He stated that the Father and Son were of a completely different essence or substance. (Cowan 86) Over the next few years, an intense theological debate would begin in Origen's homeland, Alexandria Egypt. There arose two theological parties: one lead by a presbyter named Arius, the other headed by his bishop, Alexander. Arius" party stood on Origen's statement that the Son was subordinate and not of the same essence as the Father. They stated that the Son was created and given, by the Father, divine dignity and power. The second party held firmly Origen's doctrine of eternal generation; they insisted that Christ was not created. However, they parted from Origen where he claimed that the Father and Son totally separate; they claimed the two are mysteriously One in essence.
Arius became a very influential person in the debate that ensued. A presbyter in Alexandria, he was pastor of the influential Baucalis church (Frend, 493). Arius was teaching that the Son was a created being. He wrote that "The Son has a beginning, but God is without beginning" (Shelley, 114). He reasoned that since there cannot be two gods, the Son must be a creation of the Father and not co-eternal with him and, therefore, not fully God (Kee, 152). He clearly stated that the Son was a lesser being than the Father. A very charismatic and eloquent speaker, Arius gained a large following. It's said that he even put his ideas into short jingles which were sung by the school children of the city (Shelley, 115). Arius" bishop, Alexander, became concerned about the teachings put forth by his presbyter. He openly challenged Arius" views claiming that he denied the Son any true divinity. Arius responded by claiming that Alexander denied the Son a distinct personhood. The conflict in Alexandria would continue until 321 when Alexander called a synod which condemned Arius" teachings. He and his adherents were then excommunicated.