There have been many unorthodox positions that have appeared throughout church history but one that almost became official orthodoxy is that of Arianism.
This post will not be so much a discussion of Arianism but brief introduction to the man it was named after, Arius. Arius was born around 250 AD, possibly in North Africa. He became a presbyter in the church and had a good reputation as a teacher and an ascetic.
Arius was interested in Neo-Platonic philosophy and contemplated God as the greatest good. In his reflections on the nature of God, he wrestled with the relationship of Jesus to the Father. He reasoned that if Jesus was begotten, then he was a created being and thus not co-eternal with the Father.
The First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD was called to deal with the Arian controversy. There is a later legend that Nicolas (as in St. Nicolas, Santa Claus) punched Arius, but that is not likely historical. It should be noted that Arius was not alone in his beliefs and that he had many supporters in the church even if the position was rejected at Nicaea.
Arius was exiled but was later recalled and was working toward reconciliation. Unfortunately, he died before that happened, somewhere close to 336 AD in Constantinople.
