# Michael of Damietta

Source: https://coptic-lore-forge.lovable.app/wiki/michael-of-damietta — Coptic Orthodox Wiki (updated 2026-10-03)

Michael of Damietta was a monk of Scetis whom the Coptic Encyclopedia identifies as a “new martyr” of the period 1167–1200. He converted from Christianity to Islam and later returned to Christianity, for which he was killed. The encyclopedia indexes him separately from Michael, bishop of Damietta.

## Overview

**Michael of Damietta** is remembered in the *Coptic Encyclopedia* as a medieval Christian martyr and a monk of Scetis. Its brief notice calls him a “new martyr” and places him in the period **1167–1200**. The account centers on his departure from Christianity, his conversion to Islam, and his subsequent return to Christianity, for which he was killed.[^1]

The encyclopedia’s index independently identifies him as “Michael of Damietta (twelfth-century ‘new’ martyr).” This designation distinguishes the subject of the martyr notice from the bishop and canonical author also known as Michael of Damietta.[^2][^3]

## History and origins

### Monastic life and religious conversion

Michael’s recorded monastic affiliation was with **Scetis**. The notice describes him as a monk who “apostatized to Islam and then returned to Christianity.” Its narrative therefore presents his Christian monastic life, conversion to Islam, and return to Christianity as successive stages in his religious history.[^1]

The decisive connection in the account is between his return to Christianity and his death: the encyclopedia explicitly states that he was killed for that return. The source thus identifies his renewed Christian allegiance, rather than simply his monastic status, as the reason for his killing.[^1]

### Chronological setting

The biographical notice supplies the broad period 1167–1200, while the index characterizes Michael as a twelfth-century martyr. Read together, these references provide a medieval chronological setting rather than a precise date for his death.[^1][^2]

## Theology, meaning, and terminology

Michael’s designation as a martyr is tied directly to the religious cause of his death. The notice does not present an uninterrupted history of Christian adherence: it explicitly includes his conversion to Islam before describing his return and killing. His classification as a martyr therefore accompanies an account of restored Christian allegiance after an earlier departure.[^1]

The expression **“new martyr”** is the encyclopedia’s own designation, repeated in its index with “new” in quotation marks. In these references, the expression accompanies his placement in the twelfth century and the period 1167–1200.[^1][^2]

## Distinction from Michael, bishop of Damietta

The encyclopedia provides separate index entries for the martyr and for **Michael, bishop of Damietta**. The latter entry directs readers to “Mikha’il, Bishop of Damietta” and to the *Nomocanon* attributed to Michael of Damietta, whereas the martyr has his own reference under the designation “twelfth-century ‘new’ martyr.” The two entries should therefore not be combined into a single biography.[^2][^3]

The bishop’s biographical article concerns a Coptic prelate and author who lived under Patriarchs Mark III and John VI. It states that he completed the first version of his *Nomocanon* in Luxor in 1188 and was still alive when his adversary Murqus ibn Qanbar died in 1208. These details belong to the bishop’s account, not to the brief notice identifying the monk of Scetis as a martyr.[^4][^1]

## Frequently asked questions

**Who was Michael of Damietta?**
Michael of Damietta was a monk of Scetis identified in the Coptic Encyclopedia as a “new martyr” of the period 1167–1200.

**Why was Michael of Damietta killed?**
According to the Coptic Encyclopedia, he converted to Islam and subsequently returned to Christianity, for which he was killed.

**When did Michael of Damietta live?**
The encyclopedia places him in the period 1167–1200, and its index describes him as a twelfth-century “new” martyr.

**Was Michael of Damietta the martyr also the bishop who wrote a Nomocanon?**
The encyclopedia indexes the martyr separately from Michael, bishop of Damietta. Its account of the bishop identifies him as a canonical author who completed the first version of his Nomocanon in 1188 and was still alive in 1208.

## Sources
[^1]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 513)
[^2]: The Coptic Encyclopedia — Index, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 298)
[^3]: The Coptic Encyclopedia — Index, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 297)
[^4]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 670)