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Questions & Answers

Council of Nicea

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › The Church › Council of Nicea

The question

I read that with regards to the Council of Nicea 325 AD "All the bishops save five declared themselves ready to subscribe to this formula, convinced that it contained the ancient faith of the Apostolic Church. The opponents were soon reduced to two, Theonas of Marmarica and Secundus of Ptolemais, who were exiled and anathematized" http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11044a.htm.
  1. Of the bishops present at the Council of Nicea, 325 AD, how many regretted having subscribed to this formula and how many wrote a letter to Emperor Constantine revealing their regrets?


  2. Why at the commemoration of the Saints in the Holy Liturgy do we mention "the three hundred and eighteen assembled at Nicea" if some had regretted it and two were exiled?

The answer

I do not know of any list of people sending letters regretting having subscribed to the Creed. We commemorate the Council of Nicea as a whole assembly of 318 bishops not as individuals.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 1006 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.