Athanasius was born in Egypt to a Christian family sometime around 295 AD. He was given a good education by his parents, and in his youth, the local bishop, recognizing his talents, took him on as his aide. As a result he would get the chance to be present at Nicaea for the first ecumenical council of the church.
These works cover the full span of his life, beginning before 319 AD, when he wrote his famous, 'On the Incarnation of the Word'. At the time there were a number of different understandings of Christ circulating throughout Egypt, and Christianity was not yet a well-defined, official religion of the Roman Empire.
Most of his works center around defending the Christian faith. Also included are many of his letters and the 'Life of St. Anthony', which became the defining work of early monasticism.
The followings books are included in this collected work:
1 Against the Heathen 2 On the Incarnation of the Word 3 Deposition of Arius 4 Statement of Faith 5 On Luke 10:22 (Matthew 11:27) 6 Circular Letter 7 Defense against the Arians 8 Defense of the Nicene Definition 9 Defense of Dionysius 10 Life of St. Anthony 11 Circular to the Bishops of Egypt and Libya 12 Defense to the Emperor 13 Defense of his flight 14 Arian History 15 Four Discourses Against the Arians 16 On the Councils 17 Letter to the people of Antioch 18 Letter to the Bishops of Africa 19 Historia Acephala 20 Letters