Athanasius of Alexandria
c. 296 – 373 · Alexandria (Egypt)
Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church
Awaiting theological review
In one sentence
The bishop who held to the faith of Nicaea — that the Son is truly God — through five exiles.
Why this person matters
Without his stubborn defence, the confession that Jesus is true God might have been lost in the Arian crisis.
As a young deacon he attended the Council of Nicaea (325) with his bishop; he became bishop of Alexandria in 328.
He was exiled five times by emperors who favoured the Arian party.
His Easter letter of 367 is the oldest known list of exactly the 27 books of the New Testament.
Key ideas
- God became man so that we might become sharers in the divine life
- The Son is of one substance with the Father
Controversies
Arius taught that the Son was a creature; Athanasius opposed him all his life.
Why they still matter
His Life of Antony spread the ideal of monastic life across the Christian world.
Before
- Irenaeus of Lyonc. 130 – c. 202
Contemporary
- —
After
- Basil the Greatc. 330 – 379
- On the Incarnation
- Against the Arians
- Life of Antony
- Historical context
Statements are labelled by source. Early Christian sources are named where known; dates before the 4th century are often approximate.