First Council of Nicaea

The **First Council of Nicaea** was held in Nicaea, Bithynia, in 325. Nicea is now the city of İznik, Turkey.

Roman Emperor Constantine I called the bishops of the Roman Empire to the first ecumenical council of the early Christian Church. It had as most important result the first uniform Christian doctrine, called the Nicene Creed.

With the creation of the creed, a precedent was established for subsequent general (ecumenical) councils of bishops (synods) to create statements of belief and church law. The purpose was to define unity of beliefs for the whole of Christendom.

## Agenda

These items were on the agenda of the synod:
1. The Arian question
1. The celebration of Passover
1. The Meletian schism
1. The Father and Son one in purpose or in person
1. The baptism of heretics
1. The status of the lapsed in the persecution under Licinius

## Main points

The main purpose of the council was to solve  disagreements in the Church of Alexandria over the nature of Jesus in relationship to God the Father: in particular, whether Jesus was of the same substance as God the Father or merely of similar substance. Alexander of Alexandria and Athanasius took the first position; the popular presbyter Arius, the origin of the term "Arian controversy", took the second. The council decided against the Arians (of the estimated 250-318 attendees, all but 2 voted against Arius). However, many of the eastern bishops, who were supporters of Arius, were prevented from reaching the council until after the vote had been taken.

Another result of the council was an agreement on the date of the Christian Passover (_Pascha_ in Greek, Easter in Modern English), the most important feast of the ecclesiastical calendar. The council decided to celebrate the resurrection on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox, independently of the Bible's Hebrew calendar, and allowed the Bishop of Alexandria to announce annually the exact date to his fellow bishops.

The Council of Nicaea was historically significant because it was the first effort to come to a consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom. "It was the first occasion for the development of technical Christology." Also, "Constantine in convoking and presiding over the council signaled a measure of imperial control over the church." With the creation of the Nicene Creed, a precedent was established for subsequent general councils to create a statement of belief and canons, which were intended to become guidelines for doctrinal orthodoxy and a source of unity for the whole of Christendom. That was an important event in the history of the church and later the history of Europe.

## Character and purpose

The First Council of Nicaea was called by Roman Emperor Constantine I upon the recommendations of a synod led by Hosius of Cordoba in the Eastertide of 325. To most bishops, the teachings of Arius were heretical and a danger to the salvation of souls. In the summer of 325, the bishops of all provinces came to Nicaea, Bithynia (now İznik, Turkey), a place easily accessible to the majority of them, particularly those of Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Greece and Thrace.

Approximately 300 bishops attended from every region of the Roman Empire except Britain. It was the first general council in the history of the church since the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem. At the Council of Nicaea, “The Church had taken her first great step to define doctrine more precisely in response to a challenge from a heretical theology.” The resolutions in the council, being ecumenical, were intended for the whole church.

## Attendees

Constantine had invited all 1800 bishops of the Christian Church (about 1000 in the East and 800 in the West), but only 250 to 320 bishops actually participated. Eusebius of Caesarea counted 250, Athanasius of Alexandria counted 318, and Eustathius of Antioch counted 270 (all three were present at the council). Later, Socrates Scholasticus recorded more than 300, and Evagrius, Hilarius, Jerome and Rufinus recorded 318.

The bishops were given free travel and lodging to the council. The bishops did not travel alone; each had permission to bring with him two priests and three deacons and so the total number of attendees would have been above 1500. Eusebius speaks of an almost innumerable host of accompanying priests, deacons and acolytes.

A special prominence was also attached to this council because the persecution of Christians had just ended with the February 313 Edict of Milan by Emperors Constantine and Licinius.

The eastern bishops formed the great majority. Of them, the first rank was held by the three patriarchs: Alexander of Alexandria, Eustathius of Antioch, and Macarius of Jerusalem.
The Latin-speaking provinces sent at least five representatives: Marcus of Calabria from Italia, Cecilian of Carthage from Africa, Hosius of Córdoba from Hispania, Nicasius of Dijon from Gaul, and Domnus of Stridon from the province of the Danube. Pope Silvester I did not attend and said that he was he was ill, but he was represented by two priests.

Athanasius of Alexandria, a young deacon and companion of Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, was among the assistants. Athanasius eventually spent most of his life battling against Arianism. Alexander of Constantinople, then a presbyter, was also present as representative of his aged bishop, Metrophanes of Byzantium.

### Primary sources

- Eusebius of Caesarea, _Letter of Eusebius of Cæsarea to the people of his Diocese_ Account of the Council of Nicea; _The Life of the Blessed Emperor Constantine_ Book 3, Chapters VI-XXI treat the First Council of Nicaea.
- Athanasius of Alexandria, _Defence of the Nicene Definition_; _Ad Afros Epistola Synodica_
- Eustathius of Antioch, _Letter recorded in Theodoret H.E. 1.7_
- Socrates, _Of the Synod which was held at Nicæa in Bithynia, and the Creed there put forth_ Book 1 Chapter 8 of his Ecclesiastical History, 5th century source.
- Sozomen, _Of the Council convened at Nicæa on Account of Arius_ Book 1 Chapter 17 of his Ecclesiastical History, a 5th century source.
- Theodoret, _General Council of Nicæa_ Book 1 Chapter 6 of his Ecclesiastical History; _The Epistle of the Emperor Constantine, concerning the matters transacted at the Council, addressed to those Bishops who were not present_ Book 1 Chapter 9 of his Ecclesiastical History, a 5th century source;

### Literature

- Carroll, Warren H., _The Building of Christendom_, 1987,
- Davis, S.J., Leo Donald, _The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787)_, 1983,
- Kelly, J.N.D., _The Nicene Crisis_ in _Early Christian Doctrines_, 1978,
- Kelly, J.N.D., _The Creed of Nicea_ in _Early Christian Creeds_, 1982,
- Newman, John Henry., _The Ecumenical Council of Nicæa in the Reign of Constantine from _Arians of the Fourth Century_, 1871
- Rubenstein, Richard E., _When Jesus Became God: The Epic Fight Over Christ's Divinity in the Last Days of Rome_, 2003,
- Rusch, William G. "The Trinitarian Controversy", Sources of Christian Thought Series,
- Schaff, Philip _The first ecumenical council'' includes creed and canons of the council.
- Tanner S.J., Norman P., "The Councils of the Church: A Short History", 2001,

## Other websites

- Catholic Encyclopedia: First Council of Nicaea
- The Road to Nicaea a descriptive overview of the events of the Council, by John Anthony McGuckin.
- The Council of Nicaea and the Bible. This article deals with the legend that the canon of the bible was discussed at the council.
- Council of Nicaea in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
- Council of Nicaea