Athanasius of Alexandria: Bishop, Theologian, Ascetic, Father

247 Pages·2012·1.48 MB·English

by  David M. Gwynn

christian theology in context
SERIES EDITORS
Timothy Gorringe Serene Jones Graham Ward
CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY IN CONTEXT
Any inspection of recent theological monographs makes plain that it
is still thought possible to understand a text independently of its con-
text. Work in the sociology of knowledge and in cultural studies has,
however, increasingly made obvious that such a divorce is impossible.
On the one hand, as Marx put it, ‘life determines consciousness’. All
texts have to be understood in their life situation, related to questions
of power, class, and modes of production. No texts exist in intellec-
tual innocence. On the other hand, texts are also forms of cultural
power, expressing and modifying the dominant ideologies through
which we understand the world. This dialectical understanding of
texts demands an interdisciplinary approach if they are to be properly
understood: theology needs to be read alongside economics, politics,
and social studies, as well as philosophy, with which it has tradition-
ally been linked. The cultural situatedness of any text demands, both
in its own time and in the time of its rereading, a radically interdisci-
plinary analysis.
The aim of this series is to provide such an analysis, culturally
situ ating texts by Christian theologians and theological movements.
Only by doing this, we believe, will people of the fourth, sixteenth, or
nineteenth centuries be able to speak to those of the twenty-fi rst. Only
by doing this will we be able to understand how theologies are them-
selves cultural products—projects deeply resonant with their particular
cultural contexts and yet nevertheless exceeding those contexts by being
received into our own today. In doing this, the series should advance
both our understanding of those theologies and our understanding of
theology as a discipline. We also hope that it will contribute to the fast
developing interdisciplinary debates of the present.
Athanasius of Alexandria
Bishop, Theologian,
Ascetic, Father
D avid M. G wynn
1
3
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To My Parents
For Everything
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Contents
Preface ix
Abbreviations xiii
Chronology xv
1. Life and Writings 1
2. Bishop 19
The Episcopate of Alexandria before Athanasius 20
The Early Years: From Election to Exile (328–35) 25
Between East and West: The First and Second Exiles (335–46) 30
The Glorious Return and the Golden Decade (346–56) 37
Flight to the Desert: The Third Exile (356–62) 43
The Final Years (362–73) 49
Death and Aftermath 53
3. Theologian 55
Arius, Alexander, and Nicaea: The Origins of the
Fourth-Century Theological Controversies 56
The Early Theology of Athanasius: C ontra
Gentes–De Incarnatione and the Orationes contra Arianos 65
‘Athanasian Arianism’ 76
The Council of Nicaea and the Holy Spirit 85
Athanasius’ Later Writings: Reconciliations and
New Controversies 93
4. Ascetic 105
The Golden Age of Egyptian Asceticism 106
Athanasian Asceticism 111
The Bishop and the Monks: Athanasius and the ‘Politics’
of Asceticism 120
5. Father 131
In the Beginning: The First Festal Letter 132
The Pastoral Bishop 135
Pastoral Theology and Salvation 142
Pastoral Asceticism and the Christian Life 146
The Canon of Scripture: Festal Letter XXXIX 152
viii Contents
6. Death and Legacy 159
Athanasius in the Greek East 161
Athanasius in the Latin West 173
Athanasius in Syriac Tradition 184
Athanasius in Armenian Tradition 185
Athanasius in Coptic Tradition 187
Conclusion 195
Bibliography 199
Index of Athanasian Texts 217
Index of Biblical Citations 221
General Index 222
Preface
A thanasius of Alexandria ( c. 295–373) has been a fi gure of inspiration and
controversy from his own time to the present day. One of the greatest per-
sonalities of the fourth-century Church, Athanasius lived in a period of
fundamental change for the Roman Empire and Christianity following the
conversion of Constantine, the fi rst Christian Roman emperor. Athanasius
played a central part in shaping the identity of the Church during these
formative years, and was remembered as a champion of orthodoxy and
asceticism and a model for future bishops. He has never lacked for scholarly
attention, and the present volume thus requires a short explanation.
Over the last few decades, modern scholarship has tended to focus
around different aspects of Athanasius’ life and thought. There have been
numerous important studies of his theology (among the more recent
are Pettersen, Athanasius (1995); Anatolios, Athanasius: The Coherence of
his Thought (1998); and Weinandy, Athanasius: A Theological Introduction
(2007)). Equally important work has developed our understanding of
his ecclesiastical career (Barnes, A thanasius and Constantius: Theology and
Politics in the Constantinian Empire (1993); Martin, Athanase d’Alexandrie
et L’Église d’Égypte au IVe siècle (328–373) (1996)). Attention has also been
increasingly paid to Athanasius’ involvement in the rise of the ascetic
movement in the fourth century (Brakke, A thanasius and the Politics of
Asceticism (1995)) and to his dedication as a spiritual father and pastor
(Ng, The Spirituality of Athanasius: A Key for Proper Understanding of this
Important Church Father (2001)). Improved editions of Athanasius’ writ-
ings have appeared, and a new survey of the latest Athanasian scholarship
has now been published in the A thanasius Handbuch edited by G emein-
hardt ( 2011 ).
A ll these works have contributed signifi cantly to our knowledge of Atha-
nasius, his world, and his place in the wider history of Christianity. Yet
there is no easily accessible modern book in English that draws together
the different roles that he played and sets Athanasius within his broader
context. The present volume aims to fi ll that void. It is intended in the fi rst
instance for students and teachers of courses in patristic theology and Late
Roman history. There is extensive quotation from Athanasius’ texts, for it is
through his own words that we can best approach the man and his thought.