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The late Roman empire saw a significant increase of Christian followers. The majority of traditional Romans viewed this rapid growth as a threat to Roman tradition, and even a threat to the prosperity of the empire. In some Instances It became such a large issue, that massive persecutions had been implemented against worshipers of the new faith. These persecutions took place on and off for hundreds of years, Christians remained unable to worship legally until the rise of Constantine the Great. The legality of Christianity proved to be a huge accomplishment for Christians throughout the empire, but with Its rise came controversy.
Once an established as a legal practice, It became Imperative to create concrete Christian beliefs. Because Christians were spread out around the large Roman Empire, followers at different locations practiced a variety of rituals. As long as all worshipers shared the same beliefs, the diversity did not prove to be a problem. In the early fourth century though, controversy erupted in the city of Alexandria when a Christian priest named Arias openly criticized the beliefs of Bishop Alexander on the divinity of Jesus.
A priest cringingly his superior looked bad enough, but the nature of his criticism Is hat incited one of the most significant controversies throughout the history of Christianity. The ARIN Controversy took place from 318 until it ended in 381. One side of the debate included the priest Arias who believed that Jesus had been created by God and therefore, could not be fully divine. Arias argued that Jesus had been born a man, and ascended Into heaven a divine being after living a life without sin. Bishop Euthanasia led the other side of the controversy. He believed that Jesus had been divine before his birth.
He therefore descended onto Earth fully divine, and eternal like his father. This debate lasted more than half a century, with the balance of power constantly shifting from one side to the next. Neither Arias or Euthanasia would live to see the outcome of the controversy, and to many it seemed like it would never end. The controversy did conclude with the views of Arias declared heretical. There are four mall reasons why the theology of Euthanasia won the debate and has remained the orthodox position within the catholic church. The first reason Includes the three fortuitous deaths of Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, Arias, and Constantine.
The second reason came with the rise to power of Emperor Julian and is attempt at a pagan revival. The third reason is the outcome of the battle of Hydroplaning, in which the emperor Valves, a follower of ARIN beliefs, suffered one of the worst defeats in Roman history. Lastly, under the patronage of Emperor Theodosius, the final council of Constantinople outlawed ARIN beliefs throughout the Empire. To fully understand the outcome of the ARIN Controversy and its impact on the development of the Church, one must understand how Christianity grew in popularity and influence throughout the late Roman Empire.
During the third century the Roman Empire faced many obstacles. Constant threats of foreign invaders and a corrupt political system put Rome In a declining state. In the year 285 Diocletian became emperor with goals to restore Rome to Its back to its glory days. He first wanted to stabilize the empire’s borders, and his second goal focused on the reestablishment of Romeos traditional religion. Diocletian realized that the empire had grown too large to govern and protect by himself, so in order to stabilize Romeos borders, he divided Rome into two parts, and established a tetrarch. Diocletian second goal centered on the reemergence of Roman traditional religion. Christianity had become more and more popular throughout the empire, and the emperor saw the growing religion as a threat. Christians, quick to criticize practices of the roman pagan religion, led to many religious confrontations throughout the empire. In 299, Diocletian and his Caesar, Gallerias, prepared for battle against the Persian army. Diocletian worshiped the old gods, and it was tradition for the emperor to consult soothsayers to see if they were favored by the Gods to go into battle.
The ritual included sacrificing an animal and observing its entrails. During the ceremony many unlocking Christians criticized the emperor, and any soldiers among Diocletian ranks made the Christian sign of the cross. The soothsayers, unable to visualize the outcome of the battle, blamed the Christians. 3 This was the last straw for Diocletian, and through his edicts against the Christians, the Great Persecution against the Christians began. 4 The Emperor demanded the destruction of Christian Churches, as well as holy books and relics. Soldiers within the Roman army had been forced to perform a pagan ritual or be kicked out.
Roman officials had to denounce the Christian faith or suffer the loss of their political status. Eventually Christians had been given the option to denounce their faith or be killed. Many Christians did oblige to the Empire’s request, but those who did not were viewed as martyrs to the Christian community. Despite the attempts to diminish the practice of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, the faith continued to expand. Diocletian Retired in 306, and he appointed Gallerias the Augustus of the East, and Constantine the Augustus of the west. Gallerias, an extremely anti-Christian, had to rule with Constantine, a Christian supporter.
In 306 Constantine died, and his troops claimed his son, Constantine, the Augustus of the west. Constantine immediately stopped persecution in the western part of the empire. Gallerias, unhappy with the appointment of Constantine, accepted the decision in order to stay out of civil war. In April of 311 Gallerias became Ill, and eventually ended the Great Persecution through the Edict of Toleration. The battle of the Mammalian Bridge proved to be a significant event towards the legalization of Christianity. Constantine prepared for battle outside of Rome against the current Caesar Majesties.
Majesties continued to persecute Christians despite Constantine orders. The night before the battle, Constantine had a dream in which he envisioned the Chi RYO in the sky, and the word of God stating, “With this symbol you shall conquer. “5 The next day Constantine ordered his soldiers to placed the symbol on banners, shields and even on his helmet. Majesties probably would have survived the battle if he stayed within the city walls, but he consulted with the pagan soothsayers the night before the battle. The soothsayers declared that the enemy of Rome would fall in battle the next day. He believed that Constantine was the enemy of Rome, and therefore went outside the city walls to take on surrounding army. Majesties died in battle, and as Constantine took Rome, He became the sole leader In 317 Constantine created the Edict of Milan, which not only made Christianity legal, but also reimbursed any Christians who had been persecuted during Diocletian rule. 8 Constantine declared that Holy books be redistributed to religious leaders and he used imperial money to rebuild Churches. This huge victory for the Christians was the first time in history that they could practice their religion without the threat of persecution.
Constantine became increasingly popular throughout the empire, and eventually became sole Augustus. With Christianity now legal to practice, it became crucial to create a set of concrete beliefs. At first there had been many different practices of the Christian church throughout the Roman Empire. Although these sects practiced different rituals, it did not become a problem because they all shared the same beliefs. In 318 controversy erupted within the church. Bishop Alexander of Alexandria had been preaching about his views on the divinity of Jesus, when a priest began to criticize his superior’s claims.
The priest was Arias, a devout Christian from the country of Libya, who had en gaining popularity throughout Alexandria. Arias, a tall slender man of about sixty, was a famous speaker and was known to put his theological beliefs into poetry, which he would chant to his followers. He had studied theology under the famous Christian martyr, Lucian of Antioch and became greatly admired through his personal purity, and preaching style. During the Great Persecution, he had reportedly behaved bravely during the terror, offering priestly services to parishioners and to Christians who were held in prisons.
The admirable priest had already gained a reputation in Alexandria for three ears when Alexander began to hear rumors about his unorthodox views about the relationship between God and Christ. In 318 Alexander, concerned with the growing popularity of Uris’s theology, delivered a series of sermons that stated Christ was uncreated and eternal like the Father. To Arias, who was highly influenced by the Greek logical thinkers of the east, this seemed like Christ was a second god making Alexander sermons seem polytheistic. His rebuttal was in the form off letter in which he challenged Alexander views.
The Bishop ordered Arias to appear before him and defend his position. The debate ended poorly between the two, with neither one willing to cooperate with the teachings of the other. Alexander ordered the priest to change his beliefs and agree to preach the correct doctrine that Jesus was no less than God on earth, who had become human to redeem our sins. When Arias refused, the bishop ended the meeting and called upon all of Egypt bishops to attend an important council in Alexandria. The ARIN Controversy had begun. In 318, more than one hundred bishops attended the Council in Alexandria.
Although some of the church leaders who attended supported the views of Arias, the charity agreed with Alexander. The Council created a creed and laid it before Arias and his supporters demanding that they sign it. When they refused, the council immediately excommunicated them and banished them from Alexandria. The excommunication of Arias created a great deal of civil unrest within the city. Many of Uris’s followers openly protested the outcome, leading to violent fighting within the streets between the supporters of each side. Arias and his followers had lost the debate, but they had not given up yet.
The allies was Bishop Subside of Macromedia, the imperial capital. Arias sent a letter to Subside explaining the situation and criticizing the nature of Alexander teachings. In his letter Arias states, “We are persecuted because we say that the son had a beginning, but that God was without beginning… We say that he is from nothing. And this we say because he is neither part of God, nor of any subject matter. For this we are persecuted.. .”II Arias and Subside had both studied under Lucian of Antioch, and therefore shared similar beliefs.
A few weeks later Arias sailed from Alexandria to Macromedia with a group of supporters to rally support for his cause wrought the east. Subside of Macromedia was a respected religious figure with strong political backing, and he welcomed Arias into his city with open arms. With his support, Arias’ belief would not only survive but it would gain popularity throughout the eastern empire. Subside even created a church council of his own, to repudiate the accusations made at the Egyptian council. The Council of Macromedia verified Arias’ views orthodox.
They addressed a letter to Bishop Alexander demanding that he readmit Arias to communion in Alexandria, and allow him to carry out his Christian teachings. 1 Arias continued to gain support from powerful Christian leaders in the east, including Bishop Subside of Caesar, the former adviser of Emperor Constantine. The Bishop convened another council, in which Arias’ views were once again declared Orthodox. Arias now had the support of almost every eastern bishop. Meanwhile, in Alexandria, Bishop Alexander sent letters to every bishop within the empire criticizing the support given to Arias.
He tried to emphasize the disorientation of the church, claiming that the bishops would never be able to agree upon any creed so long as there was no supreme authority to mediate. Furthermore, he labeled the ARIN supporters as heretics of the Christian faith, comparing them to the Romans that took part in the crucifixion of Jesus. 12 Word of the controversy spread all over the Empire, and eventually reached Emperor Constantine. Although the debate seemed trivial to the emperor, he wanted a resolution because of his vision off united Empire.
He sent his current adviser, House of Cordovan, to Alexandria to discuss the controversy with the bishop. Hosier’s arrival in Alexandria was where the young Deacon Euthanasia began to become a significant influence within the ARIN controversy. Euthanasia was Bishop Alexander right hand man and would prove to be one of the greatest opponents of the Arians. Euthanasia could be described as the complete opposite of the soft spoken priest, Arias. A small young man with red hair, He was known to be very persistent on getting his ways, and is known for his use of violent methods in order to enforce his theology.
He could also be very persuasive. Many times Euthanasia was exiled during the ARIN Controversy, and every time he was able to talk his way back into power. During Hosier’s visit to Alexandria, Bishop Alexander and Euthanasia issued their case against Aryanism. They took advantage of the fact that the emperor’s adviser was a westerner. The Western Church shared the beliefs of Bishop Alexander and Euthanasia. The Bishop and his right hand man claimed that Arias and his followers have fallen victim to Greek logical thought. They established that there was not chance for compromise, and that the Arians had to be stopped. Greer. He recommended that Constantine convene a great council in order to settle the controversy. In 325, Constantine summoned a grand meeting in the city of Nicola in an attempt to resolve the dispute. His main goal focused on an end to the controversy, in order to establish an era of peace and harmony within the Church. To Constantine, unity throughout the empire was crucial, and this now included the unity within the church. This was the first Ecumenical council of the Christian Church. He sent invitations to all the bishops throughout the empire and paid for their passage to Nicola through imperial money.
The council began in early June, with more than 250 bishops in attendance. The emperor acted as a mediator between the Arians, led by Subside of Caesar, and Subsist of Macromedia, and the anti-Arians, led by Bishop Alexander, House of CORBA, and various western Bishops. Arias and Euthanasia had both been present during the council, but their low rank prohibited them from taking part. The debate ended with a victory for the anti-Arians, who established a creed stating that God and Christ were of the same essence, and therefore both divine.
Everyone at the council was required to sign the creed, and failure to do so would result in excommunication. 13 The majority of the council did sign, including the Arians, who created their own interpretation of the creed and signed it to stay out of trouble. The Nice Creed supported the anti-Arians cause. The creed states, “the Son of God, begotten from the Father, only-begotten, that is, from the cautious of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, homologous with the Father, through Whom all things came into being. 16 The Creed asserted against Arias and his theology, claiming that the Father and Son were of the same essence. The term homogeneous, was used in the creed in order to explain the divinity of Jesus. The anti-Arians had no problem with incorporating this word into the creed. It helped explain how it was possible for Christ and God to be separate entities, while at the same time both divine and eternal. The Arians, on the other hand, protested against the use of this word. Their main argument focused on the idea that the Greek word was never used within the bible, and therefore could not be orthodox. 7 This was the first time that bishops had gone outside of scripture in order to attempt to interpret scripture. Nevertheless, The Nice Creed proved to be a victory for anti-Arians. Arias and many of his followers were excommunicated and exiled. Concrete creed was created, in which the divinity of Jesus was defined. While the new Nice Christians may have felt that the establishment of the Nice Creed could have been the end of the controversy, it would continue on for more than half a century. Arias and his followers continued to practice their theological beliefs, and fight against the theology of the Nice Creed.
The years following the Council of Nicola can be seen as an ongoing struggle between the Arians and the new Nice Christians. The followers of the Nice Creed were the first victors of the controversy, but within three years, Arias, Subside, and their lowers would be forgiven by Constantine and welcomed back to the Church. Over the next several years, the debate between the divinity of Christ reached a stalemate. For one moment Constantine would favor the new Nice Christians, and the next be a very empathetic ruler, and could easily be moved by the sincerity and passion of Christian followers.
This worked in the favor of both Euthanasia and Arias, for both were very persuasive individuals. Because the emperor would constantly shift from one side to the next, the controversy seemed like it would continue forever. Three significant deaths would put the wheels of resolution in motion. Bishop Alexander died in the summer of 328 after he had sent Euthanasia to the capital city of Macromedia, concerning a recent council that readmitted Arias to the church. 18 The Council of Macromedia convened in 328 in an attempt to clear the name of Arias, and prove his theology orthodox.
Arias had written to the emperor, pleading that his excommunication be renounced. After a meeting with Constantine, the emperor told Arias that he must create a creed and present it to a council in order to overturn the charges against him. The council of bishops in Macromedia, looked over his creed, questioned him, and eventually stated that his beliefs were orthodox. 19 Constantine had retracted Arias’ excommunication, and had permitted him to partake in communion. He was also once again allowed to preach in the city of Alexandria, in which Constantine had written a letter to Bishop Alexander informing him of this decision.
The bishop refused Arias’ reentry into the city, arguing that heretics had no place within the Church. Constantine dispatched another letter insisting that Uris’s views were now acceptable to the great majority f bishops and demanding that the Alexandria church adhere to the decisions of the Council of Macromedia. At this point Alexander sent Athenians to the capital to plead his case. While the young Deacon stayed in Macromedia, though, the old bishop had passed away. Euthanasia cut his trip short to return to Alexandria, and had been appointed the new bishop of Alexandria.
There was some controversy on how Euthanasia became bishop, but he was such a beloved figure in Alexandria, that any accusations against him were quickly dismissed. The return of Euthanasia to Alexandria was a huge turning point in the ARIN controversy. Euthanasia was a much more persistent individual than his predecessor. His violent ways brought a new dimension towards the attack of Arias and his supporters. He organized mobs of people to protest and instill fear among ARIN supporters. His methods would eventually work against him, as many Arians would accused him of extortion, murder, and even treason.
The accusations against him would get him exiled five time throughout the controversy. Ultimately Euthanasia would become the champion of pro-Nice Christians, and would fight throughout his life to support his theological values. Another significant death during the controversy took place in 336. Constantine had since moved the capital to Byzantium, which would eventually be renamed to Constantinople. Aryanism continued to grow throughout the eastern empire, and Constantine called for another council to reassert the orthodoxy of ARIN theology.
Furthermore, he organized a ceremony in which Arias would receive communion from the current bishop of Constantinople. The bishop of Constantinople was a known Nice Christian. If Constantine could enforce the ceremony, and Arias received Communion under the bishop of the capital city, then the anti-Arians would eve trouble rejecting the priest’s acceptance back into the Church. Arias had now about to be officially re admitted to the Church. The day prior to the ceremony Arias became stricken with a severe stomach ache and died a gruesome death. 0 To many, the coincidence of his death the day before he was officially accepted back into the church was God’s punishment to him for his heretical beliefs. In reality, he was probably poisoned. The Death of Arias was an instant victory for Nice Christians, and many again believed that the controversy would come to a conclusion. While the ARIN cause did continue, it had lost its leading protagonist. Furthermore, the timing and gruesome manner of his death was viewed as no coincidence to many Christians.
Euthanasia and many others took full advantage of the situation, making it seem like God had taken the life of the heretical priest. The last and most significant death was that of Constantine the Great in May of 337. 21 After everything that Constantine had done for Christianity, he had not yet taken up the faith for himself. It was not until he laid on his deathbed that he was baptized a Christian by Subside of Macromedia. With his death, the empire split up amongst his three sons. Milan would be ruled by Constantine II, an ARIN supporter, and the western Empire would be ruled by Constant, a supporter of the Nice Creed.
Constantine II, a supporter of Aryanism, would rule the East. The death of Constantine II once again divided the empire in two, with Nice Christians in the western empire and ARIN supporters in the east. It looked as if the empire regressed back to the beginning of the controversy. Again, the debate reached a stalemate. In 350, though, Constant was assassinated and usurped by his former general Magnesium. This resulted in a civil war between the eastern and western empires. Constantine would prove the victor and would rule for the next decade as an ARIN supporter.
He appointed his nephew Julian the Augustus of the west, which would end up being a huge turning point for the pro Nice Movement. Constantine died in 361 and Julian became the sole ruler of the Empire. Sultan’s rule would lead to one of the most significant events for the fall of ARIN theology. Like Diocletian and Constantine before him, Julian shared the idea of unifying the Roman Empire and restoring it back to its previous glory. Unlike his predecessors, though, he did not view Christianity as a unifying force.
Rather, he believed that paganism would be the key to restore the glory days of the Empire. The ARIN controversy had gone on for too long, and he felt that a resolution to the debate could not happen. He revealed himself to be a strong believer in Greek mysticism, and even compared himself to Alexander the Great. The Emperor announced that he had come to liberate the entire empire from “the cult of the Galilean”22 To gain support for his pagan revolution, he combined his religious message with edicts that lowered taxes, canceled debts, and restored lands to the cities.
Although his pagan evolution saw gains in popularity, Christianity still had a great deal of strong supporters. Sultan’s biggest mistake was underestimating the followers of the Christian faith. He believed that the Arians and Nice Christians would continue to feud over their Church doctrine, despite the threat of the revival of paganism. This would create a weakened, unrecognized Church, which would be easily defeated. The young emperor did not prepare himself for the actions of Euthanasia.
Euthanasia could see through Sultan’s plan, and was not ready to give up what he had believed that a compromise was finally in order. He reached out to ARIN believers, stating that even though they shared a difference of beliefs, they were all Christians, and therefore should be respected. 23 He pointed out that the common enemy was Julian and his Pagan Revolution. There was no need for an uprising against Julian, for his demise came abruptly. Pursuing a Persian conquest, Julian traveled east to Mesopotamia with his army and pagan soothsayers.
He preformed the pagan sacrifice before his march against the Persians, and at first, he experienced an extremely successful military campaign. In June of 363, though, Julian went into Attlee against the Persians for the last time. Julian fell victim to an enemy spear while trying to rally his troops. 24 The idea off pagan revival faded with the emperor’s death. Sultan’s rule had played a significant role on resolving the ARIN Controversy. The pagan revolution encouraged the two sides to work with one another and become more accepting of others’ views.
Although the debate was not yet over, the Arians and Nice Christians saw for the first time that compromise could be reached. A second cause for the fall of Aryanism occurred during the battle of Hydroplaning. Valentine, the new emperor in the west, promoted his brother, Valves, as Augustus in the East. Both brothers had military experience as generals under Emperor Constantine II. In 375 Valentine died, and Valves appointed himself sole emperor. At this time a new group of foreign invaders began to appear out of the Northeastern plains, devastating anything in their path.
These invaders were the Hung, and their increasing advances and brutal massacres not only made securing the borders a primary goal of the new ruler, but it also put many Germanic cultures into a fearful state. Many Gothic tribes suffered defeat after defeat and eventually egged Rome to allow them to take refuge in Roman territory. Many Roman officials opposed the idea of letting in these foreigners, but the emperor believed that the new settlers would serve as valuable workers. Many of the Gothic people had experience in warfare, could prove to be valuable commodities to the Roman army.
Valves accepted the Sooth’s plead, and in doing so unknowingly signed his death warrant. The Gothic people were treated poorly by Roman officials. Their living conditions were troublesome, and they struggled to feed their families. Eventually they revolted, causing a great deal of distress throughout the eastern empire. Valves, who was on a campaign against the Persians, traveled back west to deal with the situation. He organized a huge army to deal with the Gothic forces and called upon the western empire for reinforcements.
The western army had been delayed due to unrecognized leadership and small conflicts with Germanic forces. Impatient and confident, Valves prepared for battle and led his army to the city of Hydroplaning. In 380, the western reinforcements arrived to the horrific sight of the brutal battle that had taken place a few days prior. Thousands of dead Roman soldiers could be seen scattered throughout the battlefield, and Emperor Valves was O’Hare in sight. This battle played a huge role in the downfall of Aryanism. Emperor Valves happened to be a huge supporter of ARIN theology.
Throughout his rule he enforced his theological values through state power. In some cases, he attempted to them with his choice. Those who opposed the emperor’s decision were exiled, and others imprisoned and sentenced to hard labor in the mines. 25 ARIN and Nice Christians had Just began to accept one another, making compromise seem possible. With compromise in reach, the Emperor’s enforced ARIN values left a distasteful feeling among both Nice and ARIN Christians. Many Arians began to question their own beliefs, and some even started to support Nice values.
Ultimately, through his fanatical support, Emperor Valves weakened the ARIN influence. The massacre of Hydroplaning severely diminished ARIN followers and support. Christians, who again were highly superstitious, believed that Valves suffered such a horrible defeat as a punishment from God for his unorthodox views. After the devastating defeat at Hydroplaning, it seemed as if the great revival of Roman power and culture begun by Diocletian and continued by Constantine was coming to an end. With Barbaric tribes now within the empire’s boundaries, increasing threats of attacks put Rome into a fearful state.
In 379, Theodosius, a Spanish general had become Augustus in the East. A practical and decisive ruler, he proved to be a much stronger leader than his predecessor. After many victorious battles against the Germanic tribes, he offered many tribes the right to settle in designated Roman territories. Unlike last time the new settlers were treated extremely well, and not given any reason to rebel. In 380 Theodosius asked Bishop Ambrose of Milan to instruct him in Christianity. Ambrose was a strong believer in Nice theology, and he preached to Theodosius the importance of Nice values. 6 To Theodosius, ARIN theology did not offer a powerful enough religious figure to save Rome. Roman citizens became more and more concerned with their survival and more importantly with their eternal souls. ARIN Theology did not provide a God that could save their eternal souls. Rather, Aryanism provided model in which they should live their lives if the wished to earn their way to heaven. To Theodosius Nice theology was the best religion in order to create a stable empire. Basically the Nice Jesus did all of the work for the worshipers. He died on the cross and suffered to save mankind from eternal sin.
Through this belief, Roman citizens were less focused on whether or not they were living a life that would get them into heaven, and more focused on carrying out their everyday tasks. After being versed in Christianity by Bishop Ambrose in Milan, Theodosius issued an edict announcing the Nice theology. Through this edict the empire not only adopted its own definition of Christianity, but it enforced it as law. The emperor asserted that true Christians believed in the single divinity of the Father and Son, and he labeled Arians as heretics. In the fall of 380, Theodosius came to Constantinople to enforce his theological preferences.
He offered the ARIN bishop, Demographics, the choice of accepting the Nice Creed or going into exile. In another edict, Null’s Heretics, he claimed that those who agree with the Nice faith would be thought of as a genuine Christian, whereas Arians and other heretics were forbidden to occupy any church or meet together for worship within the walls of the Roman Empire. In 381, Theodosius convened a final church council to solidify his previous anti-ARIN decrees. 150 eastern bishops attended the Council of Constantinople, which became the final blow to ARIN Christianity.
The council created the Creed of The Creed stated, “the only-begotten Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, light from light true God from true God, begotten not made, homogeneous with the Father, through Whom all things came into existence. “27 After the conclusion of the Council Theodosius declared, “We now order that all churches are to be handed over to the bishops who profess Father, Son and Holy Spirit of a single majesty, of the same glory, of one splendor, who establish no difference by sacrilegious separation, but the order of the Trinity by economizing the Persons and Uniting the Godhead. 28 Soon after the Council of Constantinople anyone caught practicing ARIN theology or in possession of ARIN writings could be arrested and even executed. The Emperor’s use of imperial force against ARIN followers proved extremely successful. The belief that Christ was created and not eternal, faded out of Orthodoxy, and would never recover within the Roman Church. After almost one century, the ARIN controversy came to a conclusion. As the Views of Euthanasia became law, ARIN ideologies rapidly declined.