The Festal Epistles of S. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria. Translated from the Syriac, with Notes and Indices

Before becoming Bishop for the early church, Athanasius accompanied Bishop Alexander of Alexandria as a deacon to the famous first ecumenical council of the church (Council of Nicea), which established the Nicene Creed. Once Bishop, he became well-known for his severe anti-Arian writings and staunch support of the newly emerging monastic movements; however, he was not always compliant with the law: ordered by Emperor Constantine to reconcile with Bishop Arius himself, he rebelled and joined alliances with a dissident group, setting an intractable precedent that would lead to his first of five exiles.