RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Athanasian Athanasius
false freedom and the false equality of the French, and renouncing all sympathy with the Greek struggles for freedom. Against Voltaire especially he directed the "Antidote for Evil," which was published after his death (Leipsic, 1818). Of his hagiographical works the most noteworthy were lives of Gregorios Palamas (Vienna, 1785), and of Marcus Eugenicus (1785), which have little independent value. In the " New Limonarium " (Venice, 1819) he gives many marvelous stories and biographies of modern saints. Very interesting is a treatise at the beginning of the book, in which he tries to show that those who were condemned as Christians because of a renunciation of Islam are just as much martyrs as those of the ancient time. Athanasios was also active as a preacher. A discourse on Gregorios Palamas, printed after the Logoi of Makarios Chrysokephalos (Vienna, 1797?) is a brilliant combination of popular eloquence and fanatical rhetoric. Philipp Meyer.
Bibliography: A biography, trustworthy in the main, with a list of his writings, by his pupil, A. Z. Mamukas, is given in C. N. Sathas, NeoeAAjji'iKi) (JuAoAoyi'a, Athens, 1868; consult also P. Meyer, Die Haupturkunden der Athoskloster, pp. 76 sqq., 236 sqq., Leipsic, 1894.
ATH"A-NA'SIUS.
I. Life. Fourth and Fifth Exiles
Sources (§ 1). (§ 5).
Early Life. Chosen Bish- Relations with Monasti-
op 326 (§ 2). cism (§ 6).
The Arian Controversy. II. Writings.
First Exile (§ 3). HisWorksin Chronological
Second and Third Exiles. Order (§ 1).
(§ 4). His Teaching (§ 2).
Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, was born apparently at Alexandria 293; d. there May 2, 373. His fame is due solely to his unswerving and self-sacrificing opposition to the Arian heresy, and some account of his life, with a statement of his views, is given in the article Arianism. A few facts will be added here, and an account of his literary activity attempted.
I. Life: The principal sources for the biography of Athanasius are the numerous documents bearing on the great Arian controversy which have been preserved, and his own works, which are rich in biographical material, — especially his "Apologies" ("against the Arians," " to Constantine," and "for his Flight ") and his " History of the Arians for Monks."
The oration on Athanasius by Gregory Nazianzen (xxi, NPNF, 2d ser., 269-280; dating from 380?) is a mere panegyric without much biographical value. The biographies i. Sources, prefixed to the Benedictine edition of his works are later than the fifth century historians and quite worthless. Of greater importance are two sources not known to the seventeenth century editor of his works. These are the fragment published by Maffei (1738) of the so-called Historia acephala, written between 384 and 412, and the preface to the ' ' Festal Letters " of Athanasius which are preserved in a Syriac version (ed. Ureton, Mai). Both of these come apparently from a singie oidgj. sourCe, and are very careful in their chronology, so that since they have been known the dates given by Socrates and Sozomen nave often to be corrected.
Some difficulties still remain; but a careful comparison of these authorities enables us with reasonable security to fix the date of Athanasius 's consecration at 326, and, with the help of a recently discovered fragment of a Coptic " Encomium," written by a contemporary of Bishop Theophilus of Alexandria (d. 412), to put his birth back to 293. Of his life up to 326, however, we still know very little. He seems to have been an Alexandrian; that his parents were Christians is not proved. The traditional story of
2. Early his playing at " church " as a boy and, Life. Chosen in the character of a bishop, so correctly Bishop 326. baptizing some catechumens that Bishop Alexander (313-326) recognized the
validity of the baptism, and took the lad under his care, is worthy of its first narrator, Rufinus; the chronology is sufficient to condemn it. Devoting himself, however, to a clerical life, he served (according to the Coptic " Encomium ") six years as reader; by the outbreak of the Arian controversy he was already a deacon, and in close relations with the aged bishop Alexander, perhaps as his amanuensis. This would account for Alexander's taking him to the Council of Nicsea, and perhaps for Sozomen's story that he designated him as his successor. At any rate, Athanasius was chosen to this office on Alexander's death (326), and was received with enthusiasm by the great maj ority of his flock. His opponents early asserted that he was chosen bishop by a minority and consecrated secretly; but this is disproved by the evidence of the Egyptian bishops assembled in council in 339.
The position was by no means an easy one. The Meletian schism (see Meletius of Lycopolis) had rent the Egyptian Church in two; and, although the Nicene decisions had opened the way for a termination of the schism, the manner in which this came about did not preclude the continuance of strife as to the validity of the orders of the Meletian clergy. Athanasius had scarcely been consecrated when these disturbances broke out anew, complicated by the enmities aroused by his decided anti-Arian attitude.
At the instance of Eusebius of Nicomedia, the leader of the semi-Arians (see Eusebius of Nicomedia and Constantinople), the
3. The emperor demanded the readmission Arian Con- of Arius into the Church; but Atha-
troversy. nasius stoutly refused his consent, First Exile, and immediately the storm broke (see Arianism, I) . He was summoned before the emperor, who was at that time in Nicomedia, and accused of conspiring to prevent the export of grain from Egypt to Constantinople. Only after long and wearisome exertions did he succeed in proving his innocence. Immediately after his return, new accusations were brought against him; it was said that he had killed a Meletian bishop, Arsenius, and used his bones for magical arts. An investigation was ordered, and a synod summoned to meet at Cajsarea (334). _ Athanasius refused to appear; and the investigation came to a natural end on the discovery that Arsenius was alive. Eusebius, however, still had the emperor's ear, and Athanasius was summoned to appear at
Athanasius