A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

ATHANASIUS.
jority in the council. Undismayed by the triumph
of his enemies, the deposed archbishop returned to
Tyre, and presenting himself before Constantine as
he was entering the city, entreated the emperor to
do him justice. His prayer was so far granted as
that his accusers were summoned to confront him
in the imperial presence. On this, they abandoned
their previous grounds of attack, and accused him
of having threatened to prevent the exportation of
corn from Alexandria to Constantinople. It would
seem that the emperor was peculiarly sensitive on
this point; for, notwithstanding the intrinsic improbability of the charge, and the earnest denials
of Athanasius, the good prelate was banished by
Constantine to Gaul. It is not unlikely that, when
the heat of his indignation had subsided, Constantine felt the sentence to be too rigorous; for he
prohibited the filling up of the vacant see, and declared that his motive in banishing the primate
was to remove him from the machinations of his
enemies.* Athanasius went to Treves (A. D. 336),
where he was not only received with kindness by
Maximinus, the bishop of that city, but loaded
with favours by Constantine the Younger. The
Alexandrians petitioned the emperor to restore
their spiritual father, and Antony the hermit
joined in the request; but the appeal was unsuccessful.
In the year 337, Constantine died. In the following year, Athanasius was replaced in his see by
Constantine II. He was received by the clergy
and the people with the liveliest demonstrations of
joy. But he had scarcely resumed the dignities
and duties of his office, when the persevering hostility of his Arian opponents began to disturb him
afresh. They succeeded in prejudicing the mind
of Constantius against him, and in a council held
at Antioch proceeded to the length of appointing
Pistus archbishop of Alexandria. To counteract
their movements, Athanasius convoked a council at
Alexandria, in which a document was prepared
setting forth the wrongs committed by the adverse
party, and vindicating the character of the Egyptian primate. Both parties submitted their statements to Julius, the bishop of Rome, who signified
his intention of bringing them together, in order
that the case might be thoroughly investigated. To
this proposition Athanasius assented. The Arians
refused to comply. In the year 340, Constantine
the Younger was slain; and in him Athanasius
seems to have lost a powerful and zealous friend.
In the very next year, the Arian bishops convened
a council at Antioch, in which they condemned
Athanasius for resuming his office while the sentence of deposition pronounced by the council of
Tyre was still unrepealed. They accused him of
disorderly and violent proceedings on his return to
Alexandria, and even revived the old exploded
stories about the broken chalice and the murder of
Arsenius. They concluded by appointing Eusebius
Emisenus to the archbishopric of Alexandria; and
when he declined the dubious honour, Gregory of

ATHANASIUS. 395
Cappadocia was advanced in his stead. The new
primate entered on his office (A. D. 341) amidst
scenes of atrocious violence. The Christian population of Alexandria were loud in their complaints
against the removal of Athanasius; and Philagrius,
the prefect of Egypt, who had been sent with
Gregory to establish him in his new office, let loose
against them a crowd of ferocious assailants, who
committed the most frightful excesses. Athanasius
fled to Rome, and addressed to the bishops of every
Christian church an energetic epistle, in which he
details the cruel injuries inflicted upon himself and
his people, and entreats the aid of all his brethren.
At Rome he was honourably received by Julius,
who despatched messengers to the ecclesiastical
opponents of Athanasius, summoning them to a
council to be held in the imperial city. Apparently
in dread of exposure and condemnation, they refused to comply with the summons. When the
council met (A. D. 342), Athanasius was heard in
his own vindication, and honourably restored to
the communion of the church. A synodical letter
was addressed by the council to the Arian clergy,
severely reproving them for their disobedience to
the summons of Julius and their unrighteous conduct to the church of Alexandria.
In the year 347, a council was held at Sardica,
at which the Arians at first designed to attend.
They insisted, however, that Athanasius and all
whom they had condemned should be excluded. As
it was the great object of this council to decide
upon the merits of that very case, the proposition
was of course resisted, and the Arians left the
assembly. The council, after due investigation,
affirmed the innocence of those whom the Arians
had deposed, restored them to their offices, and
condemned their adversaries. Synodical epistles,
exhibiting the decrees of the council, were duly
prepared and issued. Delegates were sent to the
emperor Constantius at Antioch, to notify the decision of the council of Sardica; and they were also
entrusted with a letter from Constans to his brother, in which the cause of the orthodox clergy was
strongly recommended. At Antioch an infamous
plot was laid to blast the reputation of the delegates. Its detection seems to have wrought powerfully upon the mind of Constantius, who had
previously supported the Arians; for he recalled
those of the orthodox whom he had banished, and
sent letters to Alexandria forbidding any further
molestation to be offered to the friends of Athanasius.
In the following year (A. n. 349), Gregory was
murdered at Alexandria; but of the occasion and
manner of his death no particulars have reached us.
It prepared the way for the return of Athanasius.
He was urged to this by Constantius himself,
whom he visited on his way to Alexandria, and
on whom he made, for the time, a very favourable
impression. He was once more received at Alexandria with overflowing signs of gladness and affection. Restored to his see, he immediately proceeded against the Arians with great vigour, and
they, on their side, renewed against him the charges
which had been so often disproved. Constans, the
friend of Athanasius, was now dead; and though
Constantius, at this juncture, professed great friendliness for the primate, he soon attached himself
once more to the Arian party. In a council held
at Arles (A. D. 353), and another at Milan (A. D.
355), they succeeded by great exertions in procur

"* Gibbon ascribes the sentence to reasons of policy. "The emperor was satisfied that the peace
of Egypt would be secured by the absence of a
popular leader; but he refused to fill the vacancy
of the archiepiscopal throne; and the sentence,
which, after long hesitation, he pronounced, was
that of a jealous ostracism, rather than of an ignominious exile."