Arius

• a river in Aria, now Heri, Plin. 6, 23, 25, § 93; in Amm.23, 6, 69 Arias.

• a renowned heretic, also Ārĭus, Prud. Psych. 794.
• —Hence, Ărīānus, a, um, adj., pertaining to Arius, Arian, Hier. adv. Lucif. 7.—Ărīāni, ōrum, m., the followers of Arius, the Arians, Hier. adv. Lucif. 7; Aug. Haeres. 49.

ARIUS(ὁ Ἀριός, Strab. pp. 515, 518; Ἄρειας, Arrian, 4.6; Ἀρείας, Ptol. vi, 17.2 ; Ἀρριανός, Dionys. Perieg. 5.1098; Arius, Plin. Nat. 6.23. s. 25; Arias, Ammian. 23.6), the only river of Aria (now the Heri Rud). It rises at Obeh in the Paropamisan mountains, and having run westerly by Herát, turns to the NW., and is lost in the Sands. (Elphinstone, Kábul, 1. p. 155.). Strabo and Arrian both stated that it was lost in the Sands. Ptolemy, on the other hand, gave it two arms, of which the western flowed from the Sariphi mountains, and the eastern from the Paropamisus; and made it terminate in a lake, confounding it (as Rennell, Kinneir and Mannert have done) with the Ferrah Rud, which does fall into the Lake Zarah. (Wilson, Ariana, p. 150; Kinneir, Mem. of Map of Persia, p. 172.)

(Ἄρειος). A celebrated writer and theologian of Alexandria, who denied the eternal divinity and consubstantiality of the Second Person of the Trinity. Though much persecuted for his heresy, he succeeded in winning the favour of the emperor Constantine, and supplanted his great opponent St. Athanasius. When about to enter the cathedral at Constantinople in triumph, he suddenly died, A.D. 336. From him the sect of the Arians gets its name.

• slain by Pergamus: Paus. 1.11.2