The Council of Nicaea
Bishops from across the empire vote on the nature of God.
- When
- Known to
- ± 1 year
- Era
- Classical, Holocene
Constantine summons some 300 bishops in 325 CE to resolve the Arian dispute over whether the Son was of the same substance as the Father or a created being. The council decides for the former and produces the Nicene Creed, still recited by most Christians. It sets a precedent that doctrine can be determined by council and enforced by the state, and it defines orthodoxy by defining what it excludes.