Abba Pitirim of Porphyry () was an

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

Christian monastic Christian monasticism is the devotional practice of Christians who live Asceticism#Christianity, ascetic and typically cloistered lives that are dedicated to Christian worship. It began to develop early in the history of the Christian Church, m ...

and

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

of the fourth century, and a disciple of

Anthony the Great Anthony the Great ( grc-gre, Ἀντώνιος ''Antṓnios''; ar, القديس أنطونيوس الكبير; la, Antonius; ; c. 12 January 251 – 17 January 356), was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is d ...

. His feast day is November 29 in the

Orthodox Church Orthodox Church may refer to: * Eastern Orthodox Church * Oriental Orthodox Churches * Orthodox Presbyterian Church * Orthodox Presbyterian Church of New Zealand * State church of the Roman Empire * True Orthodox church See also * Orthodox (di ...

Life

Pitirim was an

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

of many monks, was the third successor of Anthony the Great in his hermitage, and was said to have received Anthony's virtues. He lived on Mount Porphyry () in the

Thebaid The Thebaid or Thebais ( grc-gre, Θηβαΐς, ''Thēbaïs'') was a region in ancient Egypt, comprising the 13 southernmost nomes of Upper Egypt, from Abydos to Aswan. Pharaonic history The Thebaid acquired its name from its proximity to ...

, which was probably named after its proximity to the Roman

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...

Mons Porphyrites Mons Porphyrites (today Jabal Abu Dukhkhan) is the mountainous site of a group of ancient quarries in the Red Sea Hills of the Eastern Desert in Egypt. Under the Roman Empire, they were the only known source of the purple "imperial" variety of por ...

that mined a rare stone by the same name. Pitirim continued the work of Anthony by instructing Christian monks along the

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...

in the Thebaid, and lived with his followers in austere

asceticism Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

. It was said of Pitirim that he only ate water mixed with a little bit of flour twice a week, and that sometimes he would fast from food entirely. Pitirim passed away peacefully in the late fourth or early fifth century.

Meeting with Isidora

A story of Pitirim is related in chapter 34 of Palladius'
Lausaic History
' (written 419-420). According to Palladius, Pitirim one day received a vision from an angel while praying in the mountains.

Now an angel appeared to the holy Pitirim, an anchorite of high reputation who dwelt in Porphyrites, and said to him: "Why are you proud of yourself for being religious and dwelling in a place like this? Do you want to see a woman who is more religious than you?"

The angel told him to visit the monastery at

Tabennisi Tabenna (also Tabennae, Tabennisi; ) is considered the first cenobitic monastery. It was a community founded during the 4th century by Saint Pachomius the Great in the modern hamlet of Al Rahmaniya Qebli (formerly Al Dabbah)Jalal Ahmed Abu Bakr: ...

(founded by

Pachomius the Great Pachomius (; el, Παχώμιος ''Pakhomios''; ; c. 292 – 9 May 348 AD), also known as Saint Pachomius the Great, is generally recognized as the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism. Coptic churches celebrate his feast day on 9 May, ...

), and there to find a woman who was more holy than himself. Pitirim did so and met Isidora, a woman of extreme humility among her fellow nuns. Pitirim admonished the other nuns for treating Isidora unkindly.

They were all amazed and said to him: "Father, do not let her insult you, she is dumb." Said Pitirim to them all: "''You'' are dumb. For she is am Amma both of me and you."

Verses

Troparion on Tone 8

Ode 6

Hymn of Praise

From the
Prologue of Ohrid
' by Saint

Nikolaj Velimirović Nikolaj Velimirović (Serbian Cyrillic: Николај Велимировић; – ) was bishop of the eparchies of Ohrid and Žiča (1920–1956) in the Serbian Orthodox Church. An influential theological writer and a highly gifted orato ...

Teachings

* Pitirim taught that to each person's

passions ''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and pro ...

there are corresponding

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

s which incite that passion in the person through different

temptation Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...

s. To escape from these demons and from evil thoughts, one must first free the heart from passions. * Monks often told Pitirim of visions of demons appearing to them. He would say, "I am most afraid of demons, which nest

pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

avarice Greed (or avarice) is an uncontrolled longing for increase in the acquisition or use of material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions); or social value, such as status, or power. Greed has been identified as undes ...

, sensuality and other similar passions. These are the most dangerous demons and great care must be taken towards them."

References

{{reflist Eastern Orthodox saints 4th-century Christian monks 4th-century births Egyptian Christian monks Saints from Roman Egypt Coptic Orthodox saints