St. Athanasius

Their story

Athanasius was born around 296 in Alexandria, Egypt, and grew up during the last great persecution of Christians. As a young deacon he served as secretary to Alexander, the bishop of Alexandria, and went with him to the Council of Nicaea in 325. There the bishops condemned the teaching of Arius, a priest who claimed that the Son of God was a creature and not truly God. The council declared that the Son is "one in being with the Father," words we still pray in the Creed. In 328 Athanasius became bishop of Alexandria, and he spent the rest of his life defending the faith of Nicaea. Arianism remained powerful, and at times many bishops and even emperors supported it. Athanasius refused to give in. He was driven into exile five times and spent about seventeen years away from his people, once hiding in the desert among the monks. People said it was "Athanasius against the world." Athanasius also wrote beautifully about why the Son of God became man. In his book On the Incarnation he explained that God became man so that we might share in God's own life. He wrote the life of his friend St. Anthony of the desert, which spread the ideal of monastic life across the Christian world. He returned to Alexandria for the last time in 366 and died there in 373. He is a Doctor of the Church, and his courage helped preserve the truth that Jesus is truly God.