Search results
1 day ago · Athanasius was barely 30 years old when he was thrust into the spotlight by becoming the bishop of Alexandria in 328 C.E. Peter Gemeinhardt notes that a synodal letter sent 10 years later from Alexandria described the decisive factor in his election as bishop: The church community had perceived Athanasius as “zealous, devout, Christian, one of the ascetics, and a true bishop.” (my translation)
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). His intermittent episcopacy spanned 45 years (c.8 June 328 – 2 May 373), of which ...
- 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.Synod of Alexandria. 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 ...
May 9, 2016 · Athanasius’ Life. Athanasius was born in the city of Alexandria sometime in the 290s. The city was a culturally vital city for the Roman Empire, being both a major focal point for education as well as the breadbasket for much of the East. It is one of the rare cities that had intellectual leaders from paganism, Hellenistic Judaism, and ...
- Ryan Reeves
Athanasius. Athanasius (298–373 A.D.) was a bishop of Alexandria (Egypt), in the fourth century. He is revered as a Saint by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, and recognized as a great leader and doctor of the early church by Protestants.
People also ask
Who was Athanasius of Alexandria?
Who was Athanasius and what did he do?
Who was Athanasius' successor?
Did Athanasius know what the Bible said?
Where was Athanasius born?
Why did Athanasius return to Alexandria?
Athanasius of Alexandria (also spelled "Athanasios") (c. 296 C.E. – May 2, 373 C.E.) was a Christian bishop—the Patriarch of Alexandria—in the fourth century. He made three primary (and integral) contributions to the theory and practice of Christianity: an endorsement of the monastic lifestyle, the formulation of the New Testament canon, and a theological defense of the full divinity of ...
