# Letters to Serapion on the Holy Spirit

Source: https://coptic-lore-forge.lovable.app/wiki/letters-to-serapion-on-the-holy-spirit — Coptic Orthodox Wiki (updated 2026-10-02)

Written by Athanasius in 359–360 in response to Serapion of Tmuis, these letters explain the divinity and procession of the Holy Spirit and connect the Spirit’s divine nature with human sanctification.[^1][^3]

## Date and Recipient

The *Letters to Serapion on the Holy Spirit* were written by Athanasius in 359–360 in response to questions about the Holy Spirit from Serapion, also called Sarapion, bishop of Tmuis.[^1][^2] The work comprises at least four letters and is also called *Four Letters to Serapion*.[^1][^3]

Serapion was a fourth-century bishop who supported Athanasius during the Arian controversy; before becoming bishop, he had been a monk and an abbot.[^2]

## Theological Content

The letters were part of the Alexandrian opposition to Pneumatomachianism, which denied the Holy Spirit’s divinity and consubstantiality with the Father and the Son.[^3] In the letters, Athanasius set forth his teaching on the divinity and procession of the Holy Spirit.[^3] His argument connected the Spirit’s divine nature with the Spirit’s work in human beings: the Holy Spirit must possess divine nature in order to divinize and sanctify them.[^3]

## Attribution and Reception

The letters are attributed to Athanasius.[^1][^3] There was also a historical challenge to their authenticity: Erasmus rejected their attribution when editing a collection of Athanasius’s works in 1527.[^4]

## Sources
[^1]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 160)
[^2]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 160)
[^3]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 621)
[^4]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 731)