The Departure of St . Dioscorus II 31st Pope of Alexandria

On this day of the year 511 A .D ., the holy father Abba Dioscorus II, 31st Pope of Alexandria,departed . He was chosen Patriarch by the guidance of the Holy Spirit after the departure of hispredecessor, St . John . This father was gentle in disposition, his work and knowledge wereoutstanding, and he was perfect all his days; no one was like him in his generation .His first work after his enthronement to the See of St . Mark was writing an epistle to the holyfather Abba Severus, Patriarch of Antioch . This epistle contained the faith in the Holy Trinity asequal in essence and divinity, and an explanation of the Incarnation . He said that the Word of Godwas incarnated in a human body perfect in everything, and united with it and became one Son, oneChrist, one God, in inseparable unity and that the Trinity is one before and after this unity and noaddition was effected to Him by the Incarnation .When this epistle reached Abba Severus, he read it and rejoiced and made it known to the peopleof Antioch . He felt optimistic with it and wrote to St . Dioscorus a reply to the epistlecongratulating him on his Christian presidency and on the Orthodox faith . He commanded him notto turn aside from it, neither to the right nor to the left, and to depend in all his sayings and workson the Orthodox faith which was established by the Three Hundred and Eighteen Fathers in Niceaand according to what they commanded in the Canon and the Law . When the message reachedAbba Dioscorus, he joyfully received it and commanded that it be read from the pulpit to be heardby all the people .This father read and taught continually, and urged and commanded the priests in every city toshepherd and guard their flocks . Having ended his course, he departed in peace .His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God, forever . Amen .