St Athanasius Part Two
On the 7th day of the Coptic Month of Pashons we celebrate the life and struggles of the Patriarch St Athanasius the Apostolic. Part Two, the Council and the Cancer that is Arianism.

In the summer of 325 AD, Emperor Constantine convened a council of Christian leaders from around the empire to once and for all establish universal Christological doctrine. The council was called by the Emperor to put an end to the bickering and back-biting of a growing heresy. In our liturgy, we celebrate the 318 saints that were present to defend the truth from being eroded away. Patriarchs, bishops and priests from both the west and eastern provinces ruled by the supreme Emperor, were present at the First Ecumenical Council. Despite the highest ranking church leaders debating and discussing the issue, only one voice remained the guiding light of God through the darkness of the debate, the young deacon to the Patriarch of Alexandria known as Athanasius.

This council gathered at Nicea, which is today called Iznik Turkey, was called for by the Emperor because there was a growing cancer within the leaders of the Christian church. There was a three headed snake in the midst of the faithful. A priest known as Arius, believed that Jesus Christ was created, not co-essential with the Father. Implying that there was a time when Jesus Christ was not. This belief essentially stripped Christ of His true divinity.

The leader of this cancerous growth was a charming and devious soul indeed. He managed to influence and confuse the leaders of politics and the weak of faith. But the truth remained firmly protected by Her great saints present at that time, who utterly refuted this bile. But there was a growing number who started to defend the heresy by saying that it was simply a difference of a few words. Though Emperor Constantine was a Christian, in the dirty world of power and politics, he was often swayed by the heresy. So the need arose to unite the church under one belief.

“Who has deceived you,” St Athanasius is quoted as saying. “Into believing that the Creator is a creature.” Sharp is the sword that speaks the truth and straightaway the ranks of those who followed the devil Arius, were beginning to see the light of the truth. And in the end, through the unwavering guidance of our Lord and Savior through His faithful and devoted servant Athanasius, do we get the Nicene Creed, also called the Orthodox Creed. So as you hear the creed being spoken, remember the historical importance it presented in creating our beloved church.

“WE BELIEVE IN ONE GOD, the Father, the Pantocrator, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things seen and unseen. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light: true God of true God; begotten, not created; of one essence with the Father; by Whom all things were made: Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man; And was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried; And on the third day He rose from the dead according to the Scriptures; Ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; And He is coming again, in His glory, to judge the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.

Yes, we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life; Who proceeds from the Father; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spoke by the prophets. In One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. We confess one baptism for the remission of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, And the life of the age to come. Amen.”