"Apology", which he addressed to the Emperors Marcus,
Aurelius and Commodius.
Among the students of Athenagoras were Pantaenus
and Clement, both of whom succeeded him as Deans of the
School, but outshone him as leaders of thought.^5
Athenagorus was succeeded by Justus who had been
appointed by St. Mark himself and who, in due season,
became the sixth successor to the Evangelist. On his
accession to the Chair of Alexandria, Justus appointed
Eumanius Dean, and he, too, became an Alexandrian Pope in
turn. The tradition was repeated in the case of Marianus
who took his office as fourth dean of the School of
Alexandria, then had the honour of becoming the eighth head
of the Church.
- Towards the end of the second century, when
Christianity in Egypt had already had a long and substantial
history behind it, Pantaenus was selected Dean of the school
of Alexandria. He had been a Stoic before his conversion to
Christianity, and was deeply learned in the different
philosophies. His zeal and his learning had won for him the
appreciation of Abba Demetrius (12th Pope of Alexandria)
who singled him out for a missionary journey to India. He
responded to this honour by readily accepting it, and
entrusted the School to his illustrious pupil Clement.
Arriving in Southern India, Pantaenus found to his
joy that the Gospel had already been preached to its people
by St. Thomas the Doubter and that they had a copy of the
Gospel of St. Matthew, written by the hand of the Evangelist
himself. After spending some time there, the length of which
is not definitely known, he returned to his home town
Alexandria, bringing with him a copy of St. Matthew's
Gospel.^6 On his way back, he passed by the land of Sheba