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Apologie de Saint Athanase à l'Empereur Constance

27.

Ces considérations m’empêchaient de me trouver coupable et je m’empressais avec cette apologie vers ta Piété, connaissant ta clémence, gardant le souvenir de tes infaillibles promesses et plein de confiance dans ces mots des divins Proverbes : Les justes raisons sont accueillies d’un roi ami des hommes. Déjà je me mettais en chemin et je sortais du désert, quand tout à coup se répandit un bruit, qui d’abord semblait incroyable, mais dont la suite a montré la vérité. On disait partout que Libère, évêque de Rome, le grand Hosius d’Espagne, Paulin des Gaules, Denys et Eusèbe d’Italie, Lucifer de Sardaigne, d’autres évêques, des prêtres, des diacres avaient été bannis, parce qu’ils se refusaient souscrire contre moi. Pendant qu’ils partaient pour l’exil, Vincent de Capoue, Fortunatianus d’Aquilée, Hérémius de Thessalonique et tous les évêques d’Occident avaient souffert une violence peu commun, une grande contrainte et de cruelles injures, jusqu’à ce qu’ils eussent promis de renoncer à ma communion.

J’étais dans la stupeur et l’hésitation, et voilà que d’Egypte et de Libye arrive une autre nouvelle. Près de quatre-vingt dix évêques avaient été persécutés et leurs églises livrées à ceux qui confessent les dogmes d’Anus; seize avaient été exilés ; les autres avaient pris la fuite ou s’étaient vus contraints de feindre. Telle était, disait-on, la violence de la persécution, qu’à Alexandrie, pendant que les frères priaient, le Jour de Pâques et les dimanches, dans un lieu désert, près du cimetière, le chef militaire, avec plus de trois mille soldats portant des armes, des épées nues et des traits, s’était précipité sur les chrétiens et avait donné lieu à ce qu’on devait attendre d’une telle irruption contre des femmes et des enfants qui ne faisaient que prier Dieu. Peut-être ne convient- il pas aujourd’hui de raconter ces choses, de crainte que leur seul souvenir ne fasse venir des pleurs à tous les yeux. Telle fut la cruauté, que des vierges furent dépouillées de leurs vêtements, et que les corps de ceux qui avaient succombé aux coups ne furent pas immédiatement remis pour être ensevelis , mais jetés dehors en pâture aux chiens, jusqu’à ce que les parents les dérobassent, avec beaucoup de péril, en cachette et en grande peine d’être découverts.

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Defence before Constantius

27.Athanasius leaves Alexandria to go to Constantius, but is stopped by the news of the banishment of the Bishops.

Observing these things, I did not give sentence against myself, but hastened to come to your Piety, with this my defence, knowing your goodness, and remembering your faithful promises, and being confident that, as it is written in the divine Proverbs, ‘Just speeches are acceptable to a gracious king ¹.’ But when I had already entered upon my journey, and had passed through the desert ², a report suddenly reached me ³, which at first I thought to be incredible, but which afterwards proved to be true. It was rumoured everywhere that Liberius, Bishop of Rome, the great Hosius of Spain, Paulinus of Gaul, Dionysius and Eusebius of Italy, Lucifer of Sardinia, and certain other Bishops and Presbyters and Deacons, had been banished ⁴ because they refused to subscribe to my condemnation. These had been banished: and Vincentius of Capua, Fortunatian of Aquileia, Heremius of Thessalonica, and all the Bishops of the West, were treated with no ordinary force, nay were suffering extreme violence and grievous injuries, until they could be induced to promise that they would not communicate with me. While I was astonished and perplexed at these tidings, behold another report ⁵ overtook me, respecting them of Egypt and Libya, that nearly ninety Bishops had been under persecution, and that their Churches were given up to the professors of Arianism; that sixteen had been banished, and of the rest, some had P. 249 fled, and others were constrained to dissemble. For the persecution was said to be so violent in those parts, that at Alexandria, while the brethren were praying during Easter and on the Lord’s days in a desert place near the cemetery, the General came upon them with a force of soldiery, more than three thousand in number, with arms, drawn swords, and spears; whereupon outrages, such as might be expected to follow so unprovoked an attack, were committed against women and children, who were doing nothing more than praying to God. It would perhaps be unseasonable to give an account of them now, lest the mere mention of such enormities should move us all to tears. But such was their cruelty, that virgins were stripped, and even the bodies of those who died from the blows they received were not immediately given up for burial, but were cast out to the dogs, until their relatives, with great risk to themselves, came secretly and stole them away, and much effort was necessary, that no one might know it.