St. Athanasius

“One in being with the Father.” We repeat this sentence every time of profess our faith using the Nicene Creed. What we often forget is that because of that phrase, Bishop Athanasius suffered exile five times in his life and spent one third of his episcopate away from his see.

In his time, the problem was whether Jesus Christ was a creature created by God or does He share the same nature as God? Some people believed that Jesus was the most excellent of creatures, but just a man. His most ardent defendent was Arius and his position is known as Arianism.

Interestingly, this became the most accepted opinion in the higher political spheres and Bishop Athanasius suffered the consequences and was persecuted for his ideas.

Theological or Christological ideas are neither much debated nor popular today. We don’t find people having many theological discussions in the papers. But do we find anthropological discussions of practically the same nature as those St. Athanasius encountered.

Today the debate is whether we have bodies distinct from ourselves that we can use and dispose of. Whether my body is something I use for a purpose as the popular opinion holds, or, as the church upholds, the body is part of the “I” and not something extrinsic to it. And, yes, this discrepancy is also causing much persecution.