Arianism

Arianism was a significant 4th-century heresy named after Arius (c. 250-336), a presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt. Its central tenet was the teaching that the Son of God was not co-eternal and consubstantial with His Father, but rather a created being with a definite origin in time.

In Arius's words, "there was a time when he (the Son) was not". This doctrine led to the convening of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, which condemned Arianism and its author and established the Orthodox doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

Although it persisted among some Goths and other Germanic tribes in the West, Arianism had largely vanished by the seventh century. Arianism must be clearly distinguished from "Aryanism," a core component of Nazi racial ideology in the twentieth century, which had no connection to Arius or his teachings.

#### Origins of the Heresy

Although Arianism bears Arius's name, its doctrines did not entirely originate with him. Lucian of Antioch, Arius's teacher and mentor, was accused by Bishop Alexander of Alexandria of being the source for Arius's teachings. It was not that Lucian explicitly taught Arianism per se, but rather that he held certain heretical tendencies that he passed on to his pupil. The Russian historian Alexander Vasiliev referred to Lucian as "the Arius before Arius".

Arius, described as a man of striking presence, tall, thin, and marked by his ascetic lifestyle, was educated by Lucian of Antioch. He was ordained as a deacon by Peter, the bishop of Alexandria, but his teachings were later deemed heretical, leading to his excommunication around 300 AD.

During a period of Christian persecution under Emperor Diocletian, a rival bishop, Meletius, reinstated Arius. Upon the death of Bishop Achillas in 313 AD, Alexander ascended as Bishop of Alexandria, bypassing Arius, an event that contributed to the rivalry between them.

According to Church historian Socrates Scholasticus, the direct dispute between Arius and Bishop Alexander began in 318 AD. Alexander had endeavoured to instruct his clergy on the unity of the Holy Trinity. Arius, either through misunderstanding or from a "love of controversy," opposed his bishop's teaching, alleging it smacked of Sabellianism. Arius proffered his own syllogism: "If the Father begat the Son, he that was begotten had a beginning of existence. From this it is evident that there was a time when the Son was not. It therefore necessarily follows that he had his substance from nothing". This argument denied the essential unity and consubstantiality of the Holy Trinity, causing an uproar that spread rapidly as Arius insisted upon disseminating his views.

#### The Core of the Heresy

Arius denied the full deity of the preexistent Son of God, the Logos, who became incarnate as Jesus Christ. He held that the Son, while divine and like God, was created by God to be the agent through whom God created the universe. This led to the conclusion that there was a time when the Son "was not".

In explaining his actions against Arius, Alexander of Alexandria wrote a letter detailing what he believed were Arius's errors. According to Alexander, Arius taught the following tenets:

• God was not always the Father, but there was a period when He was not the Father.
• The Word of God was not from eternity, but was made out of nothing. The ever-existing God ("the I AM") made him who did not previously exist, out of nothing.
• Consequently, there was a time when the Son did not exist, as the Son is a creature and a work.
• The Son is neither like the Father as regards His essence, nor is by nature either the Father’s true Word, or true Wisdom. He is erroneously called Word and Wisdom, since he was himself made of God’s own Word and the Wisdom which is in God, whereby God both made all things and him also.
• Therefore, the Son is mutable and susceptible of change by nature, as all other rational creatures are.
• The Word is alien to and other than the essence of God.
• The Father is inexplicable by the Son and invisible to him; the Word does not perfectly and accurately know the Father, neither can he distinctly see him.
• The Son knows not the nature of his own essence.
• The Son was made on humanity's account, in order that God might create humanity by him, as by an instrument.
• The Son would never have existed, unless God had wished to create humanity.

Arius was a brilliant priest, preacher, and even a songwriter, expressing his theological ideas in popular songs that people would sing in public places. He attempted to provide a middle position regarding Jesus's nature, arguing that the divinity incarnate in Jesus was not the full divinity of the true God.

Instead, he proposed that Jesus was the "first of creatures" – the true God first created His Logos, which was a very high spiritual creature. This Logos then became incarnate in a somewhat truncated human nature. In this view, Jesus was "kind of" human and "kind of" divine, a "quasi-divine, quasi-human" figure. This perspective was attractive, in part, because it resonated with the prevalent mythic imagination of the time, which included figures like Achilles or Hercules, who were considered quasi-divine and quasi-human hybrids.

#### The Church's Response and the Council of Nicaea

While Arius developed a following among some Syrian prelates, an Alexandrian synod of approximately 100 bishops, summoned by Bishop Alexander, condemned him in 321 AD. Arius was excommunicated and subsequently fled to Palestine, where he formed a friendship with Eusebius of Nicomedia. Arius, a proficient writer, produced many compositions in both prose and verse defending his beliefs, including a poem called the Thalia. Most of these writings were later destroyed as heretical, though portions of the Thalia and a few other Arian texts survive.

The Roman emperor Constantine the Great, desiring the restoration of peace and unity to the Church, publicly called upon Arius and Alexander to settle their dispute. Constantine's aim was to maintain the unity of both the Empire and the Church, as religious discord could threaten political stability. Initially, he downplayed the theological dispute as unimportant and urged them to reconcile. However, the issue was too fundamental for genuine compromise, and the debate continued to rage. Recognising the deepening rift, the emperor decided to call a great council of all Church bishops to resolve the dilemma.

This First Ecumenical Council was held at Nicaea in 325 AD. The teachings presented at the council were largely led by Athanasius, who was then a deacon in the Alexandrian church. The council specifically engaged Arianism, which was seen as a decisive battle for Christianity.

The Council of Nicaea made several crucial declarations:

• It condemned Arianism.
• It maintained that Christ was "God from God, Light from Light, Very God from Very God, begotten not made (not created), and One in essence with the Father".
• The council adopted the Greek term homoousios (ομοούσιος), meaning "of the same essence," to describe Christ's relationship with the Father, explicitly rejecting Arius's heretical homoiousios (ομοιούσιος), meaning "of a similar essence". The term homoousios was a neologism, not derived directly from biblical or common philosophical traditions, but adapted for this specific purpose.
• These crucial words were incorporated into the **first version of the Nicene Creed.

The distinction between "begotten" and "made" was central. To be "made" or "created" implies creation ex nihilo, meaning from nothing, as human beings and the universe are created. To be "begotten," in the theological sense, means to come from another while perfectly participating in the nature of that from which one comes.

Thus, the Son, the Logos, proceeds from the Father, but does not come from the Father as a creature infinitely other. Instead, the Son utterly participates in the nature of the One from whom He comes, being homoousios, one in being with the Father. The Logoswho becomes incarnate in Jesus is the power through which all things were made; if the Logos itself were "made," then it would be a creature, and salvation would not be possible. While Jesus's human nature is a finite, created reality, Jesus himself, as the Second Person of the Trinity, is not a creature.

The Council of Nicaea's affirmation of both the full divinity and full humanity of Jesus was considered essential for salvation. The patristic formula states, "what has not been assumed has not been saved," meaning that if Christ were not truly human, humanity could not be saved. Similarly, if He were not truly divine, salvation would also be impossible, as humans can only be saved by divine grace, not by philosophers, poets, or mystics. The central claim of Christianity is that God became human so that humans might become God, and this understanding of the incarnation is indispensable for comprehending salvation, the sacraments, and the entirety of the Church.

#### Aftermath and Fragmentation

Although the Ecumenical Council had condemned Arianism, it continued to exert influence in the Church long afterwards, almost until the end of the fourth century. This persistence was often due to the actions of Roman emperors, including Constantine, who vacillated between Arius and his opponents throughout his life, and most notably Constantius, who succeeded him.

During this period, Arianism fragmented into several distinct sects:

• Anomoeans: These continued Arius's original heresy, asserting the anomoios ("unlike") doctrine, which maintained that Christ was not of the same essence as the Father. This sect was led first by Aëtius and later by Eunomius.
• Semi-Arians: Taking a middle ground, the Semi-Arians, led by Eusabian, challenged the Nicene Creed's homoousios with their position of homoiousios, meaning "of similar essence".
• Acacians: Led by Acacius, this group held a position not significantly different from the Semi-Arians. They preached that Christ was homoios: "similar to"—but not identical in essence—with the Father, and thus avoided using either homoousios or homoiousios.

During the final decades of the fourth century, the arguments of prominent theologians, including Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus, Saint Basil the Great, and Hilary of Poitiers, brought about the reconciliation of many Semi-Arians with Orthodoxy.

Their efforts swayed the theological momentum back to the Nicene Creed, which was reaffirmed and expanded upon at the Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in 381 AD. By the seventh century, Arianism had largely vanished.

#### Arianism Today

No remnant of any of the Arian sects established in Western Europe or elsewhere is known to exist today. However, certain contemporary groups and beliefs are sometimes accused of holding doctrines that tend toward Arianism, though their Christology may differ somewhat from classic Arian doctrine.

The Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormon sects are often accused of being Arian, particularly the former. While both certainly exhibit doctrines tending toward Arianism—which are rejected by the Orthodox Church as heretical—each sect's Christology differs somewhat from classic Arian doctrine.

Mormon theology, for example, rejects the Trinity as Arius did but teaches that Jesus was/is Jehovah and is an eternally existing being. Some forms of modern Protestantism also appear to espouse a form of Arianism, referring to Jesus Christ as essentially distinct from God in terms that suggest that, as the Son, He is ontologically distinct from, and inferior to, the Father.

Recent surveys indicate a widespread misunderstanding of central Christian doctrines concerning Jesus's divinity, with many individuals holding beliefs that align with ancient Arian positions. For example, a survey found that 59% of Americans in general, and 66% of Catholics, agreed with the statement "Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God". Additionally, 51% of Americans and 57% of Catholics agreed with the statement "Jesus was a great teacher but he was not God". Such findings suggest a deficiency in catechesis, leading to a de-emphasis on doctrinal clarity regarding Jesus's divinity.

The Church continues to fight against Arian views. Every Sunday at Mass, the Nicene Creed is recited, which explicitly condemns the Arian position and states the orthodox doctrine, serving as a weekly reminder that Arius's teachings are erroneous.

The divinity of Jesus is considered a central tenet of faith; without it, Christianity is believed to devolve into merely a "mildly interesting mythic or moral system". If Jesus were only a great teacher, Christianity would collapse, as its unique claim is that God entered the human condition to save and elevate it from within. The historical battle against Arianism at Nicaea is therefore viewed as the pivotal moment, the "Gettysburg of Christianity," which ensured the preservation of Christianity itself.