Athanasius, Hidden by a Virgin, Returns to the Church of Alexandria

At this time Athanasius, who had long been in hiding, heard of the death of Constantius and appeared by night in the church at Alexandria. His unexpected appearance caused the greatest astonishment. He had escaped falling into the hands of the governor of Egypt, who, as was said before, had made plans to arrest him at the emperor’s command and at the request of George’s friends, and he had hidden himself in the house of a holy virgin in Alexandria. It is said that she was gifted with such extraordinary beauty that those who saw her regarded her as a marvel of nature, and that men of self-control and good sense kept away from her, so that the suspicious could lay no blame on them. She was in the very flower of youth, and she was exceedingly modest and sensible. These qualities can by themselves adorn the body to the point of real beauty, even where nature has not helped with that gift. For it is not true, as some claim, that “as the body is, so is the soul.” On the contrary, the bearing of the body reflects the working of the soul, and whatever a person is busy with, he will seem to be of that nature for as long as he is engaged in it. [a] I think everyone who has looked carefully into the subject admits this truth. It is told that Athanasius took refuge in this holy virgin’s house by a revelation from God, who meant to save him in this way. When I think about how it turned out, I cannot doubt that all these events were directed by God. In this way Athanasius’s relatives would be spared distress if anyone tried to trouble them about him, even if they were made to swear an oath. And there was nothing to raise a suspicion that a priest was hidden in the house of so lovely a virgin. She, for her part, had the courage to take him in, and by her good sense she saved his life. She was his most faithful keeper and his most attentive servant. She washed his feet and brought him food, and she alone served him in every other need that nature in its demands requires. The books he needed she obtained through the help of others. And during all the long time she rendered him these services, no one in Alexandria knew anything about it.