Geographical distribution of bishops who showed sympathy with Arius’s theology.

This map has four ancient sources of evidence, indicated in the sixth column. Click the link to read a translation of the source material:

A

Arius’s letter to Eusebius of Nicomedia (Urkunde 1) cites this person as having been condemned for Arian views.

L

Philostorgius, Church History 2.14 or 3.15 cites this person as a Lucianist (does not alone amount to support for Arius).

P

Philostorgius, Church History 1.8 cites this person as one of the Arians present at Nicaea.

P*

Philostorgius according to Nicetas Choniates, Treasury of the Orthodox Faith 5.7 cites this person as Arian-minded.

P**

P* according to Williams’ emendation (Williams, pp. 67-68, see Common Abbreviations).

T1

Theodoret, Church History 1.5.5 cites this person as supporting Arius.

T2

Theodoret, Church History 1.7.14 cites this person as supporting Arian views at Nicaea.

The fifth column indicates probable support of Arius at Nicaea, at least initially, according to Parvis, p. 46. Y=Yes

This map is based on Sarah Parvis’s study in Marcellus of Ancyra And the Lost Years of the Arian Controversy 325-345, pp. 40-46. Each dot represents the location of a bishop listed on the chart below; each number corresponds to a different Bishop. arianmap2

Name

Bishopric

Province

Nicaea

Sources

1

Dachius

Beronice

Libya

Y

P*

2

Secundus

Tauchira

Libya

Y

P*

T2

3

Zopyrus

Barce

Libya

Y

P*

4

Secundus

Ptolemais

Libya

Y*

P

5

Theonas

Marmarice

Libya

Y*

P

T2

6

Sentianus

Boreion

Libya

P*

7

Meletius

Lycopolis

Upper Egypt

P*

8

Eusebius

Caesarea

Palestine

Y

A

P*

T1

9

Patrophilus

Scythopolis

Palestine

Y

P*

T2

10

Aetius

Lydda

Palestine

Y

A

T1

11

Paulinus

Tyre

Phoenicia

A

P*

T1

12

Gregory

Berytus

Phoenicia

Y

A

T1

13

Theodotus

Laodicea

Syria

Y

A

T1

14

Leontius

[Antioch]

Syria

15

Athanasius

Anazarbos

Cilicia

A

L

P*

T1

16

Amphion

Epiphanea

Cilicia

P**

17

Narcissus

Irenopolis

Cilicia

Y

P*

T2

18

Tarcondimatus

Aegeai

Cilicia

Y

P*

19

Antonius

Tarsus

Cilicia

L

20

Leontius

Caesarea

Cappadocia

L

P*

21

Basil

Amasea

Diospontus

P

22

Longinus

Neocaesarea

Pontus Polemoniacus

P*

23

Meletius

Sebastopolis

Armenia

P

24

Eulalius

Sebastea

Armenia

Y

P*

25

Eusebius

Nicomedia

Bithynia

Y**

A

L

P

26

Theognis

Nicaea

Bithynia

Y**

L

P

T2

27

Maris

Chalcedon

Bithynia

Y

L

P

28

Menophantus

Ephesus

Asia

Y

L

T2

29

Asterius, traveling Sophist, never ordained

L

Y* refused to sign the condemnations at Nicaea; therefore deposed and exiled

Y** exiled approximately 3 months after Nicaea

Facts from Parvis, p. 39:

Rufinus and Sozomen say there were 17 bishops who originally supported Arius at Nicaea.

Theodoret only says a “few” supported him at Nicaea, and lists 6 men explicitly, but also states there were others.

Philostorgius lists 22 “Arian-minded” individuals according to Nicetas.

See Sarah Parvis, Marcellus of Ancyra And the Lost Years of the Arian Controversy 325-345 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), pp. 38-46.

Arius’s page

Documents of the Early Arian Controversy

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