The First General Council of Nicaea
The Church’s First Attempt to Define Teachings, 325 A.D.
Jan 12, 2009
Although the First General Council of Nicaea is considered to be the first ‘General’ Council, many bishops were holding smaller councils on their own before for the purpose of making sure their doctrines matched one another, defining dogma, and creating a unity in the teaching of the Catholic faith.
What Brought about the First General Council of Nicaea
Three hundred or more bishops came together from all over the Christian world in 325 A.D. to find remedies for disturbances, mostly between the eastern and western branches of the church, which had caused major problems between the two camps. The main cause of this disturbance was Arianism, a disagreement over the basic mystery of the Christian Religion.
The First Issue of the First General Council of Nicaea
Ironically, Arius believed that Christ was a son of God by adoption – not nature. But it is found in the apostolic succession of the sacrament of baptism the answer to this seemingly complex issue – Jesus and the Apostles had formulated the baptismal formula to include being baptized by ‘The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit.’ The Council concluded that “The doctrine them of a Supreme Triad is the elementary truth of Christianity.”
Emperor Constantine
It was the Emperor Constantine who called the council after he embraced the Christian religion during his reign. Raised as a Roman son, he had embraced his father’s pagan religions until he had the mystical dream on Milvian Bridges in the year 312 A.D.. It was then that he stopped the persecution of the Christians through the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. and eventually led to calling this council into action to define the dogmas of the Mysteries of Christ.
Results of the General Council of Nicaea
The theology of Arius was condemned although he did remain with 22 bishops supporting him in the conclave. Utilizing a baptismal formula, a new creed was born. It addressed the Cathar clergy and the process by which they could return to full communion with the Catholic Church. It was also decided the the Eastern Churches would celebrate as they had been doing with their own liturgy – known as the divine liturgy, while the Western Fathers would embrace the Roman Liturgy. The date of the Easter Feast was finally agreed upon, and two canons on the readmission of heretical schismatics.
In total, 20 canons regarding moral law were written into the teaching of the church, many of them regarding the rigorous requirements for a man to enter the priesthood.
As a sidenote, the issue of a belief in reincarnation, which was widespread at the time, was voted out of the dogmas of the faith despite the support of such high esteemed fathers as Origen.
The Second General Council of the Vatican, 1963-65 A.D.
The First General Council of Constantinople, 381 A.D.
Sources: The Church in Crisis: A History of the General Councils, 325 – 1870 – By Philip Hughes, The General Councils: A History of the Twenty-One Church Councils from Nicaea to Vatican II – By Christopher M. Bellito, The Documents of Vatican II – By Walter M. Abbott, S.J. and the Very Reverend Monsignor Joseph Gallagher, A Short History of Christian Doctrine: From the First Century to the Present – By Bernard Lohse, The Reform of the Liturgy – Annibale Bugnini, www.catholicdigitalstudio.com/councils.htm
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