108 Jesus, Prophet of Islam
appointed a commission to investigate the death which had taken
place in such a mysterious manner. Athanasius was found to be
responsible, and was condemned for the murder of Arius.
The Emperor, greatly moved by the death of Arius, and doubt
lessly influenced by his sister, became a Christian soon after. He
was baptised by Eusebius of Nicomedia. He died only a year later,
in 337 AD. Thus Constantine, who had spent so much of his reign
persecuting those who affirmed the Divine Unity and supporting
their opponents, died in the faith of those he had killed.
e e o e e
Arius played an important part in the history of Christianity. He
was not only largely the means by which Constantine finally ac
cepted Christianity, but also represented those people who have
attempted to follow the teaching of Jesus implicitly. At a time when
this guidance was beginning to be seriously eroded, and when the
memory of Jesus as a man who embodied his message was begin
ning to fade, Arius stands out as a man who was not prepared to
accept this course of events with complacency.
Arius believed that God is absolutely One, and that therefore
this belief is absolutely simple. He believed that God is alone
ingenerate, alone eternal, alone without beginning, alone good,
alone almighty, alone unchangeable and unalterable, and that His
Being is hidden in eternal mystery from the outward eye of every
creature. Arius opposed any idea of the manhood of God.
Arius earnestly pressed in favour of following Jesus implicitly.
He was willing to recognise in him every attribute which was com
patible with his being a human being, and which, in turn, did not
contradict the unique attributes and Unity of God, and accordingly
he refused to compromise or come to terms with any idea which
led to a concept of or a belief in multiple Divinity. Thus he auto
matically felt bound to reject any dogma which promoted or ac
cepted the alleged divinity of Jesus. In his view, sinceingenerateness
is the very essence of Divinity, there could be no 'son' of God in
any strict or primary sense.
If the ad of generation is attributed to God, he said, this con
cept constitutes an attack on the unique singularity of God. It also,
even if only indirectly, ascribes to God corporeality and passion
which are attributes of man and imply that the Almighty is subject
to necessity - which He dearly is not. Thus, on every ground, he
argued, it is impossible to ascribe the act of generation to God.
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