not to be so severe,[1] no one questioned his right to excommunicate them. Dionysius of Alexandria († 264), "moved by his zeal for religion, had written to Ammonius and Euphranore against the heresy of Sabellius. But certain brothers in the Church, men of sound faith, not knowing the reason for which he had written, went to Rome and accused him to his namesake Dionysius, the Roman Bishop (259–268). He, having heard these things, … sent a letter to Dionysius, to tell him what he had been accused of by them. And, in order to clear himself as soon as possible, he wrote books which he called a Compendium and an Apology."[2] The great Athanasius "sought refuge in Rome as in a most safe harbour of his Communion."[3] In 340 an Arian Synod at Antioch had professed to depose him, and had set up Gregory of Cappadocia as rival Bishop of Alexandria. Theodoret says: "But Athanasius, already knowing their wiles, went away to Western parts. For the Eusebians (strict Arians), having got together calumnies against Athanasius, had denounced him to Bishop Julius, who at that time administered the Roman Church (337–352). Julius, following the law of the Church, ordered them to come to Rome, and also summoned Athanasius to explain his case. And Athanasius, obeying the summons, started at once on the journey. But they who had made up the fable would not come to Rome, because they knew that their lie would be found out."[4] The Pope, in a Roman Synod (341), declared St. Athanasius innocent of all their charges and refused to countenance his deposition. He wrote a long letter to these Eusebians, saying among other things: "Do you not know that this is the custom, that you should first write to us, and that what is right should be settled here?"[5] In 343 the Council of Sardica (now Sofia in Bulgaria) met. It drew up twenty Canons, which the second council in Trullo (692) afterwards approved for the Byzantine Church. Canon 3
