Anthony (251-356CE) lived in Egypt, and became one of the fathers of Christian desert monasticism. When he was about 18 years old, and having inherited a large fortune, he heard a sermon about Jesus challenging the rich young ruler to "go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven; and come, follow Me." (Matt 19:21) Antony immediately sold all he had, and went out into the desert to life a life of poverty, chastity and obedience. For the rest of his life, he fought demons, performed miracles, becoming a legend in his own long lifetime.

Contra Gentes is the first of a two volume work published by Athanasius of Alexandria prior to the outbreak of the Arian controversy (ca. 319). It focuses especially on pagan beliefs and worship concluding with a defense of the Christian view of God and creation -- especially creation by the eternal Word. In this way, the ground is prepared for the second volume of his work, now published separately under the title De Incarnatione Verbi.

In spite of Nicea's condemnation of Arius in 325, Arianism was far from dead. For decades after Nicea, political intrigue and personality clashes continued to confuse the doctrinal issues. Additionally, the line separating othodoxy from Arianism was blurred by a number of "semi-Arians" who agreed with the theology of orthodoxy but continued to object to the "homoousios" of the Nicene Formula. In this milieu, Athanasius of Alexandria tirelessly worked to cut through the confusion and restore unity. Sometimes alone against the world, Athanasius rejected all attempts at unity through ambiguity and strove for unity through clarity. His Four Discourses Against the Arians are the culmination of...