It was called to my attention that our Eastern lung, as St John Paul II might say, celebrates today the Nicene Fathers, the bishops who participated in the FIRST Ecumenical Council at Nicea which was called to deal with the divisions caused by the pernicious heresy of Arianism.
This year marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, which met from May to July of 325.
The background of Arianism is more complicated than I want to get into in a blog post. In a nutshell, Arian heresy slithered up in the early 4th century and is named after Arius, a priest of Alexandria who taught that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was not co-eternal with the Father and was instead a created being—divine but not equal to God. This was contrary to the developing doctrine of the Trinity, which states that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are of the same divine substance. Arius’s error gained a significant following, causing widespread division. In response, the Council of Nicaea was convened in 325 AD by Emperor Constantine. The council condemned Arianism as heresy and affirmed the full divinity of Christ, coining the term homoousios (“of the same substance”) to describe the relationship between the Father and the Son. Despite the Council’s decision, Arianism persisted for centuries.
A subtle form of Arianism exists today, in my opinion, which affects not a few members of the clergy.
The Emperor thought it necessary to have this for the sake of the civic order. People rioted about this question. Arianism touched on the very idea of “salvation”: if Christ is a mere creature, however exalted, He cannot give us eternal life. Only God can do that.
Out of the Council of Nicea emerged a compromise symbolon or creedal formula. In ancient Greek a symbolon was something like a piece of broken pottery that could prove your identity or the authenticity of a thing it was attached to because it fit perfectly to another broken piece. The creed of Nicea, which anathematized any who said that “there was a time when Christ was not”, would eventually amended by the Council of Constantinople to give us something like we use at Mass today. The main resolution is that the Father and the Son are “consubstantial”.
Loading ...
Years ago, you posted the Arian graffiti that was plastered all over Alexandria at the time. I believe that the English translation is “Before He was He was not.” Can you please refresh my memory or — better — provide a link to the your earlier post, so that I have the original Greek.
Your post bring to mind the vehement opposition to restoring the word “consubstantial” to the English translation of the Creed as used in the Mass.
One of the issues with using the vernacular is the tragic fact that the official Church writes as if producing obscure legal documents. The “spirit” — more a demon in many respects — of Vatican II seems to exclude anything of beauty. “Consubstantial” is possible to understand, but it is not pretty or musical. The Episcopalians (back when they were a church; no idea what they’re up to now) used the unmistakable phrase, “being of one substance with the Father.” Understandable by anyone and, dare I say it, even pretty. Everything from the USCCB — its Bible, its liturgy, its pronouncements and announcements — seems intentionally ugly and legalistic. It *has* to be deliberate — no actual human could write that poorly by accident. A committee probably could, though.
Let us clear our palates by looking to the sky tonight to see the predicted light show, one of God’s wonders, out of reach of the bishops of Charlotte and Jefferson City, and immune to the tin ears at the USCCB.
@dep
““Consubstantial” is possible to understand, but it is not pretty or musical.”
It is in Latin (consubstantialem Patri). Almost like we should chant it in Latin.
Thank you for this!
A February post at New Liturgical Movement by Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka happily made me aware of the Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast and its YouTube channel, where I found the interesting interview-discussion “Singing the Credo” – complemented subsequently by Massimo Scapin’s 20 May One Peter Five post, “The Musical Creed of Nicaea”.
Pingback: MONDAY EARLY-MORNING EDITION - BIG PULPIT