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Defence of his flight

8. If it is wrong to flee, it is worse to persecute.

But although ¹ they have done all this, yet they are not ashamed of the evils they have already contrived against me, but proceed now to accuse me, because I have been able to escape their murderous hands. Nay, they bitterly bewail themselves, that they have not effectually put me out of the way; and so they pretend to reproach me with cowardice, not perceiving that by thus murmuring against me, they rather turn the blame upon themselves. For if it be a bad thing to flee, it is much worse to persecute; for the one party hides himself to escape death, the other persecutes with a desire to kill; and it is written in the Scriptures that we ought to flee; but he that seeks to destroy transgresses the law, nay, and is himself the occasion of the other’s flight. If then they reproach me with my flight, let them be more ashamed of their own persecution ². Let them cease to conspire, and they who flee will forthwith cease to do so. But they, instead of giving over their wickedness, are employing every means to obtain possession of my person, not perceiving that the flight of those who are persecuted is a strong argument against those who persecute. For no man flees from the gentle and the humane, but from the cruel and the evil- P. 258 minded. ‘Every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt ³,’ fled from Saul, and took refuge with David. But this is the reason why these men desire to cut off those who are in concealment, that there may be no evidence forthcoming of their wickedness. But herein their minds seem to be blinded with their usual error. For the more the flight of their enemies becomes known, so much the more notorious will be the destruction or the banishment which their treachery has brought upon them ⁴; so that whether they kill them outright, their death will be the more loudly noised abroad against them, or whether they drive them into banishment, they will but be sending forth everywhere monuments of their own iniquity.

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Apologie de Saint Athanase sur sa fuite

8.

Non contents de ces actes, et sans rougir de tous les maux qu’ils avaient précédemment remués contre moi, ils viennent aujourd’hui m’accuser d’avoir échappé à leurs mains homicides; ou plutôt, pleurant amèrement de ne s’être pas à jamais délivrés de moi, ils font semblant de m’accuser de lâcheté, sans s’apercevoir que ces murmures font retomber le blâme sur eux. Car, s’il est mal de fuir, il est beaucoup plus mal de persécuter: l’un se cache pour ne point périr; l’autre poursuit pour tuer. L’Ecriture autorise la fuite; mais celui qui cherche pour tuer, transgresse la loi et provoque à fuir. S’ils veulent me reprocher d’avoir fui, qu’ils commencent par rougir d’avoir persécuté; qu’ils cessent de tendre des embûches, et aussitôt s’arrêteront les fugitifs. Mais ils e renoncent pas à leur méchanceté et font tout pour me prendre, ignorant que la fuite des persécutés est une grande preuve contre les persécuteurs. On ne fuit pas l’homme doux et humain, mais celui qui est de nature farouche et méchante. Ainsi quiconque était dans l’angoisse et sous le coup des dettes fuyait loin de Saül et cherchait un refuge auprès de David. Si ces malheureux brûlent de tuer ceux qui se cachent, c’est dans l’espérance de ne point laisser trace de leur méchanceté; mais ici encore ils semblent aveuglés, eux qui sont toujours dans l’erreur. Plus la fuite est visible, plus aussi paraissent au grand jour tant de complots meurtriers et tant d’exils. S’ils tuent, la mort crie à haute voix contre eux s’ils bannissent, de tous côtés s’élèvent contre eux des monuments de leur iniquité.