Athanasius: Defender of the Trinity

Athanasius, “Orations against the Arians Book III”

Athanasius was known for his bold, tenacious personality and a "defender of the Trinity." 

He made it a goal in his life to safeguard the Nicene creed and its doctrine of the Trinity through Scripture. The passion and determination set out by Athanasius should be an inspiration for Christians today: to be diligent in study and thought when understanding the three persons of the Trinity and their relations. By establishing the doctrine of the Trinity, the formation of our faith, worship, and practices are enacted and should consequently be of utmost importance.

Much of Athanasius' work on the Trinity was in response to the Arian controversy led by Arius, a presbyter in the early 4th century. The main dispute was in Arian's view and disbelief in the divinity of Jesus Christ (Athanasius, 85). 

Arianism supported the belief that God the Father was superior to the Son and that the Son did not exist before his human conception (Athanasius, 87). 

The Arian view misinterprets Scripture by emphasizing Jesus' need for wisdom and the Father's intervention by not considering the "whole of Scripture" (Athanasius, 88). Because of the heresy of Arianism, the Church split, and there was an "escalating civil war" (Hill, 63). Eventually, the First Council of Nicaea, consisting of ~318 bishops, met to address this matter.

The doctrine of the Trinity was not just a heated topic of conversation; it was one of the defining controversies that caused division in the early Church. The bishops and members of the Church could foresee the Arian controversy's ripple effect on believers and the adaptations of praxis and worship that would follow. As an example, if we were to believe Jesus was simply a creation of God the Father, only coming into existence at the conception and birth through Mary, we would first be denying Scripture such as in Jude 25 and 2 Timothy 1:9 addressing Jesus Christ "before all time." Secondly, by not acknowledging the Son's divinity, we dismiss the profound sacrifice Jesus took in our place and will consequently misdirect our worship (Athanasius, 91). Strangely, Arius was known to encourage the worship of Jesus, but this paves the way to polytheism since he did not believe Jesus and the Father were the same or equal. The bishops at the First Council of Nicaea recognized the importance of establishing the doctrine of the Trinity; subsequently, Athanasius would spend much of his career upholding the creeds formed by this council.

Athanasius, and other theologians in the early Church, were both careful and passionate to safeguard the doctrine of the Trinity, recognizing the effect it would have on believers. Ergo, Christians today should be encouraged to be diligent in understanding Scripture and ultimately who we attribute worship to. In gratitude, we can humbly learn from our early Church father's doctrine and diligence -- and recognize the privilege we have of also learning directly from Scripture through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Recommended Reading: The History of Christian Thought by Jonathan Hill