Chapter 18 Key Players & Historical Context

1. The classical culture of ancient Rome was the historical setting into which Christ & Christianity was born.
2. Constantine I was the emperor who called for the Council of Nicea because he was trying to unite the empire and the church.  His motto included the phrase "one Lord, one faith, one church, one empire, one emperor"
3. The central issue of the controversy was the one surrounding the person and the work of Jesus Christ.
4. Arius was a priest from Alexandria who rose to fame (or notoriety) for teaching the Jesus was not God, but was a lesser creation.
5. Athanasius was a deacon who was an assistant to the Bishop Alexander of Alexandria.  He became a force through his zeal and unrelenting protection of orthodoxy in the church.
6. The men who attended the Council of Nicea were well aware of its significance.  This was the first ecumenical council since Acts 15 in the days of the apostles.  They knew this was history in the making.