Anomoean
Encyclopedia
In 4th century Christianity
, the Anomœans, also known as Anomeans, Heterousians, Aëtians, or Eunomians, were a sect
of Arian
s who asserted that Jesus
of Nazareth
(the Son) was of a different nature and in no way like to that of God
(the Father). They believed that the opinions of Arius
, as he originally expressed them, were correct, but rejected his later confessions, which he adopted in order to be readmitted into the Church
.
The word Anomœan comes from Greek
'not' and 'similar', i.e., "different; dissimilar". In the 4th century, during the reign of Constantius II, this was the name by which the followers of Aëtius
and Eunomius were distinguished as a theological party; they not only denied the consubstantiality of Jesus
but even asserted that he was of a nature different from that of God. This was in contradistinction to the semi-Arians
, who indeed denied the consubstantiality of Jesus, but believed at the same time that he was like the Father.
The semi-Arians condemned the Anomœans in the Council of Seleucia
, and the Anomœans condemned the semi-Arians in their turn, in the Councils of Constantinople
and Antioch
; erasing the word out of the formula of Rimini
, and that of Constantinople, and protesting that the word had not only a different substance, but also a will different from that of the Father. Whence they were to be called .
In the 5th century, the Anomœan presbyter Philostorgius
wrote an Anomœan Church history.
Christianity in the 4th century
Christianity in the 4th century was dominated by Constantine the Great, and the First Council of Nicea of 325, which was the beginning of the period of the First seven Ecumenical Councils and the attempt to reach an orthodox consensus and to establish a unified Christendom as the State church of...
, the Anomœans, also known as Anomeans, Heterousians, Aëtians, or Eunomians, were a sect
Sect
A sect is a group with distinctive religious, political or philosophical beliefs. Although in past it was mostly used to refer to religious groups, it has since expanded and in modern culture can refer to any organization that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and...
of Arian
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
s who asserted that Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
of Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
(the Son) was of a different nature and in no way like to that of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
(the Father). They believed that the opinions of Arius
Arius
Arius was a Christian presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt of Libyan origins. His teachings about the nature of the Godhead, which emphasized the Father's divinity over the Son , and his opposition to the Athanasian or Trinitarian Christology, made him a controversial figure in the First Council of...
, as he originally expressed them, were correct, but rejected his later confessions, which he adopted in order to be readmitted into the Church
State church of the Roman Empire
The state church of the Roman Empire was a Christian institution organized within the Roman Empire during the 4th century that came to represent the Empire's sole authorized religion. Both the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches claim to be the historical continuation of this...
.
The word Anomœan comes from Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
'not' and 'similar', i.e., "different; dissimilar". In the 4th century, during the reign of Constantius II, this was the name by which the followers of Aëtius
Aëtius (theologian)
Aëtius of Antioch , surnamed "the Atheist" by his trinitarian enemies, founder of an Arian Christian movement, was a native of Coele-Syria.-Life and writings:...
and Eunomius were distinguished as a theological party; they not only denied the consubstantiality of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
but even asserted that he was of a nature different from that of God. This was in contradistinction to the semi-Arians
Semi-Arianism
Semi-Arianism is a name frequently given to the Trinitarian position of the conservative majority of the Eastern Christian Church in the 4th century, to distinguish it from strict Arianism....
, who indeed denied the consubstantiality of Jesus, but believed at the same time that he was like the Father.
The semi-Arians condemned the Anomœans in the Council of Seleucia
Council of Seleucia
The Council of Seleucia was an early Christian church synod at Seleucia Isauria .In 358, the Roman Emperor Constantius II requested two councils, one of the western bishops at Ariminum and one of the eastern bishops at Nicomedia to resolve the Arian controversy over the nature of the divinity of...
, and the Anomœans condemned the semi-Arians in their turn, in the Councils of Constantinople
First Council of Constantinople
The First Council of Constantinople is recognized as the Second Ecumenical Council by the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox, the Eastern Orthodox, the Roman Catholics, the Old Catholics, and a number of other Western Christian groups. It was the first Ecumenical Council held in...
and Antioch
Synods of Antioch
Beginning with three synods convened between 264 and 269 in the matter of Paul of Samosata, more than thirty councils were held in Antioch in ancient times. Most of these dealt with phases of the Arian and of the Christological controversies...
; erasing the word out of the formula of Rimini
Council of Rimini
The Council of Rimini was an early Christian church synod held in Ariminum ....
, and that of Constantinople, and protesting that the word had not only a different substance, but also a will different from that of the Father. Whence they were to be called .
In the 5th century, the Anomœan presbyter Philostorgius
Philostorgius
Philostorgius was an Anomoean Church historian of the 4th and 5th centuries. Anomoeanism questioned the Trinitarian account of the relationship between God the Father and Christ and was considered a heresy by the Orthodox Church, which adopted the term "homoousia" in the Nicene Creed. Very little...
wrote an Anomœan Church history.
Notable Anomoeans
- AëtiusAëtius (theologian)Aëtius of Antioch , surnamed "the Atheist" by his trinitarian enemies, founder of an Arian Christian movement, was a native of Coele-Syria.-Life and writings:...
, who founded the Anomoean tradition, later bishop (361–?). - TheodulusTheodulus-People:*Theodulus, a saint martyred with Leontius and Hypatius*Theodulus, a Christian saint and son of Nilus of Sinai*Theodulus, a Christian saint martyred with Victor, Dorotheus and Agrippa at Synnada....
, bishop of Chaeretapa (?–c. 363) and PalestinePalestinePalestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
(c. 363–c. 379). - EunomiusEunomius of CyzicusEunomius , one of the leaders of the extreme or "anomoean" Arians, who are sometimes accordingly called Eunomians, was born at Dacora in Cappadocia early in the 4th century....
, bishop of CyzicusCyzicusCyzicus was an ancient town of Mysia in Anatolia in the current Balıkesir Province of Turkey. It was located on the shoreward side of the present Kapıdağ Peninsula , a tombolo which is said to have originally been an island in the Sea of Marmara only to be connected to the mainland in historic...
(360–361) and exiled bishop (361–c. 393). - Paemenius, bishop of ConstantinopleConstantinopleConstantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, (c. 363, at the same time as Eudoxius of AntiochEudoxius of AntiochEudoxius was the eighth bishop of Constantinople from January 27, 360 to 370, previously bishop of Germanicia and of Antioch, and was one of the most influential Arians.-Biography:...
). - CandidusCandidusIn Latin, candidus/candida means "clear and white". Candidus became a common Roman cognomen. Candidus may also refer to:- Pen names :*Pen name of Alexander Campbell, Restoration Movement Leader*Pen-name of Loyalist Lt. Col...
, bishop of LydiaLydiaLydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
, (c. 363–?). - ArrianusArrianusArrianus may refer to:*Arrianus , Roman jurisconsult*Arrian or , Greek historian, public servant, military commander and philosopher of the Roman period...
, bishop of IoniaIoniaIonia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest İzmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements...
, (c. 363–?). - Florentius, bishop of ConstantinopleConstantinopleConstantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, (c. 363–?, at the same time as Eudoxius of AntiochEudoxius of AntiochEudoxius was the eighth bishop of Constantinople from January 27, 360 to 370, previously bishop of Germanicia and of Antioch, and was one of the most influential Arians.-Biography:...
). - Thallus, bishop of Lesbos, (c. 363–?, at the same time as Eudoxius of AntiochEudoxius of AntiochEudoxius was the eighth bishop of Constantinople from January 27, 360 to 370, previously bishop of Germanicia and of Antioch, and was one of the most influential Arians.-Biography:...
). - Euphronius, bishop of GalatiaGalatiaAncient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. Galatia was named for the immigrant Gauls from Thrace , who settled here and became its ruling caste in the 3rd century BC, following the Gallic invasion of the Balkans in 279 BC. It has been called the "Gallia" of...
, the Black SeaBlack SeaThe Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
and CappadociaCappadociaCappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
, (c. 363–?). - JulianJulianJulian is a common male given name in Britain, United States, Ireland, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, France , Spain, Latin America and elsewhere....
, bishop of CiliciaCiliciaIn antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
, (c. 363–?). - Serras, StephenStephenStephen or Steven is a masculine first name, derived from the Greek name Στέφανος meaning "crown, garland", in turn from the Greek word "στέφανος", meaning "wreath, crown, honour, reward", literally "that which surrounds or encompasses". In ancient Greece a wreath was given to the winner of a...
, and HeliodorusHeliodorus-People:Several persons named Heliodorus are known to us from ancient times, the best known of which are:*Heliodorus a minister of Seleucus IV Philopator ca...
, bishops of Egypt, (c. 363–?). - PhilostorgiusPhilostorgiusPhilostorgius was an Anomoean Church historian of the 4th and 5th centuries. Anomoeanism questioned the Trinitarian account of the relationship between God the Father and Christ and was considered a heresy by the Orthodox Church, which adopted the term "homoousia" in the Nicene Creed. Very little...
, historian.
Notable opponents of Anomoeanism
- Basil of CaesareaBasil of CaesareaBasil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great, was the bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor . He was an influential 4th century Christian theologian...
, bishop of Caesarea, and author of Against Eunomius. - Gregory of NazianzusGregory of NazianzusGregory of Nazianzus was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age...
, archbishop of ConstantinopleConstantinopleConstantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, prolific writer and orator. The First Theological Oration. A Preliminary Discourse Against the Eunomians.
See also
- Archbishop Nectarius of ConstantinopleArchbishop Nectarius of ConstantinopleNectarius was the archbishop of Constantinople from AD 381 until his death, the successor to Saint Gregory Nazianzus.-Background:When Gregory resigned, Nectarius was praetor of Constantinople...
- Homoeans, in contrast to the Anomoeans
- Arianism/Arian CatholicismArianismArianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
- Arian controversyArian controversyThe Arian controversy describes several controversies between the Christian Church fathers Arius and Athanasius related to Christology which divided the Christian church from before the Council of Nicaea in 325 to after the Council of Constantinople in 381...