Arius

Arius was a Libyan whose name is now used to refer to the fourth-century controversy over Christ's divine sonship, "The Arian Controversy."   He seems to have studied under Lucian of Antioch.  He eventually became an Alexandrian priest over the Baucalis region.  He was excommunicated by the Bishop of Alexandria, Alexander, when a dispute erupted over the nature of Christ's relationship with the Father (c. A.D. 318).   Arius was condemned by an African council (c. 321), and so he fled to Palestine with his followers.  Letter-writing campaigns ensued, and soon the entire church of the eastern empire was taking sides.

He was condemned at the Council of Nicaea in 325 and banished to Illyricum.  But Constantine soon invited Arius to be reconciled to the church, and the emperor ordered the Alexandrians to be reconciled with him.  But the Alexandrian leaders refused.  The exact chronology isn't certain, but we know that Arius wandered around and was eventually judged orthodox by a synod in Palestine.  He wrote a letter which really angered Constantine, leading Constantine to order all Arias' books burned (c. 333).  But soon the emperor cooled down, and allowed for Arius to be readmitted to communion with the church. But to everyone's surprise, Arius died suddenly the night before his re-admission in 336.  

The personal problems he created ended suddenly with his death.  However, the burning controversy for which he served as the match would rage on for years.  

Map of the earliest supporters of Arius

See the entire chart of Early Arian Documents with more complete references for the letters, as well as letters of other Arians.

Created by AJW
Last updated: 6/15/07 AJW
Copyright 2006 Wisconsin Lutheran College
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