Saint Macarius the Egyptian's (c. 300-390) virtue and spiritual exploits gave rise to various tales and sayings. These were recounted, some hundred years later, in hagiographical form, and were then disseminated in various languages of the Christian Orient, including Coptic, Syriac, Arabic, Ethiopic, Greek, and Georgian. This book presents a rare study of a text, taking into account its transmission in multiple languages, accompanied by newly re-edited Coptic and Syriac versions of the Life. This book also provides a commentary on the life of the "historical Macarius," as well as the Life seen as a literary, hagiographical, work.