What was the Council of Nicaea?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

The Council of Nicaea (or Nice) is the first of the three Ecumenical Councils recognized by the Coptic Orthodox Church. It was convened in 325 AD by Emperor Constantine the Great to address the grave heresy of Arius, who blasphemously taught that the Son of God was a created being and not eternal.

According to our tradition and historical records, there are several key points regarding this momentous assembly:

1. The Participants

The council was composed of 318 Bishops. Among this "great host of the King of Kings" were many "Confessors"—men who bore the physical scars of the persecutions they endured for the name of Christ. These fathers possessed apostolic gifts, with some even having the power to heal the sick and raise the dead.

2. St. Athanasius the Apostolic

Although he was only a deacon at the time, St. Athanasius was the true champion of the Council. Accompanying Pope Alexander of Alexandria, Athanasius—a "thorough Egyptian"—exhibited incredible precocity and theological depth. He was the primary architect of the defense against Arianism, arguing forcefully for the "Consubstantial" nature of the Father and the Son.

3. The Nicene Creed

The Council formulated the first part of the Creed, establishing the foundational dogma of the Church. It affirmed that the Lord Jesus Christ is "of one essence with the Father" (Homoousios). This was done to "invest traditional Faith with infallible words and raise an everlasting bulwark between the Church and heresy."

4. Other Canonical Decisions

Beyond the condemnation of Arius, the Council also dealt with:

• The Date of Pascha (Easter): Ensuring all Christians celebrated the Resurrection on the same Sunday, following the calculation of the Church of Alexandria.
• The Meletian Schism: Addressing internal Egyptian ecclesiastical disputes.
• Ecclesiastical Order: Defining the jurisdictions of the great sees (Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch).

The Coptic Standing

The Coptic Orthodox Church, along with the Syrian and Armenian Churches, acknowledges only three General Councils as having authority over the articles of Divine faith: Nicaea (325 AD), Constantinople (381 AD), and Ephesus (431 AD).

It is a point of immense pride in our history that the Egyptian Church, through the leadership of St. Alexander and St. Athanasius, spearheaded the defense of the Divinity of Christ at Nicaea, ensuring the truth of the Holy Spirit was preserved for all generations.