SAINT ATHANASIUS
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SAINT ATHANASIUS |
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"THE FATHER OF ORTHODOXY"
PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA, AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
(297 - 373)
Saint Athanasius was the short, dark, slim Archdeacon, a gift of Egypt with a heart of a lion.
He was the first champion of faith from Alexandria when the power of Evil started to show up in the form of a heresy.
St. Athanasius began his theology at Alexandria’s prominent Catechetical School, which was founded by St. Mark himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit to be the center of Christian education for the East and West as well. Being Archdeacon, he was secretary to Bishop Alexander of Alexandria whom he accompanied to attend the council of Nice (325) among more than 300 Bishops.
St. Athanasius took his prominent role in Nicaea, leading the council to announce the condemnation of the Arian heresy. It was about 320 when a priest in Alexandria whose name is Arian, started publicly teaching that the WORD of God is not Eternal. Eternal Father who had a beginning in existence created that Jesus Christ in time, but Jesus was not at a time as creature not Creator. He was in heresy language just figuratively described as the Son of God.
Athanasius fought harshly this heresy, and led the Council of Nicaea to excommunicate Arius as heretic and exiled him. He authored the Nicene Creed, which was adopted by the council, and became the Creed of the church to this day.
It was not an easy fight for Athanasius. By the time he went back a “ champion of orthodoxy “ to Alexandria, and chosen in 328 a successor to Patriarch Alexander who died, the heresies reappeared vigorously in Egypt as well as in Asia Minor. He did neither flinch nor waiver. He defended Christian orthodoxy, and refused all compromise with Arians and opponents.
The heretics were successful to drag Athanasius to litigations. They aligned against him false accusations of all kinds and controversies. At first, the dispute arose under newly Emperor Constantine who cared about the unity of the church as the main factor in the unity of the country. So, Athanasius was not his favor in the beginning. At times Athanasius “stood alone’ against the whole word. He was exiled five times: in Rome, North of Gaul, and around Alexandria, hiding in monasteries. At the end he won his battles, and retuned in 365 to his Chair, in charge of his church in Egypt and Ethiopia.
St. Athanasius was the friend of Pachomius the Great, and Serapion as well as the biographer of St. Anthony. Hagiography or the writings of the lives of saints and monastic movement owed much to St. Athanasius. His preaches and writings are outstanding. Huge crowds used to attend his ceremonies.
He had only a peaceful short lived - triumph of eight years until he died in May of 373. He was proclaimed in 1586 as one of the four Eastern Doctors of the Church, along with Basil, Gregory Nazianzen, and John Chrysostom.
INSPIRATIONAL EVENT: “Let’s continue to be strenuous in pursuing virtue. Let’s not grow tired of seeking it, for our Lord has become a guide for us and for every person who has a desire for the virtues. And so that it might not be tedious for us, St. Paul became our example when he said, ‘I die daily.’” (Life of St. Anthony)
Some of St. Athanasius Famous Sayings:
“The earth is small compared to heaven, so if we were the masters of
everything here and decided to deny ourselves such thing, it is not equal to a
single thing in the kingdom of heaven.”
“Denying such things is like one who leaves behind a copper ‘Durham’ (coin) to
gain a 100 gold ones.”
“So if you leave behind a house or much gold, do not boast, and do not be sad
either.”
“What is the benefit in accumulating things that we can not take with us?”
“Why don’t we work hard to gain the things that we can take with us? I mean:
wisdom, giving, courage, love, mercy, faith, meekness, and the love for the
strangers. These (virtues) shall precede us to the second life and will welcome
us there.”
About the Incarnation of the Word of God, he said:
“The Son of God became man, to make us sons (and daughters) of God.”
“When an evil person is beaten by a righteous king, his hands and feet are tied
behind him, so that everyone that sees him mocks him and thereon no one is
afraid of evil anymore. So, also death was defeated, the redeemer (savior) beat
death (by his death) and mocked it on the Cross, and He tied its hands and feet,
so that all who are in Christ can trample death and mock it, as a witness to
Christ. And they mock death saying: O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where
is thy victory? “The Son is like the Father, not only that, but He is not
separable from the essence of the Father. He and the Father are one in essence,
as the Son said: Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or
else believe me for the very works' sake.” (John 14:11)
“ As the sun and its glory are inseparable, so is the Father and the Son who is
the glory of the Father”
V V V
Athanasius had a warm, devotional attitude to Mary. A remarkable passage from one of his homilies makes this clear.
"O noble Virgin, truly you are greater than any other greatness. For who is your equal in greatness, O dwelling place of God the Word? To whom among all creatures shall I compare you, O Virgin? You are greater than them all. O Ark of the New Covenant, clothed with purity instead of gold! You are the Ark in which is found the golden vessel containing the true manna, that is thr flesh in which divinity resides. Should I compare you to the fertile earth and its fruits? You surpass them, for it is written: "The earth is my footstool." (Is 66:1). But you carry within you the feet, the head, and the entire body of the perfect God.
If I say that heaven is exalted, yet it does not equal you, for it is written: "Heaven is my throne" (Is :66:1), while you are God's place of repose. If I say that the angels and archangels are great-but you are greater than them all, for the angels and archangels serve with trembling the One who dwells in your womb, and they dare not speak in His presence, while you speak to Him freely.
If we say that the cherubim are great, you are greater than they, for the cherubim carry the throne of God while you hold God in your hands. If we say that the seraphim are great, you are greater than them all, for the seraphim cover their faces with their wings, unable to look upon the perfect glory, while you not only gaze upon His face but caress it and offer your breasts to His Holy mouth...
As for Eve, she is the mother of the dead, "for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Cor. 15:22). Eve took (fruit) from the tree and made her husband eat of it along with her. And so they ate of that tree of which God had told them: "The day you eat of it, you shall die." )Gen. 2:17). Eve took fruit from it, ate some of it and gave some to her husband (that he might eat) with her. He ate of it, and he died. In you, instead, O wise Virgin, dwells the Son of God: He, that is, who is the tree of life. Truly He has given us His body, and we have eaten of it. That is how life came to all, and all have come to life by the mercy of God, you beloved Son. That is why your spirit is full of joy in God your Savior! (Quoted from Mary and the Fathers of the Church, Ignatius Press, 99).
On this day Tout 30 (Coptic month = Oct 10 ), the Lord Christ performed a great miracle for the honorable Saint Abba Athanasius, 20th Pope of Alexandria. When Emperor Constantius, the son of the righteous Emperor Constantine, adopted the teachings of Arius who said that the Son was, after not being, and therefore not equal to the Father, he sent a man, whose name was Gawargios, to Alexandria. He also sent along with him 500 horsemen and letters appointing Gawargios patriarch of Alexandria instead of Abba Athanasius the Apostolic. He ordered Gawargios to support the faith of Arius and slay all who would not be obedient to him.
When this man arrived to the city, he preached the teachings of Arius but only a few people of the city accepted his teachings. Therefore, he killed a large number of people, and St. Athanasius hid himself for a period of six years. After which he went to the city of Constantinople, and asked Emperor Constantius either to restore him to his See or to slay him so he would receive the crown of martyrdom. But the Emperor ordered his men to place him in a small boat and to leave him in the sea without food or water or a guide. The Emperor thought that he would die of hunger or thirst or get drowned. In this way he hoped to get rid of the saint and his admonition to him for his heresy, and they did with the saint as the Emperor had ordered them.
The boat sailed along smoothly and in peace with the Lord's will and His care. St. Athanasius was surrounded and cared for by the Angels until he arrived in Alexandria three days later. When the believers heard that their shepherd had arrived, they rejoiced and went out to him and received him with candles and songs of praise. Then they brought him into the church and expelled Gawargios and his followers. St. Athanasius dedicated that day as a great feast to the Lord.
May his prayers be with us and to our God is the glory and honor now and ever unto the end of ages. Amen. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.
"It is impossible not to realize that there must be a being superior to
earthly objects, which is invisible but gives unto to their multiplicity, and
orders their existence. If such a being did not exist and did not function, in
what way could there be a mutual harmonization of heavy and light bodies, of dry
and wet, of round and square, of fire and frost, of sea and land, of sun and
clouds? The nature of each of them is different from that of every other. A
terrible discord would be inevitable! One is causing heat and the other cold, a
heavy body sinks while a light one goes up, the sun give light and the clouds
bring shadow... But in the universe there is no disorders, only order; no
disharmony, only concord. So we need to reflect: there has always been the Lord
to unite so many different elements and to make of them a complete harmony."
St.
Athanasius the Great.
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Page Written By H. G. H ãCopyright 2001