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This book presents the fundamental elements of Athanasius' response to the central questions of the identity of Jesus and the nature of his relationship with God. Providing a useful introduction on his life and work, the book focuses on the tumultuous doctrinal controversies of the day in which he was a central figure. Key selections from his writings, newly translated, have all been chosen with a view to presenting the rationale for Athanasius' fundamental theological positions: the divinity and humanity of Christ, human redemption, the divinity and work of the Holy Spirit, the logic of Christian worship, and the scriptural basis for the doctrinal formulations of the Council of Nicaea. Students of history and classical studies, and even students of religious studies will find this an essential part of their course reading.
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ATHANASIUS
Athanasius was an enigmatic and fiery Egyptian bishop of the fourth-century Church. He was a principal architect of Christian doctrine and has been a controversial figure, from his own time to the present day. Much of his work focused on the question of the identity of Jesus Christ, and the nature of his relationship to God. This book presents the fundamental elements of Athanasius’s response to this question. It also provides a much-needed, up-to-date introduction to his life and work, focusing on the tumultuous doctrinal controversies in which he played a crucial part. The majority of the book is made up of new translations of his key writings. These have been chosen with a view to presenting the rationale for Athanasius’s fundamental theological positions: the divinity and humanity of Christ, human redemption, the divinity and work of the Holy Spirit, the logic of Christian worship, and the scriptural basis for the doctrinal formulations of the Council of Nicaea. Khaled Anatolios is Associate Professor of Historical Theology at Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, MA. He is the author of Athanasius: The Coherence of His Thought (Routledge, 1998).
THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS Edited by Carol Harrison University of Durham CYRIL OF JERUSALEM Edward Yarnold, S.J. EARLY CHRISTIAN LATIN POETS Carolinne White CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA Norman Russell MAXIMUS THE CONFESSOR Andrew Louth IRENAEUS OF LYONS Robert M.Grant AMBROSE Boniface Ramsey, O.P. ORIGEN Joseph W.Trigg GREGORY OF NYSSA Anthony Meredith, S.J. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM Wendy Mayer and Pauline Allen JEROME Stefan Rebenich TERTULLIAN Geoffrey Dunn ATHANASIUS Khaled Anatolios
ATHANASIUS Khaled Anatolios
LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published 2004 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” © 2004 Khaled Anatolios All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Anatolios, Khaled, 1962– Athanasius/Khaled Anatolios. p. cm.—(The early church fathers) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Athanasius, Saint, Patriarch of Alexandria, d. 373. I. Title. II. Series. BR 1720.A7 A53 2004 270.2'092–dc22 2003026829 ISBN 0-203-45763-3 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-76587-7 (Adobe eReader Form