Arian heresy is one of the most significant in the history of the medieval church. It appeared in the 9th century from the Nativity of Christ and shook the very foundations of Christianity. Even after several centuries, this teaching continues to influence the modern world.
What is heresy
Heresy is the conscious distortion of the creed of a religion. This can be either a retreat in the understanding of certain theological dogmas, or the creation of separate religious schools or sects.
During the rise of Christianity, various heretical teachings posed a serious threat to the church. The basic tenets of religion have not yet been streamlined and clearly formulated, which gave rise to many interpretations, which often contradicted the very essence of the Christian faith.
Most of the heresiarchs of the Middle Ages were sincerely believers, well-educated and well-known preachers. They were popular and had a certain effect on people.
Background of the origin of Arianism
The first centuries of the existence of Christianity, its followers were severely persecuted around the world. Only in 313, the editors of Constantine and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan, according to which all creeds in Rome were recognized as equal.
By the time Arianism appeared, the persecution of believers had ceased and the Christian church had taken a dominant position in the Roman Empire. Its influence on social and political life spread very quickly. Thus, the discord within the church was reflected in the life of the entire imperial structure.
Heresy and schism were commonplace at that time. They were not always based on ideological theological differences. Often disagreements arose on the basis of a clash of various economic, political, and ethnic interests. Some social groups tried using religion to fight for their own rights.
In addition, many well-educated, thinking people came to the church. They began to raise issues that were not previously considered significant. For example, a different understanding of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity was the impetus for the emergence of Arianism.
The essence of Arianism
So what is this heresy that stirred up the whole Christian world? In short, Arianism is a teaching according to which Jesus Christ is the creation of God the Father, therefore, is not consubstantial (that is, equal) to him, but is lower. Thus, God the Son does not have the fullness of divinity, but becomes only one of the instruments of a higher power.
Later, Arius somewhat softened his position, calling the Son the most perfect creation of the Father, not like the rest. But the essence still remained the same.
The Arian heresy contradicts the modern understanding of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which claims that all divine hypostases, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, are consubstantial, beginningless and equal.
But in the early Christian church there were still no clearly formulated dogmas. There was not yet a single creed. Theologians each used their own terminology and were calm about debates and discrepancies. Only with the coming to power of Constantine the Great did the Roman Empire demand from the church the adoption of a single teaching with exact formulations.
Priest Arius
Arius, whose name is called the doctrine, was a prominent preacher and thinker of the IV century. He served as the presbyter of the Bavkal church in the city of Alexandria. Arius was a talented and charismatic man, a favorite of the people. Bishop Achilles of Alexandria before his death named him as one of his successors.
But the rival Alexander won in the struggle for the episcopal throne. He was an ardent opponent of the heresy of Arianism and began full-scale persecution of the elder and his followers. Arius was excommunicated, deprived of his dignity, and fled to Nicomedia. The local bishop Eusebius ardently stood up for him. It was in the east that the teachings of Aria were especially favorably received and gained many supporters.
When Emperor Constantine ascended the throne, defeating Licinius in 324, he was faced with heated church disputes face to face. His idea was to make Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire. Therefore, he actively intervened in the discussion and sent his envoys to Arius and Alexander demanding reconciliation.
But the political and religious views of these people were too different to easily forget about the differences. And in 325, the first Ecumenical Council in Nicaea was convened in church history.
What are church cathedrals
The tradition of church councils began in the year 50, when the apostles, according to the book of Acts, gathered together in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. Since then, church hierarchs have met to solve serious problems concerning the entire church.
But so far these meetings have been limited only to local bishops. No one before Constantine could have imagined a discussion of doctrine issues at the level of the entire Roman Empire. The new emperor was going to strengthen his power with the help of Christianity, and he needed scale.
The Russian word "ecumenical" is a translation of the Greek "inhabited land". For the Greco-Roman Empire, this meant that the decisions of the cathedrals were made throughout the territory they knew. Today, these decrees are considered significant for the entire Christian church. The Orthodox world recognizes the decisions of the seven councils, the Catholic - much more.
Nicene Cathedral
The first Ecumenical Council was held in Nicaea in 325. This city was next to the eastern imperial residence Nicomedia, which made it possible for Konstantin to personally attend the debate. In addition, Nicaea was the patrimony of the western church, where Arius had few supporters.
The emperor considered the party of the Bishop of Alexandria to be more powerful and suitable to lead the dominant church, and therefore took his side in the dispute. The authority of Rome and Alexander significantly influenced the decision.
The Cathedral lasted about three months, and as a result, the Nicene Creed was adopted, based on the Caesarean baptismal symbol with some additions. This document affirmed the understanding of the Son of God as uncreated and consubstantial with the Father. The Arian heresy was condemned, and its supporters sent into exile.
Arianism after the Council of Nicaea
Almost immediately after the completion of the Ecumenical Council, it became clear that not all bishops support the new Creed. It was very different from the traditions prevailing in the eastern dioceses. The teachings of Arius seemed more logical and intelligible, so many advocated the adoption of compromise formulations.
Another stumbling block was the word "consubstantial." It is never used in the scriptures. Moreover, it was associated with the heresy of the modalists, condemned at the Council of Antioch in 268.
Emperor Constantine himself, seeing that the schism of the church after the expulsion of the Arians only intensified, spoke out for softening the wording of the Creed. He returns the expelled bishops and sends in exile already supporters of the Niche. It is known that at the end of his life he even received baptism from one of the most devoted Arian priests Eusebius of Nicomedia.
The sons of the emperor supported various Christian movements. Therefore, in the West, Nicheism flourished, and in the East - Arian heresy, but in a more moderate form. Her followers called themselves omiyas. Even Arius himself was pardoned and was already preparing for the return of the priestly dignity, but he suddenly died.
In fact, Arianism was the dominant trend until the convocation of the Ecumenical Council in Constantinople. This was also facilitated by the fact that mostly representatives of the eastern church went to the barbarian tribes to Europe as missionaries. Many of the Visigoths, Vandals, Rugs, Lombards and Burgundians converted to Arianism.
Second Ecumenical Council
Emperor Theodosius, who succeeded Julian the Apostate on the throne, issued a decree according to which all who refuse to accept the Nicene symbol were declared heretics. In May 381, the Second Ecumenical Council was convened in Constantinople for the final approval of the unified teaching of the church.
By this time, the positions of the followers of Aria had already significantly weakened even in the east. The pressure of the emperor and Nicaeans was too strong, so moderate omii either moved into the bosom of the official church, or became pronouncedly radical. Only the most ardent representatives remained in their ranks, whom the people did not support.
About 150 bishops from different regions, mainly eastern ones, arrived in Constantinople. At the council, the concept of Arianism was finally condemned, and the Nicene symbol of faith was accepted as the only true one. He, however, underwent minor corrections. For example, the paragraph on the Holy Spirit has been expanded.
After the hearing, the bishops sent conciliar decrees for approval by Emperor Theodosius, and he equated them with state laws. But the struggle against Arianism did not end there. Among the East German and North African barbarians, this teaching remained dominant until the VI century. The Roman anti-heretical legislation was not applicable to them. The point in the Arian dispute was set only by the conversion of the Lombards to Niceneism in the 7th century.
The appearance of Arianism in Russia
Already in the second half of the 9th century, Russia established active trade with Byzantium. Thanks to this, a cultural exchange took place. Byzantine historians wrote about cases of the baptism of the Russians and the creation of large Christian communities. The Patriarchate of Constantinople announced the founding of the Russian Metropolis somewhere on the Crimean peninsula.
The Christianity of the Slavic peoples depended little on Byzantium and the Roman Empire. Originality was preserved, services were conducted in local languages, sacred texts were actively translated.
By the time Arianism appeared in Russia, the Slavs from the sermon of Cyril and Methodius had already taken up the idea of the universal church, as its apostles understood. That is, the Christian community, embracing all peoples and united in its diversity. The Slavs of the 9th-10th centuries were distinguished by religious tolerance. They received followers of various Christian teachings, including Irish monks and Arians.
The struggle with this heresy was not particularly stormy in Russia. After Rome forbade the Slavic worship, Methodius went to rapprochement with the Arian communities, in which there were already prepared priests and liturgical texts in the Slavic language. He advocated the national church so much that in one of the Czech chronicles he was called the "Russian archbishop." Byzantium and Rome considered him a follower of the Arian heresy.
False Dmitry and Arian sects
Despite the fact that the teachings of Arius were condemned by the church in Rome and Constantinople, he had many supporters in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe until the 17th century. It is known that in the territories of Zaporozhye and the Commonwealth there were large Arian communities.
In one of them, in the Polish city of Goszcz, the future False Dmitry I was hiding from the persecution of Tsar Boris Grishka Otrepiev. At that time he was seeking funding from the rich Orthodox nobles and clergy of Ukraine, but failed. Therefore, he turned to the Arians, completely abandoning monastic tonsure.
At the school of the community, Otrepiev studied Latin and Polish, comprehended the foundations of the dogma and, according to contemporaries, was very impressed with him. Having received the support of the Arians, he went to their co-religionists in Zaporozhye, where the elders received him with honors.
During the campaign to Moscow, False Dmitry was accompanied by a detachment of Zaporizhzhya Aryan Cossacks, led by Jan Buchinsky, an adviser and closest friend of the impostor. The support of the Polish and Ukrainian communities became for Otrepiev a serious financial help, but completely destroyed the reputation in Russia.
The real king could not be a non-Orthodox heretic. Now, not only the clergy has renounced False Dmitry, but also the entire Russian people. Otrepiev was supposed to return the location. Therefore, he did not return to Goshcha, but began to seek protection from the noble Orthodox Lithuanian Adam Vishnevsky.
Pretending to be sick on his estate, the impostor confessed to the priest about his origin and claims to the Moscow throne. With support, he finally broke with Arianism.
Consequences of arianism
The history of Arianism is not just a heated debate about dogmas that shook the church in the 4th century. The consequences of this split can be experienced even in modern culture and religion. One of the followers of the Arians today is Jehovah's Witnesses.
Some scholars believe that this teaching indirectly provoked the appearance of images of God in the temples and the ensuing dispute with the iconoclasts. The image of Christ in the Arian communities was allowed, because in their opinion, he was only the creation of the Father, and not God.
But the most important achievement of Arius was that, thanks to disputes with him, the Christian community was able to clearly identify and formulate the basic dogmas and rules of church dogma. Until now, the Nicene-Constantinople Creed is accepted by all Christian faiths as an undeniable truth.