Christians have often been scapegoats during the Roman Empire's Crisis of the third century, and when Diocletian at the beginning of the fourth century makes this persecution systematic, Christian refugee communities fleeing the chaos and persecution of these times form in Egypt at the edges of population centers, far enough away to be safe from Imperial scrutiny, but still close enough to have access to civilization.

Records from this time indicate that Christians often lived in tombs and trash heaps on the edges of major cities, more or less protected by their obscure status.

Macarius the Egyptian, called Macarius the Elder, (also called Saint Macarius the Great, and commonly confused with Macarius of Alexandria, an Egyptian hermit of the same period), joins a colony of monks in the desert of Scete and becomes widely known for his holiness and miracles.

An ascetic and solitary, Macarius at the age of about forty in 340 is ordained a priest .

A supporter of Athanasius in the battle against the Arian heresy, he is temporarily exiled to the Nile delta by Athanasius' Arian successor. (An extensive body of writings has been traditionally ascribed to Macarius, but scholars now believe these to be of Syrian origin.)