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THE emperor, on sending back Athanasius to Egypt, wrote in his
favor to the bishops and presbyters of that country, and to the people
of the church of Alexandria; he testified to the integrity of his
conduct and the virtue of his manners, and exhorted them to be of one
mind, and to unite in prayer and service to God under his guidance.
He added that, if any evil-disposed persons should excite
disturbances, they should receive the punishment awarded by the laws
for such offenses. He also commanded that the former decrees he had
enacted against Athanasius, and those who were in communion with him,
should be effaced from the public registers, and that his clergy should
be admitted to the same exemptions they had previously enjoyed; and
edicts to this effect were dispatched to the governors of Egypt and
Libya.
Immediately on his arrival in Egypt, Athanasius displaced those whom
he knew to be attached to Arianism, and placed the government of the
Church and the confession of the Nicaean council in the hands of those
whom he approved, and he exhorted them to hold to this with
earnestness. It was said at that time, that, when he was traveling
through other countries, he effected the same change, if be happened
to visit churches which were under the Arians. He was certainly
accused of having dared to perform the ceremony of ordination in cities
where he had no right to do so. But because he had effected his
return, although his enemies were unwilling, and it did not seem that
he could be easily cast under suspicion, in that he was honored with
the friendship of the Emperor Constans, he was regarded with greater
consideration than before. Many bishops, who had previously been at
enmity with him, received him into communion, particularly those of
Palestine. When he at that time visited these latter, they received
him kindly. They held a Synod at Jerusalem, and Maximus and the
others wrote the following letter in his favor.
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