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| Athanasius the Great is Very Highly Esteemed by the Emperor, and rules over the Churches of Egypt. Vision of Antony the Great.
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Chapter V.—Athanasius
the Great is Very Highly Esteemed by the Emperor, and rules over the
Churches of Egypt. Vision of Antony the Great.
At this period,1436
| 1436A largely independent chapter. Cf. Soc. iii. 24;
Philost. viii. 6.
|
Athanasius, who governed the see of Alexandria, and some of his
friends, deemed it requisite, as the emperor was a Christian, to repair
to his court.1437
| 1437This may have a connection with Theodoret, iv. 2, 3;
Athanas. Ep. ad Jovianum imp., where several petitions and
interlocutions of the Arians with Jovian against Athanasius are
given.
|
Accordingly Athanasius went to Antioch, and laid such matters before
the emperor as he deemed expedient. Others, however, say that the
emperor sent for him in order to consult him concerning the affairs
relative to religion and the right tenet. When the business of the
Church had as far as possible been transacted, Athanasius began to
think of returning.
Euzoïus, bishop of the Arian heresy in Antioch,
endeavored to install Probatius, a eunuch who held the same sentiments
as himself, in Alexandria. The whole party of Euzoïus conspired
with him to effect this design; and Lucius, a citizen of Alexandria,
who had been ordained presbyter by George, endeavored to prejudice the
emperor against Athanasius, by representing1438
| 1438The accusations made by the Arians, Lucius and
Bernicianus. See preceding reference to Ep. ad Jovianum, 4.
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that he had been accused of divers crimes and had been condemned to
perpetual banishment by preceding emperors, as the author of the
dissensions and troubles of the Church concerning the Divine Being.
Lucius likewise besought Jovian to appoint another bishop over the
church of Alexandria. The emperor, since he knew the plots which had
happened against Athanasius, attached no credit to the calumny, and
with threatening, commanded Lucius to retire quietly; he also ordered
Probatius and the other eunuchs belonging to his palace, whom he
regarded as the originators of these troubles, to act more advisedly.
From that period Jovian manifested the greatest friendship towards
Athanasius, and sent him back to Egypt, with directions to govern the
churches and people of that country as he might think fit. It is also
said that he passed commendations on the virtue of the bishop, on his
life, his intellectual endowments, and his eloquence.
Thus, after having been exposed to opposition for a long
while, as has been narrated in the former books, was the Nicene faith
fully reestablished under the present government; but further
embarrassment awaited it within a very short period. For, as it
appeared afterwards, the whole of the prediction of Antony the Monk was
not fulfilled by the occurrences which befell the Church during the
reign of Constantius; part thereof was not accomplished until the reign
of Valens. It is said that before the Arians got control of the
churches during the reign of Constantius, Antony had a dream in which
he saw mules kicking the altar with their hoofs and overturning the
holy table. On awakening, he immediately predicted that the Church
would be troubled by the introduction of spurious and mixed doctrines,
and by the rebellion of the heterodox. The truth of this prediction was
evidenced by the events which occurred before and after the period now
under review. E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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