Meatros

I was wondering if anyone had any good book suggestions that deal primarily with Constantine (as in his history), the Nicean Creed (how it was formulated, the 'vote', basically the history) and the Arian controversy.


Are there any good, scholarly-type books that go over all of those subjects?

Toto

I remembered this recent, somewhat controversial book: Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews -- A History, but it is more concerned with anti-Semitism than Arianism.

Amazon lists this book, which you can browse online: Constantine and the Bishops.

There is some good scholarly material on the internet, if you Google Constantine Arianism Nicene

CX

When Jesus Became God: The Struggle to Define Christianity during the Last Days of Rome
by Richard E. Rubenstein

funinspace

Paul Johnson's "A History of Christianity" is very readable. It covers allot more territory than your asking about, but it does spend some time in that area. He is still nominally Christian, but I thought it was quite a neutral write up of the history. It's not quite what your asking for.

DK

Toto

Paul Johnson's A History of Christianity

Meatros

Thanks all, I think this is exactly what I'm looking for!

quartodeciman

archive material:
link to CCEL THE FIRST ECUMENICAL COUNCIL; THE FIRST COUNCIL OF NICE {should say NICAEA} --->
http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF2-1...tm#P506_110748

jbernier

Two books that I would recommend:

1) Robin Lane Fox's "Pagans and Christians", in which he spends a great deal of time considering why Constantine "converted" and how Constantine's beliefs seemed to have developed over time.

2) Rowan Williams' biography of Arius, appropriately called "Arius." Yes, for those who are wondering, this is the same Rowan Williams who is now Archbishop of Canterbury (he wrote the book back in the '80s, when he still taught at Cambridge). He presents Arius as a conservative theologian who say himself as defending the individuality of Christ against those who (from his perspective) were confusing the Son with the Father. He does a very good job of showing Arius as a loyal churchman who unfortunately ended up on the losing side of a theological squabble which happened to get tied up in imperial politics.

quartodeciman

That sounds very interesting.

link AMAZON "Arius:Heresy and Tradition",Rowan Williams --->
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...ternetinfidels

As I recall the story: Constantine supported the condemnation of Arius at Nicaea, then subsequently restored the man and brought him to Constantinople. The emporer found that Arius was both charming and intelligent.

Not so with the holy fathers. St. Athanasius gave no quarter and St. Nicolas slapped the man.