protoUnitarianism

Proto-Unitarianism refers to a variety of early Christian beliefs that rejected or questioned the doctrine of the Trinity. These proto-Unitarian views held that Jesus Christ was subordinate to God the Father, or that God was a single, undivided being. While the term "proto-Unitarianism" is a modern historical construct, it is used to describe thinkers and groups whose ideas predate the formal establishment of Unitarianism as a distinct religious movement.

Key figures often associated with proto-Unitarian ideas include some of the early Church Fathers, such as Arius, whose views on the Son's subordination to the Father were condemned at the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. Others, like Paul of Samosata, held even more radical views about the nature of Christ. Throughout the Middle Ages, various groups, sometimes labeled as heretical, expressed beliefs that diverged from Trinitarian orthodoxy, though historical records can be scarce and interpretations debated.

The Reformation period saw a resurgence of anti-Trinitarian thought. Figures like Michael Servetus, who was burned at the stake for his theological views, and Faustus Socinus, who developed a more systematic theology that influenced later Unitarianism, are significant in this context. These proto-Unitarian sentiments laid the groundwork for the emergence of more organized Unitarian churches and movements in the 17th and 18th centuries in places like Poland, Transylvania, Great Britain, and North America. The core of these proto-Unitarian beliefs was the emphasis on the absolute oneness of God and a non-divine or subordinate status for Jesus.