Abraham of Ephesus

Saint Abraham of Ephesus was archbishop of Ephesus in the sixth century, in the Byzantine Empire, and a founder of monasteries. He is venerated as a saint by the Orthodox Church and by the Catholic Church. His commemoration is on 28 October.

He was first a monk and became metropolitan of Ephesus after the year 533. He is identified with the abbot (abba) Abraham of the monastery of the Abrahamites in Constantinople and of the monastery of the Byzantines in Jerusalem, mentioned by John Moschos. During his life as bishop he played an important role in the founding of a monastery in Constantinople and another in Jerusalem.

Of his writings two homilies have reached us, important for the knowledge of the ancient Byzantine liturgy: one on the feast of the Annunciation and one on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The two homilies were edited in 1913 by M. Krasheninnikov and M. Jugie and are of great importance for patristic studies.

Under the name of Abrahamites or Abrahamite martyrs are known the monks of the monastery founded by Abraham at Constantinople, who were martyred around 835 during the iconoclast persecution of the emperor Theophilus. They are honoured as saints by the Catholic Church, on 8 July, and by the Orthodox Church, on 6 July.