The Eusebians: The Polemic of Athanasius of Alexandria and the Construction of the `Arian Controversy'

by David M. Gwynn

Overview

A historical and theological re-evaluation of the polemical writings of Athanasius of Alexandria (bishop 328-73), who would become known to later Christian generations as a saint and a champion of orthodoxy, and as the defender of the original Nicene Creed of 325 against the ‘Arian heresy'. For much of his own lifetime, however, Athanasius was an extremely controversial figure, and his writings, although highly influential on modern interpretations of the fourth-century Church and the so-called ‘Arian Controversy', display bias and distortion . David M. Gwynn examines Athanasius' polemic in detail, and in particular his construction of those he condemns as ‘Arian' as a single ‘heretical party', 'the Eusebians'. Gwynn argues that Athanasius' image of the Church polarized between his own ‘orthodoxy' and the ‘Arianism' of the ‘Eusebians' is a polemical construct, which has seriously impaired our knowledge of the development of Christianity in the crucial period in which the Later Roman Empire became ever increasingly a Christian empire.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199205554
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/08/2007
Series:	Oxford Theology and Religion Monographs
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	8.78(w) x 5.80(h) x 0.92(d)

About the Author

David M. Gwynn is Junior Research Fellow, Christ Church, Oxford.

Table of Contents

IntroductionPart I1. The polemical writings of Athanasius: chronology and contextPart II2. Athanasius' earliest polemical work: the ‘Eusebians' in the Epistula Encyclica of 3393. The origin of the ‘Eusebians' in the polemic of Athanasius4. The influence of Athanasius' polemic 339-46Part III5. Who were the ‘Eusebians'? 6. The ‘Eusebians' in action7. The ‘Arianism' of the ‘Eusebians'Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

"Gwynn reviews much current scholarship surrounding these familiar texts and figures, which makes his book an important resource for Athanasius and the fourth century." —Church History

From the Publisher