Fairacres Publications 120 Scholars have often concentrated on the theological writings of St Athanasius (c. 296-373 AD) and on his influence as a religious leader, so that his contribution to the monastic life has not received due recognition. In these six letters addressed to monks, Athanasius is revealed as a wise spiritual guide and loving pastor, determined that the monks should receive sound teaching, so as to avoid the pitfalls of heresies current at that time. As Leslie Barnard notes in his Introduction, ‘The permanent significance of these letters lies in their wisdom, moderation and balance.’
Athanasius, one of the most influential church fathers in history, records in his Life of Antony of Egypt the story of another extremely influential figure of early Christianity. Albert Haase's paraphrase of this important work gives us access to a masterwork of spiritual formation, that we too might know God as richly as Athanasius did.
Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, is perhaps the most important figure in the Christological debates of the early‐ to mid‐fourth century. In writings that span nearly four decades, Athanasius developed the foundations for the Church’s account of Christ—his divinity and human life and their role in the spiritual life of Christians. This volume presents four works, in a revised translation by John Henry Newman, that have not been available together for more than a century. The work of Athanasius of Alexandria is a prime example of how early Christian doctrine developed by being forced to articulate the Christian faith in the face of philosophical questions. We see in Athanasius not a triumph of Hellenism but a revision of Hellenistic categories to accommodate the Christian belief described in Philippians 2: for our sake, the divine Son of God came into the world and lived an authentic human life without compromise to his divinity, and that from Christ’s humanity Christians receive the divine life that he lived in the flesh. The selection of writings gives an overview of Athanasius’s thought both in its development and in its striking consistency. From Against the Nations through On the Incarnation we can see Athanasius develop a biblical and philosophical narrative for his audience of Hellenistic Christians, probably before or shortly after the Council of Nicaea (325). The Discourses Against the Arians, written between 339 and 343 during Athanasius’s exile in Rome, reply to specific philosophical and exegetical objections lodged by Arius’s followers. Drawing on previous tradition, Athanasius presents Christ’s reality as both fully human and fully divine, developing the trinitarian dimensions of salvation, in a manner that is thoroughly biblical, philosophically innovative, and speculatively insightful. On the Decrees of the Council of Nicaea, written in the 350s, defends the Nicene definition against the charge that its central term, “consubstantial,” conveys an unscriptural idea. This light revision of Newman’s translation removes archaisms and clarifies obscure passages while preserving his elevated prose.
A beautiful portrait of the radical devotion of St. Antony and his call to holy living. "It was truly amazing that being alone in such a desert Antony was niether distracted by the demons who confronted him, nor was he frightened of their ferocity when so many four–legged beasts and reptiles were there. But truly he was one who, as Scripture says, having trusted in the Lord, was like Mount Zion, keeping his mind unshaken and unruffled; so instead the demons fled and the wild beasts, as it is written, made peace with him."––from The Life of Antony Athanasius (c. 295–373) was an Alexandrian whose life was committed at an early age to the Christian community growing there. He became a controversial bishop and one of the most vivid and forceful personalities in political and religious affairs. His famous account, The Life of Antony, inaugurated the genre of the lives of the saints and established the frame of Christian hagiography, quickly attaining the status of a classic and becoming one of the most influential writings in Christian history. It tells the spiritual story of St. Antony, the founder of Christian monasticism. A pioneer in spiritual experience, he marked a new epoch in the Christian experience and set the terms for the Church's ideal of the life of devotion. He transferred the center of monastic life from the periphery of established communities to the barren and isolated setting of a hermitage, away from civilization, in a location of solitude and serenity. The Life of Antony is a beautiful portrait of what a life committed to God demands and promises.
The Athanasian Creed, also known as Pseudo-Athanasian Creed or Quicunque Vult (also Quicumque Vult), is a Christian statement of belief focused on Trinitarian doctrine and Christology. The Latin name of the creed, Quicunque vult, is taken from the opening words, "Whosoever wishes." The creed has been used by Christian churches since the sixth century. It is the first creed in which the equality of the three persons of the Trinity is explicitly stated. It differs from the Nicene-Constantinopolitan and Apostles' Creeds in the inclusion of anathemas, or condemnations of those who disagree with the creed (like the original Nicene Creed). Widely accepted among Western Christians, including the Roman Catholic Church and some Anglican churches, Lutheran churches (it is considered part of the Lutheran confessions in the Book of Concord), and ancient, liturgical churches generally, the Athanasian Creed has been used in public worship less and less frequently, but part of it can be found as an "Authorized Affirmation of Faith" in the recent (2000) Common Worship liturgy of the Church of England [Main Volume page 145]. It was designed to distinguish Nicene Christianity from the heresy of Arianism. Liturgically, this Creed was recited at the Sunday Office of Prime in the Western Church; it is not in common use in the Eastern Church. The creed has never gained acceptance in liturgy among Eastern Christians since it was considered as one of many unorthodox fabrications that contained the Filioque clause. Today, the Athanasian Creed is rarely used even in the Western Church. When used, one common practice is to use it once a year on Trinity Sunday. (This book also contains an English translation and a short history of Saint Athanasius)
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