The Arian doctrine of monotheism: between ecclesiastical denial and the Quranic perspective.Comparative analytical study

Abstract

This research aims to conduct a comparative analytical study between the official position of the Orthodox Church and the Quranic position:

In the first chapter, we began by discussing the Christian monk Arius, including his birth, when and where he died, who he was, his life, his most important writings, the theological teachings and ideas he presented, and his most prominent disciples. We also discussed the Orthodox Church's rejection of Arius's teachings, as they deny the eternal existence of the Son, Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), and consider him a created being, not eternally existent. The Orthodox Church considers this a clear and explicit departure from the official doctrine of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.( The doctrinal dispute between the two sides was settled by the convening of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 AD by the Church, which approved the “Nicaea Creed” and stipulated that the Son is begotten, not created, equal to the Father in essence. With this declaration, the “Arian” Church was considered a heresy and a schism that should not remain within the Church structure. Consequently, decisive measures were taken against Arius and his followers, including imprisonment, exile, the destruction of their writings, and the elimination of their intellectual and doctrinal influence within the Church.

As for the second chapter, we dealt with the intended meaning of the term Arians within the Islamic perspective, as we mentioned the three most famous meanings within the Islamic perspective, the most important of which is considering them a monotheistic sect, and other meanings. On the other hand, the Holy Qur’an presented a pure monotheistic conception of Arians, in agreement with Arius’s vision and rejecting the official position of the Christian Church, which is the divinity of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him). This conception is close to the essence of the Arian argument, as the noble verses confirm that the Prophet of God, Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon them), is a servant of God and His Messenger, created from nothing, like all the prophets and messengers (peace be upon them(.The Holy Qur’an also categorically rejected the idea of ​​the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), which is the essence of the Christian faith. There are many Qur’anic verses for this meaning, which makes its doctrinal vision closer to what Arius brought. Thus, there appears an intersection between the Arian vision and the Qur’anic statement in rejecting the divinity of Christ and proving the pure monotheism of God (the Almighty).