Athanasius I of Alexandria also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor, or, among Coptic Christians, Athanasius the Apostolic, was a Christian theologian and the 20th pope of Alexandria (as Athanasius I). His intermittent episcopacy spanned 45 years (c. 8 June 328 – 2 May 373), of which over 17 encompassed five exiles, when he was replaced on the order of four different Roman emperors. Athanasius was a Church Father, the chief proponent of Trinitarianism against Arianism, and a noted Egyptian Christian leader of the fourth century
Saint Athanasius was the chief defender of Christian orthodoxy in the 4th-century battle against Arianism. The vigor of his writings earned him the title of doctor of the Church.
Five times Athanasius was exiled for his defense of the doctrine of Christ’s divinity.
His important works include The Life of St. Antony, On the Incarnation, and Four Orations Against the Arians. His
Life of St. Anthony - a hagiography, to tell the monks the truth about St. Antony's life and to help spread the concept of monasticism addressed to any Christian who wanted to imitate an exemplar that would give them salvation - achieved astonishing popularity and contributed greatly to the establishment of monastic life throughout the Western Christian world.
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