Arius and the Council at Nicaea
• The first stage of the crisis came about because of the popular
teaching of a presbyter named Arius (c. 260–336) and the calling of
the first ecumenical council at Nicaea (325).
• Possibly Libyan by birth, Arius studied in Antioch with Lucian,
whose school tended toward adoptionist positions with respect to
Christ. Arius became a popular priest in Alexandria; he was also an
ascetic and wrote many hymns and letters, including a work called
Thaleia (“Banquet”).• Sometime between 315 and 319, Arius began to publicly espouse
adoptionist views: Of Christ, he declared, “there was a time when
he was not,” and he said, “the Word is a creature.” Christ’s status as
Son was consequently bestowed on him by the Father.Thinkers in the 2nd and 3rd centuries tried to explain the ambiguous language
of the New Testament concerning Jesus in more rational terms, in an effort to
understand the relationship between the Father and Son.
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