Why You Should Know… Athanasius
As Christianity spread in the first century Roman Empire, with it came the need for more pastors and church leaders. Communication and written resources being as scarce as they were meant that a lot of the teachings handed down by the apostles were being misunderstood, misinterpreted, and mistaught to churches throughout the known world.
That’s why it was important for church leaders to articulate the Christian faith very carefully and meticulously as it was passed down from Jesus and his apostles.
Who Was Athanasius?
A central figure in the early church, Athanasius is most widely known for his victorious critique of Arianism, the belief that Jesus was like God, but not of the same substance as God the Father. Arius believed that Jesus was created by God the Father. This wasn’t a view held by antagonists of Jesus. Arius was a Christian priest in Alexandria and came to his views on Jesus because of verses in the Bible like John 4:6 that said Jesus was tired. The logic was that since God can’t get tired, Jesus must not be fully God. Jesus also didn’t know the time of his return. If God knows everything, then Jesus must not be fully God.
So you can see how important studying theology is already. Passages from the Bible are used seemingly from within the church to create heretical ideas. A council of church leaders in 325AD produced one of the most famous creeds in church history, partly in response to the Arian controversy. These leaders agreed on the divine nature of Jesus and rejected Arianism as heresy.
The Importance of a Single Letter
Here’s part of the Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
The phrase consubstantial is what is so important here. In fact, this entire debate raged over a single Greek letter. The creed uses the word homoousios which means “same substance.” This was to equate Jesus, as God’s son, with God the Father. They are of the same substance.
Arianism preferred the term homoiousios, meaning “similar substance.”
One little letter makes the difference between Jesus being divine and Jesus being one of God’s creations. Athanasius rejected the idea that Jesus was less than fully divine. He is at the same time both fully divine AND fully human. How this is possible is one of the most difficult doctrines in all of Christianity.
I have sat in on a number of ordination councils where young ministers must demonstrate an advanced understanding of the scriptures before a group of more seasoned pastors. This is usually a pretty nerve-wracking experience for the ordinand, and I like to have a little fun and press them on this doctrine because it is so difficult to grasp, let alone to explain clearly.
Because if Jesus is 100% God, then how can he also be 100% human? That makes 200%. Nobody can be 200% of something. Does he go back and forth like a pendulum? This is what Arius taught. Did he stop being God when he became human? Is that what Phil 2 means when it says he did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but humbled himself?
If he was fully God, was it possible for him to sin? If not, how or why was he tempted by Satan and in what sense could we say he was able to identify with us?
Why We Should Pay Attention to Athanasius
Certainly, we need to nuance our answers to these brain-busters, but Athanasius paved the way for us in this matter. We owe a great debt to the life and ministry of Athanasius. His defense of the divinity of Jesus and the incarnation of Christ was foundational to our understanding of the doctrine known as the hypostatic union.
Jesus had two natures (divine and human) which co-existed substantively and simultaneously. He points us to passages like John 1 to show that he was with God and was God from the beginning, but also to Luke’s gospel that says he increased in wisdom and stature.
The hypostatic union did not officially become sanctioned as orthodox belief until the council of Chalcedon in 451, some 50-60 years after Athanasius’ death. But God used him to pave the way.
One more side note about him, as influential as he was, his life was not without struggle. Arians maintained a lot of political power and in his fight against their beliefs, Athanasius was exiled 5 times. He was mistreated by religious and political authorities for his views but never relented. Instead, he held fast to the sound teaching of God’s word and declared, “The Jesus whom I know as my Redeemer cannot be less than God.”
Today’s Christians owe a great deal to Athanasius and others like him who devoted their lives to a right understanding of who Jesus is. Centuries later, we commend him for standing up for truth in the face of persecution. May we be as devoted to the claims of Christ as Athanasius, both in our resolute thinking and our faithful behavior.