The First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (AD 325) stands as a defining moment in the life of the Church. It was not a philosophical debate, but a sacred assembly where the apostolic faith triumphed over theological distortion. Nicaea is not a closed chapter; it is a living proclamation and affirmation, echoed daily in the Divine Liturgy, the Agpeya (the book of daily prayers in the Coptic Orthodox Church), and throughout the sacramental life of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. The Nicene Creed is more than doctrine it is identity, inheritance, and spiritual compass.
At the heart of this Council stood St Athanasius the Apostolic. Though at the time a deacon accompanying Pope Alexander of Alexandria, he emerged as the unyielding voice of Orthodoxy. The Arian claim—that the Son was a creature and that “there was a time when He was not” undermined salvation itself. St Athanasius affirmed, “The Son is from the substance of the Father… begotten, not made” [1].
His Holiness the late Pope Shenouda III taught, “If Christ is not God, then His salvation is not complete… only God can reconcile man to Himself” [2]. Arianism was not a mere error but a denial of the Incarnation. With spiritual clarity, the Council declared the Son to be homoousios—of one essence with the Father. As Fr Tadros Malaty notes, “Athanasius did not invent doctrine; he defended the unbroken apostolic faith” [3].
The Creed is not an academic thesis, but the Church’s spiritual anthem. Bishop Raphael calls it “the prayer of the Church, born in martyrdom and tears” [4]. St Cyril of Alexandria reminds us, “We do not worship a man, but God in the flesh… for He who was born of a woman is consubstantial with the Father” [5].
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II affirms, “The Creed unites us across time and place; it is the Church’s song of truth” [6]. Archbishop Angaelos reflects, “Nicaea was a time when the Church gathered to protect the faith of the faithful. Its legacy calls us to stand with truth, speak with wisdom, and uphold unity in faith… to declare: True God of True God, Begotten” [7].
Today, amidst relativism and theological compromise, we are called—like St Athanasius—to stand contra mundum, armed with truth. “The Creed is our identity,” Pope Shenouda urges. “Hold fast to it as the faith once delivered to the saints” [8].
Despite divisions within the Church today, the vast majority of Christians still confess that our Lord Jesus Christ is True God of True God, begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, echoing the Nicene formula.
Bibliography
[1] St. Athanasius, Contra Arianos (Against the Arians), Book I.
[2] Pope Shenouda III, The Nature of Christ, Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, 1996.
[3] Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty, Introduction to the School of Alexandria, St George Coptic Church, 1986.
[4] Bishop Raphael, Lectures on the Creed, Coptic Theological Seminary, Cairo, 2008.
[5] St. Cyril of Alexandria, Scholia on the Incarnation, PG 75.
[6] Pope Tawadros II, Homily on the Creed at the Feast of St. Athanasius, Cairo, 2017.
[7] Archbishop Angaelos, Restarting from Nicaea: The Importance of the Incarnation in Contemporary Theology” in Antalya on May 6 and 7, 2025
[8] Pope Shenouda III, Faith in the Orthodox Church, Lesson 3, 1992.
Fr Michael Lambros is the Parish Priest of St Mary and St George Coptic Orthodox Church in East London. He is also the representative for the Coptic Orthodox Church at the CTE Enabling Group.
Watch an extended version of Fr Michael’s reflection which he delivered at the CTE Enabling Group in Spring 2025. The theme of this gathering was the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.