ABSTRACT
At the time of his repose, many Christians around the world regarded the Coptic abbot al-Âb Matta al-Miskîn 1 (“Father Matthew the Poor”: 20 September 1919–8 June 2006) as an ecclesiastical reformer, monastic leader, prolific author, mystic, and practitioner of a unique spirituality that interlaced patristic insight with the spirituality of the desert and the rigor of modern scholarship. Still, his uncompromising ways led to several controversies which have engendered polarizing depictions of him within the contemporary Coptic Orthodox Church. Fr Matta left behind a massive body of literature by and about him, not to mention at least three decades of recorded sermons. Perhaps the most important bibliographical contribution lies in a posthumously published autobiography composed in 1978 which relays the abbot’s memories of his childhood and early career. Notably, it sidesteps several intriguing issues, such as his repeated nominations to the patriarchal office and his relationship with the current Coptic patriarch, Pope Shenouda III (1971–2012).
