Athanasius was a bishop in the 4th century with a fierce convicction backed by action to defeat the attacks against Christ's divinity that were prevalent in his time (from The Story of Christianity; Justo Gonzalez; 175, 177-178):
"In A.D. 353, Constantius, who now ruled the whole [Roman] Empire, felt sufficiently secure to unleash his pro-Arian policy. Through threats and the use of force, an increasing number of bishops accepted Arianism. For Athanasius, for the monks, and for many of the faithful, the Arian controversy was not a matter of theological subtleties with little or no relevance. In it, the very core of the Christian message was at stake...If the chroniclers of the time are to be believed, Constantius feared the power Athanasius had in Alexandria, and for that reason sought to remove him from that city without actually banishing him.. Athanasius received a letter in which the emperor granted him an audience that had never been requested. The bishop answered politely that there must have been an error, for he had not asked for suhc an honor, and did not wish to waste the emperor's valuable time. Constantius then ordered the concentration of troops in Alexandria. When the legions were in place and any revoltcould be crushed, the governor ordered Athanasius, in the name of the emperor, to leave the city... Shortly thereafter, when Athanasius was celbrating communion in one of the churches, the govenor ordered the building to be surrounded and suddenly burst into the room leading a group of armed soldiers. There was chaos, and Athanasius ordered the congregation to sing Psalm 136, with the refrain: "For His mercy endureth forever." The soldiers pushed their way through the crowd, while some sang and others sought to escape. The clergy who were present formed a tight circle around Athanasius, who refused to flee until his flock was safe."
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