Anton A Voytenko Pisentius, Bishop of Coptos. The Discourse on the Feast Day of St. Onuphrius the Great

Abstract

The publication presents an annotated translation from Coptic of The Encomium by Pisentius, Bishop of Coptos, in Honor of St. Onuphrius the Great. The Encomium is an example of a didactic sermon. From a historical point of view, Pisentius’s sermon is also of interest because it reflects the moral state of Christians in Upper Egypt at the beginning of the 7th century. As an experienced preacher with recognized authority among his flock, Pisentius seeks to correct these morals, yet he does not give in to his congregation’s wishes. The sermon represents a carefully constructed example of homiletic composition, in which the preacher seeks to present St. Onuphrius as a model for lay imitation. To achieve this, he deliberately depersonalizes the saint and uses him as a «framework» for a set of virtues that laypeople are expected to observe. The Encomium is an important document of its era, illustrating the strategies of Miaphysite policy in post-Justinian Egypt. On the one hand, with the weakening of central authority, the increasing regionalization of the Empire, and the growing influence of local elites in the provinces, the Miaphysites’ position was strengthened. On the other hand, they still existed in a semi-legal state and received no support from the central (Chalcedonian) government. In this context, the Miaphysite Egyptian patriarchs were compelled to pursue a very cautious and well-considered personnel policy, appointing to episcopal sees only those who were morally irreproachable and enjoyed informal authority among their flocks. The example of Pisentius (and his sermon) demonstrates the success of this policy, implemented by the Alexandrian (Miaphysite) Patriarch Damian (578–607).

Keywords

Pisentius of Coptos, Saint Onophrius the Great, Coptic Church, Late Antiquity, homiletics

For citation

Pisentius, Bishop of Coptos. The Discourse on the Feast Day of St. Onuphrius the Great (Introduction, Translation from Coptic and Commentary by Anton A. Voytenko) // The Historical Reporter. 2025. Vol. LIV . P. 264– 289.

Anton A. Voytenko

D.Sc. (History), Leading Researcher, Center for Egyptological Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Moscow, Russian Federation.

e-mail: voytenko@yandex.ru

SPIN-код: 6601-8960

AuthorID: 289756

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