How Dangerous Was The Ariaan Heresy

The textbook should be rephrased because it doesn't have the necessary amount of details regarding the information about Roman persecution of the Christians.

First of all increased the importance of the Virgin Mary for whom she felt a fierce admiration and to who she could be related, herself being the 'Virgin empress'. The judgment of Nestorious as a heretic following the third ecumenical council is therefore no mystery, since Heraclius challenged the importance of the Virgin Mary and consequently indirectly challenged the image and the beliefs of the queen. This once again reflects empirical power within ecumenical councils at the time. Moreover, the fourth Ecumenical council and Chalcedonian Creed was a way for the empress to deal with the Monophysite situation and restore some sense of order.

One of the most crucial times in our history was in the era of Emperor Constantine. Prior to Constantine’s rule, Christianity was opposed by the Roman Empire. This occurred because Christians were on a different agenda. The Roman authorities were tolerant of the religions within its territories. The various religions throughout the land gave the emperor respect and honor in their rituals and ceremonies.

Sometime between 318 and 320, a major debate erupted between, Athanasius mentor, Alexander, and Arius, a charismatic priest in Alexandria. Arius’ views were well known with his catchy song that went somewhat along the lines of “There was a time when the Son was not”, and this explains his doctrinal stance well. Arius argued that that Christ was a created being of the father, while Alexander took that side of “homoousios” or that the father and son were of one “being”. Athanasius in his letter to Adelphius, claims that “We [Christians] do now worship a creature. Never! And that belongs to the Pagans and Arians.” In response, Alexander summoned a council of bishops to handle the issue and Arius refused to agree to their doctrine, and therefore was excommunicated by Alexander. There was a major fallout, full of divisions and conflict, until the emperor called a council, known as the first ecumenical council, or the council of Nicaea. At this council, Athanasius attended as secretary to Alexander. After this, Alexander’s views were deemed as orthodox and Arius was exiled from the church. Athanasius had been on the right side of the argument and his mentor victorious in his interpretation. This debate was far from settled, as the Emperor Constantine returned

On one level this was theological. Exemplifying this was Henry of Lausanne, a twelfth century French heresiarch. Weaved throughout his preaching, was a Pelagian stance on original sin. Hereby man was not tainted by the Fall, so only fell through his own actions. From this, Henry concluded there was no need for the sacraments. Subsequently orthodox salvation was attacked, arguably showing the Church was controlling the people. Moreover some taught the complete removal of the clergy. Thus anarchy would ensue as services, tithing and Rome’s supremacy would be scrapped. Moreover since this Henrician stance was widespread, validated by the Free Spirit movement later and Messalianism earlier, heresy as a whole in this period can be seen as a major threat. Indeed the Church was also under attack regarding their secular influence too. The Twelve Confessions of the Lollards proves so. Within this manifesto is the declaration, ‘he that hath taken him to the one (a temporal or a spiritual office) should not meddle … with the other’. Therefore, a desire for division between the two existed, reducing the Church’s political influence. This was not necessarily a widespread belief among Lollards though, as its author John Purvey represented Lollardy’s greatest minds. Nevertheless this was the face the world saw (as it was sent to Parliament) and even if a minority, was a threatening one. Furthermore, since heretics’ theology was applied practically, they were incredibly threatening. The Waldensian preachers, who after the Third Lateran Council disobeyed Pope Alexander III and continued preaching, prove so. Subsequently Moore is justified when he proclaims that heresy attempted ‘to subvert the Christian order and bring … chaos’, since through their actions, the clergy were attacked. Yet Moore was wrong to see the issue as beyond doctrinal disputes and Church made. Heterodox beliefs

The Council of Nicea was called by Constantine to have an official ruling as to who Jesus was and how he related to God. Other issues were dealt with, during the conference, but when it came to the understand of Jesus and God, things got interesting. Eusebius was a supporter of Arianism and during his

Beginning in the first century C.E., Christianity, a religion started by the followers of Jesus of Nazareth, extended across the Roman empire. Christianity provided Roman citizens with the prospect of forgiveness, ideal of achievement, and sense of community; however, along with this growing recognition followed the opposition of Christianity, which was initiated by Roman officials and sometimes emperors. Gradually the animosity directed towards Christianity declined and in 313 C.E. Constantine, emperor of Rome at the time, issued the Edict of Milan, demanding the toleration and acceptance of all religions. Eusebius of Caesarea, a Greek historian of Christianity, records Constantine’s reign and his eventual

553 – The Second Council of Constantinople, considered by many Christian churches to have been the fifth Christian Ecumenical Council, began to discuss the topics of Nestorianism and Origenism, among others.

In the passage from the Life of Constantine, the division referred to is Arianism. This heresy taught that Christ was the first created being and thus he was not completely God. Constantine called the Council of Nicaea to repair this division of the Church. Constantine had no preformed opinion on this issue, but rather wanted a decision to be made to amend strife within the Christian community. Constantine also believed that the small problems between individuals should be dealt with privately instead of publically. This was a problem because the body of believers was supposed to share their joys, sorrows, and issues with one another. If the Christians did not share information about themselves with each other, they would be disregarding

The first ecumenical council, Nicaea, provided a foundation on which all other church councils would operate. This council was called to order for the Airian controversy needed to be addressed. Arius developed a doctrine, deemed heretical by the council, that declared: “There was (once) when Christ was not.” Which understood the idea of “begetting” as “creating.” Differing theological ideas were the norm in that era as people wrestled with questions surrounding the incarnation and various other religion-based qualms. However, a fierce opponent rose against Arius, his name was Athanasius. During this time Constantine was in power and intended to make a united religion, but Arius’ thoughts were causing a schism that Constantine thought needed

In 325 AD, Constantine the leader of the Roman Empire convened a council of three hundred Bishops to unite the Christian sects under his church, the Universal Church of Rome. Constantine himself was a leader of the cult of Sol Invictus (Invisible Sun). The council formed came to be known as the Council of Nicaea.

The progression of expanding Christianity beyond the empire of the pagans result in problems. Regardless of the dilemma, Constantine’s royal court guaranteed Christians of triumph. Constantine held the first meeting of Christians. The grand attendance was however, despondent considering the persecution that the Christians have experience. This was do in part because effect that persecutions had inflicted of the Christian society, chiefly during the reign of Diocletian. The effect of persecutions cause separation, and the effect of such was mostly felt by the North African church. The greater part of the parishioners of this church discarded Caecilian the appointed bishop of Carthage. The parishioners disagree about the care that was given

During the 3d and 4th centuries controversy among the leaders and population due to the rising questioning of the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ. At the beginning of the fourth century, the First Council of Nicaea was convened to come against the heretical teachings of Arius. Arius, a presbyter from Alexandria, who along with his followers believed that “before [the Son] was begotten or created or defined or established, he was not for he was not unbegotten and that the Son had a beginning but God has no beginning.” (Bingham, D. Jeffrey. Pocket History of the Church. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2002. Print.) Therefore according to Arius, Jesus Christ was not eternal nor divine but only possessed divine attributes. As time went on Arianism still was a problem in the church.

The first three centuries of the Catholic Church was plagued with persecution by the Roman emperors. During this period, the Apostle Peter is believed to have been crucified upside down and John the Baptist was beheaded, the Apostle Paul was also martyred during this period. Many of the other Apostles and Christians are believed to have been martyred during this time period. This all changed with the arrival

One of the most important events in church history includes the Council of Nicea. The First Council of Nicea happened in 325 and involved the first gathering of Christian bishops and the Roman Empire not as enemies but as allies. The bishops wanted to solve the dispute over Arianism. Arianism is the belief that Christ was more than human but something less than God. Arianism taught the people that Jesus