The Arians of the Fourth Century: Their Doctrine, Temper, and Conduct, Chiefly as Exhibited in the Councils of the Church Between A.D. 325 & A.D. 381

by John Henry Newman

THE following work was written in the early part of last year, for Messrs. Rivington’s “Theological Library;” but as it seemed, on its completion, little fitted for the objects with which that publication has been undertaken, it makes its appearance in an independent form. Some apology is due to the reader for the length of the introductory chapter, but it was intended as the opening of a more extensive undertaking. It may be added, to prevent mistake, that the theological works cited at the foot of the page, are referred to for the facts, rather than the opinions they contain; though some of them, as the “Defensio Fidei Nicenæ,” evince gifts, moral and intellectual, of so high a cast, as to render it a privilege to be allowed to sit at the feet of their authors, and to receive the words, which they have been, as it were, commissioned to deliver.CrossReach Publications

Genres: Theology, Religion, Catholic, History, Church History

113 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1871

About the author

Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman was an important figure in the religious history of England in the 19th century. He was known nationally by the mid-1830s.
Originally an evangelical Oxford University academic and priest in the Church of England, Newman then became drawn to the high-church tradition of Anglicanism. He became known as a leader of, and an able polemicist for, the Oxford Movement, an influential and controversial grouping of Anglicans who wished to return to the Church of England many Catholic beliefs and liturgical rituals from before the English Reformation. In this the movement had some success. However, in 1845 Newman, joined by some but not all of his followers, left the Church of England and his teaching post at Oxford University and was received into the Catholic Church. He was quickly ordained as a priest and continued as an influential religious leader, based in Birmingham. In 1879, he was created a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in recognition of his services to the cause of the Catholic Church in England. He was instrumental in the founding of the Catholic University of Ireland, which evolved into University College Dublin, today the largest university in Ireland.

Newman was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 September 2010 during his visit to the United Kingdom. He was then canonised by Pope Francis on 13 October 2019.

Newman was also a literary figure of note: his major writings including the Tracts for the Times (1833–1841), his autobiography Apologia Pro Vita Sua (1865–66), the Grammar of Assent (1870), and the poem The Dream of Gerontius (1865),[6] which was set to music in 1900 by Edward Elgar. He wrote the popular hymns "Lead, Kindly Light" and "Praise to the Holiest in the Height" (taken from Gerontius).

Reviews

[Carlos Carrasco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sin duda la historia puede ser una gran maestra de vida. No se puede entender el presente si se desconoce el pasado. Y sobre todo, no hay nada nuevo bajo el sol. Newman explica de manera magistral la herejía del arrianismo, que tanto daño hizo a la Iglesia. Puede parecer que una herejía en el seno de la Iglesia nobes de interés alguno para cualquier hijo de vecino. Sin embargo ¿cómo hubiera sido nuestra civilización si la concepción de los herejes se hubiera impuesto? ¿se entendería el hombre y su dignidad tal cómo la entendemos hoy, gracias, justamente, a que los herejes no vencieron ni ofuscaron la verdad? En fin. Una obra bastante especializada; requiere de conocimientos básicos de filosofía ya que se adentra en conceptos filosóficos muy particulares. Aún así, cualquiera podría leer la obra y sacar provecho de la enseñanza de los cristianos que aceptaron el destierro antes que la falsedad y la mentira, y que gracias a su bondad y valentía, llegamos a construir una civilización que más tarde llamaríamos la civilización cristiana.

[DúviAurvandil Ericsson e Pereira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vast sweeping coverage of nearly all characters involved in the Arian heresy, written in a delightful style and quite lively with a little concentration, this should probably be considered one of the definitive texts on the subject. It does assume a little bit of familiarity with the subject and history though.

[Ricardo Jiménez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un ensayo profundo y riguroso del inicio y desarrollo del arrianismo. Escrito por un teólogo y educador anglicano que se convirtió al catolicismo. Desde 2025 es doctor de la Iglesia católica.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

For its insights into shifts in historical method in the nineteenth century, it's pretty interesting. I concede that Newman has his charms!