Lois Farag: The Use and Reception of the Term organon in Athanasius of Alexandria's Writings

This paper will examine the theological use of the term organon in two of Athanasius' writings: Orationes contra Arianos and de Incanatione. Organon is mentioned in the de Incarnatione primarily within the discussion of the Platonic part-whole and consequently internal-external relationships Athanasius uses to convince the Greeks of the necessity of the Incarnation. The paper will demonstrate that the use of organon in de Incarnatione has no role either in the Platonic or Christian theological argument while its use in Orationes contra Arianos to assert the divinity of the Son was significant. The internal-external relationships will be assessed within the Alexandrian theological term idios. In addition, the paper will examine the reception of the theological understanding of the "body as instrument" in the writings of Cyril of Alexandria, a theologian who appropriated much of Athanasius' theological thought. Based on these findings, I would like to propose a reexamination of the variants of the sixth-century Syriac manuscript of de Incarnationethat omit the term organon and what Kannengiesser called "l'emploi christologiqued'organon".