ARIAN, a follower of Arius, Presbyter of Alexandria in the 4th century A. D., or one holding the system of doctrine associated with his name. During the first three centuries of the Christian era, what was subsequently called the doc trine of the Trinity had become the sub ject of controversy, chiefly in one direc tion; it had been decided against Sabel lius that there are in the Godhead three distinct persons, whereas Sabellius had in effect reduced the three to one. In the year 317, Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria, having publicly expressed his opinion that the Son of God is not only of the same dignity as the Father, but of the same essence (in Greek, ousia), Arius, one of the Presbyters, considered this view as leaning too much to Sabellianism, and, rushing to the other extreme, he declared that the Son of God was only the first and noblest of created beings, and though the uni verse had been brought into existence through His instrumentality by the Eternal Father, He was inferior, not merely in dignity, but in essence. The
views of Arius commended themselves to multitudes, while they were abhorrent to still more; fierce controversy respect ing them broke out, and the whole Chris tian world was soon compelled to take sides in the struggle. Constantine, the first Christian emperor, then the reign ing sovereign, summoned a council to meet at Nice, in Bithynia, which it did in A. D. 325. It was the first general council and the most celebrated of all. It declared Christ to be homoousios, e., of the same essence as the Father, whereas Arius regarded Him as only homoiousios, of similar essence. The erring Presbyter was deposed and exiled. The Arians greatly weakened themselves by splitting into sects, and the doctrines regarding the relations of the three Divine Personages authorita tively proclaimed at Nice were at last all but universally adopted.