Athanasios 17 was priest and hegoumenos} of the monastery of Paulopetrion: Theod. Stud., Epp. 271, 272 (Ἀθανάσιος πρεσβύτερος καὶ ἡγούμενος τοῦ Παυλοπετρίου or similar), Theod. Stud., Ep. 542 (Ἀθανάσιος ὁ τοῦ Παυλοπετρίου καθηγεμών), cf. Ep. 267, Theod. Stud., Catech. Parva 21 (p. 77 Auvray). Addressee of three letters from Theodoros 15 (Theodore the Stoudite) written in 816 and 818: Theod. Stud., Ep. 169 (late autumn or early winter 816, cf. Fatouros, p. 262*; Athanasios 17 had written to Theodoros 15 and also to the lapsed hegoumenos of the monastery of Photeinoudion), Ep. 231 (late summer/early autumn 816; see Fatouros, p. 293*; he had written to Theodoros 15), Ep. 321 (818; see Fatouros, p. 345*) (all addressed Ἀθανασίῳ ἡγουμένῳ). Athanasios 17 was imprisoned, beaten and exiled for his support for the veneration of icons: Theod. Stud., Ep. 169, 231, 321, cf. Ep. 267 (in late 816 or early 817 he was one of the hegoumenoi who stood firm against the iconoclasts). Athanasios 17 joined Theodoros 15 and others in signing letters to the bishop of Rome, Paschalis 5, in 817 seeking his support for the iconophile cause: Theod. Stud., Ep. 271, 272. Theodoros 15 refers to ἡ φιλία τῆς πατρικῆς σοῦ ἁγιωσύνης and addresses him as γενναῖε Χριστοῦ στρατιῶτα: Theod. Stud., Ep. 169. Athanasios 17 is also styled τῆς ὁσιότητός σου, Ep. 231; and τῇ ἁγιωσύνῃ σου, Ep. 321. Theodoros 15 also refers to him as πατέρα μου καὶ πατέρα πολλῶν, and addresses him as προσφιλέστατε καὶ τεκνοπάτωρ and as ὦ ἱερὰ κεφαλή: Ep. 231. Athanasios 17 died in 826 shortly before the bishop of Synnada, Michael 6 (who died on 23 May): Theod. Stud., Ep. 542 (one of the κλεινοὶ ἀδελφοὶ καὶ πατέρες who had recently died), Catech. Parva 21 (p. 77 Auvray). Possibly identical with Athanasios 3.

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