A than asian Creed

( Eccl. Hist.) A formulary or confe ion of faith, said to have been drawn up by A than as i us, bishop of Alexandria, in the 4th century, to justify himself against the calumnies of his Arian enemies. That it was really composed by this father seems more than doubtful; and modern divines generally concur in the opinion of Dr. Water land, that it was written by Hilary, bishop of Arles, in the 5th century. It is certainly very ancient; for it had become so famous in the 6th century as to be commented upon, together with the Lord's Prayer and Apostles' Creed, by Venantius For tun at us, bishop of Poitiers. It was not, however, then styled the A. C., but simply the Catholic Faith. It is supposed to have received the name of A than as i us on account of its agreeing with his doctrines, and being an excellent summary of the subjects of controversy between him and the Arians. The true key to the A. С. lies in the knowledge of the errors to which it was opposed. The Sabellians considered the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as one in person; this was "confounding the persons:" the Arians considered them as differing in e ence; this was "dividing the substance; " and against these two errors was the creed originally framed. This creed was used in France about the year 850; was received in Spain about a hundred years later, and in Germany about the same time. It was both said and sung in England in the 10th century; was commonly used in Italy at the expiration of that century, and at Rome a little later. This creed is appointed to be read in the Church of England. - See CREDO. A than as i us, (commonly called the GREAT,) one of the most distinguished of the Greek fathers, was B. at Alexandria, probably in the year 296. Of his early life and education hardly anything is known. We only know that he was received into the family of Alexander, bishop of Alexandria, and appointed his secretary. During the se ion of the Council of Nice, A. was the life and soul of the party opposed to Arius; and he so distinguished himself there by his zeal and ability, that Alexander proposed him as his succe or in the See of Alexandria, an office to which he was appointed, A. D. 326. He thereupon labored to promote Christianity in Aby in i a until A. D. 331, in which year Arius regained the favor of the Emperor Const an tine, and sought re-admi ion into the Church at Alexandria. This was refused by A. , although the emperor himself i ued an edict for his admi ion. A long and severe struggle ensued, in which A. con ducted his own part with the utmost courage, constancy, and resolution. All sorts of charges were brought against him, but A. had no difficulty in triumphantly refuting them. In presence of the emperor at Psammethia, in 332, he boldly confronted his Arian accusers, and extorted from Const an tine a testimony to his innocence, and to his worth. Subsequently, in 335, a council held at Tyre, presided over by Eusebius of Cesarea, his IMG:content-0381.jpg:[graphic] determined enemy, acquitted A. of some of the charges A'theist, n. [Fr. athéis me ; Gr. atheos , from a, priv., and brought against him, but referred others to the invesTheos, God.] One who disbelieves in the existence of God. tigation of a committee, who obtained from the emperor Atheistic, Atheistical, a . Pertaining to atheism an edict that A. be exiled to Treves, in Gaul. In 338, or atheists; impious; godle . after the death of Const an tine, his son, Const an tine Atheistically, adv . In an atheistic manner. II., who had obtained the western part of the empire, Atheistical ne , n . The quality of being atheistical. restored A. to his See. On his return, his enemies resumed their machinations, and having prejudiced the mind of the new emperor against A. , they, in a council held at Antioch, caused him to be superseded by Pistus. Another council, however, convoked at Antioch, in the emperor's presence, revoked this decision, condemned A. , and appointed Gregory, a native of Cappadocia, bishop in his stead. On the publication of this edict at Alexandria, the most violent scenes occurred, and A. fled to Rome, where he was protected by the emperor Constans. The influence of the latter was afterward employed to induce his brother Constant i us to restore A. to his See, and the Eastern potentate was at last induced to comply. The death of his patron Constans, and the energy with which A. after his return to Alexandria proceeded against the Arian party, brought Constant i us once more to their aid; and in the councils of Arles, and Milan, (A. D. 353, and A. D. 355,) the expulsion of A. was again decreed. A. escaped to the desert, and there remained until the death of Constant i us, and acce ion of Julian, enabled him to return for a brief time. Again incurring imperial resentment, the hara ed prelate once more escaped to the desert, where he stayed until the death of Julian. During the reign of Jovian, and the earlier portion of that of Valens, A. enjoyed a period of peace and influence; but, in 367, he was again sent for a fifth time into exile, and again recalled, and with this his persecution ended. D. 2d May, A. D. 373. With little in his outward appearance to command admiration, A. was endowed with qualities of mind and spirit which justly entitled him to be called great. To much acutene he added great depth and force of intellect; his temper was earnest, constant, and fearle , and his moral life seems to have been blamele . His zeal for truth was such as to overcome all considerations of self, and make him willing to endure toils, privations, and dangers, rather than yield one tittle of what he believed to be God's truth. His name is identified chiefly with the defence of the doctrine of the Trinity, including that of the supreme divinity of Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit; these doctrines he maintained against the Arians, but his arguments have been found of equal avail, in more recent times, against the Socinians and Humanitarians; indeed it is remarkable how little the learning, the reflection, and the disputations of subsequent ages have been able to add to what the writings A. contain on this subject. The best edition of his works is that published at Padua in 1774, in 4 vols. folio.