Athanasius of Alexandria: The Formation of Orthodoxy Flashcards
Who was Athanasius of Alexandria?
archibishop of Alexandria, spent much time in exile, present at the Council of Nicea inn 325, Arian controversy during his lifetime
Who was Arius? and what did he think?
A presbyter (priest) at Alexandria who taught that Jesus could not be divine, since
- there is only one God
- Jesus was a special creature
- he is the first-born of creation
What did Athanasius believe?
He disagreed with Arius, he thought Christ had to be divine otherwise there would be no salvation for sinful humans.
- only God can save so the Redeemer must be divine
- the Redeemer must also be human, otherwise humans could not participate in his nature and thus participate in the salvation wrought by him
Where did this idea of the Saviour participating in two natures (human and divine) come from?
Irenaeus of Lyon and was motivated by soteriology ( = ‘the doctrine of salvation’ from sōteria and logos)
How did the council of Nicea believe in the divinity of the Son?
the Son being ‘homoousios’ : of the same being/substance of the father
What did the council of Constantinople argue?
The Holy Spirit is also divine
Why did Constantine convene the council of Nicea?
Arianism threatened to split the empire and Constantine tried to create unity based on a shared doctrinal statement (creed), however the controversy remained alive
Who took care of Athanasius’s legacy?
The Cappadocians, so called ‘Neo-Nicenes’: three bishops and theologians originating from Cappadocia: Basil the Great/Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzen [Basil’s friend], Gregory of Nyssa [Basil’s younger brother
What did the conflicts around arianism resulted in?
Athanasius went into exile many times. For instance, at Trier (to the west), Athanasius ideas about asceticism would spread in this area -> we see this back in the life of Jerome, when he moved to Trier to learn about asceticism and read about in Augustine’s Confessions
Whom did Athanasius write a biography about and what is this called?
the famous monk Anthony, Vita Antonii
What are the 4 themes in 4 Vita Antonii
- Youth
- Calling
- Asceticism
- Temptation
What are the other themes in Vita Antonii?
- Demons (speech: chs 16-43)
- Deeper into the desert
- Healings and exorcisms, ‘mediator’
- Visions and clairvoyance
- Debate with pagan philosophers
- Anti-heretical polemic (Athanasian)
- Letter from the emperor
- Death (Biblical allusions, grave unknown)
Why did this biography became popular?
- it narrates the life of the saint
- it propagates the ascetic life (life in solitude characterized by prayer, fasting & simple food, abstaining from sexuality, nightly vigils, manual labour, life of virtue etc)
- It mirrors Athanasius theological interests
- it puts emphasis on the power of the Logos
- rejects Arianism
What’s Athanasius famous book called?
De Incarnatione Verbi Dei (on the incarnation)
What are according to Athanasius the ways to knowledge of God/the Divine?
- Humans created according to
imago/similitudo Dei - Harmony of the cosmos
- Old Testament
- Incarnation of the Word
