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St Francis Magazine Vol 8, No 4 | August 2012
“I believe in One God, the Father, Almighty, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
There is also a Roman baptismal formula that dates back to 125-135
AD: “I believe in God, Almighty, (the Father), and in Jesus Christ
His only Son, who dominates us, born of the Holy Spirit and Virgin
Mary, who is crucified in the time of Pilate of Pontus and buried and
raised in the third day.”
This Orthodox faith is supported by the testimony of history and
theology. It is supported also by the geographical spread of the
faith, especially in the first centuries of Christianity, when the
church was strongly oppressed.
In conclusion, these ante-Nicene, Patristic texts demonstrate
that the confession of the faith of Nicaea did not promulgate any
new teaching. The concepts and vocabulary used there were already
in wide circulation among the teachers and elders of the
churches throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe.
4 The Story Of Nicaea: What Really Happened There
Let us examine the historical facts. The beginning of the controversy
was when Arius (a cleric in Alexandria) offered his heretical ideas.
This was during the divine war. Constantine saw that this Arian
controversy was dividing the bishops of his empire, so in 323 AD he
appointed Hosius of Cordova (Spain) to assist in resolving this conflict.
Hosius delivered a letter from the Emperor, though it might
have been written by Hosius himself, to Alexander bishop of Alexandria
and to Arius, but the letter had no effect.
So by an invitation from the emperor himself, a council was held
in 325 AD in the town of Nicaea, in Bithynia, which was a vital city
near Nicomedia. The council consisted of 318 bishops (we get this
figure from Athanasius’ writings. Some other sources claim that the
number was 300 or 270). In addition, there was a great number of
priests (presbyters), deacons, and assistants present, most of them
from the East, to settle the Arian debate and fix the Passover date.
Another concern was to discuss the subject of re-baptizing heretics.
There are evidences that the title “pope” or “patriarch” did not
exist in the ante-Nicene era, or even in Nicene time. We have primary
materials from the Council of Nicaea, like a letter from Euse-
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