Athanasius and His Legacy Trinitarian-Incarnational Soteriology and Its Reception

Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM, Cap., and Daniel A. Keating introduce readers to one the key thinkers of the fourth century and the chief architect of Christian doctrine: Athanasius. The authors carefully illuminate Athanasius‘s crucial text Against the Arians, unfolding the Trinitarian and incarnation framework of Athanasius‘s paramount concern (soteriology), and providing, in the second part, a robust map of the reception and influence of Athanasius‘s thought-from its immediate impact on the late fourth and fifth centuries (in the Cappadocians and Cyril) to its significance in the Eastern and Western traditions and its reception in contemporary thought. Preface xi Part I. Athanasius’s Trinitarian-Incarnational Soteriology 1. Athanasius and the Council of Nicaea 7 2. The Trinity and the Holy Spirit 25 3. Athanasius’s Incarnational Soteriology 37 Part II. The Contested Legacy of Athanasius 4. The Reception of Athanasius in the Eastern Tradition 55 5. The Reception of Athanasius in the Western Tradition 73 6. Contra and Pro Athanasius: Isaac Newton and John Henry Newman 87 7. Contemporary Readings of Athanasius 105 Bibliography 123 Index of Names 129