A.D. 325 · extended material

Council of Nicaea

Is the Son eternally and fully God, or a created being brought into existence by the Father?

Historical Context

Constantine, newly sole ruler of a reunified empire, convened roughly 300 bishops to end a dispute that threatened to fracture the church across his territory.

Controversy

Arius taught that the Son was the first and greatest of creatures — not eternal — such that "there was a time when he was not."

Confession / Clarification

The council confessed the Son as homoousios: of the same essence as the Father, not merely similar to him and not a creature at all.

Downstream Influence

Every later Christological council assumes this as settled. Reformation and Baptist confessions alike simply restate Nicene Trinitarianism as inherited ground, not open question.

Further Resources

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Primary source Read the Full Text → The complete text of the Nicene Creed (325).

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