Page 20 - History of Christianity - Student Textbook

Incarnation of the Word. Upon hearing Arius’s false teaching, Athanasius immediately refuted the idea that the
Son is not eternal: the “begetting” of the Son, or the “uttering” of the Word, by the Father, said Athanasius,
denotes an eternal relationship between the Father and Son, not a temporal event.

Arianism was condemned by most of the bishops of Egypt, the country where Arius lived, and he moved to
Nicomedia in Asia Minor. From there Arius promoted his position by writing letters to church bishops
throughout the world. Arius seems to have been a likable person with a gift for persuasion, for he attracted
many bishops to share his viewpoint. The church was becoming divided on the issue of Christ’s divinity. Emperor
Constantine sought to resolve the dispute over Arianism by calling a council of bishops, which met in Nicaea in
Bithynia in Asia Minor, in the year 325. Athanasius attended the council with his bishop, and there Athanasius
was recognized as a lead spokesman for the view that the Son is fully God and is co-equal and co-eternal with
the Father.

At the Council of Nicaea, Athanasius’ view was in the majority. All that was needed was to formulate a creedal
statement to express the consensus. Initially, the council sought to formulate from Scripture a statement that
would express the full deity and eternal nature of the Son. However, the Arians agreed to all such drafts,
interpreting them to fit their own views.

Finally, the Greek word homoousious (meaning “of the same substance, nature, or essence”) was introduced,
since that was one word that could not be twisted to fit Arianism. Some of the bishops balked at using a term
not found in Scripture; however, they eventually saw that the alternative was a statement that both sides might
agree to, even though one side’s understanding was completely different from the other’s. The church could ill
afford to be unclear on the question of whether the Son is truly God (or, as the Arians said, “a god”). The result
was that the council adopted what we now call the Nicene Creed, declaring the Son to be “begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father.”

Of course, the Arians refused to accept the council’s decision; also, many orthodox bishops had wanted wording
less divisive than that of the Nicene Creed—something that the Arians would accept but still sounded doctrinally
firm to orthodox ears. All sorts of compromises to and variations of Nicaea were put forward.

In 328 Athanasius succeeded Alexander as bishop of Alexandria. Athanasius refused to participate in
negotiations with the Arians, wary of compromise on such an important issue. Once the search for common
ground took priority over sound doctrine, Athanasius feared, the truth would be lost. More and more of the
other bishops accepted Arianism. Emperor Constantine himself sided with the Arians. But Athanasius continued
to vigorously defend the full deity of Christ against the leaders and theologians of his day, refusing to allow
Arians into his church. For this, he was regarded as a troublemaker by various emperors, and he was banished
several times from his city and his church. At times, it seemed Athanasius was the sole proponent of Christ’s
deity, a doctrine that he vehemently defended. Athanasius’ unmoving dedication to biblical truth in the face of
severe opposition led to the expression Athanasius contra mundum, or “Athanasius against the world.”

Eventually, Christians who believed in the deity of Christ came to see that the Nicene Creed could not be
abandoned without consigning the Logos to the role of high-ranking angel. The careful wording of the Nicene
Creed was a proper expression of biblical truth. The Nicene Creed was later confirmed at the Council of
Constantinople in 381, a final triumph that Athanasius did not live to see (he died in 373).

Beyond defending the faith, Athanasius also helped identify the canon of Scripture. It was the duty of the bishop
of Alexandria to write to the other bishops every year and tell them the correct date for Easter (Alexandria had
the best astronomers in that time). Naturally, Athanasius’ annual letters contained other material as well. One
Easter letter of Athanasius is well-known for listing the books that ought to be considered part of the canon of
Scripture, along with other books suitable for devotional reading. For the New Testament, Athanasius lists the 27
books that are recognized today. For the Old Testament, his list is identical to that used by most Protestants,
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