ATHANASIUS' CHRISTOLOGY IN THEORY AND

PRACTICE: A COMPARISON OF THE VITA ANTONII

AND THE DE INCARNATIONE1

by

PATRIClA HARDCASlLE KElLY

A THANASIUS, Bishop of Alexandria, has long been regarded as

n the lonely anti-Arian hero of the fourth-century Church,
defending orthodoxy when, as Jerome wrote, the whole world
found itself Arian. The nature of Christ and his saving work,
achieved through the Incarnation, are undoubtedly central to
Athanasius' theology, and indeed to his work. His numerous exiles
from his see, however, were as often imposed for disciplinary
reasons as theological: he may have been able to disprove his
opponents' claims at Antioch by producing his alleged victim
intact, but he was never able to shake off the mud which stuck
about violence towards the Melitians. For Athanasius, the purpose
of the Incarnation was the recovery of the true nature with which
humanity had been endowed at the Creation and had lost through
sin - closeness to God, the incorruptibility of the body, perfect
knowledge, both of God and of creation, the final triumph over
the devil. The recovery of this prelapsarian state would be marked
by the resurrection of the body, of which the Resurrection of
Christ was a precursor. This christological theme is evident in De
lncamatione (DI), but it is also, less obviously, evident in Vita
Antonii (VA).
The evidence for the lifeofAntony ofEgypt comes largely from
the VA, although seven letters have, since the end of the fourth
century, been attributed to him.' Reconstructing his life from the
VA, Antony was bom c.2S1, into a land-owning family in Egypt.
Early in life he was inspired by the gospel to sell his inheritance
and give the goods to the poor, and, having arranged his sister's
safety with a group of holy women, went to live as a hermit, a life

157
158 THE DOWNSIDE REVIEW

'marked by progressive movements deeper and deeper into the

desert, away from civilization.' 3 His ascetic life, living in caves,
an abandoned fort, and on two mountains, was disturbed by
battles with demons, holy visions, and healing the sick - but he
had not totally abandoned civilization. He advised monks (VA
16-43) and deacons (VA 67) on the spiritual life, and disputed with
pagan philosophers (VA 72, 74-80); Constantine's sons (VA 81)
and many secular officials sought him out for both advice and
healing. The Arians tried to claim him as agreeing with their
theology, for which he sharply - and publicly - condemned
them (VA 68-9); and he willingly left his solitary life to seek
martyrdom in the persecution (VA 46-7). Following his death,
when he left his sheepskin and worn cloak to Athanasius, his two
disciples 'carried out his orders', burying him in an unmarked grave
so that 'no one knows to this day where he is buried' (VA 92).
DI, with its companion Contra Gentes, is assumed to have been
written in the mid-330s, possibly duringAthanasius' enforced exile
in Trier, a result of the Bishop of Alexandria, in the Emperor's
view, wielding too much power. Despite the crisis Arius's beliefs
had provoked in the eastern Church during the previous decade,
DI makes no obvious reference to Arianism; rather, addressed to
'Macarius, [a] true lover of ChriSt',4 possibly a new convert to
Christianity, it forms part of the apologetic tradition, with
Athanasius setting out his understanding ofwho Christis and what
purpose has been fulfilled by his Incarnation. DI starts with the
creation ofthe world and the Fall (1-5);the next two sections (6-10
and 11-18) deal with the Incarnation and its purpose; 19-25 treats
of the death, and 26-32, the Resurrection, of Christ. The
Refutations which end the work demonstrate that both paganism
and Judaism are wrong. VA, written after the death of Antony
in 356, was probably composed during Athanasius' third exile
(356--62), much of which he seems to have spent in the desert,
concealed by monks. Through their ascetic existence in the desert,
the monks were becoming the heroes of the newly legitimate
Church, and Athanasius was as keen to keep their beliefs orthodox
as the Arians were keen to convert the monks to their own
theology. The composition of a 'Life' or '13105' of a well-known
rnonk' demonstrating how Christ, through his Incarnation, re-
divinizes Antony, and returns him to his true nature, was an
 ATHANASJUS' CHRISTOLOGY 159

obvious tactic to persuade the monks of the value of orthodoxy.

The VA tells the story of Antony's early life (1-6) and his move
first to the tombs and then to the fort (7-15). The major address,
used in the 13105 as an exposition ofthe hero's philosophy, is given
to 'the monks' (16-43); it is followed by his retreat to the Outer
and then Inner Mountains, with accounts ofAntony's visions and
miraculous cures (44-71). The second address, a series of
disputations with philosophers (72-80), is followed by the account
of Antony's death (81-94).
DI can be used as a guide to the christological themes of the
VA: where DI offers a structured, almost linear account of
Athanasius' christology, the VA is a linear narrative of Antony's
life, in which Athanasius' christology and soteriology are
demonstrated by different events. In each section of DI, the
purpose ofthe Incarnation is shown to be the renewal ofcreation
and the restoration of the image ofGod in humanity," In the first
section, the Incarnation restores humanity to its closeness with
God; in the second, the restoration of the image abolishes death;
in the third, it restores the knowledge of God; and in the fourth
and fifth, it bestows the resurrection ofthe flesh and triumph over
death, respectively. This theoretical exposition of the work of
Christ, achieved through the Incarnation, becomes a practical
demonstration in the account ofAntony's life in the VA, in which
Antony, throughout his life, grows in likeness to Christ, thus in
closeness to God, returning to the state for which humanity was
originally created.

The divine image 17Jsto17Jd- closeness to God

Athanasius' account of the Incarnation relies on the one God,
through his Logos, creating all ex nihilo. The contemporary
N eoplatonic and Gnostic views of creation are swiftly dealt with
by argument and recourse to Scripture. Humanity, originally
created in the image of God, had lost this precious image through
turning away from God to sin. For Athanasius, humanity's true
existence implies closeness to God: as humanity moves further
from God, and closer to sin, so it moves from true existence
towards non-existence. Because 'of all goodness [God) is the
fountainhead... he made all things out ofnothing through his own
Word' (DI3). Humanity had been given 'a special grace which
160 THE DOWNSIDE REVIEW

other creatures lacked - namely, the impress of his own image'

(D! 3), which would allow that 'the life of paradise should be
theirs, without sorrow, pain or care, and after it the assurance of
immortality in heaven' (D! 3) - closeness to God, in the paradise
they were created to inhabit But humanity was in danger of
'returning, through corruption, to non-existence again' (D! 4).
True existence, close to God, also leads to those other attributes
ofdivine knowledge and incorruptibility. It was 'the grace oftheir
union with the Word [which] made them capable ofescaping from
the natural law, provided that they retained the beauty of
innocence with which they were created' (D! 5). Happily, 'the
renewal ofcreation has been wrought by the self-same Word who
made it in the beginning' (D!l). For humanity, this renewal means
its potential to recover the lost image- an image which would mean
it could once again aspire to its true existence, close to God.
Notwithstanding this loss of the divine image, humanity can
'preserve that likeness through constant contemplation' (D! 4), the
reflection on, and response to, God's revelation. The young Antony
'burnedwith a desire to know God', and 'often wentwith his parents
to church', where he was attentive and 'concentrated on what was
being read and put the useful precepts into practice in his way of
life' (VA 1). It is as a result of his meditating on a gospel passage,
'turning these things over in his mind' (VA 2), that Antony first
feels called to the eremitical life, where he 'focussed all his longing
and attention on what he had undertaken' (VA 3). He resisted the
temptations of the devil 'by means of constant prayer' and '[by
concentrating] on the everlasting torments of future judgement',
all of which 'served to confound the devil' (VA 5). Following a
particularly violent attack by demons, Antony is rewarded by a
vision of Christ, and an assurance of his protection which left him
'so greatly strengthened that he realised he had received more
strength now than he had had before he lost it' (VA 10).
Antony's contemplative life, reflecting on God and the divine
revelation through the Word, leads him to reject first the world,
and then the worldly temptations (riches, women) offered by the
devil, thus retaining 'the beauty ofinnocence'. It also brings him
close to God, a closeness manifested not only in his vision of
Christ as his protector, but also in his knowledge, his lack ofbodily
decay, and his triumph over the devil.
 ATIIANASIUS' CHRISTOLOGY 161

The divine image restored - knowledge of God

The Incarnation, which renews humanity in God's image, restores
humanity's knowledge, of God and of creation, lost through the
Fall. Humanity 'would be no better than the beasts, had they no
knowledge save of earthly things' (D! 11). Having 'defiled their
own soul so completely that they not only lost their apprehension
ofGod, but invented for themselves other gods' (D! 11), humanity
needed to recognize the one creator God, 'which knowledge oftheir
maker is for men the only really happy and blessed life' (D! 11).
Athanasius goes on to point out that God has revealed himself
through creation, through his prophets, and through his law, all of
which have been rejected by a humanity which seems to be 'brute
beasts [rather] than men reflecting the very likeness of the Word'
(D! 12). Humanity's ignorance of the knowledge of God is
dehumanizing, for humanity in its fullest and most perfect state is
as created, knowing God, and the only cure is to renew 'God's
image in mankind, so that through it men might once more come
to know Him' (D! 13). It is because humanity is earthbound and
focussed on earthly things that the Logos 'moved as man among
men' (D! 15); by 'staying in his body and letting himself be seen in
it' (D! 16), he 'revealed himself as the Word of the Father, the ruler
and king of the whole creation' (D! 16). Christ's coming therefore
opens up to humanity the possibility, not merely 'knowledge of
earthly things', acquired by observation and reason, but of spiritual
knowledge, 'knowledge of their Maker', which is immediate,
inspired, and acquired by being close to God.
Antony exemplifies the restoration ofspiritual knowledge in two
ways. First, as a mark of his closeness to God, Antony is privy to
special knowledge of both future and distant events. He has a <very
sad vision' of a future success ofArianism, 'accurate in every detail
as later events proved' (VA 82). He is granted a vision of monks
dying of thirst, in order to save one (VA 59). He sees Ammoun's
soul passing into heaven on his death,' and his brethren were 'amazed
at the purity of [Antony's] mind, in that knowledge of something
happening so far away had reached him without delay' (VA 60).
Second, Athanasius, despite the early attribution ofat least seven
extant letters to Antony, insists on his illiteracy - as a child 'he
refused to learn to read and write' (VA 1); as a young man 'he
listened attentively to the Scriptures so that nothing should slip
162 THE DOWNSIDE REVIEW

from his mind, keeping [the Lord's commandments] safe in his

memory rather than in books' (VA 3). As a well-established
hermit he was said to be 'remarkably wise considering that he had
no education' (VA 71), although some 'wished to mock him
because he was uneducated' (VA 73). Philosophers who seek him
out describe him as 'not stupid but rather extremely wise' (VA 72),
which they found perhaps the more surprising given that 'he had
no education' (VA 72); other philosophers who challenge him to
defend his faith are treated to an exposition of Christianity which
is unashamedly apologetic, repeating many of the themes to be
found in the Refutations which form the last part of DI, such as
the proofthat Christ is God, demonstrated by the decline in pagan
worship and the success of Christianity (VA 74-80). They were
'struckwithwonderandamazement...admittingtoeachotherthat
their meetingwith him had been ofgreat benefit to them' (VA 80).
In both meetings, Athanasius tells us that Antony 'spoke through
an interpreter' (VA 72,74) - Greek being the language ofeducation
and Alexandria, not of a village boy turned ascetic who had
rejected any schooling.
Antony has a well-developed theology, and is able to quote the
Scriptures - Gospels, New Testament and LXX - at length to
prove his point. His christology, demonstrated in his address to
the monks, bears a marked resemblance to that of Athanasius in
DI, and he shows a remarkable grasp (for someone so uneducated)
of the finer points of the Arian controversy. When he is visited
by Arians, 'he questioned them carefully and found that their sect
was utterly sacrilegious' (VA 68); later, in Alexandria, 'he publicly
condemned the Ariomaniacs, declaring that this was the final
heresy that would herald the arrival of Antichrist' (VA 69).
Athanasius goes to great lerigths to depict Antony as illiterate
and uneducated, which device only serves to make Antony's
familiarity with the Scriptures, his profound understanding of the
major contemporary theological debate, and his ability to outwit
philosophers, all the more striking. The insistence on Antony's
lack of formal education serves to emphasize his profound
theological knowledge, which, if it has not come from books and
schooling, can only have come from God, another mark of his
human nature being restored to its created state.
 ATI-lANASIUS' CHRISTOLOGY 163

The divine image restored - incorruptibility

It is unthinkable, Athanasius tells Macarius, that God should allow
part of his creation to be 'carried off by corruption, because it
would be unfitting and unworthy of him' (DI 6). The only
solution was 'to bring again the corruptible to incorruption' (DI7),
and 'who, save the Word of God himself, who also in the
beginning had made all things out of nothing' (DI7) was capable
of restoring the divine image? So the Word 'took to himself a
body, a human body even as our own' (DI 8). Athanasius
demonstrates that it is through the Word's solidarity with
humanity that salvation - humanity's renewal through the
restoration of incorruptibility - can be accomplished. The loss
of the image of God at the Fall had not only brought about the
separation from God which is sin, but also the corruptibilitywhich
leads to death: 'all men were due to die' (DI 20). 'The Word
perceived that corruption could not be got rid of otherwise than
through death' (DI 9); by dying himself, 'he forthwith abolished
death for his human brethren by the offering of the equivalent'
(DI9). He then 'showed himself mightier than death, displaying
his own body incorruptible as the first-fruits of the resurrection'
(DI 20). The death of Christ not only brought about his
Resurrection, but also ensures that 'we may obtain thereby a better
resurrection' (DI21). Christ's death is necessary, because 'the
supreme object of his coming was to bring about the resurrection
of the body' (DI21). Such a death needed to be public for the
Resurrection to be credible; it had to be carried out by external
agents, so as not to cast doubt on Christ's cures, or imply a less
than perfect Logos. For Athanasius, the Crucifixion in particular
was necessary partly because in being crucified Christ could
embrace the world, but also because 'the air is the sphere of the
devil' (DI 25), which Christ, and his followers, could now conquer.
VA is famous for its accounts of Antony's incorruptibility,
which demonstrate how God works in Antony, restoring him to
his originally created state. Christ's death has not only brought
about the defeat ofthe devil, but also the resurrection ofthe body.
For Athanasius, this glorification of the body proves its return to
its original state: 'divinisation means that the divine traits [the
image of God] are stamped on that person'. 8 Antony points out
to the monks that, by living in God's work, 'it is not earth that we
164 THE DOWNSIDE REVIEW

will inherit, but heaven. We shall leave this corrupt body and we
shall receive it incorrupt.' (VA 16.)
Antony's own life demonstrates this when, having spent <twenty
years in the desert, cut off from the sight of men' (VA 14), he
emerged from the fort Those present <Were stunned at the beauty
ofhis countenance and the dignified bearing ofhis body which had
not grown flabby through lack of exercise...on the contrary, the
handsomeness ofhis limbs remained as before, as though no time
had passed' (VA 14.) Ascetic discipline <registered the essential,
preliminary stages of the long return of the human person, body
and soul together, to an original, natural and uncorrupted
state... contemporaries liked to think that they had sensed this state
in Antony when he emerged from the fort. ,9 At his death, we learn
that 'on account of his goodness, he retained his sharp eyesight
and all his teeth, as well as his ability to walk, indeed the strength
of his whole body.' (VA 93.) The incorruptibility of Antony's
body, both after his seclusion in the fort, and at the time of his
death, is remarked upon, the first 'great miracle' attributed to his
<purity of mind' (VA 14), the second to 'his goodness' (VA 60).
Although the ascetic Antony <Was overcome by an extraordinary
sense of shame because the physical limitations of his poor body
restricted his spiritual freedom' (VA 45), forcing him to eat and
rest, Athanasius describes him persuading the monks that <the
body must not be completely starved nor should it be overfed in
case it should lose its ability to work, contrary to the Creator's will'
(VA 45). For Athanasius, the body is ofitselfgood, having been
created by God; the ascetic tendency to abuse the body by denying
food and rest must be resisted, and the body, both created by God
and used by him as an instrument, must be respected.
Where Christ was raised into the air to combat the devils,
Antony goes into the desert, where the devils incessantly torment
him. The concept of the devils inhabiting the desert was a
particularlyEgyptian phenomenon, perhaps because the influence
of the ancient religion, <especially in regard to its beliefs that the
desert was the domain of Seth, the embodiment of evil and
disorder, was still strong'.'" The dismissal of the <friend of
fornication' (VA 6) is <Antony's first victory over the devil or
rather the first sign of the Saviour's power in Antony' (VA 7).
Despite being 'beaten and mauled' (VA 9) by the demons, Antony
 ATIlANASIUS' CHRISTOLOGY 165

taunts them: 'since the Lord has robbed you ofyour strength, you
are broken... the fact that you have taken on the shapes of
unreasoning beasts is itselfproofofyour weakness.' (VA 9.) In the
fort, his battles with the demons are witnessed by those outside -
public battles, just as Christ's battle on the cross was public. In his
address to the monks, he assures them that through the pursuit of
virtue 'you have conquered [the devil] and look how he is unable to
prevent me arguing with him' (VA 24). He reminds them that,
through Christ, 'the enemy was destroyed and all his power was
undermined...however, even when he uses thoughts and other tricks
he still cannot overturn a heart that stands firm for God' (VA 28).

The divine image restored - victory over death

If the death of Christ offered the possibility of resurrection to
humanity, his Resurrection meant that humanity was assured of
a victory over death. This victory over death has direct implica-
tions for the way christians live - no longer is death something to
be feared, but 'by the sign of the cross and by faith in Christ [they]
trample on it as on something dead' (D! 26). Athanasius concedes
that 'everyone is afraid of death and of bodily dissolution' (D! 28),
but - as shown by the martyrs, who went willinglyto their deaths
- this fear can be overcome by faith in Christ 'Victory over death
does not mean being able to avoid death, but rather the acceptance
ofdeath.?' Christ's Resurrection, furthermore, means that he is still
alive and working in the world - if not, then 'how is it that he routs
and persecutes and overthrows the false gods, whom unbelievers
think to be alive, and the evil spirits whom they worship?' (D! 30.)
His ongoing work in the world is also proved by the sign of the
cross, 'at which all magic is stayed, all sorcery confounded, all the
idols are abandoned and deserted, and all senseless pleasure ceases,
as the eye of faith looks up from earth to heaven' (D! 31).
Antony himsdf'was burning with a desire for martyrdom' (VA
46), and, in trying to attain it by provoking the governor during the
persecution, he 'demonstrated to us that Christians ought to persist
in an attitude that scorns punishment and death' (VA 46). His
failure to achieve death through martyrdom led rather to 'a daily
martyrdom of faith and conscience' (VA 47) in his ascetic life. At
his death, Antony's closeness to God is demonstrated as he speaks
'with great joy as if he were leaving foreign lands and was about to
166 THE DOWNSIDE REVIEW

set out for his own country' (VA 56) - which, for Athanasius, he
was, as the paradise to which Antonywas retumingwas the paradise
for which humanity had originally been created.
Antony puts into practice the sign ofthe cross as a way ofdealing
with magic, sorcery, the demons, and the devil. He reminds the
demons that 'the sign of the cross is a wall that no assault of yours
can break down' (VA 9);he assures the visitors outside the fort that
if they 'make the sign of the cross' they will be able to 'depart
without fear' (VA 14). He tells the monks that they should 'raise
the single banner of the Lord's cross in confronting the unequal
battIe' (VA 22) with the demons. When disturbed at his work:by
a demon, Antony 'made the sign of the cross on his own forehead
and just said eel am a servant of Christ" , (VA 53), at which point
the demon ran off The name of Christ also holds power over the
devil-Antony describes how he once sent him away'protectingmy
whole self against him with the name of Christ' (VA 40).
Through his life, Antony demonstrates the ongoing work of
Christ and the victory over death which Christ's death and
Resurrection have achieved. From his earliest retreat into the
desert, 'the grace of God, through Antony, freed many people
from unclean spirits and from various illnesses' (VA 14). Many
of the cures effected through Antony call to mind the cures of
Christ, not least that of Martinianus' daughter, which recalls the
cure of the centurion's slave (Mt 8). Just as the centurion is not
aJew, so it is implied that Martinianus is not christian, for, like the
centurion, he is told to 'go and pray to God according to your
faith' (VA 48). Athanasius himselflikens the cure ofthe girl from
Bursis (VA 58) to that of the woman suffering from a haemor-
rhage (Mt 9). As Christ offers the water of life to the Samaritan
woman On 4), so a source of water springs from Antony's tears
in the desert, saving him and his companions from death (VA 54).
Just as Athanasius describes Christ using his human body as an
instrument to carry out his redemptive work (D! 17), so he shows
Antony as the instrument for God's miracles, although Antony
himself reminds the monks that 'it is not for our humble selves
to perform miracles but for the Lord' (VA 38). While Antony is
depicted as Christ-like in the cures and miracles effected in him,
Athanasius reiterates several times that it is the Lord who 'through
Antony freed many from their sufferings' (VA 56).
 ATI-IANASIUS' CHRISTOLOGY 167

Conclusions
DI is clearly an apologetic work. in which Athanasius sets out his
christology. Christ, through his Incarnation, bestows salvation on a
humanity which has wilfully turned away from God, losing in the
process all the attributes with which they were created, and which
made them fully human: closeness to God, with an intuitive
knowledge ofGod, an incorrupt body,and victory over death and the
devil For Athanasius, the aim of the Incarnation is the divinization
of humanity - '[Christ] indeed assumed humanity that we might
become God.' (DI54.) The divinity ofChrist, so disputed by Arius,
is in fact central to Athanasius' understanding of who Christ is.
At first sight, VA appears a prototype hagiography - which
indeed it is - albeit of someone whose heroism is due to his
defence oforthodoxy as much as his ascetic lifestyle. VA is rather,
however, the story of one who, as a result of the salvation
bestowed by Christ, and his own efforts to turn his mind and will
towards God, receives 'that original grace with which allmen were
created' (DIS), the image ofGod. While humanity's ability to turn
back to God depends strongly, as Antony reminds the monks, on
the individual's willingto be close to God (VA 20), it is Christ who
is the hero of VA. It is Christ who protects Antony from the
devil; it is because Christ is alive that God can work through
Antony to effect miraculous cures; it is because ofChrist's victory
over death that the sign of the cross and invocation of his word
beat the devil. Antony's life as described by Athanasius is
undoubtedly heroic, but it effects his divinization only because
Christ - both human and divine - came into the world, died,
and rose again, thus ensuring that humanity, if willing, can again
become divine, restored in the image of God.
Athanasius' concern for much ofhis later life was the defence of
the orthodox understanding ofChrist as divine, on which his saving
work depended. Antony's salvation, underpinned by a distinctive
model ofAthanasius' own christology, is a process of divinization.
Unlike the Manichees, it is not a salvation from the human state;
unlike Arius, the Christwho savesis divine, and can therefore bestow
divinityon the humanity he has saved - divinity being the restoration
of the divine image in which humanity was originally created Ever
the consummate politician,Athanasius 'spun'Antony's lifeto coincide
more strongly with his christology, and, perhaps more urgently, to
168 THE DOWNSIDE REVIEW

ensure that Antony could not be claimed by any heretical group,

schismatics (Melitians), Manichees or Arians as one of their own. 12
The story ofAntony's return to the divine state in which humanity
was originally created is practical application of the orthodox
christology which Athanasius so carefully expounds in DI.

NOTES

1 I am very grateful to Fr Bernard Green of St Benet's Hall, Oxford, for his

generous advice, patience and time in preparing this article.
2 S. Rubenson has carried out extensive and interesting research on Antony's
letters availablein Rubenson, Theutters of.Anto'!} (Lund: Lund Univ. Press, 1990).
3 Athanasius: The Life tifAnto'!} translated by Carolinne White: Earty Christian
Lives (London: Pengiun, 1998), p. xvii.
4 Athanasius: DeIncamotione (D!), translated by A ReIigious ofCSMV (London:
The Centenary Press, 1944), p.l.
S R.A. Burridge has made a comprehensive study of the use of the {3105 genre
throughout the early Christian period in his What are theGospels? A Comparison
withGraeco-Roman Biograp1?Y (Cambridge: CUP, 1992). A 'flexible genre' (p.69), it
is linked 'with the didactic genres ofphilosophical and political beliefs, teachings
and polemic' (p.66) so that 'in the debate between pagans and Christians for the
control of the intellectual world of the late Empire, {3,OI of saints and philoso-
phers were pressed into service' (p.80).
6 Regis Bernard discussesAthanasius' understanding ofthe imageofGod in some
detail in his L'image de Diesd'apris 5t Athanase (paris: Aubier, 1952). He points out
that where 'Irenaeus, Clement and Origen distinguished between image and
likeness' (p. 25),'Athanasius' originalitywould show itseIfhere by not followingthe
distinction between image and likeness' (p.27). Indeed, in this regard, and
particularlycompared to Origen, 'Athanasius' anthropology lacksprecision' (p.51).
7 Ammoun, a contemporary of both Athanasius and Antony, 'was a celebrated
ascetic and the founder ofa settlement of hermits and coenobites in the Nitrian
desert.' Barnard, L.W.: TheMonastic utters of5t .Atbanasiss the Gl?at (Oxford:
SLG Press, 2002), viii.
8 StaniIoae, D.: 'La Doctrine de St Athanase sur Ie salut' in Kannengiesser, C.
(ed.), POlitiqfIC etThiologie chezAthanase d'AJexandrie (paris:Beauchesne,1974), p.277.
9 Brown, P.: TheBotfy and50ciety (London: Faber & Faber, 1989) pp.223-4
10 Pettersen, A.: .Atbanasius (London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1995) p.5.
11 StaniIoae, D., op. cit. p.279.
12 VA 68 - Antony had nothing to do with any of these groups.