Primary Sources of the Early Arian Controversy ordered according to the recently published edition of
Athanasius' Werke
Dokumente Zur Geschichte Des Arianischen Streites. Athanasius Werke Band 3, Teil 1, Lieferung 3 (Berlin and New York: Walter De Gruyter Inc., 2007)
The introduction to this new volume does not give dates for the documents, but rather lists them in approximate order. For this reason we are unable to give any dates in the chart below, but we have retained the dates of Opitz in the third column as a reference.
There are a few notable changes in the chronology used in this edition:
1. Constantine's angry letters about Arius (Urk. 33 and 34, Doc. 27 and 28) have been moved from 333 to during or just after the Council of Nicaea in 325.
2. The letters involving Eusebius of Nicomedia (Urk. 1, 2 and 8, Doc. 4, 15 and 16) are put later, suggesting that he joined the controversy later than previously supposed..
| Doc. # | Opitz's order (Urk. #) |
Opitz's date | Document description |
| 1 | 6 | c. 320 | Arius and his followers to Alexander of Alexandria |
| 2.1 | 4a | 318/9 | Alexander of Alexandria to his clergy |
| 2.2 | 4b | c. 318 | Alexander of Alexandria’s encyclical letter on Arius’s deposition |
| 3 | 5 | c. 320 | Summary of letter of a Council in Bithynia |
| 4 | 8 | c. 320/1 | Eusebius of Nicomedia to Paulinus of Tyre |
| 5 | 9 | c. 320 | Fragment of a letter of Paulinus of Tyre |
| 6 | 12 | c. 322 | Priest George to Alexander of Alexandria |
| 7 | 13 | c. 322 | Priest George to the Arians in Alexandria |
| 8 | 10 | c. 321/2 | Summary of letter of a council in Palestine reinstating Arius |
| 9 | 7 | c. 320 | Eusebius of Caesarea to Alexander of Alexandria |
| 10 | 3 | c. 318 | Eusebius of Caesarea to Euphration of Balanea |
| 11 | 11 | c. 322 | Athanasius of Anazarbus to Alexander of Alexandria |
| 12 | Part of a letter of Athanasius of Anazarbus (CPG 2061) | ||
| 13a, 13b | Parts of 2 letters of Theognis of Nicaea (CPG 2070) | ||
| 14 | 15 | 324 | Fragment of a letter of Alexander of Alexandria to all bishops |
| 15 | 1 | c. 318 | Arius to Eusebius of Nicomedia |
| 16 | 2 | c. 318 | Fragment of a letter from Eusebius of Nicomedia to Arius |
| 17 | 14 | 324 | Alexander of Alexandria to Alexander of Thessalonica [or Byzantium] |
| 18 | 16 | ? | Fragment a letter of Alexander of Alexandria to Sylvester of Rome |
| 19 | 17 | Oct. 324 | Emperor Constantine to Alexander of Alexandria and Arius |
| 20 | 18 | Beginning of 325 | Letter of the Council of Antioch (325) |
| 21 | 19 | 325 | Fragment of a letter of Narcissus of Neronias to Chrestus, Euphronius and Eusebius |
| 22 | 20 | Spring 325 | Emperor Constantine’s letter calling the Council of Nicaea |
| 23 | 21 | June 325 | Fragment of a letter from Eusebius of Nicomedia to the Council of Nicaea |
| 24 | 22 | June 325 | Eusebius of Caesarea to his church explaining his actions at the Council of Nicaea |
| 25 | 23 | June 325 |
Letter of the Council of Nicaea to the Egyptian church |
| 26 | 24 | June 19th 325 | Creed of the Council of Nicaea |
| 27 | 34 | 333 | Emperor Constantine to Arius and his followers |
| 28 | 33 | 333 | Part of an edict against Arius and his followers |
| 29 | 25 | June 325 |
Emperor Constantine to the church of Alexandria |
| 30 | 26 | June 325 | Emperor Constantine to the churches on the Nicene decision concerning Easter |
| 31 | 27 | Nov.-Dec. 325 |
Emperor Constantine to the church of Nicomedia |
| 32 | 28 | Nov.-Dec. 325 |
Emperor Constantine to Theodotus of Laodicea |
| 33 | 29 | 27 Nov. 327 |
Emperor Constantine to Arius |
| 34 | 30 | End of 327 | Arius and Euzoius to the Emperor Constantine |
| 36 | 31 | End of 327 |
Eusebius of Nicomedia and Theognis of Nicaea, recanting in order to be reinstated |
| 37 | 32 | Beginning of 328 |
Fragment of a letter from Emperor Constantine to Alexander of Alexandria |
| Here is what's in the 2007 edition, but is not included in the
Opitz edition:
|
|||
| Document number. | Date | Document Title | |
| 35.1 | 327 | Synod of Antioch (327) on its decisions against Asclepas of Gaza | |
| 35.2 | 327 | Synod of Antioch (327) on its decision against Eustathius | |
| 38 | Conflicts about the restoration of church unity in Egypt | ||
| 39 | 335 | Writings of the Synod of Jerusalem of the year 335 | |
| 40 | Synods in Constantinople against Marcellus of Ancyra | ||
| 41 | 340-341 | Correspondence and synods in Rome and Antioch during the years 340 and 341 | |
| 41.1 |
Letter of Julius of Rome to the eastern bishops with the request to appear at a synod in Rome |
||
| 41.2 |
Reports on the Dedication Synod of Antioch in the year 341 |
||
| 41.3 |
Explanation of Theophronius of Tyana (3rd Antiochene formula) |
||
| 41.4 | 341 | Confession of the Synod of Antioch in the year 341 (2nd Antiochene formula) | |
| 41.5 | Fragment of a cyclical letter of the Synod of Antioch in the year 341 (1st Antiochene formula) | ||
| 41.6 | 341 | Report on a letter of the Synod of Antioch in the year 341 to Julius of Rome | |
| 41.7 | Letter and confession of Marcellus of Ancyra to Julius of Rome | ||
| 41.8 | Letter of Julius to the bishops gathered in Antioch | ||
| 42 | Confession of an Antiochene synod (4th Antiochene formula) | ||
| 43 | 344 | The Synod of Sardica, 344 | |
| 43.1 | Cyclical letters of the western bishops | ||
| 43.2 | The theological explanation of the western bishops | ||
| 43.3 | The list of the signatures under the theological explanation of the western bishops | ||
| 43.4 | Letters of the western bishops to Emperor Constantine | ||
| 43.5 | Letters of the western bishops to Julius of Rome | ||
| 43.6 | Fragments of the letter of Hosias of Cordova and Protogenes of Serdica to Julius of Rome | ||
| 43.7 | Letters of the western bishops to the church of Alexandria | ||
| 43.8 | Letters of Athanasius of Alexandria to the priests and deacons of Alexandria and Parembole | ||
| 43.9 | Letters of the western synod to the priests and deacons in Mareotis | ||
| 43.10 | Letters of Athanasius of Alexandria to the priests, deacons, and church people in Mareotis | ||
| 43.11 | Cyclical letters of the eastern synod | ||
| 43.12 | The theological explanation of the eastern synod | ||
| 43.13 | The list of the signatures under the theological explanation of the eastern synod | ||
| 44 | 344 | Macrostich Confession (Ἔκθεσις Μακρόστιχος), Fifth Arian Confession, 344 | |
To see Rowan William's order, click here.
To see Hanson's order, click here.
To return to the original Opitz order, click here.
| Created by AJW Last updated:6/22/07 AJW |
| Copyright 2006 Wisconsin Lutheran College |
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