Acacians

The Acacians (əˈkeɪʃən), also known as the Homoians or Homoeans (hɒˈmiːən), were an Arian sect which played a major role in the Christianization of the Goths in the Danubian provinces of the Roman Empire. "Though Homoian Arianism derived from the thought both of Eusebius of Caesarea and of Arius, we cannot with confidence detect it before the year 357, when it appears in the Second Sirmian Creed." This was before the convocation of the joint synods of Rimini and Seleucia Isauria in 359. The sect owed its name and political importance to Acacius, Bishop of Caesarea. "Akakius of Caesarea is usually regarded as the leader of the Homoian Arians par excellence. He succeeded Eusebius as bishop of that see in 339 or 340 and remained there for at least twenty-five years. He was clearly a devoted disciple of his predecessor." R.P.C. Hanson stated, "If we are to determine who among the Homoian Arians was the most influential in the long run, we must choose Ulfilas, Apostle of the Goths." “He translated most of the Bible into Gothic.” “The Emperor in the East, Valens, ... was a fanatical opponent of the pro-Nicenes, as also of the Eunomians, and a supporter of the Homoian creed.” The Homoians were committed to use only Biblical language and declared the Son to be similar (hómoios) to God the Father, without reference to essence or substance. This is in contrast to the other strands of Christianity at the time which used the concept of "substance" (ousia) to explain the relationship between the Father and Son: Homo-ousian = Distinct but identical substance Homoi-ousian = Similar in substance Neo-Arianism or hetero-ousians = Unlike in substance “Ulfilas' doctrine exhibits a drastic subordination of the Son to the Father, a fierce emphasis upon the incomparability of the Father ... a denial of the divinity of the Holy Spirit and a strong and explicit repudiation of the pro-Nicene doctrine.” R.P.C. Hanson discusses on pages 592-595 “a shift of emphasis on the part of Germinius as far as doctrine is concerned” which illuminates the disputes in Arian circles at the time.