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Constantine CAESAR to the members of the Catholic Church of the
Alexandrians.
It cannot, I conceive, have escaped the knowledge of your devout
minds, that Athanasius, the expositor of the venerated law, was sent
for a while unto the Gauls, lest he should sustain some irreparable
injury from the perverseness of his blood-thirsty adversaries, whose
ferocity continually endangered his sacred life. To evade this
[perverseness], therefore, he was taken from the jaws of the men who
threatened him into a city under my jurisdiction, where, as long as it
was his appointed residence, he has been abundantly supplied with every
necessity: although his distinguished virtue trusting in divine aid
would have made light of the pressure of a more rigorous fortune. And
since our sovereign, my father, Constantine Augustus of blessed
memory, was prevented by death from accomplishing his purpose of
restoring this bishop to his see, and to your most sanctified piety,
I have deemed it proper to carry his wishes into effect, having
inherited the task from him. With how great veneration he has been
regarded by us, ye will learn on his arrival among you; nor need any
one be surprised at the honor I have put upon him, since I have been
alike influenced by a sense of what was due to so excellent a
personage, and the knowledge of your affectionate solicitude respecting
him. May Divine Providence preserve you, beloved brethren.
Relying on this letter, Athanasius came to Alexandria, and was most
joyfully received by the people of the city. Nevertheless as many in
it as had embraced Arianism, combining together, entered into
conspiracies against him, by which frequent seditions were excited,
affording a pretext to the Eusebians for accusing him to the emperor of
having taken possession of the Alexandrian church on his own
responsibility, in spite of the adverse judgment of a general council
of bishops. So far indeed did they succeed in pressing their charges,
that the emperor became exasperated, and banished him from
Alexandria. How indeed this came about I shall hereafter explain.
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