Athanasius, then, wrote the Nicean Creed in its integrity,
and added: "This is the
Faith, O Prince, in which you should live, for it comes
from God and from his Apostles".^55
The response of Athanasius intensified the
Emperor's interest; and forthwith he invited him to
Antioch. The Alexandrian Pope accepted gladly, and was
received at the court with great honour. In consequence,
several Arian bishops returned to Orthodoxy, and all
further Arian efforts to calumniate Athanasius were gone
with the wind.
- Unfortunately, this heaven-sent peace was quite
short. Sudden death overtook Emperor Jovian as he was
travelling from Antioch to Constantinople. He had
reigned for seven ephemeral months. His passing away
deprived the world of a good Christian, and Athanasius of
a loyal friend.^56
Two brothers succeeded Jovian: Valentinianus in
the West, and Valens in the Cast. The profound peace
enjoyed by Egypt after the long laborious combats was
like a dream-truce. - When Valens first took the reins in his hands, he
left the situation as it was. Abba Athanasius resolved to
go on a third pastoral tour, so that his people who had
often seen him hounded and harassed would be able to see
him in the joy of an unforeseen triumph and thus be
assured of the inexhaustible vitality of the cause he
championed. Several bishops and priests gathered in
Alexandria to form a retinue for him. They embarked and
took a leisurely voyage this time. As they sailed slowly,
people collected on the banks of the Nile in countless
numbers. The Pope and his companions stopped at every