Matta El Meskeen (English: Matthew the Poor; 20 September 1919 – 8 June 2006), born Youssef Iskandar, was a Coptic Orthodox monk.
He was the key figure in the revival of Coptic monasticism, a movement which began in 1969 when he was appointed to the Monastery of St Macarius in the Wadi El Natrun in Egypt.
Matta was also a theologian, and author of 181 books and hundreds of journal articles on Biblical exegesis, Ecclesiastical rites, spiritual and theological matters, and much more.
After leading a successful life and establishing a wealthy lifestyle for himself—Iskander at the time was the owner of two pharmacies, two villas, and two cars—he renounced his material possessions in 1948, and entered the monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in Mount Qalamoun (roughly near Maghagha, Upper Egypt).
After living for a few years in the monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor in Mount Qalamoun, Father Matta decided to move out into Wadi El Rayan in the late 1950s.
These twelve monks were sent by Pope Kyrillos VI to Wadi El Natrun in 1969 to develop the monastery of St. Macarius the Great.
At his death, Metropolitan Mikhail of Asyut (the abbot responsible for the monastery) wrote: "for truth and history’s sake I say that Father Matta Al-Miskin was a brilliant scholar, a turning point, a new level of writing and literary activity through the long period of his monastic life.
[12][13] But there seems to have been some major disagreements between both leaders and their followers,[1][14][15][16][17] e.g., in relation to the concept of theosis[18][19][20] and also regarding Father Matta's position on Mark 16.
When asked why he never defended himself against the many accusations regarding some of his writings, Father Matta El-Meskeen replied, The Gospel of the day of his departure (June 8, 2006) according to the Coptic Lectionary was John 15:17-25.
In a rare interview with Time magazine,[24] after Sadat had exiled Pope Shenouda, Matta El Meskeen was quoted as saying the following: I can't say I'm happy, but I am at peace now.