Saint Pantaenus
The Preacher’s Page
In this issue, we speak to you about a great preacher from the scholars of the early Catechetical School. He was the teacher of Saint Clement, who was in turn the teacher of the great scholar Origen. Clement described him as “the bee” because of his many journeys and evangelistic work, while Origen described him as “the greatest example of the Christian teacher who was able to benefit from pagan philosophy.” He is:
Saint Pantaenus
His Early Life:
He was born at the beginning of the second century A.D. and loved purity and virtue. He embraced Stoic philosophy, whose foundation is moral ethics. He studied Greek philosophy and excelled in it. Yet, he found in Christianity a much deeper elevation than in Stoicism, and so he loved it. He became a disciple of the great philosopher Athenagoras, who was then the head of the Catechetical School, and through him, Pantaenus became a Christian. He assisted his teacher Athenagoras and gradually rose to become the head of the Catechetical School and a pillar of faith in his time. He was called “the holy philosopher.”
His Leadership of the Catechetical School:
Pantaenus assumed the directorship and professorship of the Catechetical School during the papacy of Pope Julianus, the 11th Patriarch of Alexandria, around the year 180 A.D. He continued as its head under Pope Demetrius the Vine Dresser (the 12th Patriarch). Through the power of his reasoning, eloquence, and the charm of his personality, the school flourished greatly during his time, attracting students and seekers of knowledge from all over the world to hear him teach.
During his administration of the school, Saint Pantaenus also traveled as a missionary to places in need of the Gospel. He went to India, Ethiopia, Yemen, and Arabia, preaching the name of Christ. Many believed through his ministry. He spent several years in those lands, then returned to direct the school once again. Because of his many journeys and travels, Saint Clement called him “the Sicilian bee,” since his ancestral family was from Sicily, although he was born in Egypt.
His Missionary Work in India:
Some Indian merchants, while passing through Alexandria, heard of Saint Pantaenus and his teachings. They attended his lectures and were greatly impressed by his words. The Lord used him to bring faith to their hearts, and they embraced Christianity. Desiring that their fellow citizens also benefit from Pantaenus’s knowledge and persuasive teaching, they asked Pope Demetrius to send him to preach in their homeland.
As Pope Demetrius loved evangelism and worked for the spread of the Catechetical School’s teaching mission, he responded to their request, ordained Pantaenus a priest, and sent him to India so that priesthood might assist him in baptizing converts and administering the holy sacraments. Thus, the Catechetical School contributed to spreading the Gospel abroad.
His Missionary Work in Ethiopia, Yemen, and Arabia:
Saint Pantaenus went to India around 190 A.D., reaching the Malabar Coast. On his return, he passed through Ethiopia, Yemen, and Arabia, preaching the Gospel of Christ. In those lands, he found a copy of the Gospel of Matthew written in the Apostle’s own hand, which had likely been left there by Saint Bartholomew during his missionary work in the apostolic era.
Translation of the Holy Bible:
One of Saint Pantaenus’s greatest missionary achievements was translating the Holy Bible into the Coptic language to make it more accessible to the people. He was assisted in this great work by his disciples Saint Clement and the scholar Origen. Thus, the Catechetical School produced the first translation of the Holy Scriptures into the local tongue.
To facilitate this work, Saint Pantaenus wrote the Coptic language using Greek letters—borrowing 25 letters from the Greek alphabet and adding 7 hieroglyphic characters for sounds that had no Greek equivalents.
His Writings and Knowledge:
Saint Pantaenus wrote many works and numerous commentaries on the Holy Scriptures. He established a spiritual method for interpreting the Old Testament that many followed, and he based his theological studies on philosophy.
His Departure:
He departed in the Lord at the end of the second century or the beginning of the third. The blessing of his prayers be with us all. Amen.
Article by His Grace Bishop Shenouda, Bishop of Education – El-Keraza Magazine, Third Year, Issue No. 8, October 1967
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