Athanasios

A correspondent named Athanasius (Greek Athanasios), known here chiefly as the recipient of thirteen letters within the collections of Libanius and Isidore of Pelusium. The name was extremely common in the Greek-speaking late-antique world, and these letters do not clearly correspond to any single famous bearer; the recipient is far more likely one (or several) of the minor officials, rhetors, students, or ecclesiastics with whom Libanius (the pagan rhetor of Antioch, c. 314-393) and Isidore of Pelusium (Christian ascetic and letter-writer in Egypt, c. 360-435) regularly exchanged correspondence. He should NOT be conflated with the celebrated Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria; no evidence in the letters supports that identification. Beyond his appearance as an addressee, little can be said with confidence about his career or biography.