Festal Letters

E86557
Christian liturgical document epistolary work pastoral letters

Festal Letters are a series of annual pastoral letters by Athanasius of Alexandria, best known for announcing the date of Easter and addressing key theological and ecclesiastical issues in the early Christian church.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Paschal letter 1

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Christian liturgical document ⓘ
epistolary work ⓘ
pastoral letters ⓘ
addressesTopic Christology ⓘ
Scripture reading ⓘ
ascetic practice ⓘ
church unity ⓘ
date of Easter ⓘ
ecclesiastical discipline ⓘ
heresy ⓘ
moral exhortation ⓘ
associatedWith Coptic calendar ⓘ
surface form: Alexandrian liturgical calendar

Easter ⓘ
Paschal cycle ⓘ
surface form: Paschal computus
audience clergy of Alexandria ⓘ
laity of Alexandria ⓘ
wider Egyptian church ⓘ
author Athanasius of Alexandria NERFINISHED ⓘ
authorshipStatus attributed to Athanasius of Alexandria ⓘ
dateRange 4th century ⓘ
denomination Coptic Orthodox Church ⓘ
surface form: Alexandrian Church
ecclesiasticalRole instrument of episcopal governance ⓘ
means of communicating synodal decisions ⓘ
genre epistolary ⓘ
pastoral ⓘ
geographicContext Alexandria, Egypt ⓘ
surface form: Alexandria

Egypt ⓘ
historicalSignificance evidence for development of Easter dating ⓘ
source for Athanasius’s theology ⓘ
source for early Christian liturgical practice ⓘ
knownFrom Coptic translations ⓘ
Syriac translations ⓘ
later quotations ⓘ
language Greek ⓘ
liturgicalUse guidance for Lenten and Paschal observance ⓘ
preservation known from fragments and translations ⓘ
partially preserved ⓘ
primaryFunction announcement of the date of Easter ⓘ
doctrinal instruction ⓘ
pastoral exhortation ⓘ
relatedConcept Festal Letters self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: Paschal letter
relatedWork Letter to Serapion ⓘ
surface form: Letters of Athanasius
religiousTradition Christianity ⓘ
temporalPattern annual ⓘ
theologicalContext Arian controversy ⓘ
Nicene Christianity ⓘ
surface form: Nicene orthodoxy
timeOfIssuance before Easter each year ⓘ

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Athanasius of Alexandria → notableWork → Festal Letters ⓘ
Festal Letters → relatedConcept → Festal Letters self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: Paschal letter