Arianism

Lore & Background

Arianism is first attributed to Arius, a Christian presbyter who preached and studied in Alexandria, Egypt, though it developed out of various preexisting strands of Christianity that differed from later Nicene Christianity in their Christologies. The term Arian is derived from the name Arius; it was not what the followers of Arius's teachings called themselves, but rather a term used by outsiders. Arian theology holds that Jesus is the Son of God, who was begotten by God the Father, with the difference that the Son of God did not always exist but was begotten/made before time by God the Father. Therefore, Jesus was not coeternal with God the Father, but nonetheless Jesus began to exist outside time. Arius's trinitarian theology, later given an extreme form by Aëtius of Antioch and his disciple Eunomius of Cyzicus and called anomoean ('dissimilar'), asserts a total dissimilarity between the Son and the Father. Arianism holds that the Son is distinct from the Father and therefore subordinate to him. The nature of Arius's and his supporters' teachings were opposed to the theological doctrines held by Homoousian Christians regarding the nature of the Trinity and the nature of Christ. Homoousianism and Arianism were contending interpretations of Jesus's divinity, both based upon the trinitarian theological orthodoxy of the time. Controversy over Arianism arose in the late 3rd century and persisted throughout most of the 4th century. It involved most church members—from simple believers, priests, and monks to bishops, emperors, and members of Rome's imperial family. Two Roman emperors, Constantius II and Valens, became Arians or semi-Arians, as did prominent Gothic, Vandal, and Lombard warlords both before and after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Reader's Guide

Arianism's significance lies in its challenge to the developing orthodox doctrine of the Trinity, leading to the ecumenical First Council of Nicaea of 325, which declared Arianism a heresy. The controversy shaped early Christian theology, forcing a precise definition of the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ. Though condemned, Arianism persisted among some Germanic tribes and later reemerged in various nontrinitarian movements. Modern denominations sometimes associated with the teaching include Jehovah's Witnesses and some churches within the Churches of Christ. The legacy of Arianism is a reminder of the diversity of early Christian thought and the political and theological struggles that defined the Church's foundational doctrines. The debate between Homoousianism and Arianism was not merely academic; it involved emperors, bishops, and ordinary believers, and its resolution had lasting effects on Christian identity and governance.

Did You Know?

• Arius's basic premise was that only God is independent of existing; since the Son is dependent, he must be called a creature.
• The ecumenical First Council of Nicaea of 325 declared Arianism to be a heresy.
• Two Roman emperors, Constantius II and Valens, became Arians or semi-Arians.
• Arianism is also used to refer to other nontrinitarian theological systems of the 4th century, such as Homoiousian and Anomoeanism.