Serapion of Nitria

Not to be confused with Serapion the Sindonite or Serapion of Alexandria.

See also: Sacramentary of Serapion of Thmuis

Serapion of Thmuis
Abba Serapion, Bishop Serapion of Thmuis
Born	c. third century Egypt (region)
Residence	Nitria
Died	c. 358 Nitria, Egypt
Honored in	Eastern Orthodox Church
Feast	March 21
Influences	Anthony the Great

Scetis

Nitria

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Serapion resided in Nitria (monastic site), Lower Egypt.

Serapion of Nitria or Serapion of Thmuis (Greek: Σεραπίων, romanized: Serapíon; Russian: Серапион) was an early Christian monk in Nitria, Lower Egypt, born in the third century AD. He was a companion of Anthony the Great, the abbot of the Monastery of Arsina in Nitria, and the bishop of Thmuis. His feast day in March 21 in the Orthodox Church.

Life

Little is known about Serapion. He is quoted in four sections of the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, where he is called Abba Serapion, and is commemorated on March 21 in the Prologue of Ohrid, an Orthodox synaxarium written by Saint Nikolaj Velimirović.

Serapion (a variant of the name Seraphim derived from Seraph) was the abbot of the Monastery of Arsina (Latin: Arseonita), which at one point held as many as eleven-thousand monks. He was given the title "the Great" by the early Christian historians Sozomen and Palladius.

Serapion died c. 358.

Story

A famous story of Serapion is recounted in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers. He is said of have paid a prostitute. But instead of engaging with her, he prayed for a long time in front of her and eventually converted her to Christianity. She later became a nun at a monastery and practiced extreme ascetic labors.

The same story also exists in a poetic Hymn of Praise in the Prologue of Ohrid.

Notable works

• The Life of Anthony (not to be confused with the Life of Anthony by Athanasius)
• Sacramentary of Serapion of Thmuis

Quotes

From the Prologue of Ohrid:

• "Do not think that sickness is difficult; only sin is difficult. Sickness follows the sinners only in life, but sin follows the sinner into the grave."

From the Sayings of the Desert Fathers:

• "When the soldiers of the emperor are standing at attention, they cannot look to the right or left; it is the same for the man who stands before God and looks towards Him in fear at all time; he cannot then fear anything from the enemy."