The Life of Saint Mar Habib the Bishop
مار حبيب الأسقف | Habib of Scetis
One of the disciples of Saint Mar Okeen (Mar Awgin) in the Syriac monastic tradition
Saint Mar Habib is one of the monastic figures whose name is linked with Saint Mar Okeen, also known as Mar Awgin, in the Syriac Christian tradition. His name appears among the saint’s disciples who, according to Church accounts, helped spread the ascetic life and Christian teaching in Mesopotamia.
In one scholarly reference he is called Habib of Scetis, pointing to his link with the Egyptian desert of Scetis, one of the most important centres of Christian monasticism in the early centuries. The Syriaca.org project lists him among the disciples of Mar Awgin and notes that he may later have become a bishop, without settling where.
1. Mar Habib and the Desert of Scetis
Mar Habib’s name is linked with Scetis, the historic monastic region known today as Wadi El-Natrun in Egypt, famous for its life of prayer, fasting and renunciation, and for the fathers whose monastic traditions reached the Churches of the East.
The available sources, however, do not give his date of birth, the monastery where he lived, or when he left Egypt. Historically, the title “of Scetis” shows that the tradition which preserved his memory linked him with Scetis, but on its own it does not prove his birthplace or every stage of his life.
2. His Discipleship to Saint Mar Okeen
The traditional Life of Mar Okeen tells of his journey from Egypt to the East and his settling on Mount Izla near Nisibis, where a number of monks and ascetics gathered around him. Among the names these accounts preserve is that of Mar Habib.
His relationship with Mar Okeen is therefore not just a matter of the same time and region: the scholarly Syriac reference states it as discipleship. Even so, the details of his first meeting with his teacher and how long he stayed with him remain unknown in the sources that could be checked.
3. Mar Habib and Mar Isaiah of Aleppo
The Life of Saint Mar Isaiah of Aleppo twice mentions Mar Habib clearly, and these are among the most useful details for following his life:
- Staying at Bazabdai: the Life of Mar Isaiah says that when Mar Okeen went with his disciples to preach in the land of Qardu, Mar Isaiah stayed with Mar Habib in the region of Bazabdai, and they did not return at once with their teacher to Mount Izla.
- Asceticism east of Mount Izla: it adds that Mar Isaiah later returned to the monastery of Mar Okeen, then moved with Habib to a place five parasangs east of the monastery, where each of them took a height on which to live the ascetic life. It also mentions the digging of wells to give water to travellers, as part of its description of the monks’ ascetic life and service in the area.
These passages show Mar Habib as a companion of Mar Isaiah at stages of his monastic life, not merely a name in a list of disciples. The text should still be compared with its manuscript source before these details are accepted as established historical facts.
4. Mar Habib and the Episcopate
Some traditions give Mar Habib the title “the Bishop”, which also appears on the page of the disciples of Mar Okeen. Syriaca.org mentions that he may have become bishop of “Tanaos” or “Athens”, as the name is transmitted in the source, but it does not state this as certain, and gives neither the date of his consecration nor who consecrated him.
We therefore keep the title “Mar Habib the Bishop” in the heading of his Life, noting that the seat of his episcopate has not been settled historically.
5. His Departure and Commemoration
We have not found in the sources consulted a documented date for Mar Habib’s departure, his place of burial, or a fixed day for his annual feast. Nor would it be right to attribute to him miracles or events that belong to Mar Isaiah simply because he accompanied him at certain stages of his life.
May the blessing of his prayers be with us. Amen.
Sources
- Syriaca.org: Habib of Scetis
- Syriaca.org: Awgin (BHS 87)
- The Life of Saint Mar Isaiah of Aleppo, Arabic account (Nirgal Gate)