St. Athanasius

Feast Day: May 2

“If the world is against the truth, then I am against the world.” – St. Athanasius

Athanasius refused to say that Jesus was less than God.

That refusal cost him almost everything.

He was opposed by powerful bishops.

Condemned by councils controlled by his enemies.

Banished by emperors.

Driven from his city.

And sent into exile again and again.

The argument centered on one question:

Who is Jesus Christ?

A priest named Arius taught that the Son was not eternal God in the same sense as the Father, but the highest of God’s creatures.

Athanasius understood what was at stake.

If Christ is a creature, then God Himself did not come to save us.

So Athanasius defended the faith proclaimed at the Council of Nicaea:

the Son is true God from true God, of the same divine nature as the Father.

For decades, the controversy continued.

Athanasius was exiled five times.

But he would not surrender.

Empires changed.

Emperors died.

Arianism faded.

And the faith Athanasius defended remained.

St. Athanasius, pray for us.

Who Was St. Athanasius?

St. Athanasius was born around A.D. 296–298 in Alexandria, Egypt.

He grew up in one of the most important intellectual and Christian centers of the ancient world.

As a young deacon, Athanasius accompanied his bishop, St. Alexander of Alexandria, to the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325.

The council was called partly to address a major controversy surrounding the teaching of Arius.

That controversy would shape nearly the rest of Athanasius’s life.

What Did Arius Teach?

Arius was a priest from Alexandria.

He taught that the Son of God did not exist eternally with the Father.

In his view, the Son was created by God before the rest of creation.

Jesus was therefore greater than every other creature—but still a creature.

A famous summary of the Arian position was:

“There was when He was not.”

The Church rejected this teaching.

Why Did It Matter So Much?

To modern ears, the debate might sound like an argument over technical language.

Athanasius saw something much bigger.

Christianity teaches that only God can ultimately save humanity.

If Jesus is merely a creature, no matter how exalted, then Christians are not truly encountering God Himself in Christ.

But Scripture presents Jesus as doing what belongs to God.

He forgives sins.

He receives worship.

He gives eternal life.

He reveals the Father.

For Athanasius, salvation depended on the truth that the One who became man for us is truly divine.

The Council of Nicaea

The bishops gathered at Nicaea rejected Arius’s teaching.

They confessed that Jesus Christ is:

“God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.”

They also used an especially important Greek term:

homoousios—meaning that the Son is of the same substance or divine nature as the Father.

The Son is not a lesser god.

He is not the first creature.

He is eternally God.

Becoming Bishop of Alexandria

Athanasius became bishop of Alexandria in A.D. 328.

He was still relatively young.

Almost immediately, he inherited the ongoing conflict surrounding Arianism.

Nicaea had issued a doctrinal judgment.

But that did not mean the controversy disappeared.

Politics became involved.

Emperors became involved.

Different bishops formed competing alliances.

Athanasius soon found himself at the center of the struggle.

Five Exiles

Athanasius was exiled five times during his episcopate.

Altogether, he spent roughly seventeen years away from his see.

Sometimes emperors ordered his removal.

Sometimes political and ecclesiastical opponents brought accusations against him.

He spent periods in places such as Trier and Rome and at times hid among the monks of the Egyptian desert.

Yet whenever possible, he returned to Alexandria.

“Athanasius Against the World”

A famous phrase later associated with him is:

Athanasius contra mundum—

“Athanasius against the world.”

The phrase captures his reputation for standing firm when enormous pressure seemed to be against him.

It should not be taken to mean Athanasius was literally the only orthodox Christian left.

Many bishops, monks, clergy, and laypeople opposed Arianism.

But Athanasius became the great symbol of perseverance during the crisis.

The Incarnation

One of Athanasius’s most important works is On the Incarnation.

In it, he explains why the eternal Word of God became man.

Humanity had fallen into sin and corruption.

The Word through whom humanity had first been created entered creation to restore it.

Christ assumed real human nature so that human nature could be healed and brought back into communion with God.

For Athanasius, the Incarnation was at the center of salvation.

“God Became Man…”

Athanasius is famously associated with the teaching that the Son of God became man so that humanity might share in the divine life.

This does not mean human beings become God by nature.

Catholic theology calls this participation in divine life deification or divinization.

By grace, we become adopted children of God and share in His life.

We remain creatures.

But through Christ, creatures can participate in the life of their Creator.

Defender of the Trinity

Athanasius’s defense of Christ’s divinity also helped the Church articulate the doctrine of the Trinity more clearly.

There is one God.

The Father is God.

The Son is God.

The Holy Spirit is God.

Yet the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three gods.

They are three distinct divine Persons possessing the one divine nature.

The debates of the fourth century forced Christians to express these truths with increasing precision.

Athanasius and the Biblical Canon

Athanasius also holds an important place in the history of the Bible.

In his Festal Letter of A.D. 367, he listed the twenty-seven books that make up the New Testament exactly as Christians recognize them today.

This does not mean Athanasius personally created the New Testament canon.

Christians had been reading and recognizing apostolic writings long before him.

But his letter is the earliest surviving document known to list precisely the same twenty-seven-book New Testament collection used today.

Athanasius and the Monks

Athanasius had close connections with the growing monastic movement in Egypt.

He wrote the influential Life of St. Anthony, telling the story of St. Anthony of the Desert.

The book became enormously popular.

It helped spread knowledge of Christian monasticism throughout the Roman world.

Through Athanasius, the witness of the Egyptian desert reached Christians far beyond Egypt.

Did the Emperor Control the Church?

Athanasius’s life also reveals one of the dangers that arose after Christianity received imperial favor.

Emperors could protect Christians.

They could call councils.

But they could also interfere in Church disputes.

Athanasius repeatedly suffered when imperial power was used to pressure bishops.

His life became a reminder that doctrine is not determined simply by whoever controls the government.

Truth does not change when an emperor changes his mind.

His Final Years

After decades of controversy and exile, Athanasius was eventually able to spend the final years of his life back in Alexandria.

He died in A.D. 373.

He had served as bishop for about forty-five years, although many of those years had been spent away from his city.

The theological struggle continued after his death.

But the orthodox understanding of Christ he defended was eventually reaffirmed decisively in the Church.

Doctor of the Church

St. Athanasius became one of the great Doctors of the Church.

Eastern Christians honor him as one of the great Fathers of the Church.

His writings on Christ, the Trinity, salvation, and the spiritual life continue to be read today.

His importance is not simply that he won a theological argument.

He helped Christians understand why the identity of Jesus matters.

What St. Athanasius Teaches Us

St. Athanasius teaches us that doctrine matters because Jesus matters.

The Church was not arguing over one meaningless word at Nicaea.

She was protecting the answer to the question:

Who is Christ?

If Jesus is truly God, then in Jesus, God Himself has come to save us.

Athanasius also teaches us that truth is not decided by popularity.

There were times when his enemies held enormous influence.

He was expelled.

Slandered.

Outnumbered.

Yet he remained faithful.

We should not seek controversy for its own sake.

But when the truth about Christ is at stake, Athanasius reminds us not to trade truth for an easier life.

When Is the Feast of St. Athanasius?

The Catholic Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, on May 2.

He is remembered as one of the greatest defenders of Christ’s divinity and one of the most important Fathers of the early Church.

Prayer Inspired by St. Athanasius

Lord Jesus Christ,

through the witness of St. Athanasius, strengthen our faith in who You truly are.

You are not a creature but the eternal Son of the Father,

true God and true man,

who became man for our salvation.

Give us courage when truth becomes unpopular.

Give bishops and teachers wisdom to defend the faith clearly.

And help us remain faithful to You no matter how strong the pressure to compromise.

St. Athanasius, pray for us. Amen.