Monastic
Monastic
Lord of lords
Icon designed by Dr. Youssef Nassief and Dr. Bedour Latif
H.H. Pope Shenouda III, 117th Pope of
Alexandria and the See of St. Mark
MONASTICISM
COPTIC MONASTICISM
Yours sincerely,
Fr Daniel Al-Antouny
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CONTENTS
WHAT IS MONASTICISM?
BY H.H POPE SHENOUDA III
TYPES OF MONASTICISM
BY H.G. METROPOLITAN ABRAHAM OF JERUSALEM
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WHAT IS
MONASTICISM?
BY
H.H. POPE SHENOUDA III
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TYPES OF
MONASTISISM
BY H.G. METROPOLITAN
ABRAHAM OF JERUSALEM
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SAINT ANTHONY
THE GREAT
St. Anthony was born in the year
251A.D in the city of Qimn El-Arous,
Egypt to rich parents who loved the
church and the poor. They raised
him up in the fear of the Lord. When
he was twenty years old, his parents
departed, and he had to take care of his sister. Once
he entered the church, and he heard the words of
Christ in the gospel, saying, “If you want to be
perfect, go sell what you have and give to the
poor, and you will have treasures in heaven; and
come follow Me.” (Matthew19:21).
He returned to his house, decided to fulfill this
commandment and considered it directed to him
personally. He gave his wealth to the poor and needy,
and he took his sister and placed her with some
virgins. At that time, monasticism had not yet been
established. All those who wanted to live a solitary life
went and lived on the outskirts of the city. This was
what St. Anthony did as he dwelt alone, worshipping
and living an ascetic life.
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SAINT PAKHONIOS
FATHER OF COMMUNITY
HIS FAITH
At 20, as a soldier in the Roman army, his squad was
ordered to travel to Ethiopia to quell a revolt. On their
way through Upper Egypt they had to stop in Latopolis
(now Esna). Esna was full of Christians. There,
Pakhomios was impressed by the manner of Christian
people, who brought them food and drinks. They told
him, “Christians are merciful to all men; even to their
enemies. Christians bear the name of Christ the Son
of God, and do good to all men, as commanded by
Him who made Heaven and Earth.” Hearing of such
Grace, his heart was filled with veneration and awe.
He stretched his hands, and prayed, “O God, the
creator of Heaven and Earth, If You are indeed the
Only True God, deliver me from this distress, and I will
serve You all the days of my life.
Pakhomios struggled to stay away from all sins.
After a few day’s and before the arrival of the soldiers
to Ethiopia, Constantine won the war against his
enemies. Then he returned his soldiers to their cities.
From the life of the army Pakhomios learnt discipline,
obedience and social life. He felt that the hour had
come for him to become a Christian. He went to the
village church to meet the priest. Pakhomios opened
his heart to the priest and told him about his desire to
become a Christen, Pakhomios registered his name
and stayed in a dessert temple near the river. His daily
food was vegetables and dates. He did not forget all
the people passing by, They all loved him and stayed
close to where he was staying. From time to time he
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Everyone who touched Pakhomios could feel
the love of God in him. Many people surrounded him
from near by villages. Pakhomios then felt the quite life
and left to become a monk.
Pakhomios then heard of a saint named Anba
Palemon. Many student’s lived under Anba Palemon’s
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and another time before the end of the Coptic year in,
the month of Mesra.
CONVENT
When Mary the sister of Saint Pakhomios heard
that her brother became faithful, she found out where
he was and went to him at the monastery. She told the
man responsible at the door she wanted to meet her
brother so she waited outside the monastery. The man
went to call the Saint to tell him of his sisters visit.
Saint Pakhomios told the door man to tell her “That it
was enough that she knows I am alive, but if she
wants to share in this life with the brothers then we will
build her a home.” When she herd of this news she
asked the door man to tell her brother of her desire to
live with Christ. So Saint Pakhomios accepted her and
the brothers built her a home near the monastery. In
just a short time many sisters joined her and gave their
lives up for the Lord. They made a Convent for the
Virgins and the Saint sent them an old monk with the
laws of the convent. The convent became bigger and
the number of nuns reached four thousand which
made the Saint build one more Convent. The Saint put
a law to them, which stated that no man shall be
allowed to enter the convent unless a priest and
deacon were present, when they go in on Sundays for
the liturgy. If any brother would like to see any of the
virgins, he is supposed to go see Saint Pakhomios
who will send him to this elected responsible man, who
then goes to the head of the Convent who calls the
Virgin and other Virgins for the visit, and then the visit
will conclude with a prayer.
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SATANIC WARS
God gave Saint Pakhomios spiritual sight that
he can see the devils spirits surrounding the brothers.
He always warned and told the monks to take care.
He also faced a strong war with the devils, they fought
him from trying to stop him from praying. He knew their
tricks, but he did not give up he knelt down on the
ground to thank God faithfully, then they ran away
from him. He always heard God’s voice saying “HAVE
COURAGE I AM WITH YOU AND WILL NEVER
LEAVE YOU”. Because of Satan’s wars the Saint
asked God to take the sleep and give him enough
energy to stay awake all night to continue to fight
against their wars. God gave him his wish not to sleep
until Satan escaped away far from him and stopped
fighting him. Saint Pakhomios usually told his students
about these wars, he told them, that once he was
sitting with Father Matawehed, when he saw a dirty old
ghost hanging on the door, he did not give it any
attention when time came to eat, Tadros (Saint
Pakhomios’s student) passed by and Saint Pakhomios
asked him to prepare the table for Father Metawahed
before he left. When Tadros left the Saint repeated it
to another monk. He also did not bring the food. He
also repeated that with a third monk. At last the Saint
went and prepared the food him self. When Fr.
Metawahed left the monastery Saint Pakhomios asked
his student Tadros “If your Father asked you to do
something do you disobey him.” He answered “No”
Then he told him “Then why did you disobey me and
not prepare the food as I asked you.” Tadros
answered “Forgive me Father I thought you told me to
go because you wanted to be alone.” When the Saint
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HIS MIRACLES
God gave him strength of doing miracles. Once
a man came to the monastery with his daughter who
had a devil in her body. The man asked the monk on
the door to tell Saint Pakhomios that he want’s to meet
him to pray for his daughter. The monk went and told
the Saint who said to the man “What has happened to
your daughter because she did not keep her virginity, if
she would live a good and pure life then God will have
mercy on her and save her.” When the girls father
heard that he became sad and asked his daughter of
that, she told him that it is true. The girl promised her
father that she will change. When the Saint heard of
that he prayed on oil and sent it to her, when the oil
got put on her she became well and the devil ran away
from her.
One day while he was sitting with Tadros he
heard some hymns. Then Tadros asked his teacher
about these voices, he answered these voices are the
angels, it came to be with a good soul of one of the
brothers.
There was an Illness spread all over the
coenobitic monasteries. The Saint was going from one
monastery to the other serving the sick. Many Monks
died from this Illness. Saint Pakhomios became ill, his
health had been worsen. When he felt that his hour
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HIS DEPARTURE
All the fathers left to the council, they stayed
there for three days, praying and asking for mercy of
the lord. After the three days the Saint sent to them
and said “Enough crying, because God sent his order
and I am going to rest.” Then he looked at Tadros and
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SAINT MACARIUS
THE GREAT
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art, music, and icons to the point where the old Irish
letters, Gaelic, were influenced by the Coptic letters. In
the Bodleian Library in Oxford, there is two
manuscripts, one Coptic, and one Irish, to show the
influence of Coptic manuscripts and language on the
Irish letters and writing. Even the colours of designs in
Ireland a long time ago, and the Coptic Pharoaic
colours which are yellow, red, and green. Also, the
idea of picturing the letters of the alphabet and adding
designs to them is taken from Copts, and the designs
in the metal (iron, and bronze) and wood and fabric
(weaving) that are used in the churches are taken
from Coptic art. There is an area near South-Central
Ireland called Clonmacnoise near the river Shannon
that has several crosses made of stone that are
originally Coptic and ancient Irish crosses that are
similar and show the Celtic Cross and how it evolved
and was influenced by the Coptic Cross. There is
Coptic crosses also in an ancient area in Ireland called
the seven Churches. To enforce the fact that
Monasticism in Ireland started through Egypt,
there is an area in Ireland called the city of St. Mina or
“Belly Mina” and another area In the South called
Dessert Ulidu in which the monks of :Maharaque”
Monastery lived and that is why the names of seven
monks from “Maharaque” Monastery are mentioned
among the remembrance of the dead in the old Irish
language before the 8th century. In the early 1940’s
the tombs of these Coptic Monks were discovered in
Donegol an area in the North Western part of Ireland -
near Belfast.
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This monastery
was founded by
St. Macarius the
Great (300-390),
it is the
southernmost of
the four
monasteries and
has always been
the most important Christian foundation in the Wadi. It
has supplied many patriarchs for the Coptic church.
The monastery was attacked several times by the
Berbers and the church was destroyed and rebuilt
three times. Most of the present buildings were rebuilt
by patriarch Shanudah (859-81) after a sacking that
occurred in 866. The keep of this monastery is a three
story building accessed by a drawbridge at its first
story level.
On the ground floor are the mills,
storerooms and a well. On the
first floor is the Chapel of the
Virgin with three alters probably
dating to 13c. The second floor
contains three churches. To the
north is the Church of The Angel
Michael. The Church of St.
Anthony, St. Paul and St.
Pakhomios follows and at the
southernmost is the Church of the
anchorites (al Sawwah). Little remains of the Church
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Dier Al Anba
Bishoy
(Monastery of
St. Bishoy a
disciple of St.
Macaruis) It is
the
easternmost.
The main
church among
the five ones of this monastery is that of St. Bishoy.
There are three Alters but the church now is only used
in the summer. To the south is the Church of St.
Iskhirun and to the south-east is the Church of the
Virgin that is used in the winter. There is also the
Church of St. George that is not used. The keep of the
monastery is also accessed by a drawbridge at its first
story level and has the Church of the Angel Michael
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This monastery
is the
northernmost of
the four
monasteries in
the Valley, and
is probably the
earliest.
According to
tradition it was
founded after two Roman princes retreated to the area
in the late 4C. The monastery has five churches, the
oldest of which is the Church of The Virgin. The church
possesses three Alters of various architectural
periods, the earliest perhaps dating to 9C, and in the
feretory are the relics of St.
Moses the Black and St.
Theodosius. A second
Church lies to the west and
is called the Church of
Anba Tadrus (Theodore
the Commander) and is no
longer used. Also to the
west is the Chapel of Mari
Girgis (St. George) and the
Church of St. John the Baptist (19C) is to the north
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