Abstract:

Several scholars have researched the change and continuity of the late antiquity world. During this period, heretical religious groups, such as the Arians, were threats to the identity of mainstream Christianity since both groups called themselves Christians. Indeed, scholarship has shown how closely contested these two groups were in hindsight in the development of "mainstream" Christianity. This paper looks at the early Christian use of gender, namely from Athanasius, to differentiate Arian practices and theology from his mainstream viewpoint. It argues why eunuchs were welcomed to Arianism and how Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria, countered his opponents´ advances to protect Christianity´s identity. In the process, this paper also fills a lacuna in the history of eunuchs during Late Antiquity.

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