Who was Athanasius?

[mathinspiration]

Why was he called the Black dwarf? Is his work still significant today?

 

[dzheremi]

HH St. Athanasius the Apostolic, the 20th Pope of the Church of Alexandria, or someone else? I've never heard anyone call him "the black dwarf". Who is "the black dwarf"?

 

[Ttalkkugjil]

HH St. Athanasius the Apostolic, the 20th Pope of the Church of Alexandria, or someone else? I've never heard anyone call him "the black dwarf". Who is "the black dwarf"?

Doc? Grumpy? Sleepy?

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Why was he called the Black dwarf? Is his work still significant today?

Yes his work is significant today! Have you ever heard of the doctrine of the Trinity or the Nicene Creed, or how the NT Canon was established?

Athanasius

 

[dzheremi]

Pavel, do you know anything about this "Black Dwarf" thing? I've never heard of that anywhere.

At first I thought maybe this person was confusing him with Abba John the Short, but Abba John was not called "the Black Dwarf", either...and Abba Moses the Black could certainly not be described as a dwarf in any way!

 

[Sabertooth]

Who is "the black dwarf"?

Doc? Grumpy? Sleepy?

Jazzy!
(or Bluesy...)

 

[Phronema]

Pavel, do you know anything about this "Black Dwarf" thing? I've never heard of that anywhere.

At first I thought maybe this person was confusing him with Abba John the Short, but Abba John was not called "the Black Dwarf", either...and Abba Moses the Black could certainly not be described as a dwarf in any way!

Apparently after googling it "the Black Dwarf" was a name given to St. Athanasius the Great by his enemies due to being short, and dark skinned. I've never heard that moniker either.

 

[dzheremi]

Oh. Huh.

Damn Arians.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Why was he called the Black dwarf?

Never heard that one before.

He is one of my heroes though.

Is his work still significant today?

Highly. Because the temptation to Arianism and/or 'Christology from below' is still pretty common.

 

[dzheremi]

We call him in the Coptic tradition "the Apostolic" in a meaning similar to how Eastern Orthodox call certain saints (maybe including St. Athanasius? I don't know) "equal-to-the-apostles", meaning that the saint has had a similar impact as the twelve apostles did on the spread of the Christian faith, the defense of Orthodoxy, and being a shining example of a life of holiness. He is credited with having authored the Orthodox Creed at Nicaea to which all Christians subscribe (while still a deacon serving HH Pope Alexander of Alexandria), to have sent the first Christian bishops to Ethiopia (c. 330) and Sudan (c. 346), and to have established the now standard 27-book New Testament canon via his 39th festal letter (367).

Basically, Christianity would not be anywhere near as strong as it subsequently became throughout the world if it were not for him. He (and not only him, but he is probably most famous for it) crushed the Arian heresy, gave us the theological language we still use to express orthodox Christian Trinitarian theology, and set for us the canon that has now stood for over 1,600 years. He helped to set firm the churches of East Africa, which to this day are an island of ancient Christianity some 50+ million strong, surrounded by paganism and Islam and yet never giving in to either. His brilliant theological treatises are still considered masterworks and studied by serious scholar and simple worshiper alike, as there is great wisdom in them for everyone. His work On the Incarnation is basically required reading for anyone who is interested in the explication and defense of the Christian faith, no matter their background. His Life of St. Anthony (the father of Christian monasticism; St. Athanasius was one of his disciples) and his many letters are also very interesting, edifying, and instructive.

Basically, you cannot go wrong with anything by HH St. Athanasius the Apostolic. He truly is, and is rightly called, a pillar of the faith.

 

[Athanasius377]

I think I have heard of him . Athanasius is a hero in the faith for me. It should be pointed out the courage and conviction Athanasius had in defending the orthodox catholic faith. The fact is he stood virtually alone in his opposition to Arianism. He literally stared down the entire Roman Empire and suffered for it as a result. As someone else pointed out On the Incarnation should be required reading for every christian. If anyone can find it there is a short book called Athanasius the Hero by Lynn Harold Hough. It was printed in the early 20th century but is an excellent primer into Athanasius.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Pavel, do you know anything about this "Black Dwarf" thing? I've never heard of that anywhere.

At first I thought maybe this person was confusing him with Abba John the Short, but Abba John was not called "the Black Dwarf", either...and Abba Moses the Black could certainly not be described as a dwarf in any way!

I've heard a little about it, my linked article explains it.


"Black Dwarf" was the tag his enemies gave him. And the short, dark-skinned Egyptian bishop had plenty of enemies. He was exiled five times by four Roman emperors, spending 17 of the 45 years he served as bishop of Alexandria in exile. Yet in the end, his theological enemies were "exiled" from the church's teaching, and it is Athanasius's writings that shaped the future of the church.

 

[GreekOrthodox]

I've heard Athanasius nicknamed the Black Dwarf as well but not very often.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Is his work still significant today?

Unquestionably.

-CryptoLutheran