Paphnutius the Ascetic

Egyptian anchorite of the fourth century

Saint Paphnutius the Ascetic
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Churches Oriental Orthodox Churches
Feast	15 February & 25 September (Byzantine Christianity) 15 Meshir (Coptic Christianity)

Saint Paphnutius the Ascetic (Coptic: Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲡⲁⲫⲛⲟⲩϯ), also known as Paphnutius the Hermit, was an Egyptian anchorite of the fourth century. He is most famous for his accounts of the lives of many hermits of the Egyptian desert, such as Saint Onuphrius.

Life

Saint Paphnutius was the disciple of Saint Macarius the Great who was an anchorite in the Egyptian desert.^[1]

His feast is celebrated on 15 February and 25 September in the Orthodox Church in America.^[2] In Coptic Christianity, his feast is observed on 15 Meshir.^[3]

He was visited by Cassian in 395, when he was ninety.^[4]

He is also the subject of the play Paphnutius by Hrosvit (ca. 935-ca. 1001), a Benedictine nun from Saxony, in which he converts the courtesan Thais to Christianity. This play in turn has become the subject of study, most notably by Sandro Sticca.

References

Wikiquote has quotations related to Paphnutius the Ascetic.

^ Vivian, Tim (2004). St Macarius the SpiritBearer. St Vladimir's Seminary Press. pp. 64, 131, 140, 195.
^ "Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria". oca.org. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
^ "Amshir 15 : Lives of Saints : Synaxarium – CopticChurch.net".
^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Paphnutius" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.