Letters on the Arian Controversy

Contents

Reading pages: 1.1–1.10 · 2.1–2.4

1. 1.1Alexander warns his fellow bishop that Arius and Achillas, after forming a schism and denying Christ's divinity, have been expelled from the church of Alexandria.
2. 1.2The Arians seek support from other bishops while hiding their teaching that the Son once did not exist, was made from nothing, and is changeable, chosen by God for his foreseen virtue.
3. 1.3Against the Arian use of Psalm 45, Alexander argues from John's Gospel that the Word, through whom all things were made, cannot himself have been made or have once not existed.
4. 1.4The Son's generation is beyond human inquiry, known only to the Father; and since all ages and times were made through him, there cannot have been a time when he was not.
5. 1.5Since the Son is Wisdom, Power, Word, radiance, and image of the Father, the Father has always been Father and the Son's sonship is unique and unchangeable, unlike that of adopted sons.
6. 1.6Christ's sonship is by nature and cannot be lost, unlike the adoptive sonship of creatures; the new teaching revives the errors of Ebion, Artemas, and Paul of Samosata.
7. 1.7Arius's party quote the texts of Christ's humiliation but ignore those of his glory, such as “I and the Father are one,” and arrogantly claim to be the only wise teachers.
8. 1.8Alexander rejects the charge that he teaches two unbegotten beings and sets out his creed: one unbegotten Father, and one Lord Jesus Christ ineffably begotten from the Father, unchangeable like him.
9. 1.9The Son is eternally from the Father and his exact image, yet only the Father is unbegotten; Alexander also confesses one Holy Spirit who inspired both Testaments.
10. 1.10Alexander completes his creed (the one church, the resurrection, Christ's true incarnation from Mary the God-bearer, his death, resurrection, and ascension) and asks his fellow bishops to reject Arius and his excommunicated followers.
11. 2.1In an encyclical letter Alexander tells all bishops of the apostasy of Arius and his followers, warns them against Eusebius of Nicomedia, and begins to list the Arian propositions.
12. 2.2The letter completes the Arian propositions (the Son a changeable creature, foreign to God's essence), reports their condemnation by about a hundred bishops, and begins to refute them from Scripture.
13. 2.3Alexander refutes the claims that the Son is changeable and does not know the Father, noting that the Arians have been expelled like Hymenaeus, Philetus, and Judas before them.
14. 2.4As Christ and Paul foretold, false teachers have come; Alexander asks the bishops to refuse communion and even greetings to the Arians and to ignore Eusebius's letters.