Measure ad performance. Author of. The strength of his writings earned him the title of doctor of the Church. Besides these major works, dozens of letters and sermons are preserved in fragmentary form. It denied the Trinity and eroded God's plan of salvation, as detailed in the New Testament. In 325 he attended Bishop Alexander of Alexandria as deacon at the Council of Nicaea. In Create a personalised ads profile. His most important work was On the Incarnation of the Word, written about 328 A.D. The Trinity and the divinity of Christ are cornerstones of Christianity, but even today, some denominations reject the Trinity and teach that Jesus was a created being. Create a personalised content profile. Nevertheless, after the death of Constans in 350 and the following civil war, Constantius, as sole emperor, resumed his pro-Arian policy. He used political influence against the Meletians, followers of the schismatic bishop Meletius of Lycopolis, who had gone back on the plans made at Nicaea for their reunion with the church, but he refuted specific charges of mistreatment of Arians and Meletians before a hostile gathering of bishops at Tyre (in modern Lebanon) in 335, which he refused to recognize as a general council of the church. Considering when they were written, his books are quite readable today and available free online. List of Partners (vendors), Mary Fairchild is a full-time Christian minister, writer, and editor of two Christian anthologies, including "Stories of Cavalry.". Arius was exiled and his books burned, but eventually he was reinstated. The emperor’s persistence and reports of persecution at Alexandria under the new Arian bishop George led him, in the more violent History of the Arians, to treat Constantius as a precursor of Antichrist. These are the words of Emperor Constantine the Great, written c. 328 to Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria. St. Athanasius, also called Saint Athanasius of Alexandria or Saint Athanasius the Apostolic, (born c. 293, Alexandria—died May 2, 373, Alexandria; feast day May 2), theologian, ecclesiastical statesman, and Egyptian national leader. Clergy who fought the Nicene Creed also chimed in, inventing a litany of false charges against him. During the 4th century, he was one of the main defenders of Christian Orthodoxy against Arianism. Corrections? A few years later, the Church declared that Arianism was a heresy. His main disagreement with Arius concerned salvation: we are saved because in Christ God himself became a … Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Athanasius’s two-part work of apologetics, Against the Heathen and The Incarnation of the Word of God, completed about 335, was the first great classic of developed Greek Orthodox theology. Athanasius, however, kept in touch with his flock through the annual Festal Letters announcing the date of Easter. In 313 the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which changed Christianity from a persecuted to an officially favored religion. Among Athanasius’s other important works are The Letters [to Sarapion] on the divinity of the Holy Spirit and The Life of St. Antony, which was soon translated into Latin and did much to spread the ascetic ideal in East and West. However, these were only disguises of one God. He was exiled five times. Omissions? Updates? On a principle of inclusiveness, both Revelation and Hebrews (as part of the Pauline corpus) were accepted. Finally, Athanasius spent a few years in peace before his death in 373. The patriarch at that time, Pope Alexander, predicted that he would eventually hold a great position. He began writing treatises, or apologetic defenses, of the true biblical message. Like Augustine, Athanasius’s words and thoughts are taught in Bible schools and seminaries. Athanasius of Alexandria (A.D. 297–373) Bishop of Alexandria, was a chief theologian and early Church Father of the Christian faith. Two years later, after Constantine’s death, he returned to Alexandria, but he was removed from power again in 339 and fled to Pope Julius I, a supporter, in Rome. This became orthodox teaching in the Church. The 300-plus bishops reaffirmed the Trinity, rejecting the Arian heresy. Heritage Images / Contributor / Getty Images. His important works include The Life of St. Antony, On the Incarnation, and Four Orations Against the Arians. Some modern historians suggest that the tactics of Athanasius, while often downplayed by church historians, were a significant factor in his success. Athanasius was born about 293 A.D. in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. Athanasius used it to subtly defend his beliefs while chronicling the life of this religious hermit. The death of Arius did not end his heresy. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Of special interest are the letter to Epictetus (bishop of Corinth), which anticipates future controversies in defending the humanity of Christ, and the letter to Dracontius, which urges a monk to leave the desert for the active labours of the episcopate. So the belief that Jesus is divine was passed down to us because of Athanasius, the champion of right belief. While walking through the streets of Constantinople one day, Arius collapsed and died. Professor of Church History, Berkeley Divinity School, New Haven, Connecticut, 1947–69. He submitted an edited creed to Constantine, which the emperor considered orthodox. In exile he completed his massive theological work Four Orations Against the Arians and defended his conduct in the Apology to Constantius and Apology for His Flight. In his carefully reasoned treatises, Athanasius showed that God the Father cared enough to send his only Son to take away the sins of the world. Learn Religions. Lecturer in Early Church History, University of Cambridge, 1969–75. During his lifetime, Arius had composed catchy little songs about his beliefs that spread quickly across the Roman Empire. From the foreword: Until his death in 373, Athanasius was the most formidable opponent of Arianism in the Roman Empire. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. (2020, August 28). In 328 A.D. he was elected bishop of Alexandria, on the death of his mentor Alexander. Emperor Julian's plan for paganizing the Christian world couldn't get very far so long as Athanasius, the champion for Catholic faith, was around. This lasted only a few months though. Much was at stake; the very divinity of Jesus Christ was being denied. More and more of the other bishops accepted Arianism. 5-2-2021. Soon began the struggle with imperialist and Arian churchmen that occupied much of his life. Outside the pages of the New Testament itself, Athanasius is probably the man to whom we chiefly owe the preservation of the Christian faith. "Now this is proof that Christ is God, the Word and Power of God," Athanasius wrote, "For whereas human things cease and the fact of Christ remains, it is clear to all that the things which cease are temporary, but that He Who remains is God and very Son of God, the sole-begotten Word.". After centuries of persecution, the Christian Church suddenly experienced a change in fortune when the Roman Emperor Constantine converted. Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria, and one of the most prominent figures of the Christian church faced a serious accusation. Peasants would sing them while working, and the heresy about Jesus being a created being became even more popular. Measure content performance. Several briefer theological treatises are preserved, however, and a number of letters, mainly administrative and pastoral. He never compromised; he never budged a bit in his insistence that Jesus Christ was both fully human and fully divine. Athanasius of Alexandria is revered today as one of the most important voices in the early Christian Church, but during his lifetime his courageous stand against heresy had harsh repercussions. In 362 he convened the Synod of Alexandria, during which he appealed for unity among those who held the same faith but differed in terminology. He was the great champion of the faith against the widespread heresy of Arianism, the teaching that Jesus was not truly divine. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Select personalised content. Arius presented his view that Jesus was created by the Father and therefore not divine. Use precise geolocation data. Athanasius knew what the Bible said and risked his life to uphold it. He was born in A.D. 298 to a wealthy family near Alexandria, Egypt, and became the bishop of Alexandria before he was thirty years old. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. He was born to pagan parents. Alexander and Athanasius began to fight the growing popularity of Arianism because they knew where it would lead. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Athanasius realized that preaching and teaching, as effective as they were, would still not reach as many people as he wanted. The new emperor, Julian the Apostate, rather petulantly ordered Athanasius to leave Alexandria, and he sailed up the Nile again, remaining in exile in Upper Egypt until Julian’s death in 363. He did not hesitate to back up his theological views with the use of force. His enemies called him ‘Black Dwarf. Athanasius received his philosophical and theological training at Alexandria. In 346, however, Constans’s influence secured his return to Egypt, where he was welcomed as a popular hero. Not only did Saint Athanasius have a very knowledgeable command of the Greek language but he was also fluent in the C The influence of the patriarch persists through these informed pages. Athanasius took refuge at Rome under the protection of Constantius’s brother Constans, emperor in the West. Once the search for common ground took priority over sound doctrine, Athanasius feared, the truth would be lost. Again and again, Athanasius fled to escape the enemies of orthodoxy. Athanasius rescued the Christian Church from accepting Gnosticism, a widespread belief that material things are evil and spiritual things are good. Fairchild, Mary. 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