(344-358) Londius had studied theology and philosophy with Lucian, the Antiochian teacher, but Eustathius refused to accept him into the ranks of the Antiochian clergy. He had also forced himself to live with the woman Eustoleum, and thus he went against the decisions of the First Ecumenical Council, and became unfit to hold the rank of priest. However, as he grew older, he moderated his views, became more balanced in his behavior, and showed the ability to steer the episcopate in a time of discord and strife. The two Western bishops, Phicondus and Ephratas, were unable to persuade Constantius to pardon the exiled Orthodox bishops. However, they obtained an order requiring the return of the exiled Orthodox priests and deacons to Armenia, and the cessation of the persecution that had befallen the Orthodox clergy in Egypt.
Leontius showed a willingness to come to an understanding with the Orthodox who were then gathered in Milan. A delegation consisting of the bishops Demophilus, Euchoius, Macedonius, and Martyrius went to the West to discuss the matter of doctrine with the Orthodox bishops and before Constantius II. They took to Milan (345) a long Antiochian Creed, later known as the Machrosticos, meaning long lines.
This canon declared the oneness of God and the divinity of the Son before all ages and the immortality of His kingdom, thus denying the original Arianism. Then the long canon denied the statements of Marcellus of Anciria and Photinus of Sermia. But the fathers who met in Milan demanded the addition of an explicit text denying Arianism. The members of the Antiochian delegation were upset by this insistence, especially since the statements issued from Antioch in 341 had completely denied Arianism, so they refused to add anything to the Macrosticus, withdrew from the council and returned to their homelands.
Temporary Orthodox Victory: The Persian threat had been present since 340, so Constantius had to ensure peace within his kingdom to confront the external threat. Gregory, Bishop of Alexandria, the opponent of Athanasius the Great, died on June 25, 345. Constantius decided to restore Athanasius to his see, so he wrote to him about it and insisted on his return. He complied and set out for Alexandria, arriving there on October 21, 346.
On his way, Athanasius stopped at Antioch, where he stayed for a while and contacted its Orthodox sons, the followers of Eustathius, who still considered the apostolic see vacant since the time of Eustathius. He wanted to help them in their distress, so he appeared before the emperor and asked him to allow the followers of Eustathius to have a church in Antioch where they could pray freely. Constantius almost ordered this, but Leontius objected and did not allow it. Athanasius then went to Laodicea, where he was well received, and from there sailed to Palestine. Acacius, Bishop of Caesarea and successor of Eusebius of Caesarea, refused to receive him. However, Maximus, Bishop of Jerusalem, held a local council composed of sixteen bishops, welcomed Athanasius and conveyed to him the greetings of the Palestinian Orthodox Church to their Alexandrian Orthodox brothers.
Gallus and the Church: (350-353) The soldiers rebelled against Constantius and killed him. Constantius II became the legitimate king and was forced to suppress the Western revolt. He was barren, so he summoned his cousin Gallus and promoted him to the rank of Caesar and made him the praetor of the East and made his headquarters in Antioch. He was hard-hearted, cruel and merciless, so he became arrogant, tyrannical and terrified the people. Constantius summoned him to Italy and in 353 he ordered his head to be cut off. He summoned his younger cousin Julian and made him Caesar of Gaul.
We do not know whether Gallus was a Christian or a pagan. But his entourage in Antioch was unorthodox. Theophilus the Indian had been educated by Eusebius of Nicomedia, and Londius was not Orthodox. Aëtius, the closest Christian to the Caesar and the teacher of his brother Julian, was a strict Arian. These people gathered around him and began to deceive him, making it seem to him and the emperor above him that Athanasius was connected with the rebels in the West, that he was a dangerous man who disturbed the peace, and that it was in the best interest to remove him from Alexandria.
Leontius persisted in this policy. He ordained Aetius a deacon and allowed him to preach in the church. The Orthodox protested and united to fight Aetius. The followers of Eustathius were not alone in this protest. The great majority of the Orthodox who had attended the rituals with Leontius’ followers in order to preserve the unity of the church denounced Aetius’s voice in the church. They rallied around two secular leaders, Didorius and Flavianus. They threatened complete separation, so Leontius negotiated with them. They insisted on an amendment to the Doxology (the Doxology) that would prove the equality of the Son to the Father in essence. They required saying “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” instead of saying “Glory to the Father in the Son and the Holy Spirit” as was the custom at that time. Leontius agreed to this, but he feared the resistance of the Arians. He chanted “Glory to the Father” and then weakened his voice, pretending to have pain in his throat until he reached the phrase “Now and ever and unto the ages of ages.” He raised his voice. The protest of the Orthodox in Antioch intensified, so Leontius gave in to their request and removed Aëtius from Antioch.
The West rejects Athanasius: Julius, Bishop of Rome, died and was succeeded by Liberius (352-366). He became interested in the case of Athanasius and asked the emperor to call the bishops of the universal church to a council in Aquileia to consider the case of Athanasius. Constantius wanted to appease the Arians in the East, who had become the overwhelming majority. He called the Western bishops to a council in Milan in early 355 and asked them individually and collectively to choose for themselves one of two options: either ostracize Athanasius or banish him. Most of them agreed to ostracize. The bishop of Rome insisted on supporting Athanasius, so he was banished by order of the emperor to Thrace, and three other bishops were banished to Upper Egypt.
Constantius tried to lure Athanasius, so he sent someone to assure him that the emperor wanted to see him in the West. Then he sent him a warship to transport him to the West. But Athanasius apologized and refused. So the emperor resorted to violence. On the evening of February 8, 356, soldiers surrounded the Church of Theonas in Alexandria and entered it, seeking Athanasius. The worshipers repelled them. The fighting intensified and the voices of the righteous virgins rose. Athanasius remained seated in his chair without moving. Then he was convinced that he had to flee, so he went out and took refuge with the monks of the Western Desert. They welcomed him and protected him. He wrote and wrote. He said in some of what he wrote: “I hear Leontius of Antioch, Narcissus of Paneas, and George of Laodicea shouting and mocking because I did not allow them to assassinate me. “Antioch weeps for Efstathius, the confessor of the truth, and Banias the sea mourns Ephration, and the town of Cymatius enumerates the virtues of Tarsus, and Kirtus remembers Carterius, and Aleppo Cyrus, and Gaza Asclepius.” It is as if this saint is holding some men of the Church of Antioch responsible for his persecution and division. In fact, Londius, Tarkis, and George were not satisfied with what happened in Alexandria and the flight of its saint. In the year 356, they held a local Antiochian council and wrote to the bishops in the name of this council, reminding them of the “crimes” committed by Athanasius, hoping to recognize George of Cappadocia as bishop of Alexandria.
