A subtle heretic of the sect of the Hieracites, called so from Hierax,

who in the reign of Dioclesian denied the resurrection of the dead, had,
by his sophisms, caused some to stagger in their faith. St. Macarius, to
confirm them in the truth, raised a dead man to life, as Socrates,
Sozomen, Palladius, and Rufinus relate. Cassian says, that he only
made a dead corpse to speak for that purpose; then bade it rest till the
resurrection.
Rev. Alban Butler (171173). Volume I: January.
The Lives of the Saints. 1866.

AdictionaryofGreekandRoman
biographyandmythology
WilliamSmith,Ed.

MACARIUS
).
1.AEGYPTIUS,theEGYPTIAN.TherewereinthefourthcenturyinEgypttwoeminentasceticsand
contemporaries,thoughprobablynotdisciplesofSt.Antony,asisassertedbyRufinus,andperhapsby
Theodoret.[ANTONIUS,No.4,217b.]Ofthesethesubjectofthepresentarticleisgenerallydistinguished
astheEGYPTIAN,sometimesasMAGNUS,theGREAT,orasMAJORorSENIOR,theELDER;while
theotherisdescribedasMacariusofAlexandria.[No.2.]
MacariustheEgyptianwastheelderofthetwo,andwasborn,accordingtoSocrates,inUpperEgypt.At
theageofthirtyhebetookhimselftoasolitarylife.HisplaceofretreatwasthewildernessofSceteor
Scetis,apartofthegreatLybiandesert,whichD'Anvilleplacesabout60miles,butTillemontasmuchas
120milesS.ofAlexandria,awretchedspot,butonthataccountwellsuitedtothepurposeoftheascetics
whooccupiedit.HereMacarius,thoughyetayoungman,gavehimselfuptosuchausteritiesastoacquire
thetitleof,"theagedyouth."Atfortyyearsofagehewasordainedapriest,
andissaidtohavereceivedpowertocastoutevilspiritsandtohealdiseases,aswellasthegiftof
prophecy;andmanymarvellousstoriesarerelatedbyhisbiographers,PalladiusandRufinus,ofhis
employmentofthesesupernaturalqualifications.Itwasevenreportedthathehadraisedthedeadinorder
toconvinceanobstinateheretic,aHieracite[HIERAX,No.3],withwhomhehadadisputation:butthis
miraclewastoogreattobereceivedimplicitlyevenbythecredulityofRufinusandPalladius,whohave
recordeditonlyasareport.
DuringthepersecutionwhichtheorthodoxsufferedfromLucius,theArianpatriarchofAlexandria
[LUCIUS,No.2]duringthereignoftheemperorValens,Macariuswasbanished,togetherwithhis

namesakeofAlexandriaandotherEgyptiansolitaries,toanislandsurroundedbymarshesandinhabited
onlybyheathens.Hediedattheageofninety;andascriticsaregenerallyagreedinplacinghisdeathinA.
D.390or391,hemusthavebeenbornaboutthebeginningofthefourthcentury,andhaveretiredtothe
wildernessaboutA.D.330.HeiscanonizedbothbytheGreekandLatinchurches;hismemoryis
celebratedbytheformeronthe19th,bythelatteronthe15thJanuary.(Socrat.H.E.4.23,24;Sozomen,
H.E.3.14,6.20;Theodoret,H.E.4.21;Rufin.H.E.2.4;andapudHeribertRosweyd,DeVitaetVerbis
Senior.2.28;ApophthegmataPatrum,apudCoteler.Eccles.Graec.Monum.vol.1.p.524,&c.;Pallad.
Histor.Lausiac.100.19;Bolland,ActaSanctor.a.d.15Januar.;Tillemont,Mmoires,vol.8.p.574,&c.;
Ceillier,AuteursSucrs,vol.7.p.709.&c.)

Works
ThewritingsofMacariushavebeenthesubjectofmuchdiscussion.GennadiusofMarseilles,ourearliest
authority,says(DeVirisIllustrib.100.10)thathewroteonlyasingleEpistolaorlettertohisjuniorsinthe
asceticlife,inwhichhepointedouttothemthewayofattainingChristianperfection.Miraeusendeavours
toidentifythisEpistolawiththemonasticrule,ascribedtooneoftheMacarii,andgivenintheCodex
RegularumofSt.BenedictofAnagni;butwhich,withtheletterwhichfollowsit,israthertobeascribedto
MacariusofAlexandria.ThesubjectwouldleadustoidentifytheEpistolamentionedbyGennadiuswith
theOpusculamentionedbelow,especiallyasacursorycitationbyMichaelGlycasinhisAnnales(Pars1.
p.105,ed.Paris,p.81,ed.Venice,p.199,ed.Bonn)from"theEpistles(??)of
MacariustheGreat"isfoundtobearsomeresemblancetoapassageinthefourthOpusculum

,100.2.The
writingspublishedunderthenameofMacariusofEgyptarethese:

III.
Apophthegmata.
Editions
ThesewerepublishedpartlybyPossininhisThesaurus

Asceticus,andpartlybyCoteleriusinhisEcclesiae
GraecaeMonumenta,vol.i.(4to.Paris,1677),amongtheApophthegmataPatrum;andweresubjoinedby
PritiustotheOpuscula.

Translations
AnEnglishversionoftheOpusculaandofsomeoftheApophthegmata(thoseofPossin)waspublishedby
Mr.GranvillePenn,12mo.London,1816,underthetitleofInstitutes

ofChristianPerfection.