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Questions tagged [arianism]

Nontrinitarian theological teaching attributed to Arius, in which Christ was created by and is distinct from God the Father.

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4 answers
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What was the 'orthodox' view of God and Christ when the Arian Controversy began?

In response to my question why Theodosius was successful in bringing the Arian Controversy to a close, @Anne gave me references to some articles. I have read one by Steven Wedgeworth. It is a very ...
1 vote
3 answers
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Question on "The State of Theology", Arian heresy, and salvation

The Ligonier Ministries' 2022 "State of Theology" contains some interesting things. One such thing is that over half of those surveyed agreed (some strongly) with the following statement: ...
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6 answers
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What is Christ's role in salvation according to Arian theology?

This is related, but intended to be a more specific version of this question. The answer provides a pretty concise, Sunday-school refutation to Arianism, but it assumes a Trinitarian view. From ...
3 votes
2 answers
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What was the real issue between Arius and Bishop Alexander at Nicaea in 325?

What was the core issue in the Arian Controversy? Whether the Son was God? It is often stated that it was about whether Jesus is God. But Lewis Ayres says that is not true. The so-called Arians also ...
5 votes
1 answer
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How did Arius interpret Colossians 2:9?

Colossians 2:9 HCSB For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, NASB: For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, How did Arius interpret Colossians ...
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Why are the Nicene and Dedication Creeds so different?

The Nicene and Dedication Councils were attended by more or less the same people and were only 16 years apart (325 vs 341) but resulted in opposing creeds. The Nicene Creed is pro-Sabellian but the ...
5 votes
2 answers
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What was the stance of Arius on John 1:1?

Introduction Arius believed that Jesus was a creature, a created god. What did he write about John 1:1? Or if there is no such extant manuscript, how would he interpreted ''the Word was God'' in John ...
2 votes
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In what respect did Gregory Nazianzen think the pure Nicene faith was adulterated at Constantinople in 381?

In contrast to the previous pro-Homoian emperor Valens, “it was soon clear that Theodosius would pursue a pro-Nicene line.” (LA, 251) In February 380 - only one year after he was declared Augustus and ...
10 votes
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Was Constantine The Great a Nicene Christian?

Lately I've been trying to figure out whether or not Constantine is a Nicene Christian. He was baptised by Eusebius who was of course an Arian. And since he was very close to Eusebius, he was ...
10 votes
3 answers
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What is the theology of the Semi-Arians?

What I know from history books is that Semi-Arians held to the neutral theological position of homoiousians against both strict homoousians and anomoeans. However, I found a very scant knowledge ...
1 vote
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Why is the controversy of the fourth century called the 'Arian' Controversy?

Apparently, the terms “Arian,” “Arianism,” and “Arian Controversy” were derived from the name of Arius, who was in charge of one of the churches in Alexandria, and whose dispute with his bishop ...
5 votes
3 answers
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From whom or what did Arius learn his theology?

Where did Arius learn his theology? Did he rely on specific theologians that wrote before him? Origen? Clement of Alexandria? Lucian of Antioch? Were his ideas based on the Bible or on Greek ...
3 votes
1 answer
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Is there evidence that Arius "reformulated" his Christology post-exile?

I realize that it may not be completely possible to answer this question given that so much of what Arius wrote has been lost and/or misrepresented by his opponents. However, I have read his few ...
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6 answers
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What Scriptures did Arius use to support teaching that Jesus was created?

Arius probably quoted the following: Revelation 3:14: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. Psalm 8:5–6: thou madest Him Proverbs 8:22–25: ...
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3 answers
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Did Arius say that the Son is mutable?

Arius himself wrote that “the Son of God … is, like the Father, 'unchangeable’” (Rowan Williams, page 96) but Athanasius wrote that Arius taught that the Son is “like all others … subject to change … ...
3 votes
2 answers
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Did Arius teach that time existed before the Son existed?

Arius wrote that the Son was “begotten timelessly by the Father … before aeons … begotten timelessly before everything” (Letter to Alexander – See RPC Hanson, The Search, page 8). But Alexander of ...
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Why is it significant that Arius taught two Wisdoms? Was this a deviation of some kind?

Both Athanasius noted that Arius taught two Wisdoms. Athanasius wrote that in Arius’ theology, “There are … two Wisdoms, one God's own who has existed eternally with God, the other the Son who was ...
2 votes
3 answers
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Should a Protestant accept the Nicene Creed? [closed]

In chapter 24.1 of his authoritative book on the fourth century Arian Controversy - The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God - Bishop RPC Hanson discusses how the various parties in that ...
4 votes
2 answers
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Are any of Arius' writings extant?

In 325 CE, following the defeat of Arius at the Council of Nicea, Emperor Constantine the Great went on a campaign of book burning to eradicate all memory of Arius and his beliefs: After the First ...
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How did Arians explain the anti-revolutionary spirit of their religion?

In his book No Apologies, Anthony Esolen writes: Had the fathers at Nicea not insisted upon the co-eternity of the Son with the Father the faith would long have degenerated into a kindly social club. ...
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Was there any controversy over the validity of sacraments during the Arian Controversy?

During the Arian controversy, were sacraments (especially baptisms and/or ordinations) performed by one side or the other considered invalid by their opponents? Were there any "official" ...
7 votes
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Why was Theodosius successful in ending the Arian Controversy?

In the conventional account of the Arian controversy, the council of Constantinople in the year 381 made an end of that controversy. In reality, the controversy was brought to an end by Emperor ...
9 votes
4 answers
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Did Arianism survive as Islam?

St. John of Damascus (676 - 749) writes on his Critique of Islam: From that time to the present a false prophet named Mohammed has appeared in their midst. This man, after having chanced upon the ...
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6 answers
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According to Jehovah’s Witnesses, in what way is Jesus human?

From what I understand, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in a form of Arianism that claims Jesus is “the son of God”, but he is inferior to “God the Father”, as he is usually understood as “God’s first ...
5 votes
2 answers
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Is there a link between Socinianism and Sir Isaac Newton's conclusion to his Principia Mathematica (1687) where he attacks the Trinity doctrine?

This linked question What was Isaac Newton's view of the Trinity? was useful with the answer giving one quote from John Byl's article 'Newton and the Trinity' where Newton said that the great ...
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Did arians have any kind of scriptural basis? [duplicate]

Did arians have any kind of scriptural basis for their teachings? If yes, what is it? What I am interested in here is the christology. Christ as created being.
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1 answer
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Did Thomas Pearne do anything other than contradict Granville Sharp?

Granville Sharp (1735 - 1813) see Wikipedia is famous for his stoical labours in eradicating slavery and for his energetic achievement in re-patriating former slaves to Sierra Leone. Although he has a ...
4 votes
1 answer
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What do we know about Arian liturgy?

I've done a lot of googling but can't turn up any information about what Arian liturgy was like. Apparently the "Mozarabic rite" in Spain is connected somehow to traditional Arian liturgy. I'm ...
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What is the Christological difference between the early Church fathers and the Arians?

Arius wrote to Eusebius of Nicomedia referring to the eternal Word that, '[B]efore He was begotten ... He was not, for He was not without beginning.'1 Where he qualified his argument on the fact that ...
4 votes
3 answers
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On what grounds was Arius refuted at the First Council of Nicaea?

What proof does anyone have that Christ was the same and identical as the one He called "Father" even when Christ himself said in John 14:10... Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that ...
6 votes
1 answer
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Was Arianism spread using musical jingles?

I found an interesting claim in Bruce Shelley's Church History in Plain Language, regarding Arius's methods of promoting his theology, Arianism: [Arius] put ideas into jingles, which set to simple ...
8 votes
1 answer
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What are the soteriological implications of Arianism?

A friend recently made the following statement regarding the heresy of Arianism: The conflict was about the nature of Christ before the Creation of the Universe. It was a Philosophical/Metaphysical ...
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Does the theology of Arians and Jehovah's Witnesses admit that God was at one point ἄλογος?

According to the article on “The Word” in the Watchtower publication Insight on the Scriptures, This Word, or Lo′gos, was God’s only direct creation, the only-begotten son of God, and evidently the ...
18 votes
2 answers
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What are the biblical arguments against Arianism?

In the same spirit of the question: What are the Biblical arguments against modalism? Arianism, the idea that the Son is inferior to the Father, is considered a heresy by most Christian denominations....
9 votes
3 answers
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Did Jesus have Free Will? (Arianism) [closed]

This is NOT this question I've been reading a lot about Arianism and this is an interesting point that they have: Arius believed the Son Jesus was capable of His own free will of right and ...
10 votes
1 answer
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What is the current relevance of Arianism?

Is there an active sect by this name? Are there any particular Christian denominations which might be described as 'Arian'?