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Arianism
,Expanding article; stylistic editing
'''Arianism''' was a 4th century [[heresy]] named after [[Arius]] (c.250-336), a [[priestpresbyter]] in Alexandria, Egypt, who taught that the [[Jesus Christ|Son of God ]] was not God 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 led to the calling of the [[First Ecumenical Council]], which condemned it and its author and established the Orthodox doctrine of the [[Holy Trinity]] as taught by Arius's chief opponent, [[Athanasius of Alexandria|St. Athanasius the Great]]. Though it managed to hang on among some of the Goths and other Germanic tribes in the West, Arianism had vanished by the seventh century.
Arianism should be clearly distinguished from "Aryanism", which formed the core of Nazi racial ideology during the twentieth century, and which had nothing whatsoever to do with Arius or his teachings. ==Origins==Although Arianism carries 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 being the source for Arius's heretical teachings—not so much that Lucian had taught Arianism ''per se'', but rather that he possessed certain heretical tendencies which he passed on to his pupil, Arius.<ref>Vasiliev, A. [http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/vasilief/arianism-council-nicaea.asp Arianism and the Council of Nicaea], from ''History of the Byzantine Empire'', Chapter One. Retrieved on 2010-02-02.</ref> Indeed, the noted Russian historian Alexander Vasiliev refers to Lucian as ''"the Arius before Arius"''.<ref>Vasiliev, A. [http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/vasilief/arianism-council-nicaea.asp Arianism and the Council of Nicaea], from ''History of the Byzantine Empire'', Chapter One. Retrieved on 2010-02-02.</ref> According to Church historian Socrates Scholasticus, Arius entered in 318 into a dispute with Bishop [[Alexander of Alexandria]] over his teachings about God's divine Sonship and substance. Alexander had attempted to instruct his clergy on the unity of the [[Holy Trinity]], but Arius—whether through misunderstanding, or a "love of controversy", as alleged by Socrates—opposed his bishop's teaching as smacking of [[Sabellianism]].<ref>[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf202.ii.iv.v.html Socrates Ecclesiastical History], Vol. 1, Ch. 5.</ref> 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, of course, denied the essential unity and consubstantiality of the Holy Trinity, and caused an uproar among Arius's listeners that quickly spread throughout the Church, as Arius insisted upon disseminating his ideas. ==The heresy==As stated above, Arius denied the full deity of the preexistent Son of God , the ''Logos'' who became [[incarnation|incarnate]] as our Lord Jesus Christ ("''the Word ([[Jesus Christ]]) became flesh''" John 1:14 - NKJV). He held that the Son, while divine and like unto God, was created by God as the agent through whom he He created the universe, and ; thus that there was a time when the Son was not. The [[First Ecumenical Council]] at [[Nicea]] in 325, led in its teachings by [[Athanasius of Alexandria|Athanasius]], condemned Arianism and 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 (''[[homoousios]]''/ομοούσιος "of the same essencewas not" rather than Arius' heretical ''homoiousios''/ομοιούσιος "of a similar essence") producing the first version of the [[Nicene Creed]].
:The '''[[Semi-Arianism should be clearly distinguished |semi-Arians]]''', led by Eusabian, took a middle ground that challenged the Nicean Creed's ''homoousios'' with a middle position of ''homoiousios'', that is, "of similar essence". :The '''[[Acacians]]''', led by Acacius, took a position not that different from the semi-Arians, by preaching that Christ was ''homoios'': "Aryanismsimilar to"—not identical in essence—with the Father; thus they avoided using either ''homoousios'' or ''homoiousios''. During the final decades of the fourth century the arguments of the two Gregories, which formed of [[Gregory of Nyssa|Nyssa]] and [[Gregory the core Theologian|Nazianzus]], together with those of Nazi racial ideology during [[Basil the twentieth centuryGreat]] and [[Hilary of Poitiers]], brought about the reconciliation of many semi-Arians with [[Orthodoxy]] and swayed the theological momentum back to the Nicean Creed, which had nothing whatsoever was reaffirmed and expanded upon at the [[Second Ecumenical Council]] in Constantinople in 381. ==Arianism today==Today, a so-called "Holy Arian Catholic and Apostolic Church" in England claims to do proclaim Arius's teachings, even "canonizing" him in 2006. However, this body differs with its namesake on several crucial points, including its rejection of the [[Nativity|Virgin Birth]] and [[Resurrection]] of Christ, which Arius himself never questioned. The Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormon sects are often accused (especially the former) of being Arian; while both certainly exhibit doctrines which tend toward Arianism—which are rejected by the Orthodox Church as being heretical, along with many other teachings—each sect's Christology differs somewhat from classic Arian doctrine. No remnant of any of the Arian sects established in Western Europe or his teachingselsewhere is known to exist today. Some forms of modern [[Protestantism]] appear to espouse a form of Arianism, referring to [[Jesus Christ]] as essentially distinct from [[God]] in terms which suggest that, as the Son, He is ontologically distinct from, and inferior to, the Father. ==Notes==<references />
==Source and further readingExternal links==
* [http://mb-soft.com/believe/txo/arianism.htm Fuller RH, Walter VL and Shelley BL: Arianism and Semi-Arianism (General and Advanced Information) - BELIEVE Website]
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01707c.htm CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Arianism]