History Series: Council of Nicaea

History of the Council of Nicaea

1700 Years Ago

Icon from the Mégalo Metéoron Monastery in Greece, representing the First Ecumenical Council of Nikea, 325 AD. Image: Wikipedia

Seventeen hundred years ago this year, the first ecumenical council of the church met in Nicaea, now known as Iznik in modern Türkiye. It was called the Council of Nicaea — actually, it was the First Council of Nicaea. From it came the Nicene Creed, a pivotal document in the history of Christianity and the most well-known creed in the Christian faith.

Was this the first church council, who called this Council, why at Nicaea, what controversies were discussed there, who came to it, and what was the result of it?

First Church Council?

There had been previous church councils, going back to the original Council of Jerusalem, mentioned in the New Testament in Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 15, when Paul and Barnabas, representing the church in Antioch, came to the “mother” church in Jerusalem around AD 48–50.

The question at that council was regarding those Gentiles who had converted to Christianity through the ministry of Paul and Barnabas. Were they obliged to keep the Mosaic Law, including the kosher diet and male circumcision — essentially becoming Jews in addition to Christians? Short answer: No.