St. Athanasius of
Alexandria
(C. 295 - 373 AD)
Historical Note
St. Athanasius was born about 295 AD near the city of Alexandria. His
parents were pagans but St. Athanasius converted at an early age. He grew
up during the last of the official Roman imperial persecution and witnessed
the triumph of Constantine that resulted in the liberty of the Church.
However, peace would be short-lived with the rise of Arianism and its
denials of the divinity of Christ. The Arian whirlwind caught all virtually
by surprise. As St. Jerome declared, “I awoke and found the world Arian.”
Up to 98% of the Bishops in the East succumbed to Arianism. The number
of Bishops that resisted was literally only a handful.
With Arianism causing contention and strife throughout the Empire, the
Emperor Constantine agreed to resolve the crisis by summoning a general
council of Bishops to meet at Nicaea commencing May 20, 325. St.
Athanasius accompanied the great bishop St. Alexander of Alexandria to
the Council as his deacon and secretary. St. Alexander had already proven
himself to be an implacable enemy of Arius by formally condemning him
as a heretic in two encyclical letters written C. 322 AD.
At the Council, St. Athanasius shone as the champion of orthodoxy,
convincing the Council Fathers to condemn Arianism and proclaim Christ
as homo-ousious, that is, “as the same substance” as the Father. From the
Council issued the great Nicene Creed which remains the symbol of
orthodox faith to this day.
Though condemned, Arianism would linger on for centuries to come. Arius
himself would die an impious death in 336, while St. Athanasius succeeded
St. Alexander on June 8, 328 AD. St. Athanasius’ career as bishop of
Alexandria was an extremely stormy one. Due to his staunch defense of the
Nicene teaching he was exiled five times from his see (in 335, 340, 356,
 |
 |
 |