Synaxarium

On this day is the commemoration of the departure of Saint Onesiphorus, one of the seventy apostles. May his prayers be with us, and to our Lord be glory forever and ever. Amen.

On this day, the great saint Friska, also called (Nesiphor), one of the seventy apostles, departed. This apostle was from the children of Israel, from the tribe of Benjamin, son of parents who kept the law. He was among those who followed the Savior, heard His teachings, and witnessed His signs and miracles.

When the Lord Jesus Christ, glory be to Him, raised the widow's son in the city of Nain from the dead, this saint was present. He advanced without hesitation to the Lord Jesus, leaving behind the illumination of the lamp of the Jewish law to be enlightened by the sun of righteousness. He believed in Him with all his heart, then was baptized and became one of the seventy apostles. He was with the disciples in the Upper Room at the time of the descent of the Holy Spirit.

He preached the gospel in many countries, then was ordained bishop over Choraniyas. He taught and enlightened its people with his teachings and sermons, then baptized them. After completing his holy service, he departed in peace and received the crown of heavenly glory at the age of seventy years: twenty-nine years as a Jew and forty-one years as a Christian. Saint Paul mentioned him in the Second Epistle to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:19). May his prayers be with us. Amen.

On this day in the year 1362 A.M. (March 31, 1646 A.D.), on Lazarus Saturday, Pope Matthew III, the one hundredth patriarch, departed. He bore the name Matthew Al-Toukhi. He was the son of Christian parents from the area of Tukh Al-Nasara in the Monufia governorate. They were God-fearing, lovers of strangers, and benefactors to the poor and needy. God blessed them with a son, Tadros, whom they raised and educated with spiritual discipline and taught him the sacred rites.

The grace of God descended upon this blessed son, and he devoted himself to study and Christian teaching until God's grace moved him toward angelic conduct and ascetic life. He left his town, family, and relatives, following the words of Christ the Lord, and went to the wilderness of Sheheit, the scale of hearts, and became a monk in the church of the great saint Abba Macarius. He struggled greatly in asceticism and worship. They ordained him a priest; he increased in austerity and grew in virtue, so they made him a priest and head of the mentioned monastery.

After a short time, Pope John XV, the ninety-ninth patriarch, departed. The bishops, priests, and elders gathered to choose a suitable candidate to ascend the Markian Alexandrian throne. They prayed, asking the Lord Jesus Christ to raise for them a good shepherd to guard His people. By the will of the Lord, the Shepherd of shepherds, all agreed to present Father Tadros, priest of Abba Macarius Monastery, as patriarch. They went to the monastery, forcibly took him, and consecrated him patriarch under the name Matthew on the 4th of Nasie in the year 1347 A.M. (September 7, 1631 A.D.). The consecration was led by Anba John, Metropolitan of the Syrians.

When this pope sat on the apostolic throne, he shepherded Christ's flock with excellent care. There was calm and peace among the believers during his days, and the market was relieved from the harshness it had been in. But Satan, the enemy of good, envied him and stirred up evil agents against him. They went to the governor of Egypt and informed him that the one on the patriarchal throne was paying the governor a large sum of money.

The governor listened to their slander and summoned the pope for this purpose. A group of elders met the governor; he did not ask about the pope's absence but spoke with them about the fees the patriarch paid and obliged them to bring four thousand qirsh. They left him distressed because of the heavy fine. But God, the Almighty, who does not wish the destruction of anyone, put compassion in the heart of an Israeli man who paid the required amount to the governor. The elders promised to repay him, distributed it among themselves, and then reimbursed the Israeli. They imposed only a small part of this heavy fine on the pope.

He went down to Upper Egypt to collect what was required from him. Because of his strong faith and certainty in God's help, the people had compassion on him and gave him the required amount willingly. After a short time, he came to Lower Egypt to visit his flock and stayed in the area of Barma. The people of the city of Tukh, his hometown, came to him and invited him to visit the area to bless them. He accepted the request.

During this patriarch's time, a great famine occurred throughout Egypt, unlike any before. The price of an ardeb of wheat reached five dinars, and people could not afford to buy it. Only a few had access to it. The people ate the dead, some ate animal flesh and swelled and died, some pounded bones and ate them, and some searched for grains in the chaff to pick up, falling upon them and dying. Many countless people died in the year 1347 A.M. (1631 A.D.). The famine continued for two years. The governor of Upper Egypt at that time was Haidar Bey.

In the year 1350 A.M. (1634 A.D.), the Nile flooded high, covering all lands. The governor of Upper Egypt then was Emir Ali Bey Al-Daftardari. He came to him in the month of Baba in 1350 A.M. The lands were planted, people were reassured, the nightmare of famine ended, and prices dropped.

That year, Sultan Murad IV sent sealed copper plates with the image of Solomon's ring, said to have been found in the treasury of King Constantine, weighing 12,000 qintars. The governor ordered them to be minted into coins and sent 300,000 dirhams in return. The governor forcibly distributed this copper to the people of Egypt and Upper Egypt at eighty qirsh per qintar. This caused great harm to the people, severe hardship in the country, and great loss of wealth, unlike anything before. Most people were forced to sell their possessions. The governor gained a large sum from this copper, which was sent to Istanbul.

When the Sultan learned that the governor had used injustice and harshness in distributing the copper, he was angry and summoned him from Egypt. Upon arrival, he ordered his execution and appointed another over Egypt.

That year, the King of Ethiopia sent a request for a metropolitan. Pope Matthew consecrated a metropolitan from the people of Assiut and sent him there. This metropolitan faced many sorrows and hardships during his stay until he was deposed and replaced.

After completing his pastoral visit to the people of Lower Egypt and accepting the invitation of the people of Tukh to visit their town, he traveled with them from Barma towards the half of Tukh Al-Nasara. As he approached the area, a group of priests and the entire Christian people received him with honor, reverence, and spiritual hymns befitting his dignity. They brought him into the church with glory and honor. He stayed with them for a whole year, preaching and teaching the people.

On the blessed Saturday, the commemoration of the day the Lord raised Lazarus from the dead, he gathered with the priests and people after the Divine Liturgy, ate with them, and bid them farewell, inspired by the Holy Spirit, saying that his grave would be in the church of this town and that he would not leave Tukh. The people dispersed, and he went to rest in the house of one of the deacons.

When the deacon arrived and entered the pope's room, he found him lying on his bed, facing east, his hands on his chest in the form of the holy cross, having surrendered his spirit to the Lord. The priests and people were informed, and they came quickly and found that he had departed without any change in his appearance; rather, his face shone like the sun. They brought his blessed body to the church, prayed over him as befits the patriarchs, and buried him in the church in the area of Tukh, his hometown.

He sat on the apostolic throne for fourteen years, six months, and twenty-three days. During this time, he did not taste meat nor drink wine. He passed away with a good, complete, and righteous old age. May his prayers and blessings be with us, and glory be to our Lord always. Amen.