Select Treatises of S. Athanasius, in Controversy with the Arians

These treatises were authored by Saint Athanasius of Alexandria in the fourth century during the height of the Arian controversy. They were written to defend the doctrine of the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father against the teachings of Arius, who argued that the Son was a created being. Athanasius, serving as the Patriarch of Alexandria, utilized these writings as a primary theological instrument to uphold the Nicene Creed during a period of significant ecclesiastical and political upheaval.

The modern scholarly editions of these works, frequently published as the Library of the Fathers or similar theological collections in the nineteenth century, were designed to provide English-speaking readers with access to foundational patristic thought. These editions were often overseen by prominent Oxford Movement figures like John Henry Newman, who sought to re-center Anglican theology on the early Church Fathers. The translation and layout were intended to be both rigorous and accessible to clergy, aimed at grounding contemporary debates in the established tradition of early Christian orthodoxy.