The Dark Legacy of the Nicaean Creed

 

"The Nicene Creed is an example of what happens when unbelievers (like pagan philosophers and especially politicians, like Roman emperors) get mixed up in religion.

First comes confusion, since the Creed itself is replete with ambigous and contradictory language.

For example, the creed violates the later trinitarian formula of 3 distinct hypostasis in 1 ousia or 3 Persons in 1 Being or Substance. According to the noted church historian Richard Hanson, “for at least the first half of the period 318-381, and in some cases considerably later, ousia and hypostasis are used as virtual synonyms.” As a result, the creed condemned anyone who said “the Son of God is of a different hypostasis or ousia” from the Father. Yet, today trinitarians would charge you with blasphemy if you taught this section of the creed. Hanson adds that “Not many who have written upon the subject of the Creed of Nicaea have observed this serious difficulty presented by it.” “And in fact there were present at the Council people, such as Marcellus of Ancyra, who were quite ready to maintain that there is only one hypostasis in the Godhead, and who were later to be deposed for heresy because they believed this.”

So however trinitarians try to spin it “the Creed produced by the Council of Nicaea was a mine of potential confusion and consequently most unlikely to be a means of ending the Arian Controversy.” (thehumanjesus.org)

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