Athanasius of Alexandria

Saint

Athanasius of Alexandria
Saint; Athanasius of Alexandria
Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria
	Icon of St Athanasius
Church	Early Church
See	Alexandria
Predecessor	Alexander
Successor	Peter II
Personal details
Born	c. 296–298; Alexandria, Roman Egypt
Died	2 May 373 (aged 75–77); Alexandria, Roman EgyptPhilosophy career
Occupation	Pope of Alexandria
Notable work	First Letters to Serapion; Life of Antony; On the Incarnation;
Era	Patristic Age
School	Nicene Christianity; Trinitarianism;
Language	Coptic, Greek
Main interests	Theology
Notable ideas	Consubstantiality, Trinity, divinity of Jesus, Theotokos
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Sainthood
Feast day	7 Pashons (Coptic Christianity); 2 May (Western Christianity); 18 January (Byzantine Christianity);
Venerated in	Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodox Church; Oriental Orthodox Church; Assyrian Church of the East; Anglican Communion; Lutheranism;
Attributes	Bishop arguing with a pagan; bishop holding an open book; bishop standing over a defeated heretic (Arius)
Shrines	Church of San Zaccaria in Venice, Italy, and Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo, Egypt

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 over 17 encompassed five exiles, when he was replaced on the order of four different Roman emperors. Athanasius was a Church Father,^[3] the chief proponent of Nicene theology against the anti-Nicenes,^[4] and a noted Egyptian Christian leader of the fourth century.

Conflict with the Eusebians,^[5] as well as with successive Roman emperors, shaped Athanasius' career. In 325, at age 27, Athanasius began his leading role against the Arians as a deacon and assistant to Bishop Alexander of Alexandria. He did not yet play an important role at the First Council of Nicaea.^[6] Roman Emperor Constantine the Great had convened the council in May–August 325 to heal the division in the church caused by the dispute between Alexander and Arius.^[7] Three years after that council, Athanasius succeeded his mentor as Patriarch of Alexandria. In addition to the conflict with the Eusebians (including powerful and influential churchmen led by Eusebius of Nicomedia), he struggled against the Emperors Constantine, Constantius II, Julian the Apostate and Valens. He was known as Athanasius Contra Mundum (Latin for 'Athanasius Against the World'). At the Council of Tyre in 335, he was condemned and exiled for violence against the Melitians in his see.

Nonetheless, 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 in the West and the East, who noted their devotion to the Word-become-man, pastoral concern and interest in monasticism. Athanasius is considered one of the four great Eastern Doctors of the Church in the Catholic Church.^[8] Some argue that, in his Easter letter of 367, Athanasius was the first person to list the 27 books of the New Testament canon that are in use today.^[9] Others argue that Origen of Alexandria was the first to list the twenty-seven books of the New Testament in his Homilies on Joshua (only there is a textual variant as to whether or not he included Revelation).^[10]^[11] Athanasius is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church,^[12] the Catholic Church,^[13] the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, and Lutheranism.

^ "The rejection of the term Theotokos by Nestorius Constantinople and the refutation of his teaching by Cyril of Alexandria". Egolpion.com. 24 June 2012. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
^ "St. Takla Haymanout Coptic Orthodox Website".
^ Laos, Nicolas (2016). Methexiology: Philosophical Theology and Theological Philosophy for the Deification of Humanity. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 217. ISBN 978-1-4982-3385-9.
^ Traditionally but misleadingly called the 'Arians' – “This controversy is mistakenly called Arian.” (Ayres, p. 14) “’Arianism’ as a coherent system, founded by a single great figure and sustained by his disciples, is a fantasy.” (Williams, p. 82)
^ “My second theological trajectory is the one in which we locate Arius himself. This loose alliance I will term ‘Eusebian’. When I use this term I mean to designate any who would have found common ground with either of Arius' most prominent supporters, Eusebius of Nicomedia or Eusebius of Caesarea.” (Ayres, p. 52)
^ “Athanasius was certainly present as a deacon accompanying Alexander of Alexandria. … But it is equally certain that he can have taken no prominent nor active part, in spite of later legends to this effect and the conviction of some scholars that he was the moving spirit in the Council.” (Hanson, p. 157)
^ “The Emperor, rightly or wrongly, thought himself called to foster and protect the Church, and therefore to prevent as far as he could the damage that was caused by controversy and schism.” (Hanson, p. 153)
^ Chapman, John (1909). "Doctors of the Church". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^ Livingstone, E. A.; Sparkes, M. W. D.; Peacocke, R. W., eds. (2013). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford University Press. pp. 91–92. ISBN 978-0-19965962-3. OCLC 1023248322.
^ Gallagher, Edmon L. "Origen via Rufinus on the New Testament Canon." New Testament Studies 62.3 (2016): 461–476.
^ Michael J. Kruger. "What is the Earliest Complete List of the Canon of the New Testament?".
^ "Online Chapel – Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America". www.goarch.org.
^ Online, Catholic. "St. Athanasius – Saints & Angels". Catholic Online.

Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).

[1] "The rejection of the term Theotokos by Nestorius Constantinople and the refutation of his teaching by Cyril of Alexandria". Egolpion.com. 24 June 2012. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.

[2] "St. Takla Haymanout Coptic Orthodox Website".

[4] Laos, Nicolas (2016). Methexiology: Philosophical Theology and Theological Philosophy for the Deification of Humanity. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 217. ISBN 978-1-4982-3385-9.

[5] Traditionally but misleadingly called the 'Arians' – “This controversy is mistakenly called Arian.” (Ayres, p. 14) “’Arianism’ as a coherent system, founded by a single great figure and sustained by his disciples, is a fantasy.” (Williams, p. 82)

[6] “My second theological trajectory is the one in which we locate Arius himself. This loose alliance I will term ‘Eusebian’. When I use this term I mean to designate any who would have found common ground with either of Arius' most prominent supporters, Eusebius of Nicomedia or Eusebius of Caesarea.” (Ayres, p. 52)

[7] “Athanasius was certainly present as a deacon accompanying Alexander of Alexandria. … But it is equally certain that he can have taken no prominent nor active part, in spite of later legends to this effect and the conviction of some scholars that he was the moving spirit in the Council.” (Hanson, p. 157)

[8] “The Emperor, rightly or wrongly, thought himself called to foster and protect the Church, and therefore to prevent as far as he could the damage that was caused by controversy and schism.” (Hanson, p. 153)

[Doctors-9] Chapman, John (1909). "Doctors of the Church". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

[10] Livingstone, E. A.; Sparkes, M. W. D.; Peacocke, R. W., eds. (2013). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford University Press. pp. 91–92. ISBN 978-0-19965962-3. OCLC 1023248322.

[Gallagher,_Edmon_L_2016-11] Gallagher, Edmon L. "Origen via Rufinus on the New Testament Canon." New Testament Studies 62.3 (2016): 461–476.

[Michael_J._Kruger-12] Michael J. Kruger. "What is the Earliest Complete List of the Canon of the New Testament?".

[13] "Online Chapel – Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America". www.goarch.org.

[14] Online, Catholic. "St. Athanasius – Saints & Angels". Catholic Online.

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