Williams Rowan. Arius: Heresy and Tradition

2nd edition. — Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge: William B. Eenlmans Publishing Company, 2001. — 378 p. — ISBN 0-8028-4969-5
Arius is widely considered to be Rowan Williams's magnum opus. Long out of print and never before available in paperback, it has been newly revised. This expanded and updated edition marks a major publishing event.
Arianism has been called the "archetypal Christian heresy" because it denies the divinity of Christ. In his masterly examination of Arianism, Rowan Williams argues that Arius himself was actually a dedicated theological conservative whose concern was to defend the free and personal character of the Christian God. His "heresy" grew out of an attempt to unite traditional biblical language with radical philosophical ideas and techniques and was, from the start, involved with issues of authority in the church. Thus, the crisis of the early fourth century was not only about the doctrine of God but also about the relations between emperors, bishops, and "charismatic" teachers in the church's decision-making. In the course of his discussion, Williams raises the vital wider questions of how heresy is defined and how certain kinds of traditionalism transform themselves into heresy.
Augmented with a new appendix in which Williams interacts with significant scholarship since 1987, this book provides fascinating reading for anyone interested in church history and the development of Christian doctrine.
Preface

Introduction: Images of a Heresy
Arius and the Nicene Crisis
Arius before Arianism
Origins
The Troubles of the Alexandrian Church I: The Melitian Schism
The Troubles of the Alexandrian Church II: Bishops and Presbyters
The Nicene Crisis: Documents and Dating
The Controversy to 325
The Thalia
Nicaea and AfterArius and Theology
The Theology of Arius
Alexandria and the Legacy of Origen
Philo
Clement
Origen
Alexandria after Origen
Theology Outside Egypt
Antioch
Methodius and EusebiusArius and Philosophy
Creation and Beginning
Intellect and Beyond
Analogy and ParticipationPostscript (Theological)
Appendix 1: Arius since 1987
Appendix 2: Credal Documents
Notes

Index of Names