“O Athanasius, holy hierarch, you were a true pillar of Orthodoxy, confirming the Church with divine teachings. By proclaiming the Son to be of one essence with the Father, you put Arius to shame. Holy Father, pray to Christ our God to grant us great mercy.”
(Troparion to St. Athanasius the Great, Tone 3)
The Orthodox Church has named only two of its holy bishops as “Great”: Athanasius of Alexandria and Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. The days of Athanasius’ life on Earth was a remarkable time for the Church, moving from the shadows of persecution to Christianity’s recognition as the state religion. In his youth, he witnessed the Diocletian persecution which took the life of the bishop of his hometown, and by the end of his days, Christianity was accepted by those in power.
Ancient Alexandria, Egypt
This great father of the Church and true stronghold of Orthodoxy entered the world in Alexandria, Egypt’s grand capital. Back in the late third century, this was the chief port of the Roman Empire, and the second-largest metropolis after Rome itself. Countless ships carried Egyptian grain each day from here to Rome and other distant cities. Alexandria was renowned, rightly so, as the scholarly hub of the Ancient World. And, significantly, it held the spiritual heart of the empire. The deserts of Egypt — the Thebaid, Sinai, Nitria, and Arsinoe — might have looked empty at first glance, but they were home to as many as 300,000 Orthodox who embraced solitary prayer in caves or laboured in the first monasteries, known as koinonia. All these monks, along with priests and bishops from Egypt, Libya, Pentapolis, and Abyssinia (Ethiopia), came under the authority of the Archbishop of Alexandria. The forefathers and founders of monasticism — Anthony the Great, Pachomius, Macarius, and countless others — were frequent visitors to the city.
The port of Alexandria
The historian Rufinus, on a visit to Alexandria, shares an intriguing story about the young Athanasius. The local Archbishop, Alexander, heard about a most unusual game being played by Christian children, where they chose their own “bishop,” who then appointed “priests” and “deacons.” Together, they would baptise their pagan playmates in the sea. The saintly Alexander asked that this "bishop", who turned out to be a small boy named Athanasius, be brought before him, along with the other “clergy” and those newly baptised. Bishop Alexander questioned the children about how they carried out these baptisms. To his great surprise, he discovered that the young Athanasius had followed the Church’s rites with extraordinary precision. The would-be “bishop” had pronounced the proper words and immersed the children in the water; and, when it was over, even gave them a homily. The bishop’s decision surprised all of Alexandria: Archbishop Alexander declared the baptisms performed by young Athanasius on the pagan children as valid and completed them with the sacrament of chrismation.
The archbishop then called for the parents of the young ones who had acted as priests. He urged them to guide their children towards a life in the priesthood. To Athanasius’s parents, he entrusted not only the task of raising their son in faith but of giving him a fine education, so that he might one day serve the Church. From that day forward, the archbishop kept a keen eye on Athanasius, who excelled not only in secular studies but also in his understanding of the Scriptures.
First Ecumenical Council, book miniature, 16th century, Greece
As Athanasius matured, Archbishop Alexander drew him nearer. For six years, young Athanasius served as a reader at the church, until Archbishop Alexander ordained him as a deacon and made him his personal secretary. Together, they attended the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea. Within the Alexandrian Church, he had earned great respect and trust, while his solid faith and devotion to Christ, with which he stood up to the impious Arians at the Nicaea Council, won him admirers but also stirred fierce foes who opposed the truth he defended fearlessly throughout his life.
Archbishop Athanasius of Alexandria
Not long after the Council, Saint Alexander departed this world. Athanasius, then only twenty-eight, became his successor. The new archbishop travelled to towns and cities in Egypt, Libya, and Pentapolis. He would regularly send out pastoral letters to the Christian communities across the province, often timed to great Church feasts. Through these letters, Saint Athanasius set the now familiar tradition of Episcopal Easter messages. In one of these messages, the saint also outlined the now famous canon of the New Testament, which proved instrumental in establishing the Church's recognised scriptures. Another key part of the saint’s work was his support for monasticism. Saint Athanasius was in close friendship with Saint Pachomius the Great and, especially with Saint Anthony the Great, whom, as a young man, he had waited on and had “poured water on his hands.” Eventually, he wrote the life of Saint Anthony for the enlightenment of future generations of Christians.
The life of St Anthony the Great, written by St. Athanasius the Great
For 47 years, Athanasius led the Church, enduring much persecution and hardship at the hands of his opponents. More than once, he was forced to flee Alexandria into exile. There, in remote deserts, he would seek shelter from the Arians, who frequently plotted his death. Over 20 years were spent in banishment. Sometimes, he returned to his flock, only to be banished again. The very fate of the entire Orthodox Church seemed almost inseparable from that of Saint Athanasius the Great. One day, he stood alone, the solitary faithful bishop, for all the others had fallen into heresy. As Arianism threatened to smother the Truth with might and deceit, Saint Athanasius the Great rose up in that critical moment as a mighty wall of Orthodoxy. First within Church history, he stood against the entire clergy to save the truth. Exile loomed, threats of capture circled, even death hovered near — but his fear of the Lord always outweighed all earthly terrors.
St. Athanasius the Great, archbishop of Alexandria. Fresco of the church of the Holy Trinity in Sopocani Monastery, Serbia, c. 1265
At their sham councils, the Arian bishops declared Saint Athanasius to be stripped of Episcopal rank. Yet, across long years of hardship, he never ceased upholding the pure Orthodox faith. Letters, treatises, and reasoned arguments flowed from his pen to unmask Arian lies. When Julian the Apostate began his persecution of Christians, his fury fell first upon Saint Athanasius, renowned bastion of Orthodoxy. Julian plotted to kill him, hoping to deal a devastating blow to Christianity, but soon met his own dishonourable end.
After Julian’s fall, Saint Athanasius led the flock in Alexandria for seven more years, strengthening Orthodoxy through his writings. In a letter to the African bishops, he prevented the Church of Carthage from changing the Creed. Saint Athanasius also corresponded with Saint Basil the Great. Later, Basil and other Cappadocian Fathers would reaffirm the defeat of Arianism at the Second Ecumenical Council, refining the Creed into its familiar form. Sadly, Athanasius did not live to see that day—he departed this life eight years before the council, in 373, aged seventy-six.
Saint Athanasius of Alexandria’s tireless struggle for the truth of Orthodoxy earned him both the respect and awe of his own time and that of future generations throughout the Christian world. Yet he offered more than daring feats in defence of Orthodoxy, leaving behind his numerous writings. His life of turmoil, with constant anxieties, plots by enemies, persecutions, and multiple escapes and exiles to faraway lands, hardly made for planned and concentrated theological work. By force of circumstance, he devoted his life to the immediate needs of the church, using theological and philosophical arguments to address the challenges of his day. His legacy springs directly from the storms he weathered and the trials he overcame. Saint Athanasius did not keep a list of his writings, and it is now impossible to know exactly how many pieces he wrote.
Alexandria, modern view
Four of his "Discourses" against Arianism survive, as does a letter to Epictetus, Bishop of Corinth, on the divine and human natures of Jesus Christ; and four letters to Bishop Serapion of Thmuis on the divinity of the Holy Spirit and his equality with the Father and the Son – countering the heresy of Macedonius. Other writings, of an apologetic nature, in defence of Orthodoxy, have also come down to us, including a letter to Emperor Constantius. Saint Athanasius' commentaries on the Holy Scriptures and books on moral teachings continue to inspire.
Guardian of Orthodox belief
St. Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria. Fresco of the church of St Athanasius tou Mouzaki in Kastoria, Greece. 1383-1384
Published works in Russian include: "On the Benefits of Reading Holy Scripture," "A Short Overview of the Old Testament," "A Review of the Letters of the Holy Apostles and the Revelation of John," "On Virginity, or Asceticism," "On How We Can Know God with Our Minds and Souls, and That the Human Soul is Rational and Immortal," "On the Reasons for the Incarnation of God’s Word," "On the Incarnate Word of God Against the Arians," "On the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ," "On Patience," and others. As Cyril of Alexandria observed, the works of Athanasius were “like a healing balm, reviving the universe” from the many ills of false teachings. Saint Athanasius was a man of deep religious devotion, great honesty, strong resolve, fearless, and bold in defending the truth. His writings still serve today as a source of moral guidance and the principles of Orthodox faith.
"Let us gloriously praise Athanasius, that magnificent adornment of the holy bishops, an unconquerable champion. For by the power of the Most Holy Spirit, he cut down the ranks of the heresies. Throughout the whole world, he raised up the banners of victory for Orthodoxy, uniting with devout heart the Trinity’s mystery, by the properties of the Persons and uniting again, without mixing, the one Essence’s identity. He is now, like a cherubim, in theological conversation, praying forever for our souls.”
(Stichera at the Praises, Tone 3)
Material prepared by the team obitel-minsk.ru.
Photos from the internet.
Sources used in preparing this article:
1. Athanasius the Great - Orthodox Theological Encyclopedia (biblioteka3.ru)
2. Orthodox Apologist - Saint Athanasius the Great: A Hero Among Saints and a Saint Among Heroes (apologet.spb.ru)
3. Saint Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria (373 AD) | Lives of the Saints | Orthodoxy in Tatarstan | Portal of the Tatarstan Metropolitanate (tatmitropolia.ru)
4. Gorsky Alexander, Archpriest. The Life of Saint Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria (odinblago.ru)
