§8. The Third Exile, 356–362.
The third exile of Athanasius marks the summit of
his achievement. Its commencement is the triumph, its conclusion the
collapse of Arianism. It is true that after the death of Constantius
the battle went on with variations of fortune for twenty years, mostly
under the reign of an ardently Arian Emperor (364–378). But by
362 the utter lack of inner coherence in the Arian ranks was manifest
to all; the issue of the fight might be postponed by circumstances but
could not be in doubt. The break-up of the Arian power was due to its
own lack of reality: as soon as it had a free hand, it began to go to
pieces. But the watchful eye of Athanasius followed each step in the
process from his hiding-place, and the event was greatly due to his
powerful personality and ready pen, knowing whom to overwhelm and whom
to conciliate, where to strike and where to spare. This period then of
forced abstention from affairs was the most stirring in spiritual and
literary activity in the whole life of Athanasius. It produced more
than half of the treatises which fill this volume, and more than half
of his entire extant works. With this we shall have to deal presently; but let it be noted once for all how completely the amazing power wielded by the wandering fugitive was based upon the devoted fidelity of Egypt to its pastor. Towns and villages, deserts and monasteries, the very tombs were scoured by the Imperial inquisitors in the search for Athanasius; but all in vain; not once do we hear of any suspicion of betrayal. The work of the golden decade was bearing its fruit.