the soteriology of saint athanasius of alexandria the conformation of ...

242 JOHN R, MEYER
Idolatry is a crucial point for Athanasius, and he dedicates
an almost inordinate amount of space to it in Oratio contra gentes,
teaching that the true purpose of its practice is to justify a search
for pleasure 141 . The search for the sensual in place of the
spiritual is attributed to the spiritual blindness of the darkened
nous, and this makes it difficult for the soul to discern reality 142 .
When Adam rejected God, the human mind was closed off
from higher thought and it became the victim of a variety of imaginary
phantasms. Men attempt to «divinize» things which prove
to be mortal. For example, even the Greek gods of mythology
«divinize» their illegitimate offspring, condoning these sins to hide
their own guilt 143 . And, this so-called 'power of divinization' is
not attributed to the artist but to his technique — the lmavi)\i.ai
®£07toiouai (the god-making arts) 144 . Therefore, the first divine
precept for the Chosen People of Israel forbid idol worship
because it defiles man 145 . It is good to admire the works of God
in creation says Athanasius, but it is gravely sinful to make them
out to be gods 146 .
The truth of the matter is that the Word became man in
order to divinize us: «a.x>ibc, rap evvapoomriotev,