Description: Athanasius of Alexandria (bishop 328-373) was one of the most influential and controversial figures of fourth-century Christianity. This book provides the first complete English translation, with introductions and annotations, of his Easter Festal Letters, along with the Festal Index and Historia acephala, reassessing Athanasius as both bishop and pastoral leader.
Brief description:
David Brakke is Joe R. Engle Chair in the History of Christianity & Professor of History at The Ohio State University. His previous publications include The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity (Harvard 2011) and The Gospel of Judas: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (Yale 2022).
Review Quotes:
'The Festal Letters cover the entire period of Athanasius's episcopate, offering an unparalleled opportunity to trace his thought over his career as preserved in a specific pastoral genre. From the first preserved words of Athanasius (43) through all the exiles and theological controversies to the fragmentary remains of the letter from the last year of his episcopate (230), readers now have in their hands a reliable guide to the sources that have led to a different understanding of this important early Christian thinker.' Philip Michael Forness, Journal of Eastern Christian Studies