St. Paul the First Hermit

St. Paul is honored in ancient tradition as an early Egyptian hermit who spent decades in prayer and solitude in the desert.

The story

Knowledge of Paul comes principally from the Life of Paul the First Hermit, written by St. Jerome around 374 or 375. Jerome presents Paul as an Egyptian Christian born around 227 in the Thebaid. He received an education in Greek and Egyptian and inherited property after the death of his parents. During the persecution under Emperors Decius and Valerian, Paul reportedly fled into the desert when a relative threatened to betray him.

Jerome says that Paul found a cave near a palm tree and a spring. He initially intended only to escape persecution, but he remained there for the rest of his life. The palm supplied dates and material for clothing, while the spring provided water. Paul devoted himself to prayer and solitude. Jerome reports that a raven brought him half a loaf of bread each day. These vivid details belong to Jerome's hagiographical narrative and cannot be confirmed from independent contemporary evidence.

Near the end of Paul's life, St. Anthony of Egypt was reportedly shown that an even older hermit lived farther in the desert. Anthony found Paul, and the two spoke of God and prayed together. Jerome says that the raven brought a whole loaf that day. Paul told Anthony that his death was near and asked to be buried in a cloak once given to Anthony by St. Athanasius. When Anthony returned with it, he found Paul dead. Two lions then appeared and dug the grave. The lions and other miraculous elements should be understood as part of the traditional sacred story rather than as verifiable history.

Jerome dates Paul's death to about 341 and gives his age as 113. These dates depend entirely upon the chronology of the Life. Paul's title, the First Hermit, expresses his traditional place in Christian memory, although other ascetics certainly lived in the Egyptian desert during the same broad period. His cult arose in antiquity without a formal canonization process. The Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit later took him as its patron. January 15 is his traditional feast in the West. The current Roman Martyrology commemorates him on January 10, so both dates appear in Catholic calendars.

What Paul teaches

Paul's life points to the primacy of God and the value of silence, prayer, and detachment. Solitude is not an escape from charity but a way of seeking undivided communion with God. CCC 2717 teaches that contemplative prayer is silence and participation in the prayer of Christ.

Patronage

hermits, desert monastics, the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit, contemplative life.

Prayer

O God, you drew St. Paul into the silence of the desert to seek you with an undivided heart. Through his intercession, free us from needless distractions and deepen our life of prayer. Lead all hermits and contemplatives into faithful communion with Christ. Amen.