alternatehistory.com
1: Luke 8.21
"My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."
- Luke 8.21
•••••
Encyclopedia of Early Christianity.
"Meletius of Lycopolis
Heretical leader of a self proclaimed 'Church of the Martyrs' in Alexandria. Similarly to the Donatists he focused mainly on the issue of Christians who had abandoned the faith or turned in sacred texts during the Great Prosecution. The church was so proclaimed because it sought to limit membership to those who could have been martyrs. The group would be declared heretical by Bishop Peter of Alexandria and faced excommunication during the 310s AD. Some would eventually return to the Orthodox fold, while some would remain stalwart in their opposition to the mainstream Christians…"
•••••
"It is this simple comparison that may reveal to us what deep connection the Father and the Som posses, indeed as you all know they are but part of the same…" Before the assembled church fathers of Alexandria, Bishop Alexander delved into the intricacies of the Holy Trinity. But he was cut off by a man in the back.
"Sabelliusian! You presch falsely! If the Father begat the Son, he that was begotten had a beginning of existence: and from this it is evident, that there was a time when the Son was not. It therefore necessarily follows, that he had his substance from nothing."
Alexander glared at the man, and squinted. He recognized the man, who was he again? Certainly no friend.
Then it clicked.
"Arius! Why are you here? You have forsaken The Lord! Followed the heresy of Meletius! Have you come to repent?"
"I come to fight the spread of your teachings, they come straight from the mouth of Sabellius!"
This was, of course, false. Alexander was not teaching anything that had ever been widely branded as heretical.
"Your support for Meletius's schismatic church had you removed, rightly I may add. I see no reason to dispute the matter you speak of, unless you are a lawful member of our church."
Arius fumed.
"You let those who betrayed the one true God back into the Church! And now you preach illogical summations of the nature of Christ! Listen brothers, Christ was in fact begotten, and thus…"
But already the room had turned from interest in the newcomer to annoyance. A new perspective was one thing, but someone who was excommunicated? Some were intrigued of course, but no one was going to admit it right in front of the Bishop.
•••••
From "Saint Constantine"
"CONSTANTINE sits in his throne room, reading a bible.
ENTER MESSENGER
MESSENGER: My Lord, I bring news from Alexandria
CONSTANTINE: Speak good runner, and let me hear of the city of the library[5]
MESSENGER: Ill news, I fear my Lord. Foul Arius of the desert sand[6], long banished from the halls of the church hath returned and he brings sin and ill consul to the city. Arius has declared that to be begotten is not to have been birthed beyond time. He shouts heresy, declares that Jesus is the inferior to the Father. Though long since declared outside the brotherhood of Christ he still rallies men to his cause. He has defied the good Bishop Alexander and preaches still.
CONSTANTINE: This is indeed ill news you bear, this sin doth stink the good airs of Alexandria. To deny that the three are one and that the one is three like he does is a grievous. Pray tell, what sin did he commit before? What deed did cause Arius to be removed from the halls of Christ?
MESSENGER: He did most vocally deny the right of communion to those who had betrayed the sacred texts when foul Diocletian did hunt the church.
CONSTANTINE: Begone.
MESSENGER: Yes my Lord.
MESSENGER EXITS.
CONSTANTINE: Is this my fate O Lord? To face the faces of my foes forever? I see now the hands of Donatis, spreading to the Egyptian shores. Once more they try to bar forgiveness from my empires shores! They seek to slice the Christians down to a tiny few, to destroy the flower of Christ to keep it pure.
If God had intended for the road to heavenly bliss to be lined with thorns. If no man but the purest could enter the pearly gates then why was I shown the cross?
Was I not a pagan? Did I not give sacrifice to Jupiter and to Mars? Yet I have conquered by Christ's sign, as The Lord commanded on the Tiber's noble banks. If those Christians who did fear death more then others are condemned to the pit then what hope have I? And thus I find that Arius, like Donatis has spoken falsely. But what to do? Arius must not be allowed to taint the city of Alexander any more.
Hosius! I send for thee!
ENTER HOSIUS OF CORDUBA
HOSIUS: My Lord? What do you require.
CONSTANTINE: Have you heard of Arius the Berber? The heretic who pollutes the noble city of Alexander? He speaks falsehoods and tricks of the Godhead, claiming that Christ is subjected to the Father. Worse still he proclaims that their can be no repentance, no confession of sins. The words of Donatis have found a new master. Go forth to Alexandria and convene the Bishops of the East, and with all do haste bring an end to this schism.
HOSIUS: As you wish my Lord.
HOSIUS EXITS
END SCENE[7]"
•••••
1: Famously they dragged Constantine into their dispute
2: Mainstream at this point, but just because The Father and The Son are part of the same whole does not mean The Father is The Son. That would be…
3: The Sabelliusian Heresy. So named for Sabellius of Libya.
4: IOTL he rejoined in 313, having been excommunicated by Peter of Alexandria, the Bishop before the one before Alexander of Alexandria.
5: It may or may not have been destroyed by this point.
6: Arius was reportedly of Berber decent.
7: There are about a bajillion things wrong here, but this is intentional.
- Luke 8.21
•••••
Encyclopedia of Early Christianity.
"Meletius of Lycopolis
Heretical leader of a self proclaimed 'Church of the Martyrs' in Alexandria. Similarly to the Donatists he focused mainly on the issue of Christians who had abandoned the faith or turned in sacred texts during the Great Prosecution. The church was so proclaimed because it sought to limit membership to those who could have been martyrs. The group would be declared heretical by Bishop Peter of Alexandria and faced excommunication during the 310s AD. Some would eventually return to the Orthodox fold, while some would remain stalwart in their opposition to the mainstream Christians…"
•••••
"It is this simple comparison that may reveal to us what deep connection the Father and the Som posses, indeed as you all know they are but part of the same…" Before the assembled church fathers of Alexandria, Bishop Alexander delved into the intricacies of the Holy Trinity. But he was cut off by a man in the back.
"Sabelliusian! You presch falsely! If the Father begat the Son, he that was begotten had a beginning of existence: and from this it is evident, that there was a time when the Son was not. It therefore necessarily follows, that he had his substance from nothing."
Alexander glared at the man, and squinted. He recognized the man, who was he again? Certainly no friend.
Then it clicked.
"Arius! Why are you here? You have forsaken The Lord! Followed the heresy of Meletius! Have you come to repent?"
"I come to fight the spread of your teachings, they come straight from the mouth of Sabellius!"
This was, of course, false. Alexander was not teaching anything that had ever been widely branded as heretical.
"Your support for Meletius's schismatic church had you removed, rightly I may add. I see no reason to dispute the matter you speak of, unless you are a lawful member of our church."
Arius fumed.
"You let those who betrayed the one true God back into the Church! And now you preach illogical summations of the nature of Christ! Listen brothers, Christ was in fact begotten, and thus…"
But already the room had turned from interest in the newcomer to annoyance. A new perspective was one thing, but someone who was excommunicated? Some were intrigued of course, but no one was going to admit it right in front of the Bishop.
•••••
From "Saint Constantine"
"CONSTANTINE sits in his throne room, reading a bible.
ENTER MESSENGER
MESSENGER: My Lord, I bring news from Alexandria
CONSTANTINE: Speak good runner, and let me hear of the city of the library[5]
MESSENGER: Ill news, I fear my Lord. Foul Arius of the desert sand[6], long banished from the halls of the church hath returned and he brings sin and ill consul to the city. Arius has declared that to be begotten is not to have been birthed beyond time. He shouts heresy, declares that Jesus is the inferior to the Father. Though long since declared outside the brotherhood of Christ he still rallies men to his cause. He has defied the good Bishop Alexander and preaches still.
CONSTANTINE: This is indeed ill news you bear, this sin doth stink the good airs of Alexandria. To deny that the three are one and that the one is three like he does is a grievous. Pray tell, what sin did he commit before? What deed did cause Arius to be removed from the halls of Christ?
MESSENGER: He did most vocally deny the right of communion to those who had betrayed the sacred texts when foul Diocletian did hunt the church.
CONSTANTINE: Begone.
MESSENGER: Yes my Lord.
MESSENGER EXITS.
CONSTANTINE: Is this my fate O Lord? To face the faces of my foes forever? I see now the hands of Donatis, spreading to the Egyptian shores. Once more they try to bar forgiveness from my empires shores! They seek to slice the Christians down to a tiny few, to destroy the flower of Christ to keep it pure.
If God had intended for the road to heavenly bliss to be lined with thorns. If no man but the purest could enter the pearly gates then why was I shown the cross?
Was I not a pagan? Did I not give sacrifice to Jupiter and to Mars? Yet I have conquered by Christ's sign, as The Lord commanded on the Tiber's noble banks. If those Christians who did fear death more then others are condemned to the pit then what hope have I? And thus I find that Arius, like Donatis has spoken falsely. But what to do? Arius must not be allowed to taint the city of Alexander any more.
Hosius! I send for thee!
ENTER HOSIUS OF CORDUBA
HOSIUS: My Lord? What do you require.
CONSTANTINE: Have you heard of Arius the Berber? The heretic who pollutes the noble city of Alexander? He speaks falsehoods and tricks of the Godhead, claiming that Christ is subjected to the Father. Worse still he proclaims that their can be no repentance, no confession of sins. The words of Donatis have found a new master. Go forth to Alexandria and convene the Bishops of the East, and with all do haste bring an end to this schism.
HOSIUS: As you wish my Lord.
HOSIUS EXITS
END SCENE[7]"
•••••
1: Famously they dragged Constantine into their dispute
2: Mainstream at this point, but just because The Father and The Son are part of the same whole does not mean The Father is The Son. That would be…
3: The Sabelliusian Heresy. So named for Sabellius of Libya.
4: IOTL he rejoined in 313, having been excommunicated by Peter of Alexandria, the Bishop before the one before Alexander of Alexandria.
5: It may or may not have been destroyed by this point.
6: Arius was reportedly of Berber decent.
7: There are about a bajillion things wrong here, but this is intentional.
- King of the Uzbeks
- Word Count: 1k