TRINITARIAN DEBATE
THE TRINITARIAN CONTROVERSY: ARIUS AND ALEXANDER
The Trinity is one of the essential doctrines of Christianity. Every Christian believes in one God who exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Since Jesus is unique, every true Christian must carefully study what the Bible says about Him. The identity of Jesus deserves deep and faithful examination. Throughout history, some leaders within the Church have misunderstood the nature of Christ—failing to recognize His full divinity. Arius, for example, regarded the Son as the first creation of God rather than being God Himself. Such misunderstanding led many away from orthodox Christian faith. Thankfully, vigilant leaders like Alexander of Alexandria defended the Church’s traditional teaching that Jesus Christ is immutable, unchangeable, and truly divine.
This paper will explain Arius’s view of Jesus, Alexander’s view of Jesus, and why Alexander regarded Arius’s view as dangerous to the Christian faith.
Arius’s View of the Son
Arius taught that the Son was not “unbegotten” nor a portion of the unbegotten God in any sense. Instead, he believed that the Son came into existence by the will and counsel of the Father before time and ages began. Arius described the Son as full of grace and truth, “God, only-begotten, and unchangeable.” However, Arius also asserted that before the Son was begotten, created, or established, He did not exist.
In his letter to Eusebius of Nicomedia, Arius complained that he and his followers were persecuted because they taught that “the Son has a beginning, but God is without beginning,” and that “the Son is from nothing.” Arius also wrote to Alexander of Alexandria, explaining that he and his followers recognized one God alone—unbegotten, everlasting, without beginning, true, immortal, wise, and good—the God of the Law, the Prophets, and the New Testament. This God, Arius said, begot His only-begotten Son before all ages, through whom He created everything.
According to Arius, God begot the Son “in truth,” not in mere appearance, subjecting Him to His own will. The Son, he said, is an immutable and perfect creature of God—distinct from all other creatures, yet still created. The Son received His life, being, and glory from the Father, who shared His inheritance with Him. Thus, the Son was “caused” to exist by the Father. Arius denied that the Son was co-eternal, co-existent, or unbegotten with the Father. Rather, the Son was created “before times and ages,” having received all things from the Father, who alone is without beginning. Therefore, according to Arius, God is the cause and ruler of the Son, and the Son exists under His authority.
Alexander’s View of the Son
Alexander of Alexandria firmly opposed Arius’s teaching, maintaining that the Son possesses an immutable and divine nature. The Word of God (the Son) is not among the things created from nothing; instead, all things were made through Him. There is no distance or separation between the Father and the Son. Everything originates from the Father through the Son, and the Son, being of the same nature as the Father, is worthy of worship.
Alexander emphasized the words of Christ, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30, NIV), as proof of their unity of essence. The Son, in His nature, is the exact image and perfect reflection of the Father. Any irreverent statement spoken against the Son, Alexander argued, is equally an offense against the Father.
He and other orthodox Christians confessed faith in one unbegotten Father—unchanging, eternal, and perfect—who is the giver of the Law, the Prophets, and the Gospel, the Lord of patriarchs, apostles, and all the saints. They also confessed faith in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten not from nothing but from the Father Himself—not by physical division or emanation, but as an eternal generation from the divine essence.
For Alexander, the Son is immutable and unchangeable like the Father—self-sufficient and perfect in every respect, lacking only the Father’s unbegotten quality. The Son is the exact image of the Father, eternally proceeding from Him. Thus, Christians rightly worship the Son, declaring that He “was,” “always,” and existed “before all ages.” In doing so, believers affirm the Son’s eternal divinity and His full equality with the Father.
Why Alexander Considered Arius’s View Dangerous
Alexander regarded Arius’s teaching as dangerous because it denied one of the central doctrines of Christianity—that Jesus Christ is God incarnate. By claiming that the Son was created and had a beginning, Arius undermined the eternal deity of Christ and the very foundation of salvation. Therefore, Alexander and the leaders of the Church condemned Arius and his followers as heretics and expelled them from fellowship.
Alexander warned that Arius’s group had become enemies of the truth, echoing Paul’s words: “If anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:9, NKJV). He compared Arius’s arrogance to the error described in 1 Timothy 6:3–4, calling him proud and ignorant. In light of these passages, Alexander urged believers not to accept or associate with Arius and his followers.
He described them as deceivers who corrupted the truth, disguising themselves with false friendship and deceptive appeals to peace. They spread their teachings through hypocrisy and flattery, misleading the vulnerable and “weak-willed women” as Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:6. Alexander’s strong response reflected his desire to protect the purity of the faith and the unity of the Church.
Bibliography
Rusch, William G. Sources of Early Christian Thought: The Trinitarian Controversy. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1980.
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