2) Arianism
This heresy proved that Constantine’s caesaro-papism would be a disaster for the Church
a) When it occurred
Around AD 318-319 in Alexandria
Founded by a deacon in Alexandria by the name of Arius
Arianism was at its strongest with the support of the emperors after Constantine, but stopped being a major force by AD 380(though pockets of it still exist today)
b) What it taught
If Jesus (the 2nd Person of the Trinity), is the Son of God, then God the Father (the 1st Person of the Trinity) must have existed before him.
If so, then Jesus must have been created.
If so, then Jesus can’t be God. He may be greatest human ever, but he’s not God.
c) Church teachings contradicted
The 3 Persons of the Trinity are all divine.
Jesus is both God and man.
John addresses Jesus’ divinity in his Gospel in Jn. 1: 1…
* “In the beginning was the Word [i.e. Jesus]…
*…and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John addresses Jesus’ humanity also in Jn. 1: 14
* “And the Word was made flesh [i.e., became man] and dwelt among us.”
d) Opponents to Arianism
Alexander, Patriarch of Alexandria
Ossius, Bishop of Cordova (in Spain)
St. Athanasius, successor of Alexander as Patriarch of Alexandria
e) Resolution: mainly by the Council of Nicea (AD 325), the 1stEcumenical Council (= a council where all the Church’s bishops are present under the pope)
convened under a representative of Pope St. Sylvester I
debates were bitter and out of the papal representative’s weak control, so Emperor Constantine intervened a lot
The goal: condemn Arianism and formulate a creed (= statement of faith)
* many creeds were written (including by Athanasius), but agreement was hard
* finally, the Nicene Creed was agreed on as a definitive statement of the Christian faith
The Nicene Creed was signed under Liberius’ authority and Constantine’s approval, so everyone was happy, right? Not quite…
f) Epilogue: Sylvester dies in 335, and Constantine dies in 337; the new emperor eventuallywas his son Constantius…who is a die-hard Arian.
This is where caesaro-papism became dangerous, because Constantius used his imperial power to solidify Arianism
Constantius tries to squash the Nicene Creed and persecutes all of Arianism’s opponents:
* He forced Athanasius into exile for 17 years.
* He had Ossius of Cordoba (by now 100 years old) whipped for opposing Arianism.
* He threatens new Pope Liberius into silence.
Arianism only loses power when Constantius dies in 361, and a Catholic Emperor issued an edict against Arianism in 380.
Assignment:
1)Find a copy of the Nicene Creed. Show how that creed opposed the ideas of Arius.
2)Explain how caesaro-papism made Arianism worse.