The Church Fathers · c. 358
History of the Arians
Athanasius of Alexandria · c. 296–373
What it is
A partisan account of the persecution of Nicene bishops under Constantius, written in hiding, and among the earliest Christian arguments that an emperor has no authority over doctrine.
Why it lasted
The opening statement of the case against state interference in the church's teaching.
Where to read it
This work is in the public domain and can be read in full, free, at the archives below. The Library catalogues it; it does not host the text.
These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.
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