St Athanasius

Athanasius stands among the great champions of the faith because nearly his whole public life was spent under pressure without surrender. From the aftermath of the Council of Nicaea onward, he stood at the center of the long Arian crisis, defending the truth that the Son is truly God and not a creature, however exalted. Emperors shifted, bishops wavered, alliances changed, and exile followed exile, yet Athanasius remained constant. The life is greater than a story of argument, though. He was pastor, theologian, churchman, and friend of the monastic movement as well as controversialist.

His writings on the Incarnation and his defense of St Antony show how wide his influence was. What gives his story lasting power is that his tenacity never breaks away from the truth he is defending. He did not suffer for temperament or vanity. He suffered because the Church's confession about Christ was worth every cost.