Explain the beliefs about Jesus' identity held by early Christians.

Early Christians had conflicting beliefs about the true
identity of Jesus. One group who followed an early bishop known as Arius believed that
Jesus was an extraordinary human being, but was not truly God himself. Arius believed
that since Jesus was born of a woman, he could not have co-existed with God the father,
and therefore was only human. He was later excommunicated for his
teachings.

Still other Christians believed that Jesus was
only God and not human. Since he was perfect and no human can ever be perfect, he could
not be perfect. This group believed that Jesus cast no shadow, and left no foot prints
when he walked. To them, he was merely an apparition, not really
there.

The debate, and particularly the Arian heresy, were
resolved at the Council of Nicea in 325 C.E.  This council declared Arianism to be a
heresy and decided that Jesus was in fact both God and
man.

The Council expressed its holdings in the Nicean
creed, which reads:

readability="21.640127388535">

We href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02408b.htm">believe in one href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm">God the Father Almighty,
Maker of all things visible and invisible; and in one href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08374c.htm">Lord Jesus Christ, the
only begotten of the Father, that is, of the href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14322c.htm">substance [ek
tes ousias] of the Father, href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm">God of href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm">God, light of light,
true God of href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm">true God, begotten not
made, of the same substance with the Father [ href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07449a.htm">homoousion to
patri], through whom all things were made both in href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07170a.htm">heaven and on earth; who
for us men and our href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13407a.htm">salvation descended, was
incarnate, and was made man, suffered and rose again the third day, href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01767a.htm">ascended into heaven and
cometh to judge the living and the dead. And in the href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07409a.htm">Holy Ghost. Those who
say: There was a time when He was not, and He was not before He was begotten; and that
He was made out of nothing (ex ouk onton); or who maintain that He
is of another href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11726a.htm">hypostasis or another
substance [than the Father], or that the href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14142b.htm">Son of God is href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04470a.htm">created, or mutable, or
subject to change, [them] the href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03449a.htm">Catholic href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03744a.htm">Church href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01455e.htm">anathematizes