mountainman

When Arius was banished by Constantine's Nicaean creed
it is purported that he travelled and composed songs that
were sung by "sailors and millers", and which purportedly
became very popular "in the empire" with the common folk.

Obviously one would not expect future ecclesiastical
historians to have referenced, mentioned, or indeed quoted
such songs, and these lyrics are considered "lost".

Has anyone any information at all with respect to the
textual lyrics embodied within these songs of Arius?

Best wishes,



Pete Brown
http://www.mountainman.com.au/namaste_2006.htm
NAMASTE: "The spirit in me honors the spirit in you"

andrewcriddle

IIUC Arius' songs were composed before his banishment when he was a preacher in the dock area of Alexandria.

Athanasius, Arius' opponent, gives purported quotations and/or paraphrases of Arius' songs in Contra Arianos and De Synodis the quotation in Contra Arianos goes Athanasius then continues with paraphrase and hostile comment.

Andrew Criddle

mountainman

Philostorgius reports otherwise that the songs were composed
after his banishment (presumably with effect from Nicaea)...

EPITOME OF BOOK II.
CHAP. II.—PHILOSTORGIUS

He says that Arius, after his secession from the
church, composed several songs to be sung by sailors, and by
millers,** and by travellers along the high road, and others of
the same kind, which he adapted to certain tunes, as he
thought suitable in each separate case, and thus by degrees
seduced the minds of the unlearned by the attractiveness of his
songs to the adoption of his own impiety.

** asmata e0pimu&lia. Philostorgius here makes no mention of the song
known in the "Thalia," from which Athanasius distinguishes these popu-
lar songs in his books concerning the Decrees of the Council of Nicaea. Vales.

Yes, Isaac Newton had enormous problems with Athanasius' behaviour
which was not proper as it is granted that Athanasius was the good
strawman erected by the winning party after its destruction of the
bad strawman Arius.

BTW thanks for the reference to the Thalia, found in Athanasius.
I do not seem to be able to find a tidy version of it, formatted to
give import according to the perspective of Arius, so I have taken
a copy and will tidy it up a little and see what emerges.


Pete