Saint Thomas the Hermit is a Saint of the
Coptic Orthodox Church, he is also known as "Saint Thomas the Anchorite", "Saint Thomas of Shenshif" or simply as "Abba Thomas"
Coptic word meaning Father) (Αw-ba)Sahidic (Αw-va)Bohairic Saint Thomas was born in
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt ( ar, صعيد مصر ', shortened to , , locally: ; ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the lands on both sides of the Nile that extend upriver from Lower Egypt in the north to Nubia in the south.
In ancient E ...
, in a small village known as "Shenshif". He is revered by the Coptic Orthodox Church, since he is one of the early
Anchorites, or Desert Fathers. Little is commonly known about him.
Early life
Although little is known about his early life we do know where he was born, and the broad region of inheritance for his early monastic life. Abba Thomas was born in a village called Shenshif (north Ekhmim – Upper Egypt) of two pious parents who raised him in the fear of God. They brought him up well in all godliness and raised him in the Christian tradition. He led a quiet, peaceable life renouncing the vanities of the world and its lusts. Since day one he wanted to follow in the foot steps of
Saint Anthony, and
Saint Paul the First Hermit ; two of the first Anchorites. He left his home and headed towards the wilderness, where he lived in a cave in the mount of Shenshif.
Stories Concerning Saint Thomas
* Saint Thomas was granted the gift of prophecy
** Saint Thomas is commonly believed to have predicted his own death.
* Saint Thomas is said to have sat with
Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
** It was recorded by
Saint Shenouda
Shenoute of Atripe, also known as Shenoute the Great or Saint Shenoute the Archimandrite ( Coptic: ; (347-465 or 348-466) was the abbot of the White Monastery in Egypt. He is considered a saint by the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and is one of ...
that as he walked towards the cave Saint Thomas inhabited in order to bury his body, he saw Jesus Christ fly off with the Saint's Spirit.
Monasteries and Churches
There are multiple Churches dedicated to the beloved Saint:
* Saint Thomas the Hermit Monastery, Akhmem, Egypt
* Saint Thomas the Hermit Coptic Orthodox Church, Temecula, CA
References
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Coptic Orthodox saints