The Council Gathers at Nicaea

Things did not turn out as the emperor had hoped. On the contrary, the quarrel proved too great to be reconciled, and the man who had been sent to make peace came back without accomplishing his mission. So Constantine called a synod at Nicaea in Bithynia, and wrote to the most eminent men of the churches in every country, directing them to be there on an appointed day. Of those who held the apostolic sees, these took part in the gathering: Macarius of Jerusalem; Eustathius, who already presided over the church of Antioch on the Orontes; and Alexander of Alexandria, near Lake Mareotis. Julius, bishop of Rome, could not attend because of his great age, but Vitus and Vincentius, presbyters of his church, took his place. Many other excellent and good men gathered from different nations. Some were famous for their learning, their eloquence, their knowledge of the sacred books, and other training; some for the virtue of their lives; and others for all of these together. About three hundred and twenty bishops were present, with a crowd of presbyters and deacons. There were also men present who were skilled in logic and ready to help in the debates. [a]

And as usually happened on such occasions, many priests came to the council to settle their own private business, for they thought it a good opportunity to have their grievances put right. Wherever one found fault with another, he handed the emperor a document noting the wrongs done to him. As this went on day after day, the emperor set aside one particular day on which all complaints were to be brought before him. When the appointed time came, he took the petitions that had been handed to him and said: “All these accusations will be brought forward in their own time, on the great day of judgment, and will be judged there by the great Judge of all people. As for me, I am only a man, and it would be wrong of me to take up such matters, since both the accuser and the accused are priests; and priests ought to conduct themselves so that they never become answerable to the judgment of others. So imitate the divine love and mercy of God, and be reconciled to one another. Withdraw your accusations against each other. Let us be persuaded, and let us give our attention to the questions of the faith for which we have assembled.” After this address, so that no one’s document could have any effect, the emperor ordered the petitions to be burned. Then he appointed a day for settling the disputed points.

But before the appointed time came, the bishops met together, summoned Arius to attend, and began to examine the disputed questions, each of them putting forward his own opinion. As might be expected, however, many different questions sprang up out of the inquiry. Some of the bishops spoke against bringing in novelties contrary to the faith that had been handed down to them from the beginning. Those especially who had held to simplicity of doctrine argued that the faith of God ought to be received without curious inquiries. Others, however, contended that the opinions of earlier times ought not to be followed without examination. Many of the bishops who were assembled then, and of the clergy who came with them, were remarkable for their skill in logic and practiced in such methods of argument. They stood out, and caught the notice of the emperor and the court. Among them was Athanasius, then a deacon of Alexandria, who had come with his bishop Alexander; he seemed to have the largest share in the deliberations on these questions.