The Arian Heresy and the Council of Nicea

This week on From the Housetops, Brother Matthew recalls the first ecumenical general council of the Catholic Church in Nicea. In 325, 318 bishops gathered to confront Arius, the priest from Alexandria who denied the divinity of Jesus Christ. St. Athanasius, attending with St. Alexander, defended the faith with clarity and force. Constantine summoned the bishops, hoping for peace in his empire, but the controversy endured as Arius and his supporters spread false doctrine. The fathers of the council affirmed that Christ is consubstantial with the Father, and the celebrated Nicene Creed was drawn up and signed, though some bishops resisted and were exiled.

The struggle did not end at Nicea. Constantine wavered, recalling heretics and even exiling St. Athanasius, who spent years defending the truth against Arianism. Though persecuted, Athanasius remained the champion of orthodoxy until his death in 373, honored and beloved throughout Christendom. Arius, however, died under God’s judgment in a sudden and terrible manner before being restored to communion. His heresy lived on, afflicting the Church, but the prayers of the faithful were heard. Yet the battle is not over. In this age of Mary, the faithful are called to carry on the fight of St. Athanasius, that God’s justice may put an end to all heresy and that the Immaculate Heart of His Mother may reign throughout the world.