A short anecdote from the Coptic Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Apophthegmata Patrum) presents the monk *Makarios ('the Egyptian, monastic founder of the Sketis, ob. 391, S00863) of the Sketis (Wadi Natrun, Lower Egypt) as a miracle healer; 4th/6th century.
E01646
Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)
Apophthegmata Patrum
Apophthegmata Patrum
This short anecdote is not attributed as a report to any particular monk. The saint in question who performs the miracle healing is Apa Makarios living in his cell in the Scetis.
Ed. Chaine, no. 224, p. 65:
ⲛⲉⲟⲩⲛ ⲟⲩⲁ ϩⲛ ⲕⲏⲙⲉ ⲉⲟⲩⲛⲧⲁϥ ⲙⲙⲁⲩ ⲛⲟⲩϣⲏⲣⲉ ⲉϥⲥⲏϭ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁϥⲉⲓⲛⲉ ⲙⲙⲟϥ ⲁϥⲕⲁⲁϥ ϩⲛ ⲧⲣⲓ ⲛⲁⲡⲁ ⲙⲁⲕⲁⲣⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲁϥⲕⲁⲁϥ
ⲉϥⲣⲓⲙⲉ ϩⲁϩⲧⲙ ⲡⲣⲟ ⲁϥⲃⲱⲕ ⲉⲡⲟⲩⲉ · ⲡϩⲗⲗⲟ ⲇⲉ ⲁϥϭⲱϣⲧ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲁϥⲛⲁⲩ ⲉⲡⲕⲟⲩⲓ ⲛϣⲏⲣⲉ ⲉϥⲣⲓⲙⲉ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲡⲉϫⲁϥ ⲛⲁϥ ϫⲉ ⲛⲓⲙ ⲡⲉⲛⲧⲁϥⲛⲧⲕ ⲉⲡⲉⲓⲙⲁ
ⲛⲧⲟϥ ⲇⲉ ⲡⲉϫⲁϥ ϫⲉ ⲡⲁⲉⲓⲱⲧ ⲡⲉ ⲁϥⲛⲧ ⲁϥⲛⲟϫⲧ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲁϥⲃⲱⲕ ·
ⲡⲉϫⲉ ⲡϩⲗⲗⲟ ⲛⲁϥ ϫⲉ ⲧⲱⲟⲩⲛⲅ ⲛⲅⲡⲱⲧ ⲛⲅⲧⲁϩⲟϥ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲧⲉⲩⲛⲟⲩ ⲁϥⲟⲩϫⲁⲓ ⲁϥⲧⲱⲟⲩⲛ ⲁϥⲧⲁϩⲉ ⲡⲉϥⲉⲓⲱⲧ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲧⲉⲓϩⲉ ⲁⲩⲃⲱⲕ
ⲉⲡⲉⲩⲏⲓ ⲉⲩⲣⲁϣⲉ ·
'Someone in Egypt had a paralysed son. He took him and placed him at the door of Apa Makarios. He left him there crying by the door and went away.
The old man looked around and saw the young boy crying. He said to him: "Who brought you here?"
He said: "It was my father. He brought me, put me down, and went away."
The old man said to him: "Get up, run and catch him!"
Immediately he was healed. He got up and caught up with his father. In this way, they went home rejoicing.'
Translation: Gesa Schenke.
Cult building - monastic
Places Named after SaintMonastery
Non Liturgical ActivityComposing and translating saint-related texts
Transmission, copying and reading saint-related texts
Visiting/veneration of living saint
Oral transmission of saint-related stories
MiraclesMiracle during lifetime
Healing diseases and disabilities
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesChildren
Ecclesiastics - monks/nuns/hermits
Other lay individuals/ people
Source
The collection of religiously profound words of wisdom and memorable anecdotes, originally recorded orally by monks, concerning the great anchorites of the 4th and 5th centuries living life in the Sketis, is preserved in a Sahidic Coptic manuscript, of which at least eleven different fragments are kept in Naples, Venice, Vienna, London, and Paris. Written versions of the Apophthegmata Patrum are known from the 5th/6th century onwards in many different languages, arranged in various ways and presenting different selections of sayings and stories. The original language is believed to have been Egyptian, i.e. Coptic, if transmitted orally, though it would depend entirely on who transmitted what in their native tongue, as the Sketis developed into a monastic place inhabited by monks of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.Discussion
The famous monastery of Makarios in the Sketis is claimed to have been founded in 360 A.D.Bibliography
Edition:Chaine, M., Le Manuscrit de la version copte en dialecte sahidique des “Apophthegmata Patrum” (Cairo, 1969).
Further reading:
Hopfner, T., Über die koptisch-sa’hidischen Apophthegmata Patrum Aegyptiorum (Vienna, 1918).
Regnault, L., "Apophthegmata Patrum," in: A.S. Atiya (ed.), The Coptic Encyclopedia, vol. 1 (New York, 1991), 177–178.
Gesa Schenke
21/6/2016
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00863 | Makarios 'the Egyptian', monastic founder in the Sketis, ob. 391 | ⲁⲡⲁ ⲙⲁⲕⲁⲣⲓⲟⲥ | Certain |
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