Athanasius of Alexandria on the Trinity
One substance, three persons, co-equal and co-eternal
Against the Arians I.11
THE POSITION
The Son is not a creature but an offspring proper to the Father's essence, eternally begotten. His signature argument is that Scripture uses "before," "once," and "when" of creatures and never of the Word, so the Arian "there was when He was not" is imported rather than exegeted. The Radiance-and-Light analogy carries the weight: no one ever saw light without its brightness.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
17 OTHERS HOLD THIS
ABOUT THIS FIGURE
Defender of Nicene orthodoxy against Arianism through repeated exiles. On the Incarnation is his central work on why God became man.
Cite this page
"Athanasius of Alexandria on the Trinity", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/athanasius/trinity (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/athanasius/trinity).