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Pope Saint Athanasius the Apostolic

Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the Holy Apostolic See of

Saint Mark the Apostle and Evangelist.

 

 

 

If St. Athanasius had not opposed the Arian heresy, our church would not have been the same today. 

"That extraordinary man was the principal instrument after the apostles by which the sacred truth of Christianity had been conveyed and secured to the world." "St. Athanasius was the true pillar of the church. His doctrine represents the Orthodox Creed which was adopted by the whole world as the only true faith." 

 

Pope St. Athanasius was born around 298 AD, in Upper Egypt. Both of his parents were pagan, and never converted to Christianity. [1] From his childhood, Pope St. Athanasius was a strong-hearted Christian. When he was in school, he saw some Christian children, acting out some Christian rituals. For example, some of the children acted as priests, some as deacons, and one of them as a bishop. The child Athanasius came to them to participate, but they would not allow him saying, "You are a pagan, and you are not allowed to mix with us." He answered them saying, "I am from now on a Christian." They rejoiced and made him patriarch over them in their playing.[2] One day Pope St. Alexandros was looking out his window and found some children playing on the seashore. He carefully watched them, and noticed that they were performing the Rite of Baptism. He called them in and began to question them. With bowed heads and cheeks red with confusion, they confessed the truth; and one of them declared, 'It is Athanasius who was our chief. He acted the role of a bishop and baptized those among us who have not yet been baptized.' Pope St. Alexandros looked at the lad who had been singled out, and immediately loved him. On examination it was found that the acting bishop, who was only twelve years old had, carefully observed every detail of the Baptism Rite. From that day, Pope St. Alexandros felt that the boy Athanasius was destine to become a chosen vessel for the church.

 

From a young age, Pope St. Athanasius' heart was spiritually filled. He set himself to study the Scriptures and the other books of the Church. After school he would rush home to study these books; which became his only interest. When he was fifteen, his father had passed away, and when his mother saw how involved he was in his books, she became alarmed. She felt that the only cure for her son was marriage. Not knowing what to do, she went to seek help from a soothsayer (fortune-teller). After much persuasion, the boy Athanasius agreed to meet with the soothsayer. After their meeting, St. Athanasius wasted no time, and returned to reading and studying his books. The oracle told St. Athanasius' mother, "Do not lose your time and energy, for your son will follow the Galilean, and his life will be a sweet-smelling incense among many nations."[3] After much thought of the matter, she agreed to let Athanasius, her son, follow his heart. She took her son and offered him to Pope St. Alexandros' hands, just as Hannah offered her son Samuel to the temple.[4]

 

Now, the young man. Athanasius lived with the Pope of Alexandria for several years, in where his wisdom and knowledge increased daily. He studied in the Supreme Theological University of Alexandria, trying to absorb as much knowledge as he possibly could from his highly knowledgeable Alexandrian teachers. He studied grammar, logic, oration, Greek classics such as Homer, and he also spent much time learning Greek philosophy and Roman law. He reflected and contemplated over the Old Testament; and absorbed all the teachings of the Clement and Origen, which were some of the greatest minds, and leaders in the Supreme Theological University of Alexandria. At about twenty years of age, St. Athanasius went and spent about three years in the desert with St. Anthony, the Father of Monasticism. He stayed with St. Anthony and learned all the rites and rituals of asceticism. He learned through meditation, prayer and from conversation with the great saint. In those three years, St. Athanasius had written his first two books, On the Vanity of the Idols and On the Existence of the One God.[5] During this period, St. Athanasius annotated information on St. Anthony, which he used for his book,Vita Antoni ( The Life of Saint Anthony).

 

At about twenty-three years of age, St. Athanasius returned to Alexandria. Upon his return, Pope St. Alexandros ordained him as a deacon, and made him his personal secretary. During this time the deacon exercised functions that were set down by the early Church Fathers. The deacon was the eyes and ears, mouth and hand, and heart and soul of the priest; and this was the same with St. Athanasius and Pope St. Alexandros. The two served the church together in harmony, that Pope St. Alexandros felt that St. Athanasius was his son. The two of them had the same deep understanding and ideals; and they were both overfilled with God's divine grace. Part of St. Athanasius' daily routine, involved him dealing with the poorest of slums, in helping those who were disinherited of the earth. His daily ritual guided him to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, visit prisoner and strangers. Whenever he would meet with someone whose faith was shaken, he would reaffirm them with words of confidence and comfort.

 

At this time, Arius, a Libyan priest, who was in charge of the church of Baucalis, in Alexandria; explained God as absolutely one, transcendent, distant, unknown, inaccessible, and separated by an infinite chasm from men. He understood "Monotheism" as a numerical comprehension, with no regard to the "Unity" of the Trinity. He also, said that God created Jesus (Logos) from nothing and that the two were not of the same essence, and the Holy Spirit is a creation of the Logos, which is less than God.[6] Due to this heresy, in 325 AD, Emperor Constantine invited three hundred and eighteen (318) bishops, to discuss this belief that Arius was teaching. During the Council, Arius stated that Christ was "similar" in essence with the Father; but St. Athanasius refuted him saying that Christ was homoousios with the Father (equal and of one essence with the Father). This termed was used to reaffirm that Christ, the Son, is equal to and of the same substance as the Father. Arius continually denied that Christ was of the (equal) same essence (homoousios) as the Father, which eventually led to his excommunication from the Church.

 

From the Council, three people were assigned to write a doctrine of faith. One choice was Pope St. Alexandros, who was the Pope of Alexandria. The most obvious choice was St. Athanasius, who was Pope St. Alexandros' disciple (it is important to note that they were both Egyptians). The third chosen was Leontius, who was Bishop of Caesarea, who was a Syrian by descent. "The three agreed that the Creed must affirm the divinity of the Son, so as to the basis of the true Christian faith of the Universal church for all time. To increase its forcefulness, they appended to it a statement of anathema that would constitute a warning to those who digressed from the established principles of the Faith, as Arius had done. The text that was worded by the three fathers, was:

 

 

WE BELIEVE IN ONE GOD; THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH; THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE.

 

WE BELIEVE IN ONE LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, BORN OF THE FATHER BEFORE ALL AGES; LIGHT OF LIGHT; TRUE GOD OF TRUE GOD; BEGOTTEN NOT CREATED; EQUAL AND CONSUBSTANTIAL WITH THE FATHER; BY WHOM WERE ALL THINGS MADE; THIS IS HE FOR US HUMANS, AND FOR OUR SALVATION, CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, AND WAS MADE MAN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE VIRGIN MARY; HE WAS INCARNATE; CRUCIFIED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE, HE SUFFERED, WAS BURIED, AND ROSE FROM THE DEAD ON THE THIRD DAY ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES. HE ASCENDED UP TO HEAVEN AND SITS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF HIS FATHER, FROM WHENCE HE SHALL COME IN GLORY TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD; FOR WHOSE KINGDOM THERE IS NO END.

 

WE BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT."[7]

 

 

 

After the Holy Ecumenical Council of Nicea, St. Athanasius returned to the monastic life with St. Anthony. In 328 AD Pope St. Alexandros departed in the LORD, and while still in his deathbed, the Pope would call out the name of St. Athanasius. After his departure, it became evident that St. Athanasius was the one who was to serve as Pope St. Alexandros' successor, to the See of St. Mark. Knowing that, St. Athanasius was elected to be their new Pope, clergymen as well as lay-people, went to the desert were St. Athanasius was staying with his spiritual father, St. Anthony. The crowd brought St. Athanasius back to Alexandria, for him to be ordained.

 

For his first three years on the Papal Throne, Pope St. Athanasius lived in peace, and communion with his people. During this three-year period, Pope St. Athanasius ordained, His Eminence Metropolitan Anba Salama, who was an Egyptian monk, to be the Metropolitan of Ethiopia. Since the ordination of His Eminence Metropolitan Anba Salama, the Church of Ethiopia has become a diocese of the Church of Alexandria. After the ordination of His Eminence Metropolitan Anba Salama, Pope St. Athanasius sailed up the Nile, stopping to visit people along the way. This was considered to be Pope St. Athanasius' first Pastoral tour. While Pope St. Athanasius was working on strengthening the Church and the faith of his congregation, the Arians at the same time arose causing mischief. Upon the movement of the Arians, Pope St. Athanasius requested for St. Anthony to come to Alexandria, to refute the Arian movement. Without hesitation, St. Anthony returned to Alexandria and began teaching the differences of the Holy Apostolic Church versus the doctrines of Arius. St. Anthony spoke both in public and private places to refute the Arians. "Now his speech was so exceedingly savoury and so well seasoned with heavenly salt, that none of his hearers could be angry at his words, for he was ready and prepared to hear and answer every kind of opinion."[8]

 

After the Holy Ecumenical Council of Nicea, Arius was excommunicated from the Church, and was sent to exile in Illyria. While in exile, Arius pleaded with Emperor Constantine, to try to return to Alexandria. Arius convinced the Emperor that he had repented, and wanted to be reinstated to the Church. Emperor Constantine, wanting to unite the Church and keep peace, ordered Pope St. Athanasius to take Arius back. Pope St. Athanasius refuses to accept Arius, because this would contradict the decision of the Holy Ecumenical Council of Nicea. Upon the orders that the Emperor had demanded, Pope St. Athanasius went to meet with Constantine, and stated, "Whoever is excommunicated by an ecumenical Council, must be reinstated in the same way - for the Church decrees, that who has authority to bind, is the only one who may unbind." This opposition to the Emperor Constantine’s authority infuriated the Emperor, and he threatened to banish Pope St. Athanasius. By meeting the Emperor face to face, Pope St. Athanasius was able to defend his point of view, to the extant that the Emperor was touched, and permitted him to return to Alexandria. Later emperors followed that would exile this saintly pope almost constantly

 

In 330 A.D. the Arian bishop of Nicomedia, Eusebius, asked Constantine to write to Pope St. Athanasius, bidding him to readmit Arius in the church.  Pope St. Athanasius refused the Emperor's demand, for he was not affected by the flattering words of the Arians nor the threats of the Emperor.  But the Arians brought false charges against him, which prompted Constantine to call the council of Tyre to condemn Pope St. Athanasius.  They exiled him to Tréve, a city between France and Belgium.

 

Then the Emperor wrote to the bishop of Constantinople, Alexander, ordering him to accept Arius in his church.  But the bishop did not know what to do, because he did not want Arius, and in the same time he did not want to oppose the Emperor.  So he started praying the whole night until the next day.  In the afternoon, Arius felt sick.  He entered the bathroom, where his intestines came out, and he died instantly.

 

In 337 A.D. Constantine also died and was succeeded by his son Constantine Junior who restored the exiled Pope to his see.  But two years later, his brother Constantius who became the new Emperor killed the Emperor.  New scandals were invented, and Pope St. Athanasius was accused of raising turmoil and rebellion, prompting bloodshed.  They also accused him of keeping for himself the corn, which the Emperor had destined to help the widows.  Pope St. Athanasius was declared guilty and was deposed by a council held at Antioch.  The Arian party appointed Gregory from Cappadocia to replace him.

 

Pope St. Athanasius was forced to flee to Rome where St. Julius, the bishop of Rome, welcomed him.  In 343 A.D. a council was held at Sardica (Sofia) but the Arian bishops did not attend.  The western bishops excommunicated eleven Arian bishops.  When Constantius discovered the Arian deceit, he wrote three letters to Pope St. Athanasius asking him to return to his See.  Thousands of Copts (Egyptian Christians) went out meet their Pope whom they loved so much as he entered Alexandria in procession.

 

However, in 353 and after the war with Magneutius, Constantius became the sole ruler of the Roman Empire.  The Arians found their chance to accuse Pope St. Athanasius of collaborating with the murdered Magneutius.  The Emperor sent Commander Syrianus with a large force who attacked the church of Theonas, while Pope St. Athanasius and the congregation were holding a vesper service.  They killed tens of Christians inside the church, but the monks managed to push Pope St. Athanasius safely out where he escaped in the silence of the night.  He hid himself in the desert for the next six years.

 

When Julian became the new Emperor, he permitted Pope St. Athanasius to return to Alexandria, but later he turned against him and deposed him.  In 363 A.D. Julian was killed and all the exiled bishops returned to their homes.  The Pope paid a visit to Jovian the new Emperor, who welcomed him and gave him letters upon his return to Alexandria.  Jovian died at the beginning of the following year, and his successor Valens ordered all the bishops who were exiled and recalled by the Jovian to return to their exiles.  For the fifth time, Pope St. Athanasius was forced to leave Alexandria.  He returned at the age of seventy to spend the last seven years of his life in peace among his people.  On May 15, 373 A.D. he departed in the Lord.  May the prayers and supplications of our most blessed and Holy Father Pope St. Athanasius the Apostolic, the Champion of the Faith, be with us. And glory be to God forever, Amen.

 

 

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