The Bishop Who Outlasted Four Emperors

In 356 AD, imperial soldiers burst into a church in Alexandria, Egypt, swords drawn, under orders from Emperor Constantius II to arrest Bishop Athanasius. His crime? Refusing to accept the Arian teaching that diminished Christ's divinity. Athanasius slipped into the Egyptian desert, beginning one of five exiles forced upon him by four different Roman emperors across seventeen years.

The emperors who opposed him commanded legions. They controlled trade routes, appointed bishops, and reshaped theology by imperial decree. When someone reminded Athanasius that the whole world stood against him, he answered simply: "Then Athanasius is against the world."

He could say this because he believed what the psalmist declared. The Lord reigns. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Mountains melt like wax before the Almighty — even mountains dressed in imperial purple.

Emperor after emperor rose and fell. Constantius died in 361. Julian followed and lasted barely two years. Each seemed immovable in his moment. Each melted away. But the truth Athanasius defended — that the Most High is exalted far above all earthly powers — endured.

When Athanasius returned to Alexandria for the last time in 366, crowds filled the streets. Not because an empire had spoken, but because the Lord who reigns had preserved His word through one stubborn bishop who trusted the throne above all thrones.