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Athanasius fought consistently against Arianism all his life. As a deacon, he accompanied [[Alexander of Alexandria]] to the [[First Ecumenical Council|First Council of Nicea]] in 325, which produced the [[Nicene Creed]] and anathematized Arius and his followers. The [[Church of Alexandria (Coptic)|Coptic church]] maintains a tradition that Athanasius was the main author of the Nicene Creed, and has therefore given him the title of ''Defender of the Faith''.
On [[May 59]], 328, he succeeded Alexander as bishop of Alexandria, becoming the 20th Patriarch of the [[Church of Alexandria]], a position which he held for 45 years, 16 of which he spent in exile. As a result of rises and falls in Arianism's influence, he was banished from Alexandria only to be later restored on at least five separate occasions, perhaps as many as seven. This gave rise to the expression ''Athanasius contra mundum'' or "Athanasius against the world". During some of his exiles, he spent time with the [[Desert Fathers]], monks and hermits who lived in remote areas of Egypt.
Athanasius is also the first person to identify the same 27 books of the [[New Testament]] that are in use today; up until his Easter letter, various similar lists were in use. However, his list was the one that was eventually ratified by a series of synods and came to be universally recognized as the New Testament [[canon]].
