Why is Saint Athanasius's Festal Letter of 367 important?

Saint Athanasius of Alexandria served as the 20th Patriarch of Alexandria and played a major role in early Christian theology. His 39th Festal Letter of 367 A.D. holds major significance regarding the formation of the Christian Bible. Specifically, it provides an early listing of the 27 books that now constitute the New Testament.

What we know

• Athanasius of Alexandria served as the 20th Patriarch of Alexandria with an intermittent episcopacy spanning 45 years from 328 to 373. [2]
• The New Testament canon for most modern churches consists of an agreed-upon list of 27 books, including the canonical Gospels, Acts, letters, and Revelation. [4]
• Athanasius is traditionally honored as one of the four Great Greek Church Fathers alongside Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, and John Chrysostom. [2]

Where to go next

• whoWho was Athanasius of Alexandria?
• the bigger pictureHow did the New Testament canon develop?
• what caused itWhat was the First Council of Nicaea?
• compared withWhat are the books of the Old Testament canon?
• how it workedWhat is a biblical canon?
• an unexpected connectionHow did imperial conflicts shape Christian theology?Athanasius wrote his major theological works while surviving five exiles driven by conflicts with successive Roman emperors and Arians.

Sources

• [1]Athanasius of Alexandria (Wikidata Q44024) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Athanasius of Alexandria · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Biblical canon · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Development of the New Testament canon · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Development of the Old Testament canon · CC BY-SA 4.0