325 AD to 2025 AD
Nicaea 2025: Living the Apostolic Faith Together Today
In 2025 we commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the world’s first Ecumenical Council, the Council of Nicaea of 325, a key moment in the history of Christian faith and for the ecumenical journey today.
WE believe…
Christian bishops gathered in 325 for the first Ecumenical Council or Synod. The event was held in Nicaea, now İznik in present-day Türkiye. It was the first attempt to reach consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom, and to affirm the Christian faith in the triune God.
Some no doubt view Nicaea as a squelching of other diverse forms of Christianity, like Arianism. Things didn’t work out so well for Arius, who argued for the supremacy of God the Father. Arius is pictured at the bottom of this icon, defeated at the feet of Constantine.
And yet, what emerged was a consensus around a central Christian understanding of divinity: the Trinity. An apostolic faith emerged.
The ecumenical council and its creed, the Σύμβολον τῆς Νικαίας, allowed for a multifaceted understanding of the divine magnum mysterium.
The creed we confess today as the Nicene Creed is actually a revision of the original creed, edited at the Council of Constantinople in 381.
The creed that came from the Synod at Nicaea read as follows (from Wikipedia):
We believe in one God, the Father almighty,
maker of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
begotten from the Father, only-begotten,
that is, from the substance of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God, begotten not made,
of one substance with the Father,
through Whom all things came into being,
things in heaven and things on earth,
Who because of us men and because of our salvation came down,
and became incarnate and became man, and suffered,
and rose again on the third day, and ascended to the heavens,
and will come to judge the living and dead,
And in the Holy Spirit.
But as for those who say, There was when He was not, and, Before being born He was not,
and that He came into existence out of nothing,
or who assert that the Son of God is of a different hypostasis or substance, or created, or is subject to alteration or change – these the Catholic and apostolic Church anathematizes.
The creed that emerged from Constantinople in 381 eliminated the anathema at the end (a marked improvement) and by items added to the third article, borrowed from the symbols of Cyril of Jerusalem, Basil, and the two Creeds of Epiphanius.
Today we profess a version of the creed as edited and augmented at Constantinople. Here is our version from Evangelical Lutheran Worship:
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucifi ed under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],*
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
“And was buried” was added to “He suffered,” per Gelasius.
The bracketed portion (the filioque) was added at the Council of Toledo in 589. The Orthodox Churches consider it an unorthodox innovation. It has been a bone of contention between the Eastern and Western churches ever since.
The two creeds, Nicene and Constantinopolitan, were both used, side-by-side for a while but in time the former was displaced by the latter.
These ecumenical councils/synods have established the doctrinal matrix for the Christian Church for nearly two millennia. Their influence cannot be overestimated.
The creed, particularly the second article in Christ, was the biggest issue at Nicaea, but not the only one. The Council also set the date for Easter.
It also dealt with the schism of Melitius, who, in the face of persecution advocated for courageous open practice, regardless of the consequences. Peter I of Alexandria allowed for the readmission of Christians who had denied their faith under persecution. Melitius did not.
Nicaea also dealt with orders of ministry, clergy standards and background checks, deacons, and liturgical practices. These are all practical issues the church faces today.
2025 will be a year to commemorate Nicaea, the first ecumenical gathering – the first attempt to forge consensus and unity in the church. What can we learn from the successes and the mistakes of Nicaea? Where are we today? Where do we go from here for visible unity, if not strict uniformity in doctrine and practice?
We All Believe in One True God chorale written by Martin Luther (1483-1546) sung at Kaiser Wilhelm Church in Berlin:
1. We all believe in one true God,
who created earth and heaven,
the Father, who to us in love
has the right of children given.
He in soul and body feeds us;
all we need his hand provides us;
through all snares and perils leads us,
watching that no harm betide us.
He cares for us day and night;
all things are governed by his might.
2. We all believe in Jesus Christ,
his own Son, our Lord, possessing
an equal Godhead, throne, and might,
source of ev’ry grace and blessing;
born of Mary, virgin mother,
by the power of the Spirit,
Word made flesh, our elder brother;
that the lost might life inherit,
was put to death on the cross,
and raised by God victorious.
3. We all confess the Holy Ghost
who, in highest heaven dwelling
with God the Father and the Son,
comforts us beyond all telling;
who the church, his own creation,
keeps in unity of spirit.
Here forgiveness and salvation
daily come through Jesus’ merit.
All flesh shall rise; we shall be
in bliss with God eternally. Amen.
