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How did Athanasius argue against Arianism?
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Christology
The Transfiguration, the nature of Jesus as the Son of God being revealed to the apostles Peter, James, and John, mosaic icon, early 13th century; in the Louvre, Paris.
Athanasius argued against Arianism by emphasizing that the redemption of humankind required the Son to be fully divine, possessing the same essence as the Father. While Arius taught that the Son was a created being with a beginning, Athanasius insisted that God had to become human so that humans could become divine.1
His theological defense centered on the following points:
- Essential Unity: Athanasius maintained that the divine nature in Jesus was identical to that of the Father, rejecting the Arian view that they were of different substances.1
- Nicene Homoousios: He championed the use of the term homoousios (consubstantial, or "one in Being") to express the Son's essential unity with the Father, a position affirmed at the Council of Nicaea.12
- Theological Works: His most comprehensive arguments are found in his Four Orations Against the Arians, where he expounded on the Son’s eternal origin and essential divinity.32
Athanasius viewed his opposition to Arianism not merely as a speculative dispute, but as a fundamental religious necessity for the salvation of humanity.1