A fascinating volume details the two priests--Arius and Athanasius--mortal enemies who became the major players in the fateful conflict in Christendom to decide whether Jesus was God or the holiest of men until the Reformation and Alexander, the powerful bishop of Alexandria, who was determined to find a speedy resolution. Reprint.
This paper version of the 1999 cloth edition concentrates on the time after 324 AD when Christianity became the official religion of the emperor, Constantine. Accepted by Rome, Christians turned to fighting each other, specifically over the precise degree of Christ's divinity. On one side was Arius, a Greek ecclesiastic maintaining that Christ was the holiest of mortals but not the Eternal God of Israel. On the other was Bishop Athanasius and his followers arguing that Christ was precisely God on earth and equal to God. Intrigues and deaths ensued over the attempt to form a unified Church, a conflict lasting 60 years and 20 ecumenical councils. Rubenstein (conflict resolution and public affairs, George Mason U.) describes the controversy, discusses the origins of the Nicene Creed, the nature of morality and sin, the consequences of fundamentalism, and the intertwining of religion and government. You-are-there reportage and an appendix of principal characters makes the book suitable for a wide audience. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
The story of Jesus is well known, as is the story of Christian persecutions during the Roman Empire. The history of fervent debate, civil strife, and bloody riots within the Christian community as it was coming into being, however, is a side of ancient history rarely described. Richard E. Rubenstein takes the reader to the streets of the Roman Empire during the fourth century, when a fateful debate over the divinity of Jesus Christ is being fought. Ruled by a Christian emperor, followers of Jesus no longer fear for the survival of their monotheistic faith but break into two camps regarding the direction of their worship. Is Jesus the son of God and therefore not the same as God? Or is Jesus precisely God on earth and therefore equal to Him? The vicious debate is led by two charismatic priests. Arius, an Alexandrian priest and poet, preaches that Jesus, though holy, is less than God. Athanasius, a brilliant and violent bishop, sees any diminution of Jesus' godhead as the work of the devil. Between them stands Alexander, the powerful Bishop of Alexandria, who must find a resolution that will keep the empire united and the Christian faith alive. With thorough historical, religious, and social research, Rubenstein vividly recreates one of the most critical moments in the history of religion.
Lisainfo e-raamatute kohta