Orthodox Church.[1] Their little flock has now only four non-resident suffragans,[2] and is governed by the Lord Photios, Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria. This line of Patriarchs no longer concerns us — except that incidentally we shall hear of the Melkites during their frequent quarrels with the Copts.
Turning to the Coptic line, we come back to Peter III (567-570). He was succeeded by Damian (570-c. 603); then followed Anastasius (603-614). A schism had arisen between the Copts and their Monophysite brethren, the Jacobites of Syria, during the time of Damian.[3] Anastasius of Alexandria was able to heal this. The victories of Chosroes II of Persia (590-628; see p. 90) had begun. In 614 he captured Damascus and overran Syria; in 615 he took Jerusalem and carried away the relic of the Cross. The Jacobite Patriarch Athanasius (p. 334) fled before him and came to Egypt. Here he was reconciled with Anastasius. He was received with great honour and pomp, and communicated with his Coptic brother. But Sophronius of Jerusalem, who was orthodox, curses both, and their union.[4]
During all this time, till the Moslem conquest, the Melkites, although so small a party, naturally enjoyed the favour of the Byzantine Government. They held the chief churches and the old Patriarchal palace. The Melkite Patriarch was generally made Imperial commissioner for Egypt; so he had supreme political authority in the land. But Melkite power was practically confined to the Hellenized cities of Lower Egypt, chiefly to Alexandria. Upper Egypt, the Thebais and the desert, with its crowd of monks, was all Monophysite. The Coptic Patriarchs, driven out of Alexandria by their rivals, lived for the most part in the monasteries of Upper Egypt. However, some of them were able to stay in Alexandria. In 616 the Persians invaded Egypt. John the Almoner (the Melkite Patriarch) fled to Cyprus; the Coptic throne was occupied by Andronicus (614-620). The enemy held Egypt till the treaty of 628, when Heraclius' victories compelled him to withdraw his troops. During these twelve
