pollion, Pantheon egyplien (Paris, 1832) ; Haymann, Darstellung d. A.-n. M. (Bonn, 1837); Roth, Die tig. u. Zoroastrische Glaubenslehre (Manh. 1846) ; Beaure- gard, Les divinites E'gyptiennes (Paris, 1866) ; Sharpe, Egyptian Mythology (Lond. 1863) ; Lepsius, D. Todten- buch (Lpz. 1867); Rouge, Ritual des E'gyptiens (Paris, 1866); Birch, The Funeral Ritual (in Bunsen, vol. v) ; Pley te, La Religion des Pre-Israelites (Par. 1862). Mod- em Inhabitants : Lane, Modem Egyptians (3d ed. 1860) ; Id. Thousand and One Nights (2d edit., by Poole, Lond. 1859); Mrs. Poole, Englishwoman in Egypt (Lond. and N. Y. 1844). The periodicals of Great Britain, France, and German}' contain manv valuable papers on Egyp- tian history and antiquities, by Dr. Hincics, Mr. Birch, M. de Rouge, and others. There is a monthly Z(At' schrift, devoted exclusively to Egj'ptological science and information, edited b}' Lepsius, with the aid of M. Brugsch, published at Berlin.
EGYPT, Brook or River of. This is frequently mentioned as the southern limit of the Land of Prom- ise (Gen. XV, 18; 2 Chron. vii, 8; Num. xxiv, 5; Josh. XV, 4). See Brook. Calmet is of opinion that this was the Nile, remarking that Joshua (xiii, 3) describes it by the name of Sihor, which is the true name of the Nile (Jer. ii, 18), "the muddy river;" and that Amos (vi, 14) calls it the river of the wilderness, because the eastern arm of the Nile adjoined Arabia, or the wilder- ness, in Hebrew Arabah, and watered the district by the Egyptians called Arabian. In answer to this, it is said that this stream was the limit of Judsea toward Eg3'pt, and that the Sept. (Isa. xxvii, 12), '-unto the river of Egypt," render "to Rhinocorura,'' an inter- pretation which is adopted by Cellarius, Bochart, Wells, and others, although that is the name of a town cer- tainljr not adjacent to the Nile. See Nile. Besides, it is extremely dubious whether the power of the He- brew nation extended at anj- time to the Nile, and, if it did, it was over a mere sandy desert. But, as this desert is unquestionably the natural boundarj' of the Syrian dominions, no reason can be given why the political l)Oundary should exceed it. IMost geogra- phers, therefore, understand b}' "the River of Egypt" the modern Wady el-Arish, which drains the middle of the Sinaitic desert ; a few, however, take it to be the brook Besor, between Gaza and Rhinocorura. (See Josh. XV, 47.) See Egypt.
EGYPT, Christian.— 1. Church History. The first seeds of Christianity were undoubtedly scattered in Egj'pt at the time of the apostles. According to some ancient historians, Peter founded the Church of Alex- andria and several other Egyptian churches. Mark the Evangelist is said by an old tradition, preserved hy Eusebius {Eccles. Hist, ii, 16), to liave been "the first that was sent to Egypt, and first established church- es at the city of Alexandria."' See Alexandria. The testimony of Eusebius, that the first Christians of Egypt followed a rigidh' ascetic school, is very doubtful, because Philo, to whom he refers, does not speak of Christians, but of a Jewish sect, the Thera- peutae, and expressly mentions that they lived, not in Alexandria, but on Lake Moeris. From Lower Egypt Christianity soon spread to Cyrene, Pentapolis, Libya, Central and L' pper Egypt. There were at least twenty bishoprics in Egj'pt aliout the middle of the third century, for that number of bishops were assem- bled at a council in 285. Five councils of Egyptian bishops were hold before 311; a great many in the fourtli and following centuries. As Egypt had been in the times before Christ the seat of philosophj' and mysticism, so it now became one of the chief seats of Christian literature. The Alexandrian school was the oldest of the higher class of institutions for Christian education. Jerome and others hold Mark the Evan- gelist to have been its founder, but the succession of catechists is diflcrently stated. See Alexandrian School, Among the scientific men whom it gave to
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the Church were Clement, Athanasius, Origen, Cyril. Gnosticism found numerous adherents. Hasilides, Valentinus, Heracleon, Ptolemteus, Carpocrates, 'vvere Egyptians. The Opliites and Doketism sprang up tliere ; Sabellianism and Arianism were also products of Egj-pt. Tiie intiucnce of Egypt in the history' of ]\Ionachism is ecjually marked ; raihoniius, Anthony, and many other celebrated hermits, greatl}' contrib- uted to the spreading of Monachisni in the Christian Church. Monacliism (q. v.), in fact, cannot be fully understood without a due appreciation of the Egyp- tian element. In the historj' of the constitution of the Christian Church Egypt has also had a consider- alile influence. In no other country of the East were hierarchical tendencies so early developed, for the patriarch of Alexandria soon sought to obtain privi- leges v.hicli no other of the superior bishops enjoyed. The INIonopln'sites, who subsequently received the name of Copts, became in Egypt the predominant Church, and gradually wrested nearly- all the church- es from the orthodox Christians, who, as early as the end of the sixth century, were reduced to a very insig- nificant number. The patriarchal seat at Alexandria was occupied almost exclusively b}' Monophysite (Jac- obite) patriarchs, with the exception of Cosmas (elect- ed al)out 72G) and Eutychus (elected in 934). The or- thodox (Greek) Christians I'eceived from their oppo- nents the nickname Melchites (q. v.). In Glo Egypt was invaded b}^ Chosroes, king of Persia, when few bishoprics were spared. The dominion of the Persians lasted only a few years, when the whole countr}', with the capital city of Alexandria, passed into the power of the jMohammedans in 635 (according to others in 640). Under them Christianity suffered incalculable injuries, and gradually declined so as to become a de- spised and oppressed sect. See Copts, Better pros- pects for Christianity did not open till the beginning of the 19th century, when Egypt, under the reign of the enlightened Mehemet Ali, was brought under the influence of European civilization. Since then the educated Egyptians have learned to appreciate the superiority of European nations, especially of England and France ; many young men of talent have been sent to European schools ; the native Christian popu- lation begins to rise from its degradation and despised condition ; the large cities, especially Alexandria and Cairo, are filling up with an intelligent and influen- tial population of foreiirn-born Christians ; Christiaii schools, and other religious and charitable institutions, are multiplying; and the signs of the times seem to indicate that the prospects of Christianity are at pres- ent very liright.