St. Athanasius: On the Incarnation, with an Introduction by C. S. Lewis

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[Salvation]

St. Athanasius: On the Incarnation With an Introduction by C. S. Lewis
St. Athanasius _____________	Author: Athanasius of Alexandria (Probably written before 313 A.D.) St. Athanasius Contra Mundum (Against the World) "This is a good translation of a very great book...St. Athanasius stood contra mundum for the Trinitarian doctrine, "whole and undefiled," when it looked as if all the civilized world was slipping back from Christianity into the religion of Arius---one of those "sensible," synthetic religions which are so strongly recommended today and which then, as now, included among their devotees many highly cultivated clergymen.  "I soon discovered I was reading a masterpiece..."   -C. S. Lewis  It is the glory of St. Athanasius that he did not move with the times; it is his reward that he now remains when those times, as all times do, have moved away. When I first opened his De Incarnatione I soon discovered I was reading a masterpiece...for only a mastermind could have written so deeply on a subject with such classical simplicity. -from the Introduction by C. S. Lewis

 

 

 

The Life of St. Athanasius

Those interested in Christian History (like us) will greatly enjoy the short summary of Athanasius' life and times: how he was present at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. (Nicene Creed); how he was banished several times during the great persecution of the Church by some of the still-pagan Roman Emperors. 

How he was several times re-instated as Bishop of Alexandria; his fight against the Arian heresy's attempted takeover of the Church, and how Athanasius met Antony of the Desert ("the first monk"--that's what he's called, but he wasn't, really) and wrote the story of his life in another book (Life of St. Antony) that inspired European monasticism, and especially Irish Celtic monasticism.  

Then there's the story of how Athanasius took the first two monks to Rome ever to go there (up until that time Rome had no interest in monasticism), and laid the groundwork for the later inspiration of Benedict of Nursia who would live in a cave, found the monastery of Monte Cassino, the oldest continuously inhabited monastery in Europe, and become the author of The Rule of St. Benedict.

On the Incarnation

Oh yes, and if all that weren't enough, we also have the little book that Athanasius wrote, On the Incarnation.  It is basic Christianity, or as C. S. Lewis would say, mere Christianity, and covers such subjects as:

• The Creation and the Fall

• The Divine Dilemma and its Solution in the Incarnation

• The Death of Christ

• The Resurrection 

• Refutation of the Jews

• Refutation of the Gentiles

How wonderful it is to see how Christ-centered and Bible-believing the Christians of the fourth century (300's A.D.) were.

Suffering some of the most extreme persecution in all of history, they are an inspiring example to we who are believers today.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

“”stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter” —St. Paul (2 Thess. 2:15).

This passage equates the authority of apostolic oral and written tradition (Scripture).

Yet other passages, like the one you cited, appear to contradict St. Paul.

Here is how the paradox is resolved:
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/scripture-and-tradition

[redhead]

Just downloaded this to my kindle.

[bad company]

http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/eastwest
Here is a great lecture on tis great book.

[gghd]

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/

This is the link to Saint Athanasius writings. I got it from one of your earlier threads about the Saint.

Free down load. At least free to us as New Advent paid for the site & the electric bill.

[Yudan]

"Arianism IS Christianity. All that is required to be a Christian is to believe that Christ was the son of God..."

I'm very sorry, friend. This first statement about Arianism being Christianity is simply false. Arius taught that Jesus was not co-eternal, but created at a finite point in chronos time. In Arius' own words, "There was a time when the Son was not." This contradicts the words of Christ, as recorded in the 8th chapter of the Gospel According to St. John, when he answered the Pharisees, "...before Adam was even born, I AM."

"The earliest Christians were not Trinitarians..."

Again, I'd point you to the Gospels, this time that of St. Matthew, 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

So, I offer to you the words of Jesus Christ on these matters.

[Yudan]

And, by the way, the first known listing of the New Testament canon, in the familiar modern form, was in a letter written by +Athanasius around Pascha in the year 367. This took place between the 1st and 2nd Ecumenical Councils.