Posted by Steve (Billy Steven Crider) on February 9, 2008, 1:32 pm, in reply to "Re: A study on Sabbath...Dec 9, pt 8"
(continued...)
Approximately 300 bishops attended, from every region of the Empire except Britain. This was the first general council in the history of the Church since the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem , which had established the conditions upon which Gentiles could join the Church. [4] In the Council of Nicaea, "the Church had taken her first great step to define doctrine more precisely in response to a challenge from a heretical theology." [5] The resolutions in the council, being ecumenical, were intended for the whole Church.
===Wikipedia Excerpt 2 =====
"Resplendent in purple and gold, Constantine made a ceremonial entrance at the opening of the council, probably in early June, but respectfully seated the bishops ahead of himself." [4] As Eusebius described, Constantine "himself proceeded through the midst of the assembly, like some heavenly messenger of God, clothed in raiment which glittered as it were with rays of light, reflecting the glowing radiance of a purple robe, and adorned with the brilliant splendor of gold and precious stones." [18] He was present as an observer, but he did not vote. Constantine organized the Council along the lines of the Roman Senate. "Ossius [Hosius] presided over its deliberations; he probably, and the two priests of Rome certainly, came as representatives of the Pope." [4] "Eusebius of Nicomedia probably gave the welcoming address." [4][19]
====Wikipedia excerpt 3 =====
Of the third article only the words "and in the Holy Spirit" were left; the original Nicene Creed ended with these words. Then followed immediately the canons of the council. Thus, instead of a baptismal creed acceptable to both the homoousian and Arian parties, as proposed by Eusebius, the council promulgated one which was unambiguous in the aspects touching upon the points of contention between these two positions, and one which was incompatible with the beliefs of Arians. From earliest times, various creeds served as a means of identification for Christians, as a means of inclusion and recognition, especially at baptism. In Rome, for example, the Apostles' Creed was popular, especially for use in Lent and the Easter season. In the Council of Nicaea, one specific creed was used to define the Church's faith clearly, to include those who professed it, and to exclude those who did not.
The text of this profession of faith is preserved in a letter of Eusebius to his congregation, in Athanasius, and elsewhere. Although the most vocal of anti-Arians, the Homoousians (from the Koine Greek word translated as "of same substance" which was condemned at the Council of Antioch in 264-268), were in the minority. The Creed was accepted by the council as an expression of the bishops' common faith and the ancient faith of the whole Church.
Bishop Hosius of Cordova, one of the firm Homoousians, may well have helped bring the council to consensus. At the time of the council, he was the confidant of the emperor in all Church matters. Hosius stands at the head of the lists of bishops, and Athanasius ascribes to him the actual formulation of the creed. Great leaders such as Eustathius of Antioch, Alexander of Alexandria, Athanasius, and Marcellus of Ancyra all adhered to the Homoousian position.
In spite of his sympathy for Arius, Eusebius of Caesarea adhered to the decisions of the council, accepting the entire creed. The initial number of bishops supporting Arius was small. After a month of discussion, on June 19, there were only two left: Theonas of Marmarica in Libya, and Secundus of Ptolemais. Maris of Chalcedon, who initially supported Arianism, agreed to the whole creed. Similarly, Eusebius of Nicomedia and Theognis of Nice also agreed, except for the certain statements.
The emperor carried out his earlier statement: everybody who refuses to endorse the Creed will be exiled .
Arius, Theonas, and Secundus refused to adhere to the creed, and were thus exiled, in addition to being excommunicated.
*** well now, these two guys are not only kicked out of the Church, for not going along with the program, they are kicked out of the country as well ***
The works of Arius were ordered to be confiscated and consigned to the flames , [20] although there is no evidence that this occurred. Nevertheless, the controversy, already festering, continued in various parts of the empire.
======Wikipedia excerpt 4 ======
Separation of Easter from the Jewish Passover
After the June 19 settlement of the most important topic, the question of the date of the Christian Passover ( Easter) was brought up. This feast is linked to the Jewish Passover , as the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus occurred during that festival. By the year 300, most Churches had adopted the Western style of celebrating the feast on the Sunday after the Passover, placing the emphasis on the resurrection, which occurred on a Sunday. Others however celebrated the feast on the 14th of the Jewish month Nisan, the date of the crucifixion according to the Bible's Hebrew calendar ( Leviticus 23:5, John 19:14). Hence this group was called Quartodecimans , which is derived from the Latin for 14. The Eastern Churches of Syria, Cilicia, and Mesopotamia determined the date of Christian Passover in relation to the 14th day of Nisan, in the Bible's Hebrew calendar. Alexandria and Rome, however, followed a different calculation, attributed to Pope Soter, so that Christian Passover would never coincide with the Jewish observance and decided in favour of celebrating on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox, independently of the Bible's Hebrew calendar.
According to Duchesne, [21] who founds his conclusions:
on the conciliar letter to the Alexandrians preserved in Theodoret; [22]
on the circular letter of Constantine to the bishops after the council;[23]
on Athanasius;[24]
Epiphanius of Salamis wrote in the mid-4th century, "
the emperor
convened a council of 318 bishops
in the city of Nicea.
They passed certain ecclesiastical canons at the council besides, and at the same time decreed in regard to the Passover that there must be one unanimous concord on the celebration of God's holy and supremely excellent day. For it was variously observed by people
" [25]
The council assumed the task of regulating these differences, in part because some dioceses were determined not to have Christian Passover correspond with the Jewish calendar. "The feast of the resurrection was thenceforth required to be celebrated everywhere on a Sunday, and never on the day of the Jewish passover, but always after the fourteenth of Nisan, on the Sunday after the first vernal full moon.
The leading motive for this regulation was opposition to Judaism, which had dishonored the passover by the crucifixion of the Lord." [26] Constantine wrote that: "
it appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of this most holy feast we should follow the practice of the Jews, who have impiously defiled their hands with enormous sin, and are, therefore, deservedly afflicted with blindness of soul.
Let us then have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd; for we have received from our Saviour a different way." [27] Theodoret recorded the Emperor as saying: "It was, in the first place, declared improper to follow the custom of the Jews in the celebration of this holy festival, because, their hands having been stained with crime, the minds of these wretched men are necessarily blinded.
Let us, then, have nothing in common with the Jews, who are our adversaries.
avoiding all contact with that evil way.
who, after having compassed the death of the Lord, being out of their minds, are guided not by sound reason, but by an unrestrained passion, wherever their innate madness carries them.
a people so utterly depraved.
Therefore, this irregularity must be corrected, in order that we may no more have any thing in common with those parricides and the murderers of our Lord.
no single point in common with the perjury of the Jews." [28]
Amazingly enough these are the attitudes that would fuel Adolf Hitler over 1500 years later. At any rate, these are well documented accounts of the establishment of Sunday worship as taking place between 321-325 AD, not sooner. And occuring under an ambitious leader whose dream was to unite a divided empire in a time of public unrest, political and religious controversy. Seems he succeeded, and whether or not Constantine was the actuall fulfillment of the eleventh horn of Daniel chapter 7, it was a sun worshipper turned "Christian" under questionable circumstances who sought to promote the day of rest and worship on the day of the sun god mithros. Perhaps, it would have been better had he cited to do so on a Tuesday, but the result would have been the same, forsaking Sabbath. I leave you with a quote:
"Let us not forsake the assembling together of ourselves"--The Apostle Paul.
I would say pass the plate, but that is another sermon, and you would be shocked if you knew the truth behind the whole scam of "Tithing." Don't get me wrong, the Bible does teach about tithing, it just doesn't teach what you are most likely familiar with. Not at all. But that is another lesson for another time. I am going to bed. Goodnight, or goodmorning, as the case may be.
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