their long harassing persecutions. Just as in the old Roman times the strong and good emperors persecuted the Church, and the weak and bad emperors let it alone, so under the Mohammedan rule, while the fierce fanatics of Islam bore hardly on the "infidels," the negligent, sensual Fatimites treated them with easy toleranace.
The best of the Fatimite caliphs was El-Aziz (a.d. 975–996). He had a Christian wife, one of whose two brothers was appointed by the caliph as Melchite patriarch of Alexandria, and the other as Melchite patriarch of Jerusalem. The Christians were never so well treated under Mohammedan rule in Egypt as during this reign.[1] Although the caliph had married a Melchite, this sect was not selected for exclusive favour. The Coptic patriarch Ephraim was highly honoured at court, and he obtained leave to rebuild the ruined church of St. Mercurius. The caliph encouraged Severus, the bishop of Ushmuneyu, to discuss questions of theology with Mussulman scholars in his presence. Severus is chiefly known to us by his history, on which Renaudot based much of his narrative. Like all the literature of the time, it is credulous and tedious. Severus was a voluminous writer, composing an exposition of the faith, a treatise against Eutychius, an explanation of the mystery of the Incarnation, a commentary on the Gospels, and other works.
The liberal-minded Caliph El-Aziz even refused to punish a Mohammedan who had turned Christian—a capital offence according to the law of Islam. On the other hand, he appointed Christian Copts to high offices under his government. This course of action excited the jealousy of the Mohammedans, who obtained the removal of some of these officials. But in course of time the caliph restored them to their posts. Meanwhile El-Aziz was living in luxury and splendour; so that for this brief interval the members of the much persecuted Coptic
- ↑ See S. Lane Poole, Hist. of Egypt, p. 119.
