History of the First Council of Nice: A World's Christian Convention, A.D. 325: With a Life of Constantine.

by Dean Dudley, Paul Tice (Preface)

The author of the History of the First Council of Nice, Dean Dudley, searched the annals of history using the most scholarly and trusted sources available to reveal exactly how Christianity, as we know it today, was "railroaded" into existence. This was the first major council in Christendom, taking place in the year A.D. 325. The major controlling force behind this convention was the Roman Emperor Constantine. Constantine came to power in ruthless fashion, one of six sovereigns of the Roman Empire in the year A.D. 308 (they had been collectively appointed in 305). Only Constantine survived beyond the next decade and only one of the other sovereigns died a natural death. Constantine seemed to be involved in the deaths of each of the others, who were all non-Christian. It became politically expedient for Constantine to side with Christianity during this early and ruthless power struggle, and murderous plots were its central theme. After Constantine triumphed, he recalled or released Christian ministers who had been persecuted by his rivals. With his ruthless past weighing heavily on him, he was told by a counsellor that there were no sins so great that they cannot be forgiven in Christianity. This was exactly what he wanted to hear. He embraced the faith enough to justify what he had done and, although he did not officially convert, approved the faith in 313 for the entire Roman Empire. Following this, he went on to eliminate close relatives and family who might otherwise challenge his crown. Christianity seemed to be his" partner in crime." Later, on Constantine's own deathbed, he made sure to officially convert to the faith in an effort to wash away his sins. The Council ofNice, basically run by Constantine, endorsed a few erroneous and inaccurate concepts which were accepted by the faith, and thereby opened the door for such practices to continue in later years. We should study the origins of our human problems so we can make an attempt to solve them. Christ

Genres: Religion, History, Philosophy

132 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1992

Reviews

[Patrick W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

When researching how on earth a minor sect of Judaism could grow to become one of the most dominant religions in the world, it pays to read some of the primary source material at one of the crucial turning points in that religion's evolution. Much of Dudly's book consists of translated correspondence between major players in the Council of Nicaea, showing their opposing positions.

Emperor Constantine, himself a convert, convened the council in 325 to force the bishops of Christendom to settle disputes and establish a somewhat uniform set of beliefs. One of the principal disputes of the time centered on Arianism, so named for a presbyter named Arius, who took the position that the man Jesus became the Christ (i.e., the Anointed), probably upon the occasion of his baptism. Arius' opponents declared that the Christ was eternally a part of the Triune God even before creation of the universe, begotten not made, of the same substance as the Father. This seemingly esoteric disagreement over the nature of Christ led to Christians labeling fellow Christians blasphemers and dupes of the devil, followed by excommunications and book burnings and possibly even murders. Spoiler alert: Arius and his followers lost the day.

I would have appreciated more interpretation or elaboration of the events by the author. Standing on its own, this book provides valuable source material but still may be a bit dense for the uninitiated. It is certainly no page-turner but, at just 105 pages, it does not present an insurmountable course of study.

[Bob Buice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arius of Alexander initiated the belief that Christ is lesser than God and that Christ had not always existed. This belief gained support around Christendom, but opposition remained strong, especially from Alexander and Athanasius of Alexander, and the dispute threatened to disrupt the Roman Empire. Emperor Constantine I (r 306 – 337 CE) thought that the entire issue was nothing short of trivia, but was concerned with the bitter division between the two theologies. Accordingly, the emperor convened a conference in Nicaea, in the Roman province of Bythinia. Attended by more than 300 bishops from around Christendom, the conference sided with Alexander and Athanasius and the Arian theology was ruled heresy. Other issues, e.g. the date of Easter, were resolved.

Published in the late 19th century, Dean Dudley’s “History of the First Council of Nice: A World's Christian Convention, A.D. 325; with a Life of Constantine” gives a good general account of the Council of Nicaea, now considered the First Ecumenical Council. Letters from Constantine I to the bishops and from bishops to each other are presented. Obviously, being published in the 19th century, it lacks the benefit of more than a century of research. Nevertheless, this work is an interesting and informative read.

[Whitlaw Tanyanyiwa Mugwiji · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emperor Constantine in 325 AD called for a meeting of all important bishops in the Christendom in what is now called the First Council of Nice, to iron out differences that had arisen within the church.

The council addressed two pertinent theological disagreements. The first one being the divinity of Jesus Christ and the second being, when to celebrate Easter. There was a group of Bishops led by Arius, the Egyptian bishop of Alexander who believed that since Christ was created by God, he therefore cannot be God. God was eternal, thus He had no beginning whereas Christ had a beginning and therefore could not be God, he was just the son of God, God's first creation. Whereas the opposing group believed that both the Father and the Son existed always together, eternally, coequally and consubstantially.

The emperor himself was not a Christian, he only wanted to use Christianity as a religion to unify his empire. Christian historians regard him as a virtuous pagan, not only for organising this council of Nice but for stopping the persecution of Christians by the Roman empire.

I enjoyed the book because I am a Christian, a student of history and a lover of politics and this book is an intersection between the three. Though it is a small book, it is not so easy to read

[Adisa Franklin · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you really want to understand how Christianity actually started and who started it read this book.