Synaxarium

On this day, the two holy monks, Anba Yeshua and Anba Yousif, disciples of the Father Saint Milius, were martyred on Mount Khorasan in the third century AD. Their biography will be mentioned on the twenty-eighth day of this month, which is the day their spiritual teacher Anba Milius was martyred. May their prayers be with us. Amen.

On this day, the virtuous, fully learned, wise, and prudent Pope Yoannis XVII, the 105th Patriarch of the See of Alexandria, departed. The parents of this Father were devout Christians from the people of Melawi in Upper Egypt. When he reached the age of twenty-five, he renounced the transient world and went to the Monastery of Saint Anthony, where he became a monk. His name was Abd El-Sayed. Afterwards, he moved to the Monastery of Saint Anba Paula, where he exerted himself in worship and devoted himself to educating himself. He learned reading and writing, as he did not know them before, and then deeply studied the Holy Scriptures. After striving in virtue and asceticism and equipping himself with the knowledge and writings of the Church, the monastic fathers chose him to be a priest over the Monastery of Anba Paula. He was ordained by Pope Yoannis (103) along with his colleague Marjan Al-Asyuti, who later became Pope Peter VI (104).

When Pope Peter VI (104) departed, the bishops, priests, and elders consulted on who was suitable for the patriarchate, and they chose this Father. They brought him from the monastery to Egypt and conducted the customary ecclesiastical lot. After the liturgies held for three days, the lot was drawn, and his name was selected. He was ordained Patriarch in the Church of the Martyr Mercurius Abu Seifin in Old Cairo on Sunday, 6 Toba, 1443 AM (January 12, 1727 AD). After his ordination and before reading the Gospel, they opened the tomb of the patriarchs to take, as usual, the cross and staff from his deceased predecessor. When he descended into the tomb and took the cross, the bones in the tomb cracked in his face. He was immediately frightened and ordered this custom to be abolished, saying that there are many crosses and staffs. This tradition was abolished; its purpose was to admonish successors about the fate of their predecessors so that they would not be arrogant or prideful, making the sight of their predecessors' fate a constant lesson and admonition before them. The Pope remained for a week in Old Cairo after his ordination, then moved to the patriarchal residence in the Roman quarter.

This Pope was keen on building, restoring, and consecrating churches and monasteries. During his reign, a beautiful church was built in the Monastery of the Great Saint Anba Paula, the first of the monks on Mount Nasr, and he consecrated it himself. He was accompanied by Anba Abram, Bishop of Beni Suef, and a group of elders, headed by the elder George Al-Serougi, who financed this church. After this, the Pope built a holy church, an altar, and various buildings in the Monastery of the Venerable Saint Anba Antonius, Father of the Monks, and also consecrated them with his own hand. He ordained priests, deacons, and subdeacons there and also spent on these constructions the elder George Al-Serougi.

In the ninth year of his reign, i.e., in 1451 AM, royal orders came to increase taxes in the land of Egypt on Christians and Jews threefold. The taxes for the upper class were four dinars, the middle class two dinars, and the lower class one dinar. Then they were increased further and imposed on priests, monks, children, the poor, and beggars, sparing no one. The tax collectors were annually appointed by the Sultan. His days were full of hardship and sorrow for craftsmen and the poor.

During his days, a great famine occurred, followed by a large earthquake in Egypt that lasted half an hour during the night. The foundations of the earth shook, houses collapsed, and people trembled. Then God had mercy on His people and lifted these bitter hardships from them.

When Anba Christodoulos III, the 102nd Metropolitan of the See of Ethiopia, departed in 1742 AD, in the seventeenth year of this Pope's reign, i.e., in 1460 AM (1744 AD), a group from Ethiopia came to him requesting a metropolitan. He ordained for them the monk Yohanna, one of the priests of the Great Monastery of Anba Antonius, and named him Yoannis XIV. They returned rejoicing.

This Pope lived a long life and a righteous old age, shepherding his people well. When he completed his course, he became ill slightly and departed peacefully on Monday of Pascha, 13 Parmouti, 1461 AM (April 20, 1745 AD), after sitting on the throne for eighteen years, three months, and eight days. He was buried in the tomb of the patriarchs in the Church of Mercurius Abu Seifin in Old Cairo. He was contemporary with Sultan Ahmed III and Sultan Mahmoud I. The throne was vacant after him for one month and eleven days. May God benefit us by his blessings, and to our Lord be glory forever. Amen.

On this day is the commemoration of Saint Deonisa the Deaconess, whom the Apostles ordained. And the commemoration of Saint Medios the Martyr. May the prayer of all be with us. Amen.