By Fr. George Dorbarakis
Saint Gregory the Theologian, in his funeral oration for Saint Athanasios the Great, wrote these memorable words: “In praising Athanasios, I praise virtue itself.” To honor Athanasios, he means, is nothing less than to honor virtue in its fullness. This same truth is echoed today in the hymnography of our Church through Saint Theophanes the Hymnographer, who slightly rephrases Saint Gregory’s saying: “As I offer praise to Athanasios, as though extolling virtue, I bring my hymn of praise rather to God Himself.” For indeed, such praise ultimately ascends to God, the Giver of all holiness. But why does the Church speak with such exalted language?
First, because Saint Athanasios truly was "the greatest figure of the ancient Church. He bore upon his shoulders the burden of a deep and multifaceted crisis and gave the definitive theological foundation to Orthodox Trinitarian doctrine. For more than four decades (328–373), he stood as a symbol and a leader toward whom all eyes were turned — both Orthodox and heterodox alike. The few faithful, whenever they saw this sacred eagle standing firm upon his episcopal throne or remaining unyielding in exile, knew with certainty that Orthodoxy lived, and their courage was renewed. The many who opposed the truth, as long as they saw this indomitable man still standing, realized that despite persecutions Orthodoxy endured — and this realization filled them with fury" (Stylianos Papadopoulos).
Second, because in Saint Athanasios we behold the divine prerequisites by which a human being becomes a dwelling place of God and an instrument of divine truth: his natural gifts and learning, his disciplined education, and above all his lifelong struggle for inner purification. As the Church sings, “Having cleansed both soul and body from every defilement, O Athanasios, you were shown to be a temple worthy of God; therefore the fullness of the Holy Trinity rested upon you, O most blessed initiate of sacred mysteries.” Because he purified himself entirely, God Himself came to dwell within him.
The Hymnographer further reminds us that Athanasios began this spiritual struggle from his very youth. From an early age he subdued the passions of the flesh and thus acquired the stable and venerable mindset of an elder while still young: “By youthful struggles you abolished the stirrings of carnal passions, and in your youth you acquired a steadfast and venerable, elder-like mind, O blessed Athanasios.”
Saint Athanasios is inseparably identified with the struggle for Orthodoxy. The Church owes to him, in a decisive way, the triumphant proclamation of the true faith. He was uniquely illumined to expose the errors of the heresiarch Arius and his followers at the First Ecumenical Synod, when their entanglement in worldly philosophies threatened to distort the revelation of Christ and the apostolic teaching. This contribution is proclaimed throughout the hymnography of the Church:
“You planted the dogmas of Orthodoxy and cut down the thorns of heresy, multiplying the seed of faith by the rain of the Spirit.”
“You proclaimed the Word of God, the Only-begotten Son, as equal in honor and enthroned with the Father; and you taught again that the Holy Spirit is of the same nature and consubstantial with the Father and the Son.”
“You banished dogmas foreign to the Church of Christ and theologized the Trinity of Persons and the unity of the Godhead.”
Yet such struggles for the truth inevitably arouse the fury — by God’s allowance — of the evil one himself, who finds no greater delight than in the distortion of the true faith of Christ. A corrupted faith leads inevitably to a corrupted way of life, for doctrine shapes ethos. Those who distort the truth cannot live according to the way of Christ, which is the way of love. Thus it becomes clear why Saint Athanasios endured relentless persecutions, slanders, and dangers. The devil, driven to madness, stirred up his instruments in an attempt to destroy him. But all this occurred within the providence of God, who sets limits even on demonic assaults, so that through them the radiance of truth and the holiness of its witness might shine forth all the more brightly.
Saint Theophanes the Hymnographer dwells upon this aspect of Athanasios’ life as well:
“Countless were the dangers you endured, O blessed one, as you struggled for piety.”
“You bore persecutions with patience and endured many dangers, O God-inspired Athanasios, until you banished the godless error of Arius.”
For this reason, the Church does not hesitate to crown Saint Athanasios with the highest praises. She even calls him the thirteenth Apostle, through whom Christ Himself and the Holy Spirit spoke. This alone reveals the magnitude of his sanctity and explains why the theology of the Church has been described, in its very foundations, as Athanasios-centered. As the hymn proclaims:
“The life-giving breath of the Spirit of Christ, which once descended upon the disciples in the upper room, reveals you also as the thirteenth Apostle, O Father.”
And again:
“With Christ Himself speaking through you, O Father, through your tongue as a harmonious instrument, you denounced in writing the heresy of idols.”
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
