martyred, because they did not know what had happened. They took the pure body and
dressed it in the pontifical clothes and seated him on the seat of St. Mark, which he refused to sit
on during his life. He used to say that he saw the power of God sitting on the Chair and therefore,
he did not dare to sit on it.
Then they placed his body with the bodies of the saints. He occupied the throne of St. Mark for
11 years.