{"id":47,"date":"2015-06-24T05:33:25","date_gmt":"2015-06-24T09:33:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/archives\/47"},"modified":"2015-06-23T06:24:50","modified_gmt":"2015-06-23T10:24:50","slug":"the-orthodox-formulas-1-the-council-of-nicea-325","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/the-orthodox-formulas-1-the-council-of-nicea-325\/","title":{"rendered":"The Orthodox Formulas 1: The Council of Nicea (325)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most conservative (and even, many not-too conservative) Christians belong to churches and\/or denominations which affirm traditional language about the Trinity. In this series, I’m going to just put all this on the table<\/strong>, as the fact is, many Christians, especially those from less “confessional” traditions, aren’t very familiar with these traditional formulas. I’m not going to go too much into the history for now.<\/p>\n

The council of Nicea (325 CE)<\/strong> was the first major step on the way to traditional trinitarianism. Here’s some of the document that council produced: (I’ve added the bold highlighting and removed some of the formatting.)<\/p>\n

We believe in one God the Father all powerful, maker of all things both seen and unseen. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten begotten from the Father, that is from the substance [Gr. ousias, Lat. substantia] of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten [Gr. gennethenta, Lat. natum] not made [Gr. poethenta, Lat. factum], CONSUBSTANTIAL [Gr. homoousion, Lat. unius substantiae (quod Graeci dicunt homousion)] with the Father<\/strong>, through whom all things came to be, both those in heaven and those in earth; for us humans and for our salvation he came down and became incarnate, became human, suffered and rose up on the third day, went up into the heavens, is coming to judge the living and the dead. And in the holy Spirit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And those who say “there once was when he was not”\u009d, and “before he was begotten he was not”\u009d, and that he came to be from things that were not, or from another hypostasis [Gr. hypostaseos] or substance [Gr. ousias, Lat. substantia], affirming that the Son of God is subject to change or alteration these the catholic and apostolic church anathematises.<\/p>\n

THE LETTER OF THE SYNOD IN NICAEA TO THE EGYPTIANS<\/p>\n

First of all the affair of the impiety and lawlessness of Arius<\/strong> and his followers was discussed in the presence of the most pious emperor Constantine. It was unanimously agreed that anathemas should be pronounced against his impious opinion and his blasphemous terms and expressions which he has blasphemously applied to the Son of God, saying “he is from things that are not”\u009d, and “before he was begotten he was not”\u009d, and “there once was when he was not”\u009d, saying too that by his own power the Son of God is capable of evil and goodness, and calling him a creature and a work.<\/p>\n

Against all this the holy synod pronounced anathemas, and did not allow this impious and abandoned opinion and these blasphemous words even to be heard.<\/p>\n

Of that man and the fate which befell him, you have doubtless heard or will hear, lest we should seem to trample upon one who has already received a fitting reward because of his own sin.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Constantine\"This council was occasioned by the Arian controversy. The history of this council, and especially its aftermath, is really interesting<\/strong>, and rather more ambiguous and down and dirty than common Catholic and Protestant apologetic accounts suggest. Major works<\/strong> on this are<\/p>\n