The great Council of Nicea met from May to the end of July in 325. It was the first attempt to summon a general council at which the churches from every part of the Roman Empire should be represented. Constantine sponsored the event, with the government providing all transportation, food and lodging for the bishops and their entourages. No records were kept which identified all of the attendees, and varying accounts from that time placeing the number of attending bishops somewhere between 250 and 320. A majority of the bishops who attended the council were not aware of the conflict raging between the Arians and the partisans of Alexander of Alexandria. Debate consumed several weeks. Once the Creed in its final form …show more content…
Both were deposed by the council and exiled by Constantine, along with Arius. A complete translation of the Creed of Nicea follows, standing in sharp contrast to Arius' statement of faith excerpted earlier: We believe in one God, the Father, the ruler of all, the maker of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord, Jesus Christ the Son of God, begotten as the only Son out of the Father, that is, out of the substance of the Father’ God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, homoousios (Greek: "of one substance" or "of one being") with the Father, the one through whom all things came to be, things in heaven and things in earth; who, for the sake of us human beings and our salvation, descended and became flesh, became human, suffered, and rose on the third day, ascended into the heavens and is coming to judge living and dead; and in the Holy Spirit. As for those who say, 'there was when he was not', or 'he did not exist before he was begotten', or 'he came into being our of non-existence', or who fantasize that the Son of god is from some other hupostasis ("substance" or "foundation") or ousia ("being"), or that he is created or mutable or changeable, such people the catholic and