One of the challenges that arose in the wake of Nicaea was the confusion between the usage of two words: ousia and hypostasis. In the Greek language, the words are virtually synonymous, having to do with the ‘substance,’ or essence, and personhood of God.17 The Cappadocian fathers reconciled this difference by using the word ousia to refer to the divine essence, of which the Father and Son (as well as the Spirit) partake fully and equally, making the three persons one God. When using the word hypostasis, however, they employed it to refer to the distinct form (personhood) in which the divine
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