Arianism

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Arianism. The Christian heresy according to which the Son of God was a creature and not truly God. In the Arian system the Son could be called ‘God’, but only as a courtesy title; he was created (not begotten) by the Father, and he achieved his divine status by his perfect obedience to him. As a creature, it must be said of Christ ēn pote hote ouk ēn (a famous slogan), ‘there was once when he was not’. The chief proponent of the doctrine was the Alexandrian priest Arius (c.250–c.336).

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