ARIANISM. The doctrines of Arius, a native of Libya, who was borne soon after the middle of the third century, and became a presbyter in Alexandria in A.D. 313. The Arian Controversy started from a criticism by Arius of a discourse on the Trinity delivered by Alexander his bishop. The Bishop having explained that the unity in the Trinity consisted in an indivisible unity of substance or essence, " a certain one of the presbyters under his jurisdiction, whose name was Arius, possessed of no in considerable logical acumen, imagining that the bishop entertained the same view of this subject as Sabellius the Libyan [see SABELLIANISM], controverted his statements with excessive pertinacity, advancing another error which was directly opposed indeed to that which he supposed himself called upon to refute. ' If,' he said, the Father begat the Son, he that was begotten had a beginning of existence: and from this it is evident that there was a time when the Son was not in being. It therefore necessarily follows that he had his existence (hupostags) from nothing' " (Socrates, Eccles. Hist.). Alexander excommunicated Arius, and those who sympa thised with him, who took a further step, denied the co eternity and co-equality of the Son with the Father, and maintained that he differed from other beings in being created out of nothing as the first and highest of God's creatures. Arius was deposed at Alexandria in 321. In 323 a synod at Ilithynia pronounced in his favour. But at the famous Council of Nicaea. in Bithynia, convoked by the Emperor Constantine in 325, the doctrine of the Trinity was carefully defined in a way unfavourable to Arius, who was at the same time banished to Illyricum. The Nicene Creed declared that the Son was " begotten, not made, being of one essence (homoousion) with the Father," and anathematized those who say that " there was once when he was not," and " before he was begotten he was not," and " he was made of things that were not," or maintain that the Son of God is of a different essence (hupostasis or ousia) or created or subject to moral change or alteration." The great champion of orthodoxy was Athanasius (the " Father of orthodoxy "), who was born about A.D. 295, and became Bishop of Alexandria In 328. In the course of his struggles with the Arians, he suffered banishment five times, his opponents temporarily getting the upper hand. There
was a re-action against the Nicene Formula after Con stantine's death (337). Athanasius could be said at times to stand against the world (" Athanasius contra mun dum "), and there was a period (A.D. 359 especially) of which it could be said that " the whole world groaned, and was astounded to find itself Arian " (Jerome). But a counter-reaction set in after the death of the Emperor Constantius (A.D. 361), and in A.D. 3S1 at the Council of Constantinople the Creed of Nicaea was re-affirmed. Arius, of course, was not the only leader, and Arianism had a number of able exponents. One of his earliest friends and sympathisers was Eusebius, Bishop of Nico media (d. 342), who became head of a party, the Euse bians. Another Eusebius (born about A.D. 270), Bishop of Caesarea and famous as a historian, also took part in the controversy. His followers also were called Euse bians as well as Semi-Arians. They maintained that the Son was " like in substance to the Father." Their teaching was therefore Homoiousian not Houloousian. Strict Arianism was represented by Aetius and his disciple Eunomius. whence they were called Aetians or Eunomians. They were also known as Anoraceans or Heterousians, because they said that the substance of the Son was unlike (anonzoios) that of the Father; or as Exucontians because they maintained that he was created from nothing (ex ouk onton). Another leader was Acacius, who contended simply that the Son is "like " the Father, and refused to use the phrase " like in sub stance or essence." His followers have been called Acacians or FIomceans (from hotnotos " like"). The heterodox parties have also been called Antinicreans or Antinicenes as compared with the orthodox Athanasians or Nicenes. In the fifth century A.D. Arianism was ex pelled from the Roman Empire, but obtained a hold among the Vandals, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Burgundian, Suevi, and Lombards. It was through Arianism that these Teutonic tribes were introduced to Christianity. By the year 662, however, they bad all passed over to the orthodox faith. See J. H. Newman, The Arians of the Fourth Century, new ed., 1891; H. M. Gwatkin, The Arian Controversy, 18S9; J. H. Blunt, Heresies, etc., 1903; Cath. Didt.; Chambers' Enoyclop.; and Brockbaus.