👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾The Holy #Council of #Nicaea (#Meskerem 21)
Dear faithful followers of the Orthodox teaching, we greet you with the blessings of our Lord. Today we reflect upon a pivotal moment in the history of the Church, the Holy Council of Nicaea, and we invite you to meditate deeply upon its meaning and significance.
✍🏾 At this time, Emperor Constantine, moved by the guidance of God, commanded that the temples of idols be closed and that the churches of the Lord be opened. He then summoned the scholars and fathers of the Church from every land to assemble in Nicaea to confront the heresy and defend the true faith.
✍🏾 From Miyaziya 21 to Meskerem 21. 2348 scholars and bishops gathered in Nicaea. The city was chosen for its size, central location, and suitability to host the bishops, priests, and the emperor with his retinue. Among these holy men were those who, like the apostles of old, had performed miracles raising the dead, cleansing lepers, giving sight to the blind, healing the sick, and bearing the wounds of their devotion for the faith of Christ.
✍🏾After a week spent in prayer and fasting, the assembly formally began on Hidar 9. Emperor Constantine presided, and Alexander of Alexandria spoke on behalf of the Church. Each bishop recorded his name, his region, and his faith. Among 2,348 attendees, 318 bishops stood united in one voice, confessing clearly:
"the Son is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit in divinity, power, will, and existence.”
✍🏾 These 318 holy scholars, reflecting the example of the 318 sons of Abraham (Gen. 14:14), condemned the heresy of Arius and established the Nicene Creed the firm foundation of our faith. Through their wisdom and guidance, the Church was strengthened, and the true teaching about the divinity of Christ was preserved for all generations.
✍🏾Though the council formally concluded on Hidar 9, the bishops had gathered on Meskerem 21. This day is remembered in the Church as a celebration of " Bzuhan mariyam" because we remember the holy fathers who defended the faith. It is a day to honor the unity, courage, and devotion of those who preserved the truth of God’s Son against all error.
May the name of the Holy God be praised forever and ever in every tongue that He has created, today and always.
May the blessings of God's mother, the virgin, and the cross be upon us.
Amen.
© John's Repentance
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