Isidore of Hermopolis
Isidore of Hermopolis was a bishop who succeeded Dracontius and preceded Dioscorus. He met Saint Jerome, who mentioned him in his epistles; the Coptic Encyclopedia’s index identifies him as a saint.[^1][^2]
Also known as: Isidorus of Hermopolis · Saint Isidore of Hermopolis · Saint Isidorus of Hermopolis
In brief
Isidore of Hermopolis was a bishop who succeeded Dracontius and preceded Dioscorus in the episcopal succession. He met Saint Jerome, who mentioned him in his epistles. Listed as Saint Isidorus of Hermopolis in the Coptic Encyclopedia’s index, he is distinguished there from the saints of Pelusium and Scetis.
Overview
Isidore of Hermopolis, called Isidorus of Hermopolis in the Coptic Encyclopedia, was a bishop whose brief biographical notice identifies him through his place in the episcopal succession and his acquaintance with Saint Jerome. He succeeded Dracontius, preceded Dioscorus, and was mentioned by Jerome in his epistles.1 The encyclopedia’s index explicitly lists him as “Isidorus of Hermopolis, Saint.”2
History and origins
Episcopal succession
The episcopal sequence recorded in the notice is Dracontius → Isidore → Dioscorus. This establishes Isidore’s relative position between two named bishops, rather than supplying a dated account of his episcopate.1 The notice’s description of him as a bishop is also an important identifying detail: the adjacent entries describe Isidorus of Pelusium and Isidorus of Scetis as monks and priests.1
Connection with Saint Jerome
The encyclopedia states that Isidore met Saint Jerome and that Jerome mentioned him in his epistles. These are two related elements of the record: a personal encounter and a written remembrance in Jerome’s correspondence.1 The supplied notice summarizes that connection without reproducing Jerome’s wording or identifying individual letters.1
Name and textual record
The form Isidorus of Hermopolis appears both in the biographical listing and in the encyclopedia’s index. The index directs readers to page 2084 and includes the designation “Saint,” making explicit the saintly identification attached to the bishop’s name.12
The geographical designation is important when reading these references. Both the biographical listing and the index give separate entries for Isidorus of Hermopolis, Isidorus of Pelusium, and Isidorus of Scetis; the shared personal name does not make these entries interchangeable.12
Distinction from other saints named Isidore
Isidore of Scetis
Isidore of Scetis is described as a fourth-century monk and priest, a strenuous ascetic, and a man of prayer known for gentleness, patience, and spiritual healing. Those details belong to the Scetis entry, rather than to the brief notice of the bishop of Hermopolis.13 Similarly, the account of Isidore receiving Moses and becoming his spiritual director explicitly identifies its subject as the priest of Scetis.4
Isidore of Pelusium
Isidore of Pelusium is separately described as a fifth-century monk, priest, and scholar who wrote numerous letters on church affairs.5 The distinction is especially useful here: the Hermopolis notice says that Jerome mentioned its subject in epistles, whereas the Pelusium entry identifies its subject as the author of a substantial correspondence.15
Isidore of Antioch
Isidore of Antioch is another separately identified saint: a martyr under Diocletian, with a feast day of 19 Bashans.6 His martyrdom tradition and feast belong to that entry and do not establish corresponding details for Isidore of Hermopolis.16
Questions
Frequently asked questions
- Who was Isidore of Hermopolis?
- Isidore of Hermopolis was a bishop who succeeded Dracontius and preceded Dioscorus. The Coptic Encyclopedia’s index lists him as a saint.
- What was Isidore of Hermopolis’s connection with Saint Jerome?
- Isidore met Saint Jerome, who mentioned him in his epistles.
- Who preceded and succeeded Isidore of Hermopolis as bishop?
- Dracontius preceded Isidore, and Dioscorus succeeded him.
- Was Isidore of Hermopolis the same as Isidore of Scetis?
- The Coptic Encyclopedia lists them separately. Isidore of Hermopolis was a bishop, whereas Isidore of Scetis was a fourth-century monk and priest.
References
Sources
- 1.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 126)
Isidorus of Hermopolis, a bishop who succeeded Dracontius and preceded Dioscorus. He met Saint Jerome, who mentioned him in epistles. ISIDORUS OF PELUSIUM, fifth-century monk, priest, and author of a large body of letters. ISIDORUS OF SCETIS, a fourth-century monk and priest credited with miraculous spiritual healing powers.
- 2.The Coptic Encyclopedia — Index — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 228)
Isidorus of Hermopolis, Saint, 2084 Isidorus of Pelusium, Saint, 1089, 1308-1310, 2084 and archimandrite title, 193 on Isidorus of Scetis, Saint, 1310 and Theophilus, Patriarch, 2247, 2249-2250 Isidorus of Scetis, Saint, 114, 1310, 1427, 2084
- 3.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 780)
ISIDORUS OF SCETIS, SAINT, fourth-century monk and priest. The alphabetical collection of the APOPHTHEGMATA PATRUM devotes two distinct chapters to Isidorus and to Isidorus the priest, but apart from some extracts from ISIDORUS OF PELUSIUM it appears that all the items relate to the same person: Isidorus "the great," priest of Scetis, of whom Cassian also speaks in his Conferences. A strenuous ascetic and a man of prayer, he was known for his gentleness and patience.
- 4.Coptic Church Review, Volume 2, Number 2 — Rodolph Yanney, M.D. (p. 13)
Moses was received by the priest of Scetis, St. Isidore. He was fortunate enough to have such an experienced and pious elder as his spiritual director.
- 5.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 774)
ISIDORUS OF PELUSIUM, SAINT, fifth-century monk, priest, and scholar, who wrote a large number of letters on church affairs (PG 78).
- 6.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 772)
ISIDORUS, SAINT, or Isidore of Antioch, a martyr under DIOCLETIAN (feast day: 19 Bashans).
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This article was drafted from the sources listed above with AI assistance and reviewed by an editor before publication.