Fourth Century Christianity

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

Creed

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