Primary Sources of the Early Arian Controversy ordered according to the chronology of Sarah Parvis (2006)

This is taken from Sarah Parvis (Marcellus of Ancyra and the Lost Years of the Arian Controversy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006), specifically her summaries of events on pp. 72-83 and 100-101.  A precise order cannot be given, for many of the early documents she would simply consider part of a "flurry of letters" (72). She believes Licinius's ban on Christian synods took effect in approximately early 323.

The most notable innovation in this chronology is that Henos Sōmatos and Hē Philarchos  (Urk 4b and 14) are considered to have been written at about the same time, circulating together, the former written by Athanasius on behalf of Alexander, and the latter serving as a cover letter from Bishop Alexander himself.

Parvis Date Document Opitz's date Opitz's order (Urk.) 2007 edition
order (Doc.)		 CPG
early spring 322 Arius to Eusebius of Nicomedia c. 318 1 15 2025
mid 322 Fragment of a letter from Eusebius of Nicomedia to Arius c. 318 2 16 2046
mid 322 Eusebius of Caesarea to Euphration of Balanea c. 318 3 10 3500
mid 322 Summary of letter of a Council in Bithynia c. 320 5 3  
mid-322 Arius and his followers to Alexander of Alexandria c. 320 6 1 2026
end 322 Eusebius of Nicomedia to Paulinus of Tyre c. 320/1 8 4 2045
Spring 323, Alexander of Alexandria’s encyclical letter on Arius’s deposition
[Actually written by Athanasius]		 c. 318 4b 2.2 2000
shortly after 4b Alexander of Alexandria to his clergy 318/9 4a 2.1 2001
  Fragment of a letter of Alexander of Alexandria to all bishops 324 15 14 2003
  Fragment a letter of Alexander of Alexandria to Sylvester of Rome ? 16 18  
spring 323 Alexander of Alexandria to Alexander of  Byzantium [or Thessalonica] 324 14 17 2002
mid 323 Eusebius of Caesarea to Alexander of Alexandria c. 320 7 9 3501
322-323 Athanasius of Anazarbus to Alexander of Alexandria c. 322 11 11 2060
322-323 Priest George to Alexander of Alexandria c. 322 12 6 3555
322-323 Priest George to the Arians in Alexandria c. 322 13 7 3556
mid 323 Fragment of a letter of Paulinus of Tyre c. 320 9 5 2065
autumn 323 Summary of letter of a council in Palestine reinstating Arius c. 321/2 10 8  
fall 324 Emperor Constantine to Alexander of Alexandria and Arius
[actually to a wider audience]		 Oct. 324 17 19 2020
Nov.-Dec. 324 Letter of the Council of Antioch (325) Beginning of 325 18 20 8509
Nov.-Dec. 324 Fragment of a letter of Narcissus of Neronias to Chrestus, Euphronius and Eusebius 325 19 21  
early 325 Emperor Constantine’s letter calling the Council of Nicaea Spring 325 20 22 8511
  Fragment of a letter from Eusebius of Nicomedia to the Council of Nicaea June 325 21 23 2047
  Eusebius of Caesarea to his church explaining his actions at the Council of Nicaea June 325 22 24 3502
 

Letter of the Council of Nicaea to the Egyptian church

June 325 23 25 8515
  Creed of the Council of Nicaea June 19th 325 24 26 8512
 

Emperor Constantine to the church of Alexandria

June 325 25 29 8517
  Emperor Constantine to the churches on the Nicene decision concerning Easter June 325 26 30 8518
 

Emperor Constantine to the church of Nicomedia

 Nov.-Dec. 325 27 31 2055
 

Emperor Constantine to Theodotus of Laodicea

Nov.-Dec. 325 28 32 2056
Nov. 327

Emperor Constantine to Arius

27 Nov. 327 29 33 2040
late 327 / early 328 Arius and Euzoius to the Emperor Constantine End of 327 30 34 2027
early 328

Eusebius of Nicomedia and Theognis of Nicaea, recanting in order to be reinstated

 End of 327 31 36 2048
mid 328

Fragment of a letter from Emperor Constantine to Alexander of Alexandria

 Beginning of 328 32 37 2021
  Part of an edict against Arius and his followers 333 33 28 2041
  Emperor Constantine to Arius and his followers 333 34 27 2042

   

We are currently in the process of comparing various dating systems. 

To return to Opitz's chronology, click here.

To see Rowan William's dating system, click here.

To see R. P. C. Hanson's numbering system, click here.

To see the chronology of the upcoming edition of Urkunden, click here.

Created by AJW
Last updated:7/17/07 AJW
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