The conversion of Constantine to Christianity probably happened in the year 312 (Jones, 1962, 73.). He played a role as he looked after the needs of every Christian. "After his victory over Maxentius, which left him master of the entire west, Constantine met Licinius, his surviving colleague in the east, and won him over to a policy of toleration. It was because of the Edict of Milan as approved by Constantine and Licinius that the Christians were given complete freedom of worship and exemption from all pagan ceremonies in all the Roman Empire. This decree was subsequently dishonored by Licinius, but it was reaffirmed in 323 when Constantine became sole emperor" (Cary 1965, 768.). How glad the Christians were when their freedom was fully expressed.
Two years later, a major theological issue
occurred that made the Christian church split into a number of groups, each
holding different views. The issue was created by Arius of Alexandria with
regard to the nature of Jesus Christ. He strongly believed that Jesus Christ was not
fully divine and therefore a created being only. The question is, was Jesus
really God or was He the son of God? What was really the stand of the church at that time? Because of the confusion Arius made to the
entire empire, Constantine needed to settle it. So, he convened all the bishops
in the empire to meet at Nicaea. About 300 of them attended the Council and
Constantine paid their living expenses during its entire duration (Barnes, 1981, 214.).
Though Constantine had limited knowledge concerning Christian issues, he presided over the Nicaean Council. He
actively involved himself in the discussions until the final creed was made (http://www.essortment.com/constantine-great-nicaean-council-21913.html, October 25, 2012). It
was then finally affirmed that Jesus' nature is both fully divine and fully human.
As a result, the teaching known as Arianism was condemned as heresy and Arius
was later on exiled by Constantine (http://www.answers.com/topic/first-council-of-nicaea, October 25, 2012).
Finally, the Council of Nicaea produced a written
creed in order to have a unified tenet for all Christians. It served as a
standard of faith against heresies. Indeed, God was and will always be at work in the preservation of the truth. He used Emperor Constantine and the Bishops to somehow put an end to the wrong teachings that some heretics created. Until now, this creed is still widely used by most evangelical churches (like my church) as a foundation of their belief in the triune God. The creed was later called as the Nicene Creed.
"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:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified 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.
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:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified 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.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He 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" (http://traditionalchristianity.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/the-nicene-creed-origins-and-development/, October 25, 2012).
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He 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" (http://traditionalchristianity.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/the-nicene-creed-origins-and-development/, October 25, 2012).
Questions for Discussion:
1. What do you think will happen if the bishops
did not stand for the deity of Jesus Christ during the council at Nicaea? How
will it affect our evangelism and discipleship today?
2. Many daughter churches were produced not as
a result of the growing ministry of the church but due to unsettled issues.
Some members of the church were somehow forced to leave because the church
leaders did not try to solve it. What can you say about this matter?
SOURCES:
Barnes, Timothy D. Constantine & Eusebius. USA: Harvard University Press, 1981. Cary, M. A History of Rome. NY: St. Martin’s Press, Inc., 1965.
Jones, A.H.M. Constantine & the Conversion of Europe. NY: Collier Books, 1962.
http://traditionalchristianity.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/the-nicene-creed-origins-and-development/, October 25, 2012.
http://www.essortment.com/constantine-great-nicaean-council-21913.html, October 25, 2012.
http://www.answers.com/topic/first-council-of-nicaea, October 25, 2012.
Images:
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om5SA6El3yA, October 25, 2012.
Barnes, Timothy D. Constantine & Eusebius. USA: Harvard University Press, 1981. Cary, M. A History of Rome. NY: St. Martin’s Press, Inc., 1965.
Jones, A.H.M. Constantine & the Conversion of Europe. NY: Collier Books, 1962.
Schaff,
Phillip. History of the
Christian Church. NY: Charles
Scribers’ Sons, 1914.
http://traditionalchristianity.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/the-nicene-creed-origins-and-development/, October 25, 2012.
http://www.essortment.com/constantine-great-nicaean-council-21913.html, October 25, 2012.
http://www.answers.com/topic/first-council-of-nicaea, October 25, 2012.
Images:
http://orthodoxword.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/sinod-niceea.jpg, October 25, 2012.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om5SA6El3yA, October 25, 2012.
These scenarios in the history of the church are vivid examples of God's working. I can't fully describe the degree of excitement you could witness looking through all the events God's church has undergone (favorable or not)pointing everything to His futuristic agenda. i stand amazed. Historical shifts, cultural depression, leadership decisions and peace or war, God worked through them. And yes, the icon Constantine was made to play a particular role.
TumugonBurahinIt was indeed fascinating to read an article about the history of our beliefs. As a christian, aside from it widened our understanding about divinity of things it as well test our faith to God. For me, no one could question what is to set to believe in when it comes to religion. I myself is a believer of God, believer of Jesus Christ no need to prove among other things. Because all of us are guilty that when times get rough and we all wish for a miracle then we pray and our prayers granted that proves their existence already. Thanks to God. :) (how kitid i am :) )
TumugonBurahinTo questions:
What do you think will happen if the bishops did not stand for the deity of Jesus Christ during the council at Nicaea? How will it affect our evangelism and discipleship today?
If that's the case we knew it could change a lot...from our beliefs and perceptions to verifying things with regards to the existence of Jesus Christ.
Many daughter churches were produced not as a result of the growing ministry of the church but due to unsettled issues. Some members of the church were somehow forced to leave because the church leaders did not try to solve it. What can you say about this matter?
I dont know what to say about things specially when it comes to the involvement of one to another. But with regards to those things, it is then a question of not faith but the church organization itself. Its a question of power as well, like when a certain issue being raised what is the stand of majority and forcing others to stand at their side or simply monopolizing the stand of the organization. If issues were not settled, then it shows the organization simply lacks will because of divided interests or simply they are not united.:)
What if Unitarian won? 1) There is no church to speak of; 2) the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ to be with his people to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20) is a false promise; 3) the New Testament is not the only source of authority for teaching; 4) an Arian "church" would be a denial of the incarnation and John 3:16 is another meaningless promise of the Lord Jesus Christ; 5) Islam and Christianity would be "one" religion perhaps; 6) an Arian "church" is a livng memorial that God is not sovereign; 7) an Arian "church" is a repudiation of the whole Bible narrative that Jesus explained to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Wow!! a multitude of things that are not true because our Lord Jesus Christ is not affirmed as a true God and true man!
TumugonBurahinThe story of the death of Arius is a good example of God's sovereign guidance of the Church. The bishop at Constantinople prayed that either he or Arius be removed from the world rather than Arius be received back into the communion - the rest is history.
TumugonBurahinPart 1 of 2
TumugonBurahinFor someone who is not knowledgeable about histories of this classification and genre, I find this post rather intriguing and completely educational. (On a side note, I remember thinking that the reason Constantine became a Christian was because he saw a cross formed by the clouds. The things they let little children believe.)
For privileged countries such as the Philippines, persecutions don’t seem as harsh as they are elsewhere. True, the persecution experienced today in open countries may involve a certain amount of violence, but the rather common assault is on the mind, with subtle attacks on doctrines and applications.
I am amazed at the hand of God working through the life of Constantine and the visible evidence that He indeed works for the good of those who love Him. A man of Constantine’s stature could not have just stumbled on a profound truth and set it aside for lack of interest on the subject of Christianity. No, Someone greater has placed him in his specific position at just the right time to do what he did. A man of Constantine’s influence would not have stepped up for something he would believe was a lie.
Before I digress, here are my opinions on your discussion questions (forgive the lack of references, and please correct me if I’m wrong =).
Q. What do you think will happen if the bishops did not stand for the deity of Jesus Christ during the council at Nicaea? How will it affect our evangelism and discipleship today?
A. Then we’d think that everything we believe in now would be a lie. What’s the point of worshiping and honoring Jesus if He was just a created being? If He were just a creation by God, not God at all, then everyone who died for the mission He has given would have died in vain. If they didn’t believe in the fullness of the deity of Christ, then we’d think that the Bible, the Word of God, is all a lie. How will the Good News be preached when the God they are talking about is not affirmed as a God but merely human? Hello, confusion. How will lifestyles be changed to conform to the likeness of the Son of God if indeed the Son of God is merely human? The one decision of a council to affirm a truth based on absolute authority would have changed the course of life as we know it.
But then, these are what-ifs. The God who has everything under control has led the council to the path that He has made for them. All things for the glory of God. And even if (another what-if) the council decided otherwise, God would have still done something about it, no doubt about that. It is, after all, Him that is willing to be known to a group of mere humans in a world that He created.
Part 2 of 2 (kasab-i ko kay nalingaw ko sulat =p)
TumugonBurahinQ. Many daughter churches were produced not as a result of the growing ministry of the church but due to unsettled issues. Some members of the church were somehow forced to leave because the church leaders did not try to solve it. What can you say about this matter?
A. I don’t know whether this question implies the benefit of the splitting of churches or the reality of creating other beliefs and traditions because of unresolved issues. Nevertheless, I am inclined to thinking that it is sad that people are easily separated by conflicts. Indeed, many churches have bred daughters not because of their growth but because of their differences. And the even sadder point is the fact that even though there is proof of false beliefs or traditions, people still continue believing. Maybe it’s because of the human quality of false trust or the permanent familiarity of habits that keep people holding on. Maybe they’re not satisfied with what they’re getting. Maybe the words they hear do not fit to their kind of religious appetite. Maybe it’s stubbornness or pride or greed that control leaders to keep to the ways even when they’re wrong. In the end, there is only one truth and the ultimate authority is freely given to us by God, His Word.
To conclude this rather long comment, this post has made me realize even more the importance of knowing facts about the past. Sure, there are essential things to meditate on, but there are also histories that can supplement learning and solidify our belief in a God who has worked in the past, who is working right now, and who will continue working tomorrow, all for His glory. =)
I am not well-versed in history, even in the history of the church, so I find this very educational, fascinating, and uplifting in the same way. It is amazing to point out how one man, Constantine, can change the course of history. Like any man that time, he too was confused and had limited knowledge in the Christian issues. But I believe that deep inside him he also wanted to know THE TRUTH, that's why he took the initiative in presiding the council, even paying for their living expenses just to get things straight! He was a man of action and for that we are forever grateful. A creed was made which is now the standard of our faith. However, in my opinion, I think that our evangelism and discipleship would still be the same today even if Constantine and the priests didn't intervene. I believe that God would use people to carry out His message, even if it would take a lifetime, so that He and His message will be known. It's just that He used Constantine and the priests in that part of the history.
TumugonBurahinAs for question #2, I think the issue there is not more on the doctrine but on the practices in the church. People have preferences and maybe there are practices done in the church that some members are not convinced or comfortable in doing them. And since, not everyone can be pleased, and the church is not a hotel where everyone's needs and preferences are catered, that's when separation happens. But for me, I think that it is still a sound decision as long as the doctrine and the basis of our faith are still the same. Sad, yes, but in our daily walk with God, we always find a way where we can grow and know Him more. So for me, it doesn't matter that separations happen, I mean it matters of course, but as long as we still worship and believe in the same God, I'm good with that consolation. (this is just my opinion. please don't argue with me. have mercy on me. hehehe.)
All I could say here is that God is sovereign and working in the background scenes. He always does so that we may be given the Truth about His nature, as stated in the Nicene Creed. "The light shines in the darkness, but darkness has not understood it," it may well be stated that even though lies have been scattered everywhere, God always let the Truth prevail.
TumugonBurahinI just realize how complicated Christian life before after reading this article. Honestly, I am not really familiar of the history of how Christians have struggled and stood for their faith in God. However, the courage of Emperor Constantine the Great must be set as an example to all of us believers nowadays. There are so many issues in different churches and even inside the church we belong to. Like the Emperor,we must also take our stand for the truth and not to get along with the mere reality. And that we must also be kept on guard for the presence of "Arius" in our churches, be alert of this kind of person. How I wish I have that kind of courage and bravery which the Emperor have shown during his time.
TumugonBurahinOn the other hand, I would like to give thanks to the writer of this article, I have learn so many things from here. God bless!
To expand the views, I want to say that Constantine "contributed" to Christianity through the ending of persecution. Because the emperor declared himself a Christian, people flocked to the church. Some saw this positively while others viewed this as apostasy. Yes, Constantine became a "changer", but still his life did not pass the requirements to be called a genuine believer. Why?
TumugonBurahinIn spite of all these advances in favor of Christianity, Constantine still died as the High Priest of paganism; and after his death, his three sons allowed him to become a pagan god. Thoughts?
who are we to judge Emperor Constantine
Burahinyes we are not in the position to judge a person.. i believe these things (thread of discussion) are subject to the understanding of the person who comments. anyway, only God and Constantine know what ties the two of them.. even us and God.. Christianity is so personal. but like many preachers and theologians said, a genuine relationship with God produces a changed life...
Burahin"judge" is an unqualified word. we give inferences by using outward observation and record and historical record is a strong example.
BurahinYour outward observation is not to be taken against Emperor Constantine.
BurahinAfter his death, he has no control over the actions and decisions of his sons.
"Constantine's account of his conversion, told by the Emperor himself to the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, towards the end of his life, is well known. Constantine, alarmed by reports of Maxentius' mastery of magical arts, prayed to the “Supreme God” for help. The response was a sign, a cross in the noonday sky “above the sun”, and with it the words, “Conquer by this.” That night Christ appeared to him in a dream and commanded him to use the sign--presumably Chi-Rho, the initial letters of the name of Christ—“as a safeguard in all engagements with his enemies”. Constantine obeyed, marched on Rome, confronted Maxentius; who was miraculously induced to fight outside the city fortifications, and conquered.
The story has been doubted. But Constantine's new allegiance to Christianity was genuine though he imperfectly understood the Christian faith, and at first did not even distinguish clearly between the Father of Jesus Christ and the divine Sun. Constantine retained the pagan high priest's tide of Pontifex Maximus; for a decade his coins continued to feature some of the pagan gods, notably his own favorite deity, the Unconquered Sun; and he delayed Christian baptism until the end of his life. But delayed baptism was the custom of the age, a device for avoiding mortal sins. Retaining the pagan symbols was a necessary compromise with his pagan subjects, still very much in the majority."(Richard Todd)
Please revisit your historical references.
Naalis ng may-ari ang komentong ito.
TumugonBurahinThere are good things that happened to this historical account such as: (1) conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity; (2) state funding, support, and protection for the churches from the Christian Emperor; (3) the clarifying of what orthodox Christian beliefs are really about; (4) survival and spread of Western Christianity.
TumugonBurahinHowever, there are also some not-so-good-things that happened that we Christians should reflect and be disturbed about:
(1) The use of force, condemnation, exile, excommunication, and execution, to other "followers" of Jesus who may not fully agree to the majority view is bad. The fact that they need the Emperor to intervene, impose, and enforce the drafted creeds of the Council of Nicaea might seem problematic. To threaten fellow Christians with death and rejection because they wont agree with your theological view, is a very un-Christian thing to do.
(2) In the initial meetings, several of the bishops attending the Council of Nicaea support Arianism and were not in full agreement with the Trinitarian and the Homoousian camp... But Why is there opposition from within the ranks of the leaders of the Christian movement? Are these "orthodox" teachings not a natural and easily accepted doctrines of the growing Christian community? Why are the Christians so divided and diverse with their view of Christ that it would need the threat of excommunication or execution just to enforce unity or acceptance of the creed? Later on, the bishops who initially supported Arius changed their minds and voted to approve the Nicene Creed. We can only speculate whether they changed their minds because the arguments of the majority were convincing, or were they afraid for their lives.
(3) Was Christianity infiltrated by heretics that they need to force them out? Or was the Christian movement still in the process of developing, discovering, and solidifying her young, fluid theological affirmations about Christ? This is probably the reason why the young church is filled with hard questions, confusions, debates, clarifications, difficult issues, theological ambiguities, and diverse views from among the Christian community's thinkers and leaders during that time?
Part of me as an Evangelical is happy that the Nicene Creed, the doctrine of Trinity, and the deity and humanity of Christ was official affirmed at the Council of Nicaea thru the help and support of Emperor Constantine. But another part of me is sad about the manner on which the doctrines were enforced. Many leaders and thinkers who were part of the Christian movement were condemned or executed simply because they were the minority view, or their doctrine is not fully "orthodox" yet (given the existing literary and theological resources they have during that time). That part of our heritage disturbs me.
I actually agree with you, Kuya Mike, when you said that "there are good...and not-so-good things that happened in history that we Christians should reflect and be disturbed about." As a matter of fact, situation like the condemnation and/or execution of Arius did happen long before Constantine's reign among others who were also considered as a threat to Christianity. Even until now, some Christians condemned others "Christians" and instead of building bridges for them to really know the real truth as to who Jesus Christ is, high walls were built.
BurahinFor me, heresies exist because of the lack of knowledge of some Christians as far as interpreting the Scripture is concerned and the failure of other true Christians to teach genuinely what the Word of the Lord says. Thus, Christians today need to be fully founded on Biblical truths.
Indeed, God was and will always be at work in the preservation of the truth.- YES, I strongly agree that the main point of this historical event teaches the contemporary believers that false teachings won't succeed and we as believers must also take part of this truth. He used Emperor Constantine and the Bishops to put an end to the wrong teachings that some heretics created so thus WE in particular should be the next Constantine. Reading, studying and living with the Word is our obligation to God and not plainly listening to it. What is Wisdom without understanding, right?.
TumugonBurahinAccording to John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. His Word is the TRUTH and as IT prevails through His Preservation, we ourselves must preserve it by sharing it to others. :)
Naalis ng may-ari ang komentong ito.
TumugonBurahinArius' intention was to defend his perceived truth in relation to the danger of falling into the mistake of polytheism. However he did not realize that what he was advocating as truth was a mistake that altered the deity of Christ. As far as I can remember (from the Church History readings), Arius was opposed by the bishop of Alexandria, but was not able to explain and convince Arius about the orthodox teaching on the deity of Christ.
TumugonBurahinThere are two important matters that I learned from this article.
1. There is the necessity to clarify our theological beliefs from the community of Christian scholars.
2. There is a necessity for the believer, especially the ministers, to know what they believe in order to explain what they believe.
By the way, persecutions still happen today, particularly in areas dominated by Muslims.
agree and agree
BurahinGreat blog. very informative.
TumugonBurahinpaki post po ng inyong personal na pananaw ukol sa paksang tinatalakay...
Burahinhi psam.....
in the issue concerning the bishops stand for the whole Counsel of God. it has never been or will ever be man's ways and means that the things of God survived thouhgout history. His truth is active and moving that it will outlast every civilization. it is however in God's grand design that He raises people who will carry out His plan and purpose.
TumugonBurahinpersecution has been and will always be a part of the christian life. Jesus himself has said that the world will hate us because of Him. it is not only in the hardships of persecution that makes it persecution. the purpose of the church's persecution is to suppress the church. reality check: today the church is free to preach and teach the Word of God with almost no resistance, but why is it that the church have remained mostly isolated from the world where the people move and live. the separation of church and state and the popularity of post modern thinkng has suppressed the church from reaching out to the need of the world. therefore, since the church is being suppressed, we are persecuted.
What else I can say about this man. It's my prayer that the Lord will raise more Constantine in those remote and persecuted places all over the world. Although at first, I doubted his credibility as a believer due to the fact that he is a politician but in the end he surrendered his life to God. When we will be in heaven I will ask Jesus to introduce me to Constantine (if he is there)and ask him, Why you have to murder those who did not believed in the Gospel? What took you so long to be baptized? I appreciate the effort of putting together great pieces for this blog, I learned something new about him today. Before I end, I just want to ask, is Jesus Christ is against or favor about the separation of state and religion? I think Constantine has a big part of that in History.
TumugonBurahinIf it wasn't for this then maybe God would have used another avenue to proclaim the truth. It is seen in scripture anyway and so God would probably use another person/ group/ council to reveal himself. But it seems that God used the council to establish the truth based on his word. I believe that God will not be limited by human understanding so he would truly use various avenues to proclaim himself, so if the bishops were not able to establish what they were able to establish, then God will use/ choose another time/ place in history.
TumugonBurahinI believe the Lord would rather we fix our relationships as believers and not allow sin (unforgiving spirit/ judgement/ pride) harbor and remain. But I do see how sometimes, divide and separation can happen especially when churches grow. Churches can divide and conquer but should eventually reconcile and seek forgiveness from each other and from the Lord. Churches can coexist despite differences, and must be united in spirit and truth because of the gospel we have in Christ. Churches can divide by location, but in the end, the goal must be to be able to let go of sin and forgive each other in love, patience, understanding.
Maybe God has another plan for it, but still God wants his people to know who really he is, and what He Can do for us, He want his people to worship him, not only today but from the beginning he created this earth until the end of its time.
TumugonBurahini think many churches around the world have undergone many challenges like misunderstanding about many aspect on the church. as Christian we settle down and talk the problem and solve it. maybe there are many churches/daughter churches have been build but it doesn't mean that it is because of the unsolved problem. they are created because God wants it, not because people just want it. _rhon_
Thank you for your article about Constantine. It was clear and concise, bringing back to mind much I have forgotten. But the 2 most important contributions were Constantine's giving the Christians freedom to live their Christianity after several years of persecution.
TumugonBurahinBut even more important, the fact that heresies can and do come in are reminders that we need to go back to the truth God has revealed in His word and not try to make additions or deletions.
But it is a reminder that we need to "contend earnestly for the faith once delivered" (Jude). I am very concerned that the church has departed from the historic truths in the Bible and settled for "feel good" teaching instead. _michael Karpf_
Fresh from the catacombs and the battles like Milvian Bridge, Constantine convened the meeting of bishops throughout the Roman Empire. Its significance could not be discounted, since the passing of the apostles, leaders sought to lay a common stand against errors introduced like that of Arius. The end product reechoed and emphasized the eternal truths found in the Scriptures in a single document known as the Nicene Creed. Against the backdrop of persecutions and limitations, it continually serves as a source of unity that binds the saints up to the present time. Indeed, not even time, geography and circumstances could shut the working of the Holy Spirit. "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." -- 1 Peter 1:24-25
TumugonBurahinThroughout the Christendom, we can see how God is working in order to carry His ultimate purpose for mankind. As one preacher says and I qoute, "God's purpose has never change however, many times the forms change to suit the need for the people." During the time of Constantine, God allowed him to become the emperor of the entire empire in order that his life will become an instrument for the preservation and freedom of Christianity. Indeed, he has made a great impact to Christianity.
TumugonBurahinYou may want to read http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/creeds/nicene.htm.
TumugonBurahinGod is able to make the truth about Him stand the wisest challenge, scrutiny and twisting.
He will always guide the truth according to His purpose and plan.
Granting that Arius successfully defended his view and won the vote of the bishops, Christ's statement in Matthew 28:18-20 has no meaning and without basis.
The ability to discern the spiritual needs of each individual in the church is a gift every shepherd has to ask our Father. To abandon his authority and responsibility will lead sway his flock, confused and discouraged. His leadership will count most to bring the contending parties to a loving dialogue and humbly ask for God's wisdom to search for the truth according to the scriptures. Otherwise, because of pride and selfishness, one may stand firm on what he believes that he considers a hindrance to his "work" or "ministry" and repudiate the truth.
Thank God for how he used Constantine and the bishops who wrote the "Nicene Creed" to end up the confusion made by Arius to the entire empire. Truly, God is in the business of persevering the truth from any heresies. We are now living in a fast changing world wherein we see a lot of people having different views about Jesus Christ. As a genuine Christian we should stand to what is really true and be able to defend the truth to people who has this wrong teaching about Jesus. "Emperor Constantine and the council of Nicaea" have left a legacy that we can follow and we thank the Lord for these people whom God used to defend the truth from wrong teaching.
TumugonBurahinGood read :D
TumugonBurahinThis is very informative :D
TumugonBurahinIt was indeed for their great cause that we had a glimpse of what God wants us to do,believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, As for me the question "What do you think will happen if the bishops did not stand for the deity of Jesus Christ during the council at Nicaea? How will it affect our evangelism and discipleship today?", If we truly believe that God is the creator of everything thus controls everything even if there were No bishops God's Plan will still function and operate to how He wants it to be. Being used by God to fulfill his will is a privilege thus this people were blessed by God because they made a choice to believe in God and if ever it happened the other way around I'm sure God will chose another people to fulfill His command, our God is OMNIPOTENT and OMNISCIENT.
TumugonBurahinAs to the second question primarily the Church was formed because God ordained His people to have fellowship with Him and among themselves in other words its about relationship and intimacy, How is your relationship and intimacy with God affects your relationship towards others and you life. Unresolved issue might be the cause, digging down the roots its actually just a facade of its seed which is Sin and when we Sin we are taken away from GOD we were cut off the family tree as an analogy the said Church might have some issue on INTIMACY with God primary because of un-confessed sin. Let us always have this frame work that FORGIVING one another is only possible if we submit our own will to God and how can we submit if we are not intimate, What you think about God is also as heavy as How God thinks about you, How well do you know Him that when you see each other in heaven He can identify you as His.
Honestly, I’m not good at church history matters & I only knew Constantine as the little boy, holding a Crucifix, walking beside his mother during the yearly Santacruzan. Lately, however, I found myself reading about him. So for me, you and your blog, is God’s instrument of teaching me how His will for us, to be able to worship and honor him freely, came to pass.
TumugonBurahinAt the council of Nicea, the Bishops made a dogma that Jesus is truly the Son of God, that He is both true human and divine. At the council, the Nicene Creed, which later became the basis of the Apostle’s creed, was made. The Creed becomes our foundation in believing that Jesus is truly divine and human and that He is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. If the bishops at that time did not have a firm stand against the heretics, then there will be no Christians today. Maybe, you and I are pagans, worshipping whatever.
As for the second question, I don’t think it’s about the unresolved issues that separated churches or religions. It’s maybe more on preferences on certain beliefs and practices. Church leaders are also human and they can’t please everybody. So, churches could just disagree agreeably on some practices and beliefs.
Personally, it doesn’t matter what religion or which church we belong to as long as we believe, worship, honor, and trust in the same one true God because at the end of the day, it’s our personal, intimate relationship with Him that would save us.
Your outward observation is not to be taken against Emperor Constantine.
TumugonBurahinAfter his death, he has no control over the actions and decisions of his sons.
"Constantine's account of his conversion, told by the Emperor himself to the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, towards the end of his life, is well known. Constantine, alarmed by reports of Maxentius' mastery of magical arts, prayed to the “Supreme God” for help. The response was a sign, a cross in the noonday sky “above the sun”, and with it the words, “Conquer by this.” That night Christ appeared to him in a dream and commanded him to use the sign--presumably Chi-Rho, the initial letters of the name of Christ—“as a safeguard in all engagements with his enemies”. Constantine obeyed, marched on Rome, confronted Maxentius; who was miraculously induced to fight outside the city fortifications, and conquered.
The story has been doubted. But Constantine's new allegiance to Christianity was genuine though he imperfectly understood the Christian faith, and at first did not even distinguish clearly between the Father of Jesus Christ and the divine Sun. Constantine retained the pagan high priest's tide of Pontifex Maximus; for a decade his coins continued to feature some of the pagan gods, notably his own favorite deity, the Unconquered Sun; and he delayed Christian baptism until the end of his life. But delayed baptism was the custom of the age, a device for avoiding mortal sins. Retaining the pagan symbols was a necessary compromise with his pagan subjects, still very much in the majority."(Richard Todd)
Please revisit your historical references.
Ang mga pangyayaring nasaad sa iyong blog ay nagpapakita lamang ng kadakilaan ng Diyos sa pagkilos upang matupad ang kanyang katuwiran sa ating kasaysayan. Siya ang naglalagay nang mga taong tutugon sa tawag ng paglilingkod at pagtindig sa katotohanan upang ito'y magpatuloy pa sa ating kasaysayan!
TumugonBurahinako nama'y sumasang ayon sa iyo!
BurahinThis is very informative... I am not good in Church history, let alone history itself. Your blog gave me a valuable glimpse of what happened in the past on how God has moved in the lives of certain people to preserve the truth thereby changing the course of history!!! ^___^ +5555
TumugonBurahinWhat struck my interest most in this article were these lines:
TumugonBurahin"Though Constantine had limited knowledge concerning Christian issues, he presided over the Nicaean Council. He actively involved himself in the discussions until the final creed was made."
Here we can see that the lowly and mighty are all equally used in the purposes of our God. Constantine, a great "king", helped change the course of world history when he "allowed" the "mainstreaming" of Christianity. the words of the one who wrote this proverb holds true:
"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases."
Hello. Concerning your article on Emperor Constantine and his influence on the church. Before the time of Emperor Constantine, Christianity was a persecuted religion. However, when he became emperor, Constantine favored Christianity over other religions in the empire. Whether this was good or bad for the church is a debatable question. Positively perhaps is that Christians during his time were free to worship God and acquire property for their religious activities. Negatively, perhaps is that there was interference by the state in the affairs of the church. However, it is a fact that state and religion affect each other. In places where the state policy is hostile to the church, the church has difficulty in progressing. In places where the state policy is lax or favorable to the church, the church progresses well. Concerning Constantine's efforts to deal with the division of the church in Nicaea, I think it was his desire that there will be unity in his kingdom. When the church was disunited over the issue of the Deity of Jesus, there was possibility of disunity in the empire. So although he was not a bishop of the church, he initiated the Council of Niacea to deal with this issue. The church had to wrestle with the issue of its relationship with the state through the years. Is the church above the state? Is the State above the Church? or is the State and Church mutually exclusive? In practice, however, we know that the State and Church cannot be mutually exclusive because they occupy the same space at the same time. The only issue is whether the State is a hindrance or an ally in the propagation of the gospel. In the same manner, is the church a hindrance or an ally in the development of a nation. _Ira Lee Rosalita_
TumugonBurahinIt's really true that most of the churches today doesn't have a strong conviction on what they believe about God due to lack of knowledge. It is very evident that without a strong conviction people can easily be heretic. Being founded in the faith and in the knowledge of God, assures us of our position in the Christian world. If the issue about the deity of Jesus Christ was not raised, it could have been that the issue would still remain and still be rampant today. It would greatly affect the discipleship process of the church because we would not have the basis of faith. God sent Jesus as His exact representation that would clearly guide us on what kind of person we will be in God's eyes.
TumugonBurahinDuring the time of Constantine, the strength was on the area of evangelism. Yet, it was also during that time where most of our doctrinal heresies was formed. i believe that the lack of genuine conversion was one of the cause as to why the people came-up with such belief. because of fear they compromised their faith and started to combine Christianity from their old beliefs system. If we are not careful on how we handle God given authority, we might end up hindering His plans.
TumugonBurahinThe conversion of Constantine to Christianity is really amazing. Who would have taught that the highest political figure of that day would welcome the message of a very small gathering of a sect [from a not so prominent religion in Judah] compared to the vast Roman Empire. Although some historian say that his conversion was not that "genuine" still I believe that all things works together for good. God was in control and still in control of every situation. It's my first time to know that Constantine actually participated in the theological discussion of the deity of Jesus Christ. A political leaders joining a host of brilliant theologians to arrange a dogma that has impacted our version of Christianity today.
TumugonBurahinI think if the bishops did not stand to correct the view of Arius, then there would be a very wide propagation of heresy during the days. But I believe later on somebody will still stand on the truth, because God will always raise people to stand on what is true about Jesus Christ our Lord.