Coprius of Egypt

Holy Venerable Coprius of Egypt was a presbyter and disciple of the Venerable Pathermuthius, whose life and miracles he wrote. He is commemorated on 22 July, in the new style.

Pathermuthius had been at first a pagan and the leader of a band of robbers, but he repented, was baptized and withdrew to the desert. All the rest of his life he devoted to serving the sick and burying the dead; for his labours and struggles he received from God the gift of working miracles. The presbyter Coprius was a witness of Pathermuthius's struggles and wrote his life and miracles. Coprius then told his own life to the presbyter Rufinus, who passed the account to Palladius, bishop of Helenopolis, who included it in his book, the Lausiac History.

Saint Coprius is known above all for a wonderful trial of faith. Once, entering into a dispute with the heretic Mani and seeing that he could not overcome him by words, he proposed to the heretic that they kindle a great fire and both enter it, so that the Lord Himself might decide whose faith was true. The Manichaean refused to enter first, and Coprius entered and, standing on the coals, remained unharmed. The people glorified his faith, and the heretic who would not enter the fire they threw into the blaze. Burned all over, the heretic ran out, but was caught and thrown again into the fire. Then the Venerable Coprius calmed the people and let Mani go.

The passion of Pathermuthius and Coprius is also found in the Lives of the Saints by Saint Dimitry of Rostov.