Bible Dictionary
ARIUS
Arius was a king of Sparta who wrote to Onias the high priest concerning friendship between the Spartans and Jews. The letter is preserved in 1 Maccabees and is generally assigned to Arius I.
Definition
Arius was a king of Sparta who wrote to Onias the high priest concerning friendship between the Spartans and the Jews. The name represents the form adopted in the Revised Version.
Biblical Usage
The letter of Arius to Onias is preserved in 1 Maccabees. The supplied chronology identifies its author most probably as Arius I and its recipient as Onias I.
Historical Background
Arius I ruled from 309 to 265 BC. The letter was probably written between 309 and 300 BC, before the later Spartan king and high priests bearing the same names.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>a-ri'-us, a'-ri-us (Ares): The reading of the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) adopted in the Revised Version (British and American) for the former reading Areus and Areios of Josephus. A king of Sparta (309-265 BC) who wrote the letter to Onias, the high priest, given in 1 Macc 12:7,20-23. There were two Spartan kings named Arius, and three high priests named Onias. Chronology requires the letter mentioned to have been written by Arius I to Onias I, most probably in the interval between 309 and 300 BC. See LACEDAEMONIANS.</p>