Creation Quote by Athanasius of Alexandria
““The presence and love of the Word had called them into being; inevitably, therefore when they lost the knowledge of God, they lost existence with it; for it is God alone Who exists, evil is non-being, the negation and antithesis of good.””
About This Quote
Source Treat: Against the Arians by Athanasius, 4th century
The quote asserts that existence depends on divine knowledge; losing God’s truth means losing being, as only God embodies true existence, while evil is mere absence of good.
In simple terms: Existence hinges on knowing God; without it, being ceases.
Key Takeaway
Seek and retain divine truth.
Themes
theology
existence
good vs evil
knowledge
spirituality
Mood
contemplative
serious
Type
philosophical
theological
When to use this quote
- personal meditation
- religious study
- ethical decision making
- spiritual counseling
Key Concepts
Divine ontology
metaphysics
theodicy
Questions to Reflect On
- How does your understanding of existence change without divine reference?
- Can evil be defined independently of God?
A Different Perspective
The claim presumes a singular metaphysical framework, which may not hold across cultures or philosophies.
![“While [the Arians], like men sprung from a dunghill, truly "spoke from the earth" [Jn. 3:31], the bishops [of Nicea], not having invented their phrases for themselves, but having testimony from their fathers, wrote as they did. For ancient bishops, of the great Rome and our city [i.e., Alexandria…” quote by Athanasius of Alexandria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/06f/athanasius-of-alexandria-27473_alexandria_while-the-arians-like-men-sprung-from-a_1647814.jpg)
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
