亞他拿修屬靈觀對其教會牧養的影響

The Influence of Athanasius’ Spirituality on His Ministry

Nathan K. NG

This article seeks to explain the importance of spirituality on one’s ministry with the example of Athanasius. It is divided into two sections. The first one tries to explore the spirituality of Athanasius through his doctrinal treatises. The second one reveals how his ministry was affected and controlled by this spiritual idea.

Although Athanasius has different teachings for different groups, including ordinary congregation, female virgins and male monks, they are all based on the same principle. That is Athanasius’ concept of spiritual journey. He urges everyone to walk on this way by contemplating God with a pure soul through virtuous acts. All his ascetic teachings are consistent with this idea. Spirituality may be said to be one of the controlling factors affecting Athanasius’ ministry. Modern church ministers should review the influence of spirituality on their own ministry as well.