# Pope Peter I

Source: https://coptic-lore-forge.lovable.app/wiki/pope-peter-i — Coptic Orthodox Wiki (updated 2026-10-02)

Pope Peter I, seventeenth patriarch of Alexandria (300–311), is traditionally called the “Seal of the Martyrs” and is commemorated on 29 Hatur.[^1][^2]

## Life and patriarchate

Pope Peter I was the seventeenth patriarch of the See of Saint Mark, serving from 300 to 311 and succeeding Theonas; tradition calls him the “Seal of the Martyrs.”[^1] Almost nothing is securely known about his early life or birth date, although an Alexandrian origin is probable.[^3]

An *Encomium* attributed to Alexander, Peter’s second successor, recounts his life, imprisonment, and execution in Sahidic, Bohairic, and Arabic versions. This work is highly hagiographical and legendary, requiring caution when using its accounts as historical evidence.[^3]

## Persecution and pastoral teaching

Peter opposed imperial edicts prohibiting Christian services and advocated penance and reconciliation for Christians who had offered homage to pagan gods during persecution—the *lapsi*. This policy brought him into conflict with Melitius, bishop of Lycopolis (Asyut), who favored their exclusion from communion.[^4]

Peter’s *Canonical Letter* distinguished between different circumstances of apostasy. Those who lapsed after imprisonment and torture received forty days of penance; those imprisoned but not tortured were assigned another year of atonement. Those who lapsed without imprisonment or torture and subsequently repented were to undertake a year of penance before their readmission was considered.[^5]

Peter also insisted that authority to forgive sins and determine penance belonged to the bishop, rather than to confessors who had suffered for the faith. Melitius assumed Peter’s office in Alexandria while Peter was in hiding; Peter excommunicated him upon returning.[^6]

## Traditions concerning Arius

Accounts differ in their treatment of Peter’s relationship with Arius. One tradition holds that Achillas disobeyed Peter’s command by admitting Arius to communion.[^7] However, the account of Peter’s excommunication of Arius remains questionable, given the absence of independent, unequivocal confirmation even of a meeting between them.[^8]

## Martyrdom

Peter’s execution is dated to 25 November 311, during the reign of Maximin Daia.[^9] He is also described as beheaded under Diocletian; these accounts therefore differ over the ruler under whom his martyrdom occurred.[^2][^9]

The surviving Passion narratives also differ concerning the circumstances. A short Latin version places his beheading inside his cell, while a short Arabic version places it in the street outside the prison.[^10] A longer Arabic version describes him being taken from his cell and permitted to pray at Saint Mark’s tomb before his execution.[^10][^11]

## Writings and commemoration

Besides the *Canonical Letter*, letters, homilies, and theological fragments have been attributed to Peter, although the authenticity of several writings remains uncertain. Many fragments probably derive from *On the Godhead* and *On the Soul and the Body*.[^12] Peter’s fifteenth canon is a witness to the importance of Wednesday and Friday fasting.[^13]

His feast day is 29 Hatur.[^2] A separate calendar commemoration on 1 Amshir recalls the dedication of the first church built in honor of Saint Peter, the “Seal of the Martyrs.”[^14]

## Sources
[^1]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 609)
[^2]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 514)
[^3]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 609)
[^4]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 609)
[^5]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 611)
[^6]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 613)
[^7]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 212)
[^8]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 611)
[^9]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 609)
[^10]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 613)
[^11]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 614)
[^12]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 614)
[^13]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 223)
[^14]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 363)