Paphnutius the Ascetic
Encyclopedia
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 Egypt
ian desert, such as Saint Onuphrius.
His feast is celebrated on 15 Meshir
in the Coptic Orthodox Church.
He was visited by Cassian in 395, when he was ninety.
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.
Coptic language
Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
: Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲡⲁⲫⲛⲟⲩϯ), also known as Paphnutius the Hermit, was an Egyptian
Egyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
anchorite
Anchorite
Anchorite denotes someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society so as to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, and—circumstances permitting—Eucharist-focused life...
of the fourth century. He is most famous for his accounts of the lives of many hermits of the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian desert, such as Saint Onuphrius.
His feast is celebrated on 15 Meshir
Meshir
Meshir , also known as Amshir, is the sixth month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between February 8 and March 9 of the Gregorian calendar...
in the Coptic Orthodox Church.
He was visited by Cassian in 395, when he was ninety.
He is also the subject of the play Paphnutius
Paphnutius (play)
Paphnutius or The Conversion of the Harlot Thaïs is a play by Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim about the relationship between Saint Thaïs and Paphnutius the Ascetic, the hermit who converted her to Christianity....
by Hrosvit
Hrosvit
Hrotsvitha , also known as Hroswitha, Hrotsvit, Hrosvit, and Roswitha, was a 10th-century German secular canoness of the Benedictine Order, as well as a dramatist and poet who lived and worked in Gandersheim, in modern-day Lower Saxony...
(ca. 935-ca. 1001), a Benedictine nun from Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, in which he converts the courtesan Thais to Christianity. This play in turn has become the subject of study, most notably by Sandro Sticca.