Overview

Athanasius of Alexandria (bishop 328-373) is one of the great personalities of late-antique Christianity, and he is well-known to theologians and historians alike as a champion of orthodoxy against the ‘Arian’ heresy and a proponent of the ascetic life. His Festal Letters, written annually to announce the date of Easter, offer unique insight into another side of this towering figure—his work as a pastor and leader of the Egyptian Church. These letters have often been neglected, because they survive fragmentarily in Syriac and Coptic translations and nearly all the original Greek text has been lost. Yet his Easter messages provide a priceless glimpse into Athanasius’ thought and how a leading fourth-century bishop confronted the pastoral challenges of a rapidly changing world. This book presents the first complete English translation of all the known fragments of the Festal Letters. Introductions and annotations give the essential historical and literary background to the texts and how they illuminate Athanasius’ teachings and practice. The letters are supplemented by fresh translations of the Syriac Festal Index and the incomplete Historia acephala preserved in Latin, which furnish crucial evidence for the chronology of Athanasius’ career. Taken together, these works afford a more comprehensive picture of Athanasius as both bishop and pastor.

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9781835538081

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Reviews

‘All in all… the volume enriches the deserving series “Translated Texts for Historians” with another worthy representative.’ Translated from German: ‘Alles in allem... bereichert der Band die verdienstvolle Reihe der „Translated Texts for Historians“ um einen weiteren würdigen Vertreter.’ Raphael Brendel, Zeitschrift für Geschichtswissenschaft 'A superb set of translations that are immensely readable and accompanied by extensive and meticulous notes and commentary that enable the reader to interpret and understand the texts in their varied aspects.' Mark DelCogliano, Journal of Early Christian Studies, Volume 32, Number 2, Summer 2024

‘All in all… the volume enriches the deserving series “Translated Texts for Historians” with another worthy representative.’ Translated from German: ‘Alles in allem... bereichert der Band die verdienstvolle Reihe der „Translated Texts for Historians“ um einen weiteren würdigen Vertreter.’ Raphael Brendel, Zeitschrift für Geschichtswissenschaft 'A superb set of translations that are immensely readable and accompanied by extensive and meticulous notes and commentary that enable the reader to interpret and understand the texts in their varied aspects.' Mark DelCogliano, Journal of Early Christian Studies, Volume 32, Number 2, Summer 2024 'Brakke and Gwynn present a book that will be of great benefit to Athanasius research. They make texts available in English translation that have so far received too little attention. Research into social and religious history finds rich, unexploited material here.' Peter Gemeinhardt, Plekos 25, 2023

‘All in all… the volume enriches the deserving series “Translated Texts for Historians” with another worthy representative.’ Translated from German: ‘Alles in allem... bereichert der Band die verdienstvolle Reihe der „Translated Texts for Historians“ um einen weiteren würdigen Vertreter.’ Raphael Brendel, Zeitschrift für Geschichtswissenschaft

Author Information

David Brakke is Joe R. Engle Chair in the History of Christianity & Professor of History at The Ohio State University. His previous publications include The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity (Harvard 2011) and The Gospel of Judas: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (Yale 2022). David Gwynn is Reader in Ancient and Late Antique History, Royal Holloway, University of London. His previous publications include Athanasius of Alexandria: Bishop, Theologian, Ascetic, Father (OUP 2012) and Christianity in the Later Roman Empire: A Sourcebook (Bloomsbury 2014).

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