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It's not every day we get to celebrate a multi-millennia anniversary of anything, let alone one of the most "substantial" moments in Christian history (sorry for the pun...if you know, you know), but this last Tuesday, May 20th, was the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, from which the church articulated its longstanding belief about the the divinity of Christ and, eventually, by way of Constantinople, its fulsome doctrine of the Trinity. 

At Pacifica we study the Council and the subsequent Creed in our Sophomore History classes. It is a pivotal moment in the life of the world. Most notably, a diminutive North African theologian named Athanasius saved the day for what we now call orthodoxy (right/straight belief...think "orthodonture" right/straight teeth), forever giving the lie to the claim that Christianity is merely a northern European thing, and forever establishing the Christian faith on the teaching of the apostles rather than the whims of the moment or simply what is politically expedient.

At Nicaea there was drama and intrigue. Constantine asserted imperial authority, Bishop Nicholas (later dubbed "Santa Claus") may or may not have slapped the heretic Arius, and unanimity was achieved only to see many in the empire try to walk back the Council's decrees just a few years later. Yet the orthodox church persists down the ages, and it all started here.

So take some time to reflect this week on one of the most significant events in the life of the Christian Church universal (i.e. catholic), and thank the Lord for its miraculous and faithful outcome. 

If you'd like to read more (or listen), I highly recommend this great article over at Mere Orthodoxy. It's about a 30 minute listen.

Happy Birthday Nicaea!