Homoiousian
Encyclopedia
Homoiousianism was a 4th century AD movement which arose in the early period of the Christian religion
out of a wing of Arianism
. It was an attempt to reconcile the seemingly irreconcilable views of the pro-Nicene
homoousian
s, who believed that God the Father
and Jesus
his son were identical
in substance, with the "neo-Arian" position that God the Father is "incomparable" and therefore the Son of God
can not be described in any sense as "equal in substance or attributes" but only "like" the Father in some suborbinate sense of the term.
doctrine which ran from 360 to 380 AD, the controversy between Arianism and what would eventually come to be defined as orthodoxy provoked an enormous burgeoning of new movements, sects and doctrines which came into existence in the attempt to stabilize and consolidate a unique and universal position on complex and subtle theological questions. One of the main questions concerned the nature of God and the nature of his relationship with his Son, Jesus Christ. This controversy was called the "trinitarian controversy" because it involved solving the riddle of how it was possible that God could be three (God the Father, His Son Jesus the Word, and the Holy Spirit) and yet One at the same time. The dominant position among Christian theologians at this point in history was the doctrine of homoousian
ism, according to which Father and Son were identical in substance and in attributes and that any deviations from this orthodoxy were to be considered heresy. The Homoians, however, had a powerful ally on their side in the person of Emperor Constantius II
.
s. At a council in 358 at Sirmium
, at the height of the movement's influence, the claim was made that the Son is "like [the Father] in all [respects]" , while the use of (ousía) or any of its compounds in theological discussion was strongly criticized but not abandoned, and the Anomoeans were anathematized. This compromise solution, which was satisfying to both the Homoians and the Homoiousians, deliberately set out to alienate the more extreme Neo-Arians. It was successful in this intent but it remained as illegitimate in the eyes of the pro-Nicenes as ever and Basil of Ancrya declared that "that which is like can never be the same as that to which it is like". On the other side, Constantius was becoming somewhat hostile to the influence of all of the new movements which had sprung up after the Nicene council. The result was that the Homoiousians disappeared from the stage of history and the struggle to define Church dogma became a two-sided battle between the Homoousians and the Homoians.
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
out of a wing of Arianism
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...
. It was an attempt to reconcile the seemingly irreconcilable views of the pro-Nicene
First Council of Nicaea
The First Council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325...
homoousian
Homoousian
Homoousian is a technical theological term used in discussion of the Christian understanding of God as Trinity. The Nicene Creed describes Jesus as being homooúsios with God the Father — that is, they are of the "same substance" and are equally God...
s, who believed that God the Father
God the Father
God the Father is a gendered title given to God in many monotheistic religions, particularly patriarchal, Abrahamic ones. In Judaism, God is called Father because he is the creator, life-giver, law-giver, and protector...
and Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
his son were identical
Identity (philosophy)
In philosophy, identity, from , is the relation each thing bears just to itself. According to Leibniz's law two things sharing every attribute are not only similar, but are the same thing. The concept of sameness has given rise to the general concept of identity, as in personal identity and...
in substance, with the "neo-Arian" position that God the Father is "incomparable" and therefore the Son of God
Son of God
"Son of God" is a phrase which according to most Christian denominations, Trinitarian in belief, refers to the relationship between Jesus and God, specifically as "God the Son"...
can not be described in any sense as "equal in substance or attributes" but only "like" the Father in some suborbinate sense of the term.
Background
During the period of the development of Christiandoctrine which ran from 360 to 380 AD, the controversy between Arianism and what would eventually come to be defined as orthodoxy provoked an enormous burgeoning of new movements, sects and doctrines which came into existence in the attempt to stabilize and consolidate a unique and universal position on complex and subtle theological questions. One of the main questions concerned the nature of God and the nature of his relationship with his Son, Jesus Christ. This controversy was called the "trinitarian controversy" because it involved solving the riddle of how it was possible that God could be three (God the Father, His Son Jesus the Word, and the Holy Spirit) and yet One at the same time. The dominant position among Christian theologians at this point in history was the doctrine of homoousian
Homoousian
Homoousian is a technical theological term used in discussion of the Christian understanding of God as Trinity. The Nicene Creed describes Jesus as being homooúsios with God the Father — that is, they are of the "same substance" and are equally God...
ism, according to which Father and Son were identical in substance and in attributes and that any deviations from this orthodoxy were to be considered heresy. The Homoians, however, had a powerful ally on their side in the person of Emperor Constantius II
Constantius II
Constantius II , was Roman Emperor from 337 to 361. The second son of Constantine I and Fausta, he ascended to the throne with his brothers Constantine II and Constans upon their father's death....
.
Doctrine
The Homoiousians took a moderate stance between that of the heterousians such as Aetius and Eunomius and the HomoousianHomoousian
Homoousian is a technical theological term used in discussion of the Christian understanding of God as Trinity. The Nicene Creed describes Jesus as being homooúsios with God the Father — that is, they are of the "same substance" and are equally God...
s. At a council in 358 at Sirmium
Sirmium
Sirmium was a city in ancient Roman Pannonia. Firstly mentioned in the 4th century BC and originally inhabited by the Illyrians and Celts, it was conquered by the Romans in the 1st century BC and subsequently became the capital of the Roman province of Lower Pannonia. In 294 AD, Sirmium was...
, at the height of the movement's influence, the claim was made that the Son is "like [the Father] in all [respects]" , while the use of (ousía) or any of its compounds in theological discussion was strongly criticized but not abandoned, and the Anomoeans were anathematized. This compromise solution, which was satisfying to both the Homoians and the Homoiousians, deliberately set out to alienate the more extreme Neo-Arians. It was successful in this intent but it remained as illegitimate in the eyes of the pro-Nicenes as ever and Basil of Ancrya declared that "that which is like can never be the same as that to which it is like". On the other side, Constantius was becoming somewhat hostile to the influence of all of the new movements which had sprung up after the Nicene council. The result was that the Homoiousians disappeared from the stage of history and the struggle to define Church dogma became a two-sided battle between the Homoousians and the Homoians.