The First Council of Nicea in 325 affirmed the fully deity of God the Son. According to deacon and later bishop Athanasius, the Council was attended by 318 bishops. This figure may be symbolic, reflecting a Biblical reference in Genesis, but is considered to be more or less correct. Most of the bishops who attended the Council were from the eastern half of the Empire - places such as Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt and Libya. Meanwhile, the Latin-speaking western half of the Empire was represented by 6 or 7 bishoprics (also known as episcopal "sees"). The see of Rome, held by the elderly bishop Sylvester I of Rome, was represented by two Roman presbyters, Vitus and Vincentius. The see of Cordoba (Hispania) was represented by Hosius, who played a leading role at the Council. The see of Milan (Italy) was represented by Eustorgius; the see of Calabria (also Italy) was represented by Marcus. Carthage (Africa) was represented by Caecilianus. Sirmium (Pannonia) wa...
At this time of year, we are remembering and reflecting on Christ's resurrection from the dead, and we think of the Apostles who were witnesses of that resurrection. Not all those who saw the risen Christ were Apostles. For example, Mary Magdalene who was the first to encounter the Lord after his resurrection, or the 500 brothers mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15. An "Apostle of Jesus Christ" was someone personally chosen by Christ to be an Apostle (Acts 1), and who had seen the risen Christ first-hand (1 Corinthians 9:1-3). There are at least four categories of people who can be described as "Apostles of Jesus Christ". 1) First there were Simon Peter and the rest of the Twelves minus Judas, who was replaced by Matthias (see Acts 1) 2) Then there were the brothers of the Lord , which definitely included James and most likely also Jude (1 Corinthians 15:7; 9:5) 3) Besides these, there were also "other Apostles" who were not one of the Twel...