St. Athanasius was a prominent Church Father in the Early Church who is credited with the preservation of Orthodox Doctrine. He was a leader and guardian of the Christian faith during the era of the Early Church. The war that occurred between the father of Arianism, Arius and the Orthodox Bishops of the Early Church has forever shaped the Doctrine of Christianity. St. Athanasius was a great protector of the young Church and defended her doctrines from being corrupted by the influence of the Gnostics. Christians have been indebted to the perseverance that St. Athanasius portrayed during the war on Arianism and his aid with the penning of the Nicene Creed.
St. Athanasius was born in Alexandria around 296 AD during the great persecution of the Church. He showed signs of Christian leadership from an early age and was under the instruction of the Bishop of Alexandria, Alexander. Athanasius applied himself to the intense study of Holy Scripture and grew in knowledge of the truth which would be his guide through the spiritual warfare that he would wage throughout his life.
His greatest theological enemy were the Arians, a sect of Gnosticism that was started in Alexandria during the early years of Athanasius’ life. The Arians believed that the first and second persons of the trinity were made of different substances. They also believed that the second person of the trinity, Jesus Christ, was a created being that was totally different and set apart from God the Father. The catholic church (Universal Church) dismissed these teachings as false and heretical. And at the town of Nicaea in 325 AD the final battle for the doctrine of the Trinity would be fought.
All of the bishops from all over the Roman Empire, including the Bishop of Alexandria, Alexander and his young apprentice, Athanasius, came to Nicaea (now modern day Turkey) to decide once and for all what the doctrine of the universal Church should entail. This was at the request of the newly converted Emperor Constantine who wanted unity within his empire. The Counsel of Bishops at Nicaea along with the Emperor formed the Nicene Creed, which stated the unified doctrine of the Church. And in it they condemned the heresies of the Arians by stating that God the Father and Christ the Son are both coeternal and of the same substance and equal. Arius, the leader of the Arians was banished by Emperor Constantine and excommunicated from the Church. (It is legend that St. Nicolas punched the Heretic Arius in the face after his ex-communication!) The troubles of the Church were supposedly resolved, for the present.
Three years after the Counsel of Nicaea, Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria died and was succeeded by Athanasius. During this time Emperor Constantine had succumb to the Arians in order to “keep the peace”. The Emperor commanded Bishop Athanasius to readmit Arius, the leader of the Arians, into the Church. When Athanasius refused, the Emperor called for another counsel to convene and discuss the Nicene Trinitarianism. Athanasius went but quickly discerned from the attendees that it was an unfair fight and fled the city. He was able to gain an audience with the Emperor and when he refused to readmit Arius to the Church he was exiled, which would be the first of many exiles for St. Athanasius.
For the remainder of his life Athanasius would combat the teachings of the Arians verbally and through his writings. As a result, Athanasius was exiled, run out of town, verbally assaulted by the government and made to live a very difficult life. Because of his declaration of war against everyone who held to the teachings of the Arians, Athanasius received a tag at the end of his name to solidify his campaign: Athanasius Contra Mundum, or Athanasius against the world. He lived his life to defend the true doctrine and refused to give in to heresy, no matter the cost. Sadly, Athanasius was never able to see the final defeat of the Arians that he had worked so hard to accomplish. Just eight years after his death the new Emperor Theodosius, a firm believer of orthodox Christianity, called for another counsel, the Counsel of Constantinople, to once and for all lay the heresy of the Arians to rest and proclaim the true Trinitarian Nicene Creed. Even though Athanasius was not physically present at the time when the Nicene Creed was given its final form, his contribution to the Creed that is still used today was exemplified in his life and his war against heresy.
St. Athanasius was a firm believer in orthodox Christianity; he protected and defended the purity of doctrine in the early Church. He, in his work On the Incarnation, made some very important points that refute the Arian heresies concerning the deity of Christ. He was absolutely adamant on the point that Christ was fully God and fully man at the same point in history. While He was born into flesh early in the first century AD, He was also with the Father in eternity past and not a created being. Athanasius insisted that Christ was of the same substance as the Father and equal with Him. Athanasius showed that Christ’s incarnation, miracles, resurrection, and ascension proved His deity; while Christ’s birth, life and death proved His humanity. Athanasius revealed the need for Christ’s incarnation, such as: In order to atone for sinners, He had to become like man and die. Athanasius showed through his work on the Incarnation that Christ is the Creator, Author and Finisher of the Christian faith. These teachings in every way usurped the beliefs of the Gnostic Arians and played a substantial role in Athanasius’ war against heresy.
St. Athanasius believed that his war with the Arian Gnostics to protect the Church was ultimately bringing glory to God. He set an example of steadfastness and an unwillingness to recant doctrine for the sake of unity or cultural relevance. The church today, although it has existed in a totally different society should have the same undying loyalty to sound doctrine. The Post-Modern movement that has been spreading through the church is trying to change the message to fit the culture, just as the Arians were trying to do in the second century. The Church should take the example that Athanasius has given her, and relentlessly defend Biblical Doctrine at all cost. The life of St. Athanasius has given the example that the Church needs to go and combat heresy, protect the doctrine of the church and bring glory to God.