Patriarch
During the patriarchate of Dioscorus (444–451), there lived in Alexandria the presbyter Proterius, who rebuked heretics and confessed the Orthodox faith. In 451, at the Chalcedonian Council, the heresy of Eutyches was condemned, and Proterius was elected patriarch. However, many of Dioscorus' followers rose up against him, leading to a riot and violence. Emperor Marcian (450–457) deprived the Alexandrians of their privileges and sent soldiers to quell the unrest. After the death of Marcian, the heretics raised their heads again, and the presbyter Timothy Elur led the rebellion, proclaiming himself patriarch.
Saint Proterius, deciding to leave the city, saw in a dream the prophet Isaiah, who commanded him to return. He returned and hid in the baptistery, but the rebels found him and killed him, mutilating his body and burning it on Great Saturday († 457). The Orthodox informed Emperor Leo (457–474), and the rebellion was suppressed; Timothy was condemned and exiled.
Contemporaries of Saint Proterius, the bishops of Thrace, prayed to God for mercy through the saint's prayers. After his martyrdom, order was restored in the Alexandrian Church, and a new patriarch, Timothy Salofakiol, was elected, bringing peace and unity to the Church.
