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Arius
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Arius Lithograph illustration by Carel Christiaan Antony Last showing robed figures burning books before Emperor Constantine and church officials during the First Council of Nicaea. First Council of Nicaea
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Arius
Arius Engraving portrait of Arius of Alexandria, who was deemed a heretic at the Council of Nicea in 325.

Arius

Christian priest
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History

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,...

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