You could Google This On How the Bible was Assembled. - In Reply on Ecclesiasticus 1 - 1 year ago
In 325 AD, Emperor Constantine invited every bishop in the church to gather in Nicaea and formally establish Christian doctrine. The goal was to unite the increasingly divided church with a set of beliefs its leaders agreed on and would hold each other accountable to.
This meeting, known as the First Council of Nicaea, was specifically called to make a decision about Arianism-the belief that God created Jesus, and that Jesus was not eternal or one with God. For the first time, leaders from every corner of the church would formally declare who Jesus was in relation to God.
Arianism was growing in popularity, even among church leaders, and those who opposed it believed salvation was at stake-if Christians were wrong about who Christ was, did they really even believe in him?
Emperor Licinius (who was emperor until 324 AD) thought the dispute was meaningless. But by 325 AD, these two competing ideas of who Jesus was were threatening to tear the church-and by extension, the newly Christianized Roman empire-in two.
Constantine wasn't necessarily interested in the theological outcome, so long as it put an end to the division. So he called together the church's first ecumenical council-a gathering of leaders from the global church.
Some have argued that the First Council of Nicaea invented the Trinity, and that its statement of faith didn't truly reflect the beliefs of the church. Every bishop was invited, but only a fraction (traditionally 318) of them showed up at the council. So how could the council's decisions really represent the entire church, especially at a time when the church was so divided? And since council members had to sign the statement of faith or face excommunication, were they really in agreement, or simply saving their skin?
Not to mention, the church continued to debate the council's decision in the centuries that followed.
The First Council of Nicaea played a pivotal role in the early church, and directly impacted the doctrine Christ
This meeting, known as the First Council of Nicaea, was specifically called to make a decision about Arianism-the belief that God created Jesus, and that Jesus was not eternal or one with God. For the first time, leaders from every corner of the church would formally declare who Jesus was in relation to God.
Arianism was growing in popularity, even among church leaders, and those who opposed it believed salvation was at stake-if Christians were wrong about who Christ was, did they really even believe in him?
Emperor Licinius (who was emperor until 324 AD) thought the dispute was meaningless. But by 325 AD, these two competing ideas of who Jesus was were threatening to tear the church-and by extension, the newly Christianized Roman empire-in two.
Constantine wasn't necessarily interested in the theological outcome, so long as it put an end to the division. So he called together the church's first ecumenical council-a gathering of leaders from the global church.
Some have argued that the First Council of Nicaea invented the Trinity, and that its statement of faith didn't truly reflect the beliefs of the church. Every bishop was invited, but only a fraction (traditionally 318) of them showed up at the council. So how could the council's decisions really represent the entire church, especially at a time when the church was so divided? And since council members had to sign the statement of faith or face excommunication, were they really in agreement, or simply saving their skin?
Not to mention, the church continued to debate the council's decision in the centuries that followed.
The First Council of Nicaea played a pivotal role in the early church, and directly impacted the doctrine Christ
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