Saint
Bishoy is a Coptic word meaning "the exalted" or "the high one".
The Perfect Man
He was one of the fathers of Coptic monasticism in the fourth century. He loved prayer so deeply that he would tie his hair with a cord to keep himself praying and prevent sleep. He excelled in fasting, often going without food for days at a time, and became a spiritual guide to hundreds of monks. He was deemed worthy to wash the feet of our Good Savior and to carry Him; for this reason, our Lord Jesus Christ told him that his body would not see corruption.
Saint Bishoy
Explore the defining moments in the life of Saint Bishoy through an interactive milestone timeline.
Saint Anba Bishoy was born in 320 AD in the village of Shantana, in the Menoufia Governorate. He was one of seven brothers. He was an orphan, as his father died when he was still young.
One night, God sent His angel to tell the mother of Saint Anba Bishoy in a vision that one of her sons would become a saint, would be the father of many monks, and would serve the Lord God all the days of his life. The mother rejoiced greatly and said to the angel, "All my children belong to the Lord." But the angel took Anba Bishoy by the hand and said to his mother, "The Lord has chosen Bishoy." The mother replied simply, "You can choose any one of his brothers, for Bishoy is the youngest and weakest." The angel said to her, "God looks at the heart, not the body."
Saint Ephrem the Syrian visited Saint Bishoy in his cave, which is now located in the Monastery of the Syrians. Saint Bishoy asked God to grant him the ability to speak Syriac so that he could converse with the visiting saint and comfort them both. Saint Bishoy spoke Coptic, the dominant language in Egypt at that time. God granted him the ability to speak Syriac with Saint Ephrem for a full week. When Saint Ephrem entered the cave, he left his staff outside, as he did not wish to hold it in the presence of Saint Bishoy. It is a tradition of monastic etiquette for a monk not to hold a staff in the presence of someone older than him. After the visit, Saint Ephrem emerged from the cave and found that the staff he had left had sprouted leaves and grown into a tree. This tree still exists in the Monastery of the Syrians and is known as the Tree of Saint Ephrem the Syrian.
Continue Exploring the Monastery
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