Christian Cyclopedia

Arianism.

Heresy that engulfed many areas of the

Definition: church; chapter (usually abbr. chap.)

ch.

Definition: especially

esp.

320–380.

1. Origin. Arius (

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336), a priest in a suburb of Alexandria, tried to combine the adoptionism of

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Paul* of Samosata

with the Neoplatonic (see

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Neoplatonism

) idea of divine transcendence and utter inaccessibility of God. God was described as an abstract

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monad,*

alone unbegotten, without equal, unchangeable, ineffable. Since God could not create the world directly because of His very nature, He created out of nothing, “before all times and eons,” an intermediate being, exalted above other creatures, through whom He created the world. This intermediate being is the

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Logos,*

called “Son,” who is not true God and not eternal. Some went so far as to teach that the Logos was dissimilar (anomoios) from the Father in essence (see

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Anomoeans

). In time this being took human flesh, not inherently sinless, but capable of moral progress, choosing the good and continuing therein.

2. Controversy.

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Alexander,*

Definition: bishop

bp.

of Alexandria, called a council

Definition: circa; about

ca.

321, which excommunicated Arius, who continued to defend himself and found powerful supporters in

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Eusebius* of Nicomedia

and

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Eusebius* of Caesarea

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Constantine* I

advised all involved to overlook trivia and agree on fundamentals. When this advice failed, perhaps on the advice of

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Hosius,*

Constantine summoned the 1st ecumenical council to meet at

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Nicaea.*

There the formula proposed by the Arians was laughed out of session. But the vast majority could not agree on a positive statement. One group, following Eusebius of Caesarea, did not agree with Arius, but did insist that the godhead was of 3 hypostases. When the

Definition: west(ern)

Definition: bishop

bps.

would not agree to this formula, fearing it would lead to Arianism, and insisted on the statement that God is One in essence (

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homoousios*

), a long standing suspicion between

Definition: Greek

Gk.

and

Definition: Latin

Lat.

teachers came to the surface. Those who insisted on the 3 hypostases believed that a simple statement of homoousios would lead to modalism. Therefore they used the term

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homoiousios*

(“of like essence”) to preserve the identity of each. These were later designated “Eusebians.” They signed the Creed of Nicaea but only upon assurances from Constantine that it did not involve modalism.

3. Issue. After Nicaea there was constant quarreling between these 2 positions. The quarrel allowed the Arians to retain their positions. As long as Constantine lived, a balance was retained, but with his death and a redivision of the empire

Definition: between

bet.

his sons, one of whom supported the

Definition: west(ern)

and the other the

Definition: east(ern)

position, the teachers of the

Definition: church; chapter (usually abbr. chap.)

ch.

fell into bitter provocation and acrimony. Athanasius even called the

Definition: Greek

Gks.

Semi-Arians. Constantius, who ultimately was dominant, had no interest in theology and was interested only in settlement. He deposed any

Definition: bishop

bp.

who stood for a strong position, especially the homoousians. Only with Constantius' death were the various parties to this dispute able to get together and settle the matter. This settlement, worked out by

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Hilary* of Poitiers

and

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Ambrose*

of Milan in the

Definition: west(ern)

with Basil of Caesarea and Athanasius in the

Definition: east(ern)

, was formalized by the Council of Constantinople, 381. The godhead was designated homoousios made up of 3 distinct hypostases, 1 substance in 3 persons. This council is also said to have drawn up what we call the Nicene Creed.

4. Prominent anti-Arians include the

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Cappadocian* Theologians

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Welcome to the Christian Cyclopedia edited by Erwin Lueker. Originally published in print editions by Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO USA, Christian Cyclopedia has served thousands of students, church professionals, and lay persons as a one-volume compendium of historical and theolgical data, ranging from ancient figures to contemporary events.

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Preface to the Revised Edition

Preface to the Christian Cyclopedia

Edited by

Erwin L. Lueker

Luther Poellot

Paul Jackson

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