Saint Matthew the Hermit ( Arabic: القديس مار متى الناسك; syr, ܡܪܝ ܡܬܝ ''Mor Mattai'') was a 4th-century Christian priest. He is venerated as a saint in the

Oriental Orthodox Church The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 60 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches are part of the Nicene Christian tradition, and represent o ...

and his feast day is 18 September.

Biography

Matthew was born in the early 4th century in a village north of Amida, into a Christian family. He was educated at the Monastery of the Saints Sergius and Bacchus for seven years, after which he became a monk at the Monastery of Zuqnin and was ordained as a priest.
القديس مار متى الناسك والشهداء مار بهنام وسارة ورفاقهما الأربعين
''. Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate Upon the ascension of Emperor

Julian the Apostate Julian ( la, Flavius Claudius Julianus; grc-gre, Ἰουλιανός ; 331 – 26 June 363) was Roman emperor from 361 to 363, as well as a notable philosopher and author in Greek. His rejection of Christianity, and his promotion of Neoplato ...

in 361, and subsequent persecution of Christianity, Matthew and other monks fled to the

Sasanian Empire The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...

, and took up residence on

Mount Alfaf Mount Alfaf ( syr, ܛܘܪܐ ܕܐܠܦܦ, ṭūrāʾ Alfaf), also known as Mount Maqlub (جبل مقلوب in Arabic), is a mountain in the Nineveh Plains region in northern Iraq. The mountain lies 30 km to the northeast of Mosul and some 15&nb ...

. Matthew practised asceticism in a cave on the mountain and gained renown as a miracle-worker.Rassam (2005), pp. 31–32 Having received a dream in which an angel instructed him to seek Matthew, Behnam, son of King Sinharib of Assur,Radner (2015), p. 7 met with the saint and discussed Christianity together.
Dayro d-Mor Matay
'. Syriac Orthodox Resources Aware of Matthew's reputation as a miracle-worker, the prince requested he join him on his return to Assur and heal his sister Sarah of leprosy, to which he agreed.
Sts. Behnam, Sarah, and the 40 Martyrs
'. Northeast American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Matthew met with Behnam and Sarah outside of the city of Assur and healed her affliction. Behnam, Sarah, and forty slaves subsequently converted to Christianity and the saint baptised them. Following this, Matthew returned to his cave on Mount Alfaf. Sinharib discovered his children's conversion and the group suffered martyrdom as they attempted to flee to Matthew on Mount Alfaf. The king became afflicted with madness and was brought to the place of the martyrs' death by Behnam's mother. Matthew met Sinharib and the queen here and healed the king of his madness. They returned to Assur and the saint baptised Sinharib and his wife, and, at the request of Matthew, the king constructed a monastery on Mount Alfaf, which later became known as the Monastery of St. Matthew. Matthew resided at the monastery until his death and was buried there.

References

Bibliography

* *{{cite book , last= Rassam, first=Suha , date=2005 , title=Christianity in Iraq: Its Origins and Development to the Present Day, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GYC93sfHXAEC&dq=Saints+Behnam%2C+Sarah%2C+and+the+Forty+Martyrs&pg=PA31, publisher=Gracewing Publishing, isbn= 9780852446331 Christians in the Sasanian Empire 4th-century births 4th-century deaths Oriental Orthodox saints 4th-century Christian saints 4th-century Byzantine monks Mesopotamian saints Miracle workers