by birth and education, Greek also in subtle
thought and philosophic insight, in oratorical power and supple
statesmanship. Though born almost within the shadow of the mighty temple
of Serapis at Alexandria, he shows few signs of Coptic influence. Deep
as is his feeling of the mystery of revelation, he has no love of
mystery for its own sake, nothing of the Egyptian passion for things
awful and mysterious. Even his style is clear and simple, without a
trace of Egyptian involution and obscurity. We know nothing of his
family, and cannot even date his birth for certain, though it must have
been very near the year 297. He was, therefore, old enough to remember
the worst days of the great persecution, which Maximin Daza kept up in
Egypt as late as 313. Legend has of course been busy with his early
life. According to one story, Alexander found him with some other boys
at play, imitating the ceremonies of baptism--not a likely game for a
youth of sixteen. Another story makes him a disciple of the great hermit
Antony, who never existed. He may have been a lawyer for a time, but in
any case his training was neither Coptic nor monastic, but Greek and
scriptural, as became a scholar of Alexandria. There may be traces of
Latin in his writings, but his allusions to Greek literature are such as
leave no doubt that he had a liberal education. In his earliest works he
refers to Plato; in later years he quotes Homer, and models his notes on
Aristotle, his _Apology_ to Constantius on Demosthenes. To Egyptian
idolatry he seldom alludes. Scripture, however, is his chosen and
familiar study, and few commentators have ever shown a firmer grasp of
certain of its leading thoughts. He at least endeavoured (unlike the
Arian text-mongers) to take in the context of his quotations and the
general drift of Christian doctrine. Many errors of detail may be
pardoned to a writer who so seldom fails in suggestiveness and width of
view. In mere learning he was no match for Eusebius of Caesarea, and even
as a thinker he has a worthy rival in Hilary of Poitiers, while some of
the Arian leaders were fully equal to him in political skill. But
Eusebius was no great thinker, Hilary no statesman, and the Arian
leaders were not men of truth. Athanasius, on the other hand, was
philosopher, statesman, and saint in one. Few great men have ever been
so free from littleness or weakness. At the age of twenty he had risen
far above the level of Arianism and Sabellianism,