Analysis and History of Arianism :: Arianism Religion Religious Essays

Analysis and History of ArianismFirst among the doctrinal disputes which troubled Christians after Constantinehad recognized the Church in A.D. 313, and the parent of many more during somethree centuries, Arianism occupies a large place in ecclesiastical history. Itis not a modern form of unbelief, and consequently will appear strange in moderneyes. But we sh all told better grasp its meaning if we term it an Eastern attempt torationalize the creed by stripping it of mystery so far as the relation ofChrist to God was concerned. In the New Testament and in Church teaching the Nazareneof Nazareth appears as the Son of God. This name He took to Himself (Matt., xi,27 John, x, 36), while the Fourth Gospel declares Him to be the Word (Logos),Who in the beginning was with God and was God, by Whom all things were made. Asimilar doctrine is laid down by St. Paul, in his undoubtedly genuine Epistlesto the Ephesians, Colossians, and Philippians. It is reiterated in the Lettersof Ignatius, and accounts for Plinys observation that Christians in theirassemblies chanted a hymn to Christ as God. But the question how the Son wasrelated to the sustain (Himself acknowledged on all hands to be the one imperiousDeity), gave rise, between the years A. D. 60 and 200, to number of Theosophicsystems, called generally 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 airless 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 steadfastly bytradition. Under these circumstances, when Gnostic schools had passed by withtheir conjugations of Divine powers, and emanations from the Supremeunknowable God (the Deep and the Silence) all speculation was thrown intothe form of an inquiry touchin g the likeness of the Son to His Father andsameness of His Essence. Catholics had always 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 haggling 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