What characteristics do you believe shape a strong leader? It’s very common for individuals to think about courage, transparency, communication, respect, self-awareness, and humility… but what about infallibility? Can you think of any leader in your life who is ultimately excellent in everything that they do and are never wrong? The answer to this question is the same for every single person on this planet. The only true authentic, dependable, trustworthy, and infallible leader in one’s life is God. As expressed in Athanasius The Life of St. Antony and the Letter to Marcellinus, God is an all-knowing being equipped with the most wisdom and knowledge of the world. “God is the only one who knows all things before their birth”, (page 55) and is the unfailing leader of the world. The contrast between strong and corrupt leadership is exemplified in the Book of Kings in the bible which describes the long lineage of Kings struggling to successfully serve Israel. The Book of Kings describes the varying leadership of Israel during a difficult time, and therefore demonstrates the importance of one’s loyalty and commitment to always serve God before serving human authorities and government. This teaching ultimately emphasizes the importance of God’s will and power over human will and power.
In the Book of Kings, an angel encourages prophet Elijah to travel to confront the King of Samaria or else he would die. Elijah challenges the King and the prophets of Baal to set up special altars and call upon their gods, but the King and Baal prophets receive no response. However, when Elijah calls upon the God of Israel, stating “if I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty” (2 Kings 1:10), God responds by sending flames and fire down from the sky. This demonstrates the true power of the God of Israel over the other Baal gods and idolatries. During this time, Israel was a divided kingdom consisting of Northern Israel (Samaria capital) and Southern Judea (Jesusalem capital). Themes arising from the long lineage of kings during this time involve lusts for power, greed, and greatness. During several accounts, kings made poor decisions that ultimately harmed the people and their rights including the use of slavery. These stories of the repetitive failures and mistakes of the kings demonstrate that God is the ultimate unfailing leader who one can always depend on.
Turmoil and stress consumed the land of Israel highlighting the special and influential role of the prophets to save the people of Israel. The prophets were individuals who spoke on behalf of God, held people accountable for injustices, and encouraged repentance from God’s followers. Elijah and his follower Elisha were strong prophets and leaders at the time who strived to bring Israel together again. The book Athanasius The Life of St. Antony and the Letter to Marcellinus describes this notion of striving for purity and humility especially in a leadership position. Specifically, it states that “when a soul is pure in its natural state, it can see farther than the demons since it has the Lord who reveals things to it” (page 57). These words allude to the fact that strong leadership is rooted in one’s relationship with God. Throughout the Book of Kings, several kings/leaders compete with enemies and make decisions at the expense of others; but the book of Athanasius The Life of St. Antony and the Letter to Marcellinus reminds leaders that “if you wish to despise the enemy, always contemplate the things that have to do with the Lord and let the soul rejoice in hope” (page 63). Therefore, the book of Athanasius The Life of St. Antony and the Letter to Marcellinus focuses on the importance of perspective and hope as a leader which contrasts the leadership of the kings throughout the Book of Kings.
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