La mort étrange d'Arius, le prêtre rebelle - Nota bene #38

Arius was the origin of one of the earliest major Christian movements and had an unusual death that warranted an entire episode rather than simply covering him in an episode on strange deaths.

• Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodoxy are major currents of Christianity. • The modern Catholic Church is the result of many schisms since the beginning of Christianity. • The Great Schism of 1054 created two distinct branches: Catholics and Orthodox.

• No central organization or pope at this time. • Christians were few in number, mainly in the Middle East. • Power was held by local bishops and regional councils. • Strong competition between major cities like Constantinople and Alexandria.

Theological questions became political and power issues, transforming religious debates into struggles for influence.

Arius was a priest in Alexandria under the supervision of Bishop Alexander, but he annoyed him by promoting theological ideas different from the dominant doctrine.

• Jesus was a mortal created by God, not part of God himself. • The model is pyramidal: God the Father at the top, all others below. • There exists a celestial hierarchy where Christ holds an inferior position.

• Jesus is the extension of God, thus God himself or part of him. • The Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) forms an equal triumvirate at the top of the hierarchy. • The three entities are parts of a single divine entity.

Although the difference seemed subtle, it created a major conflict in Christianity, especially as Arius's ideas began spreading among the faithful.

Bishop Alexander convened a local council to examine Arius's case and succeeded in having him excommunicated, along with a few of his followers.

• Arius had hidden resources and good connections. • He was notably close to Eusebius, bishop of Nicomedia in present-day Turkey. • Eusebius convened his own local council to examine Arius's theses.

Eusebius's council declared Arius's theses compatible with Christianity and reversed the excommunication, which amounted to a declaration of war between councils.

The conflict attracted the attention of Emperor Constantine himself, aware of the impending crisis and determined to resolve it.

• This was the first time a general council brought together all bishops of the Roman Empire. • Its goal was to settle delicate questions and ease religious pressure. • The council took place from May 20 to July 25, 325, over a month.

Most bishops rejected Arius's theses and declared Arianism heretical, apparently settling the matter definitively.

Right after the council, some bishops who had voted against Arius showed their support for him, turning the reconciliation attempt into a complete failure.

• Arians held that the Son of God was mortal. • Nicaeans (trinitarians) placed great importance on the divinity of the Trinity. • A real power struggle ensued for years to come, despite Constantine's efforts to unify.

• Alexander died and was replaced by Athanasius in Alexandria. • Athanasius took up his master's torch by intensifying the struggle against Arius. • Arius continued to gather more followers despite the opposition.

• Constantine, once favoring the Nicaeans, sided with the Arians just before his death. • His son Constans II officially claimed the Arian doctrine. • Athanasius was even forced into exile several times due to the intense pressure.

Arianism reached barbarian peoples like the Visigoths, Vandals, Burgundians, and even the Lombards, who would continue adhering to it for centuries.

• In 381, Emperor Theodosius I favored Nicaean thought and convened the Council of Constantinople. • Around 500, the conversion of Frankish king Clovis to Nicaean Christianity accelerated the gradual disappearance of Arianism. • Clovis launched campaigns to expand his territory and in turn Christianized the conquered populations.

Arius collapsed in public latrines on a Saturday after leaving a meeting with the emperor, in 336.

• Athanasius reported that Arius fell forward and his body split in half. • Ambrose of Milan claimed his viscera spilled to the ground. • Faustinus and Marcellinus described a gory death with expulsion of all organs and even the heart.

• Athanasius, Arius's main opponent, shaped his legacy by presenting a humiliating death. • Other authors, years later, competed in sordid details about his death. • Arius's death was compared to that of Judas, with similar elements of bodily rupture.

Such humiliation in death was presented as divine punishment, a message from God to those tempted to think like Arius, meant to convince his followers to return to the right path.

• Despite efforts by his detractors and his death, Arius's thought continued to mark minds. • Most emperors adopted Arianism despite the heresy declared by the Council of Nicaea. • Arianism remained widespread at the empire's periphery, notably among Germanic peoples and Franks.

• Although Arianism was supposed to disappear between the 4th and 7th centuries, Arius's thought persisted subtly through the ages. • In the 16th century, some attempted to revive the flame before ending at the stake. • Questions about Christ's divine or mortal status continued to be debated in the Christian Church.

In a more humanized conception of Christ's figure, Arius left his mark and continues to influence contemporary theological debates.

A man who died in humiliating circumstances saw his ideas influence Christianity for centuries—a remarkable trajectory for a simple priest with a tragic destiny.