Celebrating Faith that can move mountains (these three days before Advent Fast)



Saint Simon the Tanner (Sama'an, in Arabic) lived towards the end of the tenth century when Egypt was ruled by the Fatimid Caliph, Al-Muizz, and Abraham the Syrian was the Coptic Pope.
At the time, the many Copts (Christians) in Egypt were engaged in handicrafts. Saint Simon worked in one of the crafts widespread in Babylon (Old Cairo) which was tanning, a craft still known there till this day.
This profession involved also other crafts that depend on the process, from where he carried several titles related to skins; Saint Simon the Tanner, the Cobbler, the Shoemaker.
According to Coptic sayings, the Caliph Al Muizz, an enlightened man, was fond of literacy gatherings, and inviting different religious leaders to debate in his presence with neither anger nor contention.
In one of those meetings in which Pope Abraham and a Jew named Jacob Ibn Killis were present, the Pope got the upper hand in the debate. Plotting to take revenge, Ibn Killis quoted the verse where the Lord, Jesus, said in Mt 17:20: "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to the mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move, nothing will be impossible for you" and demanded him to prove that his religion is right by means of this.
The Caliph saw in this an opportunity to remove the mountain that was spoiling his view. At the same time, if they proved unable to do so, it would be the proof that the religion of the Christians was wrong and he would be done away with them completely or so goes the legend.
And so, after 3 days of prayers and fasts by the people throughout the land of Egypt, Simon was chosen to move the Mokattam Mountain. (addai note "because of the appearance of St. Mary during the fast who told him to do so", as another account explicetly says).


It is said that a great earthquake swept over the mountain. Each time the people stood up to worship, the mountain was thrust up and the sun would be seen from under it. When the people sat down, the mountain thrust down. This was repeated three times.
Saint Simon was never found afterwards. His skeleton was discovered in 1991 in Babylon in St. Mary's church (the Hanging Church).