"...Do ye now believe?
We honor Saint Athanasius because he is known as the greatest defender of the Incarnation
the Church has ever produced and we think his teaching and example is relevant to the challenges facing the Church today.
Saint Athanasius was born around 293 AD. He was educated in theology and philosophy at Alexandria, and became deacon and secretary to his bishop Alexander. He served at the First Council of Nicaea, and in 328 AD he became the Patriarch of Alexandria. A reknowned theologian, he helped prepare the early church's orthodox doctrine of the Trinity, and was the first person to list the 27 books of the New Testament declaring them before the faithful
during his 39th Festal Epistle at Easter in 367 AD; he said:
“these are the wells of salvation, so that he who thirsts may be satisfied with the sayings
in these. Let no one add to these. Let nothing be taken away.”
Athanasius vigorously opposed the heretical movement of Arianism that denied the
divinity of Christ, and he spent his life defending and promoting orthodoxy.
He spent much of his life in exile, but he was also a prolific author,
writing books and letters that were extremely influential to the early church.
In 363 Athanasius also commented on the British and Celtic Churches declaring them "loyal" and orthodox being free of Arianism that plaged so much of the Empire on the continent.
He went home to his eternal reward on May 15, 373 AD.
Athanasius
