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

272 JOHN R. MEYER
39. SCHEEBEN, M. J., The Mysteries of Christianity, St. Louis 1958, pp. 111-112.
40. Athanasius never expressly refers to the Holy Spirit as God. This curious
fact is explained by Lebon to be due to the historical and political milieu
in which he lived. Following the Council of Nicaea there was considerable
reluctance among many ecclesiastics to accept the homoousios doctrine.
Therefore, Athanasius probably preferred to avoid direct and explicit affirmations
that the Holy Spirit was God. Instead, he explains again and again
the consubstantial relation of the Spirit to the Son by arguing that he
could not be a creature, not even an angel, otherwise we would not be
divinized. It is a negative approach to a truth of faith that was as yet not
fully appreciated (LEBON, J., Athanase d'Alexandre. Lettres a Sérapion sur la
divinité du Saint-Esrpit, SCh 15, Paris 1947, pp. 57-58, note 1.
41. An interesting article which discusses the importance of religious piety in
Athanasius is that of IBANEZ, J., Naturaleza de la «Eùaé(3eia» en S.
Atanasio, in ScrTh 3 (1971) 31-73.
42. KANNENGIESSER, Ch., Athanasius of Alexandria and the foundation of traditional
Christology, in 75 34 (1973) 103-104.
43. Ad Ser. I, 1 (PG 26, 530 A-532 A).
44. Athanasius considered the Logos to be the Nous of God and the ontological
foundation of all creation. In lato sensu all created things are similar to
God inasmuch as their essence first existed in the mente Dei, the mind of
God. He appreciated the relationship present between ontology and
gnoseology, two sciences that offer access to the study of the divine
mysteries by rational man.
45. C. arianos I, 11 (PG 26, 33 B— 73 A). Man participates in the eternal act
of divine generation while the Son is Divine Filiation or Sonship. The
Father is Paternity and the Son is Filiation: «it is proper only to the
Godhead that the Father is properly father, and the Son is properly son.»
Cf. С. arianos I, 11 [33 ВС]; Ibid. 16 [44 D-45 C] and 21 [54 D-57 A]).
46. Ad Ser. I, 15 (PG 26, 568 A).
47. Oratio contra gentes [C. gentes] 41 (PG 25, 81 C). The Logos is the full and
perfect intellectual representation of God, the personal possession of the
àroxpàXXaxioç eîxtùv той 8БО5 — express image of the Father.
48. Cf. Gen. 1, 26.
49. С. gentes 30 (PG 25, 60 С): «Прос 8è TTJV TOÛTT); fv&aiv xat àxpi(5fi xa%6ifa]fyiv
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