The NT and the Council of Nicaea

The Council of Nicaea

The Council of Nicaea was called by the newly crowned Roman emperor Constantine in 325 AD. It was the first of many councils that would see the summoning of virtually all the bishops of the expansive Roman Empire. It’s at this point that the assertions about the council begin to deviate substantially. 

Skeptical Claims

Skeptics often claim that it was at this council that the church set in place many of the key tenets of Christianity. They also claim that the New Testament books to be included in the canon were set here. One of the more well-known, albeit fictional, accounts regarding the Council of Nicaea can be found in Dan Brown’s The Davinci Code. 

Justin Petersen explains that Brown asserts that Constantine called the Council in order to vote on the divinity of Jesus. Additionally, Brown asserts that it was this Council that determined what books would comprise the New Testament canon (Petersen, 2011, p. 73-74). He goes on to point out that Brown also contends in the book that Constantine had all the manuscripts of those books that were not selected burned; however, some of the books were preserved with the Dead Sea Scrolls (Petersen, 2011, p. 73). Yet Petersen points out that there was no New Testament literature found within the Dead Sea Scrolls (Petersen, 2011, p. 73).

Skeptical NT Scholar Bart Ehrman

Bart Ehrman, who is both a New Testament scholar and an atheist skeptic of Christianity, also deals a significant blow to those who would claim Constantine and the Council of Nicaea as the source of the New Testament canon. He addresses directly the claim that Constantine needed to build a biblical text upon which to ground his belief that Jesus was God.

Ehrman counters this belief by explaining that the process of the books of the New Testament becoming canon “…was a long and drawn-out process that began centuries before Constantine and did not conclude until long after he was dead. So far as we know, based on our historical record, the emperor was not involved in the process” (Ehrman, 2004, p. 73-74).

While it will become evident that Ehrman is not correct about the amount of time it took for the New Testament canon to be formed, he does confirm that there is no evidence that Constantine had any part in choosing the books to comprise the New Testament.

Purpose of the Council of Nicaea

It turns out that the purpose of the Council of Nicaea was not to vote Jesus as deity or to set the New Testament canon. In fact, the collection of New Testament writings were never addressed at this church Council. The council was called by Constantine shortly after becoming emperor to address a serious division in the empire because of the growth of Arianism (Walker, Norris, Lotz, Handy, 1985, p. 131). This debate centered around what’s called the “Logos-theology” which is the ontological origin and status of the Logos, Jesus (Walker, Norris, Lotz, Handy, 1985, p. 131). In other words, the debate centered around what the nature and origin of Jesus is in relation to God and the created universe. 

The Heresy of Arianism

A popular presbyter in the Alexandrian  church named Arius concluded that Jesus was not pre-existent, but He was brought into being by God at the incarnation (Walker, Norris, Lotz, Handy, 1985, p. 131). This ran into direct conflict with the larger Christian belief that centered around the long held doctrine of Jesus’ pre-existence and oneness with God (Jn 1:1).

The Arian view became quite popular among a significant faction of the church despite the clear evidence of the pre-existent nature of Christ in the already widely circulating writings of the original Apostles. It’s important to note that Jesus’ pre-existence and divinity were believed from the start and this controversy came much later as a different teaching was introduced. This division posed a serious threat to the stability of the Roman Empire.

Related Post

Constantine’s True Motive

Conclusion

The Council of Nicaea didn’t set forth the New Testament Canon nor did it invent Jesus’ divinity. This church Council settled a dangerous dispute regarding Jesus’ ontological nature. The Council of Nicaea didn’t invent this solution. It affirmed the solution that was already recorded in the eyewitness testimony of the Apostles who knew Jesus and recorded His words.

Blessings