Abstract

This dissertation attempts to provide a comprehensive and original interpretation of Athanasius's theological vision in terms of its distinct foci and their interrelation. This interpretation bases itself on a fundamental element which I try to show is an intrinsic center of coherence in Athanasius's theology: an emphasis on the distinction and simultaneous relation between God and the world. The first chapter is an examination of the theme of the relation between God and the world before Athanasius, with specific reference to the issue of the relation between divine transcendence and immanence, in both the Hellenistic and Judeo-Christian traditions. After remarking on the signs of strain in the apologists' efforts to integrate Hellenistic and biblical perspectives, I focus on Irenaeus's emphasis, against the gnostics, on the convergence of divine transcendence and immanence in the Christian message of salvation. My position is that Athanasius, in this regard, manifests a strongly Irenaean orientation. The second chapter analyses Athanasius's emphasis on the simultaneous otherness and nearness of God in relation to the world, as it is prayed out in his early doctrinal treatise, the Contra Gentes- De Incarnatione. With reference to this emphasis, it provides an interpretation of Athanasius's doctrine of God, cosmology, theological anthropology, soteriology and christology, as they appear in this work. The third chapter focuses on the theme of the relation between God and creation in the context of the Arian crisis, showing how Athanasius's conception of this relation determines his theological method and language, his views of mediation and immediacy in the relation between God and the world, his notion of the relation between theology and economy, his understanding of the significance of the incarnation, and his insistence that our salvation is grounded in the confession of the full divinity of the Son. The fourth chapter deals with Athanasius's more pastoral and devotional works: the Festal Letters, the Letter to Marcellinus, and, especially, the Life of Antony. Here, the object is to show how Athanasius conceives of the relation between God and world in the context of redeemed life in Christ. Finally, the conclusion posits Athanasius in dialogue with Barth and Schleiermacher, suggesting that his emphasis on the simultaneity of divine otherness and nearness to the world constitutes an enduring contribution to theological discussion