Christian History

The Man Who Stood Alone Against the World to Save Christianity: Athanasius Exiled

Michael Ringer

10 Feb 2026 — 2 min read

This Week in Christian History: St Athanasius Exiled, Henry Venn Born, Cotton Mather Dies

This week marks the anniversary of several pivotal moments in Christian history.

How Three Christian Leaders Shaped the Faith Across Two Millennia

Athanasius of Alexandria was exiled from Egypt for defending the divinity of Christ against the Arian heresy. The phrase "Athanasius contra mundum" (Athanasius against the world) describes how he stood virtually alone against an empire that had embraced a false gospel. He was exiled five times but never recanted. The Nicene Creed, which Christians recite to this day, exists because Athanasius refused to bend.

Henry Venn was born this week. The Anglican clergyman became a founding member of the Clapham Sect and a key figure in the evangelical revival that would reshape Britain's conscience, contributing to the abolition of the slave trade.

Cotton Mather, the influential Puritan minister, died this week. Despite his controversial role in the Salem witch trials, Mather's writings on theology, science, and civic duty shaped early American Christianity and intellectual life for generations.

The Crusader's Opinion

Athanasius was exiled five times for telling the truth about Jesus Christ. Five times. The entire Roman establishment told him to compromise, to soften his language, to get along. He refused. And because he refused, we have the Nicene Creed. We have orthodox Christianity. The next time someone tells you to keep your beliefs to yourself, remember the man who stood against the world. The faith you hold exists because someone before you refused to bow.

Take Action

Learn: Read "Athanasius: The Life of Antony and the Letter to Marcellinus" to understand early Christian courage.
Share: Share the story of Athanasius. The next generation needs to know what it cost to preserve the faith.
Pray: Pray for the courage of Athanasius in your own life, to stand for truth when the world demands silence.
Reflect: Where in your life are you being asked to compromise biblical truth? What would Athanasius do?

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