Nicaea is a city in northwestern Turkey, where 1700 years ago the first ecumenical council of the Church was held, which had some unique features.
At the beginning of the fourth century, the Church was still suffering atrocious persecutions from the Roman Empire. However, that did not stop its spectacular expansion throughout the empire, starting from the Middle East, and concentrating in large cities such as Rome, Lyon, Carthage and Alexandria. In Asia, the cradle of evangelization, the main Christian centers were Antioch and Jerusalem.
Emperor Constantine, aware of the unstoppable advance of the new religion, chose to legalize it through the Edict of Milan (313), betting that Christianity would be a factor in the cohesion of the declining empire. However, the emperor soon realized that, also in the Church, there were divisions, as a result of the cultural encounter between the Jewish religion – whose sap nourished the new plant of Christianity – and Greek rational thought. From this clash arose different “discordant interpretations” (in Greek, “heresies”) that fought to impose themselves as “orthodoxy” or official doctrine.
To settle these disputes, Constantine decided to convene the Council of Nicaea, which was attended by more than 300 bishops with tickets and per diems paid for by the emperor. This marked the germ of Caesaropapism, that is, the intervention of political power in ecclesiastical affairs.
The main heresy was taught by Arius, a charismatic presbyter of Alexandria, who held that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was a divine person, but inferior to the Father, inasmuch as He had been created by Him. In contrast, orthodoxy—whose champion was Alexander of Alexandria—affirmed that the Son always existed in equal power and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Finally, the Council ratified the Trinitarian doctrine, excommunicated Arius and approved the symbol of faith called the “Nicene Creed”. However, that decision took a couple of centuries and required two additional councils to consolidate “urbi et orbi”.
It is known that nothing happens under the sun that the Church has not already experienced. In fact, I find a curious analogy between that theological dispute and the heresies of another religion (political, in his case) that is the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS).
That congregation had an all-powerful father who, in his ultimate glory, enforced orthodoxy around the cult of his person and built temples and museums throughout the kingdom. To perpetuate his regime, he fathered a son, named “Victory of Man” (Andro-nike). Then, from his agrochemical Olympus, he sent patriarchs, prophets and disciples to spread his message of salvation (the “nationalization”).
However, after the father’s example, the disciples sinned of ineptitude and simony, left the people without energy and unleashed a ferocious “kakistomachia” (war between the worst).
The son continued to worship the father, but he no longer considered him irreplaceable to adjust the message of salvation. In turn, an apostate patriarch wanted to reverse history by placing a clock in the main temple that runs backwards. Another apostle, the one who was always in charge of the purse, revealed that the father was the only one responsible for his misfortunes and that of the kingdom and the most cunning put on masks to seek peace (“Paz”[1]) and jobs in other parties.
In the midst of so much fighting, the Empire of Puebla, advised by a shoemaker (Zapatero[2]), convened a council to settle the differences between the heretics and continue to enjoy their tributes, but it was of no use: instead of a “Puebla Creed”, a total schism was achieved. Each one took their masks and their “cárteles” to new Suns (Soles[3]), without the people missing them.
[1] Rodrigo Paz is one of the candidates who aspires to the Presidency on October 20th elections.
[2] José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a former Spanish Prime Minister, is an well-known supporter of the “Grupo de Puebla”.
[3] A reference to the “Cártel de los Soles”, a criminal international organization for trafficking drugs from Venezuela.