Renewal in Christ: Athanasius on the Christian Life

Introduction

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in the early church, we learn that renewal in Christ comes through prayer, discipline, simplicity, spiritual warfare, and constant dependence on God. On the Psalms In a letter written to a man named Marcellinus, Athanasius reveals how the Scriptures (especially the Psalms) are essential for the Christian life. While all of Scripture points to Jesus, each psalm provides an invitation to experience God in a different way through a different circumstance. Notes on the Texts and Translations My goal in this book is to provide texts that are faithful to Athanasius’s original writings while also making them readable and accessible to everyday Christians. Of the three works in this volume, none of the original editions have chapters or paragraph headings. Therefore, the chapter divisions, titles, and paragraph headings are all mine. I have also added introductions and outlines to each work, along with brief introductions at the beginning of each chapter. For On the Incarnation and The Life of Antony , I have used the classic translations that appear in Nicene Post-Nicene Fathers and adapted the translations in the following ways: • Updating archaic language such as “wherefore,” “thither,” “Godhead,” and “artificer.” • Replacing British spelling with American spelling (e.g., humanisation/humanization).

formed communities around their common pursuit. See Greg Peters, The Story of Monasticism: Retrieving an Ancient Tradition for Contemporary Spirituality (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2015).