The First Council of Nicea

The First Council of Nicea

Introduction- Explanation of the Council of Nicea

The First Council of Nicea was congregated by the Roman emperor Constantine in 325 AD. It was the first ecumenical conference of Bishops in the Christian Church and the purpose was to formulate one final understanding of Jesus Christ instead of there being many inaccurate teachings of Him. This led to the creation of the Nicene Creed, a uniform statement of the Christian faith. The Council came to an agreement in the Church of Alexandria over the terms of Jesus in relationship to the Father and also agreed on a date for Easter, the most celebrated event in the Christian calendar.

Reasons for the Council of Nicea

There were several reasons that resulted in the assembly of the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. In 313 AD, Christianity could now be freely practiced without a fear of being persecuted. As a result, the church grew dramatically in numbers and so did the false church heretics. Due to this factor it became very difficult to explain the correct teachings of Christ. Therefore, the council of Nicea was assembled to discuss the true teachings of Christ. One particular false teaching was Arianism. Arianism was a theory that explained Jesus had no relation to God the Father and taught that Jesus was a superficial being. The Arianism belief caused major controversy within the Church and at the Council of Nicea, the Arianism doctrine was condemned. Part of the reason for organising the council was to formulate one final understanding of Christ. Emperor Constantine and the fellow bishops invited to the council created the Nicene Creed which is the Christian statement of faith. Furthermore, the council was assembled together to set a date for Easter. The Council decided that Easter should be celebrated on the first Sunday after the Equinox and should be celebrated on the same day by all. However, some Christians celebrated Easter on the fourteenth of the Jewish month �Nisan’. To avoid he problem of these two celebrations colliding with eachother in the future, the bishop of Alexandria would have to announce each year, the celebrated date for Easter.

Consequences of the Council of Nicea

As a result of the decisions made by the Council of Nicea, there were many consequences that affected the future of the Church greatly. There was now one true statement of faith known as the Nicene Creed that explained the Holy Trinity. All Christians now could understand the truth about Jesus and his relation to God the Father. This was partially due to Athanasius who was leader of the Orthodox party. He persuaded the Council that Christ was “the Son of God, only begotten of the Father”. This then led to the creation of the Nicene Creed. The Creed was not accepted by all Christians when it was made but within the space of fifty years, it finally became accepted. Additionally, the Council resulted in the condemnation of Arianism and a as consequence Arius was excommunicated from the Church. The final result from the Council of Nicea was the date for Easter. Before the council, most churches celebrated Easter on the first Sunday after the Passover. This is due to the fact that they focused on the resurrection which had occurred on a Sunday. However other Churches celebrated Easter on the fourteenth of the Jewish month Nisan. This is because some believed this was the date of the crucifixion. The Council of Nicea however decided on celebrating the feast on the first Sunday after the Spring Equinox. This decision was made so that Easter would never collide with the Jewish Passover. The Bishop of Alexandria would then have to announce annually the set date for Easter to his fellow Bishops.

Impact on the Development of the Church

The Council of Nicea impacted heavily on the church and changed the way people viewed Christ. It was the first time Bishops gathered altogether from the whole church to resolve differences in faith and to state the true meaning of Christ and his relation to God the Father which had first been proclaimed by the Apostles. This meeting impacted on many, if not all Christians due to the creation of the Nicene Creed which was the one and only true statement of the Christian faith. From this, the number of heretics decreased. Christians now had an official statement of belief which was approved by Emperor Constantine and his fellow bishops.

The Council of Nicea vastly contributed to the development of the Christian Church. Emperor Constantine had made Christianity legal twelve years prior to the Council of Nicea. The Council was then established in 325 AD to resolve differences about Christ, hence leading to the formulation of the Nicene Creed. Christians who attended mass