The town's Arabic name comes from Coptic Pharbait (Coptic: ⲫⲁⲣⲃⲁⲓⲧ), which in turn is derived from Ancient Egyptian: Pr-Ḥrw-mr.ty, lit. 'house of the two eyed Horus'.[6] It was also known as Sheten (Ancient Egyptian: Štꜣn).[7]
There is a record of Bishop Arbetion at Nicæa in 325,[9] and Bishop Theodorus in 1086,[10] but it is possible that the latter was bishop of another Pharbætus situated further to the west, and which according to Vansleb was equally a Coptic see. John of Nikiu[11] relates that under the Emperor Phocas (602-10) the clerics of the province killed the Greek governor Theophilus.
It remains a Roman Catholic titular see under the name Pharbaetus.
^Johnson, Janet H., ed. (2001). The Demotic dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Chicago: The Oriental Institute. p. 233.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Pharbætus". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. The entry cites:
Heinrich Gelzer, Georgii Cyprii Descriptio orbis romani, 114–16;
ROUGÉ, Géographie ancienne de la Basse Egypte (Paris, 1891), 66–74;
Émile Amélineau, La Géographie de l'Egypte à l' époque copte (Paris, 1893), 330.
Egypt
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Pharbætus". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. The entry cites:
