The Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council

 

Historical Background and Significance of the Commemoration

On the seventh Sunday of Pascha, the Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, held in Nicaea in 325 AD. This celebration honors the assembly of bishops who gathered to defend and define the true faith of the Church against rising heresies, most notably Arianism. The Council stands as a pivotal moment in Church history, when the Church—guided by the Holy Spirit and under the patronage of Emperor Constantine—affirmed the divinity of Jesus Christ, preserving the apostolic faith amid growing theological disputes. The Church’s confidence in triumphing over such internal strife reflects Christ’s promise: “I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

Theological Challenge: The Heresy of Arianism

The chief theological issue confronted by the Council was the heresy propagated by Arius, a priest from Alexandria. Arius taught that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was a created being and not truly divine in the same essence (consubstantial) as God the Father. This doctrine denied the eternal divinity of Christ, threatening the foundation of Christian salvation, which depends on Christ’s full divinity and humanity. Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria initially condemned Arius’ teachings at a local council, but Arius persisted, spreading his ideas widely, supported by some Eastern bishops.

Convening of the First Ecumenical Council

Concerned by the discord threatening the unity of the Church, Emperor Constantine consulted Bishop Hosius of Cordova, who advised that the heresy struck at the core of Christian doctrine. Constantine then convened a great ecumenical gathering of approximately 318 bishops from across the Christian world at Nicaea. This Council marked the first time bishops from the entire Church met to resolve a major doctrinal crisis collectively. The Emperor himself presided over the sessions, emphasizing the importance of unity and peace within the Church.

Main Protagonists: The Holy Fathers and Champions of Orthodoxy

Among the bishops were venerable figures like Saint Nicholas of Myra, Saint Spyridon of Tremithus, and Athanasius, the deacon of Patriarch Alexander, who later became Patriarch of Alexandria and a towering defender of orthodoxy. Athanasius was particularly instrumental in articulating and defending the true faith. His zealous opposition to Arianism earned him the title “the Great,” and he is celebrated as a spiritual hero who helped shape the Nicene Creed. The Council Fathers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, unanimously rejected Arianism and formulated the Orthodox Symbol of Faith, emphasizing that the Son is “consubstantial” (homoousios) with the Father—a term added at Constantine’s suggestion to underscore the essential unity of the Trinity.

Arius and His Teachings

Arius, stubborn in his error and prideful in attitude, refused to repent even when confronted with the evidence and authority of the Church. He gathered support from about seventeen bishops but was ultimately excommunicated. His heresy was portrayed in Church iconography as being in Satan’s grasp or consumed by the Beast of the Apocalypse (Revelation 13), symbolizing the spiritual danger and deception he represented. The Council’s rejection of Arius’ creed affirmed the full divinity of Christ, condemning his teaching as a dangerous error of human arrogance that denied the mystery of the Incarnation.

The Nicene Creed and Its Lasting Legacy

The Nicene Creed, formulated at this Council, became the foundational statement of Christian orthodoxy, expressing the Church’s apostolic faith in the Trinity and the divine nature of Christ. It set forth essential Christological doctrine that continues to guide the Church today. The Council also issued twelve canons addressing Church order and discipline and settled the date for celebrating Pascha, insisting it be observed independently of the Jewish Passover to maintain Christian liturgical unity.

The key part of the Nicene Creed developed specifically to address Arius’ heresy is the use of the term “consubstantial” (Greek: homoousios), meaning “of the same essence” or “of one substance.”

Explanation:

Arius taught that the Son (Jesus Christ) was a created being, not truly divine in the same way as the Father — in other words, that the Son was “of similar substance” (homoiousios) but not “of the same substance” (homoousios) as the Father. This subtle difference in Greek wording was critical. Arius’s position implied that the Son was subordinate to the Father and not fully God, which challenged the doctrine of the Trinity and the divinity of Christ.

To counter this, the Council of Nicaea in 325 formulated the Nicene Creed, affirming that:

“We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father, by whom all things were made...”

This phrase, “consubstantial with the Father”, was a direct rejection of Arianism, affirming that the Son is fully and eternally God, sharing the same divine essence as the Father, not a created or lesser being.

Summary:

• Arian claim: The Son is a created being, not of the same substance as the Father.
  
  

• Nicene Creed response: The Son is “consubstantial” (homoousios) with the Father, meaning of the same divine essence.
  
  

• This was the theological cornerstone that defined orthodox Christology and refuted Arius.

The Enduring Impact of the First Ecumenical Council

The First Ecumenical Council represents the Church’s triumph in preserving the true faith amid internal and external challenges. It affirmed that Christ is both fully God and fully man, a mystery central to Christian salvation. By commemorating the holy Fathers of this Council each year, the Church honors their courage, wisdom, and faithfulness in safeguarding the gospel. Their victory assures the faithful that despite trials, the Church, founded by Christ, remains victorious against heresy and division.

Contemporary Groups with Arian-like Doctrines

While the ancient heresy of Arianism was definitively condemned by the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, its core theological ideas continue to find echoes in certain contemporary religious movements. These groups, though diverse and often not self-identified as “Arian,” share a rejection or redefinition of the traditional doctrine of the Trinity, particularly regarding the nature and divinity of Jesus Christ. Most notably, Jehovah’s Witnesses, some branches of Unitarianism, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints maintain Christological views that emphasize the Son’s created or subordinate status to the Father. By examining these modern groups, one can observe how ancient theological controversies continue to influence Christian thought and how the Nicene affirmation of Christ’s consubstantiality with the Father remains a central dividing line in Christian doctrine.

Historically, Arianism as a formal heresy was decisively condemned by the early Church, and no major contemporary Christian denomination fully embraces Arian doctrine today. However, some religious groups or movements have theological views that resemble or echo certain aspects of Arianism, especially regarding the nature of Christ and the Trinity. Mainstream Christianity — including Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and most Protestant denominations — reject Arianism outright and hold to the Nicene Creed’s affirmation of Christ’s full divinity and consubstantiality with the Father.

Theological Implications of Arianism

The theological implications of Arianism and its disruption of the doctrine of the Trinity are profound and far-reaching, striking at the heart of Christian theology, salvation, and worship. Below is an outline and explanation of these implications:

1. Undermining the Divinity of Christ

Arianism teaches that Jesus Christ is not fully divine, but a created being — higher than humans, yet subordinate to God the Father. This view contradicts the Nicene affirmation that the Son is homoousios (of the same essence) with the Father.

Implication:

• If Christ is not truly God, then He cannot fully reveal God (John 1:18).
  
  

• His death and resurrection would not be sufficient to conquer sin and death, because a created being cannot redeem creation (Hebrews 2:14–18).
  
  

2. Destruction of the Trinity

Orthodox Christian doctrine teaches one God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — co-equal, co-eternal, consubstantial. Arianism breaks this unity, turning the Trinity into a hierarchy or, in essence, a form of polytheism or subordinationism.

Implication:

• God ceases to be a communion of love and equality within Himself (cf. John 17:21).
  
  

• It denies the eternal Sonship of Christ, which is fundamental to the identity of God as Father.
  
  

• The Holy Spirit, too, becomes unclear in role and nature, often downgraded in Arian systems.
  
  

3. Compromising the Doctrine of Salvation

In Orthodox theology, only God can save. If Jesus is not God, then He cannot offer divine forgiveness or transform human nature through His Incarnation.

Implication:

• Salvation becomes something accomplished by a created being, which diminishes its power and mystery.
  
  

• Union with God (theosis) becomes impossible, because we are united not to God Himself but to a creature.
  
  

4. Distortion of Worship

The Church offers doxology to Christ and the Holy Spirit as equal to the Father (“Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit…”).

Implication:

• If Jesus is not God, then worshiping Him is idolatry.
  
  

• Or, if worship is given to a lesser being, it relativizes the uniqueness of divine worship (Exodus 20:3–5).
  
  

5. Ecclesiological Division

Historically, Arianism caused deep schisms in the Church, dividing bishops, emperors, and entire regions of Christendom.

Implication:

• The Church’s claim to be “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15) is called into question when internal heresies shake foundational beliefs.
  
  

• A distorted Christology leads to fragmentation of doctrine, affecting sacraments, prayer, and Christian identity.
  
  

Summary:

Core Area	Arianism's Impact
Christology	Denies Christ's full divinity
Trinitarian Theology	Breaks consubstantial unity of Father, Son, and Spirit
Soteriology	Weakens the power of salvation
Worship	Risks idolatry or misdirected praise
Church Unity	Historical division and doctrinal confusion

In sum, Arianism not only alters how we understand who Christ is, but also who God is, how we are saved, and how we relate to God in worship and life. It is not merely a theological misstep, but a threat to the coherence of the entire Christian faith.

Conclusion

The controversy of Arianism and its rejection of the full divinity of Christ remains one of the most critical moments in the history of Christian theology. Its challenge to the fundamental nature of the Trinity was not merely a philosophical disagreement but a profound distortion of the Christian understanding of God, salvation, and worship. By asserting that the Son was a created being, subordinate to the Father, Arianism fragmented the unity of the Godhead and introduced a hierarchy within the divine nature that the Church could not reconcile with the apostolic witness or with the lived experience of salvation.

The First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea responded decisively, not only to protect doctrinal integrity but to safeguard the heart of the Christian faith — that God Himself became incarnate in the Person of Jesus Christ to redeem and deify humanity. The Nicene Creed’s affirmation that Christ is “Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father” remains the Church’s unwavering confession that Jesus is fully divine and co-eternal with the Father. Without this truth, Christian theology collapses: the Incarnation loses its saving power, worship becomes misdirected, and the Church’s witness to the Triune God is shattered.

Modern religious movements that reflect Arian ideas, whether knowingly or not, continue to illustrate the dangers of deviating from the apostolic and conciliar teachings of the Church. These contemporary groups often reduce Christ to a moral teacher, an exalted creature, or a secondary divine figure, thereby diminishing both the grandeur of God’s self-revelation and the intimacy of His salvific love. In contrast, the Orthodox teaching preserves the mystery and majesty of a God who is both unity and Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — one in essence and undivided.

Ultimately, the rejection of Arianism is not a matter of theological elitism or historical rigidity; it is a confession of faith in the living God who reveals Himself as love, communion, and salvation. To deny the full divinity of the Son is to obscure the very face of God revealed to us in Christ. As the Church continues to proclaim the Nicene Creed, she echoes the faith of the Fathers — not as a relic of the past, but as the enduring truth that sustains her life and mission in every age.