Editing Arius (section)

== Early life and personality ==

Reconstructing the life and doctrine of Arius has proven to be a difficult task.

Arius was of [[Berbers|Berber]] descent.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hendrix |first1=Scott E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wOPNEAAAQBAJ&dq=was+arius+berber&pg=PA35 |title=The World's Greatest Religious Leaders [2 volumes]: How Religious Figures Helped Shape World History [2 volumes] |last2=Okeja |first2=Uchenna |date=2018-03-01 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1-4408-4138-5 |publication-date=2018 |page=35 |access-date=2023-10-29 |archive-date=2023-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201041026/https://books.google.com/books?id=wOPNEAAAQBAJ&dq=was+arius+berber&pg=PA35 |url-status=live }}</ref> His father's name is given as Ammonius.

Hanson says that "Arius very probably had at some time studied with Lucian of Antioch" because he refers to somebody else as "truly a ''fellow''-disciple of Lucian."{{sfn|Hanson|1988|p=5}} But Williams questions whether "we should assume from the one word in Arius' letter that he had actually been Lucian's student."{{sfn|Williams|2004|p=30}}

In the past, many writers have assumed that our Arius is the same as the Arius who was involved in the [[Melitians|Melitian schism]], "who had an outward appearance of piety, and ... was eager to be a teacher."{{sfn|Williams|2004|pp=34; 32-40}} However, after several pages of detailed analysis, Williams concludes that "the Melitian Arius ... melt(s) away under close investigation."{{sfn|Williams|2004|p=40}}

In 313, Arius was made [[presbyter]] of the Baucalis district in Alexandria.

Arius' views have always been "represented as ... some hopelessly defective form of belief."{{sfn|Williams|2004|p=2}} Contrary to this view, Rowan Williams recently concluded that Arius is "a thinker and exegete of resourcefulness, sharpness and originality."{{sfn|Williams|2004|p=116}}

Although his character has been severely assailed by his opponents, Arius appears to have been a man of personal [[asceticism|ascetic]] achievement, pure morals, and decided convictions.<blockquote>"He was very tall in stature, with downcast countenance ... always garbed in a short cloak and sleeveless tunic'';'' he spoke gently, and people found him persuasive and flattering."{{sfn|Williams|2004|p=32}}</blockquote>It is traditional to claim that Arius was a deliberate radical, breaking away from the 'orthodoxy' of the church fathers. However:<blockquote>"A great deal of recent work seeking to understand Arian spirituality has, not surprisingly, helped to demolish the notion of Arius and his supporters as deliberate radicals, attacking a time-honoured tradition."{{sfn|Williams|2004|p=21}}

"Arius was a committed theological conservative; more specifically, a conservative Alexandrian."{{sfn|Williams|2004|p=175}}</blockquote>