an church, ascetic, contemplative,
mystical. The two at length influenced one another; still we can
generally trace the philosophic teachers to a Greek origin, the mystics
to an Egyptian.

Caracalla, in revenge for an affront, massacred all the men capable of
bearing arms in Alexandria. His granting of the Roman citizenship to all
Egyptians in common with the other provincials was only to extort more
taxes. Under Decius, A.D. 250, the Christians again suffered from
persecution. When the empire broke up in the weak reign of Gallienus,
the prefect Aemilianus, who took the surname Alexander or Alexandrinus,
was made emperor by the troops at Alexandria, but was conquered by the
forces of Gallienus. In his brief reign of only a few months he had
driven back an invasion of the Blemmyes. This predatory tribe, issuing
from Nubia, was long to be the terror of Upper Egypt. Zenobia, queen of
Palmyra, after an unsuccessful invasion, on a second attempt conquered
Egypt, which she added to her empire, but lost it when Aurelian made war
upon her (A.D. 272). The province was, however, unsettled, and the
conquest of Palmyra was followed in the same year by the suppression of
a revolt in Egypt (A.D. 273). Probus, who had governed Egypt for
Aurelian and Tacitus, was subsequently chosen by the troops to succeed
Tacitus, and is the first governor of this province who obtained the
whole of the empire. He expelled the Blemmyes, who were dominating the
whole of the Thebaid. Diocletian invited the Nobatae to settle in the
Dodecaschoenus as a barrier against their incursions, and subsidized
both Blemmyes and Nobatae. The country, however, was still disturbed,
and in A.D. 296 a formidable revolt broke out, led by Achilleus, who as
emperor took the name Domitius Domitianus. Diocletian, finding his
troops unable to determine the struggle, came to Egypt, captured
Alexandria and put his rival to death (296). He then reorganized the
whole province, and the well-known "Pompey's Pillar" was set up by the
grateful and repentant Alexandrians to commemorate his gift to them of
part of the corn tribute.

The Coptic era of Diocletian or of the Martyrs dates from the accession
of Diocletian (A.D. 284). The edict of A.D. 303 against the Christians,
and those which succeeded it, were rigorously carried out in Egypt,
where Paganism was still strong and face to face with a strong and
united church. Galerius, who succeeded Diocletian in the government of
the Eas