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The first Council of Nicaea (Council I) was convened in 325 AD.  It condemned Christian heresies that denied the divinity of [[Jesus Christ]], especially [[Arianism]].  The Council affirmed that Jesus was the Son of God. The Council issued the [[Nicene Creed]], which codified the theological understanding of the Holy Trinity and remains the unified statement of faith of all Christians to this day.

The first '''Council of Nicaea''' (Council I) was convened in 325 AD.  It was the first time Christianity could be called together from across the [[Roman Empire]] as it had been illegal before then and suffered persecutions leading to death. The council condemned Christian heresies that denied the divinity of [[Jesus Christ]], especially [[Arianism]].  The Council affirmed that Jesus was the Son of God. The Council issued the [[Nicene Creed]], which codified the theological understanding of the Holy [[Trinity]] and remains the unified statement of faith of all Christians to this day.

The Council was presided over by [[Constantine]], who is said to have coined the term [[homousis]], the current language in the [[Nicene Creed]] describing Jesus as "of the same substance" as the father.  Constantine's influence, though, is debated and some claim that his role was exaggerated by panegyric writers, especially [[Eusebius of Caesarea]].<ref>Michael Maas, "Readings in Late Antiquity"</ref>

The Council was presided over by [[Constantine]], who is said to have coined the term [[homousis]], the current language in the [[Nicene Creed]] describing Jesus as "of the same substance" as the father.  The Council of Nicaea also canonized the current Bible, agreeing to the form that had been in common usage.

 

The Council of Nicaea also canonized the current Bible and removed all other books of the Bible it deemed heretical, including the [[Gospel of Thomas]] and other [[Gnostic Gospels]].

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