Life And Importance Of Arius

How could a heretic as this possibly impact the church? Without Arius there would have been no purpose for calling a Council at Nicea. Arius and his supporters in Alexandria must have created a large problem for Alexander. We know he had numerous supporters because some of them were listed in his letters. Finally, Constantine intervened because he saw the serious problem this was causing within the church and without settlement it could have grave consequences. This was the first time the state was able to invoke its authority to settle a theological problem in the church (Gonzalez 158).

In Arius’ earlier letter, written around 319 CE to Eusebius, it can be observed that he is a persistent man who wants to teach the truth, or at least what he believes to be the truth (Rusch 17). Arius’ father, Ammonius, is apparently still living at this time and travelling from Alexandria to Nicomedia; Arius decided to address Eusebius through his father, carrying the letter for him. The apparent purpose of this letter is to remind Eusebius that he still cares for and thinks of him, but also to update Eusebius of the fact that he and his followers are being persecuted by Alexander. This can be seen in the following statement by Arius,

Unfortunately, as stated above, only two of Arius’ letters still exist today, one written by Arius to Alexander, his Bishop in Alexandria, and another written to Eusebius of Nicomedia. Due to this fact, one is limited in the reconstruction of a holistic picture of Arius’ character.

The latter letter, written to Alexander in 320 CE, is a confession of faith. Due to the fact that this letter focuses on the beliefs of Arius and his followers, not much of Arius’ character is revealed. But one important fact that should not be overlooked is what Arius does not say. Arius had been persecuted by this time for approximately one year and yet, surprisingly, he does not mention it. Instead of completely rebelling against Bishop Alexander, he acknowledges his authority by calling him ”blessed.” Arius does not slander Alexander in either of these two letters. He mentions his persecution only in his letter to Eusebius and in both letters he refrains from attacking his enemies in the manner Athanasius does in his Orations. Another interesting contrast that can be made in viewing this letter is that Arius is more of an orthodox theologian in his appeals process than the stereotypical heretic. It was Athanasius who confronted the Pope with his version of Christology and was exiled several times.

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