Paul of Thebes
Encyclopedia
Paul of Thebes, commonly known as Saint Paul the First Hermit or St Paul the Anchorite (d. c. 341) is regarded as the first Christian
hermit
. He is not to be confused with Paul the Simple
, who was a disciple of Anthony the Great
.
's Vitae Patrum (Vita Pauli primi eremitae) is that, as a young man, Paul fled to the Theban
desert
during the persecution of Decius
and Valerianus around 250 AD. He lived in the mountains of this desert in a cave near a clear spring and a palm tree, the leaves of which provided him with raiment and the fruit of which provided him with his only source of food till he was 43 years old, when a raven
started bringing him half a loaf of bread daily. He would remain in that cave for the rest of his life, almost a hundred years.
Jerome further related the meeting of Anthony the Great
and Paul, when the latter was aged 113. They conversed with each other for one day and one night. When Anthony next visited him, Paul was dead. Anthony clothed him in a tunic which was a present from Athanasius of Alexandria
and buried him, with two lions helping to dig the grave.
(February 9) in the Oriental Orthodox Churches. Saint Anthony described him as "the first monk". The Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit was founded in Hungary his honour in the XIII century: see Pauline Fathers. He is usually represented with a palm tree and two lions.
In the XIV century, his body-relic was taken from Venice to Hungary in 1381 under the rule of the King Louis I of Hungary. The relic was kept in the pauline monastery of Budaszentlőrinc and as the surviving registers say, many knights went in peregrination to honor him. In 1523 during the reign of the King Louis II of Hungary, Saint Paul's head-relic was taken from the czeh castle of Karlstein to Hungary and finally after many centuries both body and head were reunited.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
. He is not to be confused with Paul the Simple
Paul the Simple
Paul the Simple was a contemporary of St. Anthony and a younger contemporary of St. Paul of Egypt, the First Hermit. The account of his life is found in Palladius of Helenopolis De Vitis Patrum 8,28 and Tyrannius Rufinus Historia Eremitica 31.Originally a farmer, upon discovering that his wife was...
, who was a disciple of Anthony the Great
Anthony the Great
Anthony the Great or Antony the Great , , also known as Saint Anthony, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Abba Antonius , and Father of All Monks, was a Christian saint from Egypt, a prominent leader among the Desert Fathers...
.
Legend
The legend according to JeromeJerome
Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...
's Vitae Patrum (Vita Pauli primi eremitae) is that, as a young man, Paul fled to the Theban
Thebes, Egypt
Thebes is the Greek name for a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile within the modern city of Luxor. The Theban Necropolis is situated nearby on the west bank of the Nile.-History:...
desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
during the persecution of Decius
Decius
Trajan Decius , was Roman Emperor from 249 to 251. In the last year of his reign, he co-ruled with his son Herennius Etruscus until they were both killed in the Battle of Abrittus.-Early life and rise to power:...
and Valerianus around 250 AD. He lived in the mountains of this desert in a cave near a clear spring and a palm tree, the leaves of which provided him with raiment and the fruit of which provided him with his only source of food till he was 43 years old, when a raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
started bringing him half a loaf of bread daily. He would remain in that cave for the rest of his life, almost a hundred years.
Jerome further related the meeting of Anthony the Great
Anthony the Great
Anthony the Great or Antony the Great , , also known as Saint Anthony, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Abba Antonius , and Father of All Monks, was a Christian saint from Egypt, a prominent leader among the Desert Fathers...
and Paul, when the latter was aged 113. They conversed with each other for one day and one night. When Anthony next visited him, Paul was dead. Anthony clothed him in a tunic which was a present from Athanasius of Alexandria
Athanasius of Alexandria
Athanasius of Alexandria [b. ca. – d. 2 May 373] is also given the titles St. Athanasius the Great, St. Athanasius I of Alexandria, St Athanasius the Confessor and St Athanasius the Apostolic. He was the 20th bishop of Alexandria. His long episcopate lasted 45 years Athanasius of Alexandria [b....
and buried him, with two lions helping to dig the grave.
Veneration
His feast day is celebrated on January 15 in the West, on January 5 or January 15 in the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and on 2 MeshirMeshir
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...
(February 9) in the Oriental Orthodox Churches. Saint Anthony described him as "the first monk". The Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit was founded in Hungary his honour in the XIII century: see Pauline Fathers. He is usually represented with a palm tree and two lions.
In the XIV century, his body-relic was taken from Venice to Hungary in 1381 under the rule of the King Louis I of Hungary. The relic was kept in the pauline monastery of Budaszentlőrinc and as the surviving registers say, many knights went in peregrination to honor him. In 1523 during the reign of the King Louis II of Hungary, Saint Paul's head-relic was taken from the czeh castle of Karlstein to Hungary and finally after many centuries both body and head were reunited.
See also
- Coptic Orthodox Church
- Monastery of Saint Paul the AnchoriteMonastery of Saint Paul the AnchoriteThe Monastery of Saint Paul the Anchorite in Egypt is a Coptic Orthodox monastery located in the Eastern Desert, near the Red Sea mountains. It is about south east of Cairo. The monastery is also known as the Monastery of the Tigers....
- HermitHermitA hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
- Coptic SaintsCoptic saintsEgypt was one of the first countries to know Christianity, with Saint Mark the Evangelist bringing Christianity to the country around 55 AD.The Egyptian Christians, also known as the Copts, have produced thousands of saints, many of whom are recognised simultaneously in the Oriental Orthodox...
- San Pablo CitySan Pablo CityThe City of San Pablo , a first class city in the province of Laguna, Philippines, is one of the country's oldest cities. The City of San Pablo lies in the southern portion of Laguna province...
External links
- The Life of St. Paul, the first Christian Hermit of Thebes
- Catholic Encyclopedia: St Paul of Thebes
- St Jerome, The Life of Paulus the First Hermit
- S Paul the Hermit from VoragineJacobus de VoragineBlessed Jacobus de Varagine or Voragine was an Italian chronicler and archbishop of Genoa. He was the author, or more accurately the compiler, of Legenda Aurea, the Golden Legend, a collection of the legendary lives of the greater saints of the medieval church that was one of the most popular...
's Golden LegendGolden LegendThe Golden Legend is a collection of hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that became a late medieval bestseller. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived, compared to twenty or so of its nearest rivals...