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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).
- Turbulent Times For The Faith
- The Rise of Arianism
- The Council of Nicaea
- Athansius Keeps Fighting
- Treatises to Defend Doctrine
- Athanasius' Lasting Legacy
- Sources
Athanasius was born about 293 A.D. in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. He rose through the ranks to become the assistant to Alexander, bishop of Alexandria. After centuries of persecution, the Christian Church suddenly experienced a change in fortune when the Roman Emperor Constantine converted. In 313 A.D., Constantine the Great issued the Edict o...
One such doctrine was called Arianism, named after the priest Arius of Alexandria (256-336 A.D.). Arianism came after a second century heresy called Modalism. Modalism contended that God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spiritwere only modes, or masks that God used on various occasions. In other words, sometimes God would appear as the Father,...
A bitter fight broke out between supporters and opponents of Arianism. Letters from the time are filled with false accusations, insults, and character assassination. In 325 A.D., Emperor Constantine called for a conference of bishops and church leaders at the ancient city of Nicaea, in what is now Turkey. Front and center at the meeting was the que...
The death of Arius did not end his heresy. During his lifetime, Arius had composed catchy little songs about his beliefs that spread quickly across the Roman Empire. Peasants would sing them while working, and the heresy about Jesus being a created being became even more popular. Meanwhile, Athanasius continued to defend the Trinity. In 328 A.D. he...
Athanasius realized that preaching and teaching, as effective as they were, would still not reach as many people as he wanted. He began writing treatises, or apologetic defenses, of the true biblical message. Considering when they were written, his books are quite readable today and available free online. His most important work was On the Incarnat...
In the long history of Christianity, Athanasius is revered for his single-minded defense of Trinitarianism. He never compromised; he never budged a bit in his insistence that Jesus Christ was both fully human and fully divine. Athanasius rescued the Christian Church from accepting Gnosticism, a widespread belief that material things are evil and sp...
"Athanasius," Christianity Today, https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/theologians/athanasius.html."Athanasius," by Aaron J. West, Fourth Century Christianity, https://www.fourthcentury.com/athanasius-chart/.On the Incarnation, by Athanasius, Christian Classics Ethereal Library,https://www.ccel.org/ccel/athanasius/incarnation.pdf."St. Athanasius," Catholic Encyclopedia, by Clifford Cornelius, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02035a.htm.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).
Saint Athanasius, (born 293, Alexandria, Egypt—died May 2, 373, Alexandria; feast day May 2), Early Christian theologian and staunch opponent of Arianism. He studied philosophy and theology at Alexandria, Egypt, and in 325 he attended the Council of Nicaea, which condemned the Arian heresy.
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 seemed to contradict some elements of Christian practice, soon polarized the entire Christian ...
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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 ...