In his history of the Egyptian Saints, Pere Ch.
d'Orleans began speaking of him by sharply criticising him,
but ended his section on him thus: "To counterbalance these
defects the most serious qualities adorned him to the envy of
others. He was characterised by considerable knowledge,
indefectible faith, a rare talent for administration, an
indomitable energy, and a perfect integrity of conduct.
Those who are troubled by any aspects in the behaviour of
Theophilus must remember that no man, however high his
position may be, is immune from error ..."^14
The life of Abba Theophilus ended in peace and
serenity, and he passed away like a candle which flickers then
is snuffed out. It has been pertinently said of him that "he
died an upright man, and is reckoned among the chief
doctors of the church Universal."^15
- Among the `Teachers of the Church' who were
contemporaries of Abba Theophilus, and who were so
prominent that they greatly enriched the Church legacy, the
following three especially deserve to be singled out:- - Abba Pishoi, a man of exceeding saintliness whom
the Coptic Liturgy describes as “the perfect man, the
Christ’s beloved.” To this day, one of the four
monasteries still adorning the Natrun Valley in the
Western desert bears his name, and numerous stories
testifying to his holiness are recorded in the Coptic
Synaxarium and other Church histories.^16 - Abba Yoannis the Short, another saint mentioned
in the Coptic Liturgy as well as a the Synaxarium.^17 In
commemoration of him, a number of monasteries and
churches bearing his name were built throughout Egypt.
However, all of them with just one exception were