Emperor was greatly moved, and permitted him to return
to his people.^20
But, unfortunately, this did not put the matter to
rest. Like a snake in the grass, Arius and his supporters
who both envied and hated Athanasius, raised up their
heads again, once Athanasius returned to his See.
Incessantly they calumniated him in the eyes of the
Emperor, and tried to convince him that he was the cause
of the continuing dissensions within the Church, since he
refused to accept the Emperor's decree. Again
Constantine was affected by the talk, and again he
wavered between the two sides. While in this wavering
attitude, he decided to convoke a Council at Tyre.
- This Council at Tyre was totally different from the
ecumenical Council of Nicea. It was the Arian bishops
who had manoeuvred until they made the Emperor call for
it. The Emperor himself was not intending to be present
at it, for he was planning to go to Jerusalem to attend the
consecration of the newly-constructed Church of the Holy
Sepulchre.
When Abba Athanasius received the invitation, he
realised that its intent was to mollify Arius, and that the
majority of the bishops who would attend would be
Arians. At first, he ignored the invitation and remained in
his metropolis. But his adversaries grouped together
against him, and convinced the Emperor that if he refused
to come, he must be brought by force. And so the
Emperor sent a messenger to Athanasius informing him of
that.
When he received this message, Athanasius
decided forthwith that he would go of his own free will-
rather than be dragged by imperial troops. Furthermore
he felt within his heart that this was another call on him to