Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council

For over 300 years, the Christian Church was persecuted by the Roman State. With the conversion of the Emperor Constantine the Great, the persecution ended and Christianity became a tolerated religion of the Empire. About this same time, a priest named Arius, serving in Alexandria, began to teach and preach that Jesus Christ was not equal to God the Father because He was begotten from Him. Arius considered Jesus Christ a work and creation of God that had a beginning and was neither of the same essence as the Father or co-eternal with Him. Arius insisted that there was a time when the second Person of the Trinity did not exist. This was a new teaching and not in line with the teaching of the Apostles. Despite efforts to correct Arius, he did not cease his heretical teachings. In fact, even in the face of Church discipline, Arius began to spread his heresy to others through letters and other writings.The Emperor Constantine therefore summoned a Council of the whole Church. Three hundred and eighteen holy bishops, priests, deacons, and monks came to Nicaea in 325 to an Ecumenical (worldwide) Council to examine Arius's teaching in light of the Church's Holy Tradition. Among those attending this First Ecumenical Council were St. Alexander of Alexandria, St. Athanasios the Great, St. Eustathios of Antioch, St. Macarios of Jerusalem, St. Hosios of Cordova, St. Paphnutios the Confessor, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. Spyridon of Trimithus. Many of those attending bore the scars and signs of persecution on their bodies and had to travel great distances, under both harsh and dangerous conditions. The Holy Fathers met for two and one-half months. They deposed Arius and those in agreement with him and condemned his teaching. They also confessed that Jesus, the Word and Son of God, is of the same essence and honor as God the Father and co-eternal with Him. They authored the Creed, the Symbol of Faith, as far as the words “And I believe in the Holy Spirit…” The remainder of the Creed was finished at the Second Ecumenical Council in 380. Also, at this First Council, the Fathers decided on the formula to determine the annual date of Pascha and issued twenty holy Canons to further guide the Church. One such canon, Canon 20, prohibited kneeling on Sundays, because Sunday is the day of the Resurrection.We celebrate this Council and these Holy Fathers on this Sunday after our Lord's Ascension in order to remember that the Lord Jesus Christ Who ascended from earth to heaven and is enthroned at the right hand of the Father is indeed fully human and fully God. This theological fact serves to remind us that our promised homeland, citizenship and ultimate destination is also in the Kingdom of heaven with Jesus through our own bodily resurrection.