The Egyptian

An unidentified man from Egypt who led a violent revolt against Roman rule. He gathered a large group of followers, including a violent group called the Sicarii—Jewish rebels known for using small knives to assassinate their enemies. The Egyptian led his followers into the wilderness.

After a disturbance at the temple, the Roman commander Claudius Lysias asked the apostle Paul if he was this Egyptian rebel (Acts 21:38). The ancient Jewish historian Josephus also wrote about this man. He said the Egyptian led a failed rebellion that was stopped by the Roman governor Felix. The number of rebels in the revolt differs between sources, but all agree that the Egyptian escaped and was never caught.