COURTESY OF CATHOLIC APOLOGIST WILLIAM ALBRECHT
Contrary to the assertions of certain Protestant apologists, Athanasius did quote from the deutero-canonical writings as inspired Scripture, often citing them along with the proto-canonical books without making any distinction between them. In this post I will share several examples from Athanasius’ writings to substantiate this fact. All emphasis will be mine.
“[T]he sacred writers to whom the Son has revealed Him, have given us a certain image from things visible, saying, ‘Who is the brightness of His glory, and the Expression of His Person;’ [Heb 1:3] and again, ‘For with Thee is the well of life, and in Thy light shall we see lights;’ [Ps 36:9] and when the Word chides lsrael, He says, ‘Thou hast forsaken the Fountain of wisdom’ [Baruch 3:12]; and this Fountain it is which says, ‘They have forsaken Me the Fountain of living waters’ [Jer 2:13].” (St. Athanasius, Defense of the Nicene Faith, 2:12, A.D. 351)
“[F]or it is written of the other, ‘The foolish person will speak foolishness’ [Is 32:6 LXX]; but of these, ‘Ask counsel of all that are wise‘ [Tobit 4:18].” (St. Athanasius, Defense before Constantius, 17, A.D. 357)
“And where the sacred writers say, Who exists before the ages,’ and ‘By whom He made the ages,'[Heb 1:2] they thereby as clearly preach the eternal and everlasting being of the Son, even while they are designating God Himself. Thus, if Isaiah says, ‘The Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth‘ [Is 40:28]; and Susanna said, ‘O Everlasting God’ [Daniel 13:42-Susanna]; and Baruch wrote, ‘I will cry unto the Everlasting in my days,’ and shortly after, ‘My hope is in the Everlasting, that He will save you, and joy is come unto me from the Holy One’ [Baruch 4:20,22;].” (St. Athanasius, Discourses Against the Arians, 1:4, A.D. 362)
“[I]t is written that ‘all things were made through the Word,’ and ‘without Him was not made one thing,’ [John 1:3] and again, ‘One Lord Jesus, through whom are all things’ [1 Cor 8:9], and ‘in Him all things consist’ [Col 1:17], it is very plain that the Son cannot be a work, but He is the Hand of God and the Wisdom. This knowing, the martyrs in Babylon, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, arraign the Arian irreligion. For when they say, ‘O all
ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord‘ [Daniel 3:57-Three Youths].” (St. Athanasius, Discourses Against the Arians, 2:71, A.D. 362)
“But if this too fails to persuade them, let them tell us themselves, whether there is any wisdom in the creatures or not? If not how is it that the Apostle complains, ‘For after that in the Wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God?'[1 Cor 1:21] or how is it if there is no wisdom, that a ‘multitude of wise men’ [Wisdom 6:24] are found in Scripture? for ‘a wise man fears and departs from evil’ [Prov 14:16]; and ‘through wisdom is a house built’ [Prov 24]; and the Preacher says, ‘A man’s wisdom makes his face to shine;’ and he blames those who are headstrong thus, ‘Say not thou, what is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire in wisdom concerning this’ [Eccl 8:1,7:10]. But if, as the Son of Sirach says, ‘He poured her out upon all His works; she is with all flesh according to His gift, and He hath given her to them that love Him,‘ [Sirach 1:8,9].” (St. Athanasius, Discourses Against the Arians, 2:79, A.D. 362)
“Daniel said to Astyages, ‘I do not worship idols made with hands, but the Living God, who hath created the heaven and the earth, and hath sovereignty over all flesh;‘ [Daniel 14:5-Bel & the Dragon].” (St.Athanasius, Discourses Against the Arians, 3:30, A.D. 362)
“There are, then, of the Old Testament, twenty-two books in number; for, as I have heard, it is handed down that this is the number of the letters among the Hebrews; their respective order and names being as follows. The first is Genesis, then Exodus, next Leviticus, after that Numbers, and then Deuteronomy. Following these there is Joshua, the son of Nun, then Judges, then Ruth. And again, after these four books of Kings, the first and second being reckoned as one book, and so likewise the third and fourth as one book. And again, the first and second of the Chronicles are reckoned as one book. Again Ezra, the first and second are similarly one book. After these there is the book of Psalms, then the Proverbs, next Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. Job follows, then the Prophets, the twelve being reckoned as one book. Then Isaiah, one book, then Jeremiah with Baruch, Lamentations, and the epistle, one book; afterwards, Ezekiel and Daniel, each one book. Thus far constitutes the Old Testament…
“But for greater exactness I add this also, writing of necessity; that there are other books besides these not indeed included in the Canon, but appointed by the Fathers to be read by those who newly join us, and who wish for instruction in the word of godliness. The Wisdom of Solomon, and the Wisdom of Sirach, and Esther, and Judith, and Tobit, and that which is called the Teaching of the Apostles, and the Shepherd. But the former, my brethren, are included in the Canon, the latter being [merely] read; nor is there in any place a mention of apocryphal writings. But they are an invention of heretics, who write them when they choose, bestowing upon them their approbation, and assigning to them a date, that so, using them as ancient writings, they may find occasion to lead astray the simple. (St. Athanasius, Festal Letter, 39:4, 7, A.D. 367)
“Well, then, they who do not read the Scriptures in this way, that is to say, who do not chant the divine Songs intelligently but simply please themselves, most surely are to blame, for a hymn of praise is not suitable on the lips of a sinner… [Sirach 15:9] (Note: St. Athanasius continues using the deuterocanonical texts as Sacred Scripture even after his 39th Festal Letter)(St. Athanasius XXIX Letter to Marcellinus, A.D. 370)
“Since, however, after all his severe sufferings, after his retirement into Gaul, after his sojourn in a foreign and far distant country in the place of his own, after his narrow escape from death through their calumnies, but thanks to the clemency of the Emperor,- -distress which would have satisfied even the most cruel enemy,– they are still insensible to shame, are again acting insolently against the Church and Athanasius; and from indignation at his deliverance venture on still more atrocious schemes against him, and are ready with an accusation, fearless of the words in holy Scripture, ‘A false witness shall not be unpunished’; [Proverbs 19:5] and, ‘The mouth that belieth slayeth the soul;’ (Wisdom 1:11) we therefore are unable longer to hold our peace, being amazed at their wickedness and at the insatiable love of contention displayed in their intrigues.” (Athanasius the Great: Defence Against the Arians, 3 (A.D. 362), in NPNF2, IV:101)
“Let us not fulfill these days like those that mourn but, by enjoying spiritual food, let us seek to silence our fleshly lusts (Ex. 15:1). For by these means we shall have strength to overcome our adversaries, like blessed Judith (Judith 13:8), when having first exercised herself in fastings and prayers, she overcame the enemies, and killed Olophernes. And blessed Esther, when destruction was about to come on all her race, and the nation of Israel was ready to perish, defeated the fury of the tyrant by no other means than by fasting and prayer to God, and changed the ruin of her people into safety (Esther 4:16)” (Athanasius the Great: Letter 4, 2 (A.D. 333), in NPNF2, IV:516)
“The Spirit also, who is in him, commands, saying, ‘Offer unto God the sacrifice of praise, and pay to the Lord thy vows. Offer the sacrifice of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord (Sir. 18:17).‘” (Athanasius the Great: Letter 19, 5 (A.D. 333), in NPNF2, IV:546)
“But this wearied them, for they were not anxious to understand, ‘for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Cor. 2:8).’ And what their end is, the prophet foretold, crying, ‘Woe unto their soul, for they have devised an evil thought, saying, let us bind the just man, because he is not pleasing to us’(Wis. 2:12). The end of such abandonment as this can be nothing but error, as the Lord, when reproving them, saith, ‘Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures (Mt. 22:29).’” (Athanasius the Great: Letter 19:5 (A.D. 347), in NPNF2, IV:546)
“According as the wisdom of God testifies beforehand when it says, ‘The devising of idols was the beginning of fornication.’ (Wis. 14:12)”(Against the Heathen, 9 (A.D. 347), in NPNF2, IV:9)
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