ARITS, the celebrated founder of Arianism, was a native of Libya, and is generally supposed to have been b. shortly after the middle of the 3d century. About the year 306 A.D., Alexandria was thrown into confusion by the violence of its religious disputes, and in these A. was largely mixed up. At first, he took part with Meletius, bishop of Lycop olis, in upper Egypt, a man who was strenuously opposed to certain notions of disci pline entertained by Peter, bishop of Alexandria; but afterwards he became'reconciled to the latter, who made A. a deacon. The reconciliation, however, was brief. A. once more took the part of Meletius, and was excommunicated by Peter in consequence; but the latter dying soon after, Achillas, his successor, restored A. to his office, and even advanced him to the dignity of a presbyter, 3,13 A,D. His new function required that he should interpret the Scriptures, and, as be possessed an abundance of natural gifts, united with great learning, it is not wonderful that his preaching should have become popular, and his peculiarities of opinion been vehemently embraced. The first time, however, that A. was brought into collision on a point of doctrine with his ecclesiastical superiors, was in 318 A.D. Alexander, bishop of Alexandria, and successor of Achillas, having in a public assembly of clergy, while speaking of the Trinity, said that it con tained'one single essence, or indivisible unity of substance, A. alleged that such a con ception was impossible to the human mind, and accused Alexander of Sabelliauism i.e., of destroying the distinction of perSons. The dispute grew hot, and a conference which was held to settle it only embittered the disputants. In maintaining his ground, A. went beyond his first statement of the absolute distinctness of person between the Father and the Son; lie maintained that the Son was not co-equal or co-eternal with the Father, but only the first and highest of all finite beings, created out of nothing by an act of God's free will, and that he ought not to be ranked with the Father.
A. was successful in securing the adherence of large numbers both of the clergy and laity in Egypt, Syria, and Asia Minor. In 321 a synod of bishops was held at Alexan dria. These deposed and excommunicated A.. and active measures were taken to let this decision be known over all the Christian churches; Alexander himself wrote num erous letters (two of which are still extant), exhorting the bishops not to receive the " heretic." In consequence of these violent steps, the breach was widened between both parties. To escape persecution, A. retired to Palestine, where he wrote a letter to his friend Eusebius, who was bishop of Nicomedcia, a city of Bithynia, and not far from Constantinople. Eusebius, one of the most influential of his time, warmly sympathized with him; wrote in his behalf to Paulinus, bishop of Tyre, and others; absolved him from the Alexandrian synod's excommunication; and in 323 convened anothei synod in Bithynia, which pronounced favorably on A. He even enlisted Con stantiue on the side of the latter, to this extent at least, that the half-pagan emperor addressed admonitions to both Alexander and A., assuring them that the point in dis pute was a trifling one, and ought not to provoke a serious quarrel. While A. was residing at Nicomedeia, lie wrote a theological work in verse and prose, called Maeda, some fragments of which remain, and indicate an earnest and philosophic mind, but at the same time contain expressions which could not but pain a believer in the divinity of Christ. The PmMin is said to have been sung by the Arian neophytes, who thus kindled the passions of their adversaries, and increased the virulence of the contest. The comedians, who were pagans, took advantage of the occasion to ridicule the Christian religion in the theaters. The officers of the emperor in several cities wished to repress this profane temerity, but the interference only created greater confusion.