44

to board public "carriages and to hasten to us, so that you might be able to enjoy what you "desire." Thus when he returned, he saw him favorably and ordered him to take back the church of the Alexandrians. But those who then held power, having received the Arian disease, said that Athanasius ought to provide one church to those not wishing to have communion with him. When they had said these things to the emperor, and the emperor had said them to him, he said it was just to yield to the emperor's commands, but that he himself also wished to report and ask something. When the emperor promised to give eagerly whatever he might ask, he said that those in Antioch who did not wish to have communion with those holding the churches also needed a house of prayer, and it was just that one of the divine houses be provided to them as well. And when the emperor assented, judging the request to be right and 123 just, those who led the heretical phalanx spoke against it, saying that the churches should be provided to neither side. Thus Constantius, admiring Athanasius, sent him away to Alexandria. But Gregory had died, having received his slaughter from those very men. Therefore, seeing their pastor, they held public feasts and most brilliant festivals, honoring him and praising God. But again, after a short time had passed, Constans reached the end of his life. And those who led Constantius wherever they wished reminded him of the dispute that had arisen with his brother on account of Athanasius, and how they had come close to breaking the bonds of nature and would have started a war against each other. Persuaded by these things, Constantius ordered the divine Athanasius not only to be driven out but also to be slain, and he sent a certain Sebastianus, a general with the largest possible army, ordering him to destroy him as a sinner. But how this man attacked and that one escaped, he himself, who suffered these things and was miraculously saved, will relate better. For in the Apology for his Flight he recounts these things: "Let them nevertheless examine the manner of my withdrawal and "learn from their own people. For there were Arians who had run with "the soldiers to provoke them and to point me out to those who did not know "us. And if they are so unsympathetic, let them at least be quiet out of shame "when they hear. For it was already night and some of the people "were keeping an all-night vigil, expecting a service. The general "suddenly appeared with more than five thousand soldiers, having "arms and drawn swords and bows and arrows and clubs, as has "been said before. And he himself surrounded the church, stationing 124 "the soldiers close together, so that no one could get out of "the church and pass them. But I, thinking it unreasonable in "such a confusion to abandon the people and not rather to face the danger "before them, sat down on the throne and urged the deacon "to read a psalm, and the people to respond " for his mercy endures "forever ", and so for all to withdraw and go to their "homes. But when the general at last entered and "the soldiers surrounded the sanctuary in order to arrest "us, the clergy who were found there and some of the laity cried out "and demanded that we too should withdraw now. But I insisted that I "would not withdraw before every single person had departed. "Therefore, standing up and ordering a prayer, I thus urged all "to depart, saying it was better for me to be in danger than for any of you to be harmed. "So when most had gone out and the rest were "following, the monks who were there with us and some of the clergy "came up and drew us away. And so, with truth as my witness, while "some soldiers were surrounding the sanctuary and others were going "around the church, we passed through, with the Lord leading and "protecting, and eluding them we departed, greatly glorifying "God himself, because we had neither betrayed the people, but having sent "them out first, we were saved and escaped the hands of the

44

ἐπιβῆναί σε δημοσίοις "ὀχήμασι καὶ σπουδάσαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἵνα ὧν ἐπιθυμεῖς ἀπολαῦσαι "δυνηθῇς." Οὕτως αὐτὸν ἐπανελθόντα εὐμενῶς τε εἶδε καὶ τὴν Ἀλεξανδρέων ἀπολαβεῖν ἐκκλησίαν ἐκέλευσεν. ἀλλ' οἱ τότε παραδυναστεύοντες, τὴν Ἀρειανικὴν εἰσδεδεγμένοι νόσον, ἔφασκον χρῆναι τὸν Ἀθανάσιον μίαν παρασχεῖν ἐκκλησίαν τοῖς κοινωνεῖν οὐ βουλομένοις αὐτῷ. ταῦτα ἐκείνων μὲν τῷ βασιλεῖ, τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰρηκό τος, ἔφη δίκαιον εἶναι τοῖς βασιλέως προστάγμασιν εἴκειν, βούλεσθαι μέντοι καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπαγγεῖλαί τινα καὶ αἰτῆσαι. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ὑποσχομένου δώσειν ὅπερ ἂν αἰτήσοι προθύμως, δεῖσθαι ἔφη καὶ τοὺς ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ τοῖς τὰς ἐκκλησίας κατέχουσι κοινωνεῖν οὐ βουλο μένους εὐκτηρίου νεώ, καὶ δίκαιον ἕνα καὶ τούτοις τῶν οἴκων παρα σχεθῆναι τῶν θείων. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐπένευσε βασιλεὺς ὀρθὴν εἶναι καὶ 123 δικαίαν ἐπιψηφίσας τὴν αἴτησιν, ἀντεῖπον οἱ τῆς αἱρετικῆς φάλαγγος προστατεύοντες, μηδετέροις χρῆναι παρασχεθῆναι τὰς ἐκκλησίας εἰπόντες. οὕτω τὸν Ἀθανάσιον θαυμάσας Κωνστάντιος ἀπέπεμψεν εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν. ἐτεθνήκει δὲ ὁ Γρηγόριος, ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐκείνων δεξάμενος τὴν σφαγήν. θεασάμενοι δὴ οὖν τὸν νομέα δημοθοινίας ἐπετέλουν καὶ ἑορτὰς λαμπροτάτας, αὐτόν τε γεραίροντες καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἀνυμνοῦντες. Ἀλλὰ πάλιν σμικροῦ διεληλυθότος χρόνου Κώνστας μὲν τοῦ βίου τὸ τέρμα κατείληφεν. Κωνστάντιον δὲ οἱ ἄγοντες οὗπερ ἐβούλοντο ἀνέμνησαν τῆς Ἀθανασίου χάριν πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν γε γενημένης διαφορᾶς, καὶ ὡς μικροῦ δεῖν τὰ τῆς φύσεως δεσμὰ διαρ ρήξαντες πόλεμον ἂν κατ' ἀλλήλων ἐκίνησαν. τούτοις ὑπαχθεὶς ὁ Κωνστάντιος οὐκ ἐλαθῆναι μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ σφαγῆναι τὸν θεῖον προσέταξεν Ἀθανάσιον, καί τινα Σεβαστιανὸν ἐξέπεμψε στρατηγὸν μετὰ στρατιᾶς ὅτι μάλιστα πλείστης, ἀνελεῖν κελεύσας ὡς ἀλιτήριον. ὅπως δὲ καὶ οὗτος ἐπεστράτευσε κἀκεῖνος διέφυγεν, αὐτὸς ὁ ταῦτα πεπονθὼς καὶ παραδόξως σωθεὶς κάλλιον διηγήσεται. ἐν γὰρ τῇ τῆς φυγῆς Ἀπολογίᾳ ταῦτα διέξεισιν· "Ἐξετασάτωσαν ὅμως καὶ τὸν τρόπον τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως καὶ "μανθανέτωσαν παρὰ τῶν ἰδίων. ἦσαν γὰρ Ἀρειανοὶ συνδραμόντες "τοῖς στρατιώταις εἰς τὸ παροξύνειν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀγνοοῦσι δεικνύναι "ἡμᾶς. καὶ εἰ καὶ οὕτως ἀσυμπαθεῖς τυγχάνουσιν, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἀκού "οντες ἠρεμείτωσαν αἰσχυνόμενοι. νὺξ μὲν γὰρ ἤδη ἦν καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ "τινες ἐπαννύχιζον, προσδοκωμένης συνάξεως. ὁ δὲ στρατηλάτης "ἐξαίφνης ἐπέστη μετὰ στρατιωτῶν πλέον ἢ πεντακισχιλίων, ἐχόν "των ὅπλα καὶ ξίφη γυμνὰ καὶ τόξα καὶ βέλη καὶ ῥόπαλα, καθὰ καὶ "πρότερον εἴρηται. καὶ τὴν μὲν ἐκκλησίαν αὐτὸς περιεκύκλωσε στήσας 124 "τοὺς στρατιώτας σύνεγγυς, ὡς μὴ δύνασθαί τινας ἐξελθόντας ἀπὸ "τῆς ἐκκλησίας παρελθεῖν αὐτούς. ἐγὼ δὲ ἄλογον ἡγούμενος ἐν "τοσαύτῃ συγχύσει καταλεῖψαι τοὺς λαοὺς καὶ μὴ μᾶλλον προκινδυ "νεύειν αὐτῶν, καθεσθεὶς ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου προέτρεπον τὸν μὲν διά "κονον ἀναγινώσκειν ψαλμόν, τοὺς δὲ λαοὺς ὑπακούειν " ὅτι εἰς τὸν "αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ", καὶ πάντας οὕτως ἀναχωρεῖν καὶ εἰς τοὺς "οἴκους ἀπιέναι. ἀλλὰ τοῦ στρατηλάτου λοιπὸν ἐπεισελθόντος καὶ "τῶν στρατιωτῶν περιλαβόντων τὸ ἱερατεῖον ἕνεκεν τοῦ συλλαβεῖν "ἡμᾶς, οἱ μὲν εὑρεθέντες ἐκεῖ κληρικοὶ καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν λαῶν ἐβόων "καὶ ἠξίουν ἀναχωρεῖν ἤδη καὶ ἡμᾶς. ἐγὼ δὲ μᾶλλον ἀντέλεγον μὴ "πρότερον ἀναχωρήσειν εἰ μὴ πάντες καθ' ἕκαστον ὑπεξέλθοιεν. "ἀναστὰς οὖν καὶ προστάξας εὐχήν, οὕτως ἀντηξίουν ἀπιέναι τοὺς "πάντας, βέλτιον εἶναι λέγων ἐμὲ κινδυνεύειν ἢ βλαβῆναί τινας ἐξ "ὑμῶν. ἐξελθόντων τοίνυν τῶν πλείστων καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐπακο "λουθούντων, οἱ σὺν ἡμῖν ὄντες ἐκεῖ μοναχοὶ καί τινες τῶν κληρικῶν "ἀνελθόντες εἵλκυσαν ἡμᾶς. καὶ οὕτως ἐπὶ μάρτυρι τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, τῶν "στρατιωτῶν τῶν μὲν περιεστηκότων τὸ ἱερατεῖον τῶν δὲ περιερχο "μένων τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, διήλθομεν τοῦ κυρίου ὁδηγοῦντος καὶ αὐτοῦ "φυλάττοντος, καὶ λαθόντες αὐτοὺς ἀνεχωρήσαμεν δοξάζοντες μεγάλως "αὐτὸν τὸν θεόν, ὅτι μήτε προδεδώκαμεν τὸν λαόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ προπέμ "ψαντες αὐτούς, διασωθῆναι καὶ διαφυγεῖν τὰς χεῖρας τῶν