Athanasius was an Egyptian bishop of the 4th century who stood almost alone against the immensely popular Arian heresy, which denied Christ’s eternal deity and thus the very doctrine of the Trinity. He was influential in formulating the Nicene Creed in 325 and was exiled five times for his courageous proclamation of orthodox truth and steadfast refusal to compromise with destructive heresy. Because of Arianism’s implications on church-state relations, Athanasius’s stand secured the church’s independence from the state.