Arius (256-336)

One of the earliest protesters in Christianity was Arius (256-336 CE), the fourth century priest in Alexandria, Egypt.  He believed that God the Father created the universe through the divinely created Christ, but that Jesus was a creature.  Athanasius, the Bishop of Alexandria disagreed.  The Roman Emperor Constantine called a general council at Nicaea in 325 to settle this dispute.  The result was the definition that Christ was the Son of the Father begotten of the same substance – homousious.  Jesus was truly divine.