This week
Nicene era
AD 325 – 451 · The great councils — Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus, Chalcedon.
The Nicene era is the century and a quarter when the church and the empire fuse, and the four ecumenical councils define what Christians are still arguing about today. By 380 Theodosius makes Nicene Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire. By 451 the council of Chalcedon has carved out the boundaries of orthodoxy on the Trinity and the person of Christ that Catholic, Orthodox, and most Protestant churches still hold.
Why it matters
- ·The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God in three hypostases (Constantinople 381).
- ·Mary is Theotokos — God-bearer — not merely Christotokos (Ephesus 431).
- ·Christ is one person in two natures, divine and human, without confusion (Chalcedon 451).
- ·The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed is fixed as the universal creed.
Book of the day
Five Theological Orations
Gregory of NazianzusA reading pick tied to today's figure, quote, era, or event. Dense but decisive sermons on the Trinity from the theologian of Constantinople.
Daily Patristic Wisdom in your inbox
Get one early Church quote each morning, with historical context in plain English. Free. Unsubscribe whenever.