Church Council Controversy
cOURSE: ISSUES IN EARLY AND MODERN CHRISTIANITY
RESEARCH PAPER
Discuss the role of the church councils in shaping Christian doctrine, making reference to at least one doctrine that was reformed.
11/11/2013
Discuss the role of church councils in shaping Christian doctrine, making reference to at least one doctrine that was reformed.
When Christianity took hold in the Roman Empire, doctrine had yet to be fixed. There have been more than seven church councils, but these crucial first seven, known as the Ecumenical Councils, were the most important in establishing official church doctrine. The seven councils span a time period over four hundred years, with the first council in 325 CE and the seventh in 787 CE. AD. Their decisions …show more content…
are at the foundation of Christian doctrine accepted by both the Eastern and Western segments of the Christian Church. The decisions of these Ecumenical Councils were made under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus Christ to His Apostles.
The council is referred to as being ‘ecumenical ‘as the great philosopher Alexis Khomiakov defined it as the council which is universal, infallible and significance for the Church. An ecumenical (or general) Council of the Church, in modern times, is an assembly of bishops representing those churches in union with the Pope, the Bishop of Rome in order to determine matters of doctrine, to correct disciplinary matters, and to issue pastoral pronouncements. As already indicated, it was not always quite so, because the process of ecumenical/general councils began with Constantine. (Clarke, 1998) These councils represent the entire church. At these Ecumenical Councils many Canons, or laws governing the administration of the Church, were composed. Secondarily, they also issue canonical legislation which governs the administration of the Church....Church is this case is more than just a structure or an organization it is like a living organism, (Davis, 2013) . As the disciples clearly described the church mission as one that reaches out to people who do not know God, one that proclaimed the gospel and welcome people to the body of Christ. Even though, the council may be seen as ecumenical or declare itself ecumenical, it may later be regarded by the Church as being a Robber Council, that is, a council which did not declare the truth but rather heresy.
The three major branches of the Church (Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant) recognize seven ecumenical councils: Nicea (325), Constantinople (381) this council convened in the great, new imperial capital. The council issued a new creed, probably based upon another baptismal creed from Jerusalem or Antioch, which in turn was an expression of the faith expressed in the Nicene Creed adopted in 325 AD. Thirdly was Ephesus (431), this was developed in 431 AD, The third General Council of the Church defined the Catholic dogma that the Blessed Virgin is the Mother of God and presented the teaching of the truth of one divine person in Christ. The Council was convened against the heresy of Nestorius.
The fourth council is called The Council of Chalcedon; this was formed in 451 AD. This council issued the Chalcedonian Formula, asserting and affirming that Christ is two natures in one person. Fifthly was the council of Constantinople ll, 553 AD. This Council is sometimes referred to as the council of the Three Chapters. The Sixth council is the council of Constantinople 111, dated in 680 AD. This council was based on the condemnation of monothelitism meaning Christ has a single will, asserting that Christ had a human will and a divine will that functioned in perfect harmony. The seventh council is the council of Nicea 11, dated 787 AD. This council declared that icons are acceptable aids to worship, rejecting the iconoclasts (icon-smashers) Second Council of Nicaea (787).
Further ecumenical councils were rendered impossible by the widening split between Eastern (Orthodox, Greek-speaking) and Western (Catholic, Latin-speaking) Churches, a split that was rendered official in 1054 and has not yet been healed. The goal of these councils was to create a unified religion, now that Christianity had become the official religion of the Roman Empire. Hundreds of church fathers from all across the known world were invited to attend the first council. Topics of discussion included the nature of Jesus and the doctrine of the Trinity. Official creeds were ratified to pronounce the official belief of each doctrine under question. The Church held councils to resolve issues when less formal dialogue failed to produce a consensus. The council that I will be focusing on is the first council of Nicea.
The first of all the councils was the council of Nicea. Nicea was located in Asia Minor, East of Constantinople. This was formed in 324 when Constantine became sole ruler of the Roman Empire reuniting an empire that had been split among rival rulers since the retirement of Domitian in 305. Emperor Constantine found the church bitterly divided over the nature of Jesus. He presided a group of church bishops and other leaders with the purpose of defining the nature of God for all of Christianity and eliminating confusion, controversy, and contention within the church. His aim was to provide a more precise understanding of Christ. He wanted to reunify the Church as he had reunified the Empire. The Council of Nicea overwhelmingly affirmed the deity and eternality of Jesus Christ and defined the relationship between the Father and the Son as “of one substance.” It also affirmed the Trinity—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were listed as three co-equal and co-eternal Persons (Houdmann, 2013).
The emperor called for a meeting of the bishops to be held in Nicea to resolve some swelling controversies among the church leadership. According to Socrates the issues that were at hand and that were debated include the nature of Jesus Christ, The Melitian controversy, which was over the readmission to the Church of lapsed Christian, establishing the date of Easter and to settle matters stirred up by Arius, presbyter at Alexandria. (Gill, 2012) Since the end of the apostolic age, Christians had begun debating these questions: Who is the Christ? Is He more divine than human or more human than divine? Was Jesus created or begotten? and other questions pertaining to Jesus Christ. The failing Roman Empire, now under Constantine’s rule, could not withstand the division caused by years of hard-fought, “out of hand” arguing over doctrinal differences. (Houdmann,2013).
The major dispute was over the teaching of Arius, but there were other doctrinal issues Christian presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of God the Father to the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Arius asserted that the Son of God was a subordinate entity to God the Father. The Arian concept of Christ is that the Son of God did not always exist, but was created and is therefore distinct from God the Father. This belief is grounded in the Gospel of John passage, which says, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I." (John 14:28) . This concept (Arian) was confusing the church and the emperor realized that, not only were the quarrels a threat to Christianity but as a threat to society as well. This is why, at the council of Nicea, Constantine encouraged the church leaders to settle their internal disagreements and become Christ like agents who could bring new life to a troubled empire. Constantine believed that is power or authority could be useful to bring about peace, unity, harmony and love within the church.
Emperor Constantine prodded the 300 bishops in the council make a decision by the majority vote defining who Jesus Christ is. The statement of doctrine they produced was one that all of the Christianity would follow and obey, called ‘Nicene Creed’. The Bishops at Nicea voted to make the full deity of Christ the accepted position of the church. This council reject Arius’s heresy and upheld the doctrine of Christ’s true divinity.(Christian History Institute, 2013)
The reason for the meeting at the council was based on the argument that sparked by Arius which divided the church (Christian History Institute, 2013). The purpose or the primary task of this council was to make the Trinitarian doctrine of the Church very precise to avoid future debate. Also is to proclaim with mistakable clarity a doctrine already a part of teaching of the Church. The document produced was of doctrine of the Christian faith adopted at the Nicene Creed. According to the free dictionary the Nicene Creed can be defined as a formal statement of doctrine of the Christian faith adopted at the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325 to defend orthodoxy from Arianism and expanded in later councils. The key word in this Nicene symbol is the term "consubstantial," used to indicate the relationship between the Father and the Son.
This council along with the second Council of Nicaea (787), represented an attempt to reach an orthodox consensus and to establish unified Christendom as the state church of the Roman Empire. They were also seen as the touchstone of orthodoxy on the doctrine of the Trinity. The Emperor Constantine wanted to establish universal agreement on it. Representatives came from across the Empire, subsidized by the Emperor. Previous to this council, the bishops would hold local councils, such as the Council of Jerusalem, but there had been no universal, or ecumenical, council. Another important decision of this Council was the establishing of a calendar formula by which Pascha (Easter) ought to be celebrated. Pascha occurs on the first full moon following the spring equinox and following the Hebrew Passover feast. (N. Patrianakos)
Early Christian doctrines developed and were shaped over time; they were neither fixed nor stable. Once a doctrine was established it often necessitated a subsequent doctrine to define more precisely what was meant and to clarify the subtle nuances. Lived experience and understanding was the basis for the emergence of forming and re-forming doctrine. Reformed Christians are a small part of a much larger body of believers who love and serve Jesus Christ(Moor, 2009) Reformed teachings are shared by denominations other than the Christian Reformed Church.
We have seen where each council has made remarkable, outstanding and incredible contribution to the shaping of Christian doctrine, even though each denomination or most denominations may hold different views these doctrines are still instilled in most of the Christians lives today.
These doctrines have helped us to understand life more and make life more of a worth. The doctrine of trinity is widely accepted and is central to a lot of Christians today. For example the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, all Reformation- founded Protestant churches (Lutheran, Reformed/Presbyterian, and Anglican), and a large majority of groups founded after the Reformation and calling themselves Protestant (such as Methodist, Baptist, most Pentecostals), with the exception of such groups as Unitarians, Oneness Pentecostals, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses. The term “Trinity” is not found in the Bible and is a concept of Christianity that is not easy to grasp or explain. Yet most conservative, evangelical Bible scholars agree that the trinity doctrines is clearly expressed within scriptures. These are some of the verses expressing the concept of the Trinity - Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 28:19, John 14:16-17, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Acts 2:32-33, John 10:30, John 17:11&21. For an in-depth study of the Trinity doctrine visit (Fairchild, 2013). The biblical Trinity doctrine is defined as follows: "There is only one God, made up of three distinct Persons who exist in co-equal, co-eternal communion as the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit."
The first church council of Nicea has made the gate way to this doctrine and this allows us to get a better understanding of the Godhead. The Trinity is “the centerpiece of Christian theology and sometimes considered the most subtle and abstruse of all doctrines.” (Eugene H. Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology, 45) The doctrine of the Trinity, considered the core of Christian theology by Trinitarians, is the result of continuous exploration by the church of the biblical data, thrashed out in debate and treatises, eventually formulated at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD in a way they believe is consistent with the biblical witness, and further refined in later councils and writings. Through the first council most Christians are comfortable with the belief of the trinity. It is easily understood for some Christians. I must say that this doctrine was discussed at the first council. Even though the trinity has served to explain the God head to Christians some still reject it.
Nontrinitarianism is any of several Christian beliefs that reject the Trinitarian doctrine that God is three distinct persons in one being. Modern nontrinitarian groups views differ widely on the nature of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
Not only the trinity but also the doctrine of Jesus Christ was discussed at the council of Nicea. The first church council of Nicea has allowed us to understand the doctrine of Jesus Christ immensely; it is through the church councils that we receive a better understanding of Jesus resurrection. The councils are the pathway to our understanding of these doctrines, as believers we acknowledge, we learn, we believe, we preserve, we apply and we practice what we have learned. The councils have provided an understanding of who Jesus really is for Christians so that we can hold on to a belief which can be proven in the Holy Scriptures.
There were some areas that needed to be addressed with regards to the formation of the doctrine of Jesus Christ the controversy over Christ's Resurrection, the controversy over the True Church, and the controversy over Persecution and Martyrdom. Through the Holy Scriptures we learned about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The majority of gnostic Christians rejected the theory of a bodily resurrection and argued that the risen Lord was a purely divine, spiritual being and that resurrection of the faithful meant ascent of the soul to that heavenly status, not transformation of the embodied person. To them, the resurrection was not a unique event in the past: instead, it symbolized how Christ's presence could be experienced in the present. What mattered was not literal seeing, but spiritual vision. They pointed out that many who witnessed the events of Jesus' (Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels, 12). They are a lot of misinterpretation of the doctrine of Jesus Christ and the councils have given a precise understanding of who Jesus is. The wide opinion is that Ecumenical Councils are not an absolute necessity for the church in the same way as are the pope and bishops. However, there is also a strong body of opinion which holds that Councils are a desirable development in a world very different from that in which Christ's Church began. It remains the case that while the Pope has a unique role as Successor of Peter, it makes practical sense that Collegiality is a necessity in the modern world. This Collegiality is clearly expressed in a general Council, but could equally, perhaps necessarily, be expressed in an on-going way which has yet to be devised.
In conclusion, the council of Nicea made a remarkable contribution in shaping the Christian doctrines. The council helps to build the foundation of Christianity, its belief, doctrines and practices. Not every Christian’s hold all the views of this council but this council and the other six are greatly appreciated by a lot of Christians especially the doctrine of the trinity. This doctrine is widely accepted by many denominations today and has provided a precise understanding and perceptive of trinity. It is hard for someone to try and manipulate me when it comes on to the trinity because I have grasped enough knowledge on it to defend myself and to deliver the truth.
Reference page
Earle Cairns (2013) Christianity through the Centuries by Logos Bible Software. http://orthodoxwiki.org/Ecumenical_Councils Retrieved 27/09/2013 http://rechurch.org/recus/?MIval=/recweb/foundations.html&display=councils Retrieved 6/10/2013 http://orthodoxchurchfathers.com/fathers/npnf214/npnf2144.htm Retrieved 5/10/2013 http://reformedtheology.org/SiteFiles/WhatIsRT.html Retrieved 4/10/2013 http://www.catholic.org/prayers/councils.php Retrieved 6/10/2013 http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithforward/2010/05/atrinity-shaped-life/ Retrieved 6/10/2013 http://www.smyrna.org/Books/Formulation_of_the_Trinity/The_Formulation_of_the_Trinity.htm Retrieved 6/2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianism Retrieved 22/09/2013 http://vatican2voice.org/4basics/councils.htm Retrieved 21/09/2013 Retrieved 6/7/2013 http://www.orthodoxchristian.info/pages/ecumenical_councils.htm Retrieved 22/09/2013https://www.christianhistoryinstitute.org/study/module/nicea/ Retrieved 24/10/2013 http://www.gotquestions.org/council-of-Nicea.html#ixzz2jjINcGOo Retrieved 25/10/2013
RESEARCH PAPER
Discuss the role of the church councils in shaping Christian doctrine, making reference to at least one doctrine that was reformed.
11/11/2013
Discuss the role of church councils in shaping Christian doctrine, making reference to at least one doctrine that was reformed.
When Christianity took hold in the Roman Empire, doctrine had yet to be fixed. There have been more than seven church councils, but these crucial first seven, known as the Ecumenical Councils, were the most important in establishing official church doctrine. The seven councils span a time period over four hundred years, with the first council in 325 CE and the seventh in 787 CE. AD. Their decisions …show more content…
are at the foundation of Christian doctrine accepted by both the Eastern and Western segments of the Christian Church. The decisions of these Ecumenical Councils were made under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus Christ to His Apostles.
The council is referred to as being ‘ecumenical ‘as the great philosopher Alexis Khomiakov defined it as the council which is universal, infallible and significance for the Church. An ecumenical (or general) Council of the Church, in modern times, is an assembly of bishops representing those churches in union with the Pope, the Bishop of Rome in order to determine matters of doctrine, to correct disciplinary matters, and to issue pastoral pronouncements. As already indicated, it was not always quite so, because the process of ecumenical/general councils began with Constantine. (Clarke, 1998) These councils represent the entire church. At these Ecumenical Councils many Canons, or laws governing the administration of the Church, were composed. Secondarily, they also issue canonical legislation which governs the administration of the Church....Church is this case is more than just a structure or an organization it is like a living organism, (Davis, 2013) . As the disciples clearly described the church mission as one that reaches out to people who do not know God, one that proclaimed the gospel and welcome people to the body of Christ. Even though, the council may be seen as ecumenical or declare itself ecumenical, it may later be regarded by the Church as being a Robber Council, that is, a council which did not declare the truth but rather heresy.
The three major branches of the Church (Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant) recognize seven ecumenical councils: Nicea (325), Constantinople (381) this council convened in the great, new imperial capital. The council issued a new creed, probably based upon another baptismal creed from Jerusalem or Antioch, which in turn was an expression of the faith expressed in the Nicene Creed adopted in 325 AD. Thirdly was Ephesus (431), this was developed in 431 AD, The third General Council of the Church defined the Catholic dogma that the Blessed Virgin is the Mother of God and presented the teaching of the truth of one divine person in Christ. The Council was convened against the heresy of Nestorius.
The fourth council is called The Council of Chalcedon; this was formed in 451 AD. This council issued the Chalcedonian Formula, asserting and affirming that Christ is two natures in one person. Fifthly was the council of Constantinople ll, 553 AD. This Council is sometimes referred to as the council of the Three Chapters. The Sixth council is the council of Constantinople 111, dated in 680 AD. This council was based on the condemnation of monothelitism meaning Christ has a single will, asserting that Christ had a human will and a divine will that functioned in perfect harmony. The seventh council is the council of Nicea 11, dated 787 AD. This council declared that icons are acceptable aids to worship, rejecting the iconoclasts (icon-smashers) Second Council of Nicaea (787).
Further ecumenical councils were rendered impossible by the widening split between Eastern (Orthodox, Greek-speaking) and Western (Catholic, Latin-speaking) Churches, a split that was rendered official in 1054 and has not yet been healed. The goal of these councils was to create a unified religion, now that Christianity had become the official religion of the Roman Empire. Hundreds of church fathers from all across the known world were invited to attend the first council. Topics of discussion included the nature of Jesus and the doctrine of the Trinity. Official creeds were ratified to pronounce the official belief of each doctrine under question. The Church held councils to resolve issues when less formal dialogue failed to produce a consensus. The council that I will be focusing on is the first council of Nicea.
The first of all the councils was the council of Nicea. Nicea was located in Asia Minor, East of Constantinople. This was formed in 324 when Constantine became sole ruler of the Roman Empire reuniting an empire that had been split among rival rulers since the retirement of Domitian in 305. Emperor Constantine found the church bitterly divided over the nature of Jesus. He presided a group of church bishops and other leaders with the purpose of defining the nature of God for all of Christianity and eliminating confusion, controversy, and contention within the church. His aim was to provide a more precise understanding of Christ. He wanted to reunify the Church as he had reunified the Empire. The Council of Nicea overwhelmingly affirmed the deity and eternality of Jesus Christ and defined the relationship between the Father and the Son as “of one substance.” It also affirmed the Trinity—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were listed as three co-equal and co-eternal Persons (Houdmann, 2013).
The emperor called for a meeting of the bishops to be held in Nicea to resolve some swelling controversies among the church leadership. According to Socrates the issues that were at hand and that were debated include the nature of Jesus Christ, The Melitian controversy, which was over the readmission to the Church of lapsed Christian, establishing the date of Easter and to settle matters stirred up by Arius, presbyter at Alexandria. (Gill, 2012) Since the end of the apostolic age, Christians had begun debating these questions: Who is the Christ? Is He more divine than human or more human than divine? Was Jesus created or begotten? and other questions pertaining to Jesus Christ. The failing Roman Empire, now under Constantine’s rule, could not withstand the division caused by years of hard-fought, “out of hand” arguing over doctrinal differences. (Houdmann,2013).
The major dispute was over the teaching of Arius, but there were other doctrinal issues Christian presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of God the Father to the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Arius asserted that the Son of God was a subordinate entity to God the Father. The Arian concept of Christ is that the Son of God did not always exist, but was created and is therefore distinct from God the Father. This belief is grounded in the Gospel of John passage, which says, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I." (John 14:28) . This concept (Arian) was confusing the church and the emperor realized that, not only were the quarrels a threat to Christianity but as a threat to society as well. This is why, at the council of Nicea, Constantine encouraged the church leaders to settle their internal disagreements and become Christ like agents who could bring new life to a troubled empire. Constantine believed that is power or authority could be useful to bring about peace, unity, harmony and love within the church.
Emperor Constantine prodded the 300 bishops in the council make a decision by the majority vote defining who Jesus Christ is. The statement of doctrine they produced was one that all of the Christianity would follow and obey, called ‘Nicene Creed’. The Bishops at Nicea voted to make the full deity of Christ the accepted position of the church. This council reject Arius’s heresy and upheld the doctrine of Christ’s true divinity.(Christian History Institute, 2013)
The reason for the meeting at the council was based on the argument that sparked by Arius which divided the church (Christian History Institute, 2013). The purpose or the primary task of this council was to make the Trinitarian doctrine of the Church very precise to avoid future debate. Also is to proclaim with mistakable clarity a doctrine already a part of teaching of the Church. The document produced was of doctrine of the Christian faith adopted at the Nicene Creed. According to the free dictionary the Nicene Creed can be defined as a formal statement of doctrine of the Christian faith adopted at the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325 to defend orthodoxy from Arianism and expanded in later councils. The key word in this Nicene symbol is the term "consubstantial," used to indicate the relationship between the Father and the Son.
This council along with the second Council of Nicaea (787), represented an attempt to reach an orthodox consensus and to establish unified Christendom as the state church of the Roman Empire. They were also seen as the touchstone of orthodoxy on the doctrine of the Trinity. The Emperor Constantine wanted to establish universal agreement on it. Representatives came from across the Empire, subsidized by the Emperor. Previous to this council, the bishops would hold local councils, such as the Council of Jerusalem, but there had been no universal, or ecumenical, council. Another important decision of this Council was the establishing of a calendar formula by which Pascha (Easter) ought to be celebrated. Pascha occurs on the first full moon following the spring equinox and following the Hebrew Passover feast. (N. Patrianakos)
Early Christian doctrines developed and were shaped over time; they were neither fixed nor stable. Once a doctrine was established it often necessitated a subsequent doctrine to define more precisely what was meant and to clarify the subtle nuances. Lived experience and understanding was the basis for the emergence of forming and re-forming doctrine. Reformed Christians are a small part of a much larger body of believers who love and serve Jesus Christ(Moor, 2009) Reformed teachings are shared by denominations other than the Christian Reformed Church.
We have seen where each council has made remarkable, outstanding and incredible contribution to the shaping of Christian doctrine, even though each denomination or most denominations may hold different views these doctrines are still instilled in most of the Christians lives today.
These doctrines have helped us to understand life more and make life more of a worth. The doctrine of trinity is widely accepted and is central to a lot of Christians today. For example the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, all Reformation- founded Protestant churches (Lutheran, Reformed/Presbyterian, and Anglican), and a large majority of groups founded after the Reformation and calling themselves Protestant (such as Methodist, Baptist, most Pentecostals), with the exception of such groups as Unitarians, Oneness Pentecostals, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses. The term “Trinity” is not found in the Bible and is a concept of Christianity that is not easy to grasp or explain. Yet most conservative, evangelical Bible scholars agree that the trinity doctrines is clearly expressed within scriptures. These are some of the verses expressing the concept of the Trinity - Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 28:19, John 14:16-17, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Acts 2:32-33, John 10:30, John 17:11&21. For an in-depth study of the Trinity doctrine visit (Fairchild, 2013). The biblical Trinity doctrine is defined as follows: "There is only one God, made up of three distinct Persons who exist in co-equal, co-eternal communion as the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit."
The first church council of Nicea has made the gate way to this doctrine and this allows us to get a better understanding of the Godhead. The Trinity is “the centerpiece of Christian theology and sometimes considered the most subtle and abstruse of all doctrines.” (Eugene H. Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology, 45) The doctrine of the Trinity, considered the core of Christian theology by Trinitarians, is the result of continuous exploration by the church of the biblical data, thrashed out in debate and treatises, eventually formulated at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD in a way they believe is consistent with the biblical witness, and further refined in later councils and writings. Through the first council most Christians are comfortable with the belief of the trinity. It is easily understood for some Christians. I must say that this doctrine was discussed at the first council. Even though the trinity has served to explain the God head to Christians some still reject it.
Nontrinitarianism is any of several Christian beliefs that reject the Trinitarian doctrine that God is three distinct persons in one being. Modern nontrinitarian groups views differ widely on the nature of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
Not only the trinity but also the doctrine of Jesus Christ was discussed at the council of Nicea. The first church council of Nicea has allowed us to understand the doctrine of Jesus Christ immensely; it is through the church councils that we receive a better understanding of Jesus resurrection. The councils are the pathway to our understanding of these doctrines, as believers we acknowledge, we learn, we believe, we preserve, we apply and we practice what we have learned. The councils have provided an understanding of who Jesus really is for Christians so that we can hold on to a belief which can be proven in the Holy Scriptures.
There were some areas that needed to be addressed with regards to the formation of the doctrine of Jesus Christ the controversy over Christ's Resurrection, the controversy over the True Church, and the controversy over Persecution and Martyrdom. Through the Holy Scriptures we learned about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The majority of gnostic Christians rejected the theory of a bodily resurrection and argued that the risen Lord was a purely divine, spiritual being and that resurrection of the faithful meant ascent of the soul to that heavenly status, not transformation of the embodied person. To them, the resurrection was not a unique event in the past: instead, it symbolized how Christ's presence could be experienced in the present. What mattered was not literal seeing, but spiritual vision. They pointed out that many who witnessed the events of Jesus' (Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels, 12). They are a lot of misinterpretation of the doctrine of Jesus Christ and the councils have given a precise understanding of who Jesus is. The wide opinion is that Ecumenical Councils are not an absolute necessity for the church in the same way as are the pope and bishops. However, there is also a strong body of opinion which holds that Councils are a desirable development in a world very different from that in which Christ's Church began. It remains the case that while the Pope has a unique role as Successor of Peter, it makes practical sense that Collegiality is a necessity in the modern world. This Collegiality is clearly expressed in a general Council, but could equally, perhaps necessarily, be expressed in an on-going way which has yet to be devised.
In conclusion, the council of Nicea made a remarkable contribution in shaping the Christian doctrines. The council helps to build the foundation of Christianity, its belief, doctrines and practices. Not every Christian’s hold all the views of this council but this council and the other six are greatly appreciated by a lot of Christians especially the doctrine of the trinity. This doctrine is widely accepted by many denominations today and has provided a precise understanding and perceptive of trinity. It is hard for someone to try and manipulate me when it comes on to the trinity because I have grasped enough knowledge on it to defend myself and to deliver the truth.
Reference page
Earle Cairns (2013) Christianity through the Centuries by Logos Bible Software. http://orthodoxwiki.org/Ecumenical_Councils Retrieved 27/09/2013 http://rechurch.org/recus/?MIval=/recweb/foundations.html&display=councils Retrieved 6/10/2013 http://orthodoxchurchfathers.com/fathers/npnf214/npnf2144.htm Retrieved 5/10/2013 http://reformedtheology.org/SiteFiles/WhatIsRT.html Retrieved 4/10/2013 http://www.catholic.org/prayers/councils.php Retrieved 6/10/2013 http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithforward/2010/05/atrinity-shaped-life/ Retrieved 6/10/2013 http://www.smyrna.org/Books/Formulation_of_the_Trinity/The_Formulation_of_the_Trinity.htm Retrieved 6/2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianism Retrieved 22/09/2013 http://vatican2voice.org/4basics/councils.htm Retrieved 21/09/2013 Retrieved 6/7/2013 http://www.orthodoxchristian.info/pages/ecumenical_councils.htm Retrieved 22/09/2013https://www.christianhistoryinstitute.org/study/module/nicea/ Retrieved 24/10/2013 http://www.gotquestions.org/council-of-Nicea.html#ixzz2jjINcGOo Retrieved 25/10/2013