The Incarnation, Creation, and Renewal
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The Incarnation, Creation, and Renewal
The two-part treatise Against the Gentiles and On the Incarnation, together with the Life of Antony, are the most read texts of the Athanasian literary corpus and have had a large theological and spiritual impact throughout history. They represent a different literary genre than the rest of Athanasius’s polemical writings. The surviving writings of Athanasius are mostly apologetic in defense of the faith against the Arian claims and addressed to those involved in the Arian debate such as secular leaders, ranging from emperors to local governors, bishops, and clergy. The two-part treatise, however, specifically addresses pagans, Jews, and Christians, the three categories encompassing the majority of the Roman Empire’s population at that time. The Life of Antony addresses “brethren” living abroad, though this does not exclude those outside monastic communities from reading the Life. Athanasius’s style of writing is heavily influenced by the Bible, but since his intention in these treatises is to address a larger audience, his arguments follow patterns of contemporary logical thinking and generally accepted Platonic and other ancient Greek philosophical concepts.
Against the Gentiles discusses four main themes: the origin of evil, idolatry, the human soul endowed with reason, and God as creator of the universe. These themes lead to the discussion of the necessity of the incarnation in his second volume, On the Incarnation. In the latter, he gives a full theological vision of the unfolding of the incarnation, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. The resurrection overcame death, granted immortality, renewed God’s image and likeness within humanity, and gave humanity the gift of renewal that has the power to change lives. This is how Athanasius expresses salvation. For Athanasius, who witnessed the severe persecution of Christians and how they gave their lives without fear of death, martyrdom was the greatest witness to the power of the resurrection, which overcame death, as death is not feared anymore and has no hold on humanity. When Athanasius speaks about the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection theologically, he is not engaged in a mental exercise but conveys a deep spiritual experience that gives renewal and leads to a life of holiness. The Life of Antony gives a concrete living example of the power of renewal of the resurrection in the life of the Christian. Antony overcame all distractions, whether mental or physical, that would separate him from God. He renounced all his possessions, separated himself physically from worldly distractions, devoted his mind, soul, and heart to God, and reached a status of purity of life and soul through the power of renewal of the resurrection. He attained the status of humanity endowed with the image of God, before the transgression of the commandment. For the Son of God was made human so that we can be made divine. This is the overarching theological framework of the two-part treatise of Against the Gentiles and On the Incarnation together with the Life of Antony. Even the polemical writings consumed with the Arian controversy should be understood within this larger theological framework. This chapter will unpack some of the main themes that contributed to this overarching theological vision of Athanasius.
The Soul and the Origin of Evil
Athanasius did not write, nor did he attempt to write, a comprehensive understanding of the person, or a treatise on the soul. His interest in the soul emerges from his search for the origin of evil and how to understand the biblical concept of humanity as created in God’s image and likeness. It will also be observed that there are Platonic and other Greek philosophical concepts underlying his understanding of the soul. These philosophical concepts, which shaped the mindset of the time, are considered normative and are taken for granted.
Athanasius begins the treatise of Against the Gentiles with the following:
Evil does not exist from the beginning, nor even now is it found among the saints nor does it exist at all with them. But it was men who later began to conceive of it and imagine it in their own likeness.
Athanasius strongly asserts that God is not the origin or creator of evil. Everything apart from the divine is a created entity. God is the creator, who created everything out of nothing, thus everything that exists has its origin in God. If evil has a separate and independent existence, then God created evil or there is another cause of creation, that is, there is an independent, powerful evil god. Athanasius does not want to attribute to evil a real, physical existence. If evil exists, it has to come from God. God is all goodness and all his creation is good. Evil does not come from good, nor is it in good. God did not create evil, and if God because of his goodness did not create evil, then evil does not exist. Good is what is and evil is what is not. For the God who is, is what is good, and evil consists of the inner thoughts of humans. This responds to the important question, What is the source of evil? Athanasius asserts that evil came to be when people conceived of it. This is where Athanasius turns to the study of the concept of the soul and the state of humanity at the beginning of creation.
Athanasius did not write a specific treatise about the soul, so we must glean his views on the soul from his other writings. He believes that the person is bipartite, composed of a body and a soul. His understanding of the “soul” is rather complex. Athanasius asserts that God is the creator of the soul. He understands the death of the body as the separation of the soul from the body. The soul, while not moved by other things, moves the body in a spontaneous movement, and this spontaneous movement continues even after separation from the body, i.e. after death. Since the movement of the soul is independent of the body, and moved by itself, then the soul outlives the body. The body dies when the soul departs from it. The soul is immortal. The movement of the soul is its life, for when the body is in a very deep sleep the soul is in movement and is awake by virtue of its own power that transcends the nature of the body. The soul does not abandon the body when it transcends it to contemplate higher things and meets and converses with unembodied saints and angels through the purity of its mind. The immortal soul always contemplates things eternal and immortal. If this is the power of the soul while still attached to the body, how much more knowledge will it have about its immortality when freed from that body? Thoughts of immortality never abandon the soul. This is why the soul has the capacity to contemplate and behold God and receive from within itself the knowledge of the Word of God.
God is within us, for the kingdom of God is within us. Having the kingdom within us, the soul sees and perceives the King of the universe and “the saving Word of the Father.” The soul appears to be the seat of the intellect, the seat of rationality and reason. The soul endowed with intellect will recognize God as its maker and creator, and either acknowledges or denies God. Athanasius asserts that each member of humankind has a soul and that the soul is rational. The nous is the rational part of the soul that comprehends and has knowledge of God. The nous, which is connected to the soul, appears to reside within it. From the Platonic view of the soul and Athanasius’s clear bipartite understanding of the human person, we infer that Athanasius believes that the soul is the source of power, movement, and life within a person. The nous is immortal like the soul and informs the soul of God and what is right and wrong.
Humans are rational animals, an indication that their soul is rational. Athanasius builds on this concept and asserts that because of reason, a person can reflect and comprehend things external to oneself. Humans judge and reflect on what they see and perceive by their bodily senses, and then master their impulses by reason based on what seems best to them. While the senses can see, smell, touch, or taste, it is up to the soul, by the reason residing in it, to decide what to see, smell, touch, or taste. As a musician has many strings on his instrument and uses them intelligently to produce music, so the soul, when guided by an understanding mind, uses the senses to determine its actions. For example, the eye decides to turn its vision from one object to another.
Athanasius furthers the discussion on the concept of the rational soul, or the soul endowed with reason/nous, in the discussion of spirituality and eternal life. While humans are aware of the mortality of the body, they contemplate immortality and virtue, things external and beyond the body. When the body is at rest and quiet, the inward movement of the soul beholds what is outside itself. Athanasius observes that the body is inwardly aware of higher things through the rational soul. Because of this, the body acts sometimes against its natural instincts because the rational soul guides it and directs it to other things or actions. The rational soul drives the body.
In the beginning, God created humanity in his own image, through the Word, and gave humanity knowledge of God’s eternity. When God created the universe and all that is in it out of nothing through his own Word, out of his goodness he gave special privilege to humans, a special grace, by making them in his image and likeness; that is, God gave them a share in the power of his own Word (Logos), thus making them rational (logikoi) beings. With this grace, rational humanity is able to perceive God and live in blessedness and in fellowship with God and the saints. God had also endowed humanity with free will so humans could choose which way to go. For Athanasius, what is distinctive about humanity is that humans are made in God’s image and likeness and are rational. This rationality, their power to choose, and their ability to comprehend God through the Word is what it means to be in God’s image and likeness.
Humans have the power to choose between contemplation of God and indulging in the senses of the body. The knowledge of divine eternity and the constant contemplation on the divine makes it possible for humanity not to depart from God but to be in constant fellowship with the saints. When the soul is in a pure state, it constantly contemplates the image of the Father’s word and lives a blessed and immortal life. A person preserves a pure life when one transcends all things of the senses through the power of the mind. In this purity nothing hinders one’s fellowship with God. This was the state of the first Adam. But humans preferred to indulge in their bodily pleasures to contemplating God; consequently, they forgot the power they had from God. They turned away from God. When they turned away, they departed from God and fell into physical lust; this is when they knew they were naked and were ashamed. They were naked because they were stripped from contemplation on the divine. Humans, after discovering their nakedness, clung more to their desires. Desires made the soul weak and fearful of mortality. The weakened soul committed murder and other wrongful deeds.
The weakened soul departs from the contemplation of the things of the intellect, what is perceptible to the mind, to the contemplation of pleasure, mistaking it for the good. The soul, whether in fellowship with God or not, does not lose its power of movement. When virtue does not guide the soul’s movement, it rejects good and entertains evil. Good is what is while evil is what is not. Athanasius assumes the preconceived philosophical idea that the divine is the unmovable mover. The unmovable divine reflects the divine’s unchangeable essence. Thus, the creator does not move from good to evil while created beings are moved and move from good to evil or the other way. Whether the soul is weak or guided by the nous towards goodness, its power of movement is part of its essence. The soul, then, can choose to move away from desire, move away from all evil that affects it, and regain the purity it had at the time of its creation. The soul contemplates the word of the Father since it was created in the image of God and his likeness.
Athanasius begins with the assertion that God, through the word, creates the human being from nothing and in a state of purity. Humans are composed of a body and a soul. The soul is endowed with reason/nous by which it contemplates God. When the soul moves away from God it falls into its desires. This is the source of evil, as evil has no substantive existence, lest God the creator of all things should be the source of evil. Athanasius asserts that the soul through the nous within it can move towards the contemplation of God until it regains its purity. If the soul is unable to reach this level of purity through its own reasoning then further knowledge of God can be attained through Scripture or through creation. Creation can lead the soul to its creator. When humans failed to learn about God from creation, the incarnation of the Son of God became necessary, for the Word had to be incarnate to reveal the Father to humanity. In the following sections we will thus discuss the revelation of God through creation and the incarnation.
Creation as Revelation of God
Athanasius looks at creation, or the universe, through a theological lens. He speaks about creation in its relationship to God and humanity. Athanasius understands creation in its broadest sense as everything that God created. He writes that the invisible and incomprehensible God, who created all things and is beyond all that is created, wanted to reveal himself to humankind out of his lovingkindness toward them. God, by his own Word, gave order and harmony to the created universe so that his works reveal his invisible nature. God did not leave himself unknown, but revealed himself through the nous within the human soul and through the orderly nature of his creation. For who, Athanasius asks, can see the rising sun and the shining moon together with the stars moving within their orbits and not perceive the creator guiding them? Who would not marvel at the successive seasons, which are contrary to one another, for one season chills and the other burns, yet balance one another for the benefit of humankind and thus reveal the balancing work of the creator? Athanasius gives various examples of things that might seem to be of opposite natures yet unite to reveal the harmonious nature of the universe that proclaims God to humanity: wet and dry, round and straight, fire and cold, earth and sea. This harmony and consistency also indicate that there is one creator rather than many. Athanasius is defending the one God against the polytheistic, idol-worshipping society surrounding him. If there is only one God, then other gods are not true gods. The true God is the Lord of Creation, who through his own Word established the harmony of creation. Athanasius emphasizes that the Word/Logos he is referring to is not the seminal logos (spermatikos logos), the principle inherent in all creation that has no life or power of reason (nous). Nor is he referring to the art of rhetoric that uses words/logoi as means of human expression. Athanasius is referring to the living and acting God (zōnta kai energē theon), the Word of the God of the universe. Because of the multiple linguistic meanings of the word logos and the various ways that logos has been referred to in philosophical discourse, Athanasius intentionally distinguishes between the Stoic spermatikos logos or the logos used by rhetors and the Logos who is the Son of God, the Image of the Father, the creator of the universe, through whom all creation came to be.
The Word exists in all things, his power is everywhere, he holds all creation in himself, he illuminates the visible and invisible, and he gives life to everything created. God did not bring things into existence and then leave them on their own to perish by falling into non-existence. Rather, through the ordering of the Word, creation remains secure. The Word, together with the Father, is unmoved but moves all things according to what seems good to the Father. Though things move in different directions, the Word moves all things at once, creating harmony in the world. Athanasius gives the example of the movement of planets and stars: while they appear to have various and sometimes opposite movements, straight, curved, or circular, still the universe moves in harmony. Another example is the human body, of which each member has its different function, yet they work in unity toward the health of the body. The Word also makes the body grow and the soul that possesses life and thought move. The Word of God, through his own power, moves both the visible world and the invisible powers. When humans observe creation, employ their intelligence, and observe themselves, they discover art. To produce art humans use the rational aspect of human nature, which reflects the image of God. Beyond its instructive power to inspire art, nature also reveals God, its creator.
God has given humanity a soul endowed with reason/nous to contemplate and to know God. Humans were immersed in their senses and desires and turned away from God. Their senses overtook their reason and they did not find God’s presence in creation and did not recognize him as the creator but made creation their god and worshiped created objects. God would not let his creation go to waste and sent his Word, the only Begotten Son, to save humanity, thus the necessity of the incarnation.
The Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection
The text with the title On the Incarnation addresses three types of audiences: Jews, pagans/gentiles, and the faithful. Athanasius addresses each audience differently. God reveals himself to humanity in different forms: through the human nous/reason, through creation, and through Scripture. Athanasius addresses the Jews through Scripture, the pagans/gentiles through reason, and the faithful by explaining that God revealed himself to humanity through the incarnation. God reveals himself to all humanity in the way that suits each person best.
Athanasius demonstrates to the Jews that Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus Christ; he is the expected Messiah. For example: Isaiah 7:14 was fulfilled with the birth of Christ from the Virgin Mary, Isaiah 53 was fulfilled with the suffering and death of Christ on the cross, and Christ fulfilled Isaiah 35:5–6 with the miracles he performed. After a long list of fulfilled biblical prophecies, he concludes that prophecies and visions ceased in Israel after the coming of Christ, an indication that the coming of Christ fulfilled all the prophecies. Athanasius interprets the Old Testament typologically: Old Testament prophecies are types pointing to Christ’s incarnation and his work within humanity.
The gentiles are versed in philosophy and are familiar with the concept of the logos. Athanasius addresses the Gentiles by arguing that, if the Logos fills the whole body of the world, it can also be in a human body, which is part of the body of the world. The Logos is not diminished by dwelling in a human body just as the human mind is not diminished in its being when expressed by the tongue. In addition, Athanasius argues that God’s knowledge fills the earth, and humanity can see God in the heavenly order and see the Logos’s power through his works. The Logos destroyed death through the resurrection and changed the nature of water at Cana of Galilee. The Logos touched all creation to free humanity from its illusions so that it can worship Christ and through him come to know the Father. The incarnation transformed humanity. The faith in the resurrection and immortality changed and empowered humanity to get rid of its violent nature, to observe the virtue of chastity, overcome the fear of death and martyrdom, and live the life of self-restraint and virtue of the soul. Athanasius addressed the gentiles through reason, knowledge, and creation.
Athanasius takes a theological approach when he addresses the Christians. He begins his treatise with the creation narrative. God created all things through the Word, the incorporeal Son of God; therefore, it is consistent for the Father to renew the world through the Word who made it from the beginning. The Son had to be incarnate. God manifested his Son to us because of the lovingkindness of the Father and for the sake of our salvation. When God created humans, he gave them the gift of being made in his own image and having a portion of the power of his own Word; being made rational, thus being a reflection of the Word, they live a life of blessedness. God created humanity with the grace of free will. God secured their free will with a law through which, if they kept it, they would remain in paradise without sorrow or pain. If they transgressed the law, they would suffer corruption in their nature and die. This was the commandment: “And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’” Humanity transgressed the commandment; humans turned away from God, and suffered death and corruption.
Humanity was created out of nothing. As the consequences of the transgression humans died, suffered corruption, and were reduced to nothing; they were reduced to what is not. For evil is what is not and what is good is. When humans rejected the contemplation of God, they turned away from God to what was not. Humans are mortal in nature, but if they had preserved God’s knowledge within them, if they had preserved his image and likeness, they would have become incorrupt and immortal. The Book of Wisdom says: “Giving heed to her [wisdom’s] laws is assurance of immortality.” Those who are immortal live as God, for Scripture says: “I say, ‘You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.’” Those who preserve God’s knowledge, image, and likeness will become immortal, thus be a god and a child of the Most High. This is at the core of the concept of theopoiēsis, to be made divine, which will be discussed in detail in chapter 5.
When death took hold of the rational humanity made in the image of God, humans began to perish. God gave a command with a consequence, if they transgress it they die, and God’s word has to be true, so humans have to die. If God accepted repentance as a solution for transgression, humanity would remain in its corruptible state forever. God’s lovingkindness would not let humanity perish, so the Father sent the Word to recreate and renew everything and overcome death and corruption. Thus the necessity of the incarnation.
The incarnation did not change the essence of the incorporeal and incorruptible Word of God; he is always with the Father, filling creation, and present everywhere. The incarnation did not contain him nor bind him to his body, but rather he contained all things within himself. While in the body, he quickened his own body, quickened the whole universe, and was dwelling with his Father. The incorporeal and incorruptible Word of God took a body and made it his own (idiopoieitai). He took a body like ours, and when in his lovingkindness he died on the cross we all died in him; on behalf of all he overcome death and corruption. When he made the body his own, by the grace of the resurrection overcoming death and incorruption, he granted life and renewal to all of humanity. Now death has no hold over humanity.
Athanasius holds that the Logos become incarnate not only to overcome death and grant us eternal life but also to reveal himself and the Father to humanity. When humanity did not recognize God through creation and did not understand God revealing himself to humanity through the law and prophets, then the incarnation became a necessity. The Word (logos/reason) of the Father created humanity with rationality that it might know God. For why would God create humans if they were not to know him? He creates humanity in his own image and after his likeness, so that by perceiving the image, the Logos, humans may know the Father and their creator and live a blessed life. When humans rejected God, their souls were darkened and they forgot God and became consumed with themselves, their desires, and the work of lawlessness. God became unknown to humanity. When the incarnate Logos sacrificed his body, the body that is his own, on the cross, he put an end to the law against humanity, and by his resurrection we have a new life, a life of renewal. Just as through man death prevailed over humanity, by the Logos who became incarnate death was destroyed and through the resurrection humanity received eternal life.
One aspect of the renewal granted by the resurrection is the renewal of the divine image within humanity. Not even angels can renew humanity—it had to be the Word of God, the Image of the Father; only he could recover and renew the divine image in humanity. At this point, Athanasius gives more details about his understanding of renewal: The soul is “born and created anew in the likeness of God’s image.” Since the mind is a part of the soul, so the renewal of the soul renews the mind (nous) through which humanity is able to know God. By means of the signs and works done by the body that is his own, the incarnate Logos revealed himself, humanity got to know the Word of God and through him know the Father. He is not only Son of Man but also God the Word who manifested himself through works of love and overcame death and renewed humanity. When the Gospels say that the incarnate Logos was born, that his body was sustained by food, and that he suffered in the body, it is to assert his full humanity and to vanquish any claims of later Docetism. The Gospels also proclaim his works, his miracles of healing, changing the substance of water into wine, walking on the water, and feeding the multitudes, thus affirming that he is the Son of God. Creation also proclaimed him as Son of God: when it witnessed his death on the cross, the earth quaked and there was darkness as the sun hid its light at the sight of its crucified creator.
The death of the incarnate Son on the cross on our behalf has given humanity immortality and incorruption. When the incarnate Son died, his body did not see corruption, for he rose again in a perfect state, for he was Life and his body belonged to Life itself. The resurrection of Christ was the moment of victory over death and corruption. When we die now, our bodies dissolve and see corruption, waiting to rise again in incorruption at the time of the final resurrection. His resurrection guaranteed the incorruption of our bodies at the time of the final resurrection. Athanasius returns to the theme of martyrdom to confirm that the power of Christ’s victory over death and faith in the incorruptibility of humanity after the final resurrection are what empowered the martyrs to face death without fear. Their death was a testimony to such theology and was the means by which those who witnessed their heroic, fearless death came to the faith that death is not destruction but the beginning of a life of incorruption. The resurrection gave humanity immortality, virtue, desire for the heavenly things, and knowledge of the Father. It overcame death, revealed the Word, displaced idolatry, and revealed the power of the cross over all evil powers. In addition, the resurrection made humanity look away from earthly matters to the heavenly. The Son never ceases to work “for the Son of God is living and active.”
In Against the Gentiles and On the Incarnation Athanasius lays out his theological understanding of the incarnation and the power of the resurrection in our lives. He begins with the creation narrative. God created humanity in his image and likeness through the Word/Logos. He endowed humanity with reason/rationale/nous to know God our creator and to guide us in our lives. It is this endowed reason that gives us free will, makes us distinct from the rest of creation, and makes us be in his image and after his likeness. When we transgressed his commandment by our own free will, we lost God’s image within us, death had power over us, and we suffered corruptibility. God in his lovingkindness would not leave us to return to non-existence, for this is what death means; we came from nothing and we return to nothing. He sent his Son, who took a body as his own, so that through his body that encompasses all that humanity he would overcome death by his resurrection and renew our human nature. Through the body that is his own he took all that belonged to us, corruption and death, and with the power of his resurrection overcame death and gave us the life of incorruptibility. In the beginning we were created in his image and after his likeness and endowed with reason/nous, but we were liable to corruption like the rest of creation if we transgressed the commandment. After the resurrection, humanity was granted incorruptibility, something that the rest of creation never had. Incorruptibility and eternity is part of the divine essence. Athanasius summarized his theology of the incarnation in his famous dictum, God “became human, so that we might be made divine (theopoiēthōmen).” God became incarnate so that we would regain the divine image within us, become renewed, and so that our human trait of corruptibility would be made incorruptible, a divine attribute that humanity never had.
Athanasius believes that theology is not an intellectual exercise confined to metaphysical speculations but relates to our everyday life and spirituality. He concludes the treatise On the Incarnation by saying that an honorable life, a pure soul, and a life of virtue are needed to understand and know Scriptures. The nous guides the soul to attain its desire and knowledge of the Word of God. Humanity can understand Scripture, which pertains to God and his Word, with a pure mind and a saintly and holy life. A holy life renewed by the resurrection and leading to the knowledge of God might seem unattainable to the average Christian. Athanasius points to a certain Antony, who lived an ascetic life in the desert of Egypt and attained such a renewed life. Antony is an example of a person who lived in deep contemplation on Scripture accompanied by a holy and saintly life and reached the knowledge of God as far as humans can. The Life of Antony demonstrates this theology in practice. It is a detailed practical account of the struggles of the mind and soul to attain the renewed life.
Antony, an Exemplar of the Life of Renewal
Athanasius explains in his introductory paragraph of the Life of Antony, that “the name ‘monk’ designates a way of life.” He describes the life of Antony and monasticism as a “way of life” (politeia) not a set of rules. Athanasius reminds the reader that they will “marvel” at Antony’s politeia but at the same time he cautions them that he did not write Life to engender skepticism but as an example to aspire to and to emulate.
The Life informs us that Antony responded to a call from Scripture. After the death of his parents, Antony entered the church reflecting on what to do with his life and his newly inherited wealth. The gospel messages on two Sundays were Matthew 19:21 and 6:34, which call for perfection in the Christian life and renouncing one’s possessions for the sake of the heavenly kingdom. Athanasius’s argument that Scripture is a means of revelation and instruction to the nous that guides the soul is demonstrated in this event. These biblical messages guided Antony to renounce his newly acquired wealth and devote himself to deep prayer and self-reflection, seeking to be closer to God. Athanasius informs us that this process was gradual, even renouncing his possessions was incremental rather than all at once. He did not immediately move to the desert, but first moved outside his house, then to the outskirts of his village, and gradually to the inner desert, that is, far from the main caravan route or any trodden road. The spiritual growth within the narrative of the Life of Antony shows a gradual spiritual learning curve guided by the nous giving knowledge to the soul to act on things against its nature. That is the power of the resurrection and the renewal of humanity. While humans are prone to accumulation of wealth and seeking renown in their social milieu, Antony did the exact opposite: he relinquished his wealth and lived in seclusion to be forgotten by society but known to God alone. This is the paradox that for Athanasius was exemplified by the martyrs: humans are prone to self-preservation, but the Christians moved toward martyrdom, not fearing death because the resurrection overcame death. The resurrection empowered humanity to overcome all its fears and self-indulgence in wealth and material power. Antony represented the power of the resurrection and renewal in our lives.
Antony applied himself to learn from everyone. He learned patience from one and courage from another; he learned humility from one and prayer from others. This observant learning from everyone requires humility. He actively consulted and sought the advice of elders who had spiritual experience. Antony, as well as the monastics who followed his example, had another, and main, source of knowledge: Scripture. The Life describes the rhythm of monastic life as studying the Bible, praying and singing psalms, working and giving alms, loving each other and living in harmony. Antony would also reflect “in his heart on the heavenly dwellings.” Scripture was at the center of the spiritual life that Antony led, Scripture revealed God to him, and Scripture was the source of his prayers and psalms. This was combined with a life of reflection.
Athanasius describes a life centered on cultivating the nous to nourish and guide the soul. Scripture reveals God to Antony and is the main source of spiritual instruction. Seclusion calms the senses and uplifts Antony to contemplate creation and the heavenly realm rather than be driven by the senses and desires. Prayer and the singing of psalms are inspired by Scripture and nourish the nous that guides the soul to tranquility and further knowledge of God. All of this resulted in a life of renewal and inner transformation for Antony. Athanasius goes further to assert that the inner transformation was physically visible. Though nothing was distinguishable about Antony’s physical appearance, people would come to him “as though drawn by his eyes” or his face. “Because his soul was tranquil,” Athanasius explains, “it produced for [him] imperturbable outer senses so that because of his joyful soul his face was filled with joy and from the movements of his body others perceived and understood the stability of quality of soul as it were, as it is written: ‘A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance but it is sorrowful when there is sadness.’” Antony’s soul reflects the guidance of the nous and the fullness of renewal that inspired and transformed many surrounding him.
Antony delivers a long discourse to the monks that crystalizes the monastic thought guiding the Life. Antony tells the monks that virtue “is within us and has its origin from us. Virtue comes into being because the soul naturally possesses the rational faculty of understanding.” Antony continues his discourse describing the soul: “The soul is ‘straight’ when its rational faculty of understanding is as it was created according to nature. On the other hand, when it bends and become twisted contrary to its nature, then we speak of the soul’s evil.” Antony concludes that the life of virtue is not difficult because virtue is within us and we can protect ourselves from evil thoughts and preserve the soul as when God created it. This is one aspect of the practical advice Antony gave his monks to live the life of virtue. It places the theology of the incarnation at the center of spiritual practice.
The trilogy of Against the Gentiles, On the Incarnation, and Life of Antony form one cohesive narrative of the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. It begins with the creation narrative and the status of humanity before the transgression of the commandment. Humanity used its free will and chose to follow its own desires and senses, and was swayed away from God. Humanity lost God’s image and likeness and was under the grasp of death. God in his lovingkindness sent the Logos, the Word, through whom all things came to be, to renew humanity. The Son of God became incarnate, took a body that encompasses all that humanity is, and made it his own. With the crucifixion and resurrection he overcame death, renewed God’s image and likeness, and granted immortality to humanity. God became human so that humanity might be made divine. The power of renewal is within us and guides the nous towards the life of virtue and choosing what is good, even if it sometimes contradicts the desires of the soul. The life of Antony is an example of how to overcome the desires that pull us away from God to live a life of blessedness guided by the soul that has knowledge of God through the nous.
Questions for Further Discussion
Suggestions for Further Reading
Contra gentes and On The Incarnation (NPNF or Thomson translation)
With special attention to:
The soul: Contra Gentes 30–34
The origin of evil: Contra Gentes 1–7
Creation: Contra Gentes 35–45
On the Incarnation 1–32, 54–57
Life of Antony
. Augustine, in his book Confessions, provides the most famous example of the influence of the Life of Antony on people beyond the monastic community and beyond the Christian faithful. Augustine writes that Ponticianus, who held high office in the court, introduced the story of Antony the Egyptian to Augustine and his friend Alypius. Augustine was amazed by Antony’s way of life. When he began to read the Life of Antony, he was “set on fire,” had a moment of conversion, and wanted to pursue an ascetic life (Conf. VIII.vi [14–15]). This narrative in Augustine’s Confessions informs us that Antony’s example deeply moved three lives to a life of holiness, Ponticianus, Alypius, and Augustine, and in the case of Augustine, even to conversion to Christianity.
. Inc. 54. This is Athanasius’s most quoted dictum and encapsulates his understanding of the incarnation.
. C. Gent. 2. Athanasius, Contra Gentes and De incarnatione, 5. Athanasius writes that the church’s theology asserts that evil is neither from the beginning with God nor in God; nor has it any substantive existence. C. Gent. 7. The problem of evil has been addressed by a few of the early church writers, including Basil of Caesarea and Augustine of Hippo. In Homily IX, Basil demonstrates that God is not the creator of evil. He addresses the verses that mention God as the creator of evil and concludes that the origin of evil is in our free will. Augustine of Hippo was obsessed with the problem of evil. He was a Manichean before converting to Christianity and the Manicheans solved the problem of evil by suggesting that there are two opposing, equally powerful gods, the god of evil/darkness and the god of good/light. The Manichaean worldview was partly what Athanasius was confronting when he insisted that evil has no material presence. Augustine, after his conversion, had to find a Christian response to evil and formulated his theory on theodicy. He rejected the idea that evil can exist in itself and affirmed that evil came through humans choosing evil by their own free will (Conf. VII.v[7]–xv[21]). In Augustine’s opinion departing from God takes away all goodness from humanity.
. Inc. 3.
. C. Gent. 6.
. C. Gent. 4, 7, 8.
. C. Gent. 35. Athanasius differs from Plato who believed in the preexistence of the soul.
. C. Gent. 3.
. C. Gent. 33.
. Socrates was the first to suggest the immortality of the soul. Plato mentions Socrates in the Republic, asking the astonished Glaucon: “Have you never perceived that our soul is immortal and never perishes?” Resp. 608d. In Contra Gentes, Athanasius displays a strong conviction that the soul is immortal. In De incarnatione, however, he explains the fall as death and non-existence (Inc. 4). If he speaks about death, we should understand it as the separation of the soul from the body, but non-existence seems to indicate the death of the soul. With the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection human nature is renewed and humanity regains immortality. The immortality granted by the resurrection includes both soul and body, a privilege that the paradisiac humans did not have. This might explain why he sometimes speaks of the immortality of the soul while in other passages the emphasis is on immortality granted by redemption to both elements of human nature, body and soul. Athanasius maintains that the church teaches that the body is mortal while the soul is immortal. C. Gent. 33. Athanasius does not support this assertion by biblical references; he relies on the philosophical concepts that permeate the culture of his time.
. C. Gent. 33.
. Luke 17:21.
. C. Gent. 30.
. C. Gent. 26.
. C. Gent. 30.
. The Greek word nous has many connotations and more than one meaning can be implied within one usage. In the linguistic sense nous generally means mind as perceiving and thinking. It is also used to mean “to have sense” or “be sensible,” or to have one’s mind directed to something. It might also indicate the “heart.” Also, it can mean “reason,” “intellect,” or ‘thought.” See Henry George Liddell, et al., eds. A Greek-English Lexicon, (Oxford: Clarendon, 1996) s.v. νόος.
. Plato in the Republic introduces a soul that has three parts or aspects: reason, spirit, and appetite. These three parts could have conflicting motives. For example, a thirsty person has the appetite to drink but reason will oppose drinking because it is bad for the person. In this example, there are two opposing elements at work. The spirited element of the soul is like “sense of honor” or takes the side of reason against appetite, but it cannot be identified with reason. Resp. 434d-441c. In contrast, Athanasius speaks about two parts not three, but uses the concept of a multi-part soul familiar at that time. Similarly, Paul writes about the inner struggle caused by two conflicting aspects within him: “So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand” (Rom 7:21). All biblical references are from the NRSV unless otherwise noted.
. C. Gent. 31.
. C. Gent. 32.
. C. Gent. 31.
. C. Gent. 32.
. Inc. 3.
. There is resonance with such an idea in Origen, Princ. 1.1.9. who explains based on Matt 5:8 that to see God is to see him in the heart, and to understand God is to know him with the mind.
. C. Gent. 2.
. C. Gent. 3.
. C. Gent. 4.
. For further reading on the concept of the “unmovable mover” refer to Aristotle’s Metaphysics especially Metaph. 12. 6–9.
. Athanasius writes that the soul moves the senses. It moves the eye to see, the ear to hear, and the hand to touch, and even the smell to receive odors. The soul moves the senses to act with other parts of the body like the feet to walk. C. Gent. 43. Athanasius also writes that just as the body grows the soul endowed with reason moves. For Athanasius, movement is part of the essence of the soul. C. Gent. 44.
. C. Gent. 34.
. C. Gent. 35.
. C. Gent. 36.
. C. Gent. 37.
. C. Gent. 38, 39.
. C. Gent. 40.
. Spermatikos logos is a Stoic term referring to the generative principle of creation in Stoic thought.
. C. Gent. 40.
. C. Gent. 42.
. C. Gent. 41.
. C. Gent. 42. Athanasius writes in Orationes contra Arianos II that the stars and the great lights all came into being by the same command at the same time and together form a unity in creation. C. Ar. 2.48. As the visible things were not created independent of each other but together and in harmony so were the invisible things. C. Ar. 2.49. When we observe creation filled with the knowledge of God and exhibiting the order and harmony of all things, we acknowledge the Maker and Lord of all things. C. Ar. 2.32.
. C. Gent. 43.
. C. Gent. 44.
. C. Gent. 18.
. Inc. 33–40.
. Inc. 41–42.
. Isa 11:9.
. Inc. 43–53.
. Inc. 1, 10.
. Gen 2:16–17; Inc. 3.
. Athanasius intentionally uses the term parabasis, meaning “an overstepping, deviation, or transgression” and not the term hamartia, meaning “fault, failure, guilt, or sin.” For at this moment in history, humanity transgressed the commandment and ate from the tree of knowledge. See Liddell et al., Greek-English Lexicon, s.v. parabasis and hamartia.
. Wis 6:18.
. Ps 82:6–7; Inc. 4.
. Inc. 6.
. Inc. 7.
. Inc. 8.
. Inc. 17.
. Inc. 8. Thomson, Contra gentes and De incarnatione, 152. See also Thomson, Contra gentes and De incarnatione, 175, 210 (idiopoiēsato); C. Ar. 3.33; Ep. Epict. 6; and Cyril of Alexandria, Anathema 2. The term “makes it his own” (idiopoieitai) or just “his own” (to idios) becomes a technical theological term and a signature Athanasian term that defines his understanding of the relationship of the flesh to the incarnate Logos. Chapter 8 of De incarnatione, as well as a few other places in the text add to the body that is “his own” the expression “as an instrument.” Most Greek manuscripts add that the Word took a body as his own “as an instrument.” I argue, based on textual and theological evidence and its theological reception, especially by Cyril of Alexandria, that “as an instrument” is a textual interpolation as it contradicts Athanasius’s theology. In Contra Arianos, Athanasius established that, for the Incarnate Logos to overcome corruption and death, he had to take a body and make it “his own” so that the properties and the suffering of the flesh are also said to be his own. If the Incarnate Logos is external to this suffering he cannot overcome death and corruption for the sake of humanity. In De incarnatione, Athanasius insists that the body must be “his own” or else the body will only appear as in a theophany; therefore the Logos must assert the body is “his own” and not use it as an instrument, or an apparition, or other external manifestation as some Docetists might claim. In the second context of De incarnatione he explains to the Greeks the necessity of the incarnation: it is only through the body, part of the whole, not external to the whole, that overcoming death and corruption is accomplished. If corruption and death are not external to the body, then the body cannot be external to the Logos. Farag, “Organon,” 93–105.
. Inc. 8.
. Inc. 9.
. Inc. 12.
. Inc. 10–11.
. Inc. 13.
. Inc. 14.
. Inc. 14.
. Inc. 16.
. Inc. 18.
. Inc. 26, 19.
. Inc. 21, 22, 26, 27.
. Inc. 27, 28, 29. Athanasius elaborates on the theme of martyrdom, writing that martyrs believed that they were passing to life rather than undergoing death. The incarnate Logos took a body as his own and faced death on the cross and abolished death by death. By facing this terror he removed our terror and thus humans are not to fear death; he took away our terror. Humans die by force of nature against their will, but the incarnate Logos, being immortal while having a mortal flesh, had the power as God to raise his own body; the corruptible became incorruptible. We no longer remain mortal because the Word has assumed our mortality; we partake of immortality that is from him. C. Ar. 3.56. Thus, Christians face death without fear because they are attaining life and immortality through Christ who overcame death and mortality.
. Inc. 31.
. Inc. 54.
. Inc. 57.
. For a detailed discussion of Antony as a model of life of renewal read, Farag, Balance, 47–94. There is some debate about the attribution of the Life of Antony to Athanasius, but for the purpose of this book, the attribution to Athanasius will be accepted. For more references about the debates see Leemans, “Thirteen Years,” 153–59. For a survey of the authenticity of the Life of Antony see Ernest, Bible, 435–36.
. Athanasius, Life of Anthony: The Coptic Life and The Greek Life, 52; Vit. Ant.2.
. Athanasius, Life of Anthony: The Coptic Life and The Greek Life, 153; Vit. Ant. 44.
. Athanasius, Life of Anthony: The Coptic Life and The Greek Life, 200; Vit. Ant. 67.
. Prov 15:13; Athanasius, Life of Anthony: The Coptic Life and The Greek Life, 200; Vit. Ant. 67.
. The long discourse is in Vit. Ant. 16–43. Tim Vivian summarizes two opposing scholarly views about the Life of Antony: Bartelink suggests that the discourse represents Athanasius’s point of view. See Bartelink, Athanase d’Alexandrie, 117n3. Rubenson defends the opinion that the discourse is very close to the Letters of Antony in style and content. See Rubenson, Letters of St. Antony, 40. From: Athanasius, Life of Anthony: The Coptic Life and The Greek Life, 97, xxiv–xxvii.
. Athanasius, Life of Anthony: The Coptic Life and The Greek Life, 106; Ant. 20.
. Athanasius, Life of Anthony: The Coptic Life and The Greek Life, 107; Ant. 20.
. Athanasius, Life of Anthony: The Coptic Life and The Greek Life, 107; Ant. 20.
. For another summary of the theology of the Athanasian trilogy see Farag, Balance, 91–94.