Against the World: The Odyssey of Athanasius

by Henry W. Coray
Available from Inheritance Publications and Amazon
*****
I don't know why I was expecting a rather dry biography, but I was surprised. Athanasius was perhaps the most hated man of his time, and it was due to his brilliant mind and fervent passion for truth, specifically in the person of Jesus Christ. The Arianists were teaching that Jesus was a son of God and was like God, but was not God himself. Arius taught that there was a time when Jesus did not exist, and that the Son of God cannot completely know the Father or His will, because they were not eternally coexistent. Their doctrine seems to be similar to what the Jehovah's Witnesses teach. Athanasius argued that Jesus was absolutely divine, and that in Him is all of the fullness of the Godhead; that the Trinity is eternal. Constantine desired unity in the church, and sided with Athanasius, declaring Arius and his followers to be heretics. For the rest of his life, Athanasius was slandered, maligned and persecuted in what was for him a fight for truth, and for the Arianists, a struggle for power. There were even attempts on his life, so violent was their hatred of him! Athanasius lived through the reigns of several emperors, who alternately respected or denounced him. Coray chronicles his exiles and his efforts in the church, where he became a bishop and sought to serve the Lord and His people. This biography was far more exciting that I anticipated, and I definitely recommend it!