How does the Arian Heresy relate to the JW's view of Jesus?

The basic Jehovah's Witness view of Jesus is a revival of the Arian heresy of the fourth century. Arius (AD 280 to 336) taught that the Son, whom they called the Word, had a beginning, and when the word ‘beget’ is used in reference to the Son, it means 'to make.' Thus, the Son was not of the same essence as the Father and in fact was created by the Father.

The Arians taught that there was a time when God was alone and not yet a Father. Arius taught that Christ had a subordinate, secondary divinity. Any title given to the Son was a courtesy title. Thus Jesus is God in name only.

The Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 firmly put down the Arian heresy. The Nicene Creed, a product of the council, states in part—“We believe . . . in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten from the Father, only-begotten, that is from the substance of the Father . . . begotten not made, of one substance with the Father . . . “

The Council included this statement which was directly aimed at the Arians: “But as for those who say, 'There was when He was not, and before being born He was not, and that He came into existence out of nothing, or who assert that the Son of God is from a different . . . substance, or is created, or is subject to alteration or change—these the universal church anathematizes.'”

(For more information on this topic or any topic concerning the JW’s, I highly recommend the book, Jehovah’s Witnesses by Anthony Hoekema.)