Influence of the Ideas of Arians on the Formation of European Culture and Statehood

Based on a socio-philosophical analysis, the article examines one of the early currents of Christianity - Arianism in the context of the influence of its basic ideas on the formation of Western culture and statehood. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of the perception of God and the world in Arianism and their influence on cultural and religious practices and forms of relationship between the authorities and the church. To achieve the goal, a number of tasks were set related to the study of the specifics of asceticism that arose in Europe under the influence of Arianism, the socio-psychological consequences of celibacy, which determined the characteristics of Western Christian culture and had a significant impact on modern Western culture. Particular attention was paid to the analysis of the factors that determined the subordinate role of the state structures of the Western state formations of the Catholic Church. Based on the methods of comparative analysis, systemic and dialectical approaches, the ideas of Arianism are analyzed in comparison with existing approaches to the interpretation of the ideas of the singularity of God the Creator and determining the status of God the Son. The influence of the philosophy of Neoplatonism and Stoicism on the basic ideas of Arianism is revealed. The study shows the influence of the ideas of Arianism on the formation of ideas about the filioque, which determined the dual nature of Western European culture. It is substantiated that the confrontational nature of Arianism gives rise to special ideas about the significance of asceticism, which further lead to the conviction of the need to extend celibacy to all ministers of the church, which. in turn, it gives rise to a situation of exaltation and psychological instability, the perception of reality as a war between the forces of good and evil, in which the Devil is extremely active and carries out a “personal hunt” for each of the clergy. In its extreme versions, this gave rise to psychological stress, which led to the need to relieve tension, including in perverse and illegal ways. Indirectly, these attitudes also stimulated interest in homosexuality and its further widespread distribution in Western European culture. Overestimation of the status of church authorities led to underestimation, and in some cases to direct confrontation with secular state power.

Jesus Christ, Christianity, Arianism, asceticism, celibacy