of George-and he was servile, ignorant and brutal, the
type of man willing to execute any orders to commit
atrocities as long as the imperial troops supported him.
And this is exactly what he did. Neither young nor old,
neither clergy nor laity were spared from the iron, fist of
his persecutions-which, he hoped, would break the spirit
of the Copts and make them renounce their fealty to the
Orthodox faith and their loyalty to Athanasius.^44 But the
hopes of George and his Arian backers were in vain. Like
many of the persecutors before them, their brutalities had
an effect opposite to that of its intent. It consolidated the
bond of compassion and kindness among the faithful, who
- having proved all things-held fast to "that which was
good” – their Church and its true Christian teachings.
- Six years after he had taken refuge in the home of
the deaconess, Athanasius seized the opportunity-when
the wave of Arian brutality and vigilance had waned – and
quietly slipped out and made a trip to the Holy Land.
From there he wrote "An Apology to Constantius, the
Emperor" in which he reminded him of his Christian
background and the good deeds he had done and, in his
usual eloquence, made a strong appeal to him to restore
peace and justice to the Church of Alexandria,^45 and to its
faithful people. This "Apology" was circulated through
the Empire and had a deep impact on Christians
everywhere.
Protected and shrouded by the innumerable friends
and disciples, Athanasius re-entered Egypt, with his
enemies still unable to trace him or lay hands on him. He
retreated to the desert and made its many monasteries his
dwelling place, moving from one to the other as the spirit
moved him.