Sermon Tone Analysis

The Jewish Encyclopedia states….

Roman emperor; born Feb. 27, 274; died May 22, 337; proclaimed emperor by the army in Gaul on the death of his father, Constantius Chlorus (306).

He defeated Maxentius, his rival in Italy, in 312; and after routing Licinius, Emperor of the East (323), became sole ruler.

In 330 he transferred his court to Byzantium, thenceforth called Constantinople; but died in the midst of his preparations for a Persian campaign, after receiving baptism from Eusebius, Bishop of Cæsarea.

Being the first Christian emperor, the Church conferred upon him the title of "The Great."

Political and religious considerations dictated Constantine's friendly attitude toward Christianity.

As early as the war against Maxentius, his standard bore a Christian emblem; but previous to his victory over Licinius he contented himself with placing Christianity upon a footing of equality with heathendom.

As sole ruler he did not go materially beyond the gradual repression of heathenism and the public encouragement of Christianity; he showed his attitude on this question especially by conducting the first ecumenical council at Nicæa (325).

After his victory over Licinius, Constantine inaugurated a more and more hostile policy toward the Jews.

It is true that as early as 321 a law was promulgated which made it obligatory for Jews to fill onerous, expensive municipal offices; while on the other hand such Jews as had devoted themselves to the service of their own religion were exempted in 330 from all public services, and those who were already "curiales" were freed from the levying of taxes.

In 329, however, the Jews were forbidden to perform the rite of circumcision on slaves or to own Christian slaves; the death penalty was ordained for those who embraced the Jewish faith, as well as for Jews versed in the Law who aided them.

On the other hand, Jewish converts to Christianity were protected against the fanaticism of their former coreligionists.

Simultaneously with this an edict was issued forbidding marriages between Jews and Christians, and imposing the death penalty upon any Jew who should transgress this law.

Some of these enactments were affirmed in 335.

Noteworthy is the hostile language of several of these laws, in which Judaism is spoken of as an ignominious or as a bestial sect ("secta nefaria" or "feralis").

The hostile attitude of the Christianized state, which later became more and more accentuated under Constantine's sons, thus owed its origin to Constantine himself; it is even probable that it was Constantine who renewed the law prohibiting the Jews from entering Jerusalem.

Note that in the Catholic Encyclopedia, nothing is said of the Constantine, forbidding Jews anything, suscpicioucly quiet on the subject.

\\ The "Edict of Milan " (313 A. D.)

When I, Constantine Augustus, as well as I Licinius Augustus d fortunately met near Mediolanurn (Milan), and were considering everything that pertained to the public welfare and security, we thought -, among other things which we saw would be for the good of many, those regulations pertaining to the reverence of the Divinity ought certainly to be made first, so that we might grant to the Christians and others full authority to observe that religion which each preferred; whence any Divinity whatsoever in the seat of the heavens may be propitious and kindly disposed to us and all who are placed under our rule And thus by this wholesome counsel and most upright provision we thought to arrange that no one whatsoever should be denied the opportunity to give his heart to the observance of the Christian religion, of that religion which he should think best for himself, so that the Supreme Deity, to whose worship we freely yield our hearts) may show in all things His usual favor and benevolence.

Therefore, your Worship should know that it has pleased us to remove all conditions whatsoever, which were in the rescripts formerly given to you officially, concerning the Christians and now any one of these who wishes to observe Christian religion may do so freely and openly, without molestation.

We thought it fit to commend these things most fully to your care that you may know that we have given to those Christians free and unrestricted opportunity of religious worship.

When you see that this has been granted to them by us, your Worship will know that we have also conceded to other religions the right of open and free observance of their worship for the sake of the peace of our times, that each one may have the free opportunity to worship as he pleases ; this regulation is made we that we may not seem to detract from any dignity or any religion.

Moreover, in the case of the Christians especially we esteemed it best to order that if it happems anyone heretofore has bought from our treasury from anyone whatsoever, those places where they were previously accustomed to assemble, concerning which a certain decree had been made and a letter sent to you officially, the same shall be restored to the Christians without payment or any claim of recompense and without any kind of fraud or deception, Those, moreover, who have obtained the same by gift, are likewise to return them at once to the Christians.

Besides, both those who have purchased and those who have secured them by gift, are to appeal to the vicar if they seek any recompense from our bounty, that they may be cared for through our clemency,.

All this property ought to be delivered at once to the community of the Christians through your intercession, and without delay.

And since these Christians are known to have possessed not only those places in which they were accustomed to assemble, but also other property, namely the churches, belonging to them as a corporation and not as individuals, all these things which we have included under the above law, you will order to be restored, without any hesitation or controversy at all, to these Christians, that is to say to the corporations and their conventicles: providing, of course, that the above arrangements be followed so that those who return the same without payment, as we have said, may hope for an indemnity from our bounty.

In all these circumstances you ought to tender your most efficacious intervention to the community of the Christians, that our command may be carried into effect as quickly as possible, whereby, moreover, through our clemency, public order may be secured.

Let this be done so that, as we have said above, Divine favor towards us, which, under the most important circumstances we have already experienced, may, for all time, preserve and prosper our successes together with the good of the state.

Moreover, in order that the statement of this decree of our good will may come to the notice of all, this rescript, published by your decree, shall be announced everywhere and brought to the knowledge of all, so that the decree of this, our benevolence, cannot be concealed.

! First Council of Nicaea

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| */First Council of Nicaea/* |

| Date | AD 325 |

| Accepted by | Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Assyrian Church of the East, Anglicanism, Lutheranism |

| Previous council | /none/ |

| Next council | First Council of Constantinople |

| Convoked by | Emperor Constantine I |

| Presided by | Bishop Alexander of Alexandria |

| Attendance | 250-318 (only 5 from Western Church) |

| Topics of discussion | Arianism, celebration of Passover, now called Easter, Miletian schism, validity of baptism by heretics, lapsed Christians |

| Documents and statements | Original Nicene Creed and about 20 decrees |

| Chronological list of Ecumenical councils |

The *First Council of Nicaea*, convoked by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in AD 325, was the first ecumenical4 conference of bishops of the Christian Church.

The purpose of the council (also called a synod) was to resolve disagreements in the Church of Alexandria over the nature of Jesus in relationship to the Father: in particular whether Jesus was of the same or of similar substance as God the Father.

St. Alexander of Alexandria took the first position; the popular presbyter Arius, from whom the term Arian controversy comes, took the second.

The council decided against the Arians.

Another result of the council was an agreement on the date of the Christian Passover, now called Easter, the most important feast of the Church's life.

The council decided in favour of celebrating Passover on the first Sunday after the spring equinox, independently of the Bible's Hebrew Calendar (see also Quartodecimanism), and authorized the Bishop of Alexandria (presumably using the Alexandrian calendar) to announce annually the exact date to his fellow bishops.

The Council of Nicaea was historically significant because it was the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom.1 "It was the first occasion for the development of technical Christology".2

Further, "Constantine in convoking and presiding over the council signaled a measure of imperial control over the church."3

With the creation of the Nicene Creed, a precedent was established for subsequent general councils to create a statement of belief and canons which was intended to become orthodox for all Christians.

It would serve to unify the Church and provide a clear guideline over disputed matters on what it meant to be a practicing Christian, a momentous event in the history of the Church and subsequent history of Europe.

| !! Contents

[hide]* 1 Character

* 2 Attendees

* 3 Agenda and procedure

* 4 The Nicene Creed

* 5 Passover (Easter) controversy

* 6 Other problems

* 7 Notes

* 8 See also

* 9 Bibliography

* 10 External links

|

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!! Character

The first Council of Nicaea was the first general gathering of bishops from the whole Church, to resolve differences of faith that had arisen and to define clearly the faith received from the apostles.

In this council, Church and State acted together.

Earlier councils, such as the Council of Jerusalem, had resolved important questions, to be sure.

Now, the Council of Nicaea formulated a definitive statement against a growing heresy, a profession of faith intended to clarify and defend the heritage of true belief.

This council had a worldwide effect, for the whole Church.

In Arianism lay a great obstacle to concord of the Church and the unity of the Byzantine Empire.

Accordingly, for the summer of AD 325, the bishops of all provinces were summoned to Nicaea in Bithynia, a place easily accessible to the majority of the bishops, especially those of Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Greece, and Thrace.

[edit]

!! Attendees

Constantine had invited all 1800 bishops of the Christian church (about 1000 in the east and 800 in the west).

The number of participating bishops cannot be accurately stated: Eusebius of Caesarea (Life of Constantine 3.8) counted 250, Athanasius of Alexandria (Ad Afros Epistola Synodica 2) counted 318, Eustathius of Antioch (Theodoret H.E. 1.7) counted 270, all three were present at the council.

Later, Socrates Scholasticus (H.E.

1.8) recorded more than 300, Evagrius (H.E.

3.31), Hilarius (Contra Constantium), Jerome (Chronicon) and Rufinus recorded 318.

The participating bishops were given free travel to and from their episcopal sees to the council, as well as lodging.

These bishops did not travel alone; each one had permission to bring with him two presbyters and three deacons, so the total number of attendees would have been above 1500.

Eusebius speaks of an almost innumerable host of accompanying priests, deacons, and acolytes.

A special prominence was also attached to this council because the persecution of Christians had just ended with the February 313 Edict of Milan by Constantine and Licinius.

As a matter of record, the Eastern bishops formed the great majority.

Of these, the first rank was held by the three archbishops: Alexander of Alexandria, Eustathius of Antioch, and Macarius of Jerusalem.

Many of the assembled fathers, e.g,.

Paphnutius of Thebes, Potamon of Heraclea and Paul of Neocaesarea, had stood forth as witnesses of the faith, and came to the council with the marks of persecution on their faces.

Other remarkable attendees were Eusebius of Nicomedia, Eusebius of Caesarea, Nicholas of Myra, Aristakes of Armenia, Jacob of Nisibis, a former hermit and Spyridion of Trimythous who even while a bishop made his living as a shepherd.

From foreign places there came a Persian bishop John, a Gothic bishop Theophilus and Stratophilus, bishop of Pitiunt in Egrisi (located at the border of modern-day Russia and Abkhazia outside of the Byzantine empire).

The Latin-speaking provinces sent at least five representatives: Marcus of Calabria from Italy, Cecilian of Carthage from Africa, Hosius of Córdoba from Hispania, Nicasius of Dijon from Gaul, and Domnus of Stridon from the province of the Danube.

Among the assistants were Athanasius of Alexandria, a young deacon and companion of Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, who distinguished himself as the "most vigorous fighter against the Arians," and similarly Alexander of Constantinople, then a presbyter, as representative of his aged bishop.

[edit]

!! Agenda and procedure

The agenda of the synod were:

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The Arian question,

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The celebration of Passover, Now Called Easter,

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The Meletian schism,

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The Father and Son one in purpose or in person

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The baptism of heretics, and