2024-07-25 00:00:00
On this day in the year 325, the first Ecumenical Council in the history of the Catholic Church took place: the Council of Nicaea, which arose in response to the heresy of Arianism, which said that Jesus Christ was an inferior God.
At the same time as the Jubilee of Hope, next year 2025 will be the celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of this great event of the Church in which Jesus was recognized as “the true God of God”.
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In the framework of this coming anniversary, we remember 5 keys that every Catholic should know:
1. Why was he called?
The first Ecumenical Council in history took place from May 20 to July 25, 325 in Nicaea and was attended by bishops from all regions where Christians were present.
This event was celebrated to achieve the unity of the Church, shaken by the preaching of Arius, a priest who denied the true divinity of Jesus Christ.
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2. Who participated?
A total of 300 Council Fathers participated in this event. Among them, the presence of Alexander of Alexandria stands out, with the help of Deacon Athanasius who would become a bishop, and who was declared a saint after his death. The latter would be essential in the fight against the Arian heresy.
In the book 50 questions about Jesus Christ and the Churchprepared by a group of professors from the University of Navarra (Spain), other relevant bishops are mentioned, such as Osio, bishop of Córdoba, who would preside over the sessions.
Marcellus of Ancyra, Macarius of Jerusalem, Leontius of Caesarea of Cappadocia and Eustathius of Antioch Eusebius of Caesarea, among others, also participated.
Sylvester I, the Bishop of Rome at the time, did not participate in the Council due to his advanced age, so a group of priests attended on his behalf.
3. What was Arianism?
At the beginning of the 4th century, Arius arose with a heresy that took the name Arianism. According to him, Jesus Christ was not God: although he was before Mary’s womb, he was created in time.
By holding this theory, he denied the eternity of the Word, which is equivalent to denying his divinity. He admitted that God was unique, eternal and untouchable; The Word, Christ, is not God, he is a pure creature, although he is better than all others.
Although Arius focused all his teachings on removing Jesus Christ from divinity, he also included the Holy Spirit, who was also a creature, and even less than the Word.
According to Catholic Encyclopedia, Arianism “describes the Son as the second, or inferior, God. Only God was without beginning, without creation; the Son was created, and was not once.”
According to Benedict XVI in one of his catechisms in 2007Arianism was “a threat to faith in Christ, reduced to an ‘intermediate’ creature between God and man.”
This heresy spread and led to a serious crisis, so the council was called to find a solution.
4. The influence of the Emperor Constantine
Although the Emperor Constantine had an influence on its celebration and welcomed the fathers of the council, the documents show that he had no influence on the formation of the faith made in the Creed.
The book 50 questions about Jesus Christ and the Church he emphasizes that the emperor did not have the theological ability to master the issues discussed.
In fact, although he was not an Arian, Constantine gradually softened his anti-Arian position under the influence of his sister, who had Arian sympathies.
The emperor ordered a final session to be held, and attended it to encourage the bishops to work for the maintenance of peace; He entrusted them with their prayers and allowed the fathers to return to their diocese.
5. Conclusions of the Ecumenical Council
The First Council of Nicaea achieved an orthodox definition of faith and the use of the term homoousios (consubstantial, of the same kind) to describe the nature of Christ.
From this event arose what was known as the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, a dogmatic declaration on the subject of the Christian faith that reflected the faith that had been received and accepted by Christians from the beginning.
After the Council of Nicaea they were Arius’ writings were condemned and he and his followers were excommunicated.
Similarly, in Nicaea the celebration of Easter was fixed on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring, following the usual practice in the Roman church and many others.
A number of disciplinary issues related to the internal functioning of the Church were also discussed, which are summarized in 20 canon.
Among other things, all members of the clergy were forbidden to live with any woman except their mother, sister, or aunt; It was also decided that Bishops, priests and deacons cannot move from church to church; Rules were set for excommunication and it was decided that prayers must be said standing on Sundays and during the Easter season.
Almudena Martínez-Bordiu
I am a graduate in Journalism and Advertising from CEU San Pablo University in Madrid. Specialized in religious information in Spain since 2015. I have been a senior correspondent for ACI Prensa and EWTN Noticias in the Vatican for two years and I am currently a European correspondent based in Spain.
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