Council of Nicaea (AD 325)
Key Facts:
Date | 20 May-25 July 325 |
Location | Nicaea |
Number of Participants | 250-300 |
Summoned by | Constantine |
Chaired by | Ossius of Cordova |
Key Participants | Ossius of Cordova, Eusebius of Caesarea, Eusebius of Nicomedia, Alexander of Alexandria, Arius |
Key Issues | Arianism, Melitians, and the date of Easter |
Key Events | Most of the bishops subscribed to the Nicene Creed, while those who refused were exiled. The Council also resolved the issue of when to celebrate Easter and drew up twenty canons on various aspects of church order. |
Ancient Descriptions | Anonymous, HE 2.5-11, 25-35; Athanasius, de Decretis, de Synodis, ad Afros; Eusebius VC 3.4-24; Gelasius, HE, F11-F13; Jerome Dial. con. Luciferanus 20(18), 183; Philostorgius, HE 1.7-10; Rufinus, HE 10.3ff; Socrates, HE 1.8-13; Sozomen, HE 1.17-24; Theodoret, HE 1.7.1-9, 18; |
Ancient Descriptions of the Council of Nicaea
We have arranged the accounts of the Council of Nicaea by several ancient historians into seven tables, displaying the parallel accounts side-by-side. These tables are available in English and in the original Greek and Latin. They can be accessed here. The documents produced at Nicaea are included in these tables but can also be accessed below.
Surviving Documents:
Constantine’s Summons to the Council
Eusebius’ Letter to his Congregation
Canons (Greek and Latin/English)
The Council’s Letter to the Church in Egypt
Constantine’s Letter to the Church of Alexandria
Constantine’s Letter concerning the Date of Easter
Bibliography
Hanson, R.P.C. The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God (New York: T&T Clark, 1988) pp. 152-163.
Kannengiesser, C. “Nicaea” in The Encyclopedia of the Early Church (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992).
Created by JCB and PSAM
Last updated: 3-21-2023
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