Abamun of Tukh
Encyclopedia
Abāmūn of Tukh is a Coptic Egypt
ian martyr
known only from a mention of him in the Synaxarion of Mikhail of Atrib. His feast day is Abib
13 in the Coptic calendar
.
). He is said to have been visited by the archangel Michael
, who told Abāmūn that he would be martyred at Antinopolis
. Abamun traveled to Antinopolis, There he was tortured by the governor Eukhious by a variety of means, including the rack, fire, red-hot irons, flogging, flaying, and the furnace) before he was finally beheaded. He is also said to have worked a number of miracles.
After his execution, another Christian, Julius of Aqfahs, wrapped the body in cloths and had it carried back to his homeland, Tukh. Vagaries of translation have led some to believe that Mikhail went on to imply that Abāmūn's body had been taken there immediately, although other translators have made it clear that the intended meaning was more likely that the body was moved from Tukh sometime in the thirteenth century.
.
The evidence available makes it seem more likely that it was named after Abāmūn of , for several reasons. One is that Julius of Aqfahs personally took care of this martyr's body, but not the other's. Another is that Mikhail specifically mentions that this Abāmūn was at the time of his writing in the Said, which indicates that there was a cult
extant at the time venerating
this Abāmūn, but not the other. Lastly, there is the existing reference to this individual working a number of miracles, with no such reference made to any miracle by the other Abamun.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
known only from a mention of him in the Synaxarion of Mikhail of Atrib. His feast day is Abib
Epip
Epip , also known as Abib, is the eleventh month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between July 8 and August 6 of the Gregorian calendar. The month of Epip is also the third month of the Season of 'Shemu' in Ancient Egypt, where the Egyptians harvest their crops throughout the land of Egypt....
13 in the Coptic calendar
Coptic calendar
The Coptic calendar, also called the Alexandrian calendar, is used by the Coptic Orthodox Church and still used in Egypt. This calendar is based on the ancient Egyptian calendar...
.
Biography
He was from Tukh in the diocese of Abu Sir Bana (ancient BusirisBusiris (Lower Egypt)
Busiris was an ancient city of Lower Egypt, located at the modern Abu Sir Bana...
). He is said to have been visited by the archangel Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
, who told Abāmūn that he would be martyred at Antinopolis
Antinopolis
Antinopolis was a city founded at an older Egyptian village by the Roman emperor Hadrian to commemorate his deified young beloved, Antinous, on the east bank of the Nile, not far from the site in Upper Egypt where Antinous drowned in 130 AD...
. Abamun traveled to Antinopolis, There he was tortured by the governor Eukhious by a variety of means, including the rack, fire, red-hot irons, flogging, flaying, and the furnace) before he was finally beheaded. He is also said to have worked a number of miracles.
After his execution, another Christian, Julius of Aqfahs, wrapped the body in cloths and had it carried back to his homeland, Tukh. Vagaries of translation have led some to believe that Mikhail went on to imply that Abāmūn's body had been taken there immediately, although other translators have made it clear that the intended meaning was more likely that the body was moved from Tukh sometime in the thirteenth century.
Veneration
Abu Salih the Armenian records that in the thirteenth century there was a church dedicated to Abamūn (note the spelling difference) at Al-Bahnasa. He went on to say that he himself was not sure whether the church was dedicated to Abāmūn of or his namesake Abāmūn of TarnūtAbamun of Tarnut
Abāmūn of Tarnūt is a saint and was a martyr of the fourth-century Coptic Church. He is known only from his name being mentioned in the Synaxarion of Mikhail of Atrib . His feast day is 27 Abīb ....
.
The evidence available makes it seem more likely that it was named after Abāmūn of , for several reasons. One is that Julius of Aqfahs personally took care of this martyr's body, but not the other's. Another is that Mikhail specifically mentions that this Abāmūn was at the time of his writing in the Said, which indicates that there was a cult
Cult (religious practice)
In traditional usage, the cult of a religion, quite apart from its sacred writings , its theology or myths, or the personal faith of its believers, is the totality of external religious practice and observance, the neglect of which is the definition of impiety. Cult in this primary sense is...
extant at the time venerating
Veneration
Veneration , or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a saint: an angel, or a dead person who has been identified by a church committee as singular in the traditions of the religion. It is practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic, and Eastern Catholic Churches...
this Abāmūn, but not the other. Lastly, there is the existing reference to this individual working a number of miracles, with no such reference made to any miracle by the other Abamun.