First Council of Nicaea

=== The two views ===
[[File:Constantine burning Arian books.jpg|thumb|upright|The synod of Nicaea, Constantine and the condemnation and burning of Arian books, illustration from a northern Italian compendium of [[canon law]], {{circa|825}}]]

The [[Arian controversy]] arose in [[Alexandria]] when the newly reinstated presbyter [[Arius]]<ref>{{harvnb|Anatolios|2011|p=44}}</ref> began to spread doctrinal views that were contrary to those of his bishop, [[Pope Alexander I of Alexandria|Alexander of Alexandria]]. The disputed issues centered on the natures and relationship of [[God the Father|God (the Father)]] and the [[Son of God (Christianity)|Son of God (Jesus)]]. The disagreements sprang from different ideas about the [[Godhead in Christianity|Godhead]] and what it meant for Jesus to be God's Son. Alexander maintained that the Son was divine in just the same sense that the Father is, coeternal with the Father, else he could not be a true Son.<ref name="kelly1978" /><ref name="Davis 1983 52–54" />

Arius emphasized the supremacy and uniqueness of God the Father, meaning that the Father alone is almighty and infinite, and that therefore the Father's divinity must be greater than the Son's. Arius taught that the Son had a beginning and that he possessed neither the eternity nor the true divinity of the Father, but was rather made "God" only by the Father's permission and power, and that the Son was rather the first and the most perfect of God's creatures.<ref name="kelly1978" /><ref name="Davis 1983 52–54">{{harvnb|Davis|1983|pp=52–54}}</ref>

[[File:Belgrade grafiti - First Council of Nicaea.jpg|thumb|upright|A grafitti in [[Belgrade]], [[Serbia]], depicting apocryphal events at the First Council of Nicaea. The text reads "St. Nicholas at the council in Nicaea in the year 325 stops the great lie of the heretic Arius who convinced the people that Jesus Christ is not God".]] The Arian discussions and debates at the Council extended from about 20 May through about 19 June.<ref name="Davis 1983 52–54" /> According to legendary accounts, debate became so heated that at one point, Arius was struck in the face by Nicholas of Myra, who would later be [[Canonization|canonized]].<ref>{{harvnb|OCA|2014}}</ref> This account is almost certainly apocryphal, as Arius would not have been present in the council chamber because he was not a bishop.<ref>{{harvnb|González|1984|p=164}}</ref>

Much of the debate hinged on the difference between being "born" or "created" and being "begotten". Arians saw these as essentially the same; followers of Alexander did not. The exact meaning of many of the words used in the debates at Nicaea were still unclear to speakers of other languages. [[Koine Greek|Greek]] words like "essence" ({{transl|grc|[[ousia]]}}), "substance" ({{transl|grc|[[Hypostasis (religion)|hypostasis]]}}), "nature" ({{transl|grc|[[physis]]}}), "person" ({{transl|grc|[[prosopon]]}}) bore a variety of meanings drawn from pre-Christian philosophers, which could not but entail misunderstandings until they were cleared up. The word {{transl|grc|[[Homoousian|homoousia]]}}, in particular, was initially disliked by many bishops because of its associations with [[Gnosticism|Gnostics]] (who used it in their theology), and because their beliefs had been condemned at the 264–268 [[Synods of Antioch]].