Documents of the Early Arian Controversy
This page lists the survivng background documents leading up to the Arian controversy. The chart below lists those items according to the list of the 2007 edition of Athanasius Werke (3.1.3). The hotlink for each document leads to a subpage that provides the text and our English translation together with a short introduction.
Such a list was first compiled by Hans-Georg Opitz in connection with his edition of Athanasius’s works. He published the ancient texts in volume 3, fascicles 1-2 of the German Athanasius Werke (AW) in 1934. His edition numbered each of his 34 documents as Urkunde in German; hence Urkunde 1, Urkunde 2, etc. in column 6 below. Since English translations were not similarly available in one place, our Fourth-Century Christianity website provided them in 2008.
Since most of the documents are undated, other scholars have attempted to refine Optiz’s chronology and the order in which the documents were produced. Among the most ambitious attempts have been those of Rowan Williams in his Arius: Heresy and Tradition (2002), and Sarah Parvis in Marcellus of Ancyra and the Lost Years of the Arian Controversy (2006).
In 2007, the German continuators of Opitz’s AW project (led by Hans Christof Brennecke, Uta Heil, Annette von Stockhausen, and Angelika Wintjes), published German translations of Optiz’s items in a new volume 3.1.3 (Dokumente zur Geschichte des Arianischen Streites); in doing so they re-evaluated the chronology and order of the documents as well as adding additional items to cover the period up to AD 344. They designated the items as Dokumente 1, Dokumente 2, to distinguish their suggested chronological order from that of Opitz. Their rationale was explained by Uta Heil in an introductory essay (pp. xix-xxxviii; see an English translation here). Most recently Samuel Fernández has included the Melitian material and a revised chronology in his Fontes Nicaenae Synodi (2024), providing the text and an English translation for 80 documents up to AD 337.
Below we have chosen to provide the documents in the order found in Athanasius Werke 3.1.3. However, we have separate pages displaying the competing chronologies of H.-G. Opitz, Rowan Williams, Sarah Parvis, and Samuel Fernández.
Note that the editors of the 2007 edition of Athanasius Werke did not assign dates to many of these documents, only putting them in approximate order; in those case we have given approximate dates in the first column. For a table comparing the alternative chronologies side-by-side, click here.
Historical background
Sometime between 318-322, a dispute between Arius, a priest in the Baucalis suburb of Alexandria, and his bishop Alexander (r. 313-328) arose about the proper way to describe the relationship between the Father and the Son (a subject that had been debated periodically over the previous century or more, without resolution). After several hearings in which the two sides could not come to agreement, the dispute rapidly heated up. Alexander soon excommunicated Arius and his supporters. By this time Arius and Alexander had sent letters and representatives to sympathetic clergy around the eastern Mediterranean garning support for their respecive positions. At some point this Christological dispute became entangled in Alexandria with the controversy within the Christian community that had started during the Great Persecution a decade earlier and which had led to a breakaway “Church of the Martyrs” led by Melitius, the bishop of Lycopolis.
Patristic scholars today warn against lumping together as “Arians” all the early theologians who had reservations about granting the Son full equality with the Father. They argue that it was the opponents of Arius who created this persona of Arius as the leader and arch-heretic of this theological tendency. Even his role as originator of the open controversy has been questioned, with men such as Eusebius of Caesarea, Asterius the Sophist and Lucian of Antioch numbered among the other instigators. Arius and those with similar ideas are seen as continuing an already existent theological trajectory which emphasized the Son as “substantially different” than the Father while yet distinct from the rest of creation. On the other hand, the key role of Arius in both the theological and public debate is clearly seen in the writings below.
Map: For a map showing the geographical diversity among early Arian supporters, click here.
| Appx date | Dok. | Description | Ancient Source | Translations | Urk. | FNS | CPG |
| 318-320 | 1 | Arius and his followers to Alexander of Alexandria | Athanasius, De synodis 16; Epiphanius, Panarion 69.7; Hilary, De Trinitate 4.12 | FCC; CLA no. 22; Hanson, pp. 7-8; NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 458; NPNF2 vol. 9, p. 74; New Eusebius, no. 284 | 6 | 11 | 2026 |
| 318-320 | 2.1 | Alexander of Alexandria to his clergy | Athanasius, De decretis 34 | FCC; NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 69 | 4a | 25 | 2001 |
| 318-320 | 2.2 | Alexander of Alexandria’s encyclical letter on Arius’ deposition | Athanasius, De decretis 35; Socrates, Historia ecclesiastica 1.6.; Anonymous Church History 2.3.1-21 | FCC; New Eusebius, no. NPNF2 vol. 4, pp. 69-72; NPNF2 vol. 2, pp.3-5; 282;Sections 2-3: Hanson, p. 16 | 4b | 26 | 2000 |
| 318-320 | 3 | Summary of letter of a Council in Bithynia | Sozomen, Historia ecclesiastica 1.15.10 | FCC; NPNF2 vol. 2, p. 252 | 5 | – | – |
| 318-320 | 4 | Eusebius of Nicomedia to Paulinus of Tyre | Theodoret, Historia ecclesiastica 1.6 (1.5 in the NPNF) | FCC; NPNF2 vol. 3, p. 42 | 8 | 15 | 2045 |
| 318-320 | 5 | Fragment of a letter of Paulinus of Tyre | Eusebius, Contra Marcellum 1.4.18-21, 49-51 | FCC; Hanson, p. 45 | 9 | 16 | 2065 |
| 318-320 | 6 | Priest George to Alexander of Alexandria | Athanasius, De synodis 17.5 | FCC; Hanson, p. 44; NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 459 | 12 | 19 | 3555 |
| 318-320 | 7 | Priest George to the Arians in Alexandria | Athanasius, De synodis 17.6 | FCC; Hanson, p. 44; NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 459 | 13 | 20 | 3556 |
| 320-322 | 8 | Summary of letter of a council in Palestine reinstating Arius | Sozomen, Historia ecclesiastica 1.15.11 | FCC; NPNF2 vol. 2, p. 252 | 10 | – | – |
| 320-322 | 9 | Eusebius of Caesarea to Alexander of Alexandria | 2nd Council of Nicaea: Labbe, vol. 7, col. 496 and Mansi, vol.13, coll. 316-7 | FCC | 7 | 12 | 3501 |
| 320-322 | 10 | Eusebius of Caesarea to Euphration of Balanea | Sections 1-3: Council of Nicaea, Session 5: Labbe vol. 7, col. 365; Sections 1-2: 2nd Council of Nicaea, Session 5: in Mansi vol. 13, col.176, 317; Sections 4-5: Eusebius, Contra Marcellum1.4.40-41, 57; Athanasius,De synodis 17.3 | FCC | 3 | 13-14 | 3500 |
| 320-322 | 11 | Athanasius of Anazarbus to Alexander of Alexandria | Athanasius, De synodis 17.4 | FCC; NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 458; Discussed Hanson, p. 42 | 11 | 21 | 2060 |
| 320-322 | 12 | Part of a letter of Athanasius of Anazarbus | Codex Vaticanus lat. 5750, p. 275 (Frag. 4 [235 Gryson, Scripta Arriana]) | FCC | – | 22 | 2061 |
| 320-322 | 13 | Parts of 2 letters of Theognis of Nicaea | Codex Vaticanus lat. 5750, p. 275-76 (Frag. 4 [235 Gryson, Scripta Arriana]) | FCCa, FCCb | – | 23 | 2070 |
| 320-322 | 14 | Fragment of a letter of Alexander of Alexandria to all bishops | Greek: Schwartz, pp. 265-7; Syriac: Pitra, vol. 4, pp. 196-7 | FCC | 15 | 9 | 2003 |
| 323-324 | 15 | Arius to Eusebius of Nicomedia | Epiphanius, Panarion 69.6; Theodoret, Historia ecclesiastica 1.5 (1.4 in the NPNF) | FCC; New Eusebius, no. 283; Sections 2-8: Hanson, p. 139, Sections 4-5: Hanson, p. 6; NPNF2 vol. 3, p. 41 | 1 | 6 | 2025 |
| 323-324 | 16 | Fragment of a letter from Eusebius of Nicomedia to Arius | Athanasius, De synodis 17.2 | FCC; Hanson, p. 31; NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 459 | 2 | 7 | 2046 |
| 323-324 | 17 | Alexander of Alexandria to Alexander of Byzantium | Theodoret, Historia ecclesiastica 1.4 (1.3 in the NPNF) | FCC; CLA no. 21; NPNF2 vol. 3, pp. 35-41; Discussed in Hanson, p. 141-2 Discussed on New Eusebius, no. 285 | 14 | 8 | 2002 |
| 323-324 | 18 | Fragment a letter of Alexander of Alexandria to Sylvester of Rome | Section 1: Richard, p. 82; Section 2: Hilary: CSEL vol. 65, part 4, pp. 91-92; | FCC | 16 | – | – |
| 323-324 | 19 | Emperor Constantine to Alexander of Alexandria and Arius | Eusebius, Vita Constantini, 2.64; Sections 6-15: Socrates, Historia ecclesiastica 1.7; Sections 6-15: Anonymous Church History 2.4 | FCC; New Eusebius, no. 287; Coleman, no. 47; NPNF2 vol. 1, pp. 515-8; Sections 6-15: NPNF2 vol. 2, p. 6-7 | 17 | 24 | 2020 |
| early 325 | 20 | Letter of the Council of Antioch (325) | Greek and Syriac: Schwartz, pp. 271-9; Syriac: Schulthess, pp. 160-2 | FCC; New Eusebius, no. 288; Sections 8-11: Hanson, p. 149 | 18 | 28 | 8509 |
| 325 | 21 | Fragment of a letter of Narcissus of Neronias to Chrestus, Euphronius and Eusebius | Eusebius, Contra Marcellum, 1.4.39 | FCC | 19 | 29 | – |
| 325 | 22 | Emperor Constantine’s letter calling the Council of Nicaea | Greek: Schwartz, p. 289; Syriac: Schulthess, p. 1 | FCC; New Eusebius, no. 289; Coleman, no. 48 | 20 | 30 | 8511 |
| 325 | 23 | Fragment of a letter from Eusebius of Nicomedia to the Council of Nicaea | Ambrose, De fide 3.15 | FCC; Hanson, p. 31; NPNF2 vol. 10, p. 260 | 21 | 38 | 2047 |
| 325 | 24 | Eusebius of Caesarea to his church explaining his actions at the Council of Nicaea | Athanasius, De decretis 33; Theodoret, Historia ecclesiastica 1.12 (1.11 in NPNF); Anonymous Church History 2.35; Socrates, Historia ecclesiastica 1.8 (section 16 omitted) | FCC; New Eusebius, no. 291; NPNF2 vol. 4, pp. 74-76; NPNF2 vol. 2, pp. 10; NPNF2 vol. 3 p. 51 (partial); Sections 3-6: Hanson, p. 159; Section 7: Hanson, p. 165; Section 16: Hanson, p. 166 | 22 | 37 | 3502 |
| 325 | 25 | Athanasius, De decretis 36; Socrates, Historia ecclesiastica 1.9; Theodoret, Historia ecclesiastica 1.9.2 (1.8.2 in NPNF); Anonymous Church History 2.34.2 | FCC; New Eusebius, no. 292; NPNF2 vol. 2, p. 12; NPNF2 vol. 3, p. 46 | 23 | 34 | 8515 | |
| 325 | 26 | Creed of the Council of Nicaea | Athanasius, De decretis 37 | FCC; NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 75 | 24 | 32 | 8512 |
| 325 | 27 | Emperor Constantine to Arius and his followers | Athanasius, De decretis 40; Anonymous Church History 3.19.1; cf.: Epiphanius, Panarion 69.9 | Coleman-Norton, no. 67; Sections 14-15: Hanson, p. 189 | 34 | 63 | 2042 |
| 325 | 28 | Part of an edict against Arius and his followers | Athanasius, De decretis 39; Socrates, Historia ecclesiastica 1.9.30; Anonymous Church History 2.36.1 Syriac: Schulthess, pp. 1-2 | FCC; Coleman-Norton, no. 66; NPNF2 vol. 2, p. 14 | 33 | 44 | 2041 |
| 325 | 29 | Emperor Constantine to the church of Alexandria | Athanasius, De decretis 38; Socrates, Historia ecclesiastica 1.9.17; Anonymous Church History 2.37; | FCC; Coleman, no. 53; New Eusebius, no. 293; NPNF2 vol. 2, p. 13 | 25 | 36 | 8517 |
| 325 | 30 | Emperor Constantine to the churches on the Nicene decision concerning Easter | Eusebius, Vita Constantini 3.17-18;Socrates, Historia ecclesiastica 1.9.32; Theodoret, Historia ecclesiastica 1.10 (1.9 in NPNF); Anonymous Church History 2.37.10 | FCC; Coleman, no. 52; NPNF2 vol. 1, p. 524-5; NPNF2 vol. 2, p. 14-16; NPNF2 vol. 3, p. 47-8 | 26 | 35 | 8518 |
| 326-327 | 31 | Emperor Constantine to the church of Nicomedia | Athanasius, De decretis 41; Anonymous Church History 3. appendix 1; Sections 9-17: Theodoret, Historia ecclesiastica 1.20 (1.19 in NPNF) | FCC; Coleman, no. 50; Sections 9-17: New Eusebius, no. 294; NPNF2 vol. 3, p. 56 | 27 | 42 | 2055 |
| 326-327 | 32 | Athanasius, De decretis 42; Anonymous Church History 3.appendix 2 | FCC; Coleman, no. 51; New Eusebius, no. 305 (1957 edition only) | 28 | 43 | 2056 | |
| 326-327 | 33 | Emperor Constantine to Arius | Socrates, Historia ecclesiastica 1.25.7 | FCC; Coleman, no. 58; NPNF2 vol. 2, p. 28 | 29 | 64 | 2040 |
| 326-327 | 34 | Arius and Euzoius to the Emperor Constantine | Socrates, Historia ecclesiastica 1.26.2; Sozomen, Historia ecclesiastica 2.27.6-10 | FCC; New Eusebius, no. 295; NPNF2 vol. 2, p. 28; NPNF2 vol. 2, p. 277 | 30 | 65 | 2027 |
| 327 | 35.1 | Council of Antioch against Asclepas of Gaza | Theodoret, Historia ecclesiastica 2.8.26; Hilary, Fragmenta Historica B.II.1.6; Athanasius, Apologia secunda 45.2 | – | – | – | – |
| 327 | 35.2 | Council of Antioch against Eustathius | Socrates, Historia Ecclesiastica 1.23.8-1.24.9 | – | – | – | – |
| 327-329 | 36 | Eusebius of Nicomedia and Theognis of Nicaea, recanting in order to be reinstated | Socrates, Historia ecclesiastica 1.14.2; Sozomen, Historia ecclesiastica 2.16.3-7; Anonymous Church History 3.13 | FCC; New Eusebius, no. 296; NPNF2 vol. 2, p. 20, vol. 2, p. 68 | 31 | 66 | 2048 |
| 327-329 | 37 | Fragment of a letter from Emperor Constantine to Alexander of Alexandria | Anonymous Church History 3.15.1 | FCC | 32 | 80 | 2021 |
AW 3.1.3 added the following documents to extend the story a decade beyond the Opitz volume:
| Document number. | Date | Document Title | |
| 38 | Conflicts about the restoration of church unity in Egypt | ||
| 39 | 335 | Writings of the Synod of Jerusalem of the year 335 | |
| 40 | Synods in Constantinople against Marcellus of Ancyra | ||
| 41 | 340-341 | Correspondence and synods in Rome and Antioch during the years 340 and 341 | |
| 41.1 | Letter of Julius of Rome to the eastern bishops with the request to appear at a synod in Rome | ||
| 41.2 | Reports on the Dedication Synod of Antioch in the year 341 | ||
| 41.3 | Explanation of Theophronius of Tyana (3rd Creed of Antioch) | ||
| 41.4 | 341 | Confession of the Synod of Antioch in the year 341 (2nd Creed of Antioch) | |
| 41.5 | Fragment of a cyclical letter of the Synod of Antioch in the year 341 (1st Creed of Antioch) | ||
| 41.6 | 341 | Report on a letter of the Synod of Antioch in the year 341 to Julius of Rome | |
| 41.7 | Letter and confession of Marcellus of Ancyra to Julius of Rome | ||
| 41.8 | Letter of Julius to the bishops gathered in Antioch | ||
| 42 | Confession of an Antiochene synod (4th Creed of Antioch) | ||
| 43 | 344 | The Synod of Serdica, 344 | |
| 43.1 | Cyclical letters of the western bishops | ||
| 43.2 | The theological explanation of the western bishops | ||
| 43.3 | The list of the signatures under the theological explanation of the western bishops | ||
| 43.4 | Letters of the western bishops to Emperor Constantine | ||
| 43.5 | Letters of the western bishops to Julius of Rome | ||
| 43.6 | Fragments of the letter of Hosias of Cordova and Protogenes of Serdica to Julius of Rome | ||
| 43.7 | Letters of the western bishops to the church of Alexandria | ||
| 43.8 | Letters of Athanasius of Alexandria to the priests and deacons of Alexandria and Parembole | ||
| 43.9 | Letters of the western synod to the priests and deacons in Mareotis | ||
| 43.10 | Letters of Athanasius of Alexandria to the priests, deacons, and church people in Mareotis | ||
| 43.11 | Cyclical letters of the eastern synod | ||
| 43.12 | The theological explanation of the eastern synod | ||
| 43.13 | The list of the signatures under the theological explanation of the eastern synod | ||
| 44 | 344 | Long-Line Confession (Ἔκθεσις Μακρόστιχος), Fifth Creed of Antioch | |
These additional pages are devoted to alternative chronologies of the period:
- H.-G. Opitz (1934)
- Rowan Williams (2002)
- Sarah Parvis (2006)
- Samuel Fernández, Fontes Nicaenae Synodi (2024)
Created by AJW and JTS
Last updated 10/6/2026 by JSW and GLT
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