The Narrow Path Ministries

Historical Topic - please keep the doctrinal debates in other topics, but if you want to discuss the history and evolution of and from Nicea, the movements involved, etc., this is a good thread to do that.

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I just read a fascinating and brief paper discussing whether Arius was a singular heretic that was dealt with at Nicea or whether the novation was in Alexandria with Athanasius and others around him who derived support for their novations through Nicea. This is not to say whether he was right or wrong in his doctrines, but whether he was following Antiochian or Alexandrian conservative doctrine at the time. It is a very easy read.

Arius Conservativus? The Question of Arius’ Theological Belonging
Volume 21: The Fourth Century Cappadocian Writers
presented at the Seventeenth International Conferenceon Patristic Studies heldin Oxford 2015

https://www.academia.edu/19029662/Arius ... view-paper

It seems that some aspects of Arianism are correct.

However, Arius stated: "If the Father begat the Son, then he who was begotten had a beginning in existence, and from this it follows there was a time when the Son was not."

The error here is that there was a TIME when the Son did not exist. Since the begetting of the Son was the FIRST act of the Father,
there was not a TIME before that act. There was no "BEFORE"!

Oh, Paidion, you're going to make my head hurt again.....

Just to clarify further:

The begetting of the Son of God, being the first event ever, marked the beginning of time.