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.)