Regaspi, Ivan Shane M.

Personality Project
HT101: A Survey of Church History 1

“Athanasius Contra Mundum”

“Athanasius contra mundum”
which means, “Athanasius against the
world” is one of the most famous
epitaphs. It was given to the 4th century
church father Athanasius of Alexandria.
He was born in the 290s in Egypt. He lived
during the era of the ancient church
(5BC-590AD) and made contributions
during the age of which we call the age of
the Roman Christian Empire, also known
as, “the Imperial Church” (312AD-590AD). The emperor during this time was Emperor
Constantine who paved the way for the religious freedom of Christians through the edict of
Milan in 313AD. This was also the beginning of the development of creeds by ecumenical
church councils similar to the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 where they gathered to resolve a
conflict and address false doctrines creeping in the church. During this time, the main
dogmas of the Christian church were developed. According to Cairns,
“The dogmas (dokeo)or doctrines formulated in this period were the result of intense
thought and searching of the soul in order to interpret correctly the meaning of the
Scriptures on the disputed points and to avoid the erroneous opinions (doxai) of the
philosophers.”1
Athanasius was one of the church fathers who was committed in contending for the
biblically-orthodox doctrine concerning the person of Christ.
Descriptions of His Personal Life
Nothing much is known during his childhood, except that he grew up with wealthy parents
who were able to provide for his theological education in the famous catechetical school of
Alexandria.2 He served as a deacon, a pastor, and eventually a secretary for Alexander, the
bishop of Alexandria.3 It is from him where Athanasius learned more of his theology and
pastoral skills.4 At the age of 33, he succeeded Alexander as bishop of Alexandria. This
election was controversial because he was below the canonical age to take this office.5
Athanasius was young (over 40 years younger than Arius)6, but that didn’t stop him from
going against a much older and more popular Arius who have been teaching that Jesus was

1
Earle Cairns, Christianity Through the Centuries 3rd Ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1958), 141
2
Ibid., 143
3
Bruce Shelley, Church History in Plain Language 4th Ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2013), 110
4
Ryan Reeves, Who was Athanasius and Why Was He Important?, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/who-
was-athanasius-and-why-was-he-important/
5
Ibid.
6
John Piper, One Man’s Joy Stood Against the Whole World, March 26, 2018
Regaspi, Ivan Shane M. Personality Project
HT101: A Survey of Church History 1

only a created being. He even came up against Constantine’s son who was ruling the eastern
half of the Empire, which was mainly Arian. He bravely stood against the false teachings
creeping in the church. By doing so, he gained enemies and was frequently portrayed as a
“divisive, angry little bishop who was sowing division.”7 The sowing of division shouldn’t
have been attributed to Athanasius, but rather to Arius. The real divisive teachers are false
teachers who teach false doctrines contrary to what the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles
have been teaching. False teachers are not servants of the Lord. They are deceivers, men-
pleasers, and deserving of God’s curse (Rom. 16:17-18; Gal. 1:6-10).
Most, if not all the time, Athanasius would stand alone for the biblical-orthodox view on the
person of Christ. The emperor Constantine and many bishops held to the false teachings of
Arius. They wanted to get rid of Athanasius. Many accusations were given against him like
levying illegal taxes, using magic, subsidizing treasonable persons, and more.8 Athanasius
would not accept followers of Arius in his church. So eventually, he was banished at least 5
times throughout successions of imperial power. He felt deserted by his supporters.
Nevertheless, he remained faithful and unwavering in his commitment to defend the biblical
Christ. He stood against Arianism and against the Roman empire. That is why he was dubbed
as “Athanasius contra mundum” or “Athanasius against the world.”
Contributions to Christianity in Church History [The Battle Against Arianism]
Athanasius was a champion defender of the biblical-orthodox view on the deity of Christ.
After the council of Nicaea I, He continued to fight against the false teaching of Arianism and
contended that Christ was homoousios with the Father, which means, Christ is of the same
substance with the Father. Christ was fully God. Most of Athanasius’ works after the council
of Nicaea I were “used to clarify, defend, and encourage the orthodoxy of the Nicene Creed.”9
During his 3rd exile, he produced significant written works against Arianism: The Arian
History, the four Tracts Against Arians, the four dogmatic letters To Serapion, and On the
Councils of Ariminum and Seleucia.
A more detailed presentation on the doctrine of Christ is in his most famous work De
Incarnatione, which focuses more on the divinity of the Son Jesus Christ in His pre-
incarnation than on His incarnation itself. By extension, he had also defended the divinity of
the Holy Spirit.
His works have been helpful in understanding the mystery of the Trinity—that there is one
God who exists in three distinct persons—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is a
fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith. It is essential to our salvation and our worship
of God. According to Bruce Shelley,

7
Ibid.
8
John Piper, One Man’s Joy Stood Against the Whole World, March 26, 2018
9
Ryan Reeves, Who was Athanasius and Why Was He Important?, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/who-
was-athanasius-and-why-was-he-important/
Regaspi, Ivan Shane M. Personality Project
HT101: A Survey of Church History 1

“Salvation for the early church was about more than going to heaven; it was about being
united in communion with God. Father, Son, and Spirit had to be divine to include us and
make us ready to share in the already existing divine fellowship. We would not be made
into God or equal to God, but we must be transformed to belong to the rich, eternal
communion that awaits Christians.”10
Athanasius spent his last years fulfilling his calling as a pastor and overseer of pastors. He
continued standing for the Lord Jesus until the day of his death on May 2, 373. Decades
between 325 and 381, the Cappadocians—Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzen, and
Gregory of Nyssa—continued to help in defending the doctrine of the Trinity. And a bit later
came Augustine of Hippo who also faithfully contributed to the mystery of the Trinity of God.
As it turned out, Athanasius was not really alone against the world. He lived to see the victory
of the cause he fought for. The Nicene creed he championed which says Christ is “God of God,
Light of Light, very God of very God” became the creed of the Christian church.
Short Application
Though severe Christian persecution was over in the days of Athanasius, the emperors could
have killed him as easily as exiling him. He stood and was ready to face any challenge. His
courage and love for Christ as a young man should encourage young people to give their all
to Christ, even if it costs everything that one has. Young people in our current time should be
rebuked for wasting too much time on foolishness and should be encouraged to be doing
great things for the Lord.
Pastors, preachers, and teachers of the Word should be inspired to be faithful and stand firm
when a biblical truth is being attacked by wolves. Earnestly “contend for the faith which was
once given to the saints.” (Jude 3) For there will be ungodly men who will creep in the church.
Be always ready to share Christ with meekness and fear (1 Pet. 3:15).
Whenever we feel alone when we stand for our faith, remember that Christ is worth fighting
for and at the same time, worth rejoicing over. Part of Athanasius’ battle strategy was
courage in conflict and joy in Christ:
“Let us be courageous and rejoice always… Let us consider and lay to heart that while
the Lord is with us, our foes can do us no hurt… But if they see us rejoicing in the Lord,
contemplating the bliss of the future, mindful of the Lord, deeming all things in His
hand…—they are discomfited and turned backwards. (Nicene and Post-Nicene
Fathers, Vol.4, 207)“11
Contend courageously for the faith, stand firm, and rejoice in Christ!

10
Bruce Shelley, Church History in Plain Language 4th Ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2013), 112
11
John Piper, One Man’s Joy Stood Against the Whole World, March 26, 2018