# Isaac of Hurin Source: https://coptic-lore-forge.lovable.app/wiki/isaac-of-hurin — Coptic Orthodox Wiki (updated 2026-10-04) Isaac of Hurin, also known as Ishaq al-Hurini, was a desert ascetic commemorated in the Coptic tradition on 22 Baramudah. According to the account drawn from the Coptic Synaxarion, he was born at Hurin, became a disciple of Anba Iliyya and later Anba Zacharias, and lived at the mountain of Barnuj. ## Overview **Isaac of Hurin**, also known as **Ishaq al-Hurini**, was a desert ascetic whose feast day is **22 Baramudah**. The *Coptic Encyclopedia* characterizes him as an ascetic who was not discovered until shortly before his death.[^1] The fuller notice explicitly cautions that few specific facts are known about him. Drawing on the Coptic Synaxarion, it preserves a brief sequence of events: his birth at Hurin, his monastic profession, discipleship under two teachers, withdrawal to the mountain of Barnuj, and the transportation of his body after death.[^2][^3] ## History and origins ### Hurin and monastic profession According to the Synaxarion account summarized in the encyclopedia, Isaac was born in a village called **Hurin**. After taking the monastic vow, he is said to have become the disciple of **Anba Iliyya**. The account therefore places his initial monastic formation under a named spiritual teacher, rather than beginning with his later desert withdrawal.[^2] ### Barnuj and Anba Zacharias Isaac subsequently went to the **mountain of Barnuj**, situated on the edge of the **Nitrian valley**. There he became the disciple of **Anba Zacharias**. The geographical movement is accompanied by a change of teacher: Iliyya belongs to the earlier stage of his monastic life, while Zacharias is associated specifically with Barnuj.[^2] The short entry describing Isaac as undiscovered until shortly before death and the fuller notice naming his teachers emphasize different aspects of his life. The former stresses his obscurity as a desert ascetic; the latter preserves his connections to monastic instruction and particular places. Neither supplied notice explains how his earlier discipleships relate chronologically to the period in which he remained undiscovered.[^1][^2] ### Death and the transportation of his body After Isaac died, his body was placed on a camel and carried to a spot between **Hurin** and **Nashrat**. Hurin is explicitly identified again as his birthplace, linking the account of his death with the village from which his monastic journey began.[^3] The supplied narrative ends with this transportation of the body. It does not identify a church or monastery at the destination, describe a burial ceremony, or explain how the location between the two villages was selected.[^3] ## Liturgical commemoration Isaac’s feast is given as **22 Baramudah** in the encyclopedia’s concise notice. A separate calendar listing confirms his commemoration under the form **“Saint Ishaq al-Hurini.”** These two references connect the English name Isaac of Hurin with the name used in the calendar.[^1][^4] The same calendar entry also names Alexandros I, nineteenth patriarch of Alexandria; Mark II, forty-ninth patriarch; and Kha’il II, fifty-third patriarch. Their appearance alongside Isaac establishes a shared calendar date, not a narrated connection with his life.[^4] ## Names and textual witnesses The two principal supplied forms of the saint’s name are **Isaac of Hurin** and **Ishaq al-Hurini**. The encyclopedia index explicitly directs readers from “Ishaq al-Hurini, Saint” to “Isaac of Hurin, Saint,” confirming that these are alternative names for the same figure.[^5] The sources serve complementary purposes. The biographical notice supplies his birthplace, teachers, desert location, and the account of his body’s transportation; the shorter notice supplies the characterization of his hidden ascetic life and his feast date; and the calendar records his commemoration by name.[^1][^2][^3][^4] ## Distinction from other saints named Isaac Isaac of Hurin should be distinguished from **Isaac of al-Qalali**, the fourth- to fifth-century monk and priest of Kellia commemorated on **19 Bashans**. The encyclopedia lists the two separately, with different identifying descriptions and feast days.[^6] He is likewise distinct from **Isaac of Tiphre**, a martyr in fourth-century Egypt whose feast falls on **6 Bashans**. The supplied accounts identify Isaac of Hurin through desert asceticism and the places Hurin and Barnuj, whereas the separate entry for Isaac of Tiphre identifies that saint as a martyr.[^1][^2][^7] ## Frequently asked questions **Who was Isaac of Hurin?** Isaac of Hurin, also called Ishaq al-Hurini, was a desert ascetic born in the village of Hurin. The Coptic Encyclopedia describes him as having remained undiscovered until shortly before his death. **When is Isaac of Hurin’s feast day?** His feast day is 22 Baramudah. The supplied calendar also lists him under the name Saint Ishaq al-Hurini. **Who were Isaac of Hurin’s spiritual teachers?** After taking monastic vows, he is said to have become a disciple of Anba Iliyya. He later went to the mountain of Barnuj, on the edge of the Nitrian valley, where he became a disciple of Anba Zacharias. **What happened to Isaac of Hurin’s body after his death?** According to the account summarized in the Coptic Encyclopedia, his body was placed on a camel and carried to a location between Hurin, his birthplace, and another village called Nashrat. ## Sources [^1]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 126) [^2]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 688) [^3]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 688) [^4]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 368) [^5]: The Coptic Encyclopedia — Index, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 227) [^6]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 126) [^7]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 764)