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.
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.