Who was at the Council of Nicea, and where had Christianity reached by 325?

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) was represented by Domnus.

Die (Gaul?) was represented by Nicasius.

Besides these, there were 2-3 bishops from outside the Empire, namely Theophilus of Gothia, Cadmus of Bosphorus, and John of Persis.

All these bishops tell us something something of the geographical spread and concentration of the Christian church by 325.

Comments

Bury, Greater Manchester - Timeline of churches

979? First Church on the site of the present Parish Church (the picture below is an artist's impression of Bury parish church in 1485). This was the only church in the town of Bury until 1719 (see below). 1585 Parish church (re)built in the gothic style . 1650 During the Commonwealth, Henry Pendlebury was ordained for Holcombe Chapelry. 1662 Having been ejected from the Church of England, Henry Pendlebury of Holcombe (1626-1695) held services at a Chapel on Bass Lane by Richard Kay, and others ejected from the C of E (replaced in 1712 by Dundee Chapel, Holcombe) 1669 The vicar of Bury parish reported to the Bishop of Chester that he heard several conventicles were "constantly kept at private houses of Independents, Presbyterians, Dippers and other such like jointly, of the bset rank of the yeomanry and other inferiors." 1689 ...

The origin and spread of the early Baptist churches in the North West of England and elsewhere

The origins of Baptist churches go back to the 1600s. The very first Baptist church began in 1609 and was for English speaking Christians based in the Netherlands, relocating to London in 1611 (Thomas Helwys). These churches were known as "General Baptists" and followed the theology of Arminius and the Anabaptists. A second genesis of Baptist churches was in London in about 1638 (John Spilsbury). These churches followed the Reformed Theology of John Calvin and the Synod of Dordt. In 1644, the First London Baptist Confession was signed by seven Baptist churches in the capital. Baptist churches later spread from London outwards. During the time of the English Civil War (1642-1651), there were Baptist Christians in the New Model Army of Oliver Cromwell. In 1648 the New Model Army campaigned in Lancashire during the Second Civil War. 1. John Wigan & the "Coldhouse cause" During the time of the English Civil War (1642-1651), John Wigan (d. 1665),...

Die Erweckung (revival of evangelical Christianity in Germany in the 1800s)

Die Erweckung (literally, "the Revival") is a name for the revival of evangelical Christianity in Germany in the 1800s. It has overlap with the Réveil in Switzerland, France and the Netherlands, and also with the second Evangelical Revival in Britain and the Second Great Awakening in America. The Pietist movement, which began during the Baroque era around 1675 under the leadership of Philip Spener, had waned by the 1730s. By this time, Halle university, originally founded by Pietists and a flagship of the movement, became a centre for rationalism under academics such as Christian Wolff (1679–1754). In the interim, Pietism was kept alive in part by a network of small groups (the Diaspora) which followed the spirituality of the Moravian Christians, a movement similar to Pietism but with its own church structures under the leadership of Von Zinzendorf. There was also the Basle-based Christentumsgesellschaft founded by Urlsperger in 1780, a society founded to counter the ratio...

Crumbs from the Table

Search This Blog