Council
Nicaea
325 · Nicaea
Attested. The council, the creed's key wording, and Arius's condemnation are certain. The narrative of the debates is reconstructed from partisan later writers. Original minutes do not survive.
Nicaea: for and against
318 is the traditional number, not a surviving roll. Eusebius, who was present, says more than 250; historians usually estimate about 250 to 300. Secundus and Theonas are the two bishops the sources consistently say refused to sign. Athanasius was Alexander's deacon, not a voter. The exact signatures of Eusebius of Nicomedia and Theognis are uncertain.
For the Nicene side
- Alexander of Alexandria
Attested
Bishop of Alexandria. He brought the case against Arius and subscribed the creed.
- Ossius of Corduba
Attested
Constantine's adviser, and the first name on some signature lists. That he presided is only one ancient version.
- Eustathius of Antioch
Attested
A leading opponent of Arius. Later claims that he presided are disputed.
- Marcellus of Ancyra
Attested
Subscribed with Alexander's side. His own theology was later attacked as modalist. That fight came after 325.
- Athanasius of Alexandria
Attested
Present as Alexander's deacon and secretary, not as a voting bishop. He did not cast a ballot.
Against
- Arius
Attested
Presbyter, not a bishop. His teaching was condemned and he was exiled. The anathemas name phrases associated with him.
- Secundus of Ptolemais
Attested
Bishop of Ptolemais in Libya. Refused to sign and was exiled with Arius.
- Theonas of Marmarica
Attested
Bishop of Marmarica. Refused to sign and was exiled with Arius. These two are the consistent names.
Reservations or a third party
- Eusebius of Caesarea
Attested
Hesitated over homoousios, then signed. His letter to Caesarea is his own explanation, copied by Athanasius and Socrates.
- Eusebius of Nicomedia
Uncertain
Supported Arius. A letter in Socrates says he subscribed the creed but not the anathema. Other reports differ. Exiled within a few months.
- Theognis of Nicaea
Uncertain
Bishop of Nicaea. Grouped with Eusebius of Nicomedia: signed in some sense, then exiled with him. The line he refused is not uniform in the sources.
Convened by. Constantine I
Issues. The dispute sparked by Arius over whether the Son is true God or a subordinate being; the date of Easter; the Meletian schism in Egypt; and church order.
Outcomes. A creed using homoousios, 'of the same substance,' for the Son, plus anathemas against phrases such as 'there was when he was not.' Arius was condemned. Twenty canons were issued. The signed creed is the shorter 325 text, not the later liturgical creed. Later tradition, including Athanasius himself, says 318 bishops, the number of Abraham's servants in Genesis 14. Eusebius of Caesarea, who was there, says more than 250. Modern estimates usually fall between about 250 and 300. No official roll survives. Who presided is unclear: Eustathius of Antioch, Ossius, and others are named in different sources.
Canons or creeds. Canon 6 acknowledges older jurisdiction in Alexandria, Rome, and Antioch. It does not yet state a universal papal monarchy. The anathemas are part of the 325 decision and are not the same thing as the creed's positive clauses.