Founder of Arianism: Who Was Arius?

Arius was a Catholic priest from Cyrenaica, a part of modern-day Libya in mid-200s CE. While little is known of his personal history, his greatest impact was in one of the largest controversies of the early church. In 313 CE, he became the presbyter of the church in Alexandria, Egypt. In about 318, a few years after the end of the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian, he criticized the Trinitarian position that the Son was eternally generated by the Father within the Trinity, and that if Jesus was begotten, then He must have a beginning rather than being eternal.  

What remains of Arius’s writings are those maintained by his critics. His writings were ordered to be destroyed by Constantine the Great. However, three writings remain:

1. Arius’ letter to Eusebius of Nicomedia. In a letter to a fellow Arian Eusebius, possibly written around 318, Arius brings up the persecution the Arians are suffering due to their positions at the hand of Bishop Alexander I of Alexandria, who becomes one of the harshest opponents of Arianism. Arius writes: “We are persecuted because we say that the Son has a beginning but that God is without beginning.”
2. Arius’ confession of faith given to Alexander of Alexandria – Arius is confirming to Alexander I of Alexandria, his primary opponent, in a letter his positions on Jesus as “begot an only-begotten Son before time and the ages” and “neither eternal nor co-eternal nor co-unbegotten with the Father, nor does he have his being together with the Father.”  He denies various other positions regarding Jesus, both from other heretics and some now orthodox positions.
3. Arius and Euzoius to the Emperor Constantine – Constantine the Great had called for a response by Arius, who wrote a confession that almost mirrors what would become the Nicene Creed, except for one critical element – Arius refers to Christ as “begotten…before all ages” but does not refer to Jesus as “God from God” nor “consubstantial with the Father.”

An incomplete theological treatise called the Thalia existed at one point, only portions which exist due to the writings critical of Arius.

The Arian Controversy

Arius and his compatriots were causing so much controversy that the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great pushed both Alexander and Arius to somehow reconcile. Various meetings were held, mostly upholding Alexander’s position, which was also promoted by Alexander’s successor Athanasius. These coalesced into a council at Nicaea in 325 CE, where Bishops from throughout Christendom attended, their expenses covered by Constantine.  As many as 1900 church leaders may have attended the council.    

The Council of Nicaea, as it came to be called, was the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church, where a majority of Christians were represented. From this council the Nicene Creed was formulated, declaring orthodox the Trinitarian view of Jesus Christ as divine. Jesus was homoousios, a term meaning of the same substance (consubstantial) as the Father – and rejecting the views of Arius.

Arius: Later Years and Legacy

After possibly being slapped by Nicholas at the council, Arius and several of his followers were exiled to Illyria, and excommunicated from the church.  His works were confiscated where they could be found and destroyed. However, his influence still lingered, and various sects and groups over the years have held positions similar to Arius. Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and various other groups have adopted some of Arius’s views, and even expanded upon them.