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needing none of those who brought him in; he undoes tyrannies for the wronged, making no distinction between those of his own party and of the opposing one; he raises up the fallen word; the Trinity speaks boldly again, having been placed on the lampstand, and flashing into the souls of all with the brilliant light of the one Godhead. He legislates for the world again; he turns every mind back to himself, writing to some, calling others; and there are some whom, coming unbidden, he makes wise, setting forth one law for all: to be willing; for this alone was sufficient for guidance to the better. And, to speak concisely, he imitates the natures of two praised stones. For to those who strike, he becomes adamant, and to the seditious, a magnet, drawing the iron by an ineffable force of nature, and appropriating the hardest among materials.

32. But envy was not to bear these things, nor would it tolerate seeing the Church again in its same glory and ancient health, the division having been quickly healed, as in a body. For this reason, it raises up against him the emperor who was a fellow apostate with itself, and equal in wickedness, falling short in time only; who, first of Christian emperors, raged against Christ, and the basilisk of impiety which he had long been travailing with within himself, he suddenly brought forth, when he found the opportunity, at the same time he is proclaimed emperor, and he proves wicked concerning the emperor who trusted him with the empire, but more wicked concerning the God who saved him; and he conceives a persecution more inhuman than any that had ever been, inasmuch as he mixed persuasion with tyranny (for he envied the sufferers also the honor for their contests), and made even the love of honor in fortitude ambiguous; transferring the twists and complexities in his speeches to his character, or, to speak more truly, from his character he applied them to those matters as well, and imitating the evil one who dwelt in him with much artifice. This man thought it a small task to subdue the entire race of Christians; but a great one to overcome Athanasius and his power concerning our doctrine. For he saw that his design against us availed him nothing, on account of the man's counter-array and opposition; the part of the Christians which was being emptied was always being refilled, through the Greek addition, and his intelligence, which was also remarkable. Therefore, considering and seeing these things, that terrible sophist and persecutor, no longer abides by his pretense and sophistic meanness; but having stripped bare his wickedness, he openly banishes the man from the city. For it was necessary that the champion, having conquered in three bouts, should also achieve the perfect proclamation.

33. A short time in between, and justice, having given the sinner to the Persians, judges him there; and having sent him forth an ambitious emperor, brings him back a corpse, not even pitied; and as I heard from someone, not even received by the tomb, but shaken off and cast up by the earth which was quaked on his account; a prelude, I think, to the punishment from there. And another emperor rises up, not shameless in countenance like the one mentioned before, nor oppressing Israel with wicked deeds and taskmasters, but very pious and gentle; who, in order to establish for himself the best foundation of his reign, and that he might begin good government where he ought, ends the exile for the bishops, and for all the others, and before all, for the one who is before all in virtue, and who was clearly warred against for the sake of piety. And he seeks the truth of our faith, which has been torn apart and confused by many, and distributed into many opinions and portions; so that, first of all, the whole world, if possible, might be in harmony, and come to one accord by the cooperation of the Spirit; but if not, that he himself at least might be with the best party, and grant it the victory, and receive it in return from it, thinking very loftily and magnificently about the greatest matters. There indeed was especially shown the purity of the man, and the firmness of his [faith] in Christ

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οὐδενὸς τῶν συν αγόντων προσδεηθείς· λύει δὲ τοῖς ἠδικημένοις τὰς τυραννίδας, οὐδὲν διελὼν τοὺς τῆς ἑαυτοῦ μερίδος, καὶ τῆς ἐναντίας· ἀνίστησι δὲ πεπτωκότα τὸν λόγον· παῤῥησιάζεται δὲ ἡ Τριὰς πάλιν, ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν τεθεῖσα, καὶ λαμπρῷ τῷ φωτὶ τῆς μιᾶς θεότητος ταῖς πάντων ψυχαῖς ἐναστράπτουσα. Νομοθετεῖ δὲ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ πάλιν· ἐπιστρέφει δὲ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν πᾶσαν διάνοιαν, τοῖς μὲν ἐπιστέλλων, τοὺς δὲ καλῶν· ἔστι δὲ οὓς καὶ ἀκλήτους προσιόντας σοφίζων, πᾶσι δὲ νόμον ἕνα προθεὶς τὸ βούλεσθαι· καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο μόνον ἐξήρκει πρὸς ὁδηγίαν τοῦ κρείτ τονος. Ἐν κεφαλαίῳ δὲ εἰπεῖν, δύο λίθων μιμεῖται φύσεις ἐπαινουμένων. Γίνεται γὰρ τοῖς μὲν παίουσιν ἀδάμας, τοῖς δὲ στασιάζουσι μαγνῆτις, ἀῤῥήτῳ φύ σεως βίᾳ τὸν σίδηρον ἕλκουσα, καὶ τὸ στεῤῥότα τον ἐν ὕλαις οἰκειουμένη.

ΛΒʹ. Ἀλλ' οὐ γὰρ ἔμελλε ταῦτα οἴσειν ὁ φθόνος, οὐδὲ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ὁρῶν ἀνέξεσθαι πάλιν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς δόξης, καὶ τῆς παλαιᾶς ὑγιείας, τάχιστα τοῦ διεστῶτος συνουλωθέντος, ὥσπερ ἐν σώματι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπανίστησιν αὐτῷ τὸν συναποστάτην ἑαυ τῷ βασιλέα, καὶ τὴν κακίαν ὁμότιμον, χρόνῳ μόνῳ λειπόμενον· ὃς πρῶτος Χριστιανῶν βασιλέων κατὰ Χριστοῦ μανεὶς, καὶ ὃν ὤδινε πόῤῥωθεν ἐν ἑαυ τῷ βασιλίσκον τῆς ἀσεβείας ἀναῤῥήξας ἀθρόως, ἐπει δὴ καιρὸν ἔλαβεν, ὁμοῦ τε αὐτοκράτωρ ἀναδείκνυ ται, καὶ κακὸς μὲν περὶ τὸν πιστεύσαντα βασιλέα τὰ βασίλεια γίνεται, κακίων δὲ περὶ τὸν σεσωκότα Θεόν· καὶ διωγμὸν ἐννοεῖ τῶν πώποτε γενομένων ἀπανθρωπότατον, ὅσῳ τὸ πιθανὸν τῇ τυραννίδι μί ξας (ἐφθόνει γὰρ τοῖς πάσχουσι καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἄθλοις τιμῆς), ἀμφίβολον ἐποίει καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀνδρείας φιλότιμον· τὰς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις στροφὰς καὶ πλοκὰς ἐπὶ τὸν τρόπον μετενεγκὼν, ἢ, τό γε ἀληθέστε ρον εἰπεῖν, ἀπὸ τοῦ τρόπου, καὶ περὶ ἐκεῖνα σπου δάσας, καὶ τὸν ἔνοικον αὐτῷ πονηρὸν τῆς πολυτε χνίας μιμούμενος. Οὗτος μικρὸν μὲν ἔργον ἐνόμισεν εἶναι τὸ πᾶν τῶν Χριστιανῶν παραστήσασθαι γένος· μέγα δὲ τὸ Ἀθανασίου κρατῆσαι, καὶ τῆς ἐκείνου περὶ τὸν λόγον ἡμῶν δυνάμεως. Καὶ γὰρ ἑώρα μηδὲν ὂν αὐτῷ πλέον τῆς καθ' ἡμῶν ἐπι νοίας, διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀντιπαράταξιν καὶ ἀντί θεσιν· ἀεὶ τοῦ κενουμένου Χριστιανῶν ἀναπληρου μένου, διὰ τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς προσθήκης, καὶ τῆς ἐκεί νου συνέσεως, ὃ καὶ παράδοξον. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἐννοῶν, 35.1121 καὶ ὁρῶν ὁ δεινὸς ἐκεῖνος παραλογιστὴς καὶ διώκτης, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ πλάσματος ἔτι μένει καὶ τῆς σοφιστικῆς ἀνελευθερίας· ἀλλὰ τὴν πονηρίαν γυμνώσας, φανε ρῶς ὑπερορίζει τὸν ἄνδρα τῆς πόλεως. Ἔδει γὰρ τρισὶ παλαίσμασι τὸν γεννάδαν νικήσαντα, τε λείας τυχεῖν καὶ τῆς ἀναῤῥήσεως.

ΛΓʹ. Μικρὸν τὸ ἐν μέσῳ, καὶ Πέρσαις μὲν ἡ δίκη δοῦσα τὸν ἀλιτήριον, ἐκεῖ δικάζει· καὶ βασιλέα φιλό τιμον παραπέμψασα, νεκρὸν ἐπανάγει, μηδὲ ἐλεού μενον· ὡς δὲ ἐγώ τινός σοι ἤκουσα, μηδὲ τῷ τάφῳ προσλαμβανόμενον, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῆς σεισθείσης δι' αὐτὸν γῆς ἀποσειόμενον καὶ ἀναβρασσόμενον· προ οίμιον, οἶμαι, τῆς ἐκεῖθεν κολάσεως. Ἀνίσταται δὲ βασιλεὺς ἕτερος, οὐκ ἀναιδὴς τῷ προσώπῳ κατὰ τὸν προειρημένον, οὐδὲ τοῖς πονηροῖς ἔργοις καὶ ἐπι στάταις ἐκθλίβων τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν εὐσε βής τε καὶ ἥμερος· ὃς, ἵνα ἀρίστην ἑαυτῷ καταστή σηται τὴν τῆς βασιλείας κρηπῖδα, καὶ ὅθεν δεῖ, τῆς εὐνομίας ἄρξηται, λύει μὲν τοῖς ἐπισκόποις τὴν ἐξορίαν, τοῖς τε ἄλλοις ἅπασι, καὶ πρὸ πάντων τῷ πρὸ πάντων τὴν ἀρετὴν, καὶ προδήλως ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας πολεμηθέντι. Ζητεῖ δὲ τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς πίστεως τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ὑπὸ πολλῶν διασπασθεῖσαν καὶ συγχυθεῖσαν, καὶ εἰς πολλὰς δόξας καὶ μοίρας νενεμημένην· ὥστε μάλιστα μὲν τὸν κόσμον ὅλον, εἰ οἷόν τε, συμφωνῆσαι, καὶ εἰς ἓν ἐλθεῖν τῇ συν εργίᾳ τοῦ Πνεύματος· εἰ δὲ οὒ, ἀλλ' αὐτόν γε μετὰ τῆς βελτίστης γενέσθαι, κἀκείνῃ παρασχεῖν τὸ κράτος, καὶ παρ' ἐκείνης ἀντιλαβεῖν, λίαν ὑψηλῶς τε καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῶς περὶ τῶν μεγίστων διανοούμενος. Ἔνθα δὴ καὶ μάλιστα διεδείχθη τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἡ καθα ρότης, καὶ τὸ στερέωμα τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν