History of the First Council of Nice: A World's Christian Convention A.D. 325 With a Life of Constantine

by Dean Dudley

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

Genres: Religion, History

110 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1992

Reviews

[Patrick W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

When researching how on earth a minor sect of Judaism could grow to become one of the most dominant religions in the world, it pays to read some of the primary source material at one of the crucial turning points in that religion's evolution. Much of Dudly's book consists of translated correspondence between major players in the Council of Nicaea, showing their opposing positions.

Emperor Constantine, himself a convert, convened the council in 325 to force the bishops of Christendom to settle disputes and establish a somewhat uniform set of beliefs. One of the principal disputes of the time centered on Arianism, so named for a presbyter named Arius, who took the position that the man Jesus became the Christ (i.e., the Anointed), probably upon the occasion of his baptism. Arius' opponents declared that the Christ was eternally a part of the Triune God even before creation of the universe, begotten not made, of the same substance as the Father. This seemingly esoteric disagreement over the nature of Christ led to Christians labeling fellow Christians blasphemers and dupes of the devil, followed by excommunications and book burnings and possibly even murders. Spoiler alert: Arius and his followers lost the day.

I would have appreciated more interpretation or elaboration of the events by the author. Standing on its own, this book provides valuable source material but still may be a bit dense for the uninitiated. It is certainly no page-turner but, at just 105 pages, it does not present an insurmountable course of study.

[Bob Buice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arius of Alexander initiated the belief that Christ is lesser than God and that Christ had not always existed. This belief gained support around Christendom, but opposition remained strong, especially from Alexander and Athanasius of Alexander, and the dispute threatened to disrupt the Roman Empire. Emperor Constantine I (r 306 – 337 CE) thought that the entire issue was nothing short of trivia, but was concerned with the bitter division between the two theologies. Accordingly, the emperor convened a conference in Nicaea, in the Roman province of Bythinia. Attended by more than 300 bishops from around Christendom, the conference sided with Alexander and Athanasius and the Arian theology was ruled heresy. Other issues, e.g. the date of Easter, were resolved.

Published in the late 19th century, Dean Dudley’s “History of the First Council of Nice: A World's Christian Convention, A.D. 325; with a Life of Constantine” gives a good general account of the Council of Nicaea, now considered the First Ecumenical Council. Letters from Constantine I to the bishops and from bishops to each other are presented. Obviously, being published in the 19th century, it lacks the benefit of more than a century of research. Nevertheless, this work is an interesting and informative read.