Because some priests and even bishops seem to be too lax about the Church’s doctrines and the Apostolic tradition, for the sake of “ecumenical unity”, or “tolerance”, weighing far more on “aggiornamento” over “ad fontes”, the theological orthodoxy has been threatened by so-called progressive theological views, if they are not necessarily called heretical. This appeared to have been more evident since the Vatican II Council. In such a troublesome climate of the Church today, reflecting and pondering upon the significance of St. Athanasius of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, born around 296, died on May 2, 373, on his memorial feast, May 2, is ever more important.
So, why St. Athanasius and why he is so important in
regard to the orthodoxy of the Church’s doctrine and theological authenticity?
To put it simply, St. Athanasius vigorously fought
against the Arian heresy, which denies that Christ is the only begotten Son of
the Father (John 3:16; cf. John 1:14, 18; 3:18; 20:31; 1 John 4:9) but argued
that Christ was created by God. The Arians heresy misinterprets the Greek word
in John 3:16, μονογενής (monogenes), as “created”, instead of
“begotten”. The Arian heresy also denies the ὁμοούσιος (homoousios) of
Christ with the Father, which is the essence of their hypostatic union as one
(John 10:30). Therefore, the Arians do not believe in the Trinity.
This heresy originally taught by Arius, a priest of
Alexandria, and became influential. Even some bishops and was a spiritual
cancer in the Church of the time of Athanasius. Like aggressive malignant
tumor, it spread in the Church and the Roman Empire. Even some bishops
succumbed to the Arian heresy. The most notorious Arian bishop was Eusebius of
Nicomedia. And he became the archenemy of Athanasius.
As Bishop of Alexandria, Athanasius staunchly and
persistently rejected the Arianism, the Arians, spearheaded by Eusebius, Bishop
of Nicomedia, waged retaliation against him, by tactfully manipulating the
Roman political power to persecute him. Eusebius took advantage of his personal
connection with Emperor Constantine to persecute Athanasius. Because of this,
Athanasius had to suffer greatly but endured it all. The Arian enemies also set
up a false testimony against Athanasius for the Roman authorities to keep him
from teaching the true Christology – so that heretical Arian Christology would
prevail throughout the Church and the empire. Despite the Arians’ efforts to
silence him, God remained with St. Athanasius, and he was eventually
vindicated, Again, the Arian heresy had to go, and the orthodoxy of Christology
in the Trinitarian context is recovered and reaffirmed.
What does St. Athanasius of Alexandria have anything to do with St. Stephen, who is featured in the First Reading (Acts 6:8-15)? And how can we related St. Athanasius to the Gospel Reading (John 6:22-29)?
Obviously, like St. Stephen, St. Athanasius was
filled with grace and power, through the Holy Spirit. Because of this, anyone
who debated with him could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with the
authentic Christology against the Arian heresy. But, as Stephen was persecuted
for speaking of Christ, even setting up false testimonies to charge him with
blasphemy, Athanasius was alleged to have disturbed the peace of the Roman
Empire for stirring a war against those who subscribe to the Arian Christology,
which Emperor Constantine asked the bishops to accept for the sake of the Church
unity. He was also falsely accused of murdering Arsenius, Meletian bishop, by
his Arian enemies. As none of the efforts to silence against Stephen stopped
him from preaching on Christ, none of the Arian efforts to keep Athanasius from
speaking against their heresy succeeded.
In the Gospel Reading (John 6:22-29), Jesus was
correcting the misconception of him of those whom he fed miraculously out of five
loaves of bread and two fish. They seemed to have thought of Jesus as merely a
miracle worker, who brings a plenty of food supernaturally but had not believe
in him as the Son of God. In other words, Jesus was guiding them to the correct
Christology from their false conception of who Jesus was. And the true
Christology is what St. Athanasius preached and defended against the Arian
heretical Christology.
In the Gospel Reading, we recognize Jesus’ expressed
desire for us not only to believe in him but also to believe in the Father, who
sent him (John 6:29). Why so? It is because God the Father has set His seal on
Christ the Son so that we may enjoy eternal life through Christ the Son (John
6:26-27). And this is possible because he is not created but begotten by the
Father, as St. Athanasius taught and incorporated in the Nicene Creed:
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.
In his Apology (defense) against the Arians, St.
Athanasius said:
Now if anyone wishes to become acquainted
with my case, and the falsehood of Eusebius and his fellows, let him read what
has been written in my behalf, and let him hear the witnesses, not one, or two,
or three, but that great number of Bishops; and again let him attend to the
witnesses of these proceedings, Liberius and Hosius, and their fellows, who
when they saw the attempts made against us, chose rather to endure all manner
of sufferings than to give up the truth, and the judgment which had been
pronounced in our favour. And this they did with an honourable and righteous
intention, for what they suffered proves to what straits the other Bishops were
reduced. And they are memorials and records against the Arian heresy, and the
wickedness of false accusers, and afford a pattern and model for those who come
after, to contend for the truth unto death, and to abominate the Arian heresy
which fights against Christ, and is a forerunner of Antichrist, and not to
believe those who attempt to speak against me. For the defence put forth, and
the sentence given, by so many Bishops of high character, are a trustworthy and
sufficient testimony in our behalf.
In reflecting the life of St. Athanasius of
Alexandria, the defender of the orthodoxy of Christology against heretical
Arianism, we shall ask ourselves:
Is our Christological understanding is Trinitarian?
Do we truly understand the Nicene Creed, as well as
the Apostle’s Creed?
Are we willing and ready to defend the Church’s
doctrine, including the Christology, against any heresies, even it may result
in persecution?
St. Athanasius, as Jesus does, entrusts us to do so,
given the above words of his. And being able to defend the Church's doctrine and its orthodoxy against heretical theological teaching is of critical importance today as relativism and new age thoughts are often inserted into Christian theology in this post-modernistic age.
Let us fight against heresies, as St. Athanasius did!
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