On this day in 325 AD, the Council of Nicaea concluded after weeks of fierce debate that would shape the future of Christianity. Convened by the Roman emperor Constantine I, it was the first ecumenical council of the Christian church- a gathering of bishops from across the empire to settle the crisis known as the Arian controversy.
At the heart of the dispute was the nature of Christ. Arius, a presbyter from Alexandria, argued that the Son was not equal to the Father, but a created being. His teaching gained wide support, but also fierce opposition. For Constantine, the quarrel was not simply theological. It threatened unity in his newly Christian empire, so he summoned more than 300 bishops to Nicaea, in modern-day Turkey, to find common ground.
What followed was anything but calm. The bishops argued fiercely, with reports of tempers flaring- St Nicholas of Myra (the figure later known as Santa Claus) is even said to have struck Arius during the debates. In the end, Arius and his supporters were condemned, their writings burned, and many of his followers excommunicated. The bishops voted overwhelmingly to affirm that the Son was “of one substance” (homoousios) with the Father.
This decision gave rise to the Nicene Creed, a declaration of faith still recited by Christians around the world today. The Council of Nicaea also set a precedent: theological disputes were no longer just about doctrine, but about power, authority, and imperial control. In the centuries that followed, excommunications and councils would become familiar tools in the struggle to define orthodoxy.
For Cyprus, the Council of Nicaea was especially significant. Bishops from the island were present, and because the Cypriot Orthodox Church is autocephalous- self-governing, with no higher patriarch able to impose decisions- it was important that they themselves accepted the Nicene Creed. The Orthodox faith that still defines Cypriot identity traces its roots directly back to this moment of unity.
Seventeen centuries later, the words of the Nicene Creed remain a cornerstone of Christian belief:
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
Also read: Tychikos appeal to Ecumenical Patriarch suspends Synod ruling
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