In regards to the reference made to the 'council of nicaea' in bold red. This was a formal agreement amongst several hundred Christian heads and theologians to agree upon a 'trinitarian doctrine'. This is an important point as most Christians believe that their own Christian trinitarian roots are established from the time of Jesus. Not so, rather the agreement of the trinity and the exclusion of those who denied this and were monotheistic (believing Jesus to be a Prophet) happened in 325 AD. From the objectives met at the 'council of nicaea - the nicene creed':
By and large, many creeds were acceptable to the members of the council. From his perspective, even Arius could cite such a creed.
For Bishop Alexander and others, however, greater clarity was required. Some distinctive elements in the Nicene Creed, perhaps from the hand of Hosius of Cordova, were added.
1. Jesus Christ is described as \"God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,\" confirming his divinity. When all light sources were natural, the essence of light was considered to be identical, regardless of its form.
2. Jesus Christ is said to be
\"begotten, not made,\" asserting his co-eternalness with God, and confirming it by stating his role in the Creation.
3. Finally, he is said to be \"from the substance of the Father,\" in direct opposition to Arianism. Some ascribe the term Consubstantial, i.e., \"of the same substance\" (of the Father), to Constantine who, on this particular point, may have chosen to exercise his authority.
Of the third article only the words \"and in the Holy Spirit\" were left; the original Nicene Creed ended with these words. Then followed immediately the canons of the council. Thus, instead of a baptismal creed acceptable to both the homoousian and Arian parties, as proposed by Eusebius, the council promulgated one which was unambiguous in the aspects touching upon the points of contention between these two positions, and one which was incompatible with the beliefs of Arians. From earliest times, various creeds served as a means of identification for Christians, as a means of inclusion and recognition, especially at baptism. In Rome, for example, the Apostles' Creed was popular, especially for use in Lent and the Easter season.
In the Council of Nicaea, one specific creed was used to define the Church's faith clearly, to include those who professed it, and to exclude those who did not.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea
We encourage the non-Muslim reader to seek out the correct, true faith, the unified religion of all Prophets and Messengers, to learn more about the reality of Jesus, look to:
1)
www.islaam.ca/messengers/4.html
2)
www.islaam.ca/misconceptions/11.html
Post edited by: islaam.ca admin, at: 2006/11/21 21:49
Post edited by: islaam.ca admin, at: 2006/11/21 21:52<br><br>Post edited by: islaam.ca admin, at: 2006/11/21 21:54