Arianism
![Constantine burning Arian books, illustration from a compendium of canon law, c. 825](/Images/godic/202412/21/Constantine_burning_Arian_books1308.jpg")
![Once the Orthodox Trinitarians succeeded in defeating Arianism, they censored any signs that the perceived heresy left behind. This mosaic in Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna has had images of the Arian king, Theoderic, and his court removed. However, on some columns their hands remain.](/Images/godic/202412/21/PalatiumTheodoricMosaicDetail1308.jpg")
![Ceiling Mosaic of the Arian Baptistry](/Images/godic/202412/21/Baptistery.Arians061308.jpg")
Arianism is a nontrinitarian belief that asserts that Jesus Christ is a Son of God, created by God the Father, distinct from the Father and therefore subordinate to the Father. It denies that Jesus is God the Son. Arian teachings were first attributed to Arius (c. AD 250–336), a Christian presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt. The teachings are opposed to mainstream Christian teachings on the nature of the Trinity and on the nature of Christ. The Arian concept of Christ is that the Son of God did not always exist, but was created by God the Father. This belief is based on an interpretation of a verse in the Gospel of John (14:28): "You heard me say, 'I am going away, and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I."