Saint Simeon the New Martyr
Saint Simeon the New Martyr is commemorated on 14 Kiyahk and is identified in The Coptic Encyclopedia as a martyr under Arab rule.[^1]
Also known as: Simeon the New Martyr · Saint Simeon · Simeon, Martyr under the Arabs
In brief
Saint Simeon the New Martyr is a saint commemorated on 14 Kiyahk. The Coptic Encyclopedia identifies him briefly as a “new martyr” under the Arabs. His name, feast day, and this historical designation distinguish his entry from that of Simeon the Armenian, whose feast falls on 19 Baramudah.
Overview
Saint Simeon the New Martyr is commemorated on 14 Kiyahk in the Coptic Calendar. The Coptic Encyclopedia records him in a concise entry: “Simeon (feast day: 14 Kiyahk), a ‘new martyr’ under the Arabs.” This notice supplies the essential identification of the saint: his name, his commemoration, and the historical setting assigned to his martyrdom.1
History and terminology
The designation “new martyr”
The encyclopedia places Simeon’s martyrdom “under the Arabs.” Its use of “new martyr” therefore accompanies a historical designation, rather than a detailed narrative of his life or death.1
Comparison with other entries helps clarify the range of this terminology. The same list calls Shenute, or Anba Shinudah, a “new martyr” of the seventh century, while describing Sidhom Bishay as a “new martyr” of the early nineteenth century. Within this source, the designation consequently spans widely separated periods and does not by itself establish a particular century for Simeon.2
A separate entry describes Menas of al-Ashmunayn, also called Menas the Ascetic, as a “new martyr” killed after the Arab conquest. Read alongside Simeon’s notice, this provides a parallel for the encyclopedia’s application of the term to martyrdom in the period of Arab rule; it does not establish that the two saints were contemporaries.13
Liturgical commemoration
Simeon’s recorded feast is 14 Kiyahk. The encyclopedia associates this date specifically with the Simeon described as a “new martyr” under the Arabs, making the feast day an important identifying feature of his entry.1
Distinction from similarly named saints
Simeon the Armenian
The encyclopedia lists Simeon the Armenian separately, with a feast on 19 Baramudah. It describes him as an old man aged 127 who was killed with 150 other Christians by Shapur, king of Persia. The separate entries distinguish the two saints through both their commemorations and the political settings of their martyrdoms.14
Symeon, companion of John
Another encyclopedia article concerns John and Symeon, identified as fourth-century martyrs in Egypt. Their story is preserved in the Passion of John and Symeon, a Coptic work surviving in one ninth-century Bohairic manuscript. That article concerns a paired martyr tradition, whereas the brief notice for Simeon the New Martyr identifies its subject through his feast on 14 Kiyahk and martyrdom under the Arabs.15
Questions
Frequently asked questions
- Who was Saint Simeon the New Martyr?
- The Coptic Encyclopedia identifies Simeon as a “new martyr” under the Arabs and records his feast day as 14 Kiyahk.
- When is Saint Simeon the New Martyr’s feast day?
- His feast day is 14 Kiyahk.
- Is Saint Simeon the New Martyr the same as Simeon the Armenian?
- The Coptic Encyclopedia lists them separately. Simeon the New Martyr is commemorated on 14 Kiyahk, whereas Simeon the Armenian is commemorated on 19 Baramudah and is described as having been killed under Shapur, king of Persia.
References
Sources
- 1.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 517)
Simeon (feast day: 14 Kiyahk), a "new martyr" under the Arabs.
- 2.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 517)
Shenute, or Anba Shinudah (feast day: 13 Abib), a "new martyr" of the seventh century. Sidhom Bishay (feast day: 17 Baramhat), a "new martyr" of the early nineteenth century.
- 3.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 596)
MENAS OF AL-ASHMUNAYN, SAINT, or Menas the Ascetic, a "new martyr," who was killed after the Arab conquest (feast day: 17 Amshir).
- 4.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 517)
Simeon the Armenian (feast day: 19 Baramudah), an old man of 127 who was slain with 150 other Christians by Shapur, king of Persia.
- 5.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 47)
JOHN AND SYMEON, fourth-century martyrs in Egypt. They are the subject of the Passion of John and Symeon, a Coptic work that survives in only one Bohairic manuscript of the ninth century (Hyvernat, 1886-1887, pp. 174-201).
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This article was drafted from the sources listed above with AI assistance and reviewed by an editor before publication.