tion of the greatest created being, giving to Him every attribute except that of full deity. Because theology had not yet been systematized, Arius thought that he had a common problem. However, he soon found himself in the unenviable position of being in opposition to his bishop, Alexander. Arius was finally disfellowshipped by the Alexandrian church and moved to Palestine where he received support from some of the Eastern church leaders. When Constantine saw that the dispute had be come empire-wide, he feared that it might divide the empire as well as the church. Hence, he sum moned a council to meet in Nicea, in Asia Minor, in 325. Approximately three hundred bishops of the church assembled for this meeting which was mod erated by Constantine himself. At the latter’s right hand sat Bishop Hosius of Cordova, Spain, as his theological advisor. The Arians were confident of victory because they believed that the majority agreed with them and because Constantine’s sis ter was an Arian. However, they discovered at the very outset of the council that they were in the minority when Arianism was condemned. Some bishops thought their work was done; but there were others who recognized the fact that a positive statement of belief was necessary to prevent Arian- ism’s rising again. Eusebius o f Caesarea, the father of church his tory, presented the doctrinal statement of his church which the council accepted. However, Atha nasius, a deacon of Alexandria and theological ad visor of Alexander, was not satisfied and moved the revision of the statement. Through his efforts, the council produced the Nicene Creed which sets forth the doctrine o f the Trinity as it has been held ever since by orthodox theologians. While the council adopted the Nicene Creed, the controversy was not closed for some time. Atha nasius, who had stood so firmly for the Scriptural position, was five times exiled under other pre texts but always for his stedfastness to this Bibli cal doctrine. The Arian controversy was soon followed by the Christological controversies. Once the relationship o f Jesus Christ to the Father was settled, the ques tion arose concerning the person o f Christ and the relation of the divine and human natures within Him. These controversies were marked by a series
of councils, some of which were so tumultuous that at least one died as a result of injuries sustained during one o f the sessions. The final decision of the early church concerning Christ’s natures came at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 when the church declared that Jesus Christ was truly God and truly man and that within His single person were two natures without confusion or division. From this early decision the orthodox church has not departed. The fifth century witnessed two new events at its very outset. One was the fall of the city of Rome. This event was significant to the church and has valuable lessons for today. As “ the eternal city” tottered to its fall, there were many Christians who believed that its demise marked the end of the world and that the twilight of Christianity was upon them. In an effort to comfort and instruct Christians, the great Augustine penned his famous City of God. In this remarkable work he showed that the city of God and the city of the world are two different realms. The latter may fall, but the former endures. History, of course, has proved him right, and his work provides comfort for modem Christians who are troubled by the encroachments o f “the city of the world” into and upon “the city of God.” Equally significant was the work o f a Palestin ian monk, Jerome. While Augustine was writing his City of God, Jerome was translating the Bible from the original languages into Latin. The prod uct was the Latin Vulgate which became the Bible of Western Christendom from that time until the dawn of the Protestant Reformation. This transla tion culminated a process, begun as early as 180 A.D., which changed the language of the early church in the West from Greek to Latin and to this extent helped pave the way for the growth and development of the Roman Catholic Church. These are only a few o f the interesting facets of early church history. Passed over in silence are such great names as those of Justin Martyr, Poly carp, Tertullian, Origen, and Ambrose. Neither has reference been made to the interesting development of church offices and organization, not to mention details of events referred to which add much to the interest in, and profit derived from, a perusal of church history.
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JANUARY, 1967
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