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After Emperor Diocletian's Great Persecution (303–305), the heretical [[Meletius of Lycopolis]] ordained himself many of his followers as bishops, and among them was Melas in Arsinoe. Meletius' heresy consisted on his opposition to Saint Peter I's (300–311) readmission of lapsed Christians (who offered sacrifices to the idols when threatened by the Persecution) after some years of repentance. Meletius sided with Arius, but later had his excommunication lifted by [[Alexander of Alexandria|Saint Alexander]] (313–328). Of course, this Melas can't be listed as bishop.
The Diocese of Arsinoe became suffragan to the Archdiocese of Oxyrhynchus. In 362, during the times of [[Athanasius of Alexandria|Saint Athanasius the Great]], Patriarch of Alexandria (328–373), a council was presided in Alexandria in order to excommunicate those who denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit. Andreas of Arsinoe is among the bishops who attended the council, and may have been the author of the letter regarding the council to the [[Church of Antioch]]. Nothing else is known about him.
Calosyrios was the Bishop of Arsinoe during [[Cyril of Alexandria|Saint Cyril]]'s Patriarchate (412–444). In 444, Saint Cyril wrote him a letter to be read in all the monasteries of his diocese refuting anthropomorphism. The anthropomorphist heresy held that [[God]] had a human form, this because of a wrong interpretation on the [[Book of Genesis]]. The heresy came from Syria to the Egyptian monasteries, and probably Arsinoe had been infected with it. During the [[Robber Council of Ephesus]] in 449, Calosyrios was one of the bishops who supported the lift of Eutyches' excommunication. Later, the holy [[Pulcheria the Empress|Empress Pulcheria]] (450–453) nullified the council and excommunicated Monophysitism again.
The year of 639 marked the beginning of the Islamic conquest of Egypt. During the caliphate's rule, the Arab-Egyptian population (predominantly Myaphisites) were favored over the Greco-Egyptian (predominantly Orthodox), who had to pay higher and higher taxes to the conquerors. Eventually, almost all the Orthodox had took refuge in Asia, while the dioceses were taken by the Myaphisites. Even though, a certain Orthodox bishop is listed in the see of Arsinoe near the year of 740. Bishop Abrahamios was the last recorded Orthodox hierarch of Arsinoe, during the times of Patriarch Cosmas I (727–768). He was the first Orthodox patriarch allowed by the caliph to return to Alexandria after the Islamic invasion. After this, the seat of Arsinoe was subsequently held by Myaphisite bishops.
In 1976, the titular title of Bishop of Arsinoe was again granted to Hegumen Stephanos Papacharalambos. At that time, the city of Faiyum, now capital of the homonymous governorate, was under the jurisdiction of the [[Archdiocese of Nubia]]. After 2004, it was put under the [[Archdiocese of Ptolemais]]. In 2016, the title was given again to [[Vasilios (Varvelis) of Arsinoe|Bishop Vasilios of Botswana]] after his retirement from active service.
== Ruling bishops ==
