The mystery of God the Father in Saint Athanasius of Alexandria
Article summary proposed by the Contacts review with LLM assistance
This article by Michel Stavrou examines the mystery of God the Father in the theology of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 295-373), based on a systematic study of the Alexandrian doctor's principal treatises. The approach is that of rigorous patristic analysis, articulating Trinitarian theology and soteriology. The central idea is that Athanasius effects, in the fourth century, a decisive turning point in the understanding of divine fatherhood, considered along two inseparable axes: the eternal fatherhood of the Father within the Trinity, grounded in the monarchy of the Father and the eternal generation of the Son in the Spirit, and the gracious fatherhood exercised toward humanity through filial adoption and deification. The theological contribution of the article lies in its demonstration that Athanasius establishes a necessary correlation between intratrinitarian communion and the very possibility of God's communication to humanity, thus anticipating the Cappadocian developments on divine personhood and freedom.
This article has not been translated yet — it is available in its French version here.
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