Athanasius of Alexandria

Lore & Background

Athanasius was born to a Christian family in Alexandria or the nearby Nile Delta town of Damanhur, sometime between 293 and 298. His parents gave him a fine secular education, and he was fluent in Greek and Coptic. As a boy, according to Rufinus, he was discovered by Bishop Alexander imitating Christian baptism with other children; Alexander declared the baptisms genuine and invited Athanasius to prepare for a clerical career. He was ordained a deacon in 319 and served as Alexander's secretary at the First Council of Nicaea in 325, where the term 'consubstantial' (homoousion) was adopted. Three years later, he succeeded Alexander as Patriarch of Alexandria.

Reader's Guide

Athanasius's significance lies in his central role in the fourth-century Trinitarian controversy against Arianism. He was the chief proponent of the doctrine that the Son of God is of the same substance as the Father, a position affirmed at Nicaea. His career was shaped by conflict with Arius and Arian churchmen, as well as with Roman emperors Constantine, Constantius II, Julian the Apostate, and Valens, who ordered his five exiles. Within a few years of his death, Gregory of Nazianzus called him the 'Pillar of the Church.' His writings were well regarded by subsequent Church fathers for their devotion to the Word-become-man, pastoral concern, and interest in monasticism. He is honored as one of the four Great Greek Church Fathers. Some argue that in his Easter letter of 367, Athanasius was the first to list the 27 books of the New Testament canon in use today, though others attribute this to Origen of Alexandria.

Did You Know?

• Athanasius was exiled five times over more than 17 years, replaced on the order of four different Roman emperors.
• He served as a deacon and assistant to Bishop Alexander at the First Council of Nicaea in 325, at age 27.
• Some scholars argue that Athanasius's Easter letter of 367 was the first to list the 27 books of the New Testament canon.
• He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Church of the East, Anglican Communion, and Lutheranism.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"He was made man in order that we might be made gods.[Christ] manifested himself by a body that we might receive the idea of the unseen Father; and He endured the insolence of men that we might inherit immortality." — Athanasius of Alexandria "Jesus that I know as my Redeemer cannot be less than God." — Athanasius of Alexandria "Discourse 1 Against the Arians, Chapter 1. Introduction. Reason for writing; certain persons indifferent about Arianism; Arians not Christians, because sectaries always take the name of their founder." — Athanasius of Alexandria "Discourse 1 Against the Arians, Chapter 3." — Athanasius of Alexandria