By Vatican News
On May 20, the Christian world will commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the opening of the first ecumenical council, held in Nicea in 325, which has gone down in history primarily on account of the Creed, which brings together, defines, and proclaims the faith in salvation in Jesus Christ and in the One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Later completed by the Council of Constantinople in 381, the Nicene Creed became in practice the identity card of the professed faith of the Church. For this reason, the International Theological Commission (ITC) decided to dedicate a document of almost seventy pages to the Council, which was convened by the emperor Constantine in Asia Minor, with the twofold objective of recalling its fundamental meaning and highlighting the extraordinary resources of the Creed, relaunching them in the perspective of the new stage of evangelisation that the Church is called to undertake in the current change of epoch. The new document acquires special relevance as the anniversary of Nicea occurs during the Jubilee of Hope in a year when Easter is celebrated by all Christians on the same date.
“Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour – the 1700th anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicea (325-2025)” – the title of the document released today, Thursday Apr 3 – is therefore not simply a work of academic theology, but is offered as a synthesis that can lead to a more profound understanding of the faith and the witness it bears in the life of the Christian community.
Finally, Nicea marked the first time that the Church’s unity and mission were expressed at a universal level (hence the title “ecumenical” or “universal”) in a synodal form. The first ecumenical council can therefore also be seen as a point of reference and inspiration for the synodal journey the Church is currently undertaking.
The theologians
Coming in at 124 numbered paragraphs, the document is the result of the ITC’s decision to initiate a deeper study of the dogmatic relevance of Nicea during the Commission’s tenth quinquennium (five-year term). The work was conducted by a Sub-Commission chaired by French priest Philippe Vallin and composed of Bishops Antonio Luiz Catelan Ferreira and Etienne Vetö; priests Mario Angel Flores Ramos, Gaby Alfred Hachem, and Karl-Heinz Menke; and professors Marianne Schlosser and Robin Darling Young. The text, in forma specifica, was voted on and approved unanimously in 2024, and then submitted for approval to the Cardinal President Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, in which the Commission is established. After receiving the approval of Pope Francis, Cardinal Fernández authorised its publication on Dec 16.
The document is comprised of an introduction entitled “Doxology, Theology and Proclamation”; four chapters of theological reflection, and a conclusion on the contemporary proclamation of “Jesus our salvation” to all men and women.
A doxological reading of the Symbol
The first chapter, “A Symbol for Salvation: Doxology and Theology of the Nicea Dogma” (nos. 7-47) is the most substantial. It offers “a doxological reading of the Symbol, to highlight its soteriological and therefore Christological, Trinitarian, and anthropological resources,” with the intention of giving “new impetus to the journey towards Christian unity.”
Pointing out the ecumenical significance of the faith of Nicea, the text expresses the hope for and agreement on a common date for the celebration of Easter, which Pope Francis himself has repeatedly called for. Paragraph 43 notes that the year 2025 represents for all Christians “an invaluable opportunity to emphasize that what we have in common is much greater than what divides us: Together, we believe in the triune God, in Christ true man and true God, in salvation in Jesus Christ, according to the Scriptures read in the Church and under the impulse of the Holy Spirit. Together, we believe in the Church, in baptism, and in the resurrection of the dead and eternal life.”
“Consequently,” the ITC states in paragraph 45, “the divergence of Christians concerning the most important feast in their calendar creates pastoral discomfort within communities, to the point of dividing families; and causes scandal among non-Christians, thus damaging the witness given to the Gospel.”
‘We believe as we baptise; and we pray as we believe’
But welcoming the richness of Nicea after seventeen centuries also leads to an understanding of how the Council of Nicea continues to nourish and guide Christian existence. The second chapter, “The Symbol of Nicea in the Life of Believers” (nos. 48-69), therefore, explores how the liturgy and prayer have been enriched in the Church since Nicea, which therefore constitutes a turning point in the history of Christianity. Rooted in the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, the document recalls, “We believe as we baptise; and we pray as we believe.” It exhorts Christians to draw, today and always from that “fountain of living water” whose rich dogmatic content has been decisive in establishing Christian doctrine. It is in this sense that the document delves into the reception of the Creed in liturgical and sacramental practice, in catechesis and preaching, and in the prayers and hymns of the 4th century.
A theological and ecclesial event
The third chapter, “Nicea as a theological and ecclesial event” (nos. 70-102), then explores how the Symbol and the Council “bear witness to the same event of Jesus Christ, whose irruption into history offers unprecedented access to God and introduces a transformation of human thought.”
They also represent a novelty in the way the Church structures itself and fulfils its mission. “Summoned by the Emperor to resolve a local dispute that had spread to all the Churches of the Eastern Roman Empire and to numerous Churches of the West,” the document explains, “for the first time bishops from all over the Oikouménè are gathered in Synod. Its profession of faith and canonical decisions are promulgated as normative for the entire Church. The unprecedented communion and unity aroused in the Church by the event of Jesus Christ are made visible and effective in a new way by a structure of universal scope, and the proclamation of the good news of Christ in all its immensity also receives an instrument of unprecedented authority” (Cf. n. 101).
A faith accessible to all
In the fourth and final chapter—“Safeguarding a faith that is accessible to all God’s people” (103-120)—“the conditions for the credibility of the faith professed at Nicea are highlighted in a stage of fundamental theology that sheds light on the nature and identity of the Church, insofar as she is the authentic interpreter of the normative truth of the faith through the Magisterium and the guardian of believers, especially the smallest and most vulnerable.”
The faith preached by Jesus to the simple is not a simplistic faith, the ITC says. Christianity has never considered itself an esoteric religion reserved for an elite of initiates; on the contrary, Nicea – despite coming about thanks to the initiative of the Emperor Constantine – represents “a milestone in the long journey towards libertas Ecclesiae, which is everywhere a guarantee of the protection of the faith of the most vulnerable in the face of political power.”
In the year 325, the common good of Revelation was truly made “available” to all the faithful, as confirmed by the Catholic doctrine of the infallibility “in credendo” of the baptised. Although bishops have a specific role in defining the faith, they cannot assume it without being in the ecclesial communion of the entire Holy People of God, a concept that has often been highlighted by Pope Francis.
Perennial relevance of Nicea
The document concludes with “a pressing invitation” to “proclaim to all Jesus our Salvation today,” starting from the faith expressed at Nicea in a multiplicity of meanings.
First of all, the perennial relevance of that Council and of the Symbol that sprang from it lies in continuing to allow ourselves to be “amazed by the immensity of Christ, so that all may be astonished” and to “revive the fire of our love for Him” because “in Jesus, homooúsios (consubstantial) with the Father… God Himself has bound Himself to mankind forever.”
Secondly, it means not ignoring “reality” nor turning away “from the sufferings and upheavals that torment the world and seem to compromise all hope,” while at the same time, listening to culture and cultures.
Thirdly, it means making ourselves “particularly attentive to the little ones among our brothers and sisters,” because those who have been “crucified” throughout history, ” those “who are most in need of hope and grace” are “Christ among us.” At the same time, understanding the sufferings of the Crucified Jesus, they are able, in turn, to be “the apostles, teachers, and evangelisers of the rich and wealthy.”
Finally, proclamation must be done “as the Church” or rather “with the witness of fraternity,” showing the world the marvellous things by which it is “one, holy, catholic and apostolic” and the “universal sacrament of salvation.” At the same time it diffuses the treasure of the Scriptures that the Symbol interprets: the richness of prayer, liturgy, and sacraments that derive from the baptism professed at Nicea and the light of the Magisterium; always focused on the Risen Christ who triumphs over death and sin, and not on adversaries, since there are no losers in the Paschal Mystery except the eschatological loser, Satan, the divider.
It is no coincidence that last Nov 28, during an audience for members of the International Theological Commission, the Pope praised their work, highlighting the value of a document “intended to shed light on the timeliness of the faith professed at Nicea” and “to nourish and deepen the faith of believers and, based on the figure of Jesus, to offer insights and reflections useful for a new cultural and social paradigm inspired by the humanity of Christ.”
Study day
A study day on “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour – the 1700th anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicea (325-2025)” will be held at the Pontifical Urban University, the Urbaniana, on May 20 from 9 am to 7.30 pm, with the participation of the theologians who contributed to the drafting of the document and other experts in the field.
The full text of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour – the 1700th anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicea (325-2025), in the original Italian, can be found on the website of the International Theological Commission. – Vatican News
