This year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the crowning event in its history, the convocation in 325 AD. in Nicaea of Bithynia of the First Ecumenical Council. For the first time, the bishops of the entire Christian world met to discuss and resolve emerging doctrinal and administrative issues in the body of the Church which were troubling its unity. The primary and main topic of the Synod was doctrinal and concerned the heresy of Arius, which had appeared in Alexandria and was causing intense dichotomy and strong theological confrontations, which were disturbing the entire Roman Empire.
This issue primarily concerned the Church of Alexandria, which wanted its solution to bring peace to the Church. Hence, the Contribution of the Church of Alexandria to the First Ecumenical Council was particularly decisive both theologically and ecclesiastically. of Alexandria and this is clearly seen not only in its decisions but also in its legislative work, where the canonical arrangements in favor of the Church of Alexandria occupied the Synod directly.
Alexander of Alexandria was one of the main defenders of the Orthodox faith against the heretical doctrines of Arius and with the prestige of his position as archbishop of one of the great Christian churches he made a decisive contribution to the decisions of the Synod. He supported with theological insight the divinity of Christ and formulated the position that the Son is “light from light, true god from true god”.
Assisting him during the work of the Synod was his then deacon Athanasios, who would succeed him and become one of the greatest theologians against the Arian heresy and a steadfast defender of the decisions of the Synod. Athanasius argued with excellent theological arguments that the Son is not a creation, but co-equal and co-eternal with the Father. Later, as the archbishop of Alexandria, he will courageously defend the decisions of the Synod, despite the attacks, persecutions and exiles he suffered, and from this he will become the cornerstone of the Orthodox faith.
The theological contribution of the Alexandrian Church was very important because it highlighted and supported the fundamental theological term “homoousios”, that is, the coexistence of the Son with the Father (“homoousion τῷ πατρι”), otherwise known as the “Symbol of Nicaea”. At the same time, rejecting the principles of Arianism, he clarified and developed the theology of the Holy Trinity and strongly defended the divinity of Christ.
The term “ὀμουσιος” did not echo a philosophical-theological abstract concept, but expressed the core of the Christian belief in the salvation of man, because only if Christ was a true god could he actually save man.
Regarding the above, it should not be overlooked that at the Synod the representatives of the Church of Alexandria had a solid theological background of theological and philosophical thought, which had been structured and shaped by the great theologians-teachers of the famous Catechetical School of Alexandria, such as Origen and Clement. Alexandria had already emerged as the most important ecclesiastical spiritual center of the East, which contributed substantially and decisively to the formation and formulation of Christian doctrine.
The authority of the archbishop and the Church of Alexandria can be seen from the signature that Alexander of Alexandria placed on the decisions of the Council of Nicaea, signing “Alexander of Alexandria, together with Athanasius the archdeacon, against all those in Egypt and Libya and Pentapolis and these territories as far as the of India [Αιθιοπίας] provinces”.
In general, the decisions of the Synod, which were based on the theological insight of the representatives of the Church of Alexandria, such as the condemnation of Arius and the formulation of the orthodox faith, justified the struggles of the Church of Alexandria and at the same time strengthened its prestige as the guardian of the faith. In addition to the condemnation of Arius, the Synod with its legislative work also brought internal unity to the Church of Alexandria. Specifically, rules 4, 5 and 6 refer to the Church of Alexandria and have a clear connection with the problems that the latter was facing and their enactment was aimed at restoring the peace and internal unity of this Church mainly by condemning the disruptive actions of the bishop of Lykopolis Melitius.
Also, he commissioned the Church of Alexandria, because it had experienced astronomers in its ranks, to announce every year the day of Easter celebration, which the bishops of Alexandria did with their celebratory letters, the reading of which was done from the pulpit on Epiphany day. This last decision was an additional privilege for the important position in the ecclesiastics of the Alexandrian throne.
Evaluating briefly the work of the Synod in relation to the Church of Alexandria, it could be said that it was a triumph for this Church. On the one hand, the decisions of the Synod contributed to the strengthening of the unity of the Church and the prestige of the archbishop of Alexandria over all the bishops of his jurisdiction. On the other hand, the malas also helped the Christian Church as a whole, because the Alexandrian theological tradition and thought was the driving force for the development of the doctrine and the formation of the theological Christian thought and identity of Christianity as such.
The Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria Mr. Theodore he is the 2nd in the rank of Orthodox Primate after the Ecumenical Patriarch. Born and raised in Crete, His Holiness the Pope and Patriarch of the Great City of Alexandria, Libya, Pentapolis of Ethiopia, all the land of Egypt and all Africa, Father of Fathers, Shepherd of Shepherds, High Priest of High Priests, third and tenth of the Apostles and Judge of the Ecumenical, Mr. Theodoros is a stable pillar of Orthodoxy. He pastors the entire mission of Africa based in Alexandria.
