Cyrenaic presbyter and founder of Arianism (died 336)
For other uses, see Arius (disambiguation).
Arius
Arius arguing for the supremacy of God the Father, and that the Son had a beginning as a true Firstborn
Born
256
Ptolemais, Cyrenaica, Roman Empire (modern-day Tolmeita, Libya)
Died
336 (aged 80)
Constantinople, Thracia, Roman Empire (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey)
Occupation
Presbyter
Notable work
Thalia
Theological work
Era
3rd and 4th centuries AD
Language
Koine Greek
Tradition or movement
Arianism
Notable ideas
Subordinationism
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Lucian of Antioch
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Arian leaders
Acacius of Caesarea
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Demophilus of Constantinople
Eudoxius of Antioch
Eunomius of Cyzicus
Eusebius of Nicomedia
Eustathius of Sebaste
George of Laodicea
Wulfila
Other Arians
Asterius of Cappadocia
Auxentius of Milan
Auxentius of Durostorum
Constantius II
Gothic persecution of Christians
Fritigern
Alaric I
Artemius
Odoacer
Theodoric the Great
Modern semi-Arians
Samuel Clarke
Isaac Newton
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Opponents
Peter of Alexandria
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Paul I of Constantinople
Nicholas of Myrra
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Arius (/əˈraɪəs,ˈɛəri-/; Koinē Greek: Ἄρειος, Áreios; 250 or 256 – 336) was a Cyrenaic presbyter, ascetic, and priest. Traditionally, it was claimed that Arius was the founder of the doctrine of Arianism[1][2] but, more recently, Rowan Williams stated that "Arius' role in 'Arianism' was not that of the founder of a sect. It was not his individual teaching that dominated the mid-century eastern Church."[3]
It is traditionally claimed that his teachings about the nature of the Godhead in Christianity, which emphasized God the Father's uniqueness and Christ's subordination under the Father,[4] made him a primary topic of the First Council of Nicaea convened by Emperor Constantine the Great in 325. However, subordinationism was almost universally accepted by Christian theologians of that era, with the notable exception of Athanasius of Alexandria.[5]
After the Roman Emperors Licinius and Constantine legalized and formalized Christianity, Constantine sought to unify the newly recognized Church and remove theological divisions.[6] The Christian Church had long been divided by disagreements on Christology – specifically about the nature of the relationship between the Father and the Son. "The views of Arius were such as ... to bring into unavoidable prominence a doctrinal crisis which had gradually been gathering. ... He was the spark that started the explosion. But in himself he was of no great significance."[7]
Homoousian Christians, particularly Athanasius of Alexandria, used Arian and Arianism as epithets to describe those who disagreed with their doctrine. However, "'Arianism' as a coherent system, founded by a single great figure and sustained by his disciples, is a fantasy ... based on the polemic of Nicene writers, above all Athanasius."[8]
The Nicene Creed "was constructed as a deliberately anti-Arian document."[9] "All the more obnoxious doctrines of Arius and his followers are struck at in the most impressive way."[10] Arius's theology is described as imputing there was a time before the Son of God existed—that is, when only God the Father existed.
Despite concerted opposition, Arian Christian churches persisted for centuries throughout Europe (especially in various Germanic kingdoms), the Middle East, and North Africa. They were suppressed by military conquest or by voluntary royal conversion between the fifth and seventh centuries.
^Torkington 2011, p. 113.
^Anatolios 2011, p. 44, "Arius, who was born in Libya, was a respected ascetic and presbyter at the church of the Baucalis in Alexandria and was the founder of Arianism.".
^Williams 2004, p. 165.
^Williams 2002, p. 98.
^Hanson 1988, p. xix.
^Handwerk, Brian (May 2006). "Constantine the Great Rules". National Geographic. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
Traditionally, it was claimed that Arius was the founder of the doctrine of Arianism but, more recently, Rowan Williams stated that "Arius' role in 'Arianism' was...
the name Arius; it was not what the followers of Arius' teachings called themselves, but rather a term used by outsiders. The nature of Arius's teachings...
doctrines of Arius and his followers are struck at in N in the most impressive way.” (RH, 165) In spite of the support that Arius enjoyed, only Arius and two...
kiti-kiti, tabangongo, and tauti. Arius manillensis reach a maximum standard length of 29.6 cm (11.7 in) (in males). Arius manillensis is endemic to the island...
themselves followers of Arius. In addition, non-homoousian bishops disagreed with being labeled as followers of Arius, since Arius was merely a presbyter...
declared that he spared the city chiefly for the sake of Arius. According to Plutarch, Arius advised Augustus to execute Caesarion, the son of Cleopatra...
Lucia. Dante arrives and trades the Arcana for Lucia, then attacks Arius. To escape, Arius forces Dante to decide between saving Lucia or killing him. Lucia...
at their capital of Bactra for three years. The location of the Arius was near the Arius River (now known Hari River). The river flows through the parts...
discussed on the page on Arius, the anti-Nicenes were not followers of Arius and, therefore, are mistakenly called 'Arians'. Since Arius was part of a 'trajectory'...
the teachings of Arius, and did not identify with Arius. After Nicaea in 325, the Emperor Constantine gave orders that all of Arius' books be destroyed...
Arius, he was a pupil of Lucian of Antioch, and it is probable that he held the same views as Arius from the very beginning; he was also one of Arius'...
Arius acutirostris is a species of catfish in the family Ariidae. It is a fresh- and brackish-water species that inhabits lower reaches of tidal rivers...
ending Meletius' alliance with Arius. The last, and most important, of the problems Alexander faced was the issue of Arius himself. Alexander's predecessor...
21 cm (8.3 in). Synonyms of Arius leptonotacanthus at fishbase.org. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2016). "Arius leptonotacanthus" in FishBase...
Arcana before facing Arius alone. Dante encounters Matier, who asks him to take the Arcana to save Lucia from Arius. Lucia attacks Arius, but he captures...
Alexander and Arius, which started the Arian Controversy, arose in 318 or 319. At the beginning of the controversy nobody knew the right answer. Arius (c. 250–336)...
was described by Achille Valenciennes in 1840, originally under the genus Arius. It inhabits tropical marine, brackish and freshwater on the Atlantic coast...
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