According to ancient tradition, Christianity was introduced in Egypt by Saint Mark (1st century AD) in Alexandria. Christianity then spread throughout Egypt within half a century. In the second century Christianity began to spread to the rural areas and scriptures were translated into the local language, today known as Coptic. By the beginning of the third century, Christians constituted the majority of Egypt’s population.
In 384 Theodosius-I declared Christianity to be the religion of the empire. Doctrinal differences came to the surface, particularly between Alexandria and Constantinople. In 451 the Council of Chalcedon was called to debate the question of Christ’s single or dual nature (divine or divine/human). Egypt was the principal proponent of a single nature (monophysitism), while Constantinople and the majority of the delegates favoured the concept of duality (diophysitism). Monophysitism was declared a heresy and the Egyptian patriarch Dioscorus (r.444-451, d.454) excommunicated. Monophysitism in Egypt became symbolic of the nation’s resentment of Byzantium’s political and religious authority.
In 616 or 617 the Sassanians under Chosroes II (r.590-628) captured Pelusium. After the surrender of Alexandria in 619 the Persians extended their control along the Nile Valley and by 621 they had secured the province. The Sassanids were tolerant of monophysitism but when Heraclius (c.66; r.610-641) restored Byzantine rule in 629 the monophysites were persecuted and their patriarch expelled.
In December 639 Amr ibn al-Aas (c.586-664) set out with a few thousand men and the receptive support of the Coptic Church to conquer Egypt. He crossed into the Delta from Palestine and advanced to the Delta. The imperial garrisons retreated into the walled towns, where they held out. Arab reinforcements were sent for and in April 641 Alexandria was captured. The Byzantines assembled a fleet and won back Alexandria in 645 but the Arabs retook the city in 646, completing the Muslim conquest of Egypt.
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