Against the Heathen (Contra Gentiles) (St Athanasius)
St. Athanasius. 2014-04-11. "Against the Heathen (Contra Gentiles)".
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Title: Against the Heathen (Contra Gentiles) Author: St. Athanasius of Alexandria Content Type: book Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Date Published: 2014 Pages: 134 ISBN 10: 1499113145 ISBN 13: 9781499113143 |
Description
Against the Heathen by St. Athanasius is an early Christian apologetic work in which Athanasius systematically refutes paganism and defends the Christian faith. Written in the early 4th century, it addresses the nature and origin of evil, critiques idolatry, and asserts that the God revealed in Christ is the sole Creator of all things. Athanasius argues against the polytheism and idolatry of the Greco-Roman world, contending that the evident order and rationality of the universe point to a single, good Creator rather than a multitude of competing deities or a dualistic cosmos. He also rejects the notion that evil has an independent or substantive existence, instead presenting evil as the result of humanity's misuse of free will and turning away from the good. The work serves as a foundational text for Christian doctrine and apologetics, laying the groundwork for Athanasius’s later writings, especially his influential treatise, On the Incarnation.