The Prophet Sammuel

Today we celebrate the Prophet Samuel, an important figure in Orthodoxy. The Prophet was born on Mount Ephraim, from the tribe of Levi. He was the son of Elkanah and Hannah. Hannah could not have children, but through prayer God gave her Samuel. To show her gratitude, she dedicated her son to Him. 

Growing up, Samuel served the Lord and became a great political leader in his region. He became a righteous judge and prophet of the people and anointed Saul and David as kings. He prophesied for forty years and died having enjoyed a long life. It is also noteworthy to mention that he wrote the First and Second Kings of the Bible and founded the mystical order of the Essenes. 

Μύσας τελευτῇ καὶ Σαμουὴλ ὁ βλέπων,  
Τὸ ζῶν ἀεὶ φῶς καὶ τελευτήσας βλέπει.  
Βῆ δ' ὁρόων μέλλοντα Σαμουὴλ εἰκάδι ἔνθεν. 

In Egypt, the Coptic Monastery of the Prophet Samuel is found. In fact, the origins of the monastery date back to the late 3rd century or early 4th century, to the time of the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian. According to a Coptic manuscript about the martyrdom of Saint Psotis, at that time the hermits were already living in caves. Later, probably in the 5th century, these hermits as coenobites formed a monastic community.  

The first income was obtained from the sale of basketry and the monastery experienced significant prosperity. When Samuel died in 695 at the age of 98, about 120 monks were already living in the monastery. Pope Gabriel V, the 88th patriarch and pope of Alexandria (1409-1427), were descendants of this monastery. Despite the monastery being abandoned sometime in the seventeenth century, today about a hundred monks continue to live there. They are active in the area surrounding the monastery with agricultural crops.