The Council Of Nicae The Authority Of The Roman Empire Essay

THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA In 325 AD, Constantine the leader of the Roman Empire convened a council of three hundred Bishops to unite the Christian sects under his church, the Universal Church of Rome. Constantine himself was a leader of the cult of Sol Invictus (Invisible Sun). The council formed came to be known as the Council of Nicaea. The Council of Nicaea, is the first ecumenical council of the Christian church, in ancient Nicaea which was located in Asia Minor, east of Constantinople now Ä °znik, Turkey. Constantine hoped the council would help solve the problem of Arianism, a â€Å"heresy† and schism first promulgated by Arius of Alexandria. POLITICAL IMPACT OF THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA The Arian â€Å"heresy† had penetrated parts of the Church all the way from Alexandria to Palestine, Syria, Asia Minor and Greece. Heresy was the term used to describe what former bishops had been teaching: God is One, without partners† which happens to be the theme throughout the Old Testament. When the pagan Romans wanted Christianity to be the official church of the Holy Empire, they needed to rethink the concept of God; this concept not only vitiated the core of the Christian doctrine from within, but also endangered the Roman Empire itself. Constantine as the leader of the Empire decided to take action and remedy the situation. The falling Roman Empire, under Constantine’s rule, could not withstand the division caused by doctrinal differences. The emperor saw the differences within the