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On May 27, 2025 the Vatican Post Office issues stamps commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of the Church, convened in 325 A.D. by Emperor Constantine in Nicaea (modern-day Turkey). What major doctrinal declaration was made at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. to counter the Arian heresy?

   That Christ was created by the Father
   That Christ is of the same substance as the Father
   That the Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Son
   That Easter should be celebrated on the Jewish Passover

Your answer was: That Christ is of the same substance as the Father.
You are correct!!


Answer:

In 325 A.D., Emperor Constantine convened the First Ecumenical Council in the city of Nicaea to address growing divisions within the Christian Church—chief among them, the Arian controversy. Arius, a priest from Alexandria, had been teaching that Jesus Christ, while divine, was not equal to God the Father but rather a created being. This view threatened the unity of Christian doctrine and prompted a gathering of over 300 bishops from across the Roman Empire.

The Council decisively rejected Arius’s teachings and affirmed that the Son is homoousios—“of the same substance”—as the Father. This declaration became the cornerstone of the Nicene Creed, a profession of faith still recited in many Christian liturgies today. The Council’s decision not only clarified Christ’s divine nature but also set a precedent for how the Church would address theological disputes through collective discernment and doctrinal clarity. Seventeen centuries later, the legacy of Nicaea continues to shape Christian belief and unity.