followers of Arius, a presbyter of the church of Alexandria about the year 315, who maintained that the Son of God was totally and essentially distinct from the Father; that he was the first and noblest of those beings whom God had created, the instrument by whose subordinate operation he formed the universe, and therefore inferior to the Father both in nature and dignity; also, that the Holy Ghost was not God, but created by the power of the Son. The Arians owned that the Son was the Word, but denied that the Word was eternal. They held that Christ had nothing of man in him but the flesh, to which the Λόγος or Word was joined, which was the same as the soul in us. See Arius.

The appellation of Arian has been indiscriminately applied in more modern times to all those who consider Jesus Christ as inferior and subordinate to the Father, and whose sentiments cannot be supposed to coincide exactly with those of the ancient Arians. Mr Whiston was one of the first divines who revived this controversy in the beginning of the eighteenth century. He was followed by Dr Clarke, who published his famous book entitled The Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity, in consequence of which he was reproached with the title of Semi-Arian. Dr Waterland, who has been charged with verging towards Tritheism, was one of his principal adversaries. The history of this controversy may be found in a work entitled An Account of all the considerable Books and Pamphlets that have been wrote on either side, in the Controversy concerning the Trinity, from the Year 1712; in which also is contained an Account of the Pamphlets written this last year on each side by the Dissenters, to the end of the year 1719; published in London in 1720.