02. On Nicaea

Episode Summary:

This episode takes a hard look at what really happened at the Council of Nicaea. A lot of people today think it was just a political power grab or a smoke-filled backroom deal to control doctrine. But that’s not what happened. The council was made up of bishops who had been persecuted, tortured, and exiled—men with missing eyes, crippled hands, and deep scars. These weren’t men trying to gain power; they were men who had already paid the price for following Christ. And when they gathered at Nicaea, their aim wasn’t control—it was clarity. They came to settle the question: Is Jesus truly God?

We also dive into Arius—not as a cartoon villain, but as a real, complex figure. He was sincere, persuasive, and trying to preserve God’s oneness, but in doing so, he denied the full divinity of Christ. The episode traces how Alexander and Athanasius stood against his teaching, not because they wanted to win a fight, but because they knew what was at stake. The Nicene Creed didn’t come out of nowhere; it was the Church’s response to a real theological crisis. And remarkably, this creed united Christians across geography, language, and culture. It still does. That’s why it matters today—because it gives us words to confess who Jesus is and ties us to 2,000 years of faithful witness.

Topics Covered:

• The historical and religious climate leading up to the Council of Nicaea

• The theological controversy sparked by Arius’s teachings

• Common myths and misconceptions about the Council of Nicaea

• Alexander of Alexandria’s central role in confronting Arius

• The doctrinal distinctions between orthodox Christianity, Arianism, and Modalism (Sabellianism)

• How the Council of Nicaea clarified the doctrines of Christ's deity and the Trinity

• The ecumenical nature of the council and its nearly unanimous agreement on the Nicene Creed

• The ongoing struggle between Arians and Nicene Christians after the council

• The modern relevance of the Nicene Creed for Christian unity, identity, and faithful practice today

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