strengthening, comforting, healing-according to the
people's needs.
- It was fortunate that Athanasius undertook this
tour so soon after his return to Alexandria, for he was not
going to be left in peace long. Bishop Eusebius of
Nicodemia, who had been one of his strong opponents
and a supporter of Arius from the very beginning, started
activities aimed first at winning the favour of Emperor
Constantius, and then at plotting against Athanasius.
When he succeeded in the first, he tried to convince the
Emperor that the return of Athanasius had been hastily
decreed by his dead brother and had not been approved by
any Council as it should have been. Furthermore he
convinced the Emperor that this being the case, they had
the right to appoint one of their bishops to sit on the chair
of St. Mark instead of Athanasius. The Emperor
approved, and Gregory of Cappadocia was chosen to do
so.^25 It was a blatant act of impropriety, contrary to all
Church law, for Athanasius was exiled by order of
Constantine and not by a council, but the Emperor was
not the man to take this into consideration, and Eusebius
of Nicodemia had only one motive – to overthrow
Athanasius.
I55. When the news of an intruder-bishop were
proclaimed in Alexandria, they fell on the Copts like a
thunderbolt. They were all stunned, especially that the
sky of dissension was thought to be clear, and there was
no presage of the oncoming storm.
Having recovered from the daze of it, the people
all rose as one man in a fury. They kept continuous guard
round the Pope's mansion, and whenever Abba Athanasius
went to pray, the Church would be thronged with crowds.