Onuphrius
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| Saint Onuphrius Ονούφριος |
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 Early depiction of Onuphrius on a Byzantine icon, 4th century |
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| Born | unknown |
| Died | 4th century |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Churches Oriental Orthodox Churches |
| Feast | June 12 |
| Patronage | Patron Saint of Weavers |
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Onuphrius (Greek: Ονούφριος, from Egyptian: Wnn-nfr meaning "he-who-is-continuingly-good"[1]), venerated as Saint Onuphrius in the Roman Catholic Church, Venerable Onuphrius in Eastern Orthodoxy and Saint Nofer the Anchorite in Oriental Orthodoxy, traditionally lived as a hermit in the desert of Upper Egypt in the late 4th century.
Both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches traditionally mark his feast day on 12 June.
The account of Paphnutius the Ascetic, who encountered him in the Egyptian desert, forms the sole source for our knowledge of the life of Saint Onuphrius, who became a monk at a cenobitic monastery near Thebes, which he left to lead an eremitic life. For 60 to 70 years, Onuphrius lived alone in the desert and wore only his hair and a loincloth of leaves - this led to his becoming patron saint of weavers.
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[edit] In Eastern Orthodoxy
In Eastern Orthodoxy, Onuphrius is supposed to have been a virtuous young girl who, in order not to lose her virginity to a persistent suitor, had her wish to become a man granted by divine intervention. Then he went on to become a hermit. According to Eastern Orthodox tradition, Onuphrius was educated in law and philosophy before choosing an ascetic life, and he is the patron saint of lawyers.
[edit] In art
Onuphrius became a popular subject in Medieval art: the period traditions of the "wild man" may partially account for this.
[edit] Name variants
His name appears very variously as Onuphrius, Onouphrius, Onofrius; and in different languages as Humphrey (English), Onofre (Portuguese, Spanish), Onofrio (Italian), etc. However, these European names may derive from the name Godfrey rather than the Egyptian[2].
[edit] Notes
- ^ See article: Gardiner, A. H. The Origin of Some English Personal Names, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 56, No. 2. (Jun., 1936), pp. 189-197. (JSTOR or Athens login required)
- ^ See ibid.
