Saint Athanasius, the Father of Orthodoxy

								

Constantine, who happened at this moment to be visiting Nicomedia,
where he had spent a great part of his youth, heard Eusebius' version
of the story. It was only a question of words, said the wily Bishop;
what was really distressing about it was the spite and the venom with
which the Patriarch of Alexandria had pursued an innocent and holy man
for having dared to differ from him in opinion. Arius was then
presented to the Emperor as a faithful and unjustly persecuted priest,
a part which he knew how to play to perfection.
It was well known to Eusebius that the great desire of Constantine was
to preserve and maintain peace in his empire. If this quarrel were
allowed to go on, said the Bishop, there would soon be strife
throughout the whole of the East, for there was much bitterness
already. On the other hand, Constantine was known to all Christians as
the protector and generous benefactor of the Church. Would it not be
well for him, suggested Eusebius, to use his influence for good and to
write to Alexander, bidding him lay aside this most unchristian
dispute and make peace with Arius and his followers? The Emperor, as
Eusebius had hoped, took alarm at the prospect of disunion in his
dominions. A catechumen himself, and knowing but little of the great
truths of Christianity, he was easily deceived by Eusebius' story and
hastened to take his advice.
It was a scandalous thing, he wrote, that the peace of the Church
should be disturbed for such a trivial matter. Let Alexander and Arius
forgive one another; let them each keep their own opinion if they
chose, but in concord and in quiet. He ended by begging both to give
him peace by making peace among themselves and by putting an end to
all such quarrels.
The letter was entrusted to Hosius, Bishop of Cordova, a confessor of
the Faith, venerated throughout the Church for his wisdom and
holiness. He was to deliver it personally to the Patriarch of
Alexandria.
Now, Hosius was a Bishop of the Western Church and had heard but vague
rumors of the doings of Arius and his followers in the East. His first
interview with the Patriarch of Alexandria opened his eyes to the
importance of the matter. It was no question of a war of words or a
difference of opinion--Christianity itself was at stake; the Emperor
must be warned, and warned at once. A letter was therefore written by
the two Bishops, assisted probably by Athanasius, in which the Emperor
was earnestly begged to take steps to summon a universal Council of
the Church to decide the question. It was dispatched to him by a
trusty messenger and in due time reached his hands.
Constantine, who was really anxious to do what was right, appealed to
the Pope, St. Sylvester, to unite with him in summoning a Council. To
the Bishops who were too poor to undertake a long journey with the
usual attendance of clergy, the Emperor offered the necessary means.
He undertook also to house and provide for the members of the Council