In 313 CE, centuries after the start of Christianity, The Edict of Milan, passed by Emperor Constantine, lawfully allowed the practice of Christianity and legally allowed churches to be built. Before the Edict of Milan, Christians were often persecuted if they were caught practicing Christianity or if they refused to bow down to images of the Emperor. When Emperor Constantine was first appointed in 305, he battled against many other Emperors in a fight to gain land and power. One of these battles, the battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312, ultimately changed his views of Christianity. Right before this battle, Constantine had a vision where he saw, “a cross superimposed on a noon sun and inscribed with the words, ‘By this conquer’.” After
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He believed that Jesus was first born of God and that he came after God. Because Jesus was a creature of God, he was distinct from God and he ultimately changed, grew, and sinned. Since Jesus was a creation of God, he could not be the same thing as his parent, aka God, but he was also not just human, he was a “third something.” This third something, Arius described as being a demigod; half human and half divine. Arius uses many Biblical texts to strengthen his argument including John 14:28: “The father who sent me is greater than I.” This ambiguous text, spoken by Jesus himself, can lead Christians to believe that even Jesus agreed that he himself was not God but a creation of God. This concept of Jesus as a demigod created conflict within the church because many people believed that it implied that Christianity was polytheistic. This was an issue because the basis of Christianity is that there is one God who, in 6 days, created the heavens and earth, all the animals, the seas, and Adam and Eve. There is one God who wrote the 10 Commandments for the Israelites to follow, the first of which explicitly states: “You shall have no other Gods before Me,” specifically proving that Christianity is in fact a monotheistic religion. Because of all the confusion and tension within the Christian community over Arianism, Constantine held a meeting, later known as the Council of Nicaea, which …show more content…
One of the scribes, Athanasius, who later became the Bishop of Alexandria following the death of Bishop Alexander, was one of the major contributors to the Creed of Nicaea. Athanasius consistently believed that Christ and God were of equal and had great disdain for those who supported the Arian belief that saw Christ as a lesser figure to God. As Margaret Miles points out in The World Made Flesh: “Athanasius’s opposition to Arius was based on a soteriological concern: what kind of savior can save?” There are multiple stories in the Bible that show Jesus performing miracles. Jesus feeding the 5,000, Jesus walking on water, turning water into wine, and healing people with just his touch are just a few of the many miracles he performed while he was alive. Athanasius believed that Christ could not perform these miracles if he was merely a Demigod. In order for him to be able to perform these miracles, he had to be one with God and be a part of God. The Father and Son are the same because they are homoousios; they are of the same substance sharing the divine. Athanasius beliefs were directly translated into the Creed of Nicaea which
He believed that Jesus was first born of God and that he came after God. Because Jesus was a creature of God, he was distinct from God and he ultimately changed, grew, and sinned. Since Jesus was a creation of God, he could not be the same thing as his parent, aka God, but he was also not just human, he was a “third something.” This third something, Arius described as being a demigod; half human and half divine. Arius uses many Biblical texts to strengthen his argument including John 14:28: “The father who sent me is greater than I.” This ambiguous text, spoken by Jesus himself, can lead Christians to believe that even Jesus agreed that he himself was not God but a creation of God. This concept of Jesus as a demigod created conflict within the church because many people believed that it implied that Christianity was polytheistic. This was an issue because the basis of Christianity is that there is one God who, in 6 days, created the heavens and earth, all the animals, the seas, and Adam and Eve. There is one God who wrote the 10 Commandments for the Israelites to follow, the first of which explicitly states: “You shall have no other Gods before Me,” specifically proving that Christianity is in fact a monotheistic religion. Because of all the confusion and tension within the Christian community over Arianism, Constantine held a meeting, later known as the Council of Nicaea, which …show more content…
One of the scribes, Athanasius, who later became the Bishop of Alexandria following the death of Bishop Alexander, was one of the major contributors to the Creed of Nicaea. Athanasius consistently believed that Christ and God were of equal and had great disdain for those who supported the Arian belief that saw Christ as a lesser figure to God. As Margaret Miles points out in The World Made Flesh: “Athanasius’s opposition to Arius was based on a soteriological concern: what kind of savior can save?” There are multiple stories in the Bible that show Jesus performing miracles. Jesus feeding the 5,000, Jesus walking on water, turning water into wine, and healing people with just his touch are just a few of the many miracles he performed while he was alive. Athanasius believed that Christ could not perform these miracles if he was merely a Demigod. In order for him to be able to perform these miracles, he had to be one with God and be a part of God. The Father and Son are the same because they are homoousios; they are of the same substance sharing the divine. Athanasius beliefs were directly translated into the Creed of Nicaea which