In June 2025 I spoke at the Nicaea Conference in Turkey, and I'd like to share my thoughts with you in four short talks. While the conference was immensely enjoyable, I found myself more commemorating the Council of 325 more than celebrating it. Why?

No event changed the nature of Christianity more than the Council of Nicaea—not the rise of the clergy, nor the monastic movement, nor even the Reformation. There were numerous changes enacted or enabled by this council and subsequent “ecumenical” councils—not necessarily immediate—and many of which were unfortunate, to say the least. I believe the subject matter of these talks also speaks to our present political (and church political) climate.

Part I (14 mins)

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Introduction
"Shibboleths and Labeling"

Part II (14 mins)

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"Artificial Unity"
"Hierarchy & Honorific Titles"

Part III (17 mins)

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"Lack of Grace"
"Going (Well) Beyond Apostolic Teaching"
"Selective Interpretation & Memory"

Part IV (14 mins)

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"The Embrace of Coercion"
Conclusions

Would you like to see the PowerPoint from the original presentation?
Click AFTERMATH.

POSITIVE LESSONS FROM THE COUNCIL (From Dr. Glen Thompson)

  1. The council showed the world-wide community of Christians to be truly "catholic" or "ecumenical."
  2. Doctrinal differences were vigorously and thoroughly debated with the biblical text as the norm.
  3. The positive statements of the creed were supplemented with a list of positions that were contrary to Scripture (anathemas).
  4. The council accepted the oral/written confession of participants, and did not try to read hearts.
  5. The council encouraged (but did not force) unity in rituals and practice.
  6. The council was moved with compassion towards Melitius, and it provided conciliatory paths for reintegration.
  7. The council's canons attempted to bring about a common understanding of the church's larger structure, and how the parts should properly interact.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

  1. Anatolios, Khaled. Retrieving Nicaea: The Development and Meaning of Trinitarian Doctrine. Grand Rapids MI: Baker Academic, 2011.
  2. Ayres, Lewis. Nicaea and its Legacy: An Approach to Fourth-Century Trinitarian Theology. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
  3. Barnes, T. D. Athanasius and Constantius: Theology and Politics in the Constantinian Empire. Cambridge University Press, 1993.
  4. Barnes, T. D. Constantine and Eusebius. Cambridge University Press, 1981.
  5. Davis, Leo Donald. The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787): History and Theology
  6. Fernández, Samuel. 2024. Fontes Nicaenae Synodi: The Contemporary Sources for the Study of the Council of Nicaea (304-337). Leiden: Brill, 2024.
  7. Fernández, Samuel. 2025. Nicaea 325: Reassessing the Contemporary Sources. Leiden. Brill, 2025.
  8. Hanson, R.P.C. The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God. London: T&T Clark, 1988.
  9. Kim, Young Richard. The Cambridge Companion to the Council of Nicaea. Cambridge:
    Cambridge University Press, 2021.
  10. Kinzig, Wolfram. A History of Early Christian Creeds. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2024.
  11. Thompson, Glen L. and Austin G. Clafflin, The Council of Nicaea and Its Creed: A 1,700 Year History