{{Short description|4th-century Syrian saint}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}} {{Infobox saint |name=Saint Matthew the Hermit |image= |imagesize= |caption= |alt= |birth_date= |birth_place= |death_date= |death_place= |feast_day=18 September |venerated_in= Syriac Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox church |titles= |beatified date= |beatified place= |beatified_by= |canonized_date= |canonized_place= |canonized_by= |attributes= |major_shrine=Monastery of St. Matthew, Iraq }} '''Saint Matthew the Hermit''' (Arabic: القديس مار متى الناسك; {{langx|syr|ܡܪܝ ܡܬܝ}} ''Mor Mattai'') was a 4th-century Christian priest. He is venerated as a saint in the Syriac Orthodox Church. His feast day is on the 18th of September.
==Biography== Matthew was born in the early 4th century in a village north of Amida, into a Christian family. He was educated at the Monastery of the Saints Sergius and Bacchus for seven years, after which he became a monk at the Monastery of Zuqnin and was ordained as a priest.<ref name="SOP">{{in lang|ar}} ''[http://www.syrian-orthodox.com/readnews.php?id=215 القديس مار متى الناسك والشهداء مار بهنام وسارة ورفاقهما الأربعين] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226035732/http://www.syrian-orthodox.com/readnews.php?id=215 |date=26 December 2018 }}''. Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate</ref> Upon the ascension of Emperor Julian the Apostate in 361, and subsequent persecution of Christianity, Matthew and other monks fled to the Sasanian Empire, and took up residence on Mount Alfaf.<ref>''[http://www.aina.org/aol/syriac.htm#Mattai Assyrian Monasteries] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151227122045/http://www.aina.org/aol/syriac.htm |date=27 December 2015 }}''. Assyrian International News Agency</ref> Matthew practised asceticism in a cave on the mountain and gained renown as a miracle-worker.<ref name="Rassam">Rassam (2005), pp. 31–32</ref> Having received a dream in which an angel instructed him to seek Matthew,<ref name="SOP" /> Behnam, son of King Sinharib of Assur,<ref name="Radner">Radner (2015), p. 7</ref> met with the saint and discussed Christianity together.<ref>''[http://sor.cua.edu/ChMon/MosulDMattay/index.html Dayro d-Mor Matay]''. Syriac Orthodox Resources</ref> Aware of Matthew's reputation as a miracle-worker,<ref name="Rassam" /> the prince requested he join him on his return to Assur and heal his sister Sarah of leprosy, to which he agreed.<ref name="MOSC">''[http://www.neamericandiocese.org/feasts-memorials.60/sts-behnam-sarah-and-the-40-martyrs.aspx Sts. Behnam, Sarah, and the 40 Martyrs]''. Northeast American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church</ref>
Matthew met with Behnam and Sarah outside of the city of Assur and healed her affliction. Behnam, Sarah, and forty slaves subsequently converted to Christianity and the saint baptised them. Following this, Matthew returned to his cave on Mount Alfaf. Sinharib discovered his children's conversion and the group suffered martyrdom as they attempted to flee to Matthew on Mount Alfaf.<ref name="MOSC"/> The king became afflicted with madness and was brought to the place of the martyrs' death by Behnam's mother. Matthew met Sinharib and the queen here and healed the king of his madness.<ref name="Rassam" /> They returned to Assur and the saint baptised Sinharib and his wife,<ref name="Radner" /> and, at the request of Matthew, the king constructed a monastery on Mount Alfaf, which later became known as the Monastery of St. Matthew.<ref name="Rassam"/> Matthew resided at the monastery until his death and was buried there.<ref name="SOP"/>
==References== {{Reflist}} ==Bibliography== *{{cite book |last= Radner|first=Karen |author-link = Karen Radner |date=2015 |title=Ancient Assyria: A Very Short Introduction |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=urtpBgAAQBAJ|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn= 9780198715900}} *{{cite book |last= Rassam|first=Suha |date=2005 |title=Christianity in Iraq: Its Origins and Development to the Present Day|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GYC93sfHXAEC&dq=Saints+Behnam%2C+Sarah%2C+and+the+Forty+Martyrs&pg=PA31|publisher=Gracewing Publishing|isbn= 9780852446331}}
Category:Christians in the Sasanian Empire Category:4th-century births Category:4th-century deaths Category:Oriental Orthodox saints Category:4th-century Christian saints Category:4th-century Byzantine monks Category:Mesopotamian saints Category:Miracle workers