History of the church S3 E03: Council of Nicaea

Summary

This script revisits the Council of Nicaea, detailing its response to Arius's teachings that Jesus was not fully divine. It discusses the Council's affirmation of the Nicene Creed, which establishes the Son's divinity and the Holy Spirit's role. The video also touches on the council's rulings on clerical marriage and the calculation of Easter. It further explores the aftermath of the Council, including the persistence of Arianism and the eventual emergence of the fully accepted doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ The Council of Nicaea was convened by Emperor Constantine to address theological issues within the Christian faith, particularly the teachings of Arius regarding the nature of Christ.
• 🔄 Arius proposed that Jesus Christ was not fully divine, suggesting a separation between the Father and the Son, which was a challenge to the traditional Christian belief in the Trinity.
• 👁️ Arius's teachings spread through sermons and church songs, gaining popularity despite being excommunicated by Pope Peter, who was later martyred.
• 🛑 Emperor Constantine intervened in the theological dispute, aiming to maintain peace within the empire, and initiated the idea of an ecumenical council to resolve the issue.
• 📜 The Council resulted in the creation of the Nicene Creed, a unified statement of faith affirming the divinity of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, countering Arius's teachings.
• 👥 The council included bishops from across the Roman Empire, with key figures such as Pope Alexander and Deacon Athanasius playing significant roles in drafting the Nicene Creed.
• 🔗 The Nicene Creed emphasized the belief that the Son is 'begotten, not made,' meaning Jesus Christ is of the same substance as God the Father, a direct rebuttal to Arius's views.
• 👨‍🏫 The council also addressed the issue of priestly celibacy, allowing married men to become priests, but not permitting priests to marry after ordination if they were unmarried at the time.
• 📅 The calculation of the date for Easter was standardized based on the Alexandrian method, which is still used today to determine the date of Easter.
• 🕊️ The Council of Nicaea did not completely eradicate Arianism; it persisted in some regions for centuries, with some emperors and communities adhering to Arius's teachings.
• 📚 The council's decisions and the Nicene Creed became foundational to Christian doctrine, shaping the beliefs and practices of the church for centuries to come.

Q & A

What was the main theological issue addressed at the Council of Nicaea?

The main theological issue addressed at the Council of Nicaea was the nature of Jesus Christ, specifically the Arian controversy which questioned whether Jesus was of the same substance as God the Father, or a created being.

Who was Arius and what were his teachings that led to the Council of Nicaea?

Arius was a presbyter in Alexandria who taught that Jesus was not fully divine, but a created being, something more than human but less than God the Father. His teachings led to significant controversy and the convening of the Council of Nicaea to clarify the church's stance on the divinity of Christ.

What was the role of Emperor Constantine in the Council of Nicaea?

Emperor Constantine, as the first Christian Roman Emperor, initiated the idea of calling for an ecumenical council to resolve the theological disputes. He sought to unify the church and bring peace to the empire by establishing a common understanding of the Christian faith.

What was the Nicene Creed and why was it created?

The Nicene Creed was a statement of faith created by the Council of Nicaea to establish a common doctrine regarding the divinity of Jesus Christ and to counter the teachings of Arius. It affirmed that Jesus was 'begotten, not made,' of the same substance as God the Father.

Who was Pope Peter and what was his stance on Arius?

Pope Peter was the 17th Pope of Alexandria during the time of Diocletian's persecution of the church. He excommunicated Arius for his teachings and instructed his disciples not to accept Arius back into the church, even on his deathbed.

What was the significance of St. Athanasius in the Council of Nicaea?

St. Athanasius, who was a deacon at the time, served as Pope Alexander's secretary and right-hand man during the Council of Nicaea. He played a significant role in the formation of the Nicene Creed and was a staunch defender of the orthodox belief in the divinity of Christ.

What were the decisions regarding the priesthood and marriage at the Council of Nicaea?

The Council of Nicaea decided that priests could be married if they were already married at the time of their ordination, but they could not marry after ordination. If they were ordained as unmarried, they had to remain celibate.

What was the issue of celebrating Easter that was discussed at the Council of Nicaea?

The Council of Nicaea addressed the differing methods of calculating the date of Easter among various Christian communities. They approved the Alexandrian method, which is still used today to calculate the date of Easter.

What was the aftermath of the Council of Nicaea regarding Arianism?

Although Arianism was officially condemned and Arius excommunicated, the teachings persisted for several decades to centuries in some areas. It took a long time for the orthodox belief established by the Council of Nicaea to fully take hold and for Arianism to fade away.

What were the discussions at the Council of Constantinople that followed the Council of Nicaea?

The Council of Constantinople, which took place later, addressed further theological issues, including the divinity of the Holy Spirit and the rejection of the teachings of Apollinaris, who suggested that Jesus Christ did not have a fully human mind.

Outlines

00:00

🏛 Council of Nicaea and Arius' Heresy

This paragraph delves into the historical context of the Council of Nicaea, which was convened following Emperor Constantine's legalization of Christianity. It discusses the theological controversy surrounding Arius, a priest from Alexandria who proposed that Jesus was a created being, distinct from God the Father. Arius' teachings, which suggested a time when the Son did not exist, were seen as a threat to the monotheistic doctrine of Christianity. The paragraph also touches on the papacy of Pope Peter, who excommunicated Arius, and the political and religious turmoil that ensued, including the involvement of Emperor Constantine in attempting to resolve the theological dispute.

05:02

📜 The Formation of the Nicene Creed

The second paragraph focuses on the Council of Nicaea's efforts to establish a unified Christian doctrine. It describes how bishops from across the Roman Empire gathered to address the theological issues raised by Arianism. The council, which included figures like Pope Alexander and his deacon Athanasius, resulted in the creation of the Nicene Creed—a statement of faith affirming the divinity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. The paragraph also highlights the council's decision to excommunicate Arius and the establishment of a common doctrine to counter the spread of his teachings.

10:04

🎖 Debates on Priestly Celibacy and the Calculation of Easter

This paragraph explores additional topics discussed during the Council of Nicaea, such as the eligibility of married men for priesthood. It recounts the debate over whether priests should remain unmarried to serve, with a focus on the influence of Bishop Proteus of Egypt, who advocated for the allowance of married priests. The council ultimately decided that priests could remain married if they were already married at the time of their ordination, but they could not marry after ordination. The paragraph also mentions the council's resolution on the calculation of the date for Easter, adopting the Alexandrian method, and the establishment of church canons.

15:06

🔍 Post-Nicaea Controversies and the Persistence of Arianism

The fourth paragraph examines the aftermath of the Council of Nicaea, including the ongoing struggle with Arianism. It notes that while the council had declared the Nicene Creed as the standard of faith, some bishops and followers continued to adhere to Arius' teachings. The paragraph discusses the efforts of Emperor Constantine's descendants and the challenges the church faced in maintaining doctrinal unity. It also hints at the eventual decline of Arianism, which took several centuries to fully fade away, particularly in the East.

20:08

🌐 Second Ecumenical Council: The Pneumatomachi and the Full Divinity of the Holy Spirit

The final paragraph outlines the events leading to the Second Ecumenical Council, held in 381, which addressed the divinity of the Holy Spirit. It introduces Macedonians, the Patriarch of Constantinople, who questioned the full divinity of the Holy Spirit, sparking a new round of theological debates. The council, which included prominent bishops like Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory of Nazianzus, ultimately excommunicated Macedonians and expanded the Nicene Creed to include a clear statement on the Holy Spirit's divinity, affirming that the Spirit proceeds from the Father. The paragraph also touches on other heresies addressed during the council, such as the teachings of Apollinaris and the rejection of the millennial reign theory.

Keywords

💡Council of Nicaea

The Council of Nicaea was the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church, held in 325 AD, which aimed to address the theological controversy surrounding Arianism. It is a central theme of the video, illustrating the early Church's efforts to define orthodox Christian doctrine. The script discusses the council's decisions and implications, including the creation of the Nicene Creed.

💡Arianism

Arianism was a theological view, attributed to Arius, which posited that Jesus Christ was not of the same substance as God the Father. The video script describes Arius's teachings and the controversy they sparked, leading to the Council of Nicaea, where Arianism was ultimately condemned.

💡Constantine

Constantine the Great was the Roman Emperor who convened the Council of Nicaea. The script mentions his role in making Christianity legal within the Roman Empire and his involvement in resolving the theological disputes of the time, emphasizing his influence on the early Church.

💡Pope Peter

Pope Peter of Alexandria is mentioned in the script as the bishop who excommunicated Arius due to his heretical views. His role and the subsequent events leading to his martyrdom are significant in the narrative of the Council of Nicaea.

💡Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed is a statement of faith that was formulated at the Council of Nicaea. The script explains its importance as a unified declaration of Christian belief, which includes the affirmation of the divinity of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

💡Homoousion

Homoousion, meaning 'of the same substance,' was a term used in the Nicene Creed to describe the relationship between Jesus Christ and God the Father. The script discusses its significance in the council's affirmation of the full divinity of Christ.

💡Excommunication

Excommunication is the act of officially excluding someone from the Christian Church. The script uses this term to describe the council's response to Arius and his teachings, emphasizing the Church's stance against heresy.

💡Patriarch

A patriarch is a high-ranking bishop in the Eastern Orthodox Church, often overseeing a large region. The script refers to the patriarch of Constantinople, Macedonians, who later faced controversy for his views on the Holy Spirit.

💡Ecumenical Council

An ecumenical council is a formal meeting of bishops from the worldwide Christian Church to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine. The script explains that the Council of Nicaea was such a council, highlighting its role in shaping Christian orthodoxy.

💡Apollinaris

Apollinaris was a bishop whose teachings the script briefly mentions as another heresy that arose, suggesting that Jesus Christ did not have a human mind. This term is used to illustrate the ongoing theological debates of the time.

💡Celibacy

Celibacy refers to the state of being unmarried, particularly as a requirement for clergy in some Christian traditions. The script discusses the debate at the Council of Nicaea about whether priests should be allowed to marry, showing the cultural and religious considerations of the era.

Highlights

Continuation of the discussion on the Council of Nicaea, focusing on the theological issues it aimed to resolve.

Introduction to Arius, the main theological challenge at the Council of Nicaea, and his teachings about Christ.

Arius's claim that Jesus was not fully divine, leading to the potential for polytheism, and his subsequent excommunication by Pope Peter.

Arius's attempt to reconcile with Pope Peter before the latter's execution, and the Pope's prophetic dream warning against Arius.

The Council of Nicaea's gathering of bishops to address the theological dispute and Emperor Constantine's involvement.

The creation of the Nicene Creed as a unified statement of faith, affirming the divinity of the Son.

St. Athanasius's role as a deacon and secretary to Pope Alexander during the Council of Nicaea.

The Council's decision on the marriage of priests, allowing those already married to remain so, but not permitting future marriages post-ordination.

The debate over the calculation of Easter and the adoption of the Alexandrian method.

The issue of Arianism persisting after the Council of Nicaea, with some bishops and emperors adhering to Arius's teachings.

The First Council of Constantinople in 381, addressing the divinity of the Holy Spirit and the development of the Nicene Creed.

The Macedonian controversy and the subsequent clarification of the Holy Spirit's divinity in the Creed.

The heresy of Apollinaris, suggesting that Jesus Christ was not fully human due to a lack of a human mind.

The addition to the Creed to refute the idea of a millennial reign on earth before the end times.

The ongoing impact of the Council of Nicaea and its role in shaping Christian doctrine and practice.

The预告 of the next episode of 'My Strong Church' to continue exploring the history of the church and councils.

Transcripts

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welcome back to my strong church today

we will continue where we left off last

time with the Council of Nicaea so Munna

can you just give us a small recap of

what we covered last time regarding the

Council of Nicaea so we had discussed

that it was after Constantine had

declared Christianity legal and the

Empire and we were going to explain how

arias who's the part the main problem

that Nicaea had to solve and his ideas

about Christ

he appeared on the scene in Alexandria

towards the in the beginning of the

fourth century and it was during the

papacy of Pope Peter with whom we call

in the church the seal of martyrs

he was the 17th oh and during his time

it was during the time of Diocletian

when he was persecuting the church and

the the the hurt the history of the

church tells us that during that time

area started to tell people that Jesus

was not fully gone so he's something in

between so sort of like something more

than human but cannot be completely gone

like God the Father and his problem was

the way he thought about it if we say

that Jesus Christ is fully gone and the

father is fully gone then we have two

guns and we cannot believe in more than

one God so his solution was to try and

separate the father from the son

and then he also had another idea which

is sort of attitude that he said well

therefore there was a time when the Sun

was not what does that mean it just

basically means that God has no

beginning but the Sun has a beginning in

time

so what's he's saying is that there was

a certain time before the beginning of

the world when the father was alone

and then he made the Sun created the Sun

and then with the Sun he created or

through the Sun he created the world so

that that was sort of the idea that he

started spreading and he was a very

talented speaker a very good person with

sermons and he was very popular in the

church in the way he spoke and he was

also very talented musically and he

started to spread his teaching through

you know church songs and people started

to sing them and people started to

listen to what he was saying so during

that time a pope Pope Peter

he basically excommunicated him and he

said you can't teach this in the church

but then at some point later Pope Peter

got arrested by Diocletian's

soldiers and all that in alexandra so

the governor of alexandria was ordered

to arrest her peter and to execute him

it was during that time that arias when

he realized that the Popo excommunicated

him was about to to die and he said well

i i need to be cleared of this

excommunication

so he went to him in his prison and he

asked for a blessing and basically at

that point pope peter gathered his two

disciples at the time one was our Klaus

and the other one was Alexander those

were Tuesday love his disciples and he

said never except areas back into the

church I saw a dream I saw a dream

yesterday where I saw Christ with his

clothes torn and I asked him who did

this to you lord and the lord looked at

me inside areas that because he

separated me from the father so it's a

pope paper Peter basically taught his

disciples you are going to become you

know patriarchs after me and don't let

him back into the church so after Pope

Peter was marching our kilos became the

Pope after him and unfortunately at that

time area somehow probably deceived him

and sort of showed him that he accepted

the right faith so our clothes accepted

him into the church again but he did not

stay Pope for very long and he passed

away very quickly after a couple of

months and then Alexander became the

Pope and then at that point he renewed

the excommunication areas an area

started to be upset by that and we

started to make a lot of trouble and

Constantine even at one point got

involved and he even wrote letters to

both areas and Pope Alexander trying to

find a solution of course he was an

emperor

a church person and he didn't understand

the theological problems he just wanted

things to calm down and he still didn't

understand the depth of the problem but

finally he said you know we'll have a

council so Emperor Constantine the first

Christian emperor of the Empire of the

Roman Empire then started this idea of

calling for a council as we mentioned

last time what an ecumenical council is

so it basically bishops from all over

the Empire would gather and they would

discuss the problem the theological

problem which is basically a discussion

about who God is and all that and they

gathered at Nicaea at 325 80 now during

that time Pope Alexander came from

Alexandria and lots of bishops from

Egypt and lots of bishops from the

surrounding areas of the Empire and with

Pope Alexander was his deacon vanessa's

so st. Athanasius at the time wasn't a

priest or anything he was he was a

deacon before deacon as we would call it

in today's terms he was his secretary

his right-hand man and they went at that

point to Nicaea and arias had a few

bishops who are on side or sort of you

know sympathetic to his ideas and but

most of the bishops at that time were

very clear that the faith of the church

is that the son is fully God just like

the father is God and at that point the

the council excommunicated areas and

they affirmed that what he did was wrong

and then they said okay then we need a

statement of the faith so the way it was

that up to that time each local church

remember we said maybe in the previous

episode the idea that each local church

had a bishop and they had their own

systems and they shared the same faith

but they might do things a little bit

differently so each church during

baptism would have a

a proclamation of the faith that they

would say before they got baptized so

each church brought in some of their the

terms that they used when they made a

proclamation of the faith and basically

they put together a committee that would

sit and write a common declaration of

faith that everybody would agree

so Pope Alexander and Saint Athanasius

Deacon Athanasius at the time mainly and

some other bishops were part of that

committee and they put together what we

now today call the Nicene Creed

so the Nicene Creed is what we say the

liturgies in every liturgy and most of

our services in church you know when we

believe in one God God the Father the

Ponte craft or a creator of heaven and

earth so and so on so until the very end

but the part they wrote at that time was

not the full version that we know today

the part it was the first part from the

very beginning we believe in one God and

all the way till the very end where we

would say and he's coming again to judge

the living and the dead

and then we say and we believe in the

holy spirit so they mentioned the Father

the Son the Holy Spirit they didn't go

into details about who the Holy Spirit

was that comes in a later Council but

their big focus during that council was

who the son is and there was a big

emphasis in on light of light true God

of True God begotten not created what

that means is the son is born of the

father he's begotten of the father but

that doesn't mean he created him and

then after they wrote that declaration

of the faith they added a sentence in

the ED in the end then they said and

those who say there was a time when the

son was not let them be ex community or

the technical term that they used in

Greek was enough in law that's a word

that they use a lot and often was just a

Greek term which in our church we mean

excommunicated no longer to be part of

the church so with that that was Nicaea

they decided that this is the faith this

is what we believe in

in Jesus Christ as the Son of God

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so other than the creep that we know

today are like the Nicene Creed what

else did they cover so in in Nicaea they

also discussed a few other things one of

them was the issue of priests where

should we have priests who were married

or priests were unmarried to serve so

for example at the at one point there

was a strong direction within some of

the bishops where they said we don't

want any of the priests or the bishops

to be married and even at that point in

the West remember we talked about the

east and west so in Rome for example

they were very much for keeping the

priests unmarried and a lot of the

bishops was tending to listen to the

ideas that you know we want our priests

to be around there then what happened

from then until now because now we have

married priests well at that point

during that council that will settle

because it's interesting that also that

comes from Egypt during that time when

they were discussing that there was a

bishop whose name was Proteus and he

stood in the council and he said we

cannot let this happen we know that it

is a heavy burden to expect all the

priests to be unmarried and this is an

unfair burden so we should allow them to

be married and the interesting thing

goes puffer fish himself was was not

married and he was speaking for that and

he was also what we would call a

confessor meaning that he was someone

who was severely persecuted during the

time of the persecution of Diocletian he

actually only had one eye and the the

the records of the history talked about

how his very presence when he talked

about this carried a lot of authority

with it a lot of people were in awe of

him as it was a great Bishop confessor

and it seems that his opinion sort of

swayed the

the whole opinion of the people at the

council so at that point they decided we

would let the people who wanted to

become priests - to be men so they

agreed that the priest can get married

so would that be would they be able to

be married before or after that they get

ordained into priesthood well the idea

was that if they're already married then

they can stay married but if they're

ordained before they're married then

they can't marry after their ordination

so the idea then became that for full

deacons and for priests that if they

plan to marry they have to be married

before their organization and then but

after that they have to remain as they

were

that's like for example even a priestess

or a deacon if their wife dies for

example they can't remarry and they have

to remain celibate or if they're

ordained before they're married then

they remain celibate after the priest

but I interesting even at that point the

Western Church held on to the idea of a

celibate priesthood celibate meaning

unmarried and the the East even all the

Orthodox the eastern and the oriental

Orthodox the cops that Greeks the

Russians until today hold on to that

tradition that priests who were married

before they were married can stay

married where in the West which is Rome

and now the Roman Catholic Church they

still have this idea that the priesthood

really mmm

so is there anything else they covered

at the council they also discussed the

issue of celebrating Easter and they

they approved the Alexandrian way which

is during that time Egypt they had a

certain calculation which is what we

sort of use them until today to

calculate Easter and then there's some

sort of then there each one of these

councils usually have some canons about

church organization so after this

council did the problem of Arianism was

that solved or well it was solved from

the perspective of certain people like

for but there were some bishops who

weren't very happy with it

they it was a little bit of problems for

maybe almost like 50 60 70 years after

maybe even more than that where they

were still Arian bishops and there are

civil people who held on to what areas

were saying but for the most part for

the main part of the empire in the

church the church itself was fully we

would say Nicean the people who accepted

that and they did not want to waver from

it

the problem would come maybe from

outside the church for example where

some of the Emperor's even though they

were Christian they would be Arian and

we would see some of these stories where

Constantine's descendants some of them

would become Arian and they would

persecute the church because they didn't

want them to stay on the Nicene thing

but finally it takes a couple of decades

in some areas even it takes centuries

and that's something that will come up

later because some Aryan bishops

eventually find their way into work and

some people even though they were

originally barbarians in Libya became

Christian they would actually become

Arian Christians and it would take

almost into the 6th 7th 8th century in

Europe when Arianism would finally die

away little by little but in the east

for the first hundred years after and I

see it was kind of a problem but it's

slow it dies out maybe earlier

so following the Council of Nicaea what

was the history that led to it so so

that's 325 by 381 we get to the next

council that happens so people were

saying okay fine

Jesus Christ in the Sun the Son of God

is fully gone then some people started

came up and they were led by a patriarch

system

his name was Macedonians he was a

patriarch of Constantinople butches as

we said maybe in a previous episode

Constantinople now by this time is the

established capital of the eastern part

of the Roman Empire so it's a very

important city sort of like Washington

DC today like the center of the whole

power of the Empire

so Macedonia's was this was the

patriarch and he came up with this other

idea where he said the Holy Spirit you

know okay we'll accept that Jesus the

Son is for ego but the Holy Spirit we

don't have anything that says that he's

fully gone so and then other people

started to follow that idea and they

said well you know what we need to get a

counsel again so at that time the

Emperor brings together the bishops

again and at that time in Alexandria

Pope Timothy was the Bishop of

Alexandria or the Pope or the patriarch

all these terms we used them for the

Pope of Alexandria and there was also a

Bishop of Antioch his name was Matthias

and he was he he was the head of the

council at that time and then there's

also some things names the bishops were

there at the time gregory of nyssa

gregory of nazianzus these are all very

well learned bishops and as I said you

know those people who are well learned

they're the ones who got together and

they've carried the faith weekly from

before and at that council they

excommunicated Miletus sorry Macedonians

who was the who was the bishop or the

archbishop or the patriarch of

Constantinople and at that time we get

the second part of the game if you

remember we talked about Nicaea they

said we believe in the Holy Spirit at

the very end of the creek and then they

said so this is where they bring in the

specifics or like the details for what

we believe in the Holy Spirit yes

exactly so what happens is in the second

part they add the part that we know of

we believe in the Holy Spirit the Lord

the giver of life who proceeds from the

father and they start to really really

emphasize this idea that just as the Sun

is fully God the Holy Spirit is also for

the

so what else did they handle or cover at

the council okay so at the council

there's maybe one or two other things

that they dealt with one was a heresy by

some a bishop called Apollinaris so

pollen heiress was was a bishop who said

something that was kind of entry where

he said okay we know that Jesus Christ

is God and but he's also human so he was

putting this together and say okay how

do we say he's God and he's human

so he's human probably means that he had

a body like us but maybe he didn't have

a soul like us he didn't have a mind

like us he had a body and some of the

emotions but he didn't have a fully

human mind because he had a divine light

well so what he's saying is that as a

person any person can be made up of

let's say components for one of a better

term every human being has a body and

the soul and a spirit so a soul is where

we have the thoughts and the will and

how you decide things and how you think

about things and how you make your

decisions so what he's trying to say is

he felt probably that if he said he had

a human mind and a divine mind that sort

of like being two persons inside of what

so Apollinaris was basically saying that

God was not sorry in Jesus Christ was

not fully human and he was not fully

human since anus

that's a problem for us the other

problem that well not really a problem

there was this idea some people will

start to think about when Jesus comes in

his second coming that there might be a

period of a thousand years

raining on earth before the end of the

world so they also added to the creed

this sentence where it says and his

kingdom shall have no end so they added

that also in that he were also come in

is in the second coming to judge the

living and the dead whose kingdom shall

have no and just to sort of end that

idea that when Christ comes it's over

there's no millennium

there's no 1000 years and that's the

figure of the church until today thank

you so much abouna next time and my

strong church we will continue with the

history of the church and cover the rest

of the council

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