Nicene Creed Theological Blunders

The Nicene Creed was a pivotal statement of Christian faith formulated in the 4th century. It originated from the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE, a gathering of Christian bishops convened in the city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I (r. 306-337 CE). This council was the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom. It was primarily convened to address the Arian controversy, which questioned the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Arius, a priest from Alexandria, argued that Jesus Christ was not co-eternal or of the same substance as God the Father, suggesting that Jesus was a created being who was subordinate to the Father. For all intents and purposes, subordination was the orthodoxy of that time, but the competing faction wanted to elevate Jesus’ status to be equal to that of God. The Nicene Creed was established to affirm the church’s stance on the divinity of Jesus Christ, stating that He is “begotten, not made, being of one substance (homoousis) with the Father.”

For reference, here is the original creed:

We believe in one God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not made, of one essence (homoousia) with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvaton, came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man. And He was crucified for us under Pontus Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; whose Kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit. — The Nicene Creed as found on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website