THE FIRST COUNCIL OF NICAEA (MAY 20TH)
St. Constantine the Great and the 318 Bishops of the Council of Nicaea Declaring the Creed Edited by Bp. Joseph ( Ancient Church of the West ) On May 20th, AD 325, Emperor Constantine convened the First Council of Nicaea to settle a controversial issue, the relation between Jesus Christ and God the Father. The Emperor and the Bishops of the larger cities wanted to establish universal agreement on the proper understanding of the nature and person of Christ. Representatives came from across the Empire, subsidized by the Emperor. Previous to this council, the bishops would hold local councils, such as the Council of Jerusalem in Acts, but there had been no universal, or ecumenical, council for the “Ecumene” of the Roman Empire. The council drew up a creed, the original Nicene Creed, which received nearly unanimous support. The council's description of "God's only-begotten Son", Jesus Christ, as of the same substance with God the Father became a touchstone of Christia...
