Structure of the Arian Church

As some of you may know, I've recently started a timeline which details the survival of the Gothic kingdom of Italy and its growth due to having a direct heir to Theodorik. Although its started out a bit slow (in my opinion) I eventually want to go indepth to look the society of the world that developes.
One of the reprecussions of a surviving Gothic kingdom seems to be that the Arian church survives longer than it did in OTL. The problem is, is that I'm a bit unsure of the structure of Arianism during this time. Did it have a parallel structure to the Orthodox Church, with an Arian bishop of, say, Ravenna and an orthodox one?
Also, assuming the continuation of an Arian church, how do you believe it would develope over the next century or two?
 
It should also be noted that adherence to either Arianism or what we now consider Christian orthodoxy often separated along ethnic lines in the Christian West. In turn, shifts between Arianism and trinitarianism were often made for tribal strategic reasons, and not necessarily out of religious conviction. For example, the Franks were generally orthodox while many of the Germanic tribes were Arian. The Visigoths of Northern Spain became orthodox Christians after a firm conviction in adoptionist unitarianism. I suspect that the Visigothic conversion had more to do with strategic alliance rather than a sudden fervor for trinitarian faith.
 
It should also be noted that adherence to either Arianism or what we now consider Christian orthodoxy often separated along ethnic lines in the Christian West. In turn, shifts between Arianism and trinitarianism were often made for tribal strategic reasons, and not necessarily out of religious conviction. For example, the Franks were generally orthodox while many of the Germanic tribes were Arian. The Visigoths of Northern Spain became orthodox Christians after a firm conviction in adoptionist unitarianism. I suspect that the Visigothic conversion had more to do with strategic alliance rather than a sudden fervor for trinitarian faith.

Exactly. I'm postulating a timeline where it remains in the best interest of the Gothic nobility to remain Arian, largely for ethnic reasons. Also, the Franks themselves crumble as a power fairly early on (not as an ethnic group, in this TL its considered a bit of a truism that Clovis expanded too quickly and that his realm was destined to falter quickly after his death) so most of the important Germanic tribes remain Arian.
I'm just trying to figure out the structure of the Arian church itself to see how it would develope in such a circumstance.
 
I'm wondering if the Arianism could be developed in the ages as a sort of semi polytheistic regilion, because if Ario will considered Christ a different person from God the Father and the same for the Holy Ghost, this could leads to split into three different cults, with various eschatological variations...

However, to survive Arianism i guess will never recognize the doctrine of consubstantiality, so it will never conciliate with orthodoxy...
 
Given how the Arian-Athanasians controversy broke out after Constantine, when the "Roman state church" was established, I would imagine it would look a lot like Catholicism.

According to my freshman honors history professor, there were separate Arian and Athanasian baptistries in churches that both used.
 
Given how the Arian-Athanasians controversy broke out after Constantine, when the "Roman state church" was established, I would imagine it would look a lot like Catholicism.

According to my freshman honors history professor, there were separate Arian and Athanasian baptistries in churches that both used.

Yup, you can still see them in Ravenna-they've even got different decoration schemes, with different symbolism. Quite a stark difference, if you know what to look for.
 
Top