Documents of the Early Arian Controversy – Chronology according to Sarah Parvis
This is taken from Sarah Parvis, Marcellus of Ancyra and the Lost Years of the Arian Controversy (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006), specifically her summaries of events on pp. 72-83 and 100-101. A precise order cannot be given, for many of the early documents she would simply consider part of a “flurry of letters” (72). She believes Licinius’s ban on Christian synods took effect in approximately early 323.
The most notable innovation in this chronology is that Henos Sōmatos and Hē Philarchos (Urk 4b and 14) are considered to have been written at about the same time, circulating together, the former written by Athanasius on behalf of Alexander, and the latter serving as a cover letter from Bishop Alexander himself. This chart only goes until the year 325, at which point Parvis’s chronology seems to match Opitz’s.
Chart: | |
Parvis date | the date given in Parvis, (see above), pp. 72-83 |
ancient source: | gives the location in the sources from which we have taken the document. |
translations: | gives the location of translations. FCC translations may be accessed by clicking the link |
appx date | The editors of the 2007 edition of Athanasius Werke did not assign dates to these documents, only approximate order, so only approximate dates have been given in the first column, from AJW. |
doc | the document number in the 2007 edition of Athanasius Werke.Because the editors revised Opitz’s chronology, they gave the same documents new document numbers. For example, the old urkunde (urk.) 6 is now dokument (doc) 1. |
Opitz date: | the date assigned by Opitz. Click here to see the issues related to chronology. |
urk.: | provides the document number (Urk.) in Opitz’s Early Arian Documents (German: Urkunden). See the contents of this volume by page number |
CPG: | Clavis Patrum Graecorum reference number. |
extra space |
Parvis date | description | ancient source | translations | doc. | date2007 | urk. | Opitz date | CPG |
322early spring | Arius to Eusebius of Nicomedia | Epiphanius, Panarion 69.6; Theodoret, Historia ecclesiastica 1.5 (1.4 in the NPNF) |
FCC; New Eusebius, no. 283; Sections 2-8: Hanson, p. 139, Sections 4-5: Hanson, p. 6; NPNF2 vol. 3, p. 41 |
15 | 323-324 | 1 | c. 318 | 2025 |
322mid-year | Fragment of a letter from Eusebius of Nicomedia to Arius | Athanasius, De synodis 17.2 | FCC; Hanson, p. 31; NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 459 |
16 | 323-324 | 2 | c. 318 | 2046 |
322mid-year | Eusebius of Caesarea to Euphration of Balanea | Sections 1-3: Council of Nicaea, Session 5: Labbe vol. 7, col. 365; Sections 1-2: 2nd Council of Nicaea, Session 5: in Mansi vol. 13, col.176, 317; Sections 4-5: Eusebius, Contra Marcellum1.4.40-41, 57; Athanasius,De synodis 17.3 |
FCC | 10 | 320-322 | 3 | c. 318 | 3500 |
322mid-year | Summary of letter of a Council in Bithynia | Sozomen, Historia ecclesiastica 1.15.10 | FCC; NPNF2 vol. 2, p. 252 | 3 | 318-320 | 5 | c. 320 | – |
322mid-year | Arius and his followers to Alexander of Alexandria | Athanasius, De synodis 16; Epiphanius, Panarion 69.7; Hilary, De Trinitate 4.12 |
FCC; CLA no. 22; Hanson, pp. 7-8; NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 458; NPNF2 vol. 9, p. 74; New Eusebius, no. 284 |
1 | 318-320 | 6 | c. 320 | 2026 |
322end | Eusebius of Nicomedia to Paulinus of Tyre | Theodoret, Historia ecclesiastica 1.6 (1.5 in the NPNF) |
FCC; NPNF2 vol. 3, p. 42 | 4 | 318-320 | 8 | c. 320 | 2045 |
323spring | Alexander of Alexandria‘s encyclical letter on Arius‘ deposition | Athanasius, De decretis 35; Socrates, Historia ecclesiastica 1.6.; Anonymous Church History 2.3.1-21 |
FCC; New Eusebius, no. NPNF2 vol. 4, pp. 69-72; NPNF2 vol. 2, pp.3-5; 282;Sections 2-3: Hanson, p. 16 |
2.2 | 318-320 | 4b | c. 318 | 2000 |
323spring | Alexander of Alexandria to his clergy | Athanasius, De decretis 34 | FCC; NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 69 | 2.1 | 318-320 | 4a | 318/9 | 2001 |
323spring | Fragment of a letter from Alexander of Alexandria to all bishops | Greek: Schwartz, pp. 265-7; Syriac: Pitra, vol. 4, pp. 196-7 |
FCC | 14 | 320-322 | 15 | 324 | 2003 |
323spring | Fragment a letter from Alexander of Alexandria to Sylvester of Rome | Section 1: Richard, p. 82; Section 2: Hilary: CSEL vol. 65, part 4, pp. 91-92; |
FCC | 18 | 323-324 | 16 | ? | – |
323spring | Alexander of Alexandria to Alexander of Byzantium | Theodoret, Historia ecclesiastica 1.4 (1.3 in the NPNF) |
FCC; CLA no. 21; NPNF2 vol. 3, pp. 35-41; Discussed in Hanson, p. 141-2 Discussed on New Eusebius, no. 285 |
17 | 323-324 | 14 | 324 | 2002 |
323mid-year | Eusebius of Caesarea to Alexander of Alexandria | 2nd Council of Nicaea: Labbe, vol. 7, col. 496 and Mansi, vol.13, coll. 316-7 |
FCC | 9 | 320-322 | 7 | c. 320 | 3501 |
322-323 | Athanasius of Anazarbus to Alexander of Alexandria | Athanasius, De synodis 17.4 | FCC; NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 458; Discussed Hanson, p. 42 |
11 | 320-322 | 11 | c. 322 | 2060 |
322-323 | Priest George to Alexander of Alexandria | Athanasius, De synodis 17.5 | FCC; Hanson, p. 44; NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 459 |
6 | 318-320 | 12 | c. 322 | 3555 |
322-323 | Priest George to the Arians in Alexandria | Athanasius, De synodis 17.6 | FCC; Hanson, p. 44; NPNF2 vol. 4, p. 459 |
7 | 318-320 | 13 | c. 322 | 3556 |
323mid-year | Fragment of a letter of Paulinus of Tyre | Eusebius, Contra Marcellum 1.4.18-21, 49-51 |
FCC; Hanson, p. 45 |
5 | 318-320 | 9 | c. 320 | 2065 |
323autumn | Summary of letter of a council in Palestine reinstating Arius | Sozomen, Historia ecclesiastica 1.15.11 | FCC; NPNF2 vol. 2, p. 252 | 8 | 320-322 | 10 | c. 321/2 | – |
324fall | Emperor Constantine to Alexander of Alexandria and Arius | Eusebius, Vita Constantini, 2.64; Sections 6-15: Socrates, Historia ecclesiastica 1.7; Sections 6-15: Anonymous Church History 2.4 |
FCC; New Eusebius, no. 287; Coleman, no. 47; NPNF2 vol. 1, pp. 515-8; Sections 6-15: NPNF2 vol. 2, p. 6-7 |
19 | 323-324 | 17 | 324Oct | 2020 |
324late | Letter of the Council of Antioch (325) | Greek and Syriac: Schwartz, pp. 271-9; Syriac: Schulthess, pp. 160-2 |
FCC; New Eusebius, no. 288; Sections 8-11: Hanson, p. 149 |
20 | early 325 | 18 | 325early | 8509 |
324late | Fragment of a letter of Narcissus of Neronias to Chrestus, Euphronius and Eusebius | Eusebius, Contra Marcellum, 1.4.39 | FCC | 21 | 325 | 19 | 325 | – |
325early | Emperor Constantine’s letter calling the Council of Nicaea | Greek: Schwartz, p. 289; Syriac: Schulthess, p. 1 |
FCC; New Eusebius, no. 289; Coleman, no. 48 |
22 | 325 | 20 | 325Spring | 8511 |
Click to see Documents of the Early Arian Controversy
Documents of the Early Arian Controversy according to Rowan Williams (2002)
Documents of the Early Arian Controversy according to Athanasius Werke – Urkunden vol. 3.3 (2007)
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