500’s           Monasteries in Alexandria identified by milestones on the way to Mareotis, Pempton (fifth mile), Ennaton (ninth mile), Dekaton (tenth), Oktokaidekaton (eighteenth mile), Eikoston (twentieth); Monastery of St. Jeremiah at Saqqara; Apophthegmata Patrum (Sayings of the Desert Fathers) compiled at Wadi al-Natrunl Ghanaian empire most important power in West Africa.

    512              Severus (d. 465) consecrated bishop of Antioch (512-538), author of numerous Homilies and Letters; he was the exegetical and theological leader of non-Chacedonians of Egypt.

    516              Dioscorus II Coptic patriarch of Alexandria.

    517–535      Timothy III Coptic patriarch of Alexandria.

    518              Anti-Chalcedonian Julian of Halicarnassus is exiled to Egypt.

    518–538      Bishop Severus of Antioch has lengthy exile to Sakha, Egypt; he teaches in non-Chalcedonian monasteries in Egypt.

    519              End of Acacian Schism and acceptance of Chalcedon in East, excepting “monophysites” who are still persecuted in Egypt and throughout North Africa; official shunning of Coptic language and intellectual tradition by Byzantines.

    529              Benedict of Nursia (480-547) founds monasteries on Pachomian lines of discipline at Montecassino and Subiaco in the Italian Aniene valley, continuing many patterns of African monasticism through the Benedictine rule.

    527–565      Era of Justinian the Great, Byzantine emperor, Code of Justinian; Imperial laws constraining heretics, Jews, and pagans in Africa.

    533              Byzantine General Belisarius uproots Vandals from North Africa and reconquers Egypt, restoring the empire almost to its former dimensions from Mauretania to Armenia, building many fortresses and basilicas in Africa; now Byzantine forms of Christian architecture appear throughout North Africa.

    536–567      Justinian establishes Chalcedonian episcopal hierarchy in Alexandria until rise of Islam; built Angelion Church in Serapium area (destroyed in tenth century), but patriarch remained largely physically removed from Alexandria in perpetual exile.

    536–566      Anti-Chalcedonian Theodosius I, patriarch of Alexandria, author of Homilies.

    538–540      Chalcedonian patriarch Paul Tabennesiota, succeeded by Zoilus in 540, Apollinaris in 551,

and John in 570.

    540              Three Christian Kingdoms now lie south of Egypt: Nobatia (cap. Faras), Makuria (Dongola),

Alwa (Soba.)

    543              Edict against Origenism.

    544              Three Chapters controversy enflames conflicts between Copts and other Orthodox Christians.

    546              Justinian condemns the Three Chapters; first move to reconciliation with Monophysites.

    547–565      Construction of St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai.

c. 550              Cassiodorus founds the monastery, Vivarium, in Calabria in southern Italy, with scriptorium out of which many texts originally written in Africa became first known to Europeans and accessible to pre-medieval monastic libraries, conveying the fourth century African intellectual tradition to sixth century Europe for the first time.

    553              Fifth ecumenical council, Second Council of Constantinople; Condemnation of Three Chapters.

c. 563              Columba’s (c. 521-597) mission to Iona begins bringing African penitential discipline to Scots.

    564–577      Non-Chalcedonian Paul of Antioch as patriarch of Alexandria.

    567–576      Peter IV patriarch of Alexandria; over 600 Coptic monasteries flourish in Egypt.

c. 570–649      John Climacus of Sinai.

    570’s           Chalcedonians send mission to the Kingdom of Makurrah.

    576–605      Damian, patriarch of Alexandria, author of Synodicon defends counter-Chalcedonian Christology.

    567              Philosopher John Philoponos attempts Aristotelian interpretation of Trinity, resisted by most Copts.

    578–615      Peripatetic ascetic John Moschus accompanied by with Sophronius (550-638) in Alexandria and Sinai, writes Pratum spirituale, Life of John the Almsgiver; Christmas Sermon; he is elected patriarch of Jerusalem (634-638); his Synodical Letter counters monophysite teaching in Egypt and Palestine.

    585              Columbanus (545-615) from Ireland to Gaul, founds monastery of Luxeuil, bringing African

orthodox penitential tradition in a great circle back to Europe from Ireland to serve Europe’s early medieval formation.

    598              Birth of Samuel, who headed Monastery Dair Anba Samuel at al-Qalamun in western Egyptian desert.