The Holy Monk Julianus

At this time, too, the celebrated Julianus, whom I have mentioned already, was compelled to leave the desert and come to Antioch. The foster children of lies, those ready makers of slander (I mean, of course, the Arians), were claiming that this great man belonged to their party. So those lights of the truth, Flavian, Diodorus and Aphraates, sent Acacius to the famous Julianus. Acacius was an athlete of virtue, who afterward governed the church at Beroea very wisely. They begged Julianus to take pity on so many thousands of people, and at the same time to prove the enemy a liar and confirm the proclamation of the truth. The miracles Julianus worked on his way to and from Antioch, and in that vast city itself, are described in my Religious History, which anyone who wants to learn about them can easily find. But I am sure that no one who has looked into human nature will doubt that he drew the whole population of the city to our assembly, for what is extraordinary is generally sure to draw everyone after it. That he worked great wonders is attested even by the enemies of the truth. [a]

Before this, in the reign of Constantius, the great Antony had done the same thing in Alexandria. He left the desert and went up and down that city, telling everyone that Athanasius preached the true doctrine and that the Arian party were enemies of the truth. So those godly men knew how to suit themselves to each particular occasion: when to stay quiet and at rest, and when to leave the deserts for the towns. [c]