Chapter XXXII
.—
On the
Departure of Athanasius, those who composed the Synod vote his
Deposition.
Thus
Athanasius departed,
hastening to the emperor, and the Synod in the first place condemned
him in his absence; and when the result of the enquiry which had been
instituted at Mareotis was presented, they voted to depose him; loading
him with opprobrious epithets in their sentence of deposition, but
being wholly silent respecting the disgraceful defeat of the charge of
murder brought by his calumniators. They moreover received into
communion Arse
nius, who was
reported to have been murdered; and he who had formerly been a bishop
of the Melitian heresy subscribed to the deposition of Athanasius as
bishop of the city of Hypselopolis. Thus by an extraordinary course of
circumstances, the alleged victim of assassination by Athanasius, was
found alive to assist in deposing him.