Saint Athanasius By Ian Tyler

Saint Athanasius was born in Alexandria in the year 296 to Christian parents. He was educated by Alexander, who later was the Bishop of his town.

In 319, he became a deacon, and this is where his life as a champion of the faith began.

History

What did Saint Athanasius contribute to the Church?

Shortly after becoming a deacon, Saint Athanasius was called on to combat the Arians and their heresies against the Catholic faith, denying the divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Significance

“Jesus that I know as my Redeemer cannot be less than God.”◦ This quote summarizes the role that Athanasius

had in combating Arianism and the stance that he took on the issue. In this quote, he says that Jesus came to the world to atone for the sins of mankind, and by doing this redeemed humanity. Moreover, by Jesus doing this, he showed that he had divine power and was one with God.

Quotable

As Athanasius became more and more active in fighting against heresies and Arianism, he actually spent a great deal of his life in exile.◦ In fact, he spent seventeen of his forty-six years

of his episcopate in exile.

Repurcussions

The impact of Athanasius first began to be truly felt by the Church community when he assisted his Bishop, Alexander, at the Council of Nicea.

Five months later when Alexander was on his death bed, he recommended Athanasius as the next in line to be Bishop

He was then unanimously elected Patriarch in 326

Significance

The Incarnation of the Word◦ In this text, Saint Athanasius defends and justifies

the divinity of Jesus Christ, being both fully man and fully divine, against the many controversial beliefs of the fourth century population.

◦ Saint Athanasius also explains the reasons as to why God would choose to approach the tainted and fallen humanity of our world with Jesus in human form.

Major Works

◦ Letter Concerning the Decrees of the Council of Nicea. This recollected on what decisions had come out of

the Council of Nicea that he had made his first lasting impression on the Church with.

This is considered to be his first recognized work that he published.

Died in the year 373 Became a Doctor of the Church He is not the patron saint of anything He, at one time, actually resided on Mount

Athos. He is nicknamed: “The Father of Orthodoxy”

Fun Facts

The End!

1. http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=336

2. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/athanasius.html

3. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/athanasius

Sources