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 councilEcumenical, from Koine Greek oikoumenikos, literally meaning worldwide but generally assumed to be limited to the Roman Empire, as in Augustus' claim to be ruler of the oikoumene/world. The earliest extant uses of the term for a council are Eusebius' Life of Constantine 3.6 Eusebius. Vita Constantini - Greek around 338 "" (he called for an Ecumenical council), Athanasius' Ad Afros Epistola Synodica in 369 CHURCH FATHERS: Ad Afros Epistola Synodica (Athanasius), and the Letter in 382 to Pope Damasus I and the Latin bishops from the First Council of ConstantinopleNPNF2-14. The Seven Ecumenical Councils - Christian Classics Ethereal Library  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:
 The Arian question
 The celebration of Passover
 The Meletian schism
 The Father and Son one in purpose or in person
 The baptism of heretics
 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.Richard Kieckhefer (1989). "Papacy". Dictionary of the Middle Ages.  "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.Carroll, 10 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.Carroll, 11 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.”Carroll, 12 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,Ad Afros Epistola Synodica 2 and Eustathius of Antioch counted 270Theodoret H.E. 1.7 (all three were present at the council). Later, Socrates Scholasticus recorded more than 300,H.E. 1.8 and Evagrius,H.E. 3.31 Hilarius,Contra Constantium JeromeChronicon 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.

 Notes 

 Bibliography 
 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

Nicaea 1
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