The Arian heresy (2) Athanasius of Alexandria: The Father of Orthodoxy

Published on 23 December 2025 at 22:07

Athanasius of Alexandria: The Father of Orthodoxy

Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296–373 AD) was one of the most important theologians in Christian history. He is best known for his strong defence of the full divinity of Jesus Christ against the Arian heresy.
• He is honoured with the title “Athanasius Contra Mundum” (“Athanasius Against the World”) because he refused to compromise his faith even when emperors, bishops, and political powers opposed him.
• His lifelong defence of the Nicene faith played a key role in establishing the doctrine of the Trinity as the universal belief of the Christian Church.
• Through his writings, leadership, and personal suffering, Athanasius preserved Nicene orthodoxy and helped secure its final victory, shaping Christian theology for centuries and encouraging believers to remain faithful under pressure.

Athanasius was born around 296–298 AD in Alexandria, Egypt, one of the greatest centres of learning in the Roman Empire, where philosophy, theology, and many cultures met.
• He grew up in a Christian family and received a strong classical education. He became fluent in Greek and Coptic and was well trained in Scripture, philosophy, and rhetoric.
• As a young man, he came under the guidance of Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, who recognised his ability and trained him in church leadership and theology.
• Church tradition records that Bishop Alexander once saw the young Athanasius “baptising” other children while playing on the beach. Impressed by his seriousness, Alexander later guided him into formal church service as a deacon.
• Athanasius also spent important time with the Desert Fathers, especially St Anthony the Great, whose life of prayer, discipline, and holiness deeply shaped Athanasius’s theology and spiritual life.

Around 318 AD, a major controversy began when the priest Arius taught that the Son (Jesus Christ) was a created being and not eternal like the Father, saying, “There was a time when he was not.”
• As a deacon serving Bishop Alexander, Athanasius became the leading defender of orthodox belief, arguing that only God can save, and therefore Christ must be fully God.
• Athanasius strongly taught the doctrine of theosis: God became man so that humans might share in God’s life. A created Christ could not achieve this union.
• This debate affected salvation, worship, baptism, and prayer, shaping how Christians understood God and lived their faith daily.

Emperor Constantine called the first ecumenical council at Nicaea to end division and restore unity in the Church, gathering bishops from across the empire.
• Although Athanasius was only a deacon and could not vote, he served as Bishop Alexander’s main theological advisor and played a key role in the council’s discussions.
• The council rejected Arian teaching and adopted the term homoousios (“of the same essence”), declaring that the Son is “begotten, not made” and fully shares the Father’s divine nature.
• The Nicene Creed became the foundational statement of Trinitarian belief and is still confessed by Christians today.
• After Bishop Alexander’s death in 328 AD, Athanasius became Bishop of Alexandria at about 30 years old and led the church for 45 years through severe conflict.

Athanasius served as bishop for 45 years but spent about 17 years in exile because he refused to compromise the Nicene faith or restore Arius to communion.
First Exile (335–337): Under Constantine, falsely accused and sent to Trier, where he continued teaching and writing.
• Second Exile (339–346): Under Constantius II, Athanasius fled to Rome, where Pope Julius I defended him and supported Nicene theology.
• Third Exile (356–362): Soldiers attacked his church, but he escaped and lived in hiding with monks in the desert, writing major theological works.
• Fourth Exile (362–363): Under Emperor Julian the Apostate, Athanasius fled along the Nile and continued strengthening the Church.
• Fifth Exile (365–366): Under Emperor Valens. This exile was brief, and Athanasius returned to Alexandria to live his final years in peace.

On the Incarnation (c. 318 AD): Explains why Christ became human for humanity’s salvation. Famous statement: “He was made man that we might be made God.”
• Against the Arians: Written mainly during exile, carefully refuting Arian theology using Scripture, logic, and worship practice.
• Life of Antony: Biography of St Anthony the Great, which spread monastic ideals throughout the Christian world.
• Festal Letter of 367 AD: Lists the 27 books of the New Testament, the earliest known document to define the complete New Testament canon used today.
• His other writings include pastoral letters, apologetic works, and theological explanations, always marked by clarity, Scripture, and care for ordinary believers.

Athanasius died peacefully on May 2, 373 AD, in Alexandria, surrounded by his clergy, after a life marked by suffering and faithfulness.
• He did not live to see the final confirmation of the Nicene faith, which came at the Council of Constantinople (381 AD).
• He is honoured as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, and Anglican Churches and recognised as one of the Great Doctors of the Eastern Church.
• His faithful defence of Christ’s full divinity earned him the title “Father of Orthodoxy”.
• His life and writings continue to inspire Christians, showing that loyalty to truth, even when isolated, can shape the faith of the Church for generations.

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