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Arius
Christian priest
Quick Facts
- Born:
- c. 250, Libya
- Died:
- 336, Constantinople [now Istanbul, Turkey]
- Subjects Of Study:
- Arianism
- Neoplatonism
Arius (born c. 250, Libya—died 336, Constantinople [now Istanbul, Turkey]) was a Christian priest whose teachings gave rise to a theological doctrine known as Arianism. Arianism affirmed a created, finite nature of Christ rather than equal divinity with God the Father and was denounced by the early church as a major heresy. An ascetical moral leader of a Christian community in the area of Alexandria, Arius attracted a large following through a message integrating Neoplatonism, which accented the absolute oneness of the Divinity as the highest perfection, with a literal, rationalist approach to the New Testament texts. This point of ...(100 of 203 words)