Decoding Nicea

by Paul Pavao

Who is the Logos? Men brawled in bars and beat each other to death in the streets over this question, a controversy which came to a head at the Council of Nicea. There a fringe group of peace-loving, communal worshipers of a crucified Palestinian prophet took over the Roman empire and begin an odyssey that would transform the world as we know it.

In this information age, rumors fly about the Council of Nicea. From fictions spread by noted university professors to the _Da Vinci Code_, and even to the Glenn Beck show, everyone counts himself an expert on the most significant transformation of Christianity in history.

Paul Pavao, webmaster of Christian History for Everyman, not only tells you the story of the most world-changing century of Christianity since the apostles, He puts the original sources in your hand, letting you read the words of the participants in the council and in the battles that preceded and followed the council itself. You'll never wonder again what really happened at the Council of Nicea.

Was the Emperor Constantine a Christian or a worshiper of Apollo, out to mold Christianity into pagan hybrid?

Was the Trinity invented at Nicea?

Were the books of the Bible decided upon at the Council of Nicea?

You'll not only know the answers to all these questions, you will relive the events of it in the words of the early Christians. No other century has influenced Christianity, and possible the whole western world, like the fourth. You will understand why. You will understand the issues, and maybe, just maybe, you will even begin to care about them.

Genres: History, Religion, Christianity, Theology

480 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 8, 2011

About the author

My goal is to make Christian history and theology interesting and easy to understand for the average Christian and the curious seeker. History is the most interesting, important, and exciting stories of all time. Only a trained academic could make it boring!

I became a Christian in 1982 as part of a major evangelical denomination. I was appalled by the doctrinal disputes, infighting, and sheer disregard of the plain meaning of Scripture. Surely the churches that the apostles themselves started didn't fight like this!

It took me 8 years to find out that books. letters, and essays by early Christians are readily available to anyone and translated into English! Most of them are bundled up in sets like the Ante-Nicene Fathers, published by Eerdman's over a century ago. Nowadays they can be read online for free at earlychristianwritings.com and CCEL.org. I have devoted much of my life to making them known to the general public.

My books cover both church history and radical discipleship because wholehearted, sold-out, self-denying Christianity was the only kind known in the first centuries of the Church.

Along with writing books, I am the webmaster of Christian-history.org where my goal is to get the "early church fathers" out of the halls of academia and before the eyes of average Christians that want to see for themselves what the apostles really taught and really meant. The "fathers," who were really just ordinary Christians like you and me, were members of the apostles' churches. What an important peek into history!

I am an elder in a Christian community. I write about, teach and, as best I can, live the radical life of the primitive Christians.

I am married, and I have raised six wonderful children. I was rewarded with two beautiful grandchildren early in 2017.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Is it likely that so many churches, and they so great, should have gone astray into one and the same faith? No casualty distributed among many men issues in one and the same result. Error of doctrine in the churches must necessarily have produced various issues. When, however, that which is deposited among many is found to be one and the same, it is not the result of error, but of tradition. Can anyone, then, be reckless enough to say that they were in error who handed on the tradition?" - Tertullian

I listened to Decoding Nicea by Paul Pavao. Audiobook at 5 hours, 33 minutes, book at 433 pages, book #77 of 182, finished 6/7/2017.

[This book was provided for free on Audible for a review.]

Decoding Nicea is a Christian history book which describes the events, people, doctrines, and legacy of the Council of Nicea, an ecumenical church council of bishops and elders formed in an attempt to settle the Arian controversy in 325 C.E. Pavao takes us through the who, the why, and the who cares of Nicea.

As I listened to this book, I realized to do it justice, I would have to break my review into three mini-reviews - a traditional book review, a review of the particular quirks of it being an audiobook, and finally a review from the perspective of my former faith and current view on the world.

Traditional Book Review

It's very strange reviewing a book by someone you know personally. It feels as if I'm handling the art of someone I know, and I can be certain will read this (hi Paul! :) ).

That said, let's dive in.

This book seems to be aimed at a very narrow spectrum of reader - you have to be deeply interested in church history, doctrinal disputes, and the legacy of ancient creeds, but at the same time not necessarily be a biblical or historical scholar. Fortunately, I happen to fit into that slice of people.

The entire time I've known Pavao, I've known him to be dedicated to finding out the truth of a matter, no matter the cost. This has caused him much grief (from my limited view on Facebook) for his views on young-earth creationism (short version: it's not true, and many of it's leaders are willfully bending evidence deceptively to their followers).

His commitment to truth-seeking makes this book quite a deep dive - the number of same-named and similarly-named bishops and emperors makes it a hugely confusing journey. My average book doesn't require the level of tracking here. It felt similar to, or perhaps even worse than, a classic Russian novel with 20-30 characters who's names are all similar and foreign.

Not that this is Pavao's fault - he didn't name Constantine's sons or the various Eusebius' of the ancient world.

Like most history worth telling, the book is filled with all matter of 'truth is stranger than fiction' moments - slaughter of 3,000 over a bishop being removed from his see, a plot to frame someone for cutting off a man's hand for magic, and then producing that man with both hands attached in dramatic fashion, and more.

I can recommend it if you already have a taste for church history, and have perhaps read one of the abridged surveys of church history - I enjoyed Justo Gonzalez's The Story of Christian vol 1 and 2.


Audiobook Review

This audiobook was narrated by Alan Sisto.

There are two recurring quirks in this book that make the audiobook perhaps the lesser of the two ways to read it.

1. Sisto's voice has a majestic, historic, and almost elder tone to it. It's excellent for reading this form of book, and matches the book perfectly.

But... any time he quotes any writing from ancient times, he flips into this grandfather voice that drives me nuts. It's the same voice for every writing. I also noticed he doesn't do it for quotes from modern times. Perhaps there's some audiobook etiquette I'm unaware of, but this was maddening to me.

2. The number of dates, councils, quotes, and characters in this story is very difficult to keep straight audibly. I couldn't keep up, especially when I was listening to this book in smaller chunks over time.


Bonus Review - Personal Perspective

If you've read anything I've put to paper in the last few years, you know I walked away from the faith 2.5 years ago. Reading a book like this was like most other interactions I've had with Christian culture - like an outsider looking in through the window.

Pavao doesn't mince words - several times he shames the church leaders of the day by showing how it was a politically-motivated emperor who was able to prevent the church from splitting or coming to violence.

But plenty of times, violence was not avoided. And ultimately, the church split.. over and over and over.

I like to believe myself one who keeps an open mind toward whether Christianity warrants belief for myself and the world at large.

On the whole - this book isn't trying to convince you into or out of the faith - a book isn't the right place to do that anyway. It's presenting historical accounts and commentary as honestly as possible. And it's not particularly kind to the faith, at least from my biased perspective.

Both John 17:20 and Tertullian's quote above point to the importance of Christian unity in proving the faith as true...but like most complex things, the validity of Christianity doesn't hinge on one thing - it's built on a history of millions of things over 2000 years.

This book dives into a small slice of that - and, as the title states, decodes what happened and why.

Thanks for reading!

[Carolyn Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thought-provoking book, even for a layperson. I honestly don’t know how I ended up with this book, because it seems more in line with something someone concerned with church doctrine (not my area of expertise or primary interest) would read. All beliefs espoused and supported in this book revolve around the unity of the church, regardless of “denomination,” and the following of what the apostles taught and handed down to the church. The other main focus seems to be the position of Jesus Christ in relation to God—when He was begotten and His positioning in relation to God. Pavao documents his sources extensively and gives many examples to back up his statements. He is also transparent in what his beliefs are.

[Isa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst obviously quite biased towards Orthodox Christianity, this is quite a solid book that goes into a lot of depth on the area of topic.

And although quite a large book, it really doesn’t outstay its welcome and does a good job of staying fresh throughout the chapters.

The appendix at the back of the book is a treasure trove, and the authors summation at the end (pre-appendix) is actually quite beautiful and should be the goal of all people, regardless of Creed.

[Andrew Beardsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author of the book renamed his book "Decoding Nicea" and I could not agree even more. Have you ever wondered what really happened at Nicea? Have you ever heard things like the Council of Nicea created, the Trinity, the divinity Christ, the Sunday sabbath? How about things like the Council of Nicea chose what books should be in our bible? What is the truth? Should we not question this information and find the truth?
We should and "Decoding Nicea" has.
The author Paul Pavao has a way with words to clearly convey the original thoughts in today's language. He at the same time dispels the mystery and myths surrounding Nicea. In "Decoding Nicea" we read:
"If you're one of those who prefer facts to rumors, I will put the history in your hands."
The author uses scholars and primary sources while doing his best to minimize his own opinions in his well-researched book.

I would highly recommend all Christian's seeking to have a better understanding of this subject to read this book.

[Christine Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few of my theological concepts were challenged by this book. Paul Pavao uses the extant writings of the anteNicean writings to show what the early Christians believed even before they tried to put those beliefs into perfect wording at the Council of Nicea. He directly challenges the claims of Professor Bart Ehrman that Jesus only became God at Nicea. Reading Mr. Pavao's extensive quotes of the earliest church fathers also helped me see how committed they were to keeping the traditions handed down to them through the Apostles. They were committed to unity, godly living, and believing in JESUS, not believing in facts ABOUT Jesus. I might read it again.

[John Jt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revolutionary in an historically retro sort of way. An absolute must read for trinitarian a and non Trins alike. Just get it, don't argue with me just get it, read it be changed by it!!

[N904 SC · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars worth of practicality and recommendation for other curious readers to pick this one up.

Pavao did a nice job of identifying and answering the most common questions about Nicea.

Some of my favorite takeaways:
-Constantine favored Christianity as a way to unite his empire. May or may not have experienced a genuine conversion towards the end of his life.
-Fourth century Christians believed that Christians could not participate in war.
-Arguably the primary focus at Nicea was the makeup and role of the Son in relation to the Father. Were they of the same substance? Was the Son “created” in the same sense that humans are? Was the Son created at a certain point in time or pre-existing? (Arian controversy argued that Jesus was “created,” secondary to the Father, not of “the same” substance — rejected by the council. This is similar to some beliefs of modern JWs)
-Interesting how simple the reference is/how little controversy there is around the Holy Spirit compared to the Son
-I love the river/tree/sunlight metaphor to explain the Trinity
-l love the connection of Jesus as the Father’s “logos” (word/wisdom/message) incarnate. Even a connection to the boom of Proverb’s use of “wisdom”
-Helpful insights about the emphasis that the early church put on maintaining apostolic tradition. Early church leaders viewed their role as one of consistency/main rinsing truth rather than inventing anything new. Heavy emphasis on church unity and action/obedience among believers over theological details
-Rejection of many of the controversial claims in Da Vinci code. Ex: Nicea did not reject or destroy gnostic gospels — it wasn’t necessary because they were already not used in apostolic churches. Nicea didn’t invent Jesus’s divinity, role as savior, or the resurrection. Already widely accepted.
-Nicea didn’t move the sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. East Christians had already moved to Sunday. Saturday was viewed as allegiance to OT laws/old covenant. Sunday also viewed as the first day of the week and the day of Jesus’s resurrection “on the third day” after crucifiction on Friday.
-Septuagint (Greek translation of OT) was widely used in the early Christian church rather than the original Hebrew. In fact, Greek translations are some of our oldest manuscripts.
-Rejection of existence of contemporary “pope” role (a Roman bishop that was superior over all other bishops)

Ironically, I was most interested to learn about the canon of books included in scripture — this was apparently not even on the agenda at Nicea since there was general alignment/acceptance among the churches prior to that point. Pavao points out that the widely used NT books were all considered to be written by apostles (not necessary to be “one of the 12”). This is reassuring in some senses since I expected the canonical books to be a messy can of worms to learn about.

Not sure if I fully agree with or understand Pavao’s view that OT sacrifice was not necessary or that Jesus death wasn’t necessarily substitutional/atonement-related. Interesting viewpoint though and I appreciate his willingness to state his views clearly.

Clear writing that was easy to understand yet thorough. Will enjoy having this book available for future reference.

[Stephen Kingery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Pavao’s *Decoding Nicea* is a fascinating exploration of one of the most pivotal moments in Christian history: the First Council of Nicaea. This book is an engaging and informative read for anyone with an appreciation for history, particularly those interested in the development of Christian doctrine and the early church’s beliefs.

Pavao does an excellent job of making the complex theological debates and historical events surrounding the council accessible and relatable. His clear writing and thorough research shed light on what the early church leaders believed about God and the Trinity, offering valuable insights into the foundations of Christian theology.

For readers seeking a deeper understanding of Christian history, *Decoding Nicea* provides a balanced and thoughtful perspective. It not only recounts the historical events but also delves into the theological implications of the decisions made at Nicaea, giving modern readers a clearer picture of the faith’s roots.

This book is highly recommended for history enthusiasts and Christians alike. Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge of church history or deepen your understanding of the early church’s beliefs, *Decoding Nicea* is an enlightening and worthwhile read.

[Kevin Camp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seldom ever do I give up on a book completely, but I have here. Pavao structures the book to be used with ease for discussion groups and bible studies, but isn't skilled enough as a writer to pull it off competently. It functions neither as a workbook nor a narrative account. What remains in its place is didactic, and pardon the pun, preachy.

Pavoa writes the book as a Christian apology, but somehow turns it into a kind of self-congratulatory, prickly, thin-skinned account of a very significant event in Christian church history. The writer is quick to condemn heresy amongst a dizzying array of names, dates, and events. None of these significant bits of information are conjoined together in any way that makes sense. Avoid.

[Tom Findysz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very helpful introduction to the Council of Nicea. It does hit on theology quite a bit which may put off readers who are just looking for history, but I would say that Pavao had a great balance of history and theology here, always being sure to not go too deep into theology and explicitly mentioning that the book was written about history. Furthermore, Pavao did a great job of making the characters real instead of everything feeling like a textbook. It read like a story and flowed with a developing plot. Lastly, Pavao had a few observations that were succinct gems throughout the book that serve as key lenses through which to see Nicea and today.

[William]

I stopped reading this after the Kindle preview - I think it would be an amazing resource for lay person interested in what is perhaps the most critical historical event outside those recorded in the Bible. Having recently read the actual source documents from the Ecumenical Councils, I decided to give this one a pass. If I had more time, I would probably read it - again, it felt extremely approachable and interesting.

[Dan Tillinghast · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author clearly has a deep knowledge of the early Christian writings, and enjoys telling a story, so his presentation of the history surrounding the Council of Nicea is both engaging and full of insight, debunking some of what people associate with the Council, and bringing to light the political manipulations the church got into trying to establish a doctrine of the trinity.

[Casey Schoepflin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep stuff

Mr. Pavao has done his homework and presented this historical material in both an informative and entertaining manner. I appreciate his frankness and clarity, and feel inspired to dig further into the writings of the early church fathers. Thank you for all the countless hours and heartfelt love for the church that went into writing this book.

[Ezra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The event that birthed Catholicism and the Pauline doctrine eloquently told in these pages

[Wm. Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched using mainly primary source material. I found the book useful for understanding the issues involved, and Arianism in particular.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt like I was reading a particularly intense TV show. Each "episode" was more exciting than the last. I did lose track of the names because they were so similar, but great read overall.

Just goes to show, truth is stranger than fiction.

[Adam Shields]

This was okay. I ready about half of it when my Kindle Unlimited subscription ended. I think there was some very helpful things here, but also a bit of minutia that was probably less helpful. Cutting 50 or so pages probably would have made it a better book.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful book, explaining this highly complex period In history.
Help dispel much miss information regarding
Constantine and the council of Nicaea.
Highly recommend Reading this wellReading this will researched book.