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Athanasius I of Alexandria [note 1] (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor, or, among Coptic Christians, Athanasius the Apostolic, was a Christian theologian and the 20th pope of Alexandria (as Athanasius I).
- Historical Significance
- Criticism of Athanasius
- Bibliography
- External Links
Opposition to Arianism
Likely the most significant contribution Athanasius made to the development of Christianity was his staunch defense against Arianism (and his resulting support for the doctrine that God (the Father) and Jesus (the Son) share a common substance). In about 319, when Athanasius was a deacon, a presbyter named Arius began teaching that there was a time when Jesus did not exist and that he had been created by God - a view which came to be known as Arianism. This Christological formulation, which s...
New Testament canon
Athanasius is also the first person to formally identify (and canonize) the same 27 books of the New Testament that are in use today. Up until that point, the lists of appropriate works tended to vary throughout the Christian community. This milestone in the evolution of the canon of New Testament books can be found in his Easter letter from Alexandria, written in 367, which is usually referred to as his 39th Festal Letter. The import of this letter cannot be overstated, as Pope Damasus, the...
Relics and veneration
The saint was originally buried in Alexandria, but his body was later transferred to Italy. In the recent past, Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria returned the relics of Saint Athanasius to Egypt on May 15, 1973, after his historic visit to the Vatican and meeting with Pope Paul VI. The relics of Saint Athanasius the Great of Alexandria are currently preserved under the new St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Deir El-Anba Rowais, Abbassiya, Cairo, Egypt. The veneration that Athanasius is acc...
Some modern historians suggest that the tactics of Athanasius, while often downplayed by church historians, were a significant factor in his success. He did not hesitate to back up his theological views with the use of force. In Alexandria, he assembled a group that could instigate a riot in the city if needed. It was an arrangement "built up and p...
Arnold, Duane W.-H. The Early Episcopal Career of Athanasius of Alexandria. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1991. ISBN 0268009252Barnes, Timothy. Athanasius and Constantius: Theology and Politics in the Constantinian Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1993. ISBN 0674050673Barnes, Timothy. Constantine and Eusebius. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981. ISBN 0674165306Brakke, David. Athanasius and the Politics of Asceticism. Oxford: Clarendon Press; New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. ISBN 0198268165All links retrieved August 19, 2023. 1. Athanasius: Select Works and Lettersfrom Christian Classics Ethereal Library, Calvin College – Background information, plus his actual writings 2. St. Athanasius the Greatat Ellopos Blog – Athanasius resources, bilingual anthology (in Greek original and English) 3. Contending for Our All: The Life and Ministr...
- c. 296 in Alexandria, Egypt
- May 21, 373 in Alexandria, Egypt
Athanasius I of Alexandria (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor, or, among Coptic Christians, Athanasius the Apostolic, was a Christian theologian and the 20th pope of Alexandria (as Athanasius I).
St. Athanasius (born c. 293, Alexandria—died May 2, 373, Alexandria; feast day May 2) was a theologian, ecclesiastical statesman, and Egyptian national leader. He was the chief defender of Christian orthodoxy in the 4th-century battle against Arianism , the heresy that the Son of God was a creature of like, but not of the same, substance as ...
Apr 10, 2015 · Summary. For the medieval centuries and the Reformation, Athanasius was a prestigious yet shadowy figure, and gradually the controversies over his legacy resumed. The concern that Athanasius downplayed the humanity of the incarnate Jesus has influenced many modern assessments.
Jan 6, 2024 · Many Coptic literary texts are circulated under the name of Athanasius of Alexandria, of importance for the study of Coptic Christianity. Four homilies in this two volumes book, present 'Another Athanasius'.
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Mar 28, 2008 · Summary. Fourth-century Alexandrian theology is more or less summed up in the writings of two theological giants, Athanasius, pope of Alexandria from 328 until his death in 373 (not counting various periods of deposition and exile), and Didymus the Blind, a scholar of enormous renown in his own day, who was appointed head of the Catechetical ...
