Aerians
Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary [1]
a sect which arose about the middle of the fourth century, being the followers of Aerius, (who must be distinguished from Arius and Aetius,) a monk and a presbyter of Sebastia, in Pontus. He is charged with being an Arian, or Semi-Arian; but the heaviest accusation against him is an attempt to reform the church; and, by rejecting prayers for the dead, with certain fasts and festivals then superstitiously observed, to reduce Christianity as nearly as possible "to its primitive simplicity; a purpose, indeed, laudable and noble," says Dr. Mosheim, "when considered in itself; though the principles from whence it springs, and the means by which it is executed, are sometimes, in many respects, worthy of censure, and may have been so in the case of this reformer." This gentle rebuke probably refers to a report that the zeal of Aerius originated in his being disappointed of the bishopric of Sebastia, (conferred on Eustathius,) which led him to affirm that the Scriptures make no distinction between a presbyter and a bishop, which he founded chiefly on 1 Timothy 4:14 . Hence he is considered by many, as the father of the modern Presbyterians.—"For this opinion, chiefly, says Dr. Turner, he is ranked among the heretics, by Epiphanius, his contemporary, who calls it a notion full of folly and madness. His followers were driven from the churches, and out of all the towns and villages, and were obliged to assemble in the woods, caverns, and open defiles."
Charles Buck Theological Dictionary [2]
A branch of Arians in the reign of Constantine, who held that there was no difference between bishops and priests; a doctrine maintained by many modern divines, particularly of the Presbyterian and reformed churches. The sect received its denomination from Aerius, who founded his doctrine on 1 Timothy 4:14 .
See Episcopacy
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature [3]
a sect which arose about the middle of the fourth century, being the followers of Aerius (different from Arius and Aetius), a monk and a presbyter of Sebastia, in Pontus, A.D. 355-360. He is charged by Epiphanius with being an Arian, or Semi-Arian, without just ground. The real cause, perhaps, of the accusation against him was his attempt to reform the Church, by maintaining that a presbyter or elder differs not in order and degree from a bishop; and by rejecting prayers for the dead, with certain fasts and festivals then superstitiously observed. Epiphanius attributes the zeal of Aerius to his being disappointed of the bishopric of Sebaste, which was conferred on his friend Eustathius; but the statements of Epiphanius are evidently colored by his personal prejudice against Aerius. His followers were driven from the churches, and out of all the towns and villages, and were obliged to assemble in the woods, caverns, and open defiles. The sect was still in existence at the time of Augustine.
— Epiphanius, Adv. Hoeres. 56; Neander, Ch. Hist. 2, 342, 343; Bingham, b. 15, ch. 3; Lardner, Works, 4, 179; Walch, Hist. d. Ketzer. 3, 321.
