The Council of Milan, and Athanasius Escapes

The emperor pressed hard to have a council held at Milan, yet few of the Eastern bishops went there. Some, it seems, excused themselves on the plea of illness, others because of the length and hardships of the journey. There were, however, more than three hundred Western bishops at the council. The Eastern bishops insisted that Athanasius be condemned to banishment and driven out of Alexandria, and the others, from fear, deceit or ignorance, agreed to the measure. Dionysius, bishop of Alba, the chief city of Italy, Eusebius, bishop of Vercelli in Liguria, Paulinus, bishop of Trier, Rhodanus and Lucifer were the only bishops who protested against this decision. They declared that Athanasius ought not to be condemned on such slight pretexts; that the evil would not end with his condemnation; and that those who held the orthodox doctrines about the Godhead would at once be made the targets of a plot. They pointed out that the whole measure was a scheme arranged by the emperor and the Arians to suppress the Nicene faith. Their boldness was punished by an edict of immediate banishment, and Hilary was exiled with them. The outcome showed all too plainly why the Council of Milan had been called. For the councils held soon afterward at Ariminum and Seleucia were clearly meant to change the doctrines established by the Council of Nicaea, as I will show shortly. [a]

Athanasius learned that plots had been laid against him at court. He judged it wise not to go to the emperor himself, since he knew his life would be in danger there, and he did not think it would do any good. Instead he chose five of the Egyptian bishops, among them Serapion, bishop of Thmuis, a man distinguished by the wonderful holiness of his life and the power of his speech, and sent them with three presbyters of the church to the emperor, who was then in the West. They were to try, if possible, to win the emperor over; to answer, if necessary, the slanders of the opposing party; and to take whatever measures seemed best for the good of the church and of Athanasius himself. Shortly after they had set sail, Athanasius received letters from the emperor summoning him to the palace. Athanasius and all the people of the church were greatly troubled by this command, for they thought there could be no safety either in obeying or in disobeying an emperor of heterodox views. It was decided, however, that he should stay at Alexandria, and the bearer of the letters left the city without having accomplished anything. The following summer another messenger came from the emperor, along with the governors of the provinces. He was charged to press for Athanasius’s departure from the city and to act with hostility against the clergy. But when he saw that the people of the church were full of courage and ready to take up arms, he too left the city without carrying out his mission. [d]

Not long after, troops called the Roman legions, which were stationed in Egypt and Libya, marched into Alexandria. It was reported that Athanasius was hidden in the church called Theonas. So the commander of the troops, together with Hilary, whom the emperor had again put in charge of this business, had the doors of the church broken open and went in; but they did not find Athanasius inside, though they searched for him everywhere. It is said that he escaped this and many other dangers by God’s intervention, and that God had revealed it to him beforehand. The moment he went out, the soldiers seized the doors of the church, and they came within a little of catching him.