Art, literature & culture

First Council of Nicaea

325 CE

The First Council of Nicaea was a gathering of Christian bishops convened in 325 CE by the Roman emperor Constantine the Great at Nicaea, in present-day Turkey, now called Iznik. It was the first ecumenical council of the Church. The main issue was a dispute over the teaching of Arius, a priest from Alexandria who held that the Son was created by the Father and was not fully equal to him. The council condemned this view and produced a statement of faith, the original Nicene Creed, which declared the Son to be of the same substance as the Father. It also set a common method of calculating the date of Easter and issued rules on Church discipline. Its decisions shaped Christian doctrine, although the Arian controversy continued for decades.

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This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 4th century.