Analysis and History of Arianism :: Arianism Religion Religious Essays

Analysis and History of ArianismFirst among the doctrinal disputes which troubled Christians aft(prenominal) Constantinehad recognized the Church in A.D. 313, and the parent of many more during any(prenominal)three centuries, Arianism occupies a large place in ecclesiastical history. Itis not a modern excogitate of unbelief, and therefore will appear unusual in moderneyes. But we sh each(prenominal) better grasp its meaning if we limit it an Eastern attempt torationalize the creed by stripping it of arcanum so far as the relation ofChrist to God was concerned. In the New Testament and in Church teaching Jesusof Nazareth appears as the parole of God. This name He took to Himself (Matt., xi,27 John, x, 36), while the Fourth evangel declares Him to be the Word (Logos),Who in the beginning was with God and was God, by Whom all things were made. Asimilar precept is laid down by St. Paul, in his undoubtedly genuine Epistlesto the Ephesians, Colossians, and Philippians. It is reiter ated in the Lettersof Ignatius, and accounts for Plinys observation that Christians in theirassemblies chant a hymn to Christ as God. But the question how the Son wasrelated to the Father (Himself acknowledged on all hands to be the one SupremeDeity), gave rise, between the years A. D. 60 and 200, to number of Theosophicsystems, called for the most part Gnosticism, and having for their authors Basilides,Valentinus, Tatian, and other Greek speculators. Though all of these visitedRome, they had no following in the West, which remained free from controversiesof an abstract nature, and was faithful to the creed of its baptism.Intellectual centers were chiefly Alexandria and Antioch, Egyptian or Syrian,and speculation was carried on in Greek. The Roman Church held unwaveringly bytradition. Under these circumstances, when Gnostic schools had passed away withtheir conjugations of Divine powers, and emanations from the Supreme transcendent God (the Deep and the Silence) all speculation was thrown intothe form of an inquiry touching the likeness of the Son to His Father andsameness of His Essence. Catholics had ever so maintained that Christ was trulythe Son, and truly God. They worshipped Him with divine honors they would neverconsent to separate Him, in idea or reality, from the Father, Whose Word, Reason,Mind, He was, and in Whose Heart He abode from eternity. But the technical termsof doctrine were not fully defined and even in Greek lyric poem like essence (ousia),substance (hypostasis), nature (physics), person (hyposopon) bore a variety ofmeanings drawn from the pre-Christian sects of philosophers, which could not but