Arianism is a nontrinitarian belief that arose in the late 3rd century in response to controversial views of the nature of the Trinity and the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ. It is named after Arius, a Christian presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt, who taught that the Son of God was created by the Father and was therefore subordinate to the Father.
The Arian controversy began around 318 AD when Arius began teaching that Jesus Christ was the first creation of God the Father and therefore subordinate to the Father. Arius rejected the view held by other Christians that the Son was co-eternal and of the same being (consubstantial) as the Father. According to Arius, the Son of God was created “out of nothing” as the first act of the Father and was therefore not eternal like the Father.
This teaching gained a large following in the East but was opposed strongly by Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria. The disagreement led to the calling of the first ecumenical council of Nicaea in 325 AD by the Roman emperor Constantine. At this council, Arius’s views were condemned as heretical and the Nicene Creed was formulated, which affirmed that the Son is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.”
However, the controversy continued for several decades after the Council of Nicaea. Political and church leaders continued to debate the relationship between God the Father and Christ. Eusebius of Nicomedia and others carried on Arius’s views after his death. Constantine later reversed his condemnation of Arius and exiled Athanasius, the chief opponent of Arianism. It was not until the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD that Arianism was finally repudiated by the church.
The central tenet of Arian theology is that the Son of God did not always exist but was instead the first being created by God the Father. Because of this, the Son of God was subordinate to the Father and not equal or co-eternal with the Father. Jesus was still divine in Arian theology but was considered a demigod or lesser divinity than the Father. The Son of God was created directly out of nothing by the Father before time and the rest of creation. This view of Christ’s nature and relationship to God was deemed heretical by the early church.
Here are some key beliefs and teachings of Arian theology:
– The Son of God was created ex nihilo (out of nothing) by the Father before time began. He is therefore not eternal like the Father.
– There was a time when the Son did not exist. He came into being at the direct will of the Father.
– The Son of God is subordinate to the Father and carries out the Father’s will.
– The Son is divine but he is not equal with the Father. He is “God from God” but of a different essence than the Father.
– The Son of God is a created intermediary between the transcendent Father and creation. Through the Son all things were created.
– The Holy Spirit is also a creation of the Father through the Son. The Spirit is inferior to both Father and Son.
– The Father alone is without origin, eternal, wise, good, and immutable. The Son has the attributes given to him by the Father.
– Salvation is attained through the Son as the mediator between God and humanity. But worship is due to the Father alone.
– The names Father and Son do not denote identical natures but relationships of origination and subordination.
The arguments of Arius for the subordination and created nature of the Son included:
– Bible verses that speak of Christ being begotten, appointed, or exalted by God (Psalm 2:7, Acts 2:36, Philippians 2:9). These implied a beginning for the Son rather than an eternal existence.
– Christ stating “the Father is greater than I” (John 14:28) and calling the Father “my God” (John 20:17, Revelation 3:12)
– The Father as the “one God” (1 Corinthians 8:6, Ephesians 4:6) with the Son omitted from exclusive divinity.
– The centrality and supremacy of God the Father in terms like “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
– That for the Son to be co-eternal and consubstantial would mean there are two equal and identical Gods, which Arians argued was irrational polytheism.
– That begotten meant created and the Nicene term “of one being” was not found in scripture.
While condemned as a heresy, Arianism had a wide influence for several centuries after its conception. Being declared heretical did not immediately end its teaching.
Several 4th century emperors and their courts supported Arian theology, including Constantius II, Valens, and Julian. This allowed Arianism to spread throughout the eastern half of the Roman Empire and gain followers among Germanic tribes like the Visigoths and Vandals. The arrival of Germanic peoples on the empire’s borders in the 4th-5th centuries led them to convert to Arian Christianity rather than orthodox trinitarian Christianity. These Germanic kingdoms then helped spread Arianism in the West.
During this time pro-Arian councils like the Councils of Ariminum and Seleucia attempted to reverse Nicaea. Leading bishops and theologians like Eusebius of Nicomedia, George of Laodicea, and Ulfilas promoted Arian teaching. Athanasius and others, called the Nicene party, fought fiercely against the spread of Arianism. Debate, intrigue, exile, and even violence characterized the theological battles of this period.
While Arianism mostly died out in the Roman Empire by the end of the 4th century, it continued among some Germanic tribes through the 6th century. The Franks in Gaul abandoned Arianism in the late 6th century under Clovis I in favor of Catholicism. The Lombards in Italy remained Arian until the mid 7th century. However, the Vandal kingdom in North Africa actively persecuted catholics and maintained Arianism as the state religion until their kingdom fell to the Byzantines in 534 AD.
In the modern era, some groups have revived Arian or semi-Arian views of the Trinity and Christ’s divinity, though not necessarily deriving directly from ancient Arianism. These include:
– Jehovah’s Witnesses – They view Jesus as the first creation of God and as a subordinate secondary God. The Holy Spirit is viewed as an impersonal active force, not a person of the Trinity.
– Christadelphians – Jesus is believed to be the literal Son of God but not co-eternal or consubstantial. The Holy Spirit is God’s power, not a separate person.
– Iglesia ni Cristo – Christ is the Son of God but distinct from and subordinate to the Father, who alone is supreme. They reject the Trinity.
– Some Unitarian churches – Jesus was adopted as the Son of God but is not God Himself. God is one person, not triune.
– Certain liberal theologians – Jesus was a historical human figure who was exalted to divine status by the early church.
In summary, Arianism was one of the most significant theological controversies in early church history. While deemed unorthodox and eventually disappearing from the Roman Empire, it continued to have influence for centuries among barbarian tribes in western Europe. Elements of subordinationism and anti-trinitarianism from ancient Arian debates continue to reemerge in various forms up to the present day.