17 Apr 326 AD: Alexander, Bp. of Alexandria, Mentor & Predecessor of Athanasius Passes

17 April 326 A.D.  Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria and Predecessor of Athanasius, passes this world.

The story is told at:  http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/301-600/alexandria-lost-notable-alexander-11629653.html 

The whole Christian world honors Athanasius as its champion because of his battles against Arianism. But behind Athanasius was a great bishop--the man who set Athanasius' feet on the path to fame. Alexander not only selected Athanasius to be his successor, but took open action against the heresy of Arius, the priest who insisted Jesus was a created being rather than an eternal member of the Godhead.

Alexander was born around 250. An upright man, he survived as a priest through the persecutions that raged under Galerius and Maximinus. He became Patriarch of Alexandria in 313. It was well that the post was given him, for Arius was conniving to get the job and would undoubtedly have used the position to disseminate his heresy even more widely than he did.

Arius began to teach his views around 300. Peter, the Patriarch of Alexandria at that time excommunicated him. While Peter was on death row for his faith, Alexander joined with Achillas (who took Peter's place as patriarch) to plead for the restoration of Arius. Peter refused in strong terms, declaring that Arius was eternally damned. Nonetheless, when Achillas took power, he made Arius a priest.

Alexander was slow to recognize the danger of Arius' false teaching. In fact, he moved so slowly against the renegade priest that his clergy grew restive.

Finally Alexander excommunicated Arius. A council held in Alexandria upheld this decision and declared Arius' views heretical. The Egyptian bishop wrote to Patriarch Alexander of Constantinople that Arius and his buddies had "constructed a workshop for contending against Christ, denying the Godhead of our Savior, and preaching that He is only the equal of all others. And having collected all the passages which speak of His plan of salvation and His humiliation for our sakes, they endeavor from these to collect the preaching of their impiety, ignoring altogether the passages in which His eternal Godhead and unutterable glory with the Father is set forth."

But Arius would not disappear. In fact, his ideas led to riots. Arians clashed with Trinitarians until Constantine feared for the empire. In 325 the emperor called the first general council, which met at Nicea. Alexander drew up its acts. At that council, his young protege, Athanasius, offered a stalwart defense of the doctrine of Christ's full divinity.

On his deathbed, Alexander summoned Athanasius to his side and named him his successor. Alexander died on this day, April 17, 326. Athanasius carried on the fight for orthodoxy until his own death, suffering serious harassment and five episodes of exile.

Bibliography:

1.      "Alexander, St." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. Oxford, 1997.

2.      Butler, Alban. "St. Alexander, Confessor, Patriarch of Alexandria." Lives of the Saints. Various editions.

3.      Campbell, T.J. "St. Alexander." The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton, 1914.

4.      Hough, Lynn Harold. Athanasius the Hero. Cincinnati: Jennings and Graham, 1906, especially at p. 49.

5.      Various encyclopedia and internet articles on Alexander and on Arianism.

Last updated May, 2007.

(Mr. Andy Underhile): Church Fathers on Depravity

By Mr. Andy Underhile

Church Fathers on Depravity

If you’ve ever entertained the notion that the freedom of the will is something that has been monolithically believed by the Church, then perhaps the contents of this short post will help unburden you of that mistake.


 One does not need to study the Fathers very long to read their declarations on human sinfulness. Paul’s disciple and traveling companion, Clement of Rome, writes, “Let us turn to every age that has passed, and learn that, from generation to generation, the Lord has granted a place of repentance to all such as would be converted unto Him.” (1) And again he says, “And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men…” (2) God must grant repentance, because fallen man is so lost he would never seek it on his own. God does not merely grant forgiveness, but the desire for repentance itself. Paul says, “It is God who works in you both to will and to do” (Phil. 2:13). And notice also that Clement affirms that our calling is made effectual by God’s will.
 

“They who are carnal cannot do spiritual things… unbelief (is incapable of) the deeds of faith.” (3) This is the pronouncement of Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp’s fellow disciple of the Apostle John. Those who are in the state of unbelief cannot repent and believe unless it be granted from above. Faith and repentance are spiritual acts. Those who are in the flesh cannot perform spiritual acts.

In the anonymous Epistle to Diognetus, we read, “having made it manifest that in ourselves we were unable to enter into the kingdom of God, we might through the power of God be made able…Having therefore convinced us in the former time that our nature was unable to attain to life.” (4) The author of this short work clearly affirms that it is only through the power of God that we can attain to life. This is nothing in our nature that can avail.

Irenaeus writes, “For the Lord taught us that no man is capable of knowing God, unless he be taught of God; that is, that God cannot be known without God.” (5) This refers to more than special revelation. Irenaeus means to say that a saving knowledge of God must begin on God’s part. We cannot begin the process.

Explaining how our corruption is such that we must be rendered spiritual by God Himself, Irenaeus attests, “But we do now receive a certain portion of His Spirit, tending towards perfection, and preparing us for incorruption, being little by little accustomed to receive and bear God… This earnest, therefore, thus dwelling in us, renders us spiritual even now.”(6)

 

The great Carthaginian theologian Tertullian quite aptly remarks, “To begin with the passage where He says that He is come to ‘to seek and to save that which is lost.’ What do you suppose that to be which is lost? Man, undoubtedly. The entire man, or only a part of him? The whole man, of course. In fact, since the transgression which caused man's ruin was committed quite as much by the instigation of the soul from concupiscence as by the action of the flesh from actual fruition, it has marked the entire man with the sentence of transgression, and has therefore made him deservedly amenable to perdition.”(7)
 

For the rest, see:

http://andycontramundum.blogspot.com/2010/04/church-fathers-on-depravity.html

Children's Books: Polycarp, Ignatius, Irenaeus, Athanasius, Augustine, Charlemagne, Calvin, & Lady Jane Grey

POLYCARP OF SMYRNA

POLYCARP OF SMYRNA: THE MAN WHOSE FAITH LASTED tells the story of a hero. He was a follower of Jesus Christ. He loved and served his Lord for over eighty years. And from the beginning to the end - his faith lasted.

http://www.amazon.com/Polycarp-Smyrna-Heroes-Sinclair-Ferguson/dp/1848710925/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y
 

IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH

IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH - THE MAN WHO FACED LIONS is the story of a hero. He was a follower of Jesus Christ. He was prepared to live and die for his Lord. And one day - he faced lions.

http://www.amazon.com/Ignatius-Antioch-Heroes-Sinclair-Ferguson/dp/1848710933/ref=pd_sim_b_2 

  

IRENAEUS OF LYONS

IRENAEUS OF LYONS: THE MAN WHO WROTE BOOKS tells the story of a hero. He was a follower of Jesus Christ. He served him far away from home. And to help his fellow Christians - he wrote books.

http://www.amazon.com/Irenaeus-Lyons-Heroes-Sinclair-Ferguson/dp/1848710941/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y 

  

ATHANASIUS OF ALEXANDRIA

http://www.amazon.com/Athanasius-Christian-Biographies-Young-Readers/dp/1601781512/ref=pd_sim_b_5 

"A complex and fascinating character, Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, is best remembered as the Father of Orthodoxy, upholding the doctrine of the Trinity against the Arian heresy. In the newest addition to the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series, author Simonetta Carr introduces children to the life and times of this important church father who tirelessly defended the Nicene Creed, which many of us today recite as a confession of our faith. Born during the Great Persecution, forced five times to leave his church and city, and constantly threatened by those who tried to ruin his reputation, Athanasius provides an example of godly faithfulness. Beautiful illustrations and a winsome, simply written narrative will bring the Nicene Creed to life for children of all ages, prompting relevant discussions on the divinity of Christ and the importance of creeds and confessions."

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO

http://www.amazon.com/Augustine-Hippo-Christian-Biographies-Readers/dp/1601780737/ref=pd_sim_b_1 

"Outside of the people in the Bible, Augustine of Hippo is the most influential person in church history. Yet how many people know his story? In this book, Simonetta Carr introduces young readers to the life and ministry of Augustine. Readers will come to know Augustine's personal struggles and the high value he came to place on the Bible and truth. Readers will also see the difficult days in which Augustine lived, learning about his disputes with false teachers and the turbulent times during the fall of the Roman Empire. This volume is vividly illustrated, simply written, and full of interesting facts. It is written for young readers, but is sure to capture the interests of the whole family." 

CHARLEMAGNE OF EUROPE

http://www.amazon.com/Charlemagne-Early-Middle-Rulers-Their/dp/0761414878/ref=pd_sim_b_99

Grade 5-8: This attractive volume doubles as a biography of Charlemagne and an overview of everyday life during his reign. Part one covers the ruler's life and period in power while the second section includes chapters on "The Christian Church," "Education," "A Variety of Crafts," and other topics. Unfortunately, Greenblatt makes several errors in discussing Charlemagne's family. A final section contains poems, oaths, spells, letters, and historical accounts. Quality, full-color reproductions of period art illustrate the text and one inadequate map is included. Sources for quotations are noted. Timothy L. Biel's Charlemagne (Lucent, 1997), for older students, is a thorough and readable study but also contains errors. Fiona Macdonald's The World in the Time of Charlemagne (Dillon, 1998; o.p.) is similar in format to Greenblatt's work but encompasses the entire globe, making it less pertinent for those interested primarily in European activities.
Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY

CALVIN OF GENEVA

http://www.amazon.com/Calvin-Christian-Biographies-Young-Readers/dp/1601780559/ref=pd_sim_b_2

“This helps young readers study the life, thought, and work of one of the most famous Reformers of the Christian church. She tells about the life of John Calvin from his birth to his death, placing him within the troubled context of the sixteenth century. She also introduces Calvin s writings in a way that children will desire to know more about his ministry and influence. Readers will come to know Calvin s personality, his devotion to God and the church, and the personal challenges he faced. They will understand the struggles the early Reformed church faced at that time, not only surviving attacks of the Roman Catholic Church, but also achieving a clear identity and a unified doctrine. They will also have a glimpse of life in sixteenth-century Europe, stricken by pestilence, poverty, and wars. Simply written, and full of interesting facts, this book makes a great gift for children of this rich Reformed heritage.” 

LADY JANE GREY OF ENGLAND

http://www.amazon.com/Lady-Christian-Biographies-Young-Readers/dp/1601781903/ref=pd_sim_b_4

“Lady Jane Grey has been admired for generations for her courage and faithfulness to the gospel even though she was executed for treason at the age of sixteen. In this addition to the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series, Simonetta Carr tells Lady Jane Grey's story of intrigue and explains its context: the tumultuous politics of Reformation England. Maps, photographs, and beautiful illustrations decorate the narrative, helping young readers visualize what life was like in sixteenth-century England. More importantly, they will learn the story of an extraordinary young girl who understood that she was saved only by the mercy of God and the merits of the blood of Jesus Christ.”

Nicene Creed as "Complete Fairy Tale?"

Following a study of Jeremiah recently, we've begun to think about the subject of theological "defamation, deceit, distortion, distraction and dismissal."  Such mental (epistemological), moral (ethics), aesthetic (affections) and volitional (choices) cut across all socio-economic, socio-political and religious classes in Jeremiah's time.  Corrupt doctrine, thinking, teachers, and people--disabled and utterly disoriented and deceived is a theme in Jeremiah.  Here's Byran Owen's post in behalf and in favour of the Nicene Creed, the historic Anglican perspective.  Of course, many (majority?) of self-identifying Christians would know few of these things, although the implications are substantial, significant and important.  Nicene Churchmanship prevailed in the East, Western Romanism, and classical Protestant faiths--Anabaptistic, Pentecostalist and other tub-thumping revivalists excluded. (Bryan is a TEC Rector in Jackson, MS.)

http://creedalchristian.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-truth-about-council-of-nicaea.html

The Truth about the Council of Nicaea

According to pop culture accounts, the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) made up a new version of Christianity that includes the divinity of Jesus and the doctrine of the Trinity. And the Council also gave orthodox bishops absolute political power to stamp out rival, more tolerant followers of Jesus. The subtext, of course, is that orthodox Christianity is bad if not evil. And its core doctrine is false because it was the byproduct of efforts to consolidate political power and control.

According to the following video, this view of the Council of Nicaea is "a complete fairy tale" grounded in a lack of historical evidence. The video is a good antidote to some of the anti-Christian, "let's make up our own religion" hype out there, so watch it all:

Alexandrian theology and TBN, Pentecostalists, Emergents, Liberals, Church Growthers, Contemporary Evangelicals

Also posted on our Facebook Wall entitled “Exposing the False Prophets—Reformation Christians Against TBN” found at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=308173344359

1. Alexandrian theology and TBN, Pentecostalists, Emergents, Liberals, Church Growthers, Contemporary Evangelicals. A few miscellaneous notes on “Alexandrian Theology” from “The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology” (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1992), 31-32.

2. The Gospel was established firmly in Alexandria, Egypt by 150 AD with St. Mark, Peter’s nephew and amanuensis, as the likely participant in its establishment. Alexandria was the second largest city of the Roman Empire. It had the largest Jewish concentration in the ancient Roman world. It seems amazing that St. Paul never preached there. The Council of Nicea, 325, assigned it the second place of honour after Rome and above the see of Antioch. It's importance was diminished by according Constantinople secondary honour by the Councils of Constantinople (381) and Chalcedon (451). Subsequently, many Egyptian Christians supported a later development called Monophysitism. Egypt fell to the Persians (616) and the Arabs (642), losing its influence as a Christian centre.

3. A catechetical school of renown was established in this ancient city of Alexander the Great, the famous Ptolomies, the home of the famed Jewish writer Philo, and city where the Greek Septuagintal version of the Old Testament was produced. We associate the names of Clement of Alexandria (c. 190) and Origen (c. 202) with this city and school of thought. As an aside, like TBN-ers, Pentecostalists, revivalist Baptists, and Arminians, Clement was a “free willer.” The latter, Origen, was a writer of renown, an exegete, biblical commentator, and theologian. He was known for his hermeneutics of the literal, moral and allegorical readings of Scripture, something that would be vitiated by Reformation scholars and writers. Sloppy hermeneutics is dangerous. Platonic thought was synthesized by Origen with theology; this created problems and was the seedbed that aided Gnosticism. The Platonism was almost over-mastering. Origen’s theology is for another day. Of much later fame and importance for Nicene Christianity was Bishop Athanasius, the “iron-willed” Bishop who helped extinguish Christological Arianism and other Trinitarian deviances.

3. The Alexandrian School found allegories in almost all the biblical texts. Clement asserted the literal, mystical, moral and prophetic uses. Origen was similar. The opposing school, sometimes called the Antiochene school, stressed the common sense, natural and historic hermeneutic, e.g. Chyrsostom. Ambrose and Augustine took a mediating approach. The Reformers, Luther, Melanchton, Calvin and others, explicitly repudiated allegorical exegesis and followed the well-worn principle of "Scriptura scripturae interpres," Scripture interprets Scripture. This is summarized in the great Westminster Confession, Chapter One, paragraph 9: "The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself: and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly."

4. Re: Christology, Trinity and hermeneutics: this has a connection to the resurgence of deviant, errant, and heretical manifestations on the doctrine of the Trinity at TBN. We find Sabellians and out-right Arians on their programming schedules (for starters).

5. Origen taught the essential and economic subordination of Jesus the Son to God the Father. He taught that there was a “moral and volitional unity” but not an “essential unity” between the Father and the Son. “God the Father, Son the Lesser, and Holy Spirit the Lesser” might get us closer to Arius and TBN. It's more complicated than that, but this give an early sense. The Nicene, Constantinopolitan, and Chalcedonian Creeds would address this. We expect Protestant liberals to be disinterested in this; we expect Pentecostals to know nothing of these things; education and thinking is not their interest. We deny both liberal and Pentecostalists on their orientations.

6. Sabellianism also surfaced and was expressed largely through Cyrenaica and Libya of northern Africa. “Oneness Pentecostals” like TBN-preacher T.D. Jakes and the United Pentecostal Church adhere to this. Rick Warren, the “American” Baptist works alongside T.D. Jakes with little interest in Trinitarianism.

7. Arianism surfaced with Arius (c. 317), another man in the Alexendrian School, that denied the Son his eternality. “There was a time when the Son was not” asserted Arius. The term “homoiousios” and “homousios,” the “debate over a vowel (“i”) in the two terms as it was later called, was at the heart of it. “There was a time when the Son was not.“ Was the Son “like the Father in essence” or “essential to the Father in essence?” Gnosticism, Sabellianism, and Arianism had this checkered background leading to the Nicene Council of 325.

8. Athanasius became the bishop or senior presbyter of presbyters at Alexandria in 328. He also was in the “Alexandrian School,” although different from Clement, Origen and Arius. Athanasius served under Bishop Alexander. Alexander, a Bishop of Alexandria from 313, excommunicated Arius and notified Bishop Hosius of Cordova, Spain, about Arianism. Alexander and Athanasius were energetic opponents of Arianism. Both men participated in the Council of Nicea. Athanasius' “De Incarnatione Verbum Dei” is a difficult but important work to read. He argued that the union of the divine natures, God and man, was essential in the preservation of the doctrine of salvation. “Wholly God and wholly man the Saviour must be” summed up Athanasius. Athanasius also asserted the “essential” deity of the Holy Spirit, “homousios,” with the Father and the Son.

9. Our Facebook page/forum and this blogspot, http://reformationanglicanism.blogspot.com/, is dedicated to the exegetical, biblical, theological, historical and confessional assertion, advance and defense of the Athanasian Creed.

10. We call for the exposure of deviances and belittlements of classical Christendom evinced at TBN, Emergent, Church Growth, and Protestant liberal establishments. We also recognize that Roman soteriology has eviscerated Nicene Christology. We oppose Romanism.

11. This scribe remains thankful for the discipline of the old Book of Common Prayer. It has so many, many prayers that end with “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” TBN, Pentecostalists, Emergents, Liberals, Church Growthers, and Contemporary Evangelicals lack that education, orientation and discipline of worship. It is liturgical sloth. The reassertion of Trinitarian doctrine is essential. It must be done by the one holy, apostolic, Catholic, and Reformational Churches.

12. For the record, below, is an article posted by Peter Otajian, a correspondent at Facebook. Thanks Peter. Enclosed for the record and review. Feel free to join us and post articles germane to our field of inquiry, assertion and defense.
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http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=16025&post=94700&uid=308173344359#post94700

This creed is named after Athanasius (293-373 A.D.), the champion of orthodoxy over against Arian attacks on the doctrine of the Trinity. Although Athanasius did not write this creed and it is improperly called after him, the name persists because until the seventeenth century it was commonly ascribed to him. It is also called the Quicunque, this being its opening word in the Latin original. Apart from the opening and closing sentences, it consists of two sections, the first setting forth the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity (3-28), and the second dealing with the doctrine of Christ, especially concerning the two natures (29-43). The teachings of Augustine (354-430 A.D.) in particular form the background to the Christological section. The creed itself appears for the first time in the first half of the sixth century, but the author is unknown. It is of Western origin, and is not recognized by the Eastern Orthodox Churches.

(1) Whoever desires to be saved must above all things hold to the catholic faith. (2) Unless a man keeps it in its entirety inviolate, he will assuredly perish eternally.

(3) Now this is the catholic faith, that we worship one God in trinity and trinity in unity, (4) without either confusing the persons, or dividing the substance. (5) For the Father's person is one, the Son's another, the Holy Spirit's another; (6) but the Godhead of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is one, their glory is equal, their majesty is co-eternal.

(7) Such as the Father is, such is the Son, such is also the Holy Spirit. (8) The Father is uncreate, the Son uncreate, the Holy Spirit uncreate. (9) The Father is infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite. (10) The Father is eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal. (11) Yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal; (12) just as there are not three uncreates or three infinites, but one uncreate and one infinite. (13) In the same way the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, the Holy Spirit almighty; (14) yet there are not three almighties, but one almighty.

(15) Thus the Father is God, the Son God, the Holy Spirit God; (16) and yet there are not three Gods, but there is one God. (17) Thus the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, the Holy Spirit Lord; (18) and yet there are not three Lords, but there is one Lord. (19) Because just as we are compelled by Christian truth to acknowledge each person separately to be both God and Lord, (20) so we are forbidden by the catholic religion to speak of three Gods or Lords.

(21) The Father is from none, not made nor created nor begotten. (22) The Son is from the Father alone, not made nor created but begotten. (23) The Holy Spirit is from the Father and the Son, not made nor created nor begotten but proceeding. (24) So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits. (25) And in this trinity there is nothing before or after, nothing greater or less, (26) but all three persons are co-eternal with each other and co-equal. (27) Thus in all things, as has been stated above, both trinity and unity and unity in trinity must be worshipped. (28) So he who desires to be saved should think thus of the Trinity.

(29) It is necessary, however, to eternal salvation that he should also believe in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. (30) Now the right faith is that we should believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is equally both God and man.

(31) He is God from the Father's substance, begotten before time; and He is man from His mother's substance, born in time. (32) Perfect God, perfect man composed of a human soul and human flesh, (33) equal to the Father in respect of His divinity, less than the Father in respect of His humanity.

(34) Who, although He is God and man, is nevertheless not two, but one Christ. (35) He is one, however, not by the transformation of His divinity into flesh, but by the taking up of His humanity into God; (36) one certainly not by confusion of substance, but by oneness of person. (37) For just as soul and flesh are one man, so God and man are one Christ.

(38) Who suffered for our salvation, descended to hell, rose from the dead, (39) ascended to heaven, sat down at the Father's right hand, from where He will come to judge the living and the dead; (40) at whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies, and will render an account of their deeds; (41) and those who have done good will go to eternal life, those who have done evil to eternal fire.

(42) This is the catholic faith. Unless a man believes it faithfully and steadfastly, he cannot be saved. Amen.