(CE:1571a-1571b)
MATTHEW III, one hundredth patriarch of the See of Saint Mark (1634-1649). Matthew is described in the HISTORY OF THE PATRIARCHS as al-Tukhi, which fixes his provenance as the city of Tuhk al-Nasara in Lower Egypt. His biography is less than three lines in the History, where his dates of investiture and death are mentioned. It also mentions the fact that he was an ascetic monk at DAYR AL-BARAMUS when he was elected to this high office. O. Meinardus states that he was also a resident of the Monastery of Saint Macarius (DAYR ANBA MAQAR). He was a contemporary of the Ottoman sultans Murad IV (1623-1640) and Ibrahim I (1640-1648). Because he lived in one of the darkest periods of Egyptian history, it is impossible to discover further information about his life.
SUBHI Y. LABIB
