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Confronting The Da Vinci Code Part 9: What Really Happened at the Council of Nicea? “Constantine was a very good business man. … [H]e created a kind of hybrid religion that was acceptable to both parties. … During this fusion of religions, Constantine needed to strengthen the new Christian tradition, and held a famous ecumenical gathering known as the Council of Nicaea. … Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea.” (Prof. Teabing, The Da Vinci Code, pp. 232-33) The Christian church, even the ancient church growing out of the 1st and 2nd c. AD, has never held to the principle or slogan: “No creed but Christ.” Even before the canon of the New Testament was completely agreed upon, the words of the gospels and the letters of Paul were drawn upon to formulate and express the beliefs and professions of faith that Christians took upon themselves - and were willing to die defending – declaring their conversion and commitment to Christianity. The earliest of those creeds and confessions were used in places such as Jerusalem (before 70 AD) and Antioch, and were utilized at times of baptismal ceremonies and inductions into membership into the church. To the west, the Old Roman Creed, precursor to the Apostles Creed, was recited to affirm one’s faith & belief: “I believe in one God … and in his son, Jesus Christ, … crucified … on the third day brought to life from the dead”. By the time of Tertullian (200 AD), there were at least 3 versions of this creed, but they all affirmed and paralleled these words regarding Jesus. So when Constantine called for a church council to meet at his spacious palace in Nicaea in 325 AD, it was not to elevate Jesus from being thought of in the church as a mere mortal to deity. Contrary to the lies of Mr. Brown, the church never regarded Jesus as a mere man. But it is true that any further definition of what was meant by confessing Jesus’ deity had not yet been worked out. Particularly the points of contention were these: · there are Scriptures which seem to clearly equate Jesus with God the Father: John 1:1 NKJV - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Col 1:15 NKJV - He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. John 10:30 NKJV - "I and My Father are one." Phil 2:6 NKJV – “who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,” · and there are also Scriptures which seem to suggest a role for Jesus’ person that was under that of the Father: Mark 10:18 NKJV – “So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” Mat 26:39 NKJV – “He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’” John 14:28 NKJV - "You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.” 1 Tim 1:17 NKJV – “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” The incidents that initiated the calling of a council were not political – the Christians were not “warring” with pagans, and there was absolutely no desire on anyone’s part to “fuse” or compromise the tenets of the Christian faith with the dying vestiges of paganism - it was theological and disciplinary within the church. Alexander of Alexandria, following the teaching of Origen (b. 185 AD), advocated and taught the “logos” doctrine from John’s gospel which stressed the eternal nature of Christ. One of the bishops under him, Arius, adamantly opposed this view on the grounds of the need to preserve the oneness of God’s nature. Logically, Arius argued, Jesus must be inferior to the Father in regards to the question of eternity. {Jehovah’s Witnesses of today are mere neo-Arians!] Alexander wrangled considerably with Arius who did not back down. Finally, Alexander disciplined Arius, who appealed to Eusibius of Nicomedia, who had the ear of Constantine. Constantine, who had succeeded in becoming the one ruler of the entire empire 20 years earlier, had also assumed the role of head of the church. He took it as his responsibility to settle this matter as well as to handle and decide other, smaller matters that had arisen within the church such as what the official annual time to celebrate Easter would be, and to affix other structures of canon law into place. Constantine called for such a conference and transported and hosted over 200 bishops and their companies at his own expense. Constantine convened the council and managed to set a generous and commodious tone which encouraged fellowship and unity. Still, the two sides soon brought their debate to the floor. After some attempts at conciliation failed, the Alexandrian side proposed revising one of the older creeds of the church, probably one of the earliest from Jerusalem, by adding to it the Greek word “homoousion” to describe Jesus – which meant “of the same substance” and would be used in the creed to compare Jesus to the Father. This proposal eventually won the day. The result was the composing and approval of the Nicene Creed. Note how the creed was followed by a direct condemnation of Arianism in any of its expressions and forms: 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, 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. Although one would think this to solve the issue, Arius and his disciples would not submit that easily. The Arians aggressively pushed for their case, and, for a while, it looked as if they might actually succeed. But in 381 AD, some 50 years after the council at Nicaea, another council was held, this time at Constantinople, which revisited the issue and, once again, voted Arianism down and out of the church, refining and perfecting the older Nicene formula into the form that we are familiar with today. I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; [God of God], Light of Light, very God of very god; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. The doctrine of Christ would still undergo further refinement at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, but Arianism was, by then, a dead heterodoxy.
David G. Barker, 2005 |
| David G. Barker david.barker@ncpres.org |