Arianism was the fourth century evolution of adoptionism, in which Arius made a concession to the mainstream by accepting a quasi-divinity in Jesus Christ. But this was an acquired divinity, an earned divinity, and a divinity that was less than that of the Father. The controversy led to the first worldwide (ecumenical) council of bishops, the Council of Nicaea, in the year 325 AD, and it ultimately led to the crafting of the Nicene Creed, as the Church’s definitive statement of orthodox faith.
Links
To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode 23 on Alexander of Alexandria: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-23-alexanders-lagtime-stand/
To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode 24 on Athanasius of Alexandria: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-23athanasius-against-world/
To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode 2.2 on The Council of Nicaea: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/22-council-nicaea-first-and-foremost/
To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode 33 on Ambrose of Milan: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/33ambrose-milan-how-church-regards-state/
To read the letter from Alexander of Alexandria to Alexander of Byzantium (Constantinople): https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1823&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2393434
For an introduction to Athanasius’ many writings against Arianism: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3085&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2393444
To listen to the full text of St. Augustine’s On Christian Doctrine as an audio book: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-augustine-de-doctrina-christiana-full/
For more on the Arian controversy in its historical context, see the book: Reading the Church Fathers: A History of the Early Church and the Development of Doctrine: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/reading-the-church-fathers/
For a line by line explanation of the Nicene Creed (with cameo appearances by Batman and Superman), see the book: Trinity 101: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: https://www.liguori.org/trinity-101.html
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Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage: http://www.jimpapandrea.com
Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed: https://www.ccwatershed.org/