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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- St Francis Magazine is a publication of Interserve and Arab Vision 448
St Francis Magazine Vol 8, No 4 | August 2012 bius of Caesarea to his church there. (It was kept in the Ecclesiastical History of Socrates, and in Athanasius’ Apology of Nicaea.) The description of the council sessions is kept in Eusebius’ book Life of Constantine, and letters from Constantine and letters from the council to the churches are also present there. Also, we still have the twenty canons issued by the council. Also, the historical writings of Socrates, Sozomen, Rufinus and Eusebius of Caesarea contain many details about the council. In fact, there is no reference to the subject of fixing the number and identity of the books of the New Testament or the deification of Christ in either of these ancient primary sources (like Socrates, chapter 8, Sozomen, chapters 17 to 21, and Eusebius). The Available historical sources on the council of Nicaea: Theodoret, Historia Ecclesia, Book I, ch. 6 .13 Socrates, Historia Ecclesia, Book I, ch. 8 ch 21 Esuebius,Vita Constantini, Book III, ch 6 ff Eusebius, On the Feast of Easter / De solemnitate paschalis. Athanasius, Ep. Ad episcoposAfricae, 5.ff Athanasius, de decretis synodis. Epinphanius, Haereses or Panarion, 69 Philostorgius, HE I, 7, 7a Rufinus ,Historia Ecclesiastica 10.1-6 Geasius of Cyzicus, Historia Concilii Nicaeni Jerome, Prologue to Judith When the Council Fathers endorsed the ante-Nicene hermeneutical tradition regarding the correct, Orthodox interpretation of Holy Scripture, they denounced Arius’ contention that the Logos had been at some point in time created, and that his essence was not the same as the divine essence. This they did with the memorable words: “We believe […] in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father…” It’s clear now that the Christology of Nicaea was the same faith of the New Testament and the early centuries before Nicaea; it’s “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3). Claims by authors like Pagels that Nicaea somehow produced the St Francis Magazine is a publication of Interserve and Arab Vision 449
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