Early Christian History
100 to 400 AD
Nicene Creed and The Trinity
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To us, the first Council of Nicaea is like a mountain in the landscape of the early church. For the protagonists themselves, though, it was more of an emergency meeting to stop an internal
religious squabble.
In the year AD 324, the Roman emperor Constantine the Great dispatched his closest advisor to mediate the dispute between the Empire's bishops within the Christian church over the divine nature of
Jesus the Christ.
Today's growing hostility toward Christianity spans many centuries, beginning of course with Christ himself when he was crucified. His followers, in turn, have been persecuted and even put to
death for their beliefs.
We find it almost impossible to think of the Christian faith without the Bible. Few decisions are more basic than those made during the first three centuries surrounding the Bible's
formation.
Early Christianity - Nicaea
What Happened at the Council of Nicaea?
In the early fourth century A.D., Christian bishops in the Roman Empire
traveled to the ancient town of Nicaea at the direction of Emperor Constantine the Great for the first time as an ecumenical council.
Many of the bishops had walked in suffering for their faith, but now they rode in
comfort to Nicaea with numerous priests and deacons—all traveling in comfort at the emperor's expense.
Nicaea was an ancient Greek city in the northwestern Anatolian region of Bithynia. known today as Iznik in modern-day Turkey, located in a fertile basin at
the eastern edge of Lake Ascanius and surrounded by hills.
Constantine called the bishops together to unify 4th-century Christians in the face of growing theological disputes over the divinity of Christ. Some 318
delegates gathered in an ornate chamber of the emperor's grand lakeside palace from May to June of 325 A.D.
In the center of the chamber lay the four gospels, with Constantine wearing a purple gown and a silver wreath. The emperor opened the ecumenical council, telling the delegates to
resolve their differences. "I rejoice to see you here, yet I should be more pleased to see unity and affection among you."
Many bishops argued that God the Father created Christ the Son before the beginning of time, whereas others asserted that Christ had the same
divine essence as God the Father. Finally, after much debate, a creed was written and signed by most of the bishops. However,
disagreement over the meaning of the Scriptures on the deity of Christ lasted for over fifty years, when a second council of bishops met in Constantinople and adopted an expanded form of the earlier
creed.
The Nicene Creed affirms the doctrine of the Trinity: that God is three "persons" (Father, Son, and Spirit) in one nature or
essence. Each person is fully divine, yet each is distinct.
ORIGINAL NICENE CREED (AD 325)
We believe in one God, the
Father, almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord
Jesus Christ, the son of God, begotten from the Father, only-begotten, that is, from the substance of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one
substance from the Father, through Whom all things came into being, things in heaven and things on earth, who because of us men and because of our salvation came down
and became incarnate, becoming man, suffered and rose again on the third day, ascended to the heavens, and will come to judge the living and the dead. And in the Holy Spirit. But as for those who say there was when he was not, and before being born he was not, and he came into existence out of nothing, or who assert
that the son of God is a different hypostasis or substance or is subject to change or alteration—these the Catholic * and Apostolic Church anathematizes.
*universal
The Nicene Creed of AD 381 is an expanded, more comprehensive revision of the original 325 document. The 381 creed adds language
about the Holy Spirit, the Son's humanity, and articles about the church, baptism, resurrection, and the world to come.
The Creed is the most widely used brief
statement of the Christian faith. In liturgical churches, it is said every Sunday as part of the liturgy. The creed is the common ground for Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Calvinists, and other Christian
denominations. Nevertheless, many Christians who do not have a tradition of using it in their services are committed to the doctrines it teaches.
~ ~ ~
"It’s not an exaggeration to say that after the Bible, the Nicene Creed may be the most important
Christian text ever written. Since the 4th century, the Nicene Creed has served, certainly, as the most influential; the most ecumenical, which
just means widespread across the whole globe; and arguably the most widely used statement of faith in the history of the Church. -- Dr. Kevin DeYoung, Pastor, Professor,
Author
Nicene Creed is the most
important Christian text aside from the Bible
"He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all
things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things,
and in him, all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church.
"He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of
God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross. (Colossians
1:15-23)
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