Biography
Absadah
About Absadah
Absadah is remembered in Coptic tradition as a priest and martyr. The Coptic Encyclopedia lists the presbyter under the names Psote, Anba Bisadah and Ibsadah, separately from a bishop of Psoi with similar names. This distinction is essential to identifying the priest’s received account.
François Nau’s comparison of Copto-Arabic calendars records Psoté, also called Beschada, as a priest on 24 Toubah. His apparatus gives the forms Bashidae and Abshadius in other witnesses. The index separately records Psoté the bishop on 27 Kihak. These similar spellings preserve different calendar entries and do not justify assigning the bishop’s office or story to the priest.
The Synaxarium places the priest’s martyrdom in Alexandria.
Nau’s study shows why the name and calendar need to be read together. The presbyter’s remembrance belongs to 24 Tubah, whereas the bishop has a different entry. The evidence supports preserving the priest’s identity without supplying an exact life year or an unsupported account of his birthplace.
Wondering how to weigh the stories and sources? Learn how to read a saint biography.