Arius Father

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A major heresy forced the church to a Universal (catholic) Council, the Council of Nicaea. Dünzl suggests that Arius was born in Libya around 260 AD. He was a Presbyter in the diocese of Alexandria where Alexander was Bishop. Arius denied Jesus’ co-eternity with the father, he maintained that a difference in name implied a difference in substance. Therefore if the Father is equal to God then that implies that the Son not equal to God.

From Dünzl and Behr, Arius maintained that the son can be divine but only partially and derivative. He could not occupy the same space that monotheism dictated was reserved for God.

Arius’ Proof:
Proof 1: Proverbs 8:22 (Greek translation)
“The Lord created me at the beginning of His way before His works of
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It follows of necessity that he had his existence from the non existent” (Early Christian Creeds Kelly Page 232-232).

Dünzl and Kelly note that Arius’ motive was to create a religious philosophy that will appeal to intellectuals of his day. Arianism spread and gained wide support perhaps because of the support he received from the bishops of Nicomedia and Ceasarea.

At the time, it seemed that the truth of the Gospel was hanging in the balance. Martin Luther notes later (1483 -1546) that “it only takes one generation to lose the gospel itself”. So, Arianism forced the church to say in what sense Christ was God.

Nicene Creed & Its Evidence of Existence
The church fathers at Nicaea saw the gospel at stake, because to believe in a Christ who was a created being was to believe in a Christ whose death could not have saved us from our sins (doctrine of atonement). They saw Arianism as an enemy to the gospel itself. The creed was to serve as a monument in defending the person of Christ as a biblical and accurate expression of the biblical doctrine of Jesus