The Cambridge Companion to the Council of Nicaea

by Young Richard Kim (Editor)

Every Sunday, Christians all over the world recite the Nicene Creed as a confession of faith. While most do not know the details of the controversy that led to its composition, they are aware that the Council of Nicaea was a critical moment in the history of Christianity. For scholars, the Council has long been a subject of multi-disciplinary interest and continues to fascinate and inspire research. As we approach the 1700th anniversary of the Council, The Cambridge Companion to the Council of Nicaea provides an opportunity to revisit and reflect on old discussions, propose new approaches and interpretative frameworks, and ultimately revitalize a conversation that remains as important now as it was in the fourth century. The volume offers fifteen original studies by scholars who each examine an aspect of the Council. Informed by interdisciplinary approaches, the essays demonstrate its profound legacy with fresh, sometimes provocative, but always intellectually rich ideas.

Genres: Church History, Religion, Christian History

400 pages, Hardcover

Published January 7, 2021

Reviews

[Cyril Hovorun · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most comprehensive and up to date study on the council of Nicaea.

[Alicia Rushton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book by multiple authors on the Council of Nicaea. Lewis Aryes book is still my favorite but that had a greater theological focus while this one covered a wider range of topics. There were 16 chapters each written by a different scholar but I appreciated the logical and cohesive way it was arranged. It didn’t read like a bunch of separate essays. After the introduction by the editor the first section set the political and theological context of the council. The next section explored what we know, guess, or downright don’t know about details and logistics of the council itself. Questions regarding Constantine moving the council to Nicaea from Ancyra, why he may have chosen Nicaea over Nicomedia, what kind of building was it in, who was there, where the bishops and their entourages may have stayed during the council, and more were addressed.
I really liked the chapter dedicated specifically to Emperor Constantine. The author of this chapter H.A. Drake, highlighted Constatine’s involvement in the Donatist controversy in Africa regarding which a council was held in 314. A year later Constantine threatened to use his imperial power and military force to compel compliance in the area but when this did not go well, “he quickly reversed course and added the Christian notion of patient suffering to his repertoire, counseling the Caecilianist party to leave punishment to God.” The author argues that Constantine’s learning from this experience was influential in his more strategic handling of the next major Christian controversy at the Council of Nicaea. Considering the character of Emperor Constantine was intriguing to me. He really does seem to take a strategic and delicate approach to the council. Utilizing some imperial power and interference in church affairs but also deferring to the church leaders in the actual decision making. As a Roman emperor he could have tried to take a more authoritarian approach than he did. One line I liked was when the author cleverly quips regarding the somewhat disparate agendas of Constantine and the church leaders, “…it is better to think that the agendas of the bishops and the emperors were similar (homoiousios), rather than identical (homoousios).
The third section examines the content of the creed and canons of the Council of Nicaea as well as Eusebius’ account of the councils.
The fourth section explores the very messy continued and additional relevant theological disagreements following the council in the century after the council. One thing I found particularly interesting in this section was Chapter 13’s examination of Apollinarius’ use of homoousious as a Christological term.
The fifth and final section is two chapters, one from an Eastern Orthodox scholar and one from a Roman Catholic scholar discussing the ongoing influence and importance of the Council of Nicaea to their particular Christian tradition. Both chapters had a section on the Filioque controversy which was nice for me considering my last read.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt like a good starting point for me to get a lay of the land on scholarship surrounding the Council of Nicaea, as well as to get familiarized with the primary sources.

[Michael Kenan Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely eye-opening on Nicaea. Lots of great chapters!

[BigGuyJawny · Rating 4 out of 5]

You won’t find a better academic resource under 300 pages on the Council of Nicaea’s origin, explanation, aftermath, and impact than this! Despite a little bit of a dry presentation, I was left thoroughly informed and wanting to delve into more research.

Four Reasons Why I Gave it Four Stars:
+ The editing of the articles into a logical progression is great!
+ There is thankfully is no pointless article, everything has its place.
- An extended appendix, timelines, visuals, and graphics would have been very helpful and holds this back (especially regarding the Easter chapter).
+ The articles answer so many key questions, I can absolutely see myself going back to reference many of the articles often.