Publisher's Synopsis
Early Christian asceticism was far from being wholly other-worldly. This study of the life and thought of Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria (328-73), who was one of the central figures of the Church at the time, shows just how deeply political ascetic theology could also be, in the struggle to form a united and dominant Church in Egypt under the Roman Empire. The book includes an appendix with some of the writings of Athanasius translated into English for the first time.;The book is intended for scholars and students of patristics, theology, and the history of the church and late Roman Empire.
