The Ecumenical Councils: First Council of Nicaea

Name: The Ecumenical Councils: First Council of Nicaea
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325 AD - Concilium Nicaenum Primum: Latin Texts, English Translations, and the Canons of Nicaea

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Created byRyan Hood

Last updated 8/2026

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What you'll learn

Understand the history and significance of the First Council of Nicaea (AD 325).
Explore the original Latin Canons of Nicaea with English translations.
Learn key Latin terminology used in ancient ecclesiastical documents.
Analyze the twenty Nicene Canons and their impact on early Christian discipline.
Examine how Nicaea shaped Christian theology, canon law, and church history.

Course content

7 sections • 32 lectures • 1h 8m total length

Introduction1:26
Timeline2:16

The Great Persecution3:22
Sources:

Eusebius of Caesarea. Ecclesiastical History, Book VIII, Chapter 2. Translated by Arthur Cushman McGiffert, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 1, ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1890. Public domain.

Eusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 1 (1890). Text accessed via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL).

Eusebius of Caesarea, The Martyrs of Palestine, trans. William Cureton (London: Williams & Norgate, 1861). Public domain.

Lactantius. On the Deaths of the Persecutors, Chapter 13. Translated in Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886. Public domain.

Lactantius. On the Deaths of the Persecutors, Chapter 34. Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7 (1886). Public domain.

Lactantius. On the Deaths of the Persecutors. Translated by William Fletcher. In Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7: Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries, edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886. Public-domain translation. Chapters 11 and 14. Accessed via Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL).

Eusebius's Letter to Paulinus of Tyre4:32
Sources:

Dudley, Dean. History of the First Council of Nice: A World's Christian Convention, A.D. 325; with a Life of Constantine. New York: C. W. Calkins & Company, 1880.

Eusebius of Nicomedia. “Letter to Paulinus, Bishop of Tyre.” In Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Ecclesiastical History, Book I, chapter 5. Translated in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, vol. 3, Theodoret, Jerome, Gennadius, Rufinus. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1892. Public domain.
Arius's Letter to Eusibius3:37
Sources:

Arius, Letter to Eusebius of Nicomedia, preserved in Theodoret, Ecclesiastical History I.5. English translation from The History of the First Council of Nice (public-domain edition via Wikisource).

Arius, Letter to Eusebius of Nicomedia, translated by Henry Wace, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 3 (public domain).

Arius. “The Letter of Arius to Eusebius, Bishop of Nicomedia.” In Ecclesiastical History, Book I, Chapter 4, by Theodoret of Cyrrhus. Translated in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, vol. 3: Theodoret, Jerome, Gennadius, Rufinus, edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1892. Accessed July 30, 2026. Wikisource.
Arianism

Constantine's Conversion1:14
Sources:

Eusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine, trans. Ernest Cushing Richardson, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 1, ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1890). Public-domain translation. Text accessed via New Advent.
Constantine's Letter to Arius and Alexander3:35
Sources:

Eusebius of Caesarea. Life of Constantine, Book II, chapters 64–72. Translation prepared from the Greek text for educational use.
Constantine's Position

Canon I2:10
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon II3:17
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon III1:17
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon IV1:33
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon V3:18
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon VI2:20
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon VII0:48
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon VIII3:44
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon IX1:03
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon X0:48
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon XI1:49
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon XII2:47
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon XIII1:37
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon XIV0:42
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon XV1:41
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon XVI2:14
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon XVII1:51
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon XVIII2:42
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon XIX2:18
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon XX0:47
Sources:

Dionysius Exiguus. Canones Concilii Nicaeni. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 67. Paris: Imprimerie Catholique, 1865, cols. 9–22. Public domain.
Canon Quiz

The Creed Produced by the Council2:00
Source:

First Council of Nicaea. Symbolum Nicaenum (325). In George A. Bindley, The Oecumenical Documents of the Faith. London: Methuen & Co., 1906. Public domain.
English Creed Translation of the Original Greek1:37
Latin Creed1:41
Sources:
Hilary of Poitiers. De Synodis seu de Fide Orientalium, §84. In Jacques Paul Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina, vol. 10, col. 536. Paris, 1845. Public domain.
English Creed Translation of the Latin1:18
Creed Comments
Survey Question

De Decretis Nicaenae Synodi3:16
Sources:

Athanasius. De Decretis Nicaenae Synodi (“Defense of the Nicene Definition”). In Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Volume 4: Athanasius: Select Works and Letters. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1892.

Athanasius. De Decretis Nicaenae Synodi. In Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, vol. 4, Athanasius: Select Works and Letters, edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1892. Public-domain translation. Accessed via New Advent.

Athanasius of Alexandria. “Letter to the Bishops of Egypt and Libya.” In Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 4: Athanasius: Select Works and Letters, edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1892. Public-domain translation. Accessed via New Advent.
Creed Clarifications

Requirements

No prerequisites however we will go over Latin text so a beginner Latin course will help (though not required)

Description

Discover the history, theology, and lasting significance of the First Council of Nicaea (AD 325) in this comprehensive course on one of the most important events in Early Church history. You will explore the political and theological events that led to the Council of Nicaea, including the rise of the Arian controversy, the teachings of Arius, the leadership of Emperor Constantine, and the Church's response to questions about the divinity of Christ. This course places primary sources at the center of your learning. You will read and analyze the Letter of Eusebius to Paulinus, the Letter of Arius to Eusebius, and Constantine's Letter to Arius and Alexander, gaining firsthand insight into the debates that shaped Christian theology. You will also study the twenty Canons of the council in the original Latin with an accompanying English translation, examine the Nicene Creed of AD 325, and learn why it remains foundational to Nicene Christianity. The course concludes with a brief introduction to selected quotes from Athanasius's De Decretis Nicaenae Synodi and its defense of the council's doctrinal decisions. Ideal for students of Catholic Church history, theology, pastors, seminarians, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Early Christianity and the First Council of Nicaea.

Who this course is for:

This course is intended for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of their Catholic and Christian faith and non-Christians with a personal or academic curiosity.

The Ecumenical Councils: First Council of Nicaea

What you'll learn

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Course content

Introduction2 lectures • 4min

Christian Persecution1 lecture • 3min

What is Arianism?2 lectures • 8min

Constantine2 lectures • 5min

The First Council of Nicaea20 lectures • 39min

The Nicene Creed of 325 A.D.4 lectures • 7min

Athanasius1 lecture • 3min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: