But it is at this point that the Arian logic breaks down, as Athanasius was quick to show (see Contra Arius 3:61, 62). According to the Arians all of creation comes into being through the will or good pleasure of God, that is, through his Will or Word. The ‘Word’ is here understood by the Arians as the verbalization of the divine volition and not as a substantial entity. But then alongside the divine Will, the pre-existent Christ, a created being, is also held to be the chosen agent of creation and