“The whole world groaned and marveled to find itself Arian”

St. JeromeArianism

Arianism

• Arius a priest who reflecting on Jesus’ statement that “the Father is greater than I” concluded:– Christ, while not God, is an exceptional creature– Raised to be “Son of God” because of His holiness– The Logos, a creature, was created before the

beginning of the world

Effects of Arianism

• Arius’ teachings jeopardized many, if not all, of the core tenets of Christianity

• Arian bishops were appointed by Arians and tried to have the orthodox bishops exiled so they could take over the sees

• The Arians had the help of the various Arian emperors

• Riots would break out between Arians and Catholic Christians over doctrines

Response to Arianism

Emperor Constantine did notparticularly care who was correct, buthe wanted unity

* Arian/Catholic disagreement led to disunity in the Empire

Council of Nicea• Constantine wanted a

general council at Nicaea (in modern Turkey) in 325 to settle the matter

• Constantine – paid for the Western bishops

to be able to attend– Opened the first session and

kept the peace between the two factions

• Pope Sylvester I – could not attend due to age,

but Bishop Hosius of Cordova, Spain acted as his legate

Council of Nicea

• First Ecumenical Council– Significant since Christianity had only been

legalized in the Empire for 12 years

• Catholics argued the word “homoousios” described the relationship between God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ– Word means “of the same substance/nature”– Tradition says Constantine proposed the word

Council of Nicea

• Arians wanted to say that Christ was of a different substance/nature than the Father

• Semi-Arians wanted to use the word “homoiousios” (“of similar nature”)

• Church argued there was not “one iota of difference” between Arian belief and Semi-Arian belief

Council of Nicea

• Passages in which Jesus states the Father is greater than He refer to His human nature

• Passages in which Jesus states that He and the Father are equal refer to His divine nature

• If Jesus were not God, He could not effect our salvation– Humans cannot pay the penalty for sin

Results of the Council

• All but two bishops signed the creedal statement of Nicaea

• These two were exiled by the Emperor,• Constantine reversed his position in 328 and

allowed the Arian bishops to return• Catholic bishops sent into exile (including

Athanasius)

Controversy Continues

• In 336 Constantine said Arius’ position was correct

• Constantine died in 337 and was baptized an Arian on his deathbed by Eusebius of Nicomedia, who was Patriarch of Constantinople

• Sons ruled Empire: Constans I in the West and Constantius in the East (an Arian)

• Constans murdered in 350 and Constantius became sole emperor

Controversy Continues

• With the support of Constantius Arianism spread so much that St. Jerome stated “The whole world groaned and marveled to find itself Arian.”

• St. Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria,became the prominent Catholic theologian opposing Arianism

• Was exiled from his see several times totaling 17 years of exile

Council of Constantinople

• Many synods and councils called over the 25• years after Nicaea rehashing the Arian/• Catholic debate• In 359, both the East and West convoked• synods (in Seleucia and Ariminum) and• Arian statements were approved with the• Emperor’s support

Controversy Abates

• Constantius died in 361• Council of Paris affirmed a Catholic• statement• Semi-Arians returned to Catholicism after• seeing Arianism’s threat• After a short exile by Emperor Julian the• Apostate, Athanasius was able to return to• Alexandria

Donatism

• Context– Diocletian’s Persecutions were widespread. Many priests

and bishops did worship the Roman gods rather than be imprisoned, tortured and/or martyred

– Christianity made legal in 313. Many of these apostates are still alive

• Donatists rejected the validity of sacraments confected by priests and bishops who had formally betrayed their faith or who were sinful

• Re-baptized all those who joined them• Identified the Church solely with themselves

Donatism

• St. Augustine argued against the Donatists– Christ is the true minister of every sacrament, and

He works through the human minister, even if that minster is in a state of sin

• Sacraments are ex opere operato• Donatists suppressed in 411, but not finally

defeated until Islam conquered North Africa and suppressed the Church

Nestorianism• Nestorius was patriarch of Constantinople• He was reacting to Apollinarianism.

Apollinaris was a bishop and worked with Athansius to fight against Arianism. – Apollinaris could not understand how Jesus was

God (unchangeable and incorruptible) and completely man (changeable and corruptible).

– His solution was that Christ had a human body but not a human soul.

Nestorianism• Nestorius was reacting to Arianism and Apollinarianism.

• It was now clear that Christ had both a human and a divine nature• It was not clear how these two natures were united• So, he understood Christ be two persons, the divine Son of God and the

human person Jesus

• The divine Person dwelt within the human body• Said that Mary could not be called the Mother of God, but only

the Mother of Christ• Condemned by the Council of Ephesus in 431

– Mary is Theotokus: “Mother of God””• The relationship between Christ’s two natures was further

clarified by the Council of Chalcedon in 451• Heresy was prevalent ca. A.D. 351-451

Pelagianism• Said that humans can be redeemed and saved not

through grace, but through their own efforts• Denied the existence of Original Sin and its inherited

nature• Sacraments are not necessary• Pelagius condemned at councils in Carthage and

Milevis in 416– Excommunicated by Pope St. Innocent I– Council of Carthage issued a teaching based upon St.

Augustine’s positions on the Fall and Original Sin– Emperor Honorius denounced the Pelagians on 30 April

418– Ephesus (431) condemned Pelagianism again