Author: Athanasius of Alexandria
Lived: c. AD 296–373
Related:
• On the Incarnation of the Word
• Answering the Jews
Born in Alexandria, Egypt, about AD 296, Athanasius received a classical education. He wrote On the Incarnation prior to his ordination to the diaconate in AD 319. As secretary to Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, he attended the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in AD 325, where the Nicene Creed was formulated.
In AD 328, he was appointed Bishop of Alexandria and served in that role for forty-five years, but his defense of the Nicene Creed against Arianism led to conflicts. Athanasius was exiled five times for his committed defense of the Nicene Creed and the coequality of the Father and the Son, spending a total of seventeen years in exile.
Athanasius’ Life of Saint Anthony had a profound influence on the growing monastic movement in Gaul and Ireland, serving as a foundational text that shaped the practices, ideals, and structures of monastic life in western Europe.
Despite facing opposition and exile, Athanasius remained steadfast in his beliefs and continued to defend the Church’s teachings until his death in AD 373.